Viktoria's Shadow: Jael

by Ysobella Black

  He traced ever smaller circles around and over her breasts until he reached her nipples, leaving her skin flushed and feverish. Her body was too hot and too cold, every nerve sensitized.

  Writhing, she panted. “Lurky, what are you doing to me?”

  “I’m watching the shadows on your skin follow my venom inside you. Or maybe my venom is following your shadows. Watch.”

  She tilted her head off the pillow. Tendrils of shadow chased his fingers where he touched her. He caressed her flesh from her stomach to her breasts, carrying a needy ache through her.

  He closed his lips over one nipple and sucked while his fingers and thumb rolled and pinched the other. She moaned as the already stimulated buds stiffened even more. The warmth of his touch seeped into her.

  Jael massaged her breasts, the gentle kneading leaving her squirming, at once energized and languorous, every muscle taut, but relaxed. She wanted to feel like this forever and needed the sensations to stop right now.

  She let out a half-stifled shriek as he sank his fangs into her soft flesh, injecting her with more venom in each breast. Restless, she rubbed her legs together, aching for relief. He flicked her nipples. Sparks ignited. He did it again. A pulse of pure pleasure skipped across her skin.

  Eager and hungry for what he would do next, she waited. With his fingertip, he circled her areola. She moaned. He stilled with his fingers clamped around the hard bud. Anticipation built. She pressed her lips together. Would he tug her nipple? Or roll it? Either would make her wild.

  He trailed his fingers and drew the venom over her ribs, down to her hips, and to just above her navel. His tongue took over then, and Viktoria wanted to weep as he licked a line down to almost where she needed him.

  “You’ve forgotten to breathe, my Dragă.”

  Lurky shifted to part her knees, settling between her legs. As his mouth neared her sex, Viktoria closed her eyes in anticipation. But he lunged to the side and bit, sinking his fangs into her thigh.

  Outraged, Viktoria bucked under his weight, tossing her head on the pillow. She sent thoughts of retribution through their bond, but Lurky just grinned.

  Ducking his head, he bit her other thigh, then drew meandering lines over her skin from the bites towards her core, stopping just above her pubic bone. Going back to the bite, he traced new lines over her skin, down her legs to her feet and back up, ending at the same place as the first.

  The venom built up under her skin, a ball of need low in her belly.

  Lurky drew more lines until he had eight joining. He made circles over the venom in her skin, slow at first, then faster and bigger, turning simple need into a fury of lust.

  Ache spread through her body. She was ready for him, wanted to feel him inside her, see all his muscles working to please her. Indulging herself, she ran fingertips over his biceps, across his pectorals, enjoying the contained, coiled power she sensed in him.

  He slid his fingers down, bringing the hot-cold storm of venom with him.

  Bending her knees, she pushed with her feet, trying to scramble away. That much sensation on her core was going to kill her.

  Black eyes glittering, he trapped her hips in his calloused palms to hold her in place. “You’re not trying to make me forget what I was doing, are you?”

  She glared at him. “If you leave me feeling like this and start over, the first person to die on your new shadow blades is going to be you.”

  He smirked. “I was hoping you might be the adventurous type.”

  Unamused at his using words she’d said to him, she writhed against the overwhelming sense of need.

  “The venom a vampire makes for his Dragă is only for her. It’s part of what bonds us. This isn’t something I’ve ever done with anyone else. I can feel what your body is feeling as my venom circulates in your blood.” He opened his mouth and licked over the top of her sex. Venom surged under her skin. “I want us to feel everything.”

  One of his hands left her thigh and two fingers slid over her, then into her. He blew warm air over her clit. She shivered. The sensations he created wrapped around her, cocooning her in a cloud of pure lust.

  All the breath stolen from her lungs, she arched, close to orgasm from the simple penetration. He moved his fingers slowly, pushing against her tightness.

  His tongue touched her clit, and she was lost.

