Witch Darkness Follows (Maeren Series Book 3)

by Mercedes Jade

  “I want to hold you until you’re so comfortable that you forget you’re in my arms.”

  “It’s strange to be constantly held. I’m capable of walking, ordering my own food, and I’m not a child that can be held on your lap without consequences,” she told him, emphasizing the last bit.

  “You’re feeling primed?” he asked with an arrogant tone.

  Like he was shocked! Surely, priming had been his intent.

  “You kissed me. What did you expect to happen?”

  “You are sensitive, Jill. Or is it that the prince can’t keep up with your needs? Didn’t he service you this morn?”

  Jill wiggled more, but Alexander only tightened his grip. He started walking them over to the bed.

  “Victor said I can’t orgasm. I’m being punished!” she said, turning her face into one of Alexander’s shoulders to hide the heat.

  The shoulder under her rumbled. “What exactly did Victor say—he won’t give you release, you can’t give yourself relief, or I shouldn’t lie you down on this bed and pluck a climax from between your legs before we eat?”

  “Uh, he didn’t think of the third scenario.”

  “His mistake. Or do you think he intended for me to pleasure you when his rules stopped him from doing so?” Alexander asked.

  The bell rang.

  The Triad

  Saved by the bell—or thwarted?

  Jill sighed. She couldn’t take advantage of Alexander’s eagerness to please her.

  Victor would definitely protest Alexander’s reinterpretation of the rules.

  “That’s the food!” Jill announced with false cheer. “We should just eat. The priming will wear off. Victor leaves me half primed most of the time around him, anyway. I’m used to it.”

  “Such a modest witch. You should be more forthright about your needs. I will have a talk with your claimed and see about getting your punishment lifted,” Alexander said.

  She wanted to protest that she didn’t need Alexander to talk with Victor—Especially about orgasms!—but he had started walking back to the table for them to eat.

  Better to keep her mouth shut than to invite that topic to be reopened.

  Even while dealing with the dumb waiter and the full bowls of hot soup, Alexander wouldn’t put her down. He managed everything one-handed. It was a good thing he possessed earth-strength.

  “Do you like your bread dipped in the soup or dry?” he asked her as he sat down, with her on his lap, to eat the food.

  She pressed her hands together on her lap.

  Alexander had already picked up a spoon and a bun, in one hand each, for the serving of soup he had in front of him. He must plan to feed her.

  It seemed very intimate, perhaps more so because he’d been prepared to ‘pluck’ a climax from her like picking some nice flowers to gift her a few moments ago. This felt like a courting gesture.

  “Dipped in the soup,” she answered him.

  She dutifully opened her mouth and nibbled off a chunk of broth soaked bread. It melted on her tongue.

  Hunger growled, audibly, as her stomach reminded her that now her anxious knots were gone, her appetite was back.

  Alexander made an approving noise, spooning soup into her mouth.

  “I wish I could feed you every meal to ensure your health. I would like to make you soup using my pot back home.”

  That definitely sounded like a courting ritual. Earth-witches knew the power that could be imbued in anything made in their personal pots. It implied a level of trust to eat something made for them.

  “Do you like to cook?” she asked, swallowing down her mouthful.

  “It’s an agreeable enough work with soups. I am not very good at breads.”

  She took another bite of bread and chewed.

  Honestly, she wasn’t much of a cook. Her mother had stressed potions. Ready-made food was handy in the human realm.

  She could follow a recipe, but cooking in Maeren over an open fire would be a new challenge.

  “Do you live alone, so you have to cook for yourself?” she asked.

  It would be neat to see the village her mother had been raised in.

  “I am a bachelor, although my parents live in our village. It’s common for vampires to move out once they’re soldiering.”

  “So, do you have to cook for yourself? No witch at home to help you?”

  “I can go to the common hall to eat food. The baths to find a witch to feed upon. We’re a free but close knit, society. Maeren towns are communities of like powered individuals. Many elementals decide not to commit to a claim until later in life. The communal places help join together those of us no longer under our parent’s roof. It encourages independence without the risk of starving or getting desperate for blood.”

  Jill had been feeling a little jealous curiosity, but Alexander’s answer dragged her mind from petty enviousness.

  She wished she understood their culture better. It felt like something missing from her life.

  Hearing Alexander talk about his experiences in the village was nice.

  “Why baths for meeting witches?” Jill asked.

  She finished the last bite of bread, noting the soup was almost gone as well.

  Alexander had fed her efficiently, never pausing to take a bite of his own soup and bread.

  “Some court their earth-witches at the baths. The challenge is for a vampire to match the right herbs to scent a bath to the earth-witch he is courting. Other elementals who merely wish to be serviced or served to meet their blood needs use a specific blend to bathe that declares them open to being approached.”

  It wasn’t that far off from getting dressed up and perfumed to hit up a club for the night—except bathing implied a lot of nakedness.

  Jill couldn’t stop herself from imaging Alexander’s naked body, dripping wet muscles from all of the steam in the baths, waiting for her to approach him.

  “My mother never really talked about that stuff,” Jill said, accepting her last bite of soup.

