Branded (An Otherworlders Series Novel Book 1)

by Lena Moore

She was attractive for a demon. Auburn hair fell over her face, shielding her from the rest of the room, and her legs went on for miles. Weren’t demons supposed to be foul?

  “I thought demons were vile, Draven?” she wondered.

  He grunted, “Oh they are. She is either occupying a host, which is a human body, or that’s the form she prefers people to view her as.”

  “Oh. Ok.” She felt curious about the creature. “Did you hear what she said?”

  “That she wants their lust? Yeah I did. Her affinity must be lust, that’s how she maintains her form. Malister will feed from whomever she can, but supernatural beings with pure blood, or the likes of you and I satiate them for a more pronounce amount of time.”

  Aliyah’s eyes didn’t waver from the trio frolicking. “What do you mean the likes of us?”

  “We can talk about it later. First we need to see if we can figure out who is pulling the strings in this club.” Draven replaced her half empty tumbler with a full one, then he leaned on the bar right next to her watching the bizarre fuck fest happening.

  Abruptly the room seemed heavy to Aliyah, a sense of darkness enveloped the space. She looked over at Draven. Everyone else looked oblivious to the energy except for the two of them.

  “We need to move now!” Draven bellowed over the music.

  Aliyah nerves were frazzled as Draven gripped her forearm and yanked her through the crowd. All the bodies passed her like a blur, her mind flashing and her eyes splotchy from the dark energy. Once they were outside,

  Draven stopped and looked around, then he sneered. Reaching behind him, he pulled out what looked like a dagger from his leather waistband. How had I missed that, she mused.

  “I can feel your darkness. Show yourself!” he yelled into the nothingness.

  A chuckle came from the left, causing Aliyah to snap her neck in that direction.

  “Of course you do, vampire, because in order for one to feel the other, they too must possess the darkness. It lives inside of you,” the voice sang.

  “Shut the fuck up,” he seethed. “Are you just going to lurk in the shadows like a parasite?”

  “I’m coming to collect what’s mine: Aliyah.”

  She felt her body turn to ice and her eyes darted around the dimly lit street. Aliyah wanted to plead with Draven to get them the hell out of there. She didn’t get the chance.

  Black shadows skulked out and began attacking Draven. Aliyah screamed out as one gripped her wrist. She didn’t know what to do so she kicked out. Black ooze splattered everywhere. The fuck? Her eyes flickered to Draven; he was a fucking machine. The dagger or knife he’d pulled out of his waistband was slicing into these things. Aliyah stood stock still, taking in Draven’s menacing form. He was annihilating these things, whatever the fuck they were.

  A voice sounded around her, almost in a singsong tone. Part of her felt compelled and the other frightened. The more prominent side urged her to run toward Draven. He turned around and snarled at her, this was not the man she’d just been with. His red eye even more vibrant in colour, while the black specks in his amethyst eye begged to escape. His face and dreadlocks had blackish gunk dripping from them. He stared through her like he didn’t even know her.

  “Draven?”

  He gripped her by the throat and slammed her against a close wall. Aliyah started to choke. Bringing her arms up, she clawed at Draven’s hands.

  “Dra–Draven, Shrek. It’s me, Aliyah, Snowflake,” she heaved out.

  Draven’s eyes dilated and fixated on hers. His anger turned to one of concern as he took in the situation. He dropped his hand and placed them on her shoulders. “I’m—shit—what the fuck happened. I’m so sorry, Snowflake.”

  Aliyah couldn’t get her voice box to work, so she shook her head instead.

  “I told you the darkness is within you, vampire. Just like it is in Aliyah. That’s why I will always be able to find her,” the voice echoed around them.

  More forms slinked from the shadows: there were so many of them. Draven threw her over his shoulders.

  “Hold on, I’m a lot faster than these fucking things.”

  The streets obscured around her, she couldn’t see a fucking thing. Aliyah felt like she was in a Nascar race or something. That’s how fast it felt. Before she knew it, Draven plopped her down in his lair under the quarter.

  “What the fuck just happened? Don’t you dare leave a fucking thing out!” Aliyah screamed.

