by Eve Newton
“Dev, give us a minute?” I ask after a few moments.
“Most definitely,” he says and jumps out gratefully.
I pull Cole’s face into my hands and I glare at him for his insubordination. He instantly relaxes and apologizes, “I’m sorry, this is all so new. This is what I was talking about the other night. The politics.” He drops his face into his hands, the bond is making him feel guilty for yelling at me.
“Hey,” I say, pulling his face back to mine. “I’m sorry. I love you. I want to be with you, now, like this, regardless of whatever else is going on. That fact hasn’t changed. I wanted to keep you safe. I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
He sighs heavily. “I know. I just wish you could have trusted me.” He leans his forehead against mine. “I love you,” he murmurs.
“I love you, Cole. More than you will ever know,” I reply, knowing that this is only the tip of the iceberg with regard to my secrets. I need him to know how much I love him before I turn around and hurt him again.
He smiles and turns into me for reassurance and we are all right again. For now.
Devon interrupts us by jumping back into the car. “Minute's up. Let’s roll,” he says.
We both glare at him, but oblige, nonetheless. All of us will be happier once we are back at the hotel and out of this damn car.
“Why does that Councilwoman hate you so much?” Cole asks.
I grimace not eager to share. Eloise and I have a bad history. She is obscenely jealous of my relationship with CK and our various encounters have not endeared her to me in the slightest. I recount the tale of our first meeting that even Devon hasn’t heard, but then he’s never had reason to ask. He has never had the pleasure of seeing Eloise and I snarling at each other before.
Caen, Normandy, 1066 – Aefre
T he first time I met Eloise was in 1066. William II, Duke of Normandy, was to set sail to England to claim the throne from Harold Godwinson. Constantine was to join the fight, ever the warrior, my sire, in an effort to hold onto his land and Castel in the duchy and to also keep an ally in William, who was also a good friend. I was terrified that something would happen to him, but he assured me no harm would come to him, being what he was, what we were.
That night in September before the fleet was due to leave, was the night Eloise turned up. Constantine and I were at his Castel, which I had named Castel Gradile. We were in bed at the time, when she barged into his bedchamber like she owned the place.
Casting her bright green eyes at us, she raised her eyebrow at our indelicate position. Me, on my hands and knees, with Constantine pounding into me from behind. I was certainly no stranger to all manner of sexual positions now after fifty-four years of being my sire’s Vampire, but this was, however, my first time with someone watching us. Constantine didn’t seem to mind though as he acknowledged her presence but continued pounding away until he was done. I didn’t finish, for the first time since we’ve been together, and that unsettled me. Eloise, on the other hand, seemed delighted by my lack of satisfaction. “She obviously doesn’t know of your proclivities, my dear. Perhaps we could show her how it’s done?” she drawled.
He glared at her as he dressed, clearly unashamed to be naked in front of her. “Leave her be,” he growled.
“On the contrary, she is a pretty little thing. Wherever did you find her?” she asked and then paused and said, “Ah, wait, let me guess…the land you mean to conquer tomorrow?” She raised her perfect eyebrows at me sitting motionless on the bed. She moved towards him and placed her delicate hands on his bare chest. My heart thudded and I inhaled sharply with jealousy stabbing at me. She cast her gaze back to me with a cruel smile, enjoying my envy. Seconds passed, but finally he pushed her away.
“Enough,” he growled. “Go and find someone else to play with.”
She laughed, a sweet tinkling sound, which was in contrast to the vicious mouth it came out of. “You know I would rather play with you,” she said seductively.
“Go now, before I make you go,” he said mildly.
She grinned, thrilled with his dominance over her and bowed her head in submission. “As you wish, my lord. Be sure to come and find me when you are done with this one. I will give you a proper send off, in the way I know you like,” she murmured, and sent a wicked glance my way as she flicked her auburn hair over her shoulder and left.
“Who is that?” I asked my sire in pained tones. “Another one of…yours?”
