The Vampire's Love (10 page)

“Jaxen.” 
Val replied as Faren nodded to Jaxen.

“I was just
telling the Lord Joven that this big bitch is one of our best fighters. 
Wouldn’t you agree, Jaxen?”

“I
would.  She seems to have a working knowledge of nearly every weapon we
provide her with.”

“That she
does.”  Darius answered.  “How on earth a simple farm girl like
herself knows how to use these weapons, remains a mystery.  We tried
torturing her for the information but neither she nor her sister would reveal
anything.  They really are quite remarkable.”

He turned
back to the arena as a second woman entered the ring.  He groaned with
disappointment and frowned at Tavien.  “I thought I told you to match them
more fairly.”

The woman
who had entered the arena was small and thin.  Even from her spot on Val’s
lap, Abby could see the way her slender body trembled, and she stiffened as the
two vampire’s handed both women large, wooden clubs.

“We tried,
my lord.”  Tavien answered.  “There are not many of the women amongst
our current slaves who match her in size or strength.  Her sister,
perhaps, but I did not think it would be wise to pit them against one
another.  They would most likely try and turn on the crowd before each
other.”

Darius sighed
irritably.  “We need to find larger women to fight.  Do not think I
haven’t noticed that your hunters are bringing back the easiest prey to
capture.  Women who are small and weak make for a boring game.  The
next time a party is sent out hunting they would be wise to put more effort
into finding suitable candidates for the games.”

“Of course,
my lord.”

Darius
sighed again.  “The only issue you’ll find, Lord Joven, is acquiring
enough slaves to fight in the games.  Once word spreads among the humans
in your area, it will only become increasingly difficult to find suitable
ones.  As time goes on we’ve had to travel further and further to find
them.  That is why it’s excellent business practice to accept humans as
payment to watch the games.  Have your audience do your work for you.”

“It is a
rather ingenious idea, Lord Darius.”  Val replied.

“Isn’t
it?”  Darius preened.  “One must always look at all ways to
capitalize on their business.”

He stood
and held his arms up again.  A hush fell over the crowd of vampires and
they stared at him expectantly.  He smiled at the slaves in the middle of
the arena.  “Begin.”

Abby, her
heart thudding in her chest, watched as Ursula stalked toward the terrified
woman.  She was swinging her club in one meaty fist and the woman cried
out in terror when she swung it at her.  She ducked, barely missing the
blow, and staggered back.  She took a half-hearted swing with her own
club.  It glanced off of Ursula’s hip and she bellowed laughter before
raising her club.

The woman
screamed and Abigail cringed as Ursula slammed the wooden club into the woman’s
right arm.  It broke with a loud crack and the woman screamed again
hoarsely as her own club fell to the ground. 

Ursula,
grinning hugely, swung the club again.  This time, it connected with the
woman’s skull and she crumpled to the ground, blood spraying from her skull to
splatter on the ground.

Abby made a
small moan of dismay and stared down at her lap as Val rubbed her back. 
He was tense beneath her and she stole a glance at his face.  There was
nothing on his face to suggest that he was sickened by it but as their gazes
connected, she could see the repulsion in his eyes.  She looked back down
at her lap as the crowd screamed and cheered.  Despite the noise, she
could still hear the horrible wet thuds as Ursula beat the smaller woman to
death.

She
clenched her fists and breathed harshly through her nose as Val continued to
rub her back.  Darius laughed loudly.

“Your slave
is too squeamish for the games, Lord Joven.”

“It would
appear so.”  Val answered quietly. 

* * *

“Ahh, the
last game of the night.  This will be a good one.  This particular
human is another crowd favourite.”  Darius said delightedly.

Abigail,
her stomach churning and her hands ice cold, swallowed thickly.  They had
been forced to sit through two more games, each more bloody than the previous,
and she had spent most of them staring fixedly at her lap. 

As the
crowd’s cheering grew to a monstrous level she took a deep breath and raised
her gaze to the arena.  A harsh moan escaped her lips and she started to
scramble from Val’s lap.  Quickly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and
hauled her back against him.

