Reign of Nightmares (Blood Throne Book 1)

by Quinn Arthurs

  “I’m a vampire,” I taunted, gasping when he thrust harder, curling his fingers to find that sensitive spot inside me. “I can take anything you can dish out.” I reached up to stroke down his chest, raking my own nails across his skin, digging grooves that would mark him as mine. He hissed, throwing his head back as he pressed harder into my hands, forcing my nails deeper as he toyed with my pussy, spreading my wetness across my lower lips and over my clit, twirling his fingers inside me then pulling out, over and over again.

  He laughed when I scraped my nails across the hard muscles of his inner thighs, the sound wicked and wild, before leaning down and brushing his lips against my ear. “Ah, even a vampire has limits, mistress, though I’m not sure our witch will.” I flooded his fingers at the image he was painting for me. Of course I thought the twins were attractive, how could I not? And seeing the way Draven had responded to my bite—whether in pleasure or in pain—had soaked my thighs with need. But having both my pet and Draven in my bed at the same time? I could only whimper and rock myself against Sebastian’s teasing hand as I contemplated that possibility. Sebastian slid his fingers from my channel, ignoring my cry of complaint before slipping them into his mouth and moaning at my taste as he sucked it clean.

  “Sebastian, fuck me,” I begged him, but he ignored my plea. He kicked my legs wide, slipping one finger from each hand inside me, swirling them around as he stretched me.

  He pulled his left hand away, lifting it to my mouth. “Taste,” he demanded, thrusting it between my lips so I could lick my wetness from the offered digit. Shifting his hand, he scraped it against my fang, letting his blood mix with my juices, and I moaned at the tantalizing combination.

  “Would your sweet cum still coat my fingers if I held you right on the edge of death?” His words were challenging as he hissed them at me, his voice husky with restrained desire as he teased me. “I’d find that perfect precipice to balance you on, to push the pain to the point where you lose the pleasure then reel you back in. You’d scream so prettily for me when I had your blood on my hands, and only I would know the difference between those screams. What ones would be from pain, what ones would be from pleasure, and which would be because you couldn’t differentiate them anymore. Your body would be mine, mine to command, to control, to kill.”

  I groaned, thrashing against him as my pussy convulsed around his fingers, squeezing him tightly. He slipped a fourth inside me, stretching me past the point of pain and making me cry out as he laughed, leaning down to bite my neck. It hurt so good, the pain blurring into pleasure as his thumb circled my clit, my body throbbing as it was catapulted between the sensations.

  “Tell me you’d let me hurt you, mistress. That you’d hurt me in return until our blood ran together and coated us.” He slipped his fingers from me, and I cried out at the loss before he slammed his cock into me, filling and stretching me.

  “Yes!” I screamed as he lifted my hips, canting me upwards to take more of him.

  “Yes what, mistress? Yes you like my cock inside you? Yes you’d want to hurt me? Yes you’d want me to hurt you?” He ground his hips into mine, the motion making me writhe against him as he took me closer and closer to the edge, only to pull away again. “A mistress really should know how to speak clearly, you know. What’s a pet to do if he doesn’t understand what his mistress wants?” His hand came down hard on my thigh, the smack of the contact ringing through the room, and I yelped at the burn even as it mellowed into pleasure. He slapped his hand against me a second time, a third, nailing the same spot over and over again until the pleasure was buried under the pain and I was squeezing hard around him before he pulled away again, leaving me achingly empty and desperate for more.

  “Yes, you can do anything! Everything!” I hissed at him. “Sebastian, stop playing and make me come!”

  “Maybe I don’t want to. Maybe I want you sore and aching for me, desperate for release when the sun rises again. When we go back to being just a mistress and her pet, and all of this goes back to being a dream, a fantasy between enemies who can never let themselves feel and fuck.” He leaned down, closing his teeth around the sensitive peak of my nipple and making me thrash. I wrapped my hand around his hard length, squeezing as I slid my hand up and down, my movements rough and rapid as he groaned his approval, bucking into my grip.