He sneered and replied, “Who, Eloise? No, that bitch has nothing to do with me. Have no fear, my love, she is just trying to make you jealous, as she herself is jealous that my affections are towards you.” He tried but failed to reassure me.
“But who is she?” I pressed.
He sighed and said, “Eloise Delacourt, she is an Initial Vampire and a member of The Council.”
“I see. Are you and she…?” I trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.
He looked puzzled for a moment, but then he realized what I was trying to ask. “No! No, my sweet. She is interested, but I am not. I despise her, but sadly I am stuck with her. Please stop these thoughts. I love you. You are mine and I am yours. Always and forever.” He kissed me sweetly, deeply, and I wanted to believe him. He set sail for England the next day, but unbeknownst to him, I was also aboard the ship, unable to be apart from him, for even a second. The next time I saw Eloise, she was half naked with my sire in 1112 and I ran.
“So, basically, she wants Constantine, but he doesn’t want her so she’s jealous because he wanted you?” Devon sums up quite nicely.
“Yep, pretty much,” I say and frown at him as I didn’t miss the change in tense. “This is just going to make it worse,” I add under my breath.
I feel Cole’s eyes on me briefly before he has to turn them back to the road. I know he also caught Devon’s tense change and my frown. He is probably wondering what it means.
A few minutes later we are finally back at the hotel. Devon and I leap out before Cole has cut the engine, restlessly flexing our muscles.
“I need a release,” I mutter.
“Yeah, me too,” Devon returns. We glance at each other awkwardly. Normally we would be each other’s release, but not this time.
I sigh. “Dev…” I start, but he holds up his hands.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” he says, and I believe him. I feel a pang in my chest. He has no shortage of admirers. I watch him enter the hotel in Hunting mode, wishing that I was with him.
Cole joins me at my side, pulling me close with one arm while also taking my hand in his other, needing to touch me, be near me. I smile up at him and he gives me that luscious half smile back.
“I can’t wait to get you into bed,” he murmurs seductively.
Holy crap! My stomach drops at his tone and my heart beats faster. “Mm, me either,” I murmur back.
“Then let’s go,” he whispers.
We stroll back to the elevator draped around one another. As soon as we get to the room, Cole is all over me, devouring me with his hands, with his mouth.
“Fuck, I need you so bad,” he says against my lips, not wanting to break contact, before clamping down on my bottom lip, fangs at the ready.
He bites me harshly, moaning at the feeling it invokes in him and the taste of my blood. “I want you, now,” he demands.
My sire self takes a step back. “Uh-uh. That’s not how this is going to go,” I murmur, shaking my finger at him. He looks lost that I have stopped touching him, stopped kissing him.
“How then? I’ll do anything you say, just please let me kiss you. Let me make love to you,” he pleads. “I need you.”
My old cruel self takes delight in hearing him beg, but my new evolved self doesn’t like hearing him in pain. I struggle with the war in myself on a daily basis and this is not making it any easier. I am desperate for blood and I’m desperate to force him to my will, but I also desperately love him. I try to find that middle ground that I’m semi-comfortable wit
h while I undress, first myself, and then him. I feel him shiver as my fingers lightly brush his skin.
“Let me touch you, please,” he whispers, eyes closed.
I bring his hand up to my face and kiss his palm. He gasps. “I want you to please me, Cole,” I whisper gently. “I want your hands on me. I want you inside me.”
He reaches for me, but I push him away and shake my head. “No. You are mine to do with as I please. You will do what I want, when I want it.”
He nods his agreement, his desire for me winning out over his reluctance to submit. I know I’m being cruel to him, but all the blood, all the feelings, the cravings, and not to mention the weird electric current running through me, spur me on.
I am Liv, Vampire sire, and I will take what I want.
“First, my love, you need to feed again,” I tell him. “You can take my blood this time.”
Desire flares up in his eyes at the thought of my blood. He hungrily steps towards me, fangs already drawn.
I hold a hand up to his chest. “Slowly,” I say carefully. “You will still struggle to stop, and I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
He nods, but I know he isn’t hearing me and that I’m going to have to get physical with him.