“Be
still.”  He hissed in her ear as Tavien stared at them curiously.

Abby
glanced at Jaxen.  The vampire’s face was composed but she could see his
hands digging into the wooden arms of the chair he was reclining in.  He
gave her a small nod, and she forced herself to relax against Val as Darius
leaned forward to stare at Jaxen.

“What is
this one’s name again, Jaxen?  Do you remember?”

“I believe
it is Michael, my lord.”

“Ahh,
that’s right.”

Val
stiffened and then leaned forward, keeping Abby firmly on his lap.  He
studied the small, trim man standing calmly in the middle of the arena. 
He looked to be in his thirties and he was shirtless.  His upper torso was
covered in bruises and old scars and he was barefoot. 

Abby was
staring at Michael with a terrified look on her face and he squeezed her waist
harshly before placing his mouth at her ear.  “Hide your emotions,
Abigail, or it will be us in that arena.”

She nodded
without taking her gaze from Michael and, irritation flooding through him, he
held her chin and turned her face toward him.  “Do you hear me?”  He
breathed.

“Yes.”
 She muttered impatiently.  Already her gaze was sliding back to her
beloved Michael and he could barely hold in his snarl of jealousy.  He
squeezed her chin tightly and, before she could react, kissed her deeply. 
She twitched in surprise and he continued to kiss her until her body relaxed
slightly.

“Remember
who you belong to.”  He breathed against her mouth before sitting back in
the chair.

“This one
is exceptionally good with a sword.”  Darius said as he hoisted the slave
girl from the floor and back on to his lap.  He cupped her breast, toying
absentmindedly with her nipple, before dipping his head and drinking from her
throat.  The girl moaned in delight, her hands gripping his arms as he
feasted, and arched her back.

Darius
wiped his mouth and pushed her back to the ground, ignoring her soft cry of
dismay.  He gestured to the vampires in the arena and they handed swords
to Michael and his opponent.

Abby
studied Michael’s opponent.  He was tall and blond with the hands of a
farmer and a sunburned face, but he held his sword with the ease of one
well-practiced, and nodded to Michael.

Michael
returned his nod grimly before raising his sword.  Abby jerked on Val’s
lap at the first clash of their swords and he squeezed her thigh tightly and
gave her a warning look.  She forced herself to relax as Tavien raised his
eyebrows.

“It appears
your slave has gotten over her squeamishness, Lord Joven.”

“I have no
doubt at the first sight of blood, it will return.”  Val said dryly.

Abby
ignored them both as Michael and his opponent moved swiftly around the
arena.  Their swords struck repeatedly, sparks flying from the edges of
the blades, as neither one was able to break through the other’s defense.

“This is
turning out better than I thought.”  Darius raised his voice over the roar
of the crowd.  “Normally this one kills his opponent within minutes. 
Perhaps we have finally found an opponent who is worthy of his – “

There was a
gasp from the crowd and Darius fell silent as Michael’s sword pierced the
stomach of the blond man.  The man fell to his knees as blood poured out
and darkened the ground around him.

Darius made
a grunt of irritation.  “It would seem I spoke too soon.”

Michael
bent and clasped the larger man’s shoulder.  He whispered in his ear as
Darius snorted angrily and stood.

“Finish
him!”  He bellowed. 

The crowd
screamed and then echoed Darius’ shout.  Chants of “finish him”, “finish
him”, filled the arena.  Michael ignored them and continued to speak into
the dying man’s ear.  After a few moments he stepped back and raised his
sword.  The crowd’s chanting faded away as they waited for the final blow.

Abby, her
throat burning and blinking back tears, swallowed heavily as Michael gave the
man in front of him a look of sorrow.

“I am
sorry, my friend.”  His voice was soft but audible in the sudden silence,
and Abigail bit the inside of her cheek as he swung his sword and decapitated
the blond man.  His head fell to the ground with a soft thump and the
crowd screamed raucously, stomping their feet and clapping their hands, as the
guards returned and took Michael’s sword before leading him out of the arena.

