by Eden (lit)
“Oh, my God,” she whispered as she continued to stroke him.
“Why, thank you,” he teased.
The vampire laughed softly as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“This will be a whole lot easier if you lie down,” he whispered.
Viktor rested her back against the sheets and buried his face against her breasts. Her hands, which had gripped him moments before were now clasping his hair in desperation as he took one hard nipple into his mouth. He drew on her flesh, almost to the point of pain before releasing her to trail kisses down the rest of her body.
When the vampire reached the top of her panties he took the fabric in his teeth and slid them down her legs. Without further ado, he buried his face between her thighs.
“Viktor,” she cried, wrapping his long hair around one hand.
His response was to slip one long finger inside of her while he continued to lap at her flesh.
“If you don’t slow down I’ll--”
But it was too late. Catrina didn’t finish the sentence, or even the thought before orgasm washed over her. Her muscles clasped around him, gripping his finger as he pressed his wet lips against her inner thigh.
“You are overdue,” he whispered. “Just enjoy it.”
She didn’t remember him removing his pants, but as Viktor leaned back over her, she could feel his erection resting against her thigh.
His eyes became a solid silver as he told her, “I can show you pleasure like you’ve never known. All you’ve got to do is give me the word.”
“Viktor,” she moaned.
“That’s close enough,” he said.
The vampire kissed her again and entered her body with one thrust. Catrina growled and wrapped her legs around him. Overdue was not the word. He was so big, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to scream from the pleasure or the sensation of almost pain that he caused. She bit his lip gently before pulling him down to kiss more thoroughly.
“I want you,” she whispered fiercely. “No matter what else happens I want you to show me tonight what I’ve been missing. I want it all,” she panted, reaching down to dig her nails into his firm backside.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he purred.
Viktor thrust into her with a ferocity she hadn’t expected. He wrapped his arms around her, underneath her body as he lifted her against him. His long hair spilled across her face and she was drowned by the scent of him as he plunged repeatedly into her body, bringing cry after cry of pleasure from her lips.
He seemed to know exactly how she needed it. Hard, fast, and right now.
Orgasm took her by surprise again and she screamed. He thrust into her again and Catrina scored his back with her nails as she arched against him. Viktor’s last thought before finding his own release was that she lived up to her nickname of Hellcat.
For several minutes she just lay there, trying desperately to catch her breath. Nothing could have prepared her for what had just happened. Little twinges of pleasure continued to course through her body as the vampire lay beside her and watched her shiver with delight.
When he rested his palm against her stomach, Catrina gasped as if she’d been holding her breath under water.
“Oh, my God,” she said, still panting. “You could have warned me.”
“Is that a complaint?” he teased.
“No,” she said with a laugh. “But if I had known that what everyone says about sex with vampires wasn’t just hype …”
“Would you have insisted on so many rules?” he prompted.
“Probably,” she said with a sigh. “But I would have put more thought into it.”
When her breathing had returned to normal Viktor asked, “How about a shower?”
Catrina stretched and rolled toward him. The soft glow on her cheeks added to her beauty and for a moment he was overcome.
“I don’t know if I can walk,” she said.
His smile was tender as he replied, “If you can stand then I’ll manage the rest.”
“I’m not so sure about that either,” she admitted.
“Fine then,” he said as he lifted her into his arMs. “Then let’s take a bath. I don’t like to sweat.”
She laughed as he rose from the bed and carried her toward the door at the back of the room.
“What do you like to do?” she asked, resting her head against his shoulder.
“Pretty much everything that makes me sweat,” he said.
“You know,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve always liked your sense of humor, but I’ve never known another vampire to have one.”
He opened the bathroom door and carried her inside as he answered, “Taking one’s self too seriously is overrated. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the past hundred years or so, it’s that life comes at you hard and the afterlife comes at you even harder. Why put more on yourself than you can bear by dismissing humor from your life?”
“So, what did you used to be, a philosopher?” she asked as he rested her against the side of the tub.
“A vampire hunter,” he replied.
Chapter Five
Viktor could tell that his comment had surprised her. He opened the cabinet underneath the sink and started looking for some bubble bath, giving her a minute to absorb what he had just said.
“So are you actually related to …?”
“Abraham? Yes. He was my older brother.”
He started handing her bottles and said, “Tell me which one you like.”
“What happened?” she asked.
Even though Catrina started smelling the bubble bath, her attention was obviously still focused on Viktor.
“I was helping him track down the Count, the King of Vampires, the monster who eventually killed my brother.” He laughed bitterly. “Obviously I failed. What about this one?” he asked, changing the subject as he handed her another choice of bubble bath.
“That’s fine,” she said, barely sniffing it. “So you were turned by--”
“Yes,” he said, cutting her off. “And I can’t complain entirely. If I had died face down in my own blood the way poor Abraham did, I never would have met you.”