  Giving herself over to pleasure, she rode wave after wave as her orgasm rushed over her and swept her away. It slowed, then rushed to take her again.

  Lurky moved up her body, heat in his eyes as he braced himself over her. He caged her under him with one hand planted on each side of her head.

  “Now, Lurky!”

  “Not yet. Let me have my Viktoria.”

  “I am your Viktoria.”

  “No, Strygoi-Viktoria is wild and she can choose to be with me, but part of her will always belong to the magic. I want my Viktoria to be with me now.” He kissed her nose. “The woman with striking hair who led me on a chase and trapped me. The one who saw into the darkness and made my heart beat for the first time in over three thousand years. Can I have her?”

  She let the magic go, feeling lesser as her silver aura and black hair faded.

  “There she is.”

  The smile he gave her banished any feeling of lesser, empowering her in a new way.

  JAEL

  JAEL SLIPPED A HAND under the pillow beneath Viktoria’s head to retrieve the pink scarf and bottle of perfume.

  Viktoria lunged for the bottle. “I was hoping you had my perfume. It’s expensive.”

  He held the bottle out of her reach. “You probably shouldn’t leave it sitting around the city where anyone could find it, then. I’m keeping this one.” He slid the perfume back under his pillow and trailed the pink scarf across her skin.

  Viktoria’s eyes widened. “You still have that?”

  “It’s all I had to remember you by. I knew the first moment I saw you that you and I belonged together.” He slid the soft fabric over her eyes. “Will you trust me, Sululu?”

  She smiled in that sultry way that drove him crazy. “Is one of us going to have to be tied up somehow every time?”

  Every muscle in his body hardened. Gods, yes. “I thought my Dragă liked being adventurous.”

  “She does.” Viktoria lifted her head and closed her eyes.

  Jael almost embarrassed himself like an inexperienced teenager as he tied the silk around her head.

  Her legs locked around his hips, and she rubbed her wet core against his cock. When her head fell back, she exposed her full breasts, lifting them toward his mouth. Jael ran his tongue around her nipple and teased the hard nub with his fangs. She squirmed and reached between them and grasped his dick.

  His shaft jumped. Gritting his teeth, he managed to keep from thrusting into her fist. When she rubbed the head of his shaft against her clit, he swelled further as she used him to tease herself.

  She was the blindfolded one, and yet he was the one at a disadvantage.

  “Viktoria.”

  “What? You said my shadows had to behave. Not me.”

  “I can see why you think you’re going to win all the arguments.”

  Her breasts pressed against his chest when she guided him to the heat of her entrance and slid the head of his cock partially inside her.

  She was bare before him, stretched out on the bed like an angel and he could do nothing but stare for a solid minute, watching the way her chest rose and fell. Jael kissed her at the same time as he thrust forward. He pulled back and rolled his hips to work more of his cock inside her as Viktoria arched, stretching around him.

  She pressed her palm to his chest, where his heart raced for her.

  “Faster,” she ordered.

  “Not yet.” He continued his slow movements, savoring everything in this moment. The feel of her slickness and soft skin. The sight of desire for him on her face and platinum hair spread over his pillows. The unique scent of vanilla and shadows. The sweet, musky taste
of her on his tongue and the sounds of his Dragă’s passion. The sensation of her devotion and ardor through their bond. No more false memories or living in the past. She was here with him now, in every possible way.

  “Now what?” she grumbled, ripping the blindfold off.

  He flashed her a grin. “Well, that didn’t last long.”

  “I need you now, Lurky.” Bending her knees, she spread her legs wider, digging her heels into Jael’s thighs and meeting his hips with hers as he thrust in an unhurried pace.

  Tugging his head down, she kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth and over his fangs. She trailed licks and kisses over his jaw to his ear. “You know Lurky,” her sultry tone sounded extra husky as she murmured into his ear, “I seem to remember...”

