Liam’s fists shook where they rested against his knees. It took a great deal of self-control not to leap to his feet once again. And nearly as much not to march back to the garrison, barge in on the Colonel, and demand she send him to put a bullet through the Mayor’s skull.
He could do it. He doubted Jenn could kill him even if she wanted to, how much less could the Mayor’s men hope to stop him? Given enough ammunition, there was not a person on the planet he could not reach, eventually.
It was the renewed growling of Kathryn’s stomach that woke him from his revenge fantasy. Without even glancing at her, he tugged open the collar of his shirt, wincing as the dried blood on his shirt pulled a few hairs free of his chest.
“Here,” he said. “Blood-secret.”
Kathryn climbed obediently into his lap, wiping at his neck with small, cool fingers. Then, without warning or hesitation, she bit down hard into the meat above his shoulder. Liam grunted, wincing as the white-hot pain raced up his collar, then down his spine. Now, as always, the pain of Kathryn’s fangs remained the one lasting pain available to him. And, compared to the brief, unsatisfying ache of punching walls, it was good expiation, indeed.
Liam sighed in satisfaction as Kathryn’s tongue began to flutter against his skin, lapping up the leaked blood. Though he always took a sort of perverse pleasure in the pain her feedings caused, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d so desperately needed the outlet it provided. Before he even knew what he was doing, he found his hands wrapped around her, clawing gently at her back. It was not a rough sort of touch, just enough to jostle her and send another delightful jolt of heat arcing through his nerves.
Soft moaning filled his ears and it took Liam a moment to realize that, no, it was not sound trickling down from the brothel above. Kathryn writhed in his lap, gently enough to keep him from recoiling, but not so gently that he could not feel the warmth and softness of her body grinding against him.
For a moment, Liam nearly pushed her away on instinct alone. Then, with a horrible sense of resignation, he knew he would not.
Jenn had double-crossed him. She had pushed him away. She had, in an almost literal sense, broken his heart. So why in the world would he reject the woman before him?
Twisting his head to draw forth more of the deliciously electric ache, Liam tightened his arms around Kathryn’s back and pulled her forcefully against his chest. The woman gasped, breath hot on his neck as her fangs popped free of his neck in a wet squelch of blood and flesh.
“No,” Liam growled. “Don’t stop biting.”
Kathryn moaned softly, hips continuing to grind and sway enticingly against him. With a sharp inhalation, she bit down once more.
Liam shuddered, body going rigid as another wave of pain burned down his flank. Mind racing from one indistinct thought to another, he grasped Kathryn by the hips and pulled her down, hard, against his growing erection. Petite though she might be, her body was far from childish. Even through the thick fabric of his trousers, Liam could feel the warmth and softness of her sex against him.
His hands roamed higher, desperate to explore every inch of Kathryn’s untouched body. She’d teased him with it for weeks, offering tantalizing glimpses at every available opportunity. And now, when there was no longer anything holding him back from seizing ahold of it, he intended to plunder everything she had to offer.
Kathryn’s breasts were small, but smooth and firm in his hands. Liam could feel the stiffness of her nipples even through the fabric of her dress and he rolled them against his palms, laughing openly as she shuddered with obvious delight. Her voice escaped against his neck as a strangled whimper. She no longer made any attempt to drink his blood, it was all she could do to keep her fangs in his skin as he touched her.
“You want this,” Liam teased. Trailing his hands back down her sides, he slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her skirts. Kathryn’s thighs trembled against his palms, spreading as she fought to drive his hands further toward her bare hips. “You’ve wanted this for a long time.”
Unable to answer with her words, Kathryn whimpered affirmatively and nodded. The slight movement drove her fangs deeper into Liam’s neck and he rewarded her with both an approving groan and by sliding his hands further up under her dress. Cradling her backside, he squeezed gently at her supple body, marveling at her responsiveness. Even without approaching her pussy, he could feel the heat of it and slickness leaking down her thighs.
