by T. S. Ryder
Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Effective immediately, full power over the Northern Isles Coven shall be granted to Calissa Gerb—No. No! Lee, I…” she blinked a few times and looked at her desk as if the organized space would reveal to her why this was happening. “I don’t want this! I never… I-I…”
“Calissa,” Lee said, his eyes finally meeting hers. Pain and acceptance battled deep in his dark irises and, slowly, he got to his feet. His entire demeanor was different. His cockiness and arrogance had dissipated. “I said, keep reading,” he whispered, as he plucked the parchment from between her fingers.
“Full power of the Northern Isles Coven shall be granted to Calissa Gerber, and she will, from this point, be recognized as the princess. We also grant an in-person visit to Princess Calissa and her coven, to hear about and witness the alleged attacks on the coven by human vampire hunters. Should such evidence be presented that the entire Council is in agreement, the Council Guard shall be deployed to the territory of the Northern Isles, with the single task of eradicating the human hunters, and the human hunters only,” Lee finished.
The entire time he was reading, an eerie calm had settled over him, and it bothered Calissa that he seemed so ready to accept what the Council had decreed. “You can’t just… accept this! You’re the prince! Not me!”
“Of course I accept it,” Lee said, as he looked at her steadily. “It was my idea.”
Chapter Five
Calissa looked as though she’d been punched in the gut. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes had flown wide, yet she said nothing. Instead, she stared at Lee as if he’d grown a second head.
“Listen to me before you say anything,” Lee snapped, irritation flashing in his eyes as he slammed his hands down on her desk, glaring daggers at her. “I don’t like this any more than you do. I didn’t want to give up my place, but something’s got to be done about these humans and the Council won’t hear any more about this issue from me.” As he said this, he stepped back from the desk and began to pace, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he did so.
“I’m trying to do what’s right here, Calissa,” he sighed, the intensity dying in his eyes. It left him defeated and hunched once more, and he sank back into the chair with a groan.
“I can’t get through to Arjin. Or Angulic, or David for that matter. The only one still willing to listen to me at all is Viktor. If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have gotten even this far. They’ve agreed to come here, Calissa. They’ve agreed to listen to you.” His tone was urgent and soft, even as he held his head in his hands.
“I… I don’t think I can do this,” Calissa said. Already her heart pounded in her throat at the thought of speaking for an entire coven of vampires to the leaders of their entire species. If it frightened her now, there was no way she’d be able to talk to them when they showed up.
To her surprise, Lee got to his feet once more, the intensity returning twice over. Sucking in a deep breath, he slapped her across the face, eyes hard. “Snap out of that. Cut your crap, Calissa. If you can’t do it, then get out of here while I try to save your people.”
Lee hadn’t hit hard, it barely even stung, but tears still stubbornly glazed over her vision. Standing up straight, she met his gaze as an equal and grit her teeth. This had been what she’d yelled at him for all this time. Whether she liked it or not, this was her job, and she was going to do this for the coven. And for Lee.
“Alright,” she whispered. “I can do this. When… When the Council comes, I’ll be ready to show them just how devastating the human hunters are.”
She’d turned away from Lee as she spoke, to look up at the stained glass window behind her in an attempt to find her resolve, but she quickly turned to face him again and took his hand in her own.
“But, Lee,” she began, bringing his hand to her ruby lips and kissing against his knuckles softly. “I’m going to need your help with this.”
“Of course, my lady,” Lee agreed, as he went down on one knee and looked up to her. “I have always been, and always will be, first and foremost, yours to do with as you wish.”
As he rose to his feet, Calissa pulled him forward into a fierce kiss, the likes of which they hadn’t shared since he’d spoken to the Council that very first time.
His hand tangled in her curly hair and gripped the back of her head, pulling her ever closer, while his other arm wrapped firmly around her waist to keep her flush against his chest, and, as they kissed, his long-dead heart soared from his chest in happiness.
“As long as I have you to do this with,” Calissa whispered against his lips, once they’d broken apart for breath, “I can do anything.”
Chapter Six
The trip up to Lee’s bedroom was a blur of kissing and tugging on clothing. Had he had his way, he’d have taken Calissa right then and there in her office, but she’d stubbornly insisted.
“Why did it take you so long to love me again?” he breathed, as her fangs struck deep against his jugular and her hands clawed desperately at his torso to keep him pulled close. He moaned as his blood left his body, the heat it caused shooting straight to his groin.
Calissa pulled off of his neck with a soft, wet smack of her bloodied lips, and immediately pressed a hungry kiss against his lips. “I never stopped loving you,” she whispered, with a shudder, as one of Lee’s hands slid from her hip, across her stomach and into the black, lace panties that did little to cover her.
His fingers worked small, quick circles against her clit that left her entire body bucking up against his hand and a soft, keening moan spilling from her lips. It didn’t take long for her to find his neck again and bite against it, sucking deep, claiming marks against the pale expanse of his throat, collarbone and shoulders; anything her lips could reach she laid claim to until, with a fast jerk of Lee’s fingers, her body spasmed in a weak orgasm.
