Authors: DD Prince
She chewed her cheek.
“We need things to go flawlessly when I bring you out. I’ll have you out during a banquet and it’ll be a masquerade ball. That’ll help as you can wear a mask and it’ll help shade your reactions.”
“Okay.”
“But things can get a bit raunchy at these parties. It might seem like a bit of a freak circus. Some vamps will have human dates. It’s not unusual to feed at these things after the liquor has been flowing a while and things can get raunchy. You can’t react if you see a vampire feeding or doing something sexual.”
“You won’t do anything raunchy in public with me, right? You won’t tell me to take my dress off or something fucked up like that?”
“Of course not. There’s no way I want anyone looking at your body. But others might not be on their best behaviour. The world I live in is very much about satisfying urges, baby; that’s what vamps see humans existing for. You can’t show a reaction. Nothing above small talk if someone addresses you and no reactions. No matter what.”
Her throat felt bone dry. He rubbed her shoulders.
“And I own you. You have to remember that when I say something to you in front of another vampire that you have to oblige instantly. That’s how entrancing works. It’s late. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Own me?
That was something that would’ve bothered her, even enraged her, a few days ago but now? Now it sounded kind of hot.
Who am I?
Kyla got up to use the washroom and get ready for bed. Tristan was already asleep by the time she climbed back in. Yeah, it had been quite a day and she could see how beat he was.
She thought about Julia, likely being Sam’s warm blow-up doll right now. Soon she’d just be discarded back into her own life and be none the wiser. It was crazy. How many women had to endure that on a regular basis? How many vampires were out there in the shadows waiting to grab unsuspecting females? And were there other females out there who had fallen for their vampire out of some weird chemical reaction? How many had thought those feelings were real but only because they’d been starved for affection their whole life?
Is that what this is? Am I so weak?
She sighed, filled with self-loathing. Then the day after tomorrow there would be a house full of vampires. And Kyla would be, what, paraded in front of them, Tristan’s new “pet”? The day after she’d have to meet Tristan’s boss. She felt her anxiety spike. A headache was coming on. She nuzzled into his back and tried to go to sleep. He was warm and smooth and smelled like banana bread warming over a wood fireplace. Just touching him settled her, for some reason.
He turned over and pulled her close and kissed her, “Hey.”
“Sorry I woke you.” she said.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I had plans for you tonight.” He kissed her shoulder, “Are you okay?”
She nodded but then said, “Not really.”
“It’ll be okay.” He kissed her forehead.
She put her head on his chest, “I believe you.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared but I’m trying. Fake it ‘till I make it.”
“You are my #1 priority. Believe me when I say that. We got interrupted earlier when I started to tell you how I feel about you.”
She felt her face heat up at the memory of him saying he was in love with her.
“I know you can feel it when we touch, when our eyes lock. I’ve been feeling your resolve melt bit by bit. It’s been fascinating. I keep feeling more things from you. More than anxiety and fear.” He touched her hair and ran his thumb up and down her ear, “I feel your passion when you’re angry, when you’re aroused. I feel fight in you that excites me even when you’re defying me. I love what I feel when you’re concentrating on something, like when you’re reading or watching those dancing stiffs. I can’t get enough of that zone you go into when you’re running on the treadmill. It makes me want to run and get in that same frame of mind. Be right where you are, you know? I’m still learning your different emotions but I’m feeling so many of them.” He caressed her face and touched his lips to hers, “I feel you opening up to how you feel about me and I can feel your emotions growing stronger each day. I’m so glad you’re not still trying to push that away, princess. That’s a gift, you know? You’re giving me a beautiful gift by letting yourself feel this, letting this happen. I know you’re afraid. I’ll be strong for you, baby. Gimme that fear; let me crush it.”
She put her palm on his cheek. His eyes were luminescent in the dark room and she felt her heart warm at his words, “When you feed from me, I feel things from you, too, Tristan. It’s like there’s bliss inside me. I feel and see passion and emotion from your eyes as well as feel it inside me.”
“I feel those emotions because of you.”
“We’re some co-dependent pair, huh?” She laughed a little but then went serious, “But I also felt it inside of me when you were mad at me. Rage flooded my veins like something hateful and… unholy. That was so scary. I never want to feel it again.”