“You want to be touched,” he said. Sliding his hands up to her hips, he allowed his thumbs to travel down the creases formed by her inner thighs. With every inch he traveled, his fingertips drew nearer to Kathryn’s mound and the more urgent her shuddering became.
Liam’s fingers reached the apex of Kathryn’s thighs. In a heartbeat, the similarities to Jenn’s body struck him like a physical blow. Gritting his teeth, he wrenched his head to the side to drive the thoughts away with pain.
Kathryn’s folds were hot and slick and crowned with thin wisps of hair. Unlike Jenn’s however, the hair between Kathryn’s legs was silky and every bit as delicate to the touch as the stuff atop her head.
No sooner had Liam’s fingers brushed her sensitive flesh than Kathryn began to move. Her hips bucked, grinding her clit against his palm with unabashed enthusiasm. He indulged her for a time, arching and angling his palm to allow her more friction. And, if the panting against his shoulder was any indication, his efforts did not go unnoticed.
“L-Liam!” Kathryn whimpered. Her fangs slipped free of his neck and she lapped broadly at the remaining blood with her tongue and trembling lips. Then, she buried her face against his neck, wrapped her thin, delicate arms around his shoulders, and began to moan.
The novelty of her body was such that Liam didn’t think to interrupt her. He allowed Kathryn to grind against his hand, coating it with the slickness of her dripping sex. Then, after an appropriate delay, he maneuvered his fingers into place and on her next makeshift thrust, slipped once gently inside her.
Kathryn cried out softly, suddenly going very still. Her hips trembled, her body rigid from head to toe. Only her insides continued to move in any real way; her slick, velvety walls squeezing down on the invading digit.
He curled his finger, using it to stroke her sensitive spots in a way experience told him she would appreciate. And appreciate it she did. With a heaving moan, Kathryn sagged against him, hips spasming as she clumsily attempted to mash her clit against his wrist, his body, anything that might provide a hint of stimulation. Holding her firmly in place, Liam denied her that. Only his finger continued to move, permitting her nothing but the promise of future pleasure.
“No, you don’t,” he murmured. Pressing upward with his finger, he guided her hips up, away from his body. “Stay like that.”
Kathryn whined, deep in her throat, but nodded. Almost absentmindedly, her hands clawed at her dress, bunching and hiking it to expose herself to him. Then, apparently unsatisfied by that alone, she frantically tugged it off and tossed it aside. Standing naked before him, Kathryn’s familiar, impish smile returned for just a moment.
Liam studied her body with a grin of his own. He’d seen Kathryn naked, or almost naked, more times than he could count. The girl seemed to take an almost exhibitionist pleasure in trying to reveal herself to him, but this was the first time he’d seen her that he hadn’t immediately averted his gaze. And to his surprise, the thrill that came from rejecting those honed instincts was nearly as satisfying as the pain of Kathryn’s bite had been.
Let Jenn do what she wanted; he would do as he pleased, too.
Easing his finger free of Kathryn’s pussy, Liam ignored the girl’s whimper of protest as he fumbled with his clothes. His trousers were tight and in the poorly lit basement, it took him an infuriatingly long time to find and untie the knots that held it. When at last he’d managed it, however, his erection popped free with a satisfying ache and anticipation.
“Come here,” he said. G
rabbing one of Kathryn’s legs, just above the knee, he dragged her back down onto the mattress. She joined him without protest, though her breath was coming in short, shaky gasps. Trembling with obvious anticipation, she allowed Liam to guide her into place above his lap.
“You know how this works?” he asked.
Kathryn nodded. Her cheeks were red and her pupils dilated. Grasping his shoulders, she allowed Liam to guide her hips down until the head of his cock reached her tight, amply lubricated folds.
He pressed up with his hips, gently easing Kathryn’s down at the same moment. He felt the strain of her body as her lips parted, struggling to accommodate his shaft. A finger had been easy enough, if tight, but his member was quite another story. He felt a brief flash of worry that she would not be able to take him, after all. But then, gradually, her tightness relaxed and he felt the tip of him glide ever-so-slightly inside her.