  “What?” His voice was hoarse. For the first time in his life, he added too much pleasure to his list of possible ways to die. He couldn’t get enough. Hands trailing shadows and venom from her hips to her waist, he reassures himself that she was real. Her hand found its way into his hair, pulling so hard, sparks of pleasure-pain coursed its way through him.

  She flicked her tongue against his earlobe and bit playfully. “You said something about...”

  A low growl rumbled from his chest when she paused.

  “... liking to be bitten.” She shifted her attention to his neck and bit him.

  His body stilled, then he snarled.

  “Yes. Now Lurky.” She crossed her ankles high on his back and held on as lust flooded their link.

  Slow... he couldn’t stay slow with this much craving between them, and his rhythm changed on its own, taking them with it. Jael moved. Rearing, he took her in hard, fast thrusts, pumping in and out of her body with increasing speed, every sound from her driving him faster, higher.

  The pleasure turned steep. Desire climbed to a new level that sent him drowning until his control slipped. With the last scraps of his will power, held off his own bliss until her body gathered, tightening around his cock like a fist, her pleasure building his. He lowered his head to the crook of her neck and sank his fangs into her.

  With the first spasm, Viktoria’s body bowed off the bed, pulsing around him as waves of ecstasy crashed over her. Feeling her orgasm through their bond pulled him down like an undertow.

  A tingle gathered at the base of his spine, then burst through his balls and out of his dick in hot spurts, pulsing in time with her body as she milked every ounce of pleasure his body had to give.

  VIKTORIA

  LURKY USED THE SAME strength to trap and take her as he did to make her feel safe. He gathered her close and rolled so she sprawled on top of him. She relished the sensation of letting someone make her feel protected for the first time in a thousand years.

  Resting her head on his chest, she listened to the sound of a heart that beat only for her.

  “I love you, Lurky.”

  Jael tilted her face up. “You are mine.”

  She sucked in a breath. Coveted.

  Her heart broke a little as possession surged through their bond.

  “I will enjoy watching the jealous looks I get when people see you with me.”

  Trophy.

  She closed her eyes. Had she been so wrong? Had her mother? Was what she felt in their bond just her feelings? Ember could shut Stryx out. Could Jael have kept her from knowing what he was really feeling? A vampire was a vampire. They felt nothing. She should have known. She’d shared everything with him, but he’d held himself back from her after their hurried bonding. The bonding he couldn’t remember very well.

  And now he’s going to swear he would die for me, so he can be a big hero.

  She opened her eyes, prepared to listen to his proclamation and leave.

  “Viktoria, I’ve sworn to die for everyone I’ve ever cared about, and you know I would die for you.”

  She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and settled for a sigh.

  Jael interlaced his fingers through hers and placed her hand on his chest, over his beating heart. Everything he’d been holding back came through to her all at once. Passion. Adoration. Curiosity. Dedication. Longing. Affection. Joy. Eagerness.

  “But you make me want to live. Viktoria, I swear I will live for you.”

  Loved.

  THANK YOU

  Thank you for sticking with the story to the end! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review. You can help others find my work, which will encourage me to write more stories!

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  THE IRANIAN MYTHOLOGY

  Jael and Viktoria’s adventures in the past are based on an Iranian story. I took a few liberties with the mythology as I didn’t have thousands of years for the story to play out. As with all mythologies, there are a few versions out there. Here is how the version of the story I used goes, if you are interested in reading it:

  Zahhak is the son of a ruler named Merdas. Being handsome and clever, but easily influenced, the prince falls under the sway of Ahriman, one of the royal counselors. Ahriman appears as a flattering companion, and over time, convinces Zahhak to kill Merdas and inherit the kingdom, treasury, and army. Zahhak digs a pit and covers it with leaves. When Merdas goes to pray the next morning, he falls into the trap and dies. Zahhak takes the throne.

  Ahriman takes the form of a cook and prepares feasts, including meat, to the previously vegetarian king. Zahhak falls farther under Ahriman’s influence and offers him whatever he wants. Ahriman asks to kiss the king’s shoulders. When he does, Ahriman disappears and two snakes grow out of Zahhak’s shoulders.

