They each carried a sword that was held upright almost touching the high ceilings they were aimed at. They reminded me of Egyptian warriors, with the lower part of their bodies covered in carved skirts hanging low on their hips and touching the floor hiding their feet. Each was also adorned with a long belt hanging down the centre.
But then stone flames were carved into the design, as if these warriors had to endure the tortures of Hell by being burnt alive whilst still remaining steady enough to serve their king. It was most certainly symbolic.
Just like on their bare chiseled, muscular chests that, at further glance, had pieces of their smooth flesh cut away to reveal the hidden reality of their true nature. These mortal bodies were nothing but a façade, with hints telling you a story in the way of spiked flesh. Small palm sized window frames of flesh displayed an armored demon beneath the marble skin.
However, moving on from their impressive torsos, ones that mirrored both sides of their beings, I found the top half was all demon. Two massive horns grew outwards from their shoulders and curled around, coming to a point at the tops of their gold masked heads, ones that gleamed bright in the firelight.
Their demonic features hidden to the world with nothing but painted thin black lips and holes where the eyes should have shown through. Like I said, the whole scene was nearly as grand as the first entrance way, but far more intimidating. However, this was also me we were talking about and nothing kept me from exploring. So, I stepped right up to one and ran my hand down the lower half, making Lucius growl low. My hand dropped away and I glanced at him over my shoulder to find him looking annoyed.
“What?”
“I would rather you didn’t,” he snapped.
“Why, are they expensive or something?” I asked totally missing his point.
“No, it is, however, a male form and you feeling it up isn’t an image I want branded to memory.” At this my mouth literally dropped before words took over the dumb looking action.
“Lucius, it’s a bloody statue!” I argued but my only reply was in the form of one pissed off male now folding his arms and giving me a pointed look. I shook my head, reserving the roll of my eyes for when I faced it again before muttering,
“Sorry dude but looks like my old man’s being a drag.”
“I heard that!” Lucius declared and was something I also chose to ignore. Meaning I moved on and was just about to walk through the centre arch when Lucius’ arm banded around my waist stopping me.
“Not so fast there, sweetheart, it’s not safe yet.” I frowned at this now wondering exactly what was beyond this archway and how he intended to ‘make it safe’. I didn’t have long to wait. Lucius walked us both back in front of the statue and I couldn’t help but comment dryly,
“Oh look, it’s my other boyfriend. Hi, Dave.” Lucius tugged me closer, growled low and nipped at my neck before holding the tender flesh captive between his teeth.
“Aa aah.” I moaned as he did this until it was just on the cusp of being too painful. But before that happened, he let go and soothed the bitten skin with a kiss.
“Behave, little pet,” he warned with one last squeeze before letting me go.
Lucius then walked up to the statue I had just dubbed as Dave and grabbed its sword, before twisting it around so it’s tip now pointed down to the ground. After this he reached up and pulled down on the golden mask making it open thanks to a hinge at the chin. Naturally after this, I moved closer and side stepped to get a better look as I was curious to see what was beneath it and the second I did, I sucked in a breath.
“Okay, so Dave isn’t looking so hot right now,” I commented making Lucius chuckle as I now referred to the demonic face hidden beneath the face of wealth. Its face now looked to be made more out of baked cracked sand, with high cheekbones and elongated features. Its mouth was open in a creepy, overly wide way and was framed by rows and rows of deadly looking teeth. Ones that didn’t seem to be anything but real this time.
But it was hard to pinpoint just one animal involved as there looked to be everything from tiger’s fangs to shark’s teeth. Even more startling was seeing Lucius now actually putting his hand in there and I couldn’t help but hiss,
“What are you doing!?” But then he made a motion like he had released something inside the mouth before he was pulling his hand back and walking over to me. And what he had released was a hidden doorway off to one side that had appeared from behind the smooth rock wall.
“What did it look like?” Lucius replied stepping up to me.
“Like you could have hurt yourself!” I exclaimed making him smirk down at me before patting me on the cheek and saying in a condescending tone,
“Aww, were you worried about me, Princess?” To which I huffed, folded my arms and said,
“You know what, I missed it the first time, could you just do it again please, only this time, give your hand a good wiggle and have a nice long feel around in there!” Again, Lucius walked away chuckling.
I followed him, because, well I didn’t have much choice in a place like this and when I did, I did so walking through the secret door muttering,
“What is your aversion to keys anyway, because I will tell you right now, there is no way in Hell damnation I am sticking my hand in Dave’s mouth…oh… my… good… Gods!” I ended this on an astonished whisper the second I noticed the sight now in front of me, as it looked as though we had just found the belly of the mountain!
It was an utterly enormous sized cavern that could easily have been the size of a cathedral. Its ceilings went up forever and its floor was a made up of a series of deadly drops. Falls that if by some miracle you managed to survive then the colossal spikes from a playground of lethal stalagmites would most definitely turn you into a human Shish Kebab! And well, there was just no dancing away from that.