“That’s horrible,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Look, you’re thoughts are still radiating so I’ll give you a minute to take care of any necessities.”
“Oh,” she said, blushing when she realized he knew she had to pee.
“Add whatever you like to the bath, I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, closing the door behind him.
Catrina took a moment to look around while she rose slowly. Most of the bathroom was made of black marble, including the massive garden tub, the toilet and double vanity. The fixtures were all gold and so were the veins of the dark marble tiles on the floor. Despite the dark colors, the bathroom didn’t look smaller. It was huge and polished to a high gloss.
Catrina was still unsteady on her feet when she washed up a few minutes later. Obviously discussing his brother’s death still upset Viktor. She was sorry to hear of his pain, but glad to know a bit more about him. Who even knew that Abraham had a younger brother? Not only that, but a brother who was turned by the King of Vampires and who held such obvious power.
She heard a soft knock at the door and Viktor asked, “Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
She sat down carefully on the edge of the tub and began to run some bubble bath underneath the water. Viktor sat down beside her and just his nearness made her ache. However, Catrina was surprised to find that her needs were not entirely sexual. She wanted to be close to him.
“I didn’t mean to be rude earlier,” he said softly. “I haven’t spoken to anyone about my brother in a long time.”
“It’s alright,” she said, trying to reassure him with her smile.
“So, what about you?” he asked. “You said that someone you love was hurt and you never knew who was responsible.”
“My sister,” she said, handing him back the bottle. “She w
as raped when I was eight years old.”
“I’m sorry,” he said as he reached over and took her hand.
“Me too, she’s never been the same.”
“Is that what prompted your interest in martial arts?” he asked.
“Yes. I didn’t intend to be a warrior, just not a victim.”
Catrina felt tears sting her eyes as the vampire took her in his arMs. No one had comforted her since she was a small child. It was so unexpected. She wrapped her arms around him and let herself cry. The feel of his hands running up and down her back seemed to make the tears come faster.
“She nearly died,” Catrina sobbed. “They never found him. He wore a hood and a mask. She described it to the police, but they’d never heard anything like it.” Viktor pulled her back to wipe her face as she said, “I’ve never seen anyone take a beating like that and survive. I wanted to take away her pain more than anything.” She began to cry harder as she admitted, “But not enough to take the pain myself. I was a coward. I fought against what was done to her for so many years. I fought the man I didn’t know every time I sparred with an opponent or hit a punching bag. I was so afraid of finding him.”
“You were afraid he would do the same thing to you?” Viktor asked softly.
“No,” she said. “I was afraid of what I would do to him.”
“Is that why you put yourself in harms way so much?”
“I guess,” she sniffed. “I guess that if I save enough people I feel like I can make up for never being able to save my sister.”
Viktor embraced her again and held her until the tub finished filling.
“I like women,” he said, as he lowered himself into the hot water, “And when I see a beautiful woman, I want her. But, it has never occurred to me to want to take her dignity. I am sorry for bringing up such a painful subject.”
“No,” she said, forcing herself to smile. “It’s something you needed to know about me if we’re going to pull this off. What happened to my sister has been a big part of my life.”
“That may be true,” he said, reaching for her. “But let’s not get back to business just yet. I’m rather enjoying this new side of you.”
“And what side is that?” she asked as she lowered herself into the bubbles.
“The human side,” he said with a laugh.
“That’s not fair,” she retorted, swatting bubbles toward him. “I am human. Entirely human. I haven’t got the slightest bit of psychic ability or supernatural strength or anything. The closest I come to any sort of ability is being able to block you from my mind and that’s something that one of my senseis insisted I learn. Otherwise I would be defenseless.”
The vampire threw back his head and laughed and Catrina’s eyes immediately leapt to the smooth expanse of his throat.
“No, pussycat,” he teased. “You are about as helpless as a porcupine in a nudist colony.”
Viktor stretched out his long legs, crossing his arms behind his head as he rested against the side of the tub. She slid toward him, spreading his legs in order to press against his body.
“You know about my scars,” she said conversationally. “But how did you get this?” As she asked this question she ran her fingertips over the small cross-shaped scar on his left hipbone.
“Some crazy priest,” he said.
“How did he get your hip?”
“I was naked. I’m lucky he didn’t get my dick.”
Catrina burst out laughing and slipped in the water, falling against him as she said, “I’m sorry. I’m sure it must have been very painful.”
“And frightening,” he said. “One minute I was sound asleep and the next I was on fire. Fucking nut job.” Catrina was laughing so hard by now that her eyes were watering. “It’s one thing to hurt someone in a fight. It is another matter entirely to burn someone with holy objects while they’re trying to get some rest.”
