by A. C. James
Arie couldn’t look at me and I didn’t like how his voice had turned soft, quiet even, as he spoke to Luna.
“If I cure you it will deplete over half my magic, but in exchange my servitude to your Court will be complete. I will be free to go,” Luna said.
Arie inclined his head. “You still didn’t tell her what that means. Your magic is linked to your life span. Moon faeries are very rare, and without them we would have no moon.”
“So if I allow you to heal me then it will shorten your life. When you’re free what will you do?” I asked.
“I will return to my father.”
I didn’t want to think about the implications of shortening her lifespan or what would happen if moon faeries became extinct and we had no moon. But I knew that the moon stabilized the Earth’s rotation and that days would be shorter and our climate would be harsh. Exhaustion wore on me and pain hammered in my head, making it difficult to think. I didn’t like that she would return to the one person who had traded her like property to settle a score that should have been his responsibility. I didn’t like that saving me would cost her life.
And didn’t I want to be with Arie?
The reality of being a vampire hit home, but I didn’t know how I felt about any of it. Part of me felt overwhelmed and frightened by all the new sensations, while another part of me felt strong, vital, and invincible. Arie and I could be together. Forever.
“Arie…?”
“The choice is yours. I can’t make it for you.”
“I need more time.”
Luna sighed. “Well, you know where to find me.” She turned on her heel and left.
My head was spinning and I reclined on the sofa to try to make it stop. I closed my eyes. It was all too much. Arie came over and sat beside me, brushing a stray hair away from my face.
-Holly, I’m not sure where to begin. There’s so much that I’ve wanted to tell you. I have waited for a long while. When I look at you I see truth, love, and happiness—everything I’ve wanted in life. I thought it was all a dream, but it led me to you.-
I smiled at the surge of telepathy and opened my eyes.
“I know.” I held his hand to my face.
“You don’t have to decide now. You can take all the time you need.”
I knew everything would be all right in the end. Katarina was dead, but I couldn’t do anything other than close my eyes. Even after three days of sleep I could barely keep my eyes open. I felt Arie kiss my closed eyelids. Just for now I would relish this moment and decide the rest of my life later. After all, I had plenty of time to figure it out.
Turn the page for Fallen Ever After (Book #2).
Winter Promises
HEAT UP YOUR CHRISTMAS WITH PASSION & LOVE (A PARANORMAL BDSM EROTICA SHORT STORY) This is a short 4K story that takes place between book one and two.
Holly Ellis never liked Christmas but after being bounced around the foster care system who could blame her. At twenty-two her feelings toward the season hadn’t changed or at least that’s what she thought. Arie changes her outlook on the holiday season with a very special scavenger hunt. This winter promises sensual delights that Holly won’t soon forget.
Merry Christmas Everyone! xoxo —A.C. James
Winter Promises
An Ever After Christmas Erotica Story
By A.C. James
for Alexis Arendt—the best damn editor a girl could have
Warning: This is a short paranormal erotica story that takes place directly after Eternal Ever After. It is stand-alone but contains spoilers for those who have not read Eternal Ever After.
The last thing I expected to see when I woke up was a massive Christmas tree looming over my head. I remembered everything more clearly than I wanted to, but at least the nausea and disorientation had passed. I was a vampire. Things couldn’t be clearer. It wasn’t the path I had expected, but I couldn’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be than with Arie.
Where is Arie?
“You’re awake.”
I sat up slowly, turning my head toward the voice. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
Victoria stood in the kitchen beside the fridge, closing its door before she walked across the airy expanse of the loft and sat next to me, on the arm of the leather sofa. “I called, but I wanted to stop by even though Arie told me not to. He wanted you to rest. You were out cold while he was putting the tree up. I helped decorate. Then he asked me to keep an eye on you in case you woke up and were still out of it,” Victoria said. “You sleep like the dead.”
“Aren’t I?” I asked sarcastically.
