by Scott, K. M.
The stake pierced Tatiana’s chest, and he plunged it deep into her heart. Then she was gone and all that was left was dust floating in what seemed like slow motion to the marble steps in front of him. Emotion threatened to overtake him as he watched the particles fall into small piles on the pristine white marble. He couldn’t truly regret his actions, no matter what their laws dictated, but what he’d done turned his stomach all the same.
Vasilije closed his eyes and hoped somewhere Nina heard his thoughts. I’m sorry, Nina. For not saving you then and for what I had to do now.
The breeze rustled the leaves on the tree behind him, and he turned to see Sasa lying on the ground. His dagger stood proudly erect from her chest, a symbol of Tatiana’s hate for him. Staggering toward her, he fell to his knees beside her. Still alive, she looked up at him, the sadness in her eyes from his words earlier replaced with pain and fear.
“Sasa.”
Her voice barely a whisper, she said, “I’m glad I got to say goodbye, Vasilije. But I need to know. Is she gone? Please tell me I can die knowing my mama’s murderer is gone.”
Nodding, he stared down at the dagger and the deep red stain that surrounded where it met her body. “She’s gone, pet.”
A small smile formed on her lips and she closed her eyes. “Thank you.”
She was fading away right before his eyes. Each breath caused her chest to rise a little less until at last she was silent. Vasilije’s whole body ached at the reality of Sasa out of his world. Whatever they’d been to one another, she deserved better than what she’d gotten.
Nineteen
Vasilije had to work fast if he intended on turning her. He leaned down to press his lips to her neck and heard her take a shallow breath. If she could hang on just a few seconds more…
“Sasa, stay with me. Don’t go.”
Her eyelids fluttered slightly at his words, and Vasilije’s heart leapt at the promise of enough time. As he had with her before, he held her in his arms and sunk his fangs into her neck, tapping her vein. The blood flowed slowly this time, and he was forced to pull at the vein harder than usual. Sasa whimpered softly at the pain but never moved.
When he’d taken enough and Sasa’s life hung by a thread, he pulled away from her and watched her begin to change. The beautiful skin with its deep glow paled before him, leaving only the warmth in her eyes that gazed up at him softly.
“Vasilije?”
“Almost, love,” he said as he brought his wrist to his mouth. One sharp push into his own skin and his vein opened. Gently, he pressed it to her lips and held her head as she began to drink from the one who would forever be her sire.
The feelings she ignited in him as he watched her drink his blood were exquisite. Never before when he’d sired a vampire had he felt so alive. So happy. His skin danced with pleasure, and with each gentle pull of her mouth, the experience almost overwhelmed him with sensations. Closing his eyes, he accepted all it offered.
When she’d drunk all she needed, she touched him softly on the hand. “Take me home.”
He lifted her in his arms and cradled her next to his body as she rested her head on his shoulder. In seconds, they were back in the Garden District at Teagan’s house.
Home.
Vasilije gently laid her in the bed and took his place next to her. More beautiful than he’d ever seen her, she looked up at him with concern in her eyes.
“I thought you didn’t want another vampire to take care of.”
He stroked her brown hair that seemed even darker now against her pale skin. “Always with the questions. That mouth is going to get you in trouble, love.”
“What’s going to happen to me now? I’m all alone now that Mama’s gone.”
Sasa closed her eyes and squeezed them tightly. One tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. He’d lived alone so long it never entered his mind that being alone would upset her. But she wouldn’t be alone.
She’d be with him.
Vasilije bent down and softly kissed her lips. Cradling her in his arms, he whispered, “You’re not alone. You’re mine and you’ll be with me.”
“I never got the feeling you wanted anyone with you.”
Smiling, he winked and said, “I didn’t. Now rest.”
For once, Sasa didn’t argue with him or question why. Closing her eyes, she quietly drifted off to sleep next to him.
“Vasilije, I’m hungry.”
Sasa’s need woke him, and Vasilije stretched the sleep from his muscles. Instinct told him it was still daytime, but a new vampire’s need for blood didn’t follow a schedule. Opening his eyes, he saw her staring down at him, or more precisely, his neck. Her brand new fangs were ready for their first use, and her dark eyes were wide with hunger. Vasilije placed his hand on the back of her head and guided her to his waiting vein.
“Come, Sasa. Drink.”
Her lips softly pressed against his skin and for a moment, she kissed him. Warm puffs of air drifted over his skin and then tentatively, she opened her mouth. The first touch of her fangs thrilled him, and his cock filled from desire of what would follow her feeding.
Sasa sank her teeth into him eagerly, and she opened his vein instantly, as if it were second nature to her. Any hesitation she felt vanished as his blood flowed into her. Vasilije held her tightly to him, loving the erotic sensation her mouth pulling his vein created in him.
Each draw sent a jolt through him straight to his cock, which stiffened more by the minute. The feeling wasn’t exclusive to him as Sasa began to run her hand over his chest and stomach, her moans vibrating against his skin as she drank.
She slid her hand down to his hip and around the base of his cock. Slowly, she matched the rhythm of her mouth with her hand, stroking him as she took the precious fluid she needed and only he could give.