“I never want to make you feel it again.” He kissed her nose and then nuzzled into her neck.
“I don’t
think
I love you,” he whispered, “I know I do. I love you, princess.”
She felt pins and needles disperse through her limbs, then heard an ugly-sounding sob escape her mouth. She pulled it back.
Oh great. An ugly cry? That’s what a guy wants to hear when he says the 3 magic words!
But Tristan hadn’t just said three magic words; he’d said 4. Was it corny that she wondered if he really was her prince, the prince she’d dreamt up when she was a little girl hoping to be rescued? She thought back to that Lite Brite screen with the green eye and the blue eye.
There was quiet for a moment. Then, Tristan broke the silence with a soft whisper,
“I can feel it and you’ll say it when you’re ready…”
He didn’t initiate sex, surprisingly, but she was happy about that. She just wanted to feel close to him right now. She could see his blue eyes piercing the darkness of the bedroom, gazing at her lovingly. She curled in deeper and slid into a deep sleep, feeling 100% protected.
Kyla woke up first the next morning and the first thing that entered her mind was:
He loves me.
No one had ever loved her, not that she could ever remember. Jackson said he did but they just felt like words and she’d never said it back. They’d had more than a few big blow-ups about that fact, too. Tristan saying it didn’t just feel like words. It felt real. She stared at his sleeping form. Could a human and vampire live together happily?
In a matter of days her whole life had changed and after the things she now knew she knew she’d never be the same. The upcoming few days were lurking over them ominously. She had trouble shaking the anxiety. His transformation so far had been fascinating, too. He’d been so arrogant, cocky, and entitled that first night and then turned into some sort of romantic. He was still authoritative and confident but the edges had softened a bit and she could feel something different when he fed. The journey they were on, whatever this was, it was changing them both.
He woke up, was all over her, kissing her, rubbing her body up and down with his strong and powerful hands, gazing into her eyes sleepily, sexily.
“Good morning, princess.” He whispered into her ear. She smiled, feeling like her insides had melted at the name he kept using on her. Did the vampire prince know about her childhood fantasies about being a secret princess waiting to be rescued by her prince? Or did he just feel her swoon every time he called her that? His teeth pierced her throat. She froze at first, still not used to that happening so out of the blue but more than happy to let him do it. She rubbed her hands up and down his arms and enjoyed the hum through her veins. Calm washed over her and then joy spread through her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and used them to pull him close.
He chuckled against her throat, “Quid pro quo, babe?”
She giggled, “Yes! I have an itch that needs to be scratched.”
He trailed kisses down toward her pelvis.
Never before would she have felt so brazen about sex. Sex was something she’d enjoyed, despite some bad early introductions to it. She hadn’t had any action in the last few years but before that, in her late teens and early 20’s, she did enjoy it but more bashfully, in the dark, under blankets --- not in the bright morning light uncovered and totally spread-eagled like this.
She angled herself so she could watch him go down on her. It was so sensual to watch, especially with the fact that he kept looking up and meeting her eyes with his while he was doing it, his eyelids fluttering or eyes rolling, showing how much he was enjoying her. She felt like she was a different person with him. Was this the blood bond that was changing her or was she just finding herself and becoming uninhibited because of how being with him made her feel? She arched her back as he tongued a loud orgasm out of her.
~~~
The big table beside the pool was set for breakfast for 4. Tristan and Kyla joined Sam and Julia and food was being served by a middle-aged woman in a maid’s outfit. Joe was nowhere to be seen.
“Since when do you have a maid?” Kyla whispered to Tristan.
“Esther’s been my housekeeper for 10 years. I inherited her. She was away visiting a sick sister for a few weeks.”
“Is she a---”
He interrupted, “Functional trance. Shh.” He put his index fingertip to her lips. Kyla wondered what the heck that meant.
Julia was dressed in a red bikini with a white sheer swimming wrap that covered her bottom. Kyla realized after a moment that the suit Julia wore was bought for her and in the booty she’d put away the other day. She guessed Tristan had given Sam some clothes for Julia since she was staying the extra day. The bottoms fit but the bikini top was definitely too small. There was significant boobage overflow.
