Chapter
Eight
Nate
came back to consciousness to find himself chained spread-eagle to floor of the
decrepit, open to the elements, decking.
He
didn’t mind particularly that the vamps had driven metal stakes in to secure
his chains; he’d intended to tear down and replace the decking with a covered
veranda anyway. What did piss him off though, was the use of his own
swords to help keep him pinned in place. They’d been driven directly
through his upper body, just below each collar bone, lodged deep into the wood
beneath him.
He
was kind of glad he hadn’t been awake when they’d done that to him. Ouch,
the wounds burned and throbbed but he’d had plenty more serious injuries in his
extended lifetime. The main problem with the swords being so deeply
lodged into the wood under him was that he had no leverage to free himself from
the chains wrapped around each of his limbs, effectively, for the moment, he
was pinned and trapped.
Plus
he had to factor in the additional weight currently sitting on his chest, one
psycho mad vampire Queen, curled up like a cat, a happy smile on her face as
she dipped a finger into one of his shoulder wounds, leisurely licking at his
blood.
“Having
fun yet Lover? I know I am.”
“You’re
a messy eater Destiny… you have a little something on your chin.”
There
were several hisses and gnashing of teeth off to the side.
“Now
boys.” Destiny glanced over her shoulder at her minions. “He’s just
teasing.” She looked back down at Nate, running a sharp fingernail down
the side of his jaw. “They’re a little angry with you… throwing away
their happy toy like that. Personally, I thought it highly
entertaining. Things are never dull around you Lover.”
“I
do matinees as well you know… you should come along… some sunny day.”
Destiny
arched her back and let out that jagged laugh of hers. Her fingernail
trailing down his throat to the neck of his t-shirt, there she pressed slightly
harder and the material parted like water. Pushing apart the material
Destiny eyed his chest with a sigh. “Handsome, funny and entirely too
edible… my playmates don’t often last very long, I’m really hoping you’re going
to be different.”
She
leant over, moving her mouth down over his chest, her tongue leaving a wet
trail behind even as her razor sharp incisors scored two bloody furrows down to
his right nipple. Destiny ceased lavishing Nate with attention for a
moment when the hissing off to the side got louder and slightly higher
pitched.
The
vamp Queen rolled her silver cat eyes, smiling at Nate. “New
minions. They’re a little possessive still. It’s hard to find good
help you know… although not terribly hard if you find a newbie cocky little
vampire Queen who thinks she can start up her own assassin kiss.”
Leaping
off Nate, Destiny flowed like quicksilver to her feet.
Cocking a hip to one side she rested a slim
hand on it as she surveyed her five, recently acquired, minions. “Will
you quit it with all the pissing and moaning, can’t you see I’m having fun
here?”
Four
of the vamps cowered before her, the fifth continued to hiss and spit in her
direction. It was the one who’d lost a leg and almost an arm. He seemed
to be lodging some sort of protest for the group. Whatever Destiny had
done to their former Queen to make her disappear, it didn’t seem enough to
intimidate this vamp minion.
Or
maybe the vamp was just stupid, Nate decided, as Destiny flashed forward,
gripped his injured arm, ripping it all the way off. With an easy toss
she sent the limb hurtling away into the darkness. “Now unless you want
to play fetch with your remaining arm, I suggest you button it Gustave. I
don’t care if you’re hungry or you’re hurt. I’m busy playing with my
handsome new, anatomically correct Ken doll, and I don’t want to hear anymore
whining from you.”
It
was perturbing to watch Destiny turn, issue a high-pitched girlish giggle and
coyly skip back over to him. Ugh, this twisted woman… creature, made his
gut roil.
Standing
over Nate once more the vamp Queen smiled down at him. “Now where were
we?” Quicksilver fast, she was once more snuggled on top of him, leaning
over to lick at one of the still bleeding furrows she’d created across his
chest. “Hmmm, yummy… even better than I remembered.”
