Authors: Chris Lange
“For the same reason, a vampire’s bite won’t affect you because your blood can’t be mixed and protects you. I told Rogan as much. Now I’d like to hear about your power. What did you feel when you healed him? And when you changed the warrior?”
As much as she wanted to describe the incredible force she had experienced when healing Rogan, her stomach interrupted her. Like a snake uncoiling from a light sleep, it roiled. Lungs deprived of air, heart fluttering to be let out, the vibe whipped her with brutal desire. Following the persistent pull of her instincts, Liv moved to face the door.
The king of all vampires barged into the room. Dark and ominous, his gaze passed over her to settle on Zontag.
“Are you done with her?”
“I am, but I’d like to work on…”
“Leave us!”
Cut short, the older vampire bowed and obeyed his king. As his hand left hers, Liv wished he wouldn’t abandon her to the whims of his towering master. With a last glance at her, Zontag hurried out of the lab and closed the door behind him. Looking smug, Raskhan finally acknowledged her presence.
“I will run the last test on you.”
The invisible connection instantly responded to his words. It writhed in her belly, forcing her to breathe through her mouth.
“What test?”
“Didn’t Zontag say he needed your body fluids? Well, there’s one you haven’t given him yet, but I’ll take care of that.”
Raskhan took a step towards her. Wolf-like, he seemed about to pounce on her. She should have been scared. Yes, she should have been, but the vibe pulled and pulled, throwing her pulse out of sync, jolting her bones, discharging heat between her legs.
A single look at him, and she wanted the king of the Overworld to pin her down on the worktable, to spread her legs wide open for his royal cock, and to have him make a sexual slave out of her. Still, she wouldn’t cave in without a fight. She wouldn’t let primitive instincts best her.
“I don’t understand.”
His eyes shone bright. A mischievous smile playing on his full lips, he seemed to love the moment.
“Sure, you do. Come on, little girl, don’t play coy with me. Take your panties off!”
Chapter Twenty
Eyes wide, Liv watched him come to her.
“Is this really necessary? I’ve never heard of a test involving a woman’s…well, you know.”
“You’re in my world now, and the rules are mine to dictate. Here, you obey me. You don’t think, you don’t speak, you just do as I say.”
She backed away from him. His magnetic gaze holding her, she retreated until the wall halted her. He advanced on her until their bodies touched. They both shivered as though an invisible, powerful current jostled them.
“Hell, you’re so desirable!” For once his face showed no trace of derision—only lust.
Yet it didn’t mean she’d yield to his desires. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere. You can drop the pretence right now because I won’t agree to your stupid test.”
He laughed then. His body hard against hers, his mouth inches from her, he passed a light finger over her lips. “And you fall for it every time! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as gullible as you, kitten.”
Too fast for her eyes to catch, he opened the lab door before she could think of a pertinent answer. God, he had the knack of irritating her so much she’d have liked to strangle him. Or rip his heart out. Or let him possess her body like a wild animal. But he was already out on the gallery, beckoning to her.
“Come.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s high time you discovered my world.”
As usual, male and female servants gave them a wide berth. Along open galleries, past rows of doors, up two flights of stairs, along brightly lit corridors, Raskhan led her onto an open terrace. Situated on top of the palace, square and large, the terrace dominated the landscape—if it could be called a landscape.
Night and cold ruled. Dark, thick shadows closing in on her, Liv watched her step as she approached the ledge. An unfamiliar sensation grazed the back of her mind, and was gone before she could grasp it. Hands on the parapet, Raskhan by her side, she strained to get a good look around.
All she discerned were two-storey black buildings, squarely divided by streets. A few lights here and there showed signs of unseen presences. No houses. No towers. No skyscrapers. No flat land indicating parks or unused grounds. From where she stood, the methodically lined-up buildings reminded Liv of the ordered structures her little cousin used to build with his Lego set. No sun. No daylight. Only night.
As far as the eye could see the same arranged layout didn’t leave much to the imagination. One must be very creative here to find a source of inspiration. Then again this world was so plunged in darkness she wouldn’t be able to discern hidden beauties. Erected in the centre, the king’s white marble palace stood out like a black hair on a fried egg.