Kathryn panted, fingers digging painfully into the meat of Liam’s shoulders. Her face was downcast, no doubt to hide any discomfort from him.
He couldn’t blame her. She’d wanted this for so long; if he stopped things now, her disappointment would have been devastating.
“Kathryn?” he said softly, forcing himself not to grit his teeth. “Are you sure you—”
Groaning, Kathryn forced her hips down towards him.
And, in a slow, inexorable motion, the last of Kathryn’s defenses melted away and she swallowed him to the hilt. Liam moaned as the petite woman’s insides constricted around his shaft. She did as well, but even her delighted whimper did not diminish his carnal hunger. Bracing his heels against the basement floor, he grasped her hips and drew her roughly down against him.
Kathryn cried out again. Her nails were like knives as they dug into the skin of Liam’s back.
He rolled without warning, using his strength and size to maneuver Kathryn onto her back without bothering to withdraw his member. She gazed up at him as he pinned her wrists, eyes widening with the sudden understanding that she could do nothing but stare helplessly up at him. And yet, as wide as her eyes grew, there was no mistaking the lust that clouded them also.
“Liam,” she whispered huskily. “F—”
He didn’t bother letting her finish. Arching his back, Liam thrust hard, marveling at the tightness of Kathryn’s cunt.
After a single buck of his hips, Kathryn’s legs rose to encircle the small of his back. After the second, she buried her face against his chest. And by the third, Kathryn was little more than a puddle beneath him.
She had, in a way, almost ceased to exist in Liam’s eyes. Where once there had been a bloodthirsty, human-shaped bundle of appetites and temptations, there now existed only a quivering mound of flesh—a tight hole that served only to milk the seed from his cock.
She was putty in his hands and fuck if he didn’t want to break her.
Unfortunately for his baser urges, Kathryn’s unfamiliar body did not give him the chance. Stiffening beneath him, she came with a sharp cry. And, as a wave of shuddering overtook her, Liam could not help but be the least bit disappointed.
He had wanted to make her squirm, to beg him for every drop of pleasure he doled out. But, as he drew back and watched the thrashing pleasure displayed on Kathryn’s face, Liam felt his heart soften.
There was an almost childlike innocence to Kathryn’s expressions, not that he appreciated the reminder while presently balls-deep inside her. But the truth remained.
Leaning forward, Liam kissed her gently on the brow and then the lips. Kathryn’s eyes opened at the latter and she gazed up at him amid orgasmic aftershocks and quiet, satisfied giggles.
“Love Liam,” she croaked. “Kathryn—I… love you, Liam.”
The words staggered him, both in content and the uncharacteristic delivery, but almost certainly not in the way Kathryn had intended. The woman’s words, however sweetly voiced, brought to mind nothing but the countless times they’d been uttered by another.
Growling, Liam pushed away both the memories and the words that had prompted them. He kissed Kathryn again, hard and passionately, and grinned as her mouth yielded to his with a breathy moan.
Grabbing a fistful of her too-soft hair, Liam forced her head back against the thin, uneven mattress. Kathryn panted, not even bothering to resist him. Instead, her eyes glazed over as she rolled her hips against him, teasing herself with his shaft.
“Like that, do you?” Liam growled.
He trailed a hand down the length of Kathryn’s body, savoring the varied textures he encountered along the way. All of it, from the puckering of her lips, the warm, frantic pulse in her narrow throat, the stiffness of her rosy nipples and undersized breasts, and the nest of downy pubic hair tickling his thighs, it all served to make him harder than he had any business being.
Based on the redness of her cheeks, Kathryn did not seem in any fit state to reply to his question. Nevertheless, she made a valiant effort, arching her back to thrust her breasts and mound against Liam’s fingers as they passed over her.
“Liam, plea—” she whined.
He interrupted her with a thrust, and in the brief span in which Kathryn’s eyes fluttered shut, Liam pounced. He dove forward, taking the meat of her neck in his teeth in a grotesque imitation of her feeding.
He bit down, gently, of course, but hard enough to make Kathryn shake and to drag a halting gasp from her lungs.