Underboob, side boob….too much boob for the breakfast table, for sure. Kyla was a little above average in the bust department but Julia was off the charts and they didn’t look remotely real. Sam was in swim shorts, showing off his very tattooed muscular body and they both had wet hair. Sam dug into the breakfast of French toast, ham, and eggs, like he was starved. Kyla studied Julia’s face. Other than the chest overload, she looked like an average girl having breakfast. She looked younger and more innocent today without all that make-up on her face.
“So, what do you do for a living, Julia?” Kyla asked as she poured a coffee.
“Hmmm?” She looked at Kyla with a dumbstruck look on her face.
“Do you have a job, go to school, or?”
“I dance.”
“Where?”
“Copper Railing.”
Obviously not at the local ballet company…
“And you just met Sam yesterday?” Kyla asked. She knew that peeler bar well. It was down the street from the bar she bartended at and she’d met a few girls who worked there through Daisy.
“Mmm hmmm. Dreamy.” She stared at Sam with doe eyes. He was unceremoniously shoveling too-big of a bite of French toast into his mouth. He smirked at Kyla and took a sip of his coffee.
“Does it bother you that he’s a vampire?” Kyla asked.
“Dreamy vampire,” Sam corrected, mumbling with his mouth full and snickering with amusement.
“Hmm?” Julia looked confused.
“A vampire,” Kyla said.
Julia tilted her head like she couldn’t comprehend what Kyla was saying.
“Would you be upset to know that you’re under a vampire voodoo spell? He drinks your blood, you know. And you won’t remember it or him when you get home.” Kyla purposely looked at Julia with wide eyes and then waited for a reaction. When there wasn’t one, Kyla laughed sardonically.
Julia giggled but looked blankly at her.
“That’s enough.” Tristan said, a slight edge to his voice.
“What? Why? It won’t hurt her feelings, will it? Oh wait, right,” Kyla fired back, “You folks don’t care about her feelings. She’s just a bleeding fuck toy.”
She caught sight of Sam glancing in her direction with a disapproving look on his face. “Got yourself a real sparkplug there, Tris..” Sam mumbled.
Tristan ignored the comment and his tone softened, “She is on a sort of cruise control or auto pilot right now.” Tristan touched her cheek and leaned in, “She’s won’t comprehend anything or be capable of anything other than small talk. All you’re doing here is working yourself up.” His phone rang and he backed up and answered it, strolling toward the opposite end of the courtyard.
She started smearing jam on a piece of toast with a scowl on her face. She felt beyond bitchy and probably annoyed too because she wasn’t getting a reaction from Tristan. She watched Julia, who was eating bacon and staring off into space. Then, she couldn’t take it anymore. She anxiously shifted in her seat and looked over in Tristan’s direction. As he ended his call and returned to the table she said, “I get it. I’ll just be a brainless Barbie doll and pretend this isn’t the most fucked up scenario ever. What-
ever
.” Kyla stood up, “I don’t need to see any more of this.” She dropped her napkin and pushed her chair back.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Tristan glared at her, his brows raised.
“Back upstairs.”
“Sit,” he motioned to her chair.
She shook her head, “No. I’ve lost my appetite.”
His jaw clenched, “I said sit.” Tristan was 100% alpha all of a sudden and was in her space. Kyla was about to protest but he towered over her, an inch from her and looked down at her like he meant business. Her throat instantly went dry. She slowly sat, feeling her face heat up as she descended.
He glared at her with a look that shook her to her core, then leaned over and softly but menacingly spoke into her ear, “The way you’ve been behaving so far does
not
work. Now, listen and listen very carefully; that phone call I just had means that this breakfast has new meaning and it’s life or death. Life or death. Right now. Understand me? This is
not
a drill. Sunglasses.” Kyla felt a chill run up her spine. She looked over at Sam who was leaning back in his patio chair smoking a cigarette and fiddling with a gold lighter while regarding her with a serious look on his face. The sliding doors from the house opened.
“Mr. Walker, Mr. Tsakos and Miss Jamieson are here.” The housekeeper said with two people behind her.
Kyla looked at Tristan. Walker. She hadn’t known his surname up until now.
“Sunglasses,” he repeated under his breath and then plastered a smile onto his face.
