Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (73 page)

“
I will not, for any reason
in this world or our own, let Lucius live. You will see him fall to
his knees and beg me to let him die.” Turning away from me, he
laughed.

Something in that laugh hit a switch
inside me. Never before had I felt so enraged, so completely
removed from my normal, sensitive self. And yet, I felt totally in
control, totally empowered. Gazing down at my wrist, I saw once
more it was a blood red tear drop, and I smiled as I realized why.
It was somehow up to me to get Lucius and I out of this deadly
predicament, and quickly. Of course, knowing and doing were two
very different things. Looking around the room, I wondered what I
could possibly do to tip the scales in Lucius’ favor. Perhaps, if I
could distract the king and his guards, Lucius could do his—well,
whatever it was he did. Whatever he did, I hoped he was good at it.
Realizing I had precious little time, I lunged forward toward the
bed. Jumping onto it, I spread my legs wide open, confident the
king would at least follow me. The king’s jaw actually dropped;
perhaps he’d never seen a modern, clean-shaven woman
before.

Slowly, he inched his way toward me,
his leering men following closely behind him. One stayed with
Lucius, whose face, I noticed, was void of emotion. I hoped he knew
what I was thinking, I hoped he knew I had no intention of bed
hopping with these frightening men, that he truly was the only man
I ever wanted to be with. My heart tripped over its own beats with
fear that he thought I could ever look at another man.

“
Ivy, dear, sweet, tempting
little Ivy, you surprise me.”

Swinging my head around, I was shocked
to see the king had reached the bed. He grabbed my ankles and
pulled me nearer to the edge of the mattress, spreading my legs
wide open in front of him. Whimpering, I tried to kick myself free,
but the king had a death grip and yanked at my ankles to stop me
from moving. Crying out, I felt my bravery wane, but something,
something small inside me, willed me on. I smiled up at the king
and licked my lips. The king dropped to his knees.

Now or
never
, I told myself. I shifted lower,
nearer to the king. As he watched, I slid my fingers down to my
core and rubbed my clit. I moaned, half closing my eyes, but
keeping my gaze pinned on the king and his men, two of which had
partially disrobed and had taken themselves in hand. I swallowed
back my revulsion and used their own depravity against them. I
started to rock my pelvis, harder and harder, as I slid my fingers
along my core. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucius
spring into action. No one but I saw him dispatch the one guard
who’d stayed with him. No one but me noticed him as he crept up
behind the king and his remaining men. Rolling my hips, licking my
lips, gasping with pretend pleasure, I continued my careful
distraction. Slowly, I slid one hand up to my breasts and rolled
and flicked my nipples, all the while riding down on my fingers.
The king slid forward, as did his men, and anger filled me to think
they thought they could have me. Slowly, ever so slowly, Lucius
came up behind them. Sheer will kept me going, my determination to
see them all brought to justice riding on this very moment. Faking
my near orgasm, I cried out, and with that, Lucius struck. He
raised his arm in an arc and swung swiftly, removing three men’s
heads at once. I didn’t know where to look. I froze, felt I’d be
sick. I’d known he would have to harm them all, but to see three
heads fall from the shoulders of men who had been very much alive
and reactive, thanks to my amorous actions, made me go quite numb.
Fountains of blood rose from the necks up into the air, and then
rained down upon me. Screaming, I tried to crawl away from the
bloodfest, but the king had other ideas. Apparently, he had become
very turned on with all that was going on around him. He pulled my
legs with one hand and then held me in place; with his other arm,
he swung his sword high to keep Lucius away.

“
Had I known what a beauty
you were, I would have had you earlier. However, I shall make up
for lost time now. This will hurt, Ivy, have no illusions. I love
hurting human women.”