  Ahriman reappears in the guide of a physician, and advises the king trying to remove the snakes is pointless as they will regrow when severed. The only way to appease the serpents is to feed them stew made from two human brains every day.

  About this time, Jamshid, the ruler of the world, becomes arrogant and loses the divine right to rule. Zahhak takes an army and hunts Jamshid down over many years. When Jamshid is caught, Zahhak executes him but cutting him in half and enslaves Jamshid’s daughters.

  Every day two men are murdered to feed the snakes. But two men, named Armayel and Garmayel, become cooks in the palace — they kill one man but send the second to the mountains and faraway plains to save his life. They replace the second man’s brain in the stew with that of a sheep.

  Zahhak ruled as a tyrant for a thousand years, until one night he had a dream of three warriors attacking him. The youngest knocks Zahhak down with a mace, ties him up, and drags him to Mount Damavand as a crowd follows.

  He wakes from this dream so loudly the palace shakes, and summons wise men and scholars to interpret the dream. One man dares to speak up and tells Zahhak his reign will end at the hands of Fereydun,who will wield the mace.

  Zahhak sends men to find Fereydun. They learn Fereydun is a boy and is nourished by the cow Barmāyeh. They find the cow, but Fereydun is gone.

  The emperor lives in fear for the next few years, finally deciding to write a document that shows how righteous and virtuous his rule, and hopes to have the letter certified by the kingdom’s elders and social elite. Many people sign the document out of fear for their lives, but Kaveh refuses because two of his sons have already been sacrificed to feed the snakes, and his last son is sentenced to the same fate.

  Zahhak frees Kaveh’s son to try and coerce Kaveh into signing, but the blacksmith tears up the document instead and rallies a crowd to search for Fereydun, who is now a young man.

  Fereydun agrees to overthrow Zahhak and takes up a mace. When the rebellion reaches the city, Zahhak flees and Fereydun takes over with little resistance. Jamshid’s daughters are freed and rule by Fereydun’s side.

  One man loyal to Zahhak tells the ex-emperor about this, and Zahhak can’t stand the idea of his slaves ruling as new queens. He returns to the palace and attempts to kill the queens. Fereydun strikes with his mace, binds Zahhak, and imprisons h
im under Mount Damavand by tying him to nails with a lion’s pelt.

  A prophecy states that at the end of the world, Zahhak will break free and ravage people and animals until Kirsasp, an ancient hero, resurrects and kills Zahhak once and for all.

  THE FINNISH MYTHOLOGY

  I have to admit, Louhi is one of my favorite characters to write.Well, my version of her anyway. As with all mythologies, there are different versions of her in each. Not only is she the Goddess of Witchcraft and Death, she is also said to be Loviatar, the Goddess of Love, so I’ve combined those aspects of her dual nature and made her a bit of an overprotective mother.

  She features more heavily in Viktoria’s prequel — it’s called Shadowy, and covers the time between when Shadow is rescued from the dungeon in this story, and the deal she strikes with her mother a thousand and one years ago.

  THE MAIDENS OF POHJOLA — the poor Maidens of Pohjola. In the mythology, it’s not clear whether there is more than one or not, and she / they don’t have names. At least, not that I’ve been able to find. They really are sought after by heroes and villains, and in one version of the Sampo story, Louhi is the one who offers to trade her daughter to get the prize.

  Well, we can’t have that! So, I have changed some aspects of their story to suit my purposes. The Maidens still don’t have names, really, since in my version they’re named after their magic. But each daughter will find out who she is.

  I picked thirteen because I like that number, and I love imagining all the different shenanigans that many daughters can get up to. So many possibilities for mischief and kidnappings!

  Each of Viktoria’s sisters will have their own story in a spin-off series. The characters in Viktoria’s flashback will all be making more appearances in those stories.