I turn around and pull my hair over my left shoulder, as he is a rightie. He leans down and grabs the top of my arms in a death grip and lowers his mouth to my neck. I hiss as his fangs pierce my skin. I moan in delight as he starts to suckle gently, but awkwardly, not yet used to how it feels. The bloodlust gets to him, as I knew it would, and he clamps down harder, coaxing out my blood roughly. He growls deep in his throat and drinks more. He has already gone beyond the limit he has to learn, so I say his name, “Cole.” He doesn’t stop. “Cole!” I say louder, but he still doesn’t stop. Huffing in exasperation, I pull my left arm out of his grip and elbow him in his side. Hard. He grunts in pain and releases the bite, panting.
“Too much, my love,” I say harshly, turning around to find him bent over double. “Had I been human, I would have been dead now. Self-control is everything,” I add softly then.
He nods again, but this time he hears me. “I’m sorry, I thought I had more control.”
“Oh, Cole. No new Vampire can be that controlled. It’s a hard battle, one you must fight. One I will teach you and help you with,” I say.
“Okay,” he says, determined to make me proud of him.
I lead him to the bed and scoot up to the middle, pulling him with me. “Touch me,” I whisper. “Kiss me everywhere. Please me three times before you please yourself.” It’s a great lesson in self-control that he looks less than happy with, but he will do it because I ask him to.
Parting my legs, he rubs his fingers over my clit as I lean back and let the pleasure take me over. I feel him move and then his mouth is on me. He thrusts his tongue into me, and I gasp. I hear him groan with lust. Swapping his tongue and fingers, he inserts two inside me, then three, pulsing in and out, his tongue expertly flicking and licking my clit until I reach the point of no return. I come abruptly with a soft moan.
I feel his grin against me. “That’s one!” he says with delight.
He inhales my scent deeply. Then, he sighs and resumes his task. After a few moments, he growls in frustration and I feel his fangs drop against my skin, and he bites me, drawing my blood from my femoral artery. I rasp in surprise at his boldness, but I’m so aroused at the same time.
He pulls back, murmuring, “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” He doesn’t sound sorry at all!
Oh, he’s going to pay for that, I think with delight as I pull his head up with a fistful of hair. Staring innocently into my mock-furious eyes with those perfect deep blue ones. I crush his mouth to mine drawing his body over me. I flip us over, so I’m straddling him. I can feel him rock hard against me but make no move to join us together. I push him back roughly and wiggle down him until my mouth is right over his tip. “Remember, you have two more to go before you can please yourself,” I say mercilessly before plunging my mouth over his cock.
He cries out, “No, Liv. Please don’t. I can’t stop myself.”
“Yes, you will,” I demand before sliding my tongue all the way down him, tip to balls as slowly as I can. He tries to squirm away, but I hold him in place.
“Please, Liv, please,” he begs.
I relent on my arduous torture and he pants in relief. “Let me please you again,” he murmurs. Smiling seductively, I crawl up and lie next to him. He turns and kisses me, hesitantly. As I open my mouth to him, he deepens the kiss and brings his hand up to my breasts. His touch is driving me wild and I want him inside me, but my sire self wants him to know I have the control, as I do with Devon, as Constantine does with me. It is the way of our world and he must learn.
He moves his mouth along my jaw kissing me softly, pausing for a second at my neck, but he steels himself and moves his kisses down to my nipples. Taking one in his mouth, he teases me. I feel it all the way down my body. Encouraged by my moans, he trails his hand down to my clit, flitting his fingers over me lightly. He does it again before he pushes them onto me. His teasing has been my undoing though, and I surrender for the second time.
He lifts his head up from my nipple with a confident grin on his face. “That’s two,” he says smugly. “But the next one will be done properly.”
Before I can say anything to that, he thrusts inside me. I don’t push him away, as I want him too much. He is so hard he is hitting my G-spot perfectly with every stroke and within seconds I’m coming, thudding around his dick in wave after wave of raw pleasure.
