Chapter Nine

Sitting up in the grand expanse of the bed, Lowan hissed with a mix of annoyance and pleasure. The covers slid over and away from his sensitive male nipples and a warm, wet mouth replaced the fabric. Sher was an expert at sucking.

She was also one of the reasons he was hunted as a rogue. Kenoe was the other.

When his brother ran away as a lad, he’d sought refuge in the harem of the Clan Elder himself. Clan Hatsept were the only harem keepers in the vampire nation and held under close scrutiny for adhering to the ancient lifestyle. Needless to say, Lowan’s peers didn’t much appreciate the extra attention drawn to them by his unorthodox methods in securing and training his harem members. Lowan didn’t see what the fuss had been about. He’d taken very few female vampires against their will. Well, fine, he’d taken them all against their will but out of the thirty pleasure slaves in his keeping at the time, only two were female vamps. What the hell did the Vampire Council of Ethics or the Elder of Clan Hatsept care about a bunch of humans? Other than the rule against exposing their world, of course.

Yet in his heart, Lowan knew the abusive treatment of his little brother was what really landed him in a V.C.O.E. cell. He wondered if Kenoe knew they weren’t related. Lowan’s mother passed away when he was just seven years old. His father remarried a striking dark-haired Egyptian vampire, whom he promptly strangled after Kenoe’s birth since the faithless bitch had been knocked up by another male. If not for the fact all Hatsept males were born with the legendary snow white hair and blue-white eyes, their lack of shared blood would have been obvious.

In Vienna, he’d been tried, convicted and sentenced to five years hard time. He’d been waiting to be transported to a prison in Siberia when he’d supposedly caused the death of the woman kneeling between his legs sucking so diligently on his nipples. Her supposed murder put him on the V.C.O.E. Most Wanted list.

One of Sher’s small hands squeezed the base of his breast. A pebble-hard nipple and a good mound of flesh stood up for her ravishing. The other hand slid beneath the sheet pooled at his waist and wrapped around his jutting cock. The veins filled and twined around the stretched length, so tight it bordered on pain. But damn, it hurt so good.

With a groan he buried his fingers in her thick curls and pressed her mouth harder against his chest. His left pec leapt underneath her lips when sharp fangs pressed through the skin. He hadn’t even buried his cock into her warm inviting cunt, yet he hovered on the verge of orgasm. The little purring sound she made as she sucked his male breast, hungrily slurped his blood, and pulled eagerly on his cock from base to throbbing head, pushed him even closer to blowing his load. But no Hatsept worth his salt would come without his dick buried deep in a lover’s body.

“Stop, Sher,” Lowan commanded quietly.

Immediately she eased her mouth away, taking one last lick from the trickle of blood just above his nipple. Sher was the perfect partner. Small and feminine, always mistaken for a good little girl. And she knew how to work it to her advantage. Or rather, his advantage. Of course she’d missed her old life as a privileged Clan Sewell female for a while, but after her harem training she belonged to Lowan alone, body and soul.

“Call the others,” he whispered. She nodded her head in compliance but Lowan was no fool. She hated sharing him with the other harem members. And he knew it. Yet he had to keep her in check or risk being twisted around her little finger. Yes, he must remind her she belonged to him, regardless of the special privileges afforded her.

Not to mention she’d earned a punishment for ruining Myles’ plans by being someplace she shouldn’t have. And he didn’t have to tell her he knew what she’d done. Even with all her expertise at shielding her mind from vamps and humans alike, their bond ensured his quiet rage seeped through.

“Myles is always telling on me,” she complained into his mind as she scooted backward off the bed.

“Even if he had not, I would have found out sooner or later, Sher.”

Head bowed, she left to do his bidding. Lowan chuckled at the stubborn tilt of her chin, the stiff set of her shoulders. She’d stripped immediately upon entering his bedroom, but now she didn’t even bother slipping into her robe, determined to walk out the door and down to the harem chambers without a stitch on. He’d have to punish her for such insolence later. The woman was well aware she was only to be naked in two places—in his bed and at the foot of his throne.

He shook his head thinking how crazy he’d been to steal her six years ago. It wasn’t until after her abduction that he’d realized the cause of the strange and much-too-strong attraction between them. Actually Myles had been the one to figure it out—Sher was Lowan’s bondmate. It was the reason Lowan was very careful never to take Sher’s blood. Ever. He wanted her, no doubt about it. But he didn’t want anything or anyone so much that he’d risk forming such a powerful and irrevocable bond. Their empathic connection was enough. He didn’t want to put himself in a position where he’d never be able to walk away from her.

His mind drifted to the first time he’d seen Sher. Six years ago, during the yearly whirlwind tour the Elders took to see their constituents, Lowan had been a guest at the V.C.O.E. headquarters in Vienna, Austria, to await sentencing. He’d already been convicted of crimes against the vampire nation and humanity. Even now, he shook his head in wonder. He never had understood the problem with his methods of securing beautiful young women, and equally beautiful young men, for his stables. They’d all been free to leave anytime they wished. They left in itty bitty pieces, but it was still their choice to go.