Vasilije fisted her hair and tugged gently. She was driving him mad with desire, but he knew she needed more blood. Her first real feeding, it was too important to rush, but God, he wanted to. How badly he yearned to be inside her, her body surrounding him like it was meant to be only his.
“Vasilije.” Sasa leaned back away from him and licked her lips.
With the tip of his finger, he caught a drop of blood that sat just beneath her lower lip. Sliding his finger into her mouth, he ran it across her tongue and then one of her fangs. The effect was immediate.
Sasa closed her eyes and moaned her pleasure. “Don’t tease.”
Up and down one fang and then the next, his finger followed the action of her hand on him. Aroused, she sucked his finger into her mouth and glided her tongue over it seductively, opening her eyes to watch the effect of her teasing on him. Then she stopped, let go of his finger, and smiled.
“What is it you’re always saying about my mouth getting me in trouble? Is this what you mean?”
Unwilling to wait any longer, he nodded and pulled her on top of him. She was wet and her pussy slid up and down his cock until he was slick. The feeling made the tip of his cock feel like it was going to explode if he didn’t bury himself in her now.
Sasa wanted to play more, but that could wait. Grabbing her hips, he positioned her over him and speared into her as deeply as possible. For a moment, he held her still, her body pressed to his so closely they appeared as one being. She made a pleading noise for him to continue and moved her hands to his chest to brace herself when he finally moved again.
Like an animal, he plunged into her wet cunt over and over as she bucked up and down on him, meeting his every thrust with one of her own. This was the true joining of a sire and his vampire. Wild. Uninhibited. She was his—a mate made for him. He was also hers, meant to take care of her every need.
Sasa rolled her hips forward and back, taking him deeply into her. But he wanted more. Pulling her down onto his chest, he growled next to her ear, “Give yourself to me, Sasa.”
Pushing aside her hair, she exposed her neck as she continued to ride him. His body roared with desire when she whispered breathlessl
y, “Take me. Take me now. I want to feel you drinking from me as you fuck me.”
Teeth that had pierced thousands of veins strained to bury themselves in her neck. Pulling her to him, he found the spot just below her ear and sank his fangs into her. The first taste of her blood and its familiar and exciting tanginess sent a rush through his body, and he pumped wildly into her, unable and unwilling to control his need to feel that release that came only with another of his kind.
He greedily took every ounce she gave, forcing himself to remember his appetite was more than she as a new vampire could handle. Her blood aroused him, energized him, and sustained him like no other had in centuries, and it took every bit of self-control he possessed to keep his desires in check.
Her moaning and talking didn’t help his restraint. New to her life as a vampire, she was experiencing her body’s reaction to sex in a far more heightened way, and the more timid Sasa from her human life was no more.
Reluctantly, he slid his tongue over the holes in her skin to close them. Rolling her over, he hovered over her body before he plunged into her again, his desire no less powerful than before, but his appetite satisfied, at least for now.
*
Every inch of her body felt more alive than ever before. Her lips tingled as he kissed her and slid his tongue into her mouth to play with her fangs again. Now she understood how excited she’d made him when she’d done that to him.
Each time he plunged into her, his cock caressed nerve endings never before touched. Wrapping her legs around him, she longed to have him as close to her as possible. Her skin buzzed with excitement each time it came in contact with his.
Sasa opened her eyes to see him staring down at her, his blue eyes betraying none of the passion his body and words expressed. His fangs flashed white against his blood stained lips, and she would’ve been frightened if she weren’t his.
His vampire.
His emotions were easier to sense now that he’d sired her. A feeling of happiness flowed from him to her, mixing with desire and making each sensation he created in her more intense.
“I want more.”
“More what, love?”
Running her hands over his smooth, muscular back, she whispered, “More. More blood. More you. More this.”
“Take from me, Sasa. I’m your sire, the only one in the world who has what you most need.”
His words excited her with the thought that he was hers. Her sire. But what was she to him?
Any thoughts of that slipped away as his cock grazed that sensitive spot deep inside her and sent her orgasm tumbling through her. Clinging to him, she scratched and clawed his back as she came like she never had before. Vasilije pumped into her sweetly, dragging her release out until he held her to him as his flooded her insides.
After a few moments, she wondered out loud, “Will it always be like that?” and prayed his answer would be yes.
“If not better. There are benefits to being with one of your own.”
Vasilije rolled off her and pulled her close to him so her head rested on his chest. Silently, he played with her hair as she listened to the slow rhythm of his heartbeat. Even more than when they’d been together before she was turned, she felt safe in his arms.
And curious to know what her new life held in store for her.
“Tell me what I need to know about who we are, Vasilije. I want to know everything.”
“Same old Sasa. I think I’m even getting used to you.”
Sasa lifted her head and met his gaze. “Good. You won’t be so irritated by my curiosity then.”
Vasilije raised one eyebrow and grinned. “Never irritated, love.”
Sitting up, she folded her legs under her and leaned toward him. “Good. Now what do I need to know?”
He put his arms behind his head and a thoughtful look came over his face. “Anything you need you can get from me. Blood. Security. Everything.”