Victoria laughed and took a sip from the bottled water she had grabbed from the fridge.
I rubbed at my temples and winced. My head still hurt, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. “Where is he, anyway?”
A sly smile curved the corners of her mouth. “He said he had to pick something up. You know it’s Christmas Eve, right?”
“Christmas had kind of slipped my mind with everything going on.”
In fact, the holiday didn’t really mean that much to me. It never had. Frankly, I thought it was a bunch of commercialized bullshit. My adopted parents weren’t overly religious. And before they took me in I had been bounced around so many places—some I’d rather not remember—that this time of year always made me feel envious of others who had a family to spend it with. I made a mental note to call my godmother, now that I knew I actually had family I could call.
I looked again at the Christmas tree and thought it seemed odd and incongruous considering what we were. Night Walkers, blood drinkers. The earthy smell of pine filled Arie’s loft, reminding me of a winter forest. Moonlight streamed through the glass wall that opened onto a balcony overlooking the Chicago River. The one thing I liked most about Christmas was the lights—red lights lit the tree, making the pine needles glow, and they shimmered off the silver bulbs that dangled from its limbs. It made me smile despite the empty memories that the holiday held for me.
“Well, I guarantee that this Christmas will be one to remember,” Victoria said.
I bit my lower lip. Something about the way she said it, and the look in her hyacinth-colored eyes, made me wonder what she knew that I didn’t.
“I’m not sure if I like the sound of that.”
Victoria smiled. “Holly, I promise that tonight will be full of surprises.”
“What if I don’t like surprises?” I asked with a sigh.
“You’re going to love this one, I promise.” Victoria glanced at her watch. “But it’s almost time, and I have to get going.”
“Time for what?”
“For me to give you this.” Victoria rose from her perch on the edge of the sofa and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a plain white envelope and set it on the coffee table in front of me. “Don’t open it until after I leave. I’m glad you’re okay. You should both stop by the club once you’re feeling up to it.”
I was still getting used to things. My senses were on overdrive, and the sound of the city drifting up from the streets below was almost too much to take in. I hadn’t tried to leave the loft yet, and I wasn’t sure if I was up to the hustle and bustle of so many people—so many voices. I had planned on going to the club once I could block out the stimuli that my hypersensitive vampire senses sharpened like a tack. They drowned out my thoughts, making it impossible to focus. Even though I hated to admit it, I was still a complete wreck.
“We will. Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas.”
Victoria squeezed my shoulder before bending time. In the blink of an eye she was gone, the door to the loft banging shut behind her. It was as close to a hug as I could expect from her. She didn’t strike me as the hugging type. Sometimes it seemed like Victoria held the people around her at a safe distance. It reminded me of the one set of foster parents that I had been placed with who dragged me to their church every Sunday. People murmured, “Peace be with you,” a hollow acknowledgment, with a distant nod rather than reach
ing out to touch you. When you were with Victoria you knew that you could count on her to be on your side, but it was a reserved kind of friendship. It wasn’t that she was unfriendly, but her cool aloofness felt like it was rooted in something so much deeper. Still, she was unbelievably loyal to the people who mattered most to her.
“He’ll be good to you, no matter how you may judge him. I consider him family, and by extension you’re included.”
The memory of her words made me smile. After not having a family for so long, I suddenly found myself surrounded by a family that was linked by blood, just not in the way you’d expect. I eyed the envelope on the table with both nervous apprehension and excitement. What do you have planned? That someone had taken the time to plan a surprise for me was something completely foreign. It was both new and exhilarating. It aroused my mind and sent a familiar twinge straight to my pussy.
I slid the envelope across the table and tore into it like a wide-eyed child on Christmas morning. It contained elegant stationary with perfectly scripted handwriting that I recognized instantly.
Go to the fridge and open it. —A
Smiling to myself, I made my way to fridge, doing exactly what he said. When I opened it, there was an envelope on the top shelf. He’d placed it in front of a wine glass filled with burgundy liquid. I didn’t need to open it to know what he wanted me to do, but I still broke the seal and pulled the stationary out.