Liam held her there, kept motionless by his teeth, his hand in her hair, and his cock, until the desire to move grew too demanding to ignore. Growling again, this time into her neck, he pounded his captive lover with short, almost brutal thrusts. He lost track of how long he ravished her, pausing occasionally to catch his breath. He knew only that Kathryn gasped and moaned throughout his rough treatment, and that finally, when his climax arrived, it was the powerful sort that deafened him with the sound of his own furious heartbeat.
Groaning against Kathryn’s throat, he rocked against her as his cock throbbed and flooded her with seed. There seemed to be no end to it and Liam closed his eyes as he gave himself over to the pleasant forgetfulness his orgasm offered.
Liam’s arms were shaky and weak from propping himself up by the time he recovered sufficiently to move. Pulling free of Kathryn’s sloppy, well-bred pussy, he flopped onto his side.
The woman snuggled close, resting her cheek on his chest with a contented sigh. Then, after a few seconds, she squealed delightedly and began to squeeze him in a tight embrace.
“Liam!” she cried gleefully. “Love you! Love, love!”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he reached over an wrapped an arm around the girl, holding her close enough to hide the sudden weariness on his face.
He’d expected to feel conflicted, now that the moment had passed and the deed was done. He’d expected guilt to fill the spaces in his mind and chest that arousal had once filled. Instead, he felt nothing, just a cold, uncaring emptiness.
It was a relief, in some ways. He would much rather feel nothing than something. It would be easier in the short term.
And if not in the long term… at least it would let him sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
When Liam woke, it was to nothing more than Kathryn astride him, urgently shaking him. The sight of her startled him, but he recovered quickly and forced a smile.
Kathryn did not smile back. Instead, she pointed upward at the ceiling.
“Occs,” she said.
Liam leapt from the bed, aware of the basement’s chill but hardly feeling it as he dressed faster than he’d ever done before. All the while, his ears strained for any hint of conversation from the brothel above. He heard little, but none of the screams or shouts that would have given away the presence of invaders.
He glanced at Kathryn, brows rising.
“You’re sure?” he asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.
“No Occs here,” Kathryn corrected quickly, still pointing upward. She gestured widely, as if
indicating the space around the building—or the city more broadly. “Here. Walls. Trees. Occs.”
“They’ve reached the city?” he asked.
Kathryn nodded urgently, flashing a brief, confirmative grin. “Yes. City.”
Liam breathed a brief sigh of relief. If the Occs were at the gates, it would be safe to go outside without risking an encounter with the Mayor’s forces. Hopefully, no one in the militia would confront him about his disappearance the night before and he could rejoin their ranks without incident. And even if they did, he could honestly say that he’d gone looking for Jenn to try and bring her back to their side. No one could fault him there.
“Let’s go,” he said. “I need to find some ammo.”
The brothel was, unsurprisingly, almost completely abandoned as they emerged from the hidden basement. The madam was not in her room and yelped in surprise as he stepped out into the main parlor. She sat behind the bar, alongside another man with whom she’d been speaking. At the first sight of him, both she and her conversation partner had spun, leveling an antique-looking shotgun and a crossbow, respectively.
Grimacing, Liam raised his hand.
“It’s fine, Dennis,” the madam said, lowering her shotgun. “He spent the night. I just forgot he was down there.”
Dennis was not so quick to agree, but he eventually lowered his weapon as well. Scowling, he sipped from a glass sitting on the bar. His eyes never left Liam, even when Kathryn tip-toed out into the parlor after him.
“Thank you,” Liam said, looking awkwardly around the mostly empty room. The door had been barred with a heavy, wooden plank and painted, steel shutters pulled flat to cover the windows. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Occs,” the madam said simply. She jerked her head toward the door. “Someone said they attacked the western gate. Don’t know what happened, but the shooting stopped a minute ago. Hope that means we won.”
“Thank you,” Liam said again. He eyed the locked door. “Can we leave?”
Feral Empires: Fanning Flames Page 13