Nate
ignored the attentions of the vamp Queen, focusing instead on testing the
chains holding him prisoner. The metal stake used to chain his left leg
had the slightest bit of give when he pulled against it. Could he tear it
loose? And proceed to do what exactly? Okay next option… the wood
beneath him was warped and old, maybe he could break it up, he’d still be
chained, but flying chains could do a lot of damage. Of course he’d have
to somehow get rid of the swords through his shoulders… think man.
“Hey!”
He snapped out of his musings as Destiny’s hand trailed down his body to cup
his less than interested cock through his trousers. “Claws to self,
Vampira, I assume you brush your teeth twice a day but I have no idea
where those hands of yours have been.”
Destiny
backhanded him hard across the face, snapping his head back to bounce against
the wooden floor. Whether it was because of his joke or his lack of
interest in the charms she displayed so freely he couldn’t be sure.
“Oh
Lover.” She snuggled up higher, licking at the fading red mark she’d made
across his cheekbone. “In a few days you’ll be begging for my
touch…” She laughed. “That’s if you last that long… I hope you do,
I really hope you do.”
Nate
frowned, distracted from making a witty comeback by a weird sound, which was
steadily growing louder. What was that? It was annoying as hell.
How was he supposed to concentrate on plotting a cunning escape plan with that
dreadful caterwauling distracting him? Maat, and not only was the damn
sound getting louder, it was growing closer.
Whatever
it was, Destiny finally seemed to have twigged to it, though she seemed less
annoyed by the sound and more… dazed? He glanced over to the minions;
they too were being affected by the sound, three of them actually swaying in
time, as if being lulled by that Maat awful noise. By the Sands, what was
going on?
Destiny
moved off him slowly, to crouch by his shoulder, a wary hand now resting on the
hilt of the nearest sword, her silver eyes fixed on the pathway leading up from
the private cove. Nate lifted his head higher. Whatever was coming had
Destiny spooked, which had to be a good thing, right?
Clouds
that had been blocking the light of the three quarter moon parted, just as
Charisse crested the top of the cliff. Oh shit, no. “Cyd, run…
vampires!”
For
his trouble he received a rather absent-minded second crack across the face
from Destiny. And still Charisse approached, strolling languidly forward,
wearing nothing but a yellow bikini, her hips rolling, she appeared to be
exaggerating her stride.
No
one moved a muscle, not Destiny and not the minions. Maat, Cyd was
luminous under the moonlight, her perfect flawless skin gleaming and looking
all too touchable. Her hair was wet and dark, falling over one shoulder,
water dripping from the ends, creating captivating rivulets of water that ran
down over one full breast to splash droplets down those long toned legs of
hers.
Cyd’s
eyes glowed impossibly bright in the darkness, seductive green pools of
promise. And that wide mouth of hers, a wicked smile teasing the edges as
she… sang? That dreadful noise was Cyd singing? Not possible. Maat, when
the minions snapped out of lust they would tear her to shreds. Except the
minions weren’t snapping out of anything, they continued to be frozen in place,
gazing at Cyd as if she were a family-sized Slurpee blood special.
Absently
Nate thumped his head back against the floorboards, this could not be
happening. Was he dreaming? Though seriously, he wasn’t sure even
his imagination would have been able to do Cyd justice in that yellow bikini or
hers. She had to be here, and the vamps, even Destiny, appeared caught up
in whatever spell she was weaving in her brief yellow bikini.
“Hi
there.” Charisse came to a stop a few feet from the cluster of
minions. Two of the minions instantly dropped to their knees next to the
vamp with only two limbs left. Charisse let out a small delighted laugh,
one more abruptly dropped to his knees. “So sweet.” She gave them a
wide smile and looked over to where Nate was being held captive, Destiny
hovering over him.
“What
are you doing here Cyd?” Nate enquired between gritted teeth.
Afraid any moment the vamps would snap out of their trance and take Cyd down
like a gazelle in the wild. Under him the floor boards gave a distinct
creak as he strained against the chains.
