"You know, I never did get to do this before."
"Do what?"
His voice sounded tight and the muscles in his upper body were bunched up like he was having trouble holding himself back from her. Her inner tease was tempted to suggest something like trimming his nails—which no doubt did need doing—just to stir him up. But her hormones were rising, taking over her mind, shifting her priorities.
"Take a taste."
Before she chickened out or worse, before Barret tried to stop her, she flowed down to her knees. Sharon was grateful this act was never forced on her. It would remain something special between her and Barret. She was hoping it wouldn't cause flashbacks and would ease her into things. Using a hand on his thigh for balance, she gripped the base of his erection and took the head into her mouth. As she licked the tip and hummed at the salty flavor, Barret shook beneath her touch as he moaned while she sucked more of him into her mouth. She loved being surrounded by his musky scent. He slid his hand over her cheek and into her hair. Wrapping his fingers in it, and tugging it slightly, caused her to freeze up.
That's right, Blondie. Scream for me. You like it when I get rough and tug your hair don't you?
Toki's voice came at her loud and clear, like he was there in the room. She scrambled backward until she hit the wall. She shook her head trying to clear her blacked out vision, clear the memory of Toki's hands on her, pulling her hair as he took her.
"No!"
Hands clamped on her shoulders and she screamed out and thrashed against the strong hold. White noise overtook her hearing. Her vision filled with Toki's evil face as he pounded into her.
"Get off me!"
Suddenly she was wet. She blinked against the water spraying in her eyes. Her chest felt heavy. Like a car was parked on it. Her back was sore too. As her body shook uncontrollably, she started crying.
Dammit!
She'd had a flash back and ruined everything! She crumbled to the floor and wept. Would she ever be able to be intimate with Barret again? She was so broken. Those bastards had ruined her. Forever.
"Shh, love. I've got you."
The water stopped and she was scooped up into his embrace. As devastation wracked her soul, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face against his throat while she sobbed. Once she had begun to calm, mortification kept her clinging to him. His scent soothed her and as her rational brain started working, she couldn't bring herself to pull back to see the look in his gaze. Would he be horrified by her actions? She honestly had no idea how he could even bear the sight of her anymore. But he held her as though she were precious. She didn't understand why he did, but was incredibly grateful for it.
~ * ~
Toki paced the small room he'd been given. Fury coursed through him for two reasons. One was obvious—he should have his woman beneath him right now. How dare they come in and take her from him! He was an Elder Noble, a Viking, he would not allow this to happen. He would get her back and then he'd leave the Nobles behind. Take his bride and run for the hills. Damn, that wouldn't work. He needed to have her Vampire caught and held somewhere too. He growled into the empty room. The other reason for his temper flaring was the fact he was unable to grab anything before he was forced to evacuate. He'd lost the diary of his ancestor, the original Noble.
It had been a close escape for the Elders. The alarm had sounded and following procedure, the Head Elder had rounded them up and herded them out the secret tunnels. For safety reasons they were now all spread out in the homes of Lower Level Nobles. Toki had made his request, for where he wanted to stay, a demand. He knew his little Sharon. She'd want to rescue her sons, no,
their
sons. It might take some time, but he was certain she'd come. So he'd simply bide his time and stay here.
He left his bedroom and headed for the nursery. The twins were growing well. Tall for their age, like him. Blond hair like their mother. Big clear green eyes stared up at him as he stood in the doorway watching them. So gem like in color, Toki had worried they were somehow born as Vampires not Nobles, but neither boy had fangs. After a moment, they went back to playing with their trains on the floor. Working together like they were two halves of a whole. He'd always thought children fought with their siblings. He felt his heart grow curiously warm watching his sons play in harmony with each other.
Maybe having Lower Level Nobles raise the sons of the Elders wasn't the way it should be? He'd enjoyed watching Sharon grow large with his sons. He wasn't meant to have any contact with her, but he'd made his demands and so long as he didn't let the others know that he received extra privileges, the Head Elder was fine with him taking 'liberties.' Oh, how he'd looked forward to those nights.