Now drink it. You’re going to need it. Then go upstairs to the bathroom. Don’t open the bag. I’ll know.
“Oh, Arie—sending me on a scavenger hunt.” I giggled like a silly schoolgirl, glad that there was no one around to hear me.
I grabbed the wine glass but couldn’t seem to get it down, even though I was hungry. Arie was so thoughtful, knowing intuitively what I wanted, what I would need to be able to follow his lead. My mind raced with the possibilities that could be waiting for me upstairs as I made my way to the polished white marble bathroom.
The fragrant smell of roses and lavender drifted through the air as soon as I opened the door. The tub was filled with steaming water. Bubbles and rose petals floated on its surface. Candles surrounded the bathtub, and another envelope sat on top of a fluffy towel which he’d laid next to the tub. Next to them was a gold gift bag stuffed with white tissue paper, with gold sparkles that were spilling out of the top. It was complete torture not to open the bag. I wondered how he would possibly know if I cheated. But I did what he told me to anyway, opening the envelope for his next set of instructions.
After your bath, open the bag. You’ll know what I want you to do. Once you’ve completed the task, go to the bed and look under your pillow. Don’t pleasure yourself while you’re in the tub.
What was waiting for me under my pillow? I couldn’t imagine, but my breasts tingled in response to the erotic images that filled my head. My vivid imagination combined with anticipation stoked my desire unlike anything I’d ever felt before. He wasn’t here and hadn’t even touched me, yet my body already felt like it was on fire. I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and let my sweat pants drop to the floor. Before sliding into the warm water I piled my chestnut hair on top of my head, using a hair tie to hold the unruly mass in place.
The water felt good and soothed away the tension from everything we’d been through in the past few weeks. I tilted my head back and rested it on the back of the tub, letting the water lap at my breasts. Don’t pleasure yourself while you’re in the tub. Damn it if I didn’t want to reach through the suds and find my clit. I could feel the pressure build as it inexplicably throbbed without any external stimulation. Perhaps I wanted to touch myself even more because he’d told me not to. A bar of lavender soap rested on a wash cloth on the edge of the tub. I groaned, frustrated that he wouldn’t allow me to do anything to ease the desire that had built between my legs from nothing more than my own tempting thoughts, put there by Arie’s demands.
I washed my face, breathing in the lavender. The rough friction of the washcloth felt sensual as I ran it across my overheated skin. I eased out of the water slightly and the cool air pricked me. I slid the cloth down my neck, down my arms, and when I reached my nipples they were hardened by the brisk air and rough texture of the washcloth. Rubbing soap over my breasts and across my stomach, I continued south. Hesitant to reach between my legs and be tempted to do exactly what Arie had told me not to, I washed my legs first. I’d saved my pussy for last; finding its folds, I savored the feel of the cloth cleansing me and let out a moan as it brushed across my clit. Still, I did as I was told and didn’t linger, no matter how much I wanted to insert a finger or two. As I washed my ass, it puckered from the cloth brushing its entrance. I leaned back into the warmth, letting the water wash away the soap, and took a few deep breaths to calm me before I got out of the tub.
Towel drying and then wrapping the white folds of the towel around me, I opened the bag Arie had left. I’d been dying to see what was inside and eagerly pulled out the tissues, tossing them on the floor.
I gulped.
Inside the bag were three things. A bottle of lube, a dildo, and nipple clamps. You’ll know what I want you to do. Oh, yes. I knew exactly what Arie wanted me to do. My mouth felt like a desert. The calm from the warm depths of the bath was gone as I felt my pussy clench at the sight of his erotic gifts.