Abigail
collapsed against Val.  Her heart was thudding heavily in her chest and
she was close to vomiting.  She curled into Val, hiding her face in his
throat under the pretense of kissing him, so that Darius and Tavien would not
see her emotions.

He stroked
her back soothingly as Darius stood and hauled his slave girl to her
feet.  “Come, Lord Joven.  You and Faren must join us in the common
room.  It is our custom to have a gathering for some of our more honoured
guests.”

Abigail sat
stiffly on Val’s lap and tried to ignore what was going on around her. 
They had been in the common room for the last two hours as Darius and about
fifty other vampires had feasted on their slaves voraciously while they mingled
about.  In the last half hour, the festivities had become more decadent
and, while she didn’t consider herself a prude, she was becoming increasingly
uncomfortable with the dark desire the vampires were indulging in.

Even Jaxen
was participating.  The old vampire had spent most of his time sitting
with Val but he had wandered away about five minutes ago, and she watched as he
took the hand of a man wearing a dark red collar and led him to a chaise in the
far corner of the common room.  The slave knelt at his feet and she looked
hastily away when he began to undo Jaxen’s pants.

Her gaze
landed on Faren and she was relieved to see that he had chosen Sienna
again.  The brunette was lying on his lap, her hand kneading his crotch
and her eyes closed in ecstasy as he fed from her.

She could
feel Val’s cock hard and hot beneath her.  She wasn’t surprised.  All
around them, the vampires in Darius’ household were being pleasured by their
pets.  The thought of public sex had never really appealed to her but as
she watched one of the women lift her skirt and straddle the vampire beneath
her, she realized wetness was dampening her thighs.  The wetness grew when
the vampire guided his cock into the woman’s pussy, and she gave a loud squeal
of pleasure and ground her hips down.

Darius was
watching her.  His hand was wound through a woman’s hair as she knelt
between his thighs and sucked enthusiastically on his cock.  Her breathing
shallow, she unconsciously pressed her ass against Val’s cock and he groaned
softly.  Darius was still staring at her and she knew that he was
wondering why she and Val were not joining in on the orgy around them.

Val’s hand
was suddenly on her head and he drew it down to his mouth.  His voice
rough with need, he whispered, “In a few minutes you’re going to tell me that
you’re not feeling well.  Say that you feel sick to your stomach. 
I’m going to slap you and be angry with you, before I drag you out of
here.  Do you understand?”

She nodded
as her gaze returned to the woman bouncing on the vampire’s cock.  She
knew what Val was doing for her.  She knew that he believed deep down she
was horrified and would take any excuse to leave.

She took a
deep breath.  She also knew that no matter how realistic Val made his
anger with her look, Darius would not fall for it.  If they left now,
without Val proving to Darius that she truly was under his control, he would
kill them both before the morning.  She took another deep breath as Val
pushed lightly on her back.  She turned to him and smiled before kissing
him firmly on the mouth.

He gave a
grunt of surprise but his hands were already circling her waist and he was
pulling her against him as she explored his mouth with her tongue.  She
ran the tip of it over his fangs and then sucked hard on his lower lip before
gazing at him. 

He was
staring at her, his eyes glowing with surprise and lust, and she gave him
another slow smile before sliding off his lap to the floor at his feet. 
She knelt between his legs and reached for the buttons on his pants.  She
flicked them open, keeping her eyes on his face.  As turned on as she was,
she was afraid she would lose her nerve if she looked around the room. 
She blocked out the sounds of the moans and groans coming from all around her,
and smiled up at Val before licking her lips.

“Little
dove…”  He whispered in a strangled little voice.

She pulled
his cock out of his pants and without speaking, leaned forward and wrapped her
lips around the head of it.  She suckled hard and ran her tongue over the
slit, licking away the drop of precum that dripped out of it.