  Draven pawed at his dreadlocks, and Aliyah thought he would rip them from his scalp if he pulled any harder. The blackish gunk she realised was more a midnight blue shade. Angling her head to the side, she watched the blue goo fall from Draven’s clothes and bare tattooed chest.

  He stopped ripping at his hair and tore the leather vest off his chest, and screamed, “FUCK!”

  Aliyah jumped from his sudden outburst.

  “I’m so sorry, Snowflake. I lost control. Fuck. It’s been countless years since that’s happened,” he admitted.

  “Countless years?” She raised her left eyebrow.

  Draven pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “I am a lot older than I look.”

  “Oh?”

  “Fuck, do you really want to know? Even though we have more pressing shit to dissect?”

  “Tell. Me. Everything. I mean it, Draven, I will hightail it out of here and you’ll never see me the fuck again. I don’t give a fuck about the bullshit waiting for me out there. Dead or alive, I couldn’t give a flying fuck,” she ground out.

  Aliyah watched Draven. His eyes flickered with what she thought was fear. Was he really that scared to lose her, or was it his vulnerability that frightened him?

  “Sit down,” he snapped. She didn’t want to but complied anyway. “I’m 327 years old.” He winced.

  Aliyah surged up. “The fuck?” And then fainted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ~ Draven ~

  As Aliyah started to collapse, Draven darted toward her, swooping her up before she hit the sealed concrete floor. Fuck, this was not how he’d wanted this to go. He placed her on his bed and avoided looking at her barely covered body. The outfit she’d chosen had ridden up exposing her sealed pussy lips. He wanted to lick up the seam, open her up and devour her pretty little honeypot. Instead, he mumbled to himself and placed the black duvet over her small frame, feeling like a depraved son of bitch for even having those thoughts.

  Draven walked to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. His mouth was dry and tasted like donkey balls. He didn’t want to leave Aliyah too long in case she woke and started fretting. He had so much to tell her and wondered after he revealed the truth, would she ever look at him with those big doe eyes, or would she pulverise his fucked up heart.

  He drank the water then poured another and quietly walked to the room. Aliyah hadn’t moved. Draven placed the glass on the bedside table, causing it to clink. Aliyah’s eyes flew wide open. She scrambled up the bed, cinching the duvet between her fingers.

  “The truth,” she whispered not meeting his eyes.

  It felt like a kick to his gonads that she hadn’t met his eyes; it actually felt diminishing.

  “I am 327 years old. Let me explain before you go passing the fuck out on me again.” He gulped so loud he knew she would be able to hear it. “Not all vampires live as long as we will. You and me, we are immortal. Well, all vampires are immortal until they’re staked. Instead, the angel blood in our system keeps us from truly decaying and dying, and there is only one way we can be killed. I won’t get into that now. You already gathered that we don’t exactly die when we become vampire. All vampires when turned need to have some vampire blood in their veins, meaning they had to be descended from a vampire. The weaker the lineage, the weaker the chance of survival for that person.” He breathed out heavy breath.

  “Because my lineage is royalty, I’m stronger than a normal vampire. Although what fucks me in the ass and what also makes me volatile at times”—He cringed before continuing�
�“is my mother’s blood.”

  He looked up to see Aliyah staring at him with wide eyes. Would she think he was pervert for fucking her knowing that he had 309 years on her? Draven hadn’t thought of that when he was balls deep inside her luscious pink haven.

  Aliyah’s forehead crinkled as her eyebrows hiked up. “Continue. I mean it, I want the truth. I wasn’t joking about what I said earlier. Tell me about your mother.”

  He sat down at the edge of his bed. Nervous energy pulsed through his veins. The only people who knew about this were Jadis, his brother Emilio and sister Nevine. Not even his precious Delilah knew.

  “My mother is a demon.” He paused and pointed to his eye. “That’s why my eyes are like this. Most vampires possess a purple hue to their eyes, much like your violet pair. However, yours are a little different. It must be the faery and angel blood.” He shrugged.

  “Is that why you lost it out there? You scared me, Draven. I felt like you couldn’t even see me.”