I dropped the towel and ripped into the packaging of the dildo. I squirted a generous amount of lube into my palm and used it to make the dildo slick, then massaged the rest into my folds. Slowly, I slid the dildo into my pussy. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to fit the whole thing, but as I eased it in, my body took its entire length. Now I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to walk to the bed without it falling out. I’d worry about that after I completed Arie’s next task. Nipple clamps. I bit my lower lip as I attached one and then the other.
As I clenched my thighs together so the dildo wouldn’t fall out, I could feel its width stretching me, and I let out a moan. I was completely turned on by Arie’s preparations for whatever he had in store for me. Somehow I managed to waddle to the bed without the dildo slipping out. As I sat on the edge of the bed the angle and the pressure from sitting made my muscles contract around the toy. I moved the pillow to discover one of the red silk scarves that Arie had once used to tie me to the bed, along with another envelope.
Use this as a blindfold. Lay on top of the bed. No covers. Keep your legs closed and cross your ankles. Put your hands behind your head. Then I want you to stay that way until I tell you otherwise. Do not get up or change positions. Do not pleasure yourself. I’ll be watching. —A
I looked around the loft as if I expected Arie to suddenly materialize, but I was alone with my nipples clamped and my pussy filled by the dildo, unable to slake my lust by using it like I wanted to. Then I looked at the wall of glass adjacent to the bed, which matched the view in the living room below. I wondered if Arie was perched somewhere outside—just waiting, watching, listening for me to mess up. After all, he was a vampire, and I could see him doing something like that to make sure I followed his instructions to a tee. How long would he make me stay like this? And how would he punish me if I gave in to the lust pulsing through my pussy? I could feel my ass tingle as I imagined him spanking me if I disobeyed. Sometimes not being obedient had its benefits.
Apprehensively, I took the scarf and tied it around my eyes and settled onto the bed. I crossed my ankles and put my hands behind my head, which made my breasts jut out. The blindfold blocked out all light, and with my sense of sight gone, every sensation was heightened. It was agony to lay there and not be able to do anything to ease the throbbing of my clit. I bit back a moan. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been lying there. Was it ten minutes? Twenty? Maybe thirty? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I could feel the rush of blood coursing through my undead veins. I could hear a pin drop in the quiet solitude of the loft, that’s how still it was. Wetness soaked my thighs as they clamped around the dildo. Pain pinched at my nipples.
; -You’ve done well.-
Arie’s surge of telepathy hit me. I heard a footfall toward the right and I knew he was in the room with me. My pussy clenched at the thought of him standing there looking down at me, naked on the bed, blindfolded, with my hands behind my head and my nipples clamped at his command. -You can relax your arms. Touch yourself. But don’t come. I want to watch. If you feel like you’re going to come, say ‘close.’- Something about him directing me telepathically, without ever saying a word, was hotter than if he’d spoken out loud.
With one hand I rubbed my nub and used the other to slowly slide the dildo in and out. I moaned. My movements quickened and it was hard to hold back. I had anticipated my orgasm for so long that it made it even harder to control. But I knew if I waited, if I held back just a little longer, that it would intensify my release. And it gave me immense pleasure to give Arie what he wanted. Performing for him, pleasuring myself in front of him, and picturing the satisfaction on his face as he watched me, was such a turn-on. In and out, I stroked myself with the dildo while I rubbed in a circular motion on my clit. I was getting close. Too close…
“Close,” I yelled.
-Don’t stop. But don’t come.-
I groaned. It was agonizing, and I was on the brink, but just when I thought that I would come, I screamed out in pain as blood flowed back into a nipple when Arie unexpectedly released one of the clamps. -I said don’t stop.- Arie tweaked the nipple he’d just released, before releasing the other clamp. I felt tears sting my eyes. It had happened so fast—and unexpectedly, since the red silk blinded my vision—that I had forgotten to masturbate as Arie had directed. I continued to play with my clit and stroke my pussy with the dildo. Arie grabbed the hand that was holding the dildo, replacing it with his own. He slowed the pace, gliding it in and out so leisurely that it was excruciating. Still I continued to stroke my clit.