  I shoved at his hips, forcing him onto his back so I could rise over him, my night vision allowing me to see his muscular frame in shades of navy and gray. The blood still pumping sluggishly from the wounds I had inflicted on him was such a deep charcoal gray it was nearly black. “Oh, we’ll do this again, pet,” I promised on a purr, wrapping my hand around him again as I cupped his balls, tugging on them and making him groan when I flicked my thumb over the sensitive head of his cock. “You think I’ll let you hide from me?”

  He growled, tangling our legs together and yanking me over. “I won’t show myself that easily,” he whispered, his teeth sinking into my ear as I cried out. “I’m going to remember tonight, Elsie, and dream of all the ways we could have hurt each other if we’d been the same, you and I.” My pussy clenched even as my chest throbbed with the pain his words inflicted as if he’d sunk his blade between my ribs. I forced myself to ignore what he said, to focus on his body against mine, our tastes on my tongue. My pet might have an iron will, but he also had a dark, desperate hunger inside him, a literal need for violence that no human woman could withstand if he wanted her to survive. He’d come to me if I was patient, if I teased and tormented, letting him think he was in control. But for now, I’d take tonight.

  “Then fuck me, pet. Give me something to remember,” I demanded, knotting my hand into his hair and yanking hard as I scraped my teeth across the curve of his shoulder, making him cry out at the pain as his body shivered in my hands.

  “Naughty mistress,” he scolded me with a chuckle. “I’m fucking you, remember? I’m not one of your usual human toys. Just for tonight, you’re mine.”

  “Prove it,” I gasped, and he snarled as he flipped me onto my stomach. His knees came down to bracket my thighs, his hands yanking my wrists until my shoulders burned. He held my hands in an iron grip at the small of my back that had the small bones grinding together, making me whimper my approval. His free hand dug into my hair, his nails scratching my scalp, and with a solid thrust, he plunged inside my drenched pussy. I groaned, helpless in this position. He was far too big this way, the pain sharp and biting, and I gushed around him, unable to deny how good that pain felt.

  “That’s it,” he hissed, yanking my hair, forcing my back to arch even as he pushed my thighs tighter together. “Take it. Take all of me.”

  “Yes!” The word was a sob, a broken cry of pleasure and pain as I came so hard around him I saw stars. His hips slammed against my ass, each thrust harder than the last as he sought his own release in my body.

  “I want my cum dripping down your thighs, Elsie. I want it marking your skin, there for anyone to see that I fucked you, that I owned you. That you were a human’s, you were mine to fuck, to kill if I wanted, and you loved every fucking second of it,” he growled, his body leaning down to cover mine as he sank his blunt, human teeth hard into my shoulder, pressing deeper until he drew the blood he wanted. My pet. My monster. Mine. I screamed when he exploded inside of me, another orgasm slamming into me as my blood dripped down my shoulder and onto my sheets. His weight pushed me down into the mattress, cutting off my air as he kissed and nipped the fragile skin behind my ear. “I’ll kill you next time, mistress,” he whispered, his voice husky with sleep as he rolled us, settling me onto his chest.

  “I can’t wait for you to try, pet,” I countered, relaxing against him as our blood dried on my skin. He wouldn’t be able to resist me for long, I’d make sure of that. We were both monsters, after all—he just needed to admit it.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Elsie

  I adjusted the cuffs of my dark purple sleeves as I ascended the spiral staircase to the upper l
evels. I had chosen the dress I wore for the tightly clasped sleeves, preventing the oath bond on my wrist from being visible to anyone. I had enough business to attend to this morning, and explaining how I came to accept an oath bond was not something I needed to add to my to-do list. It was still early, and aside from the servants, most of the castle was asleep around me. Few vampires were early risers, as many of my kind preferred to hunt their prey at night. It wasn’t that we needed the advantage darkness gave us over the humans, it simply added to the appeal, especially for those who thrived on fear. Utilizing a prey’s weakness—in particular robbing them of one of their senses when they were so weak to begin with—was one of the easiest ways to have terror and adrenaline mixing with the blood, even if the chase ended quickly. Witches didn’t prefer hunting through the night, but they had their own reasons for sleeping late. Many of their blood rites were done under the watchful eyes of the moon, and I’d heard that most witches believed the night offered a boost to their powers. Maybe Sebastian would know if that was true.