Screaming every obscenity I ever
heard, I tried to push him away, but he dug his nails into my legs
and crawled on top of me. Crying out, I tried to squirm from his
grasp. I could feel his excitement pressing on my belly and in my
desperation, I tried to claw out his eyes. In return, I received a
swift fist to my face. Tasting my blood, I vowed vengeance. He
gripped my hair and yanked my head to the side, and I fought to
disengage his hold. The world seemed to stand still at that moment.
I remember hearing Lucius scream and saw him dive toward us. The
king bit into my neck. An insidious poison attacked every fiber of
my being, spreading rapidly through my bloodstream. I felt my heart
weaken; I felt myself being drained of my life’s blood. I tried so
hard to push the king off me. Lucius appeared in my line of vision,
and he too tried in vain to pull the king from on top of me, but in
a shocking move, the king picked me up, and we simply
disappeared.

A moment later, we reappeared at the
cemetery. Fear coursed through my veins. Shivering violently, I
tried to pull my weakened body away from the king. He stood there,
towering over me, laughing violently.

“
Little Ivy, I’ve brought
you to a very special place, don’t you think, to consummate our
intimate union? I believe I will keep you, use you as my blood
donor, at least until I get bored, which shouldn’t be too long from
now.”

Not truly understanding him but not
wanting to find out the meaning of his hateful words, I started to
drag myself around the very tombstone before which I’d met Lucius.
How cruel fate could be. Feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to
move, I started to cry, to roar, to scream at all the Gods in the
heavens to hear me and to come to my aide. Lightning lit up the
blackened sky, freezing rain pelted down on my bare, tender skin,
tree branches whipped around us, and still I kept screaming.
Something inside me started to change, but still I ranted. The king
stood there, obviously bemused, an evil smile splashed across his
cold face.

I somehow found the strength to stand,
and leaning against Lucius’ tombstone, I turned to face the king.
Nothing would stop me now; if I died, I would die knowing I tried
to kill this monster before me. Glaring at him, I started to shout.
Words flew from my mouth in a tongue I did not recognize, and yet,
they all sounded strangely familiar. The king’s smiled disappeared,
quickly replaced by a frown.

“
Ivy, what are you saying?
Who taught you this language? Stop it this instant.”

He lunged for me, but I quickly
stepped back, and he fell to his knees. The thunder above us
roared, and the wind whipped the fallen leaves in a macabre dance
around us. Still, I continued my rant, roaring words I did not
understand but feeling the meaning of everything I shouted. The
king screamed at me to stop. Looking down at him, I noticed signs
of aging on his once youthful face. Suddenly, I felt an ethereal
presence and turned toward it. A glowing light shone between two
chestnut trees, radiating heat and beauty. Smiling, I turned back
to the king. His body had aged grotesquely, and I could barely
stand looking at him.

“
Ivy, please stop all of
this. I promise you I will leave.”

A small, warm hand touched my
shoulder, and I felt a beautiful peace spread through my body. I
looked to see who had touched me, and I gasped. A tiny female stood
before me, smiling, and I instantly knew who she was.

Screams punctuated the night, and
turning, I saw King Casimiro doubled over.

“
Maria, forgive me, I had
no idea of the grief I had caused. I will do anything, anything at
all if you just let me go.”

Turning to Maria, I watched her
delicate, angelic features; she looked at me, innocence
personified, and smiled warmly. She walked over to the king,
reached down, and when she put her hands on his shoulders, his body
instantly turned to dust. The wind whipped around us and gathered
his ashes, spreading them everywhere. A second later, the wind died
down, the dancing leaves fell to their rest, the branches once
again stood still, and I sat down on the cold, hard ground, staring
at Maria. Turning once more toward me, she smiled and said
something, but I could not hear the words, as the sound of Lucius’
roars drowned out whatever it was she was she’d said. Strong arms
wrapped around me and lifted me up. I turned to smile at Lucius,
but the smile slipped, and I gasped. Blood red tears fell freely
from his eyes and covered his cheeks.

“
Dear Gods, Ivy, you are
determined to find a way to kill me.”

Laughing shakily at his attempted
humor, I gently kissed the teardrops away.

Suddenly, I remembered Maria. I
pointed back over my shoulder. “Lucius, it’s Maria.”

Lucius looked past me.
“Where?”

I turned around, then stepped back
from Lucius’ embrace, frantically scanning the cemetery. “She was
here, I tell you. Just a moment ago.”