Toki was sure she grew to enjoy their time together, which was another thing that bothered him. Why would she leave him? She never fought his possession of her anymore. Granted she never came after him, just lay there limply as he had his way, but compared to the start when she would fight her bindings and force him to use his mind to paralyze her, it was good.
Suddenly he remembered a page from the diary of the original Toki. He had mentioned how his mother was torn, when the vamp forced him to leave, she wanted to go with her son but couldn't. The blood bond meant she couldn't leave the vamp. Toki grinned down at his sons. Yes, that was it. She felt compelled to leave. No matter. Soon she would come for her sons and he'd be there to save her. He'd grab that bastard Vampire and drug him. Lock him back up where his kind belonged.
~ * ~
Barret had gone from heaven to hell in a heartbeat. The feel of Sharon taking him into her mouth was pure bliss. But he'd made a mistake tangling his fingers in her hair. It was like flicking a switch. One second she was with him, lost in the moment as he was. The next, she couldn't get away from him fast enough. He'd winced as her back slammed against the wall, trembling with wide unfocused eyes as she panted through, what he guessed was, a flashback. He'd tried calling out her name, attempting to get through to her. When that didn't work, he'd grabbed her shoulders, hoping his touch would bring her back. All it did was make her scream out at him in anger. He'd blinked back his tears as he physically fought her into the shower stall, turning the tap on and watching her finally find her way back to reality.
Now he stood in numb shock, seeing Sharon fall apart on the tiled floor. His heart was breaking for her. Twenty-seven years. Six leap year cycles. She could have six sons out there in the world that she'd never known. He did nothing to stop the tears that fell from his eyes. They'd both suffered over the years but she far more than him. Would she be able to forgive him for his claiming her, causing her this agony? How could he show her he still loved her? That she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen? Unable to stand not holding her while she hurt, he held his breath and moved toward her.
"Shh, love. I've got you."
He turned the water off and scooped her up against his chest. She latched on to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. If he were human, she might well have snapped his spine. He took his precious Bride into the bedroom and uncaring they were both wet, sat on the bed with her in his lap. She trembled against him. For the moment he couldn't find the words to tell her what she needed to hear. So he followed his instincts, which left him trailing his fingers over her back and shoulder, then down her ribs. She slowly began to settle, the shivers becoming less and less. He racked his brain for what would help her feel better, more comfortable.
"Sharon? How about we get under the covers? No doubt you're starting to get cold."
She peeled her arms from around his neck and shuffled off his lap like he'd bitten her—and not in a good way.
"It's okay. I understand."
Her words confused him. He ran over what he said and still couldn't work out what was going on.
"Well, I don't, love. What do you understand?"
"That you don't want me anymore. I've-I've been ruined. Broken. I understand you still need my blood but no longer want me."
Barret's head snapped back like she'd slapped him. Actually, a physical punch to the face would have hurt less than what Sharon had just said. She sat on the bed huddled into a small ball, her face hidden from him by her wet hair.
"Look at me."
She flinched at his hard tone and he took a deep breath and softened his voice.
"Please, love, look at me."
Slowly she raised red-rimmed eyes to meet his gaze. She looked like a lost little girl. Her face pale with tear-stained cheeks, her body all curled up.
"You are not broken or ruined, love. Those bastards did some truly horrific things to you, things that would have no doubt changed you. But what hasn't altered is your essence, your soul. I love you, Sharon, I always will. It's not just because I need your blood to live. I need you so I can breathe. Without you in my life, I couldn't face even one day. And that has zero to do with the blood bond we share. You will always be the one I cherish most. Come to bed with me, Sharon. Please let me just hold you for a while. You've scared me something fierce and you look a little shell shocked too."