He groaned
loudly and knotted his hands into her hair.  He pulled gently, urging her
to take more of his shaft into her mouth, and she rose up a little and slid her
mouth down his cock until the head of it brushed the back of her throat.

He moaned,
staring down at her with eyes burning with lust, and petted her long hair like
she was a cat.  “Such a good girl, little dove.”  He whispered.

She sucked
harder in response, darting her head back and forth quickly as she pumped the
base of him with her hand.  His hips rose from the chair and his hand
tightened almost painfully into her hair before he made himself relax against
the chair.

She sucked
on just the head of it, and then licked the thick vein that ran underneath the
shaft.  He groaned and cried out with pleasure before whispering, “Take
more.  I want you to take all of my cock into your pretty little mouth.”

She
hesitated and sat back on her heels.  She stared up at him and he stroked
her face encouragingly.  “Try, little dove.”  He murmured.

She nodded
and slid her mouth over his cock once more.  She angled herself over him
and slowly moved her head downwards.  His cock brushed up against the back
of her throat and instead of pulling back, she took a deep breath through her
nose and relaxed her throat.  She swallowed and swallowed again, pulling
more of his cock down her throat until she realized with a soft kind of
wonderment that her lips were touching his pubic hair.  She moved up and
down, sucking hard, her cheeks hollowing with the effort, his soft groans encouraging
her to keep going.  She could feel his cock swelling in her mouth and his
hands gripped her head tightly as he gave a hoarse shout and came in her
mouth.  She swallowed his warm seed, her mouth milking his cock until she
had pulled every drop from him and he was shuddering beneath her. 

She pulled
her mouth away, taking deep breaths and biting her lip compulsively as she
squeezed her thighs together.  Her pussy was dripping wet and pulsing and
throbbing heavily, and she had never wanted to come so badly in her life.

He pulled
her up off her knees and onto his lap.  He kissed her hard on the mouth,
his hand slipping into her bikini top to cup her breast.  His fingers
pulled at her nipple and she moaned loudly.  His mouth slipped to her
throat and she lifted her head as he sucked and licked at the sensitive
skin.  His hand crept between her thighs and she spread them eagerly.

She was
only vaguely aware of the other people in the room, of their own soft cries of
need and pleasure, and she made a loud groan of frustration when Val’s hand
slipped out from between her thighs without touching her pussy.

“Please!” 
She cried, looking down at him.  He was staring across the room and she
followed his gaze.  Some of the others had finished and were lying sated
on the couches or the floor of the large room.  Still others were in the
midst of fucking and she watched as a few of the couples left the large room
for more private quarters, their hands groping and squeezing each other’s
flesh. 

Darius, his
hips pumping furiously as he fucked the woman bent over one of the low couches,
was watching them closely.  His gaze travelled over Abby’s body, his eyes
dark with lust, and she felt a tremor of nausea go through her.

Val lifted
her off his lap, standing abruptly and doing his pants up before taking her
roughly by the arm.  He nodded to Darius, who gave him a clear look of
disappointment, and marched from the room, dragging Abby with him.

They walked
silently towards their room.  Away from the gaze of Darius, Abby felt her
lust returning.  She wanted to cry with frustration.  Once they got
to their room, Val would close off from her again and she would be left with
nothing but her own need.

They
reached their room and Val pushed her roughly into the room before slamming the
door shut behind him.  She stood by the bed, her entire body trembling
with need, as he walked to the fireplace and stared silently into the flames.

“Why did
you do that?”  He asked hoarsely.

“Because,”
she swallowed hard, “because if I hadn’t, Darius would have killed us
both.  You know that, Val.”

He didn’t
reply and she hesitated before asking almost timidly, “Why did you stop? 
Why didn’t you make me…”

She trailed
off, her face red with embarrassment.

His hand
tightened into fists.  “You belong to me.  I will allow no other to
see you.”

He cursed
under his breath and she jumped when he slammed his fist against the stone wall
next to the fireplace.  Blood marred the stone where his skin tore but he
didn’t seem to notice as he stared moodily into the flames.

