That wasn’t entirely true. She met Molan on a few occasions, but the Druid always came across as distracted. It was impossible for her to place the fate of her friend and brother in the hands of a dreamer.
When her body suddenly became naked, Tahlia looked at Jemima and saw a sly grin.
“Let me help you relax for a while before we go out to feed,” Jemima said.
Tahlia kissed Jemima deeply before she flipped her over onto her stomach. Shivering with anticipation, Tahlia leaned closer and slowly started to lick every inch of her body with the wet tip of her tongue. Once finished with her backside, Tahlia flipped her over and repeated the torture again. By the time she reached her breasts, Jemima was begging Tahlia to take her, but Tahlia had other plans. Every now and then, she would sink her fangs deep into the soft smooth skin of Jemima’s perky breasts and Jemima would scream with pleasure. She stiffened slightly when she felt Tahlia’s hand moving down toward the triangle between her legs. With her thumb, Tahlia slowly massaged the little hard nub nestled between the soft plump lips and felt a massive quiver going through Jemima’s taut body.
“You will kill me if you don’t make me come now, baby,” Jemima moaned.
When Jemima tried to hold Tahlia’s hand between her legs by clasping her thighs over the hand, Tahlia moved them. “Not yet, my love. There are still so many things I want to do to you.” She moved lower until her face was on the same level as Jemima’s throbbing sex. She opened her lover gently and with a long flick of her tongue, tasted the musky center. She felt Jemima’s hands pushing into her hair grabbing handfuls of the jet-black strands.
“Yes, baby. Don’t stop.”
Tahlia closed her lips around the throbbing clitoris and sucked hard, resulting in Jemima almost pulling a fistful of hair out of her head. She repeated the action a few times, until Jemima cried for her to stop. Tahlia lifted her head and looked into Jemima’s flustered face. She moved upwards until her mouth was hovering above Jemima’s open lips. Tahlia slowly lowered her mouth and took Jemima’s lips in a deep kiss.
“Tell me what you want and I will do it.” Tahlia whispered.
Jemima nodded. “I want you to use your fingers in me until I come,” she gasped.
“I aim to please, my love.” Tahlia slanted her mouth over Jemima’s before slipping two fingers into her. The pace of the thrusts kept on increasing until Jemima was writhing underneath her.
Tahlia felt Jemima bury her face into her sweaty neck and her fangs sank deep into her throbbing vein. Tahlia gasped at the sensation as Jemima’s fingers found her sex and began to rub her furiously. She grabbed Jemima’s hand, held it in place, and bucked wildly. It wasn’t long before she growled when her orgasm hit.
†
After two more hours of lovemaking, they decided to leave the safe house to feed. Once they fed they strolled arm-in-arm down a narrow shadowed alley. A muffled sound ahead of them brought them to a halt. Jemima threw a quick glance toward Tahlia and saw her eyes sharpen. The sound was that of a baby crying. What would a child be doing in a dark alley at this time of the night? Jemima felt Tahlia pushing her slowly behind her tall frame.
“Renegades.”
Tahlia said the word with so much contempt that Jemima felt a shiver run down her spine. When Tahlia was in this mood, they usually ended up in a fight with them. She felt Tahlia’s body jerk sharply and then she heard the crack of a bone.
Jemima cried out with alarm when Tahlia doubled over. She reached out to touch her, but before she could, Tahlia turned sharply to look at her and Jemima took a quick step back.
Gone were the black eyes replaced with amber eyes. Jemima saw the hair sprouting on Tahlia’s smooth skin until only her face was still recognizable—but not for long. Tahlia fell to her knees and Jemima could see the protruding bulge forming on her face. Horrified by what she was witnessing, Jemima wanted to run, but didn’t want to leave Tahlia alone in such a vulnerable state. The next time Tahlia looked at her, she had completed her transformation. In Tahlia’s place stood a huge black wolf, its gleaming fur stretched tightly over a muscled frame.
