Merle is lying on her bed, reading a magazine, when the door bursts open.
Darius stalks in, looking so stern and haughty that she finds herself drawing away from him across the bed. He's dressed a little differently. In a long black frock-coat and black knee boots. He looked much more like a vampire ought to look. Formal, even. Formal for him.
Darius stands aside and Oberon strides into the room next. He's towing Kristina, leading her by a rope that is tied around her wrists.
'Anywhere,' Darius says.
Oberon flicks the rope in a way that sort of flings Kristina onto the floor in one corner. Merle flinches, but Kristina doesn't even glance at her.
Darius says, 'You can go.' He's looking at Oberon.
'I'd like to stay,' Oberon says. 'I'd like to see what that bitch gets.'
'You can go,' Darius says.
Oberon says quietly, 'Don't I get to witness the dispensation of justice in my own house?'
Darius turns away from him. 'What do you think, Merle?'
'What?' Merle says, trying to sound cool rather than completely confused and intimidated.
'This is your retribution. Does Oberon get to stay and witness it or should he leave?'
'Actually, Cole, to her, that's Lord Oberon of the Black Emerald Clan.' Oberon's voice begins sounding hard and firm but starts to waver as Darius turns to look at him.
'Sometimes I really think it was a big mistake to keep you alive,' Darius whispers.
Oberon smiles. 'Really? You won't do me the mercy of killing me though, will you, Cole? Not after I made you beg for it and refused you so many times. You just don't know how to deal with me.'
The two men face each other off for several heavy moments, then Darius glances at Merle. 'Sorry,' he says, 'change of plan. I've made the decision.' He turns back to Oberon, but not before Merle sees his eyes start glowing, black. 'Get. Out. Now.'
Under Darius's gaze, Oberon weakens visibly. He doesn't even attempt to disobey.
Darius turns his attention to the snivelling Kristina, still cowering in a corner. He starts to walk towards her. She's shaking with fear and staring up at him as he moves closer and reaches out, his palm forwards, his fingers spread.
His hand is inches from her head when Kristina begins to sob, 'No, no, please, Darius. Don't.'
Darius pauses. 'Now, Kristina,' he says, smoothly, 'I need to deep read you to know how to punish you, don't I? I thought you people liked this traditional stuff.'
'No, please, it hurts ...' Kristina sobs again, shaking her head and trying to guard herself with her bound hands.
Darius ignores her, swatting her hands aside as he presses his palm firmly against her forehead, his spread fingers cupping her scalp. Kristina stops sobbing and screams in pain. Darius doesn't appear to react to her new distress at all.
He holds Kristina long after her scream has died away. There's a long frozen moment and then Merle sees Darius smile. 'Well, of course,' he says to himself, 'I should have known.'
Darius lets go of Kristina and turns to Merle. Kristina crumples onto the floor like a rag, moaning, 'No, don't, please. Not her.' Darius starts to advance on Merle, his face set.
Merle is terrified but she tries really hard not to humiliate herself by cowering like Kristina. She's still sitting on the bed, her legs stretched out and her back against the wooden headboard. She just sits there as he climbs up onto the bed and draws his body towards her with a cat's sinuous moves. He straddles her legs and reaches out, but he doesn't grab her forehead like with Kristina. Instead he puts one hand on either side of her face, moves in and kisses her.
She holds her breath beneath the touch of his lips. A vampire is kissing her. Darius Cole is kissing her.
And it's amazing.
Darius's cool mouth is familiar somehow. Familiar and arousing. He begins using his tongue and his hands to coax her mouth into opening for him. Very slowly. Savouring each new sensation, each new piece of her lips and the flesh inside her mouth as it is revealed to him. There is no hurry. It's all so controlled. The coldness of his tongue feels a little strange, but not unpleasant. He doesn't smell or taste sour or like rotting flesh. He tastes just like a man. An aroused man.
As he keeps on kissing her, achingly slowly, almost worshipfully, she feels her whole body tauten. Her nipples go hard and super-sensitised. Every hair on her body is up on end. She feels the skin on her face get hot and tight under Darius's hands.
Darius moans softly into her mouth. He loosens his grip on her face and strokes her hot cheeks gently, turning his hands over to use the cool backs of his fingers on her heated skin.
And he's hard. The moment she feels it – the distinct pressure of his hard cock pushing against her thigh – she knows what it is, yet can't really believe it.
Eventually Darius pulls away and she slumps back against the headboard, breathing hard. Darius is still crouched over her on the bed. He turns to speak to Kristina over his shoulder. 'Well, I hope that's taught you a lesson,' he says, his cold voice sounding, for a moment, a little wry and amused. But only for a moment. 'Cross me again, and you can watch me fucking her.'
Kristina – still a whimpering bundle in the corner of the room – wails into her frothy skirts.
Darius turns back to Merle. She's panting. She can't help it. She knows she's wet with arousal – her face isn't the only place that's burning, flushed with blood.
He can read minds. He knows what he's done to me.
Darius gives her a long look of barely contained lust, then slides off the bed and grabs Kristina's rope as he strides out of the room. 'I'll be needing a little of you to finish me now, girl.'
They are both gone before Merle has swallowed the last taste of Darius from her mouth.