“Go to
sleep, Abigail.”  He commanded roughly.

“I’m not
sure I can.”  She whispered shakily.

“I told you
I won’t fuck you.  Unless you’ve changed your mind about letting me feed
from you?”

“No.” 
She whispered.  “I haven’t.”

Despite how
much she wanted him, despite the fact that her entire body was crying out for
release from the lust that was throbbing through her and how she wanted to feel
that sweet pain as his fangs slid into her skin, she couldn’t allow him to bite
her.  She never wanted to be under anyone’s control again.

“Then go to
sleep.”  He bit out.

Her hands
trembling badly, she turned down the covers of the bed.  She could feel
tears threatening and she blinked them back fiercely.  She was dangerously
close to breaking her promise and she was deeply ashamed of herself.

Val finally
turned and looked at her.  He took one look at her shaking body and her
white face and snarled loudly.  “Fuck!”

He was
suddenly standing in front of her and she cried out in surprise when he pushed
her roughly on to the bed.  He was kneeling on the floor, his hands
pulling her legs apart and shoving her skirt up, before she had bounced to a
stop on the bed.

He bent his
head and licked the swollen, wet lips of her pussy.  She cried out and
spread her legs wide, exposing her hard and throbbing clit.  He growled
and buried his face into her, sucking and licking her clit as he shoved two
fingers deep into her aching cunt.

She
screamed as her orgasm roared through her, her entire body shaking and jerking
against the bed as he continued to lick her clit.  He thrust his fingers
back and forth and she tried to scramble back, the pleasure suddenly too
much.  His other hand grabbed her hips and clamped down, pinning her to
the bed, as he licked and sucked on her clit.  The pleasure was building
inside of her again, hard bursts of lust exploding in her belly, and she
shouted his name and thrust her hips upwards as she came again, flooding his
fingers and face with wetness.

She
collapsed against the bed, her pulse roaring in her ears and her breath heaving
in and out of her chest.  Val pulled her skirt down and moved her gently
to the far side of the bed.  He stripped off his clothes and crawled in
beside her.

His hand
reached for the clasp of her top and she made a half-hearted attempt to stop
him as he opened it and pulled it from her body.

“No.” 
He growled.  “I will no longer be denied what is mine.  If I want
your breasts bared, you will bare them.  Do you understand?”

She
murmured something he didn’t hear but the tone was obvious.  He leaned
over her and sucked hard on one nipple while his fingers pulled the other,
until her hips were arching against him and she moaned her assent.

He smiled
with satisfaction, pulled the covers up around them and turned her on her side,
spooning her tightly.  She could feel his half-hard cock against her ass
as he put his arm around her and cupped one naked breast.

“Go to
sleep, little dove.”  

“Thank you,
Val.”  She whispered.

She craned
her head to look at him and he hesitated before kissing her gently on the
mouth.  “Go to sleep.”

* * *

“Sienna? 
Where are the slave quarters?”  Abigail asked as they left the stone
building.  It was early the next morning and she had once again slipped
out while Val was in his daysleep.  She had accompanied Sienna to the
prisoner house and had spent a few precious moments with Michael.

“Why?” 
Sienna asked curiously.

“Lord Joven
brought two other slaves with us and he asked me to look in on them.” 
Abby smiled cheerfully at her.

“Oh. 
They are in the west end of the castle.  I am on my way back to my room, I
can take you there if you like.”  Sienna touched the small holes on her
neck as she led Abigail back through the front doors of the stone castle. 
The brunette was pale and tired looking, and she yawned hugely as they walked
through the wide, empty corridors.

“You were
with Faren again last night?”  Abby asked.

“Yes.”

“Did he
treat you well?”

“He
did.”  Sienna smiled a little.

“Does the
Lord Darius have parties like that every night?”  Abby asked.

“No. 
Only on the nights of the games.”  Sienna answered.  “If he did this
every night, we would be drank dry in a matter of days.  He may not have
much mercy for his slaves, but even he realizes we need a day or two of rest in
between feedings.”