The door he had created, or should I say Dave had created, led to a small platform roughly the size of a car, which then led onto steps down to a larger platform. This one was directly in front of the three open arches on the opposite side. But then it was no wonder I wouldn’t have gotten far, seeing as two steps in and I would have seen the sheer drop down. Especially seeing as the platform I was now stood on was a good four metres away. Meaning that the arches hadn’t been doors at all, they had been large glassless windows.
“Okay, so now this is so cool!” I said seeing a bridge across the deepest part of the cavern, about a metre wide. Lucius gave me a curious look as if something about this moment struck him as strange.
“What? It is cool and in fact reminds me of one of my favorite movies growing up, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which got me into wanting to be an archaeologist,” I told him, as I crossed the bridge with no problems. However, I couldn’t miss the way Lucius kept close behind me as if he feared I would trip and fall. Which, seeing as this was me, he was right to be cautious.
“You’re not scared of heights.” He stated as it clearly wasn’t a question but more like a surprised observation. I chuckled and said,
“Uh, I think it would be a bit silly to be, considering my dad has wings and all, plus I always sat up in the cockpit when my dad flew his private jet.” I made it to the other side without incident and was standing on the large platform when I threw my hands up and said,
“Tadaa, see I made it…Whoa!” This ended up with me tripping on some uneven floor and nearly falling to my side when Lucius caught me on a growl.
“Okay, so almost,” I muttered embarrassingly. Lucius scowled down at me and then hissed,
“I am starting to rethink things.” I didn’t know what to make of that and would have asked, only to be honest, I chickened out. All I could hope for was that it didn’t include bringing me down here or even worse, being with me down here. Or even worse, worse…being with me altogether.
An irrational thought that disappeared back into stupid land the moment he decided that instead of letting me walk, he thought it safer to simply scoop me up in his arms. Meaning I had no
choice but to let Lucius carry me the rest of the way. It then clicked that this had been what he had meant when saying he needed to rethink things.
Damn that stupid land!
To one side of the raised platform we were now on after crossing the bridge there was yet another passageway, but at least this one looked as if it may lead further into the cavern, as it cut through the rock. Like I said, I knew the place was huge from when we had been stood near the arches. But with the way the rocks were formed, it had been hard to see much beyond it other than the sheer size of the place from the vast stretch of its rock faced ceilings. Meaning it was mainly below that had been hidden.
I had to say that by the end I was glad Lucius had picked me up as it was so dark inside the tunnel that I fear tripping this time would have been inevitable.
Thankfully though, it led out to the other side pretty quickly and after blinking a few times, I was awarded with an amazing sight.
An incredible sight and one startlingly beautiful just like its owner.
It was…
Lucius’ home.
Chapter 18
Vamp Cave
“Gods, Lucius.”
I muttered this in total awe, as I scanned the large open living space and the first thing I noticed, one that surprised me, was how warm and inviting it looked. The walls were bare and untamed natural rock, but it seemed softer with the warm glow reflected against it. This was from the many lit lanterns that were fitted to the walls and I was amazed to see that, unlike on our journey getting here, they were actually electric.
“This place has power?” I asked too astonished to comprehend what a feat that must have been.
“It took a bit of engineering, but it was accomplished only a few years ago,” he told me and I couldn’t help but look up at the incredible chandeliers that hung down on lengths and lengths of cable. They were a work of art in their own right, with layers and layers of twisted black ink coloured branches in what could have been dipped metal. Attached then to this giant knot of branches was an abundance of blown glass shards in the same glossy black. It was overflowing with them and each hung down like deadly, stretched tear drops. The light part was a huge cluster of bulbs inside the black rooted sphere that cast shadows against all the rocks in a gothic display of beauty and elegance.
Even the jagged rock of the mountain that surrounded us didn’t take away from the fact that it was clearly a home. Just the staircase alone was more than just rough carved stone. It was one that led down to the first level and had been decorated with charming intricate patterns carved into each step. Swirls of interlaced symbols even kind of told a story as each step was different, giving it an almost whimsical feel and, combined with a black iron banister, it felt like being in a fairy tale.
It was only when he descended the steps into what was obviously the main living space that Lucius put me down, lowering me to my feet. This was also inviting and instead of the usual shades in Lucius’ contemporary living space back at Transfusion, this was totally different. The room, if it could be called that seeing as it was without walls and was basically a large island, was as big as an apartment itself!
Other areas could be seen as everything was all open plan, except a few doorways that were this time cut into the rock face, situated against a cavern slightly above where we stood. There was even a kitchenette on one of the connecting, smaller platforms, as well as a grand dining set on the one closest to it. Then I took a wild, stalagmite stab in the dark and guessed the other enclosed caves were no doubt a bathroom or a bedroom.
Each of these different living spaces were connected by a series of connected walkways or decorated steps that had been carved right out of the rock, creating a unique living space. It certainly gave a whole new meaning to the ‘baddie’s lair’ persona. Which was when I couldn’t help but say,
“Wow, I take it back.”