“Saving
your ass Superflirt.” Charisse took a step in his direction. The only
remaining minion standing hissed low and sharp, whilst the others began to move
restlessly. Charisse halted in her tracks, humming softly under her
breath as she turned her attention back to the minions. “So many of you
and only one of me… how will I choose?” Casually she reached up and
flicked her hair back over her shoulder, exposing the long line of her throat
to the minions. Instantly the five erupted into battle, tearing and
ripping at each other, determined to be the one.
Charisse gave a satisfied nod now that the minions
were occupied, moving a few steps closer to the decking. “And just who do
we have here?” She smiled warmly Destiny’s way.
Nate
thought Cyd was delusional if she believed her charms would work on the psycho
vamp Queen, but any distraction at this moment was a precious one, so he’d play
along. “Cyd meet Destiny. Destiny this is Cyd.”
“Cyd.”
Destiny repeated the name low, almost like a
purr.
Nate’s
head snapped upwards at the way Destiny said Charisse’s name. It was
filled with avid interest… oh, so the vamp Queen played both sides of the field
did she? Fuck, whilst that kind of intrigued him on a purely male level,
for the most part he was horrified. Destiny liked nothing more than to
play with her food, case in point, his current predicament, what would she do
with Cyd?
Cyd
moved up the stairs slowly, exaggerating every move she made, bending over to
run a hand lightly up Nate’s left leg. Nate was pretty sure both he and
Destiny had their eyes locked on Cyd’s bodacious cleavage. Snap out of it
man, escape plan, remember?
“I
like what you’ve done with the warrior… the swords are a nice touch.”
Charisse praised, straightening up to stare down at Destiny.
Destiny
caressed the hilt of the sword under her hand, slowly rising from her crouch to
face Charisse across Nate’s chained body. “What are you… pretty one, some
sort of sea nymph?”
“Would
that be a bad thing?” Charisse fluttered her eyelashes, green eyes full
of mischief as her hand came to rest on the hilt of the sword next to her,
mirroring almost exactly Destiny’s stance.
“Not
at all.” Destiny shook her head, flashing her fangs for a split
second. “In fact I’m rather partial to salty blood.”
Nate
felt Cyd give a discreet tug on the sword, it was lucky if it moved a quarter
of an inch. Maat, he hoped Destiny didn’t work out Cyd’s game before she
could work that sword free.
“Sorry,
not a sea nymph.” Charisse shook her head, offering a cheeky smile.
“Would you like to guess again?”
Destiny
leaned forward slightly, sniffing the air, silver eyes travelling slowly down
Charisse’s almost naked body. “Perhaps if I had a little taste of you.”
Charisse
laughed and playfully leaned away. “Now that would be cheating.”
Whip
quick, Destiny captured Charisse’s free wrist, yanking her across Nate’s prone
body.
Thankfully
Cyd had retained hold of the sword when she was pulled, managing to discreetly
yank it out of the wood beneath him by a good inch if not more. If he
heaved he was pretty sure he could pull it out the rest of the way. Okay,
one sword down, that just left one sword and four chains to go.
Looking
up Nate studied Cyd’s rear end, damn her gorgeous hide she was distracting and
now it looked like Vampira was going to take a big damn bite out of her.
Seemingly
off balance for just a moment, Charisse giggled, clutching tightly onto
Destiny, bringing her breasts flush up against the vamp’s zippered catsuit,
letting one of her hands trail down Destiny’s arm to come to rest on top of the
hand the vamp Queen still had on the hilt of the sword thrust through Nate’s
shoulder.
Charisse
forced out another giggle. “Oops, sorry… you surprised me.”
Destiny
reached up, trailing a razor sharp nail down Charisse’s soft cheek. “Do
you like surprises Beautiful?”
Charisse
studied those silver cat eyes closely, a smile tilting up the edges of her wide
lips for just a second as she leant forward suddenly, planting her lips on
Destiny’s. Beneath her grip she felt Destiny’s hand tighten on the hilt
of the sword, with a rough aggressive shove Charisse planted one of her legs
between Destiny’s, forcing the vamp to back up a step to gain her balance.