  The thought of my pet, who I’d left to his own devices in my rooms this morning, had a smile curving the corner of my lips. While he had leashed the demon once again, walling it away behind the responsible servant persona he had perfected, I could still see the slightest spark in his eyes when he’d meet mine. My pet was lucky that I liked games, and playing this one with him was going to be more fun than I had anticipated. He was commanding, dominant, and aggressive when his demon was out to play, but with it chained away? That question burned through me as ideas formed. He had appeared shy, sweet even, when the idea of entering my bed had been breached in the past, but it was clear he was experienced. I knew that him fucking me as he had last night didn’t guarantee he’d be interested in a repeat while he wore his mask, but something burned inside of me, wanting to see what he would allow. The idea that he would be submissive while he wore his mask, yet be dominant behind it, was enough to have me wet and aching with a need to finish my business and return to my chambers.

  After the revelations of last night, however, I knew my focus needed to be on finding both Victor and Geraldine and stripping them of any information they had regarding this insane plot. My fangs burned at the idea of ripping their throats out. Vampires were power hungry, of course, just as ravenous as they were for food. Plots and machinations were an everyday part of life, but that only extended so far. If those plots were a threat to our laws, to the hierarchy that ruled our existence, then it was my responsibility to tear the perpetrator into shreds as an example against any who might challenge me. I had no plans to take a vampire as a king when I ascended to the throne. The prospect of that alone had me shuddering. I would not wed for power, nor to ease the responsibility I would bear. I had been raised to reign alone, to lead my people with grace, intelligence, and a bloody fist, and that was exactly what I intended to do. Anyone who thought they could challenge that sovereignty was going to find out exactly how much of a nightmare I could be.

  Despite the early hour, both Victor’s and Geraldine’s rooms had been empty when I stormed through them, heedless of their privacy. That had left one option—my parents. Unlike other vampires, my parents tended to rise as early as I did. Both were dedicated to their duties and to their people, and wasting hours on sleep when there was work to be done was tantamount to treason in their minds. While I knew I could catch my mother in the throne room and my father in his office later today, I had hope it was early enough that I would be able to find them in their suite having their morning meal. It would be far more efficient to speak to them together, and I did not want to broach this issue in the throne room and risk prying eyes or perked ears.

  Finally reaching the floor that hosted my parents’ suites, I took a moment to adjust my clothing and smooth my hair before I knocked lightly on the gilded double doors that were the entrance to their domain. It took only a breath for my father to fling the door wide, his fangs bared in a vicious snarl that dropped into a beaming smile the moment he saw me.

  “Elsie!” he crowed, ushering me inside. “I thought I would need to be adding someone to my breakfast table for daring to disturb us.”

  “I apologize for interrupting you, I simply needed a moment of time with you and mother, and I didn’t want to be overheard,” I explained as he led me into the breakfast room where my mother was seated. Her attire was similar to my own, though her dress was a soft jade green. Her fangs were in the neck of the young man who was fastened securely to their table. At the interruption, she pulled back, licking the blood from her lips and offering me a small smile.