“What?” he asked clearly intrigued to know my thoughts. So I turned back to face him and said,
“Dracula has nothing on you, babe.” At this he rolled his eyes but again, he was getting really bad at hiding the smile that wanted to come out and play.
“Come on, my little comedian, let’s get you fed before I decide to make a meal out of you just to shut up that pretty little mouth of yours,” he said dragging a thumb down the center of my lips and walking away, catching my hand as he went so as to drag me with him.
Although, one look at the extra deep, rich navy blue sofa and all I wanted to do now was sink into it. The cream cushions and soft knit throws also gave it a homely touch, along with the scattered array of rugs in greys, creams and blues that all crossed over at some point on the stone floor.
Gods, but was that…
“Is that a TV?!” I shouted in excitement, as there was a cabinet at the far end of the space that the sofa faced. It was one that looked as if it could be hidden inside the dark wooden frame it was situated above, at just the click of a button.
“Later, food first,” he said walking up the curve of steps onto what I discovered was the dining area I had seen from below. The table was again in keeping with the décor of the place, being made from thick heavy wood. It was one that was smooth all the way around three sides, with one edge that still had the rough bark along it. It was a long straight rectangle in shape but that natural side remained in the curve from the tree it had been cut from. It was highly polished and had a beautiful grain.
I then glanced at all the food spread out on the table and then back at the kitchen level that was only three steps up and looked as though it could be fully equipped and much more than the kitchenette I had first thought it to be.
“Has it always looked like this?” I asked curious to know.
“The TV is new,” he replied with a knowing look, making me blush because he was saying without words, it had been installed for me. Then he came to the back of me and pulled out a chair, combining the gentlemanly gesture with an order, as was very Lucius,
“Sit.”
I did as I was told, mainly because there were donuts involved and delicious looking pastries. Lucius took his seat next to me, which of course was at the head of the table, one big enough to sit twelve people at least.
“It has changed over the years and added to when electricity was available.”
“Hence the kitchen I gather,” I commented making him nod and I removed my napkin from my plate and started to reach for an array of stuff, all of it sweet.
“I am starting to think that you are addicted to sugar,” Lucius said nodding down at my selection.
“So?”
“You are sweet enough, Pet.” I smiled at this and then took a big bite, then to make a point, I spoke with my mouthful. Only admittedly, doing it in a way that wouldn’t end up showing him my food or spitting it out. More done so for comedy value.
“I could always be sweeter.” Then I winked at him making him grin one of those bad boy ‘I am going to eat you like a hungry wolf’ type way.
“That sounds like an offer,” he returned and I laughed before saying,
“Or a challenge.” He hummed once and said,
“Indeed.”
After this we ate breakfast, or more like I devoured it, before Lucius continued to give me the tour, which consisted of very few places left. One of which was a hot springs pool hidden behind a massive boulder in a bathroom carved right from the stone. It was also one made private thanks to the connecting wall. The same wall that contained the countertop and sink, both of which were a smooth wave of curves, the same as the toilet. There was even a small waterfall over what was essentially a giant bathtub, that acted as a shower and seemed to be continuously running, feeding the pool below. In fact, the sight made me want to strip off and dive on in there, as it looked so inviting.
But then came the last room in the cave and that was Lucius’ bedroom. He led me up there as it was at the highest point and I didn’t know why but I suddenly became nervous as to what I might find. For some reason a BDSM club
sprang to mind!
I walked inside and I had to say, I hadn’t been too far off the mark with his bed alone. The room, like the rest of his home, seemed to be on different levels, with the bed being at the highest point and situated in the centre like a statement, which it was. For it was unlike any other bed I had ever seen before, and consisted of four massive beams, that were square cut carved wood. On top of the wooden beams were large heavy iron brackets that held four thick chains fixed there, chains that were easily the width of my arm.
These chains were then fixed to the four angles of the bed’s frame by even thicker brackets, each bolted to the corners so as the bed didn’t touch the ground. On top of this was a thick mattress covered in a rich deep red material that matched all the dark wood in the room and light soft neutral colour of the natural stone walls. All other furniture in here matched the chunky wood of the bed, and even framed a doorway into another room off this one. The only things decorating the walls were old fashioned wrought iron lanterns with big glass tops that held modern day lighting.
“That’s…erm…quite a bed you have there,” I said making Lucius chuckle.
“I had something similar once before, but had it redesigned, replacing it with wood,” he said letting me know without being obvious about it that he had a new bed. Even so I found myself asking,
“How new?” He tugged me to him, after hooking a finger in the belt loop of my jeans and said in a husky voice,
“Very new.”
“And the chains?” I asked, my voice thick and also now husky.
“They make great support,” he said rubbing his chin down my neck and shoulder.
“For the bed,” I surmised.
“Yes, amongst other things.” This time his reply was whispered by my ear and his knowing grin followed my sexually induced shiver. I decided it was best to focus on something other than being chained to his bed and nodded towards the doorway.
Blood Of Kings (Transfusion Book 3) Page 18