A Mediterranean-looking man with dark hair and dark eyes walked out onto the patio then. He looked about thirty or thirty five. He wore a black suit and black shirt with no tie and was talking on a cell phone as he strolled out. He was good-looking and as tall as Tristan. He spoke into the phone in another language, Greek, maybe. A young and bored-looking petite redhead dressed in a white fitted bodice sundress with a full skirt, red sandals, and red sunglasses walked behind him.
Kyla quickly pulled her sunglasses off her head as they’d been acting as a headband and put them over her eyes. Not a drill? That was an understatement!
The man ended his call, “Sorry to call at your doorstep, and so early, Tristan. Cheers for letting us crash here a day early. Our plans changed and I thought perhaps you wouldn’t mind the intrusion rather than us stay in some impersonal hotel.”
Tristan got up and accepted the man’s outstretched hand, “Not a problem, Andre. You’re very welcome. Hello, Becky.”
“Walker,” the young woman muttered under her breath. Kyla saw Tristan’s jaw tighten. What was that all about?
“Who have we here?” The man sat at the table beside Julia who was across from Kyla. Hid gaze landed on her very bare cleavage.
“Hiya; I’m Julia,” Julia said brightly and sipped her coffee.
“Hi,” Kyla said. Her voice came out hoarse. She cleared her throat as quietly as possible. She could feel Tristan’s eyes on her. She decided to slowly sip her nearly empty cup.
Sam piped up and spoke in a game show host-like voice, “Jules over here in the smokin’ hot bikini is visiting with me and in the pretty green dress with the pretty green eyes is the lovely Kyla. She belongs to Tristan. And I know why you two are really here early; always looking to get the best room in the joint, ah?” Sam stood and he and Andre did the brief half bro hug thing with a slap on the back.
“Tristan’s, huh? Hmm,” Andre said thoughtfully, “What pretty green eyes? I can’t see her eyes.”
Kyla saw Tristan’s eyes ever so slightly narrow in Sam’s direction and then he leaned over to Kyla, “Show our guest your pretty eyes, princess.” His voice was firm, condescending, with a hint of a threat in it.
Kyla tried to hold her breathing and her fingers steady. She took the rim and pulled the glasses down past the bridge of her nose and looked at Andre. Her side swept bangs fell into her eyes a little bit. His dark eyes seemed like they pierced into hers. For a split second she felt panic rise and thought,
he sees right through me
.
The housekeeper came out and Andre’s attention moved to her. Esther brought Andre and his companion place settings.
“Very nice, Tristan,” Andre said without looking back at Kyla and then he reached for the carafe. Kyla straightened the sunglasses, pushing her hair out of the way, and folded her hands in her lap.
She heard an exasperated-sounding sigh come from the girl beside Andre.
“Girls, I’m Andre and this is my lady, Rebecca.”
Rebecca didn’t acknowledge Julia or Kyla.
Sam got up from the other side of the table and walked over and kissed her on the cheek, “How are ya, Becks?”
She sighed, “Jetlagged, Sammy, and parched. You?”
“Ah, you know. Busy. Places to go, people to bite.”
Tristan, Andre, Sam, Rebecca, and even Julia all laughed. Kyla caught that she was the only one who didn’t. She forced a smile on her face, thankful the glasses were hiding her eyes. She knew they were the window to her soul and that they hid absolutely nothing. How on earth would she ever get through the next few days?
What was with Rebecca? She was definitely not all doe caught in the headlights. She had to be a vampire, too. A female vamp?
Wow.
Breakfast continued for the next little while and there was small talk about their flight in from Cyprus with a 2 day stopover in Chicago that Andre and Rebecca had taken. Esther came out with a glass pitcher filled with red liquid and poured some for Rebecca and Andre.
Blood?
She was thankful for her dark glasses. It was like her heartbeat was in her ears. Tristan reached under the table and caressed her leg briefly. She felt reassured at his touch and her heart settled down a little. She couldn’t wait to get out of this situation.
“Ah, not a bad vintage, Tristan, but have we got anything a little fresher?” Andre said after a sip. Kyla could feel his eyes land on her.
Sam piped up instantly, “Tristan isn’t a sharer but I don’t mind. Help yourself.”
“Pity,” Rebecca said with a pout, “Blondes aren’t my favourite…”
“Ah, it’s okay, Becks,” Sam said, “Jules is a brunette, too, much to
my
chagrin. If there were a rug, it wouldn’t match the drapes.”