  “I gather she didn’t think you would be coming back to Maeren. Why did your family run, especially with the general here to protect all of you?”

  It was an impertinent question between strangers, but Alexander had been plain in his objective to get to know Jill. He’d even stated his intentions in front of Victor.

  This was the kind of curiosity any suitor might have regarding her unorthodox upbringing.

  “Eat your soup and I’ll tell you. This has more to do with why I was upset, when you found me in the hallway earlier.”

  Alexander shifted her slightly on his lap, so he could lean to the side and spoon soup without eating right over her head.

  She laid back against his far shoulder and chest, bringing her knees up, so they could help support her against the table edge as she relaxed.

  Feeling comfortable wasn’t what she’d imagined when she told anyone else her family’s darkest secrets.

  “My uncle on my father’s side is a demon. You probably haven’t heard of him, but my grandfather would be familiar with his name. They would have been in the army at the same time during the clan wars,” Jill said.

  “Just a demon? They weren’t as common then?” Alexander asked, still focused on his soup.

  He was eating heartily and wouldn’t take much longer to finish.

  “No, demons were common. I guess more so than now, actually, as they were useful during the clan wars. The problem is some demons want more power. Once they get the taste for the strength that draining one witch can give them . . . ?”

  Jill broke off, her whole body going tense on Alexander’s lap. This wasn’t going to be comfortable after all.

  Alexander pushed away his soup, leaving his bread untouched. He gathered her up in his arms, wrapping right around her bent knees. Earth-strength made his hug almost bone crushing, but it felt right.

  “How old were you?” he asked, whispering it in her ear.

  “A toddler. Elizabeth is only a year older
than me. We both drew his attention for different reasons, but I was the one with the most visible potential. Elizabeth’s greater strength has always been hidden for her safety.”

  Jill held back from telling Alexander just how much stronger her sister’s magic was over hers. It was an ingrained habit to deny Elizabeth’s mind altering power.

  Too often, it was something that could be misunderstood.

  “The two bodies?” Alexander asked, proving he’d put together much more than she’d expected.

  “My father and his brother—my demon uncle. They’d planned to drain both me and Elizabeth for what magic we had left, when my uncle was caught feeding on me by my sister.”

  Alexander growled. It should have scared her, especially as she was lying against his chest and could feel the dangerous rumble of that threatening sound. Instead, it seemed more like a comforting purr to her ears.

  “My mother stopped them. She thought she’d killed them both—we all assumed it until I found out about the missing body, and then, my grandfather said that the witch we captured had talked to my uncle. The demon arranged the assassination attempt. He wants us dead, once and for all.”

  Alexander didn’t stop his growling purr, although it softened slightly.

  He picked her up, awkwardly, with her knees hugged to her chest.

  This time when he walked her to the bed, she didn’t protest.

  He set her down in the middle. Finally, the growl stopped.

  “Tuck yourself in. I felt Victor waiting outside my door. The general would have already talked to him about this demon. Let me get your claimed to help comfort you.”

  Jill grabbed onto Alexander’s thick biceps, squeezing with more strength than wise upon anyone other than an earth-lord.

  “Please don’t leave,” she begged, feeling foolish.

  When Alexander finally let her go, she was the one clinging onto him.

  Alexander picked her back up.

  “Can we let Victor in?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  Alexander walked over and opened the door.

  “Come in. Jill has just told me about the demon we’re to defeat. She’s fed, but upset. I also primed her earlier without providing proper relief—at her refusal, and her mention of a punishment between the two of you.”

  Victor put his hand on her shoulder.

  She peered at him through her hair that had fallen over her eyes.

  “No more punishments. I would never have chosen that one if I’d known what you’d suffered as a child. Your reaction to bites should have forewarned me. I am ashamed, Jill,” Victor said.

  She wiggled, but Alexander wouldn’t let her down.

  She wasn’t sure if she liked that or not, but Victor closed the distance between the rest of their bodies, trapping her against Alexander, so it was a moot point.

  “Let Alexander put you to bed, as I heard him suggest earlier. We will both come to lie down with you in proper fashion for a newly claimed in need of her males,” Victor said.

  There were still undertones of dominance in his voice. Just because the punishment was over, didn’t mean Victor was going to turn soft.

  She needed that strength. Hearing him tell her what he wanted her to do gave her better purpose than floundering on her own.

  Alexander had tried, but Victor was her established dominant.

  “Okay,” Jill agreed.

  Alexander immediately obeyed. He placed her back in the centre of the bed, then repeated his directives.

  “Tuck yourself in.”

  She did, appreciating the soft warmth of the blanket that Alexander had on his bed. It provided a comforting weight and felt nice against her cheek as she drew the covers up high.

  Victor smiled at her, showing a hint of swollen fang.

  It was distracting for a moment, so she nearly missed Alexander whipping his shirt over his head.

  That chest was magnificent. He was bigger than Victor, but less defined, mountainous strength that didn’t need to be refined to make a point.

  Victor cleared his throat, after removing his own shirt. He folded and tucked it away at the foot of the bed.