“Oh, fuck!” he cries out as he unloads into me. “Oh, fuck, I need you,” he says quieter. “I love you,” he whispers as he stills.
Still feeling the effects of my mind-blowing orgasm, I kiss him passionately. “I love you too,” I murmur.
He is content, happy that he has pleased me and done as I asked, happy that I’m holding him and kissing him. He snuggles into me, unable to let go and turning us to the side, he falls asleep, still deep inside me, muttering, “I want to stay like this forever, Forever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I awake from a deep sleep by a loud knock at the door. I glance at the clock and it says 7 AM.
“Ergh,” I groan. My head is pounding from a lack of human blood now and my eyes are really sensitive to the light.
More knocking.
I untangle myself from Cole, who is wrapped around me like ivy. I smile at my newest creation. I pull on my robe and clutching my head, stagger to the door. “What?” I snap as I pull it open.
It’s Nico, with two other people I don’t know. A man and a woman.
“Good morning, Liv,” he says briskly.
“Nico. What are you doing here? Is CK here?” I ask, brightening considerably and peering around him.
“No,” he replies to my disappointment. “May we come in?”
Upset that Constantine isn’t with them, which means he is still with Eloise, I still let them in. I close the door and turn around. All three of them are staring at me. It’s then that I realize I had forgotten to tie the robe when I pulled it on. I nonchalantly pull it closed over my naked self in the act of crossing my arms. “What are you doing here?” I ask again.
Nico snaps his eyes back up to mine from the general region of my tits. I'm surprised to see the look of desire in his eyes.
“Feeders,” he states abruptly, his eyes going cold again. “Mr. D’Arcangelo asked me to bring them to you.”
I nod and wave for them to sit. I go back to the bedroom to get Cole. He’s still flat out. “Cole, baby, wake up,” I shake him gently. He wakes at the sound of my voice and touch, turning towards me.
“Hey,” I say with a smile.
“Hey,” he croaks before clearing his throat. “Hey,” he says again.
“Get dressed. Nico has a Feeder here for you.”
He nods eagerly. I can see that he’s desperately hungry. “You go first, and I’ll stop you a
t the limit. Try to recognize the sign of it, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, while pulling on shorts and a t-shirt. He fiddles with his ring as he avoids the sunlight streaming into the room. It’s natural. It’s something that also takes getting used to, even with the protection of the Faerie Silver ring, which has been crafted and enchanted to allow us to be in the sun.
“Step into it, my love. You’ll be fine,” I coax, standing in it myself with my hand outstretched. His desire to touch me wins out over his fear. He grabs my hand and I pull him close. He flinches, but once he realizes he is protected and not going to go up in flames, he relaxes with a soft smile. I pull his head down for a quick kiss, which he deepens because he can’t help himself. Pulling away, I say, “Feed.”
He nods.
Strolling hand in hand into the sitting area the two Feeders go on alert. I lead Cole to the woman, thinking he might be more comfortable. She stands and turns around. Cole’s fangs are already down as he can smell and sense the blood pumping through her veins.
“Slowly,” I murmur, standing at his side. He grips her arms too tight, so I tap his fingers. He lets go a little bit and drops his mouth to her neck. He bites down and starts to feed. After a few seconds, I say to him, “Pull back. Slowly.” I place my hand on his waist and it distracts him enough to pull away.
“That’s good, my love,” I say quietly, trying not to startle the woman too much. He beams at my praise.
“Nico. Take her outside while I feed, please,” I say. He understands it’s for her own safety and doesn’t hesitate to remove her from Cole’s unpredictable presence.
I glide across to the man, who remains seated. I move around to the back of his chair.
“No!” Cole says suddenly.
I look up, startled. “What is it?” I ask.
“I don’t want you to feed from him,” he says, almost in pain. “Just feed from me. You said you could survive that way.”
I glance apologetically at the man to wait one minute. He shrugs. He gets paid enough for his donation to sit here all day if necessary.