“Done so soon?” Lee teased, as he pressed her back against the bed and lightly rubbed his thigh between her legs. As he spoke, and her body began to respond to his touches once more, he licked and nipped across her throat, down her collarbones and over her chest until his mouth found a pert nipple.
“N-Not done,” Calissa stammered, her hands tangling into Lee’s dark hair and a gasp of bliss on her lips as his teeth rolled against her nipple and his hand massaged at her breast. “Please...” she whined, rutting her hips up against his leg and raking her nails across his back. “I need you inside me… Lee, please!”
With a sly, mischievous grin, Lee tore the lace panties from Calissa’s hips and ran a finger, slow and tantalizing, along her slick folds. As she trembled and quaked around him, whining plaintively for him to satisfy her, he moved away from her.
“You have to work for it,” he purred, as he removed his clothing and knelt on the bed, his erect penis twitching and swollen, in search of release. “Come on, Leesi. You need to be fed, and I want you to drink down every last drop.”
Calissa whimpered, her own fingers having strayed between her folds as Lee had undressed. They danced in and out of her, twisting about and pleasing her in ways only she herself knew. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, pressing her fingers into herself all the way up to the knuckles and back. “I-I need this...”
But Lee wouldn’t have any of it. He caught the hand that pleasured herself and pinned it above her head.
“Did I say to touch yourself?” he demanded, to which Calissa whimpered and shook her head. “I didn’t think so. Come suck my cock, or I’ll never let you cum.”
“But—”
“No,” Lee cut her off before she could complain.
Sighing, Calissa shakily got on her hands and knees as Lee laid out on the bed, and positioned herself between his legs. Her entire body ached with need for the man, but she ignored it in favor of enclosing her lips around the tip of his twitching cock.
“Take me all in, Leesi,” Lee commanded. Calissa shivered but obliged, and swallowed him down until she could feel him deep in her throat and her nose w
as buried against the soft, curly hairs that surrounded his tender sack. Slowly, she began to bob, sucking long and hard against the penis in her mouth.
Lee twitched and moaned above her, and his hips snapped forward into her mouth as he all but drilled himself against the back of her throat, over and over again until. His fingers clenched in her hair and pulled but, when she made a soft, pained noise, he quickly dropped his hands to her shoulders instead, squeezing slightly in apology.
He was being just a little rougher than usual in his excitement to hear that she loved him, but he’d be sure to take care of her as soon as she’d finished her job.
It didn’t take long before his gut curled with warmth and his balls clenched with need. With a cry of her name and a few sporadic thrusts of his hips, he released a hot burst of cum into her throat and, to his blissful delight, she drank his seed down as if it were the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted.
With that, he pressed a heated kiss to her lips and pinned her back once more. “You’ve been a good girl,” he purred. “It’s time for your reward.”
Chapter Seven
For the first time in a long time, when Calissa woke up she didn’t despise the fact she was once more pressed naked against Lee’s chest. She had no desire to push him away. No sense of anger filled her stomach at the sight of him. Instead, a tender love had filled her heart, something she hadn’t felt for him in a long time.
As Lee stirred around her, she pressed closer to his chest with a soft noise of protest. He laughed around her, and the sound warmed her heart.
“Come on, Leesi. We have to wake up,” he whispered to her, his hands gently combing through her tangled curls. “We have work to do. The Council is likely to show up tonight or tomorrow. They aren’t patient people,” he reminded her gently.
Slowly, he sat up, with Calissa in his arms, and pressed a gentle “good evening” kiss to her lips.
“I have all the proof I need…” Calissa said. If she could just negotiate five more minutes of time wrapped up in his arms, then she’d be happy.
“True,” Lee agreed, as he kissed her nose. “But do you know what to wear? Do you know how to speak with them? They are going to try to get out of having to send their guards however they can. If that means taking advantage of you, a new ruling monarch, then that’s what they’ll do.”
“Wouldn’t they want to help?” Calissa asked in surprise.
“Not if it means they have to do any work,” Lee disagreed. “These are very old vampires. Vampires that appointed themselves Lords before humans ever posed a threat. They don’t believe we are having trouble with this.”
At this, Calissa frowned and huddled that much closer to Lee’s chest. If the Council didn’t care about the different struggles of each individual coven, what was the point in having one to begin with? Instead of voicing this thought aloud, though, she pressed a kiss to Lee’s neck and then got to her feet.
“Alright, Lee. Help me get dressed and let’s figure out what needs to be said to the council.”
He nodded and got up beside her, taking her hand in his own. “Viktor will listen to you,” he said, as he opened up a dusty-looking closet and revealed the regal clothing of past coven monarchs. An all-lace, black dress caught her eye but, before she could grab it, it was in Lee’s hands, as if he could read her mind.
“Here. Try putting this one on,” he said, as he went over to his own personal wardrobe and pulled out a lace pair of panties, similar to the ones Calissa had worn the previous day.
“You kept those?” she asked incredulously, though she slipped them on without question and unzipped the skin tight, lace dress. As she pulled it on, Lee continued.