Her laughter eventually subsided while she rested her face against his chest. After several minutes he asked, “So, what did you do before you started hunting monsters?”
“I was a private investigator,” she said, looping a strand of his wet hair around her finger.
“How come you don’t do that anymore?” he asked.
“The work was too sleazy,” she said. “You never knew who you were going to have to follow or what you’d end up having to watch. It was disgusting. What really made me draw the line was when my neighbor, who was over seventy, wanted me to follow around her eighty year old boyfriend.”
“And watch him do what?” Viktor asked, making a face that made Catrina laugh.
“Overdose on erectile dysfunction pills,” she said, snickering. “Actually, he was screwing his physical therapist, who was fifty five.”
“Same difference. Did he survive the experience?” he asked, laughing.
“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t stick around to watch.”
He laughed again before saying, “I hate to, but I really do need to ask you something business related.”
“Go ahead.” She sighed and pulled back to look at him.
“First, I’m sure you know this, but in order for people to believe we are involved you’ll need to immerse yourself in the vampire culture. As we’ve already discussed, you’ll need to make a point to be seen with me and look like you’re enjoying yourself. Hopefully, that won’t be too much of a stretch,” he said, running a hand up her thigh.
“So, what did you want to ask me about?”
“Some members of the vampire council will be here in two weeks. As master of the city, it is my job to provide hospitality to them. I would like for you to be here to greet them with me.”
“As your date?”
“Not exactly.”
“As your guest?”
Viktor averted his eyes as he said, “As my human servant.”
“Isn’t that pushing it a little?” she said sarcastically.
Viktor didn’t need the tone of her voice or the look in her eyes to tell him he had just rubbed her the wrong way. All he needed was the familiar gesture of watching Catrina lean back and cross her arms.
“It’s only an act,” he assured her.
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” she said.
“What makes you say that?” he asked, putting up his hands as if in dismay.
“Because we’ve just gone from the title of girlfriend to servant.”
“I’ll be honest with you,” he said with a sigh. “There isn’t much difference to most vampires.” She gave him a stern look and he added quickly, “But I am not most vampires.”
“Lucky me,” she drawled.
“It is lucky for you,” he teased, giving her a wink.
She couldn’t help but smile as he continued. Damn it, he was charming.
“I am the youngest vampire to ever become master of the city. My powers, though strong, have long been debated. You see, most vampires my age do not possess the kind of powers that I have. Even the ones with the potential to become master vampires.”
Now she was too interested to be angry. Catrina lowered her arms and scooted back toward him.
“Explain it to me,” she requested, resting her head back against his chest.
“Well, even the limited powers you have seen me display normally take much longer to acquire. Most vampires who come close to rivaling my abilities are around five hundred years old.”
“And how old are you?” she asked.
“One hundred and thirty eight.”
“Son of a bitch,” she said, sitting up suddenly.
“So my father always said,” he joked.
“Seriously, Viktor, that’s impressive.”
“Why, thank you. But that’s what I’d hoped to hear after we went to bed together again.”
“So, what has any of that got do to with me posing as your human servant?” she asked, getting back to the subject.
“Well, most of the more powerful master vampires have a human servant. They don’t just choose
anyone, though some do choose their lovers.” He paused and focused for a moment on her small hand, spread palm down across his chest. “You have quite the reputation,” he said softly. “It would be a great show of power if The Hellcat were to be not only my lover, but my human servant as well.”
“So, you need me to impress them?” she asked, skeptically. “Really, Viktor you could have just said that.”
“I didn’t want to offend you.” He looked down at that small hand again and covered it with his own. “I also don’t want to expose you to more danger than I already have.”
She looked up at him and was moved by the expression in his silvery eyes.
“Are you having an attack of conscience?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But don’t spread that around.” His expression grew serious again as he told her, “The council members are very dangerous.”
“And you’re not?”
“They’re different from me,” he said. “Some of the behaviors that I ask you to take on or the things you do around them will not be natural. But I want you to know that it is for your protection. I’m not trying to humiliate you. I see you as an equal, but they will see you as a human. Just like many of your culture would not understand you dating a vampire, there are those of my kind who would go so far as to kill me for it.”
“But vampires date people all the time,” she objected.
“For sport.” She recoiled at his harsh words and he said softly, “I’m not like them. But that is the way things normally work. After you are seen with me before the council, no one will think that we aren’t a legitimate couple.”
“And why is that?” she inquired hesitantly.
“Because no one would dare subject themselves to the vampire council for fun.”
“Well, that does wonders for my heart,” she drawled.
“Don’t worry,” he said, squeezing her tightly. “I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about vampires between now and then.” He thought it over for a moment and said, “Well, at least enough to get you through the evening.”
“They’ll only be here one night?”
“Yes, thankfully. The last time they came through they stayed a week.”