“Are all your towns like this?”
“You’re looking at the only town in the Overworld.”
“How many are you?”
“We used to be a million vampires before the Dividing War. Today I’d say about twenty thousand, and all staying here.”
Liv had no idea how many men had died in the same war, but obviously the ability to have children had saved the human race. The sensation she had felt earlier came back to her, making her shiver. The silence. The heavy, cold, tear-proof silence surrounding them.
“What’s past the town?”
“An endless desert, and death.”
She heard him. He was telling her she wouldn’t survive out there. Even if she found the front door of his palace, even if she made it to the edge of town, there was no escape. No life.
This barren universe belonged to Raskhan and Rogan. More accurately, they belonged to these desolate, lonely wastelands. Did it mean they were empty, too, and devoid of lush, torrid emotions? Rogan hadn’t been. The brief moment when he had spoken about the Overworld, his voice had vibrated with sorrow. Looking at Raskhan now, Liv fancied his taut features reflected the same sorrow. King or not, one thing was for sure—both brothers were cut from the same cloth. Both wanted in and out.
“Why did you bring me up here?”
“To show you what Rogan and I are like. You think you love him, but you don’t know him.”
Unable to tell if Raskhan’s words were meant as a warning or as a hint at something she should have figured out, Liv rubbed her arms with both hands. In any case, she didn’t like the way he sounded.
“I’m cold.”
He shrugged. Grabbing her arm, he led her back inside the palace. This time avoiding the open galleries but using the back ways, they went straight to her bedroom. She stepped in. He stayed at the threshold and gestured towards the bed.
“There’s a switch for the lights by the bed. Rest now.”
“What if I’m not tired?”
Whatever sorrow or loneliness he might have felt up on the terrace vanished as she defied him. His wolf-like grin reappeared, a savage glimmer of anticipation and desire passing in his eyes. “I see. Maybe you’d like me to entertain you for a while. Is that what you’re asking me, little girl?”
She could have slapped herself for being so stupid. She ought to have known by now that Raskhan was nothing but a predator, and that any excuse to pounce on his prey would do. Damn her big mouth. “No, thanks, I’ll be fine.”
Taking a long inspiration to settle the bumpy cadence of her heart, Liv turned her back on the king of the Overworld. Only when she heard the door shutting did she let some air out of her lungs.
A quick shower and she felt much better. She dried off her hair with a towel before jumping into bed. Fresh linen welcoming her naked body, she stretched her weary limbs and yawned. She then curled up on her side, knees drawn up.
She had lied to Raskhan. As she found the switch to turn the lights off, tiredness had already filled her bones. Bathed in complete darkness, pictures of Rogan invaded her mind when she closed her eyes.
His unconscious body lying on her couch while she healed him from the silver bullet. His face when he had fought Khord to save her life. The wonderful feel of his mouth on hers, the way he kissed her like no man ever had. His scream of utter pleasure as he came inside her, night and woods shielding them from the rest of the world.
But images of Raskhan muddled up her memories as she drifted off to sleep. Her face against the bathroom door, the king’s finger fondling her sex, igniting a wild desire she hadn’t yet come to terms with. His roguish expression when she had realised he wasn’t the same vampire her heart was beating for. And always there, the irresistible connection between them.
Liv dreamt. High above their heads, the sun nurtured plants, trees, fields, and forests. Sitting by a brook Rogan motioned her to come to him, his thoughtful gaze and loving smile fixed on her. Although she walked, she didn’t seem to get any closer to the vampire she loved. In spite of her desperate need to feel his arms around her, to be kissed by his overriding mouth, the distance between them grew farther. As a last resort, she began running to him.
She ran, but he receded from her. As much as she wanted to call his name, no sound came out of her lips. Around her the beautiful clearing seemed to take on a new dimension. A hush fell over the forest as if nature was taking a break. The brook only a dot on the horizon, her heart beating too fast, she slowed her pace to a vacillating walk.
Stepping out of the dense forest, Raskhan pointed a finger at her. Mesmerised by his commanding gesture, she moved towards him. Every step she took aroused a deep longing in her loins, an unfathomable yearning in her soul. Then the vibe took possession of her senses, and her body erupted in desire.