But the beautiful light had
disappeared. I started to turn back to Lucius to explain what
happened, when something lying on the ground between the two
chestnut trees caught my attention. I walked over and knelt down;
lying just in front of me was a small, intricate locket. I picked
it up, and holding it in the palm of my hand, I opened it to find a
tiny key sat inside. I closed it once more, then picked it up by
its chain. Turning to Lucius, who had followed me, I held it up for
his inspection.

“
What is it?” I
asked.

“
I don’t know, but it
belonged to Maria. I remember seeing her wearing it the day she was
killed,” Lucius told me. “Zorion gave it to her. I don’t know why
she left it here, but I’m sure we’ll figure things out, over
time.”

Lucius took the locket and gently
placed the chain over my head. The locket, carved in the shape of
heart, with the word Amor etched in script on the front, rested
nicely on my chest. I drew in a long breath, overwhelmed by
everything that had just happened but also feeling a deep sense of
calm. I hadn’t felt this peaceful in a very long time.

Smiling, I put my arms around Lucius
and said, “Please take me home. I need you. I want you to make love
to me.”

Lucius gently picked me up in his
strong, warm arms and took me to his car. When he opened the car
door, I sighed; there, before my eyes, lay the velvet throw I
loved. Kneeling, Lucius placed me on the passenger seat and wrapped
me up in its luxurious warmth. Tenderly, he brushed the hair back
from my face. I turned to him and smiled, and he bent down and
kissed my lips with a reverence that melted away my heartbreak. All
of the horrors I had suffered faded away, lost in my past. This was
the man I loved.

Lucius smiled and said, “Home it is,
Ivy.”

Chapter Ten

I awoke suddenly and cried out
hoarsely for Lucius. He jumped up from where he lay beside
me.

“
You’re alive, thank the
Gods.” He picked me up and sat me on his knee, pulling the velvet
throw over us.

Curling into his warm body, I sat
there, rubbing the locket that still lay between my
breasts.

“
What happened to
me?”

For the longest time, Lucius said
nothing, just held me, stroking my back. Finally, he
spoke.

“
Ivy, things have changed
for you now.”

I sat there mute, unable to form the
questions tumbling around in my mind. Of course, I knew the answers
already. My body felt totally different, unique and alive in a very
different way. Looking up, I gazed around the room. The colors
appeared different, the shading more vibrant and the textures more
interesting to the touch. The words Lucius had spoken to me in
another language, I suddenly understood. I could smell something
wonderful, something vaguely familiar. Turning to Lucius, I nuzzled
up to his neck and inhaled. A passion gripped my body, one that
left me panting with desire. Lucius pulled my head away and smiled
down at me.

“
You are like me now. Your
world has changed forever, but now, we can be together forever,
too.”

I smiled and resumed my position,
savoring Lucius’ delicious scent. Sighing, I kissed his neck, and
then I licked him there. Shuddering in ecstasy, I bit into his
neck. I could not stop myself; my body’s desires took over my
rational thought processes. The delicious taste of heaven was
sliding down my throat—Lucius’ life blood—sweeter to me than any
flower’s nectar to honey bee. Groaning, I turned around and
straddled him. I sucked harder, cried out when his blood pooled in
my mouth, arched into his already hard cock, slid my soaking pussy
lips up and down his velvety skinned shaft. I reveled in all the
new sensations, sliding harder and harder, and crying out when my
swollen clit rubbed deliciously along his wet cock. I raised myself
up, unable to wait any longer. Lucius grabbed hold of my hips and
thrust into me. His cock slammed into my aching, wet vagina.
Screaming with desire, throwing my head back, I rode him with
everything that was in me. Lucius roared, and our mating became
something primal and animalistic. Harder and faster, he pumped into
me, holding onto my hips with a vice-like grip that had I been
human, would have injured me. Smiling, I looked down at him. My
breasts bounced wildly, and as I slammed down hard, my inner walls
clenched my release and milked Lucius’ cock. Screaming my name, he
came inside me.