Stunned, Jemima could only nod. The wolf stealthily made its way toward the dark shadow. Jemima looked around and she felt a cold chill run down her spine for the second time that night. Something wasn’t right. She could sense it. She thought of following Tahlia, but Tahlia would be livid if she placed her life in danger once again. She delicately sniffed the air and stiffened. The scent she’d picked up was chillingly familiar.
Gillian! She was close by. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being set up. It seemed Gillian knew Tahlia would not let her fight renegades while still untrained. By distracting Tahlia, she would be easy prey. Up ahead in the dark she heard a chilling scream followed by a deep growl and then the sickening sound of flesh tearing. Jemima knew that the only way to survive the night was to find Tahlia. She used her preternatural speed as she dashed toward the deep growl of the wolf.
Just as she was just about to duck into the shadows, she felt a piercing pain in her back. The blow was so powerful that her body flew to the ground. Jemima clenched her teeth against the excruciating pain and carefully reached behind to touch the area of impact. Her fingertips felt a sticky wetness and moving slightly further, she touched the sharp object lodged deeply in her back. The soft hissing sound when she touched it confirmed her fear. Silver! She could die from silver poisoning if she didn’t get help soon. Where is Tahlia? She quickly scanned the area, but found no trace of Tahlia.
Jemima felt an iron grip on her ankle before someone dragged her backward on her stomach into a dimly lit area of the alley. A black heavy boot unceremoniously rolled her over on to her back. The action made her groan when she felt the ax cleave deeper. She saw Gillian standing over her, her face contoured into a cold mask of hatred.
“So we meet again. I was hoping you would be a worthy adversary, but all I see now is a scared and helpless fledgling.” She laughed tauntingly and gestured to one of the renegades.
A tall, pale young man stepped forward and grabbed Jemima’s throat, pulling her to her feet and then lifting her off the ground. With her feet dangling in the air, Jemima watched as Gillian stepped closer, and with an elongated nail, make a long deep incision on Jemima’s cheek. Her blue eyes were transfixed on the thick dark blood that oozed from the cut she’d made.
“It would be stupid to waste a drop of your blood, being as it contains Tahlia’s and Lecrac’s legacies.”
Jemima watched Gillian’s fangs slowly lengthen and closed her eyes to block out what was to come.
“With their blood in my veins, I can become even more powerful.”
That last remark caught Jemima’s attention. With their blood in my veins, I can become more powerful than I am now. She opened her eyes slowly, just in time to see Gillian moving closer to bite her. I have the blood of Lecrac in my veins. He was the first of the Undead and the most powerful creature ever to walk this earth. That alone makes me more powerful than Gillian and all the other renegade filth with her. I am from a Royal bloodline, which is respected and feared by all vampires. Jemima’s demeanor changed, from helpless submission to cold menace. She saw Gillian’s eyes widen.
Chapter Twenty-four
Unnerved, Gillian quickly took a step back. Her eyes bore into the woman who now stared at her with sudden realization in her eyes. She had made a mistake by referring to the potency of Lecrac and Tahlia’s blood. Right in front of her eyes, she saw the scared fledgling change into a dangerous, purposeful creature. Her pain-filled blue eyes were slowly beginning to take on a red glow and the air around her crackled softly as she internalized her power. The heavy silver ax clattered to the concrete floor, and Gillian sensed that the renegade who was still holding Jemima up by the throat knew trouble was brewing. Gillian realized how quickly her caref
ul plan had gone wrong. Her only chance was to defeat her enemy before she had garnered all her power.
“Quick. Pull out her heart. Do it now,” Gillian shouted urgently.
One of renegade’s hands quickly transformed into a claw, but before he could slam it into the blonde woman’s chest, a piercing cry split the air. Gillian jumped backward to dodge the spurt of blood that splattered the concrete walkway at her feet. As if in slow motion, she saw the renegade crumble to the floor. She gasped when she saw his body split in two. Gillian snapped her eyes toward Jemima and saw the other woman staring at her with a bloodied claw and glistening fangs. With a sunken heart, Gillian realized that Jemima’s transformation was now complete. It was time for her to retreat…alone.