  “Such a big boy that you picked for your bed, Jill. I’m not sure your virgin sheath should try mounting him first. Don’t be afraid to hold him down and hump his cock, without sheathing it, for your release. He looks like he’d enjoy a witch strong enough to ride his bucks and slap his flanks.”

  Alexander unbuckled his pants and let them drop to the floor, where he’d let his shirt go after whipping it off.

  His big cock sprung out from its tight confines, bouncing back to hit his hard abs.

  “You never mentioned that you were a virgin earlier, when I first brought you to my bed,” Alexander said in a chiding voice that sounded half tortured.

  “That has got nothing to do with feeding,” Jill snapped, her eyes never leaving his cock.

  Victor was right. Alexander was big everywhere.

  “Phillip and William didn’t take the time to serve you properly, Jill,” Victor said. “Feeding on a claimed should be done with her primed, and it usually results in orgasm as long as the two are compatible. I had to finger your pussy to get your climax the first time that I tasted you.”

  On top of his motorcycle. It had been the hardest orgasm she’d ever experienced.

  Victor undid his pants, commando under them, and slid them down his legs as he bent over. He took one foot out and then the other, folding the pants and putting them with his shirt.

  Alexander waited for him, not entering the bed.

  “I dislike being fed on,” Jill admitted.

  Alexander started that growl again, softening it to the purr when she gave him a startled look.

  “You disliked your monster of an uncle preying upon you. He will pay for ruining your childhood innocence as well as daring to send an attacker to kill you while you were under my claim. I have the right to take his life under Maeren’s rules,” Victor said.

  “Tell him to take his right to avenge you,” Alexander said, only stopping his purr to direct her.

  Victor had such a gorgeous body. He was toned with compact strength. His cock was pretty, though she’d not tell him. That honey-gold colour and all smooth.

  She remembered what it had felt like when he’d rubbed himself against her, barely stopping from mounting her as she’d begged.

  Victor took his responsibilities seriously. He would eliminate the threat that her demon uncle still presented. She could rely on him.

  “Take your right for vengeance, but first, make my claim complete,” Jill said, looking up at Victor’s dark eyes.

  “Pull that blanket down to your knees. Lie back. Alexander is going to finish priming you,” Victor said.

  “But I’m all dressed and both of you are—?”

  “Naked, Jill. Hard as rock and eager to fuck your pussy,” Victor vulgarly described, slowly biting off each word like he was in pain.

  “I could rip your clothes off if you’d like?” Alexander offered as he put a knee on the bed and leaned over her.

  She flinched—just the slightest—but Alexander noted it.

  He growled again, grabbing her under her arms and picking her up as he laid on his back in the bed to take her place.

  He held her up over him.

  “I want her on top. Give me that ride that Victor thinks will have me bucking.”

  She pulled the skirt to her gown out of the way, sitting her naked pussy on top of Alexander’s cock as she straddled him. He immediately rolled his hips.

  Victor crawled onto the bed behind her. He grabbed her hair into a ponytail and fisted it.

  “Raise your skirts higher and show Alexander your pink pussy,” Victor ordered.

  He’d been the one to dress her this morning, so he knew she’d been without drawers or any undergarments at all.

  Alexander had probably been surprised.

  Her cheeks pinked to match what she revealed as she slowly inched her ski
rts up.

  Victor thrust his hips from behind her. His cock pressed against her ass intimately, kissing her second entrance as she tightened up in response to the feel of her pussy sliding along Alexander’s trapped cock underneath her.

  “Going to fuck you over him one of these times. Right in that tight little ass, while you mewl like the naughty kitten you’ve been, teasing this boy without telling him about your innocence,” Victor threatened.

  “I thought the punishments were over?” she whined, almost giving him the helpless mewling sound he wanted.

  “Punishments, not submission. The boy doesn’t want to hurt you. He was the one to almost get punished . . . and then, you would have needed to submit to demonstrate your regret for causing him trouble.”

  “Don’t worry, Jill,” Alexander said, bucking his hips to her pleasure. “I will let the prince burn his aggression with me, so he’ll be as tame as his fire kitty when it comes to servicing you.”

  Was that a funny dig at Victor when he was in his Dom-mode?

  Jill giggled.

  Victor growled. It was much deeper than Alexander’s growl. This one thrummed through her body, making her pussy clench in need.

  Warm wetness slid out of her and all over Alexander’s cock.

  “Hands on her hips, keep making her ride you. I’m going to take a feed from our witch. She’s primed, but if she can’t release, I’ll depend on your cock to stroke her pussy into giving into us.”

  “You’re not asking?” she gasped out as Victor licked over her neck, along her pulse.

  “You’re not gagged from voicing refusal,” Victor said.

  She felt fangs. Allowing Victor to direct her head to the side with his hold on her hair, she rode Alexander’s thrusts against her pussy.

  There was nothing to fear.

  Victor pierced her neck fast. It was made painless by his saliva numbing his bite.

  The pulls on her neck as he fed went straight to her pussy, right where his growl had gotten her wet.

  She almost went over with his bite alone.

  Alexander yanked her hips against him, giving it to her much harder, even though he was underneath.