Torn out of her dream by this violent sensation, Liv felt his stony chest pressed on her back, his legs moulded against hers, one of his hands cupping her breast, his erect shaft wedged between her thighs. Sleep abandoned her in a rush of moistness. His blatant lust ensnared her, and a single thought overruled her mind. She wanted him.
“I know you’re awake.”
How could he not? Although total darkness enfolded them, his thumb brushing her nipple, mere inches from the pounding of her heart, from the erratic rise and fall of her chest. How could he not know she was wide awake as his tongue seared a line from her right shoulder to her left?
“I want you so badly.”
A tremor of anticipation coursed through her. Beyond the obvious sexual intent Raskhan’s admission pleased her in a way she hadn’t expected. Like he was yielding some ground. Like he was expressing a real emotion. But why should she care about his feelings?
“Open up for me, kitten.”
As unbelievable as it sounded, he was asking her permission. She still lay on her side but, in her sleep, she had stretched her legs. His simple request inflamed her from head to toe, and she reacted instinctively. She drew her knees up, baring her opening to his intense desire.
He twirled her rigid nipple with two fingers as she moved her legs up to let him in. Slow but confident, his erection glided past her buttocks to find its way to her throbbing sex.
“Yes, that’s it. Hell, you’re so wet for me!”
His dirty talk set her on fire. Because she hadn’t seen it the first time he had screwed her, she imagined his long dick about to penetrate her, coarse hair circling the base, soft skin crowning the tip. Would he be as rough as he had been in the motel bedroom? Had he planned to fuck her, only to humiliate her later? She needn’t have wondered because when he slid his steely sex into her, she thought she might choke from pleasure.
“Can you feel my cock, kitten? Tell me, do you like my big hard cock inside you?”
Her whole body screamed yes, and she had to squeeze her lips tight to keep from replying. Still cuddling her nipple, he pushed his burning rod all the way in, flattening her bum against his pelvis.
“I know you do, you little vixen. You desire me so much I can’t think of anything else but your tight pussy around my dick.”
Although he moved slowly up and down, his sex seemed to grow bigger with each penetration, his crude language propelling her at lightning speed to a paroxysm of pleasure. The prolonged intensity of his passion captured her mind, transformed her into a burning torch. As he strengthened his motions in and out of her, then bent her slightly forward to get a better angle and a firmer grip on her, she moaned.
“You like that, don’t you? You like what I’m doing to you. Do you want more of my juicy cock, kitten? It’s for you, it’s all for you.”
As if he knew she wouldn’t reply, he nibbled her shoulder. She didn’t feel his fangs but the gentle grazing of his teeth caused a new rush of moistness. Darkness hid his next move, but also allowed her to feel instead of seeing. He removed his hand from her breast to bring it to his mouth. She heard sucking sounds as he licked his fingers before reaching for her breasts again.
He pinched her nipple once more, but his saliva smoothed his touch as his fingers stroked until her nerves twitched. Pinned to the mattress by the exquisite rubbing and the whole length of his cock buried inside her, she felt on the verge of losing her mind. Mouth agape to draw in much needed air, she couldn’t suppress a groan. As if hearing her cry stimulated him, his dick stiffened and he pressed his pelvis against her back.
“Fuck! You’re so hot I could spend my time making love to you. And, damn it, your pussy is so tight and smooth. It makes me want to bang you every fucking minute.”
Although his dirty talk excited her beyond imagining, his use of a special expression brought a new moan to her lips. In the midst of passion, in a rare moment when truth came forth, he had said he was making love to her. And the strangest thing was that she believed him.
Her heart was about to burst from joy. She couldn’t tell if it was from sexual enjoyment or from happiness at hearing such words, so she arched her body against his.
“Oh yes, that’s it. Come to me.”
Her luscious movement stirred a new rigidity in her cunt. How much harder could he get? In response he freed her nipple to slide his hands around her waist. Using her hips to slightly lift her up, he pushed his dick in and out of her to the point where tears stung her eyes. Then she began panting like a bitch in heat as the stirrings of an orgasm raised all the hair on her body.