Gillian gestured to the other renegades behind her. When the first wave of renegades was engaged in battle with Jemima, she slipped away. She would not take on the woman today, but she would be back some other day. As she fled into the night, she heard the grunts and tearing sounds as Jemima slaughtered the inexperienced vampires.
†
Tahlia ran at full speed toward the alley where she had left Jemima. She felt her heart beating in her mouth. The closer she came to the alley, the stronger Gillian’s scent became. What was I thinking leaving Jemima alone? It was only after she had come upon the two vampires ferociously feeding on a young woman that she realized it was set-up. There were more renegades waiting a few yards away in hiding, but luckily she was still in her animal form. With the agility and power of the wolf, she had quickly destroyed the group waiting to ambush her. She knew that Jemima was in mortal danger, but just as she was about to go to her lover’s rescue she noticed the crying child crawling towards its mother’s body.
Tahlia was torn between saving a defenseless human baby or her lover, and she had only a few seconds to decide. With her inherent vow of protection in mind, she grabbed the baby in her mouth. Still in her wolf form, she couldn’t go near humans, so she took the baby to the park. After willing her to sleep and weaving a quick protection spell, she had jumped up against a tree and used her big maul to hide the baby in the nook of some branches.
Now, as she rushed back toward the awful sounds of fighting, she prayed feverishly that Jemima was still alive. When she came within a few yards of the battle, she quickly shape shifted. Not caring that she was stark naked, she plunged into the fighting only to be shocked by the scene that greeted her eyes. Jemima was standing in the middle, surrounded by at least six renegades and a dozen more lying at her feet—or what was left of them. With her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, Jemima was using preternatural speed to move among the vampires, slashing at them with her deadly claws. Tahlia’s keen eyesight allowed her to see a deep oozing gash in Jemima’s back. It took her a few seconds to make sure that Jemima didn’t have a mortal wound before she joined the battle.
†
Back at the park, a shadow glided slowly from tree to tree using the cover of the night to hide its presence. She was very close now. The shallow heartbeat was calling to her through the darkness. Cloaking her presence, the tall woman glided between the lush green trees, her nose sniffing the air. She came to an abrupt stop and looked up. There, not very high up, in the cradle of a branch, was a hidden bundle. She reached out to pull it down, but before she could make contact, there was a movement and she stared into two big liquid pools of blue. A child! It was a girl and she estimated it to be around fifteen months. Disgusted with herself, she shook her head. How could she not have deciphered the scent? More important, how was it possible for the child to see her. She was an ancient and cloaked; not many were able to detect her presence.
She quickly touched the toddler’s mind and jerked violently when she felt the power that emanated from it. A very powerful and dangerous presence had left its mark on the child. Whoever is protecting this child would kill anyone or anything that tried to harm it.
She took a step back, but not before a chubby little hand reached out and grabbed a strand of her hair. Almost immediately the night stillness was pierced by the baby’s gurgling. Stunned, the vampire reached out slowly and touched the baby’s rosy cheek. It had been crying, possibly in its sleep. She hadn’t heard anything while stalking her prey, which to her disgrace, turned out to be a toddler. Her body tensed suddenly. The night had an evil feel to it. She quickly loosened the baby’s grip on her hair and soundlessly stepped back into the shadows.
A few seconds later, a streak of mist came from between the trees and solidified into a human form. Sniffing the air sharply, the other vampire looked up and reached out to grab the child. A sudden hissing sound followed by a sharp cry and the acrid smell of burned flesh filled the night air. The other vampire pulled away quickly and roared angrily.
The ancient stepped out of the shadows and dropped her invisibility cloak. “When have you become so perverted that you are now preying on children?”
Shocked by the intrusion, Gillian took a quick step back. Her eyes, glowing red in the dim light of the nearby lamppost, widened when she recognized the sharp silver eyes that peered at her from the shadows of the black cape. “Paloma! Where…how…” She carefully took another step back.
Paloma Soleil was one of the most powerful female vampire warriors, second only to Tahlia. Gillian and Paloma had tangled a few centuries ago and Gillian had come out the loser. She had gone underground hoping to stay out of sight long enough until Paloma’s ire diminished a bit before confronting her again. Now the ancient had resurfaced after almost five centuries.