  And that was the scary thing: he couldn’t at the time. Usually when he was knee deep in blood lust or kicking the fuck out of something, nothing could pull him away from the darkness that swallowed him whole. Draven wasn’t ready to explain Nerferity’s hold on him yet, and he really didn’t feel like visiting that time in his life. He already felt raw and defeated. Thinking back to what happened, he wondered how Aliyah managed to bring him back from the quicksand grip the darkness generally had on him. He was distracted from his ruminations by Aliyah clearing her throat.

  “Shit. I’m sorry, I was just thinking. My blood is a deadly concoction. A lot of other-worlders wish they had what I have. It’s a fucking curse to me.”

  “So, that means your dad was an angel?”

  A smile tickled the sides of his mouth at the mention of his dad; he missed him so much. “And vampire. Royalty too.”

  “Oh, ok.”

  Aliyah looked like she wanted to ask more questions. Draven was absolutely exhausted so he cut her off before she had the chance to utter any more syllables.

  “I’m tired, Snowflake. I don’t know who the fuck that was that went after you, or what he meant by knowing where you were at all times. I’ll get to the bottom of it no matter what. However, now I’m going to sleep. You’re welcome to stay in my bed if you like.”

  Her face softened and she tapped the space next to her. “Come on, you big ogre, but just so we’re clear, this conversation isn’t over.”

  Draven resisted the urge to roll his eyes and stripped the leather pants off. He rarely wore underwear. He heard Aliyah gasp and knew she was ogling his semi erect cock. He smiled to himself before hopping into the bed.

  “Come here, sugar. I need to feel you.”

  “Sugar?” she giggled, “Now that’s a new one.” Aliyah crawled into his arms and the last thing Draven remembered was her sweet vanilla, chocolate whiskey laced scent blanketing him.

  Draven woke feeling groggy and like death warmed up. Last night had not done him any favours. Sometimes when the blood lust consumed him, he’d wake up feeling sluggish, almost like he’d wake up with a hangover. The bloodlust didn’t always require the feeding variety either. When he was fighting those demons in the Quarter, all he saw was red. Draven had wanted to eradicate everything in his vicinity.

  He kicked the duvet off before realising that Aliyah was still lying next to him. Slowly he crept off the bed to the bathroom. His cock was standing to attention and he needed to take a fucking piss.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  Looking at his reflection, Draven groaned. He looked like crap. He had dark rings under his bloodshot eyes with the remnants of the demons blood still caked on his face. Fucking disgusting. He needed a shower and pronto.

  Climbing in, he turned the temperature to searing. The burn was welcoming as it slid down his sore body. Draven rested his forehead on the tiles and reflected on the events that had unfolded last night. So Malister was feeding off of Gwent and Jada’s lust. But there was something more there, something he hadn’t uncovered. He grimaced, thinking of how to tell Jadis what they’d witness.

  Draven knew there was more to the story; he just wasn’t sure what that was. That eerie voice that echoed off into the distance somehow felt like it had infected his skin. It tormented him. That voice knew what Draven was and how he had demon in his bloodline. What unnerved him the most was how he knew Aliyah. He knew her name and who she was even with the mask in place. Her cloaking brand had clearly failed, and all he could wonder was what did all of this mean?

  He was brooding so furiously he hadn’t even heard Aliyah walk in.

  Draven turned and noticed her eyes were bulging out of their sockets as she took in his form. Those violet orbs greedily roamed over his body, while the pink flush crept up her neck to her face. She looked gorgeous. Heavy lashes fanned her ivory skin, and Draven wanted to get lost in her body to forget everything that was going on in his life.

  Aliyah bit her lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t realise you were in here,” she hesitated.

  Draven called bullshit. How could she not hear the water splashing on the concrete floor? He smirked, taking in her dishevelled ebony hair and wild violet eyes. She was turned on.

  “I’ll use my bathroom.” She covered her eyes then basically ran out of the bathroom.