Deciding actions would confirm his words, he stood and pulled the covers back. Staying where he was, he allowed her to crawl into bed ahead of him. As she moved, he saw the new stretch marks on her hips and tummy. Without thought, he raised a hand to rub his chest, the ache in his heart so huge he couldn't ignore it. Once she was settled, he joined her, laying close to her, so her breasts pressed against his chest. He stroked her face gently, enjoying the feel of her warm skin.
"We'll work this all out, love. We've got all the time in the world to get through this."
She blinked up at him. Her mouth opened as if she was going to speak, but she closed it without uttering a word. The ache in his chest increased. He felt her pain as if it were his own, how could he fix this? With slow movements, he kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose.
"Close your eyes, Sharon. Rest. I'll stay right here and keep you protected."
Her lids lowered and a single tear leaked from each.
"I'm sorry, Barret. I-I don't know what happened earlier. I know you're safe, but my mind is so messed up. I can't keep anything straight. I thought the shower would help me. And they never made me do anything with my mouth, so I hoped doing that first wouldn't set me off. Does that even make sense?"
She paused a moment as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and gave a small shake of her head. Fury raced through his system at the reminder of what others had taken from his Bride. Things she'd not willing given. He couldn't speak for the emotions running wild inside him, but that was okay. Sharon was nervously chatting now. Hopefully once she got it all out she'd feel better.
"But it didn't help. You grabbed my hair and I was straight back there. Lying tied to that damn bed with Toki growling crap into my ear as he… As he took me." She broke off on a sob so he continued to stroke her face. She pressed into his touch and he sighed in relief. She was turning to him for comfort. He could do this, he could listen to her detail her captivity. He could keep his emotions locked up while she spilled it all out. Then she could heal, he would know her triggers and they could move forward. He cursed that it was the twenty-ninth. Arousal coursed through his body, demanding he take her. But he couldn't, not yet. Maybe not at all today.
"Toki was worse than the others. He wasn't content with once every four years. He was always the one to
assist
me giving blood for you. Once every month we'd have to donate."
"That fucking bastard."
So much for keeping my emotions locked down.
His beautiful precious Eternal Bride had been raped monthly for twenty-seven years! Unable to help himself, he rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him as he wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight against his body as he buried his face in her neck and wept. It wasn't the manly thing to do, but he didn't give a shit. His confinement had been hard, torture to spend so many years on the brink of starvation with nothing to do but imagine what his Sharon was suffering. Now to hear the reality of what she'd endured, his heart shattered for her. Add in his lingering guilt, he was a mess. He felt her hot tears drip onto his shoulder. She didn't try to pull away from him but ran her fingers through his hair. The tie she'd put in earlier had come away at some point and the dark waves were now being caressed with her soft hands.
"I love you, Sharon. I love you so much and I'm so very sorry you had to suffer so much because you are mine."
~ * ~
Barret was crying. Her big strong Vampire was bawling like a baby. For her! She couldn't understand how he could even look at her anymore, and was sure the filth Toki and the other Nobles had done to her must show on her skin somehow. Surely he could see it? But he'd more than looked earlier in the bathroom. She'd felt the heat of his stare on her exposed flesh. Even now she could feel his erection against her stomach. Of course, part of that was purely hormonal, to do with her fertile time. Her body was screaming for her to take him inside of her, but she couldn't. Her mind wouldn't allow her instincts to take over.
She ran her fingers through his thick, silky hair again and his grip around her torso tightened as he continued to sob into her neck. Her own tears flowed down her cheeks and landed on his shoulder. Slowly she lowered her face so she nuzzled her nose against the cool skin of his throat as she inhaled his masculine scent.
"It wasn't your fault, Barret. You've got no reason to be sorry."
She couldn't help but soothe him. He'd gone through enough torture of his own, he didn't need to carry hers too. At least she got food and showers, and was able to spend her time with the other women, talk and laugh with them. There had been moments in the beginning, when she'd blamed Barret, cursed him for bringing her into that world of hell. But she soon moved past that and realized he hadn't claimed her to have her caught and tortured, he claimed her to keep her close to him.