“It’s Arjin I’m worried about,” he admitted. He was briefly distracted as his eyes roamed all over Calissa’s voluptuous frame and the way the lace dress clung so perfectly to every angle and curve of her body, but he stopped himself before his looking turned into touches. “See, Angulic and Arjin are a married, mated pair. Anything he says, she’ll agree with. David is so soft spoken that his opinion rarely makes a difference.”
“Help me with this?” Calissa said, once she’d gotten the dress all the way on save having it zipped. She turned around to face the wall and hummed as Lee zipped her into the dress. “So, what you’re saying is if I win Arjin over—”
“The rest of the Council will likely follow,” Lee finished. He turned her around once he’d zipped her in and looked her over with a smile. The dress looked as though it’d been tailored specifically with her frame and size in mind, it fit her so well. Slowly, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
“How hard is it going to be to convince Arjin to send in the guard?” she asked hesitantly.
“Extremely.”
A knock sounded at the door then, and Calissa’s heart sank. The vampire on the other side of the door claimed the Council was there in their foyer.
“I thought I’d have more time to prepare for this!” she gasped. Fear shone in her eyes as she looked up at Lee, but, as he pressed a comforting kiss to the top of her head and pulled her into a warm embrace, her nerves settled.
“You can do this, Calissa. I know you can. And don’t worry,” he said, looking down at her with a wink. “Call for an ambassador, and I’ll get to be by your side the entire time.”
“Promise me?” Calissa whispered.
“I promise.”
Chapter Eight
“Lords of the Council,” Calissa called, as she appeared at the top of the stairway. Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest, especially now that Lee was not beside her. Four pairs of eyes stared up at her, showing various stages of irritation and boredom.
As she descended the stairs, Viktor moved toward her and met her at the bottom, a smile on his lips. “Lady Calissa, your recent ascension into ruling monarch of the house suits you well.”
“Enough with the pleasantries, Viktor. We didn’t come here for small talk,” Arjin grumbled, as he approached the pair. “Well, Calissa? What do you have to say about these alleged human attacks?”
“Ah. I appreciate…” Calissa paused, swallowing hard. Viktor met her gaze and nodded slightly, encouraging her to continue. “I appreciate your willingness to get started, b-but I feel the need to call an ambassa—”
“You don’t need an ambassador, woman!” Arjin cut in, irritation plain in his eyes. “This is nonsense! Why have we even come out here if we aren’t going to speak about the matter at hand?”
“Peace, Arjin, my dear friend,” Viktor soothed. “Lady Calissa has rights to an ambassador just the same as any monarch of any coven,” he reminded, before turning his attention back onto Calissa with a smile. “Please, dear lady, call your ambassador,”
Calissa smiled gratefully at him and nodded. At least Viktor was on her side. “I’d like to call Lee Dameron as my ambassador so that he might hear and scribe our conversation.” And, just like that, Lee was at her side again, a lazy, easygoing smirk on his pale face.
“Hello boys, and Angulic,” he grinned, waving a hand as a form of greeting. “Long time, no see. Has it really been but a day?”
Arjin advanced on Lee as if to strike him, but Calissa stepped in front of him before things could get out of hand.
“Please don’t fight in my house,” she said, eyeing Arjin first, and then Lee, before returning her attention to the Council as a whole.
“Follow me to the study, where we can talk a bit more comfortably,” she said. Despite how calmly she spoke, she reached out for Lee and grasped his hand tightly when he took hers in his own. Her heart hammered so harshly in her chest that she was almost positive she’d pass out.
Yet the walk to the study was uneventful, and thankfully without incident or accident of any kind. She ushered them all into her office and pulled chairs around her desk for each of the Council members to sit in while Lee stood at her side.
“Look,” she began, choosing to be both blunt and upfront with them. “Our people are dying,” she stated, shock
ed by the utter lack of compassion her words were received with.
“And?” Arjin questioned, an irritated look on his face. “What do you expect us to do about your lack of control and protection?”
Calissa had to grit her teeth to keep from retorting, and Lee shifted beside her angrily. Was Arjin intentionally trying to rile them up?
“I expect you to do your jobs,” she stated bluntly, as she looked between the four of them. “The purpose of the vampire Council is to protect all of us when we can’t protect ourselves, is it not?”
“How dare you accu—”
“I said, is it not?” Calissa demanded, her confidence in their case returning now that she was in her own territory, so to speak. Her office was the most familiar place in the world, and no one was going to try to speak over her.
Arjin looked taken aback by being talked over, and for once the angry, old vampire cracked a sideways smile. “Alright, alright. You’ve made your point.”
“When we created the Council centuries ago, that’s exactly what we intended,” Viktor agreed, smiling genuinely as Calissa took full control of the conversation.
Satisfied she had everyone’s attention, Calissa sat up a little straighter in her chair, cleared her throat and looked at them all. “OK. We need your help. Human hunters have built a village in the middle of our territory. Just this week alone, sixteen of us have turned up staked by human hands. There isn’t much we can do to stop them without a proper fighting force.”
“What exactly do you intend for our Council Guard to do?” Arjin asked, as he exchanged a look with his mate before looking back towards Calissa again.
“Well,” she said, biting her lip thoughtfully. She looked toward Lee for some form of guidance, but the former prince merely shook his head. This was her decision and her decision alone. This was the part that was important to get right.