  “My dear, come join us. It’s been ages since we had breakfast as a family.” Of course it had been, vampires rarely ate meals together once their children were of an age to be independent. Our relationship was closer than many simply due to the unique nature of being the ruling family. It was necessary for us to have constant communication with each other to ensure all three of us stayed up to date on what was going on in the kingdom, and to guarantee that whenever a transition happened, I would be immediately prepared to step into my role. As the only heir, it wasn’t as though my parents could kill me for any transgressions I made, not unless they wanted the kingdom to fall to another bloodline. Since neither of my parents would be able to abide that thought—Craufords were the authority amongst vampires, and they would not see that change—it had forced a more intimate connection. It wasn’t as though our kind did not care for our young, nor that we were needlessly cruel. Children were protected, cherished even as many vampires found it difficult to bear young. But once a child reached their majority, they were truly considered an adult, and the family ties were set aside as little more than a title. They were responsible for their own health, safety, and well-being in all regards. Where a parent would protect a child before they matured, they would be on their own after that point. It was something I had heard more than one servant, and even a few witches, whisper over in the past. It wasn’t an aspect of our culture I regretted. If I couldn’t care for myself, why should I expect my family to look out for me? We weren’t like humans who were biologically weaker, requiring the safety numbers and connections provided.

  The only exception to that idea was when a vampire took a mate. Many powerful vampires chose not to, believing it opened them up to a vulnerability they wouldn’t otherwise possess. They would join to help raise children, but their own safety was always paramount. My parents were truly mates—a couple who actually adored each other. It was unusual and had apparently caused quite a scandal when it had occurred. My grandmother had never taken a mate, nor had my great-grandmother, choosing instead to bear children and raise them on their own in preparation for the throne. My father, however, had bucked tradition. Some had suspected it was simply due to his being male as traditionally our family had been led by females, but it was clear to me that my parents loved each other. It helped that my mother was even more vicious and deadly than my father, although she hid it inside her tiny, elegant frame. In many ways, Sebastian reminded me of her. She was no scholar, but she thrived on rules and order, and yet she was the one to watch in a battle since she would remove your head before you had even realized she planned to.

  I smiled, settling myself down on a chair my father pulled out, and I waited for him to join my mother before I spoke. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not hungry at the moment,” I replied in response to my mother’s suggestion to share their morning meal. “I’ll feed from my pet when I return to my rooms.”

  My father paused, his fangs hovering over the dazed human before he grinned. “You took a pet, my dear? We hadn’t heard. What wonderful news.” He wagged a finger at me in consternation. “I hope this means you are overcoming that ridiculous notion of an adaptive feeding schedule.” I ignored the old argument before it could begin and waited for him to take a deep drink before I began.

  “I was looking for Victor and Geraldine, but I’ve been unable to find them. Have they been around to see you lately?” I ques
tioned lightly, settling my hands in my lap. I knew better than to fidget—my mother had used her teeth to break me of that habit at a young age—so I merely waited patiently as they thought over my question between bites. Victor and Geraldine weren’t vampires I had much contact with, although both were fairly high up the hierarchy. Neither had taken on a political role, so they hadn’t been on any of the committees my mother forced me into. I hated committees and the diplomacy and the compromise they required, but it allowed my parents to focus on other aspects of ruling the kingdom when the smaller, less important areas were handled by others. I apparently necessitated too much control, as that was one area I hoped to do away with when my own reign began, no matter the large amount of work that would then fall to me.

  “What is this about, Elsie?” my father finally inquired as he studied me intently. Part of me had considered bringing the witch twins with me for this conversation, their ability to detect lies would have been foolproof, but I knew better. I couldn’t rely on others, and I knew my parents’ tells as well as I knew my own. They wouldn’t have spoken openly or honestly in front of Draven and Crowe, even if I had chosen to bring them with me. Vampire business was for vampires alone.

  “Please, father.” The polite words still made my teeth ache. “Before I get into the details, I simply need to know if you’re aware of their location.” He exchanged a look with my mother who nodded her agreement.

  “They’re on an ambassador’s mission to a coven. They left late last evening. We hadn’t known they had any interest in the role, but both are powerful and able to take care of themselves, making them ideal candidates for this job,” he explained with a casual shrug of his shoulder. “We had been discussing ambassadorships at family dinner the other night, do you not recall?” I forced my face to remain calm, even as I admitted to myself that I didn’t remember—my focus had been on finding out what I could about Draven and Crowe.