  Draven chuckled to himself. He quickly washed the soap off his body and jumped out of the shower. After he dried himself, he threw on a pair of black track pants and walked over to Aliyah’s room. She’d left the door ajar, so Draven took it as an invitation and let himself in. The spare room was much like his own: the walls were the same dark purple colour, however the furniture wasn’t black, it was a dark cherry red. Two bedside tables sat on either side of the Queen-size bed, a dressing table in the far corner, and a single seater lounge was all that occupied the room. The bed wasn’t made and Aliyah’s suitcases were all open, displaying their content. Draven was about to mosey toward the bathroom when something silver caught his eye. He reached into the suitcase and pulled out a silver vibrating bullet. You dirty, dirty girl, Snowflake. He threw the vibrator back in her case and sauntered over to the bathroom.

  Draven decided to take a leaf out of her book. He opened the door and strolled in with a smile on his face until he caught what she was doing. He let out a low growl, his fangs elongated, and his dick grew painfully hard against his pants.

  Aliyah’s face jerked upward from where she’d been resting her head on the tiles. Thick, wet tendrils of her hair draped over her tits, the silver nipple hoops peeking through. Her legs were spread wide with the showerhead firmly held on her clit.

  Her eyes burned holes through his, her little whimpers filling the steamy bathroom as she grinded on the showerhead. Draven didn’t know if he could handle much more, although he also didn’t want to fuck up one of his wet dreams. So instead, he pulled his heavy granite like cock from his pants and started to stroke, tugging on his Apadravya piercing.

  There was nothing gentle about his movements: they were erratic and raw. She rocked into the showerhead, harder, faster panting his name. Her little mewls were an aphrodisiac on its own. Who the fuck needed foreplay when you had Aliyah Fucking Parker crushing her sweet pussy on a showerhead? Draven noticed her legs tremble as she reached up and rolled her nipple between her fingers before pulling on the ring. She cried out from the pain. Draven widen his stance and fucked his hand faster, squeezing his balls with his other. He was close but he wanted to wait until she was right there with him before he emptied out his massive blue balls.

  Aliyah moaned, watching him. Her tummy contracted and she shuddered, screaming out her orgasm. Draven came at the exact same time. Hot spurts of cum hit the bathroom floor and his body shook violently with the aftershocks. Draven reached over, grabbed a towel and threw it over his mess. Then he turned and walked to the door. As he reached the exit, he looked over his shoulder and grinned.

  “The next orgasm you have is mine. Oh, and Snowflake, you won’t be walkin
g for days.”

  Draven didn’t see Aliyah for the rest of the morning. Whether she was embarrassed or just keeping her distance after his little disclosure on exiting the bathroom, he wasn’t certain.

  It was just after midday when Draven decided he needed to inform Jadis of what he’d witnessed at Midnight Mayhem. He wasn’t looking forward to this conversation at all.

  Leaving a note on the coffee table for Aliyah explaining where he was, Draven left the house and locked the door on his way out. Then he walked the short distance to Jadis’s hidey hole. He did the special knock they’d created years ago, and waited.

  Jadis called out, “It’s open, D.”

  Draven waltz in and sat on one of the multi-coloured lounges. Jadis looked healthier. Her chocolate skin was more vibrant than murky like it’d been recently, and her forest greens looked more alive than he’d seen in a long time. Perhaps her going underground was the best thing for her, it was the only way those low life cunts couldn’t siphon her magic as well.

  Jadis leaned back on the bed and folded her arms behind her head. She had around a dozen books sprawled over her mattress and floor.

  “Talk, baby. I can see the hamster churning in your skull. It’s not good is it?”

  Draven groaned before answering, “You’re right, it’s not.”

  “Go on. Tell me, I’m a big fucking girl, D. I can take it.” She grinned at her own innuendo.

  Draven knew Jadis was only acting tough. This was going to kill a piece of her inside.

  “Last night, fuck Jadis, it was insane. The party was more like a swinger’s paradise. The club was crawling with every supernatural being you could imagine. The energy pumped off a dark vibe, but we weren’t there long enough to figure out where it was coming from.”

  “Vampire, you’re stalling and jumping down on my last damn nerve.”

  Draven threaded his hand through his dreadlocks and huffed, “It’s Jada and Gwent. We saw them fucking. And that demon I mentioned to you, Malister, well, she’s a lust demon. She was feeding off of them while they fucked.” He cringed.