He never said anything about love. Was that implied in everything? Or did he have someone for love? “How many of me are there?”
A cute smirk formed on his lips. “There’s no one else like you, Sasa. Not in four hundred years have I met another Sasa.”
“I meant how many other vampires have you sired.”
“Hundreds.”
His casual answer did nothing to help her fears that she was just one of many. “Where are they?”
“Everywhere. If I want them, all I have to do is call them back to me.”
“Oh. So none stay with you?”
Just saying the words made her feel lonely, and the sadness of losing her mother flooded back into her heart.
“I have one now in addition to you, but he’ll soon be free to leave.”
“Will I have to leave?”
As she waited for his answer, anger ignited inside her. She hadn’t chosen to become one of his vampires, and if he’d sired her only to send her out into the world alone, she’d be better off left for dead in that cemetery.
“I don’t send them away as much as let them go when they ask. You may find you want to leave.”
“And wander through the world alone and lonely?”
He smiled up at her as he caught a lock of her hair between two fingers. “As long as I live, you’ll never truly be alone again, Sasa. Staying or leaving will be your choice.”
His answer gave her no more sense of any love for her than his feelings did, but something in it satisfied her. Laying her head back on his chest, she thought about how lonely he must have been since losing his sire. Quietly, she said, “I’m sorry about your sire.”
Vasilije said nothing and kissed the top of her head. Opening herself up to his emotions, she sensed the sadness he felt over Nina’s death. Part of her was jealous, but she understood his sadness. Now that he was her sire, she felt an undeniable attachment to him. More than just a lover, he was the one who’d given her life—this life. He was her creator and her protector. The mere idea of an existence without him made her sad.
But now wasn’t the time for those thoughts. A new world awaited her, and she would have him by her side to experience it all.
New to her life, Sasa enjoyed the world Vasilije had given her. By day, she rested in his arms protected from the world outside their bed. By night, he gave her everything she craved—his body and his blood—and taught her how to live as a vampire. For the first time in so long, she knew security. Then one night, news came that ripped these feelings of safety from her.
Vasilije held her close, but she sensed something was wrong. He avoided her gaze, but she couldn’t let him worry about whatever it was alone. For everything he’d given her, she wanted to be more than just his vampire. She wanted to show him she could be his partner in everything, good and bad.
“What’s wrong?”
He remained silent for a long time and then said the words that took her breath away. “I have to leave, Sasa.”
“No! Why?” A thousand reasons for his leaving raced through her mind, each one more painful than the last.
“The Archon wants me tried for staking Tatiana and Jeremy. If I stay, he’ll make sure I’m punished.”
“But you were protecting me from Jeremy almost raping me and avenging Nina’s death with Tatiana. You were justified in what you did.”
Vasilije frowned and shook his head. “No, love. Perhaps I can claim justification for Tatiana’s staking, but I killed one of my own vampires for a human when I staked Jeremy. In our world, that’s forbidden.”
Sasa clutched his arm tightly. “Then we’ll leave New Orleans. Wherever you go, I’ll go. There’s nothing keeping me here if you’re not here.”
“No. I need to go into hiding. You’ll stay here with LeClerc. I’ve arranged it with him. You’ll be safe there.”
“So you’ve figured it all out? You’ll just leave me here while you go off. It’s that easy for you? How am I to survive? You’re my sire.”
“Sasa, it’s been two months. You don’t need the blood of your sire to sur
vive now. LeClerc can take care of that. And you know everything you need to know to survive.”
His methodical way of explaining everything away made her want to explode. He was leaving and it didn’t seem to matter much to him at all. It was all decided, and she was just expected to obey.
But she didn’t want to obey.
Sasa backed away from Vasilije and struggled to control her emotions. Everything she had was being ripped from her. “No! Please don’t do this. Don’t leave me with strangers. Let me come with you. You just said I know everything I need to know to survive. I can handle myself no matter where we have to go. It’s you I’ll miss, not the blood or the lessons on how to be what I am.”
“You’ll be safe here. I have to know you’ll be safe. I can’t explain now, but this is something I have to do alone.”
“Then keep me safe! Don’t do this!”
He felt like an empty void when Sasa opened herself up to feel what this was doing to him. She had to convince him to change his mind.
“I don’t want to be alone. You promised me when you made me a vampire I would never be alone again.”
Vasilije said nothing as he looked away. Sasa couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, and they streamed over her cheeks and down her jaw. He was going without her. Something deep inside her warned she might never see him again.
Vasilije wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Everything she sensed from him now told her he wasn’t sure they’d see each other again either, but he pressed his cheek to the top of her head and said, “I promise you won’t be alone. Trust me.”
By the end of that night, she was without him at LeClerc and Yvette’s, alone in a house full of her own kind but essentially strangers to her. Each day she waited for some word from him, but none came. Weeks grew into months, and LeClerc successfully convinced the Archon that Vasilije had been justified in Tatiana’s staking. After numerous meetings with Sasa, he had even commuted his sentence in Jeremy’s case because of Vasilije’s long history as a sire. Word had been sent to his London home, but still he never returned.