Gillian looked at the tall frame of the master vampire and the clothes she was wearing. It was obvious that she had only recently come out of hibernation. She was still dressed in leather battle gear, the general vampire dress code of the 16th century.
“We still have unfinished business, you and I.”
When Paloma lifted her hand to push down the hood of her cloak, Gillian saw the light shine on brittle blonde locks and vampire’s grey, sunken features.
“Now is as good a time as any to finish what we have started then.”
Gillian felt a shiver of fear trickling down her spine and shook her head. “I have a proposition for you, Paloma. I will make you more powerful than you already are, so powerful that you will never have to bow to the will of anyone ever again.”
A cruel sound, supposedly a laugh, escaped Paloma’s lips. “Now, why would I want to side with a traitor like you? You of all people should know that what you have done warrants the death sentence. You will have to be destroyed, and I will do whatever it takes to protect the laws and honor of the Race.” She cast a quick glance at the baby who looked at them with big blue eyes. “Your intentions toward that baby were not noble. I could sense your hatred. You were going to kill it just to send a message to whoever you are running away from now.”
Gillian watched as Paloma took a threatening step forward while her hands transformed into claws. “Let’s get this over with.”
Gillian rose to the challenge and went for her sword before taking a battle stance. “We do not have to do this, Paloma. It is obvious that you have surfaced quite recently and are not strong enough yet. I will cut you down before you have even laid a finger on me.”
The master vampire nodded. “I cannot wait for you to try.”
Gillian couldn’t react fast enough. A deep red glow flared to life in Paloma’s silver eyes before using her preternatural speed to dive toward her.
†
“I need to get rid of the bodies before someone comes along.”
Tahlia gently pushed out of Jemima’s embrace and looked down into her lover’s pale face. Once the battle was over, Jemima had mutely turned toward her and held onto her in desperation. If Tahlia hadn’t had to get rid of the scattered bodies, she would have comforted her a while longer. Jemima looked so fragile and scared that Tahlia almost pulled her close again. She steeled her emotions and briskly got to work pulling all the bodies and severed body parts into a heap, before she reached in her jacke
t and doused the pile with a quick flaming agent. With her hand pointing at the pile, she visualized a blue flame and her thought sprang to the life engulfing the pile into quick flames. After a few seconds only a small pile of ashes remained and with a flick of her hand they were scattered to the four winds. She turned to Jemima and found her staring at her. Her blue eyes looked huge in her pale face.
“Come, my love. I will take you home.” She gathered her in her arms and together they dissolved into mist.
Chapter Twenty-five
Back in their underground chamber, Tahlia gently undressed Jemima and gave her a sponge bath. The deep gash in her back where the silver ax had struck her was still oozing and she opened her wrist to drip a few drops of her blood on the gash. Almost immediately, the wound began to close, but Tahlia knew that it would take a few days before the wound completely healed.
She held her wrist to Jemima’s lips and cupped her head closer while she fed. Exhausted by the battle and the loss of blood, Jemima fell asleep almost immediately. To ensure that she slept right through, Tahlia willed a strong sleeping command into Jemima’s mind and placed Jemima in the deep, rich healing earth.
Tahlia dissolved and quickly made her way to the park. Despite the powerful spell she had woven around the baby to protect it, she was anxious to see if the toddler was safe. After rushing through the trees, she came to a halt a few yards from where she had hid the baby. From across town, she tested the area with her senses and was aware that a battle was taking place in the park. She cloaked her presence and stealthily moved closer until she could see the two fighters.
She made out Gillian’s form easily, but struggled to place the other shabbily-garbed fighter. From the way she fought, it was obvious that she was highly skilled. Tahlia looked closer and her eyes narrowed. There was something very familiar about the warrior. Even her fighting style was familiar, but who could the mysterious woman be? When she was a few feet from them, the woman quickly turned, probing the darkness and Tahlia’s eyes widened. No! It can’t be.
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