Originally from Romania, Sher happened to be in Europe visiting family. She’d stopped in to see the Matriarch Serati before the old hag and the Clan Elders left to visit the other territories. He’d gotten a glimpse of her beautiful face and tempting body standing in a corner of the Council Chambers as they had led him away in silver-coated titanium chains. He still occasionally rubbed his wrists where a nasty rash had erupted and bled as a result of the denial of his allergy meds.

Everyone had known Sher and Alaan were to be mated later that summer, complete with a rare traditional ceremony before the entire Council. At the time he hadn’t particularly cared whether the female belonged to someone else. Even if that someone happened to be one of the most feared Seekers in the Seeker corps. The same Seeker who’d captured him and tossed him in vampire jail.

Lowan snorted to himself as the memories slid through his mind. He’d never cared much for authority. Still didn’t.

Before the sentence of five years in prison could be carried out, Lowan had escaped, leaving a battered, mangled corpse behind. The face of that corpse was beaten beyond recognition. Among the mass of black curly hair was a necklace with a pendent of the Serati crest Sher had worn around her neck. There was also a blood-soaked note to Alaan claiming that since Lowan couldn’t get to him, he’d taken what was dearest to him. The ploy worked…too damned well.

Everyone assumed he’d had inside help from his clan, but all of Clan Hatsept had denounced him. All except Myles, whose genius brought him the last person who’d visited his cell that fateful day. The woman who now entered his bedroom with four harem mates in tow.

 

 

Lowan swung his legs over the side of the bed, watching the small group file into the sunlit room. He scratched the red welt on his shoulder and instructed his guards to close the drapes. He needed to get out more, then maybe this damned sun allergy wouldn’t act up so much.

He strode across the room, onto the large red carpet and settled naked onto his throne. At times like this he was glad he’d had the foresight to have cushions made for it. With a crook of his finger, he was immediately joined by one of his personal guard. The man removed his boots and, at Lowan’s nod, stepped onto the carpet. In his hands was a bronze tray with several lengths of black silk cord laid neatly across it.

Lowan pulled his shoulder-length snow white hair back into a thick ponytail and secured it with one of the cords.

“Bring up the lights,” Lowan quietly ordered.

With a slight bow and a mumbled, “Yes, sir,” the man stepped off the carpet and back into his boots.

The bright overhead fixtures illuminated the space in front of Lowan’s throne like a row of spotlights. In a perfect line, their bare feet exactly twelve inches from the red carpet, stood this afternoon’s distraction. Beside a naked Sher stood two females dressed in uniforms of elaborately embroidered, black, loose-fitting harem pants. Created from fine viscose cotton, the pants were paired with matching halters tied around their necks. The sexy tops fell just below their breasts and were loose at the bottom.

Hmm. It appeared Sher had been careful in selecting the participants for the afternoon. She wouldn’t have cared about the men she picked, but the women were the newest, least skilled additions to the fold. Something else to punish her for.

Both women, sporting short haircuts as a symbol of the beginning of their new lives, were Sher’s total opposites—tall, athletic rather than petite, and neither had dark hair. One woman sported creamy fair skin and red hair, her body toned and slender like a long-distance runner. The other female looked more like a bodybuilder with milk chocolate skin and silky ringlets of honey brown tresses…and she was human, the only one in his entire house.

Lowan turned his attention to the bare-chested males and did a quick study. There weren’t many men in the harem, but they were occasionally recruited to fill in the ranks and provide security for the women. Rumor had it that these two were gay. And Lowan hadn’t bothered to correct or stop the gossip. It served him well, especially when there was dissension among the women. These two handsome men could get those females to tell them things they wouldn’t dare share with the other males.

The men’s wraparound kilts brushed the top of their knees. Also all black, the ancient Egyptian-styled skirts were unadorned except for the hem, embroidered with silver thread in the outline of the Egyptian goddess Maat, the sigil of Clan Hatsept. His fellow Clan bastards disowned him years ago, but that didn’t change his blood.

Lowan’s voice rang out with quiet authority.

“Disrobe.”

Immediately the group untied the drawstrings securing their clothing and the garments floated to the floor and pooled at their feet. Lowan fairly bristled with anticipation. None of them approached him or let even the tips of their toes skim the edge of the carpet without permission. His chest swelled with pride at their discipline.

“Sher, come here.”

He didn’t miss the sly smile that touched the corner of her mouth but quickly disappeared as if it never was. But he had a surprise for the little hellion.

She sidled up to him and started to climb up into his lap.

“Oh no, no, no, my dear,” he whispered for her ears alone. “You will sit over there.” He pointed to a corner of the carpet at least ten feet from the throne. “And you will not take your eyes off of us.” He felt her irritation flare, then snuff out like a candle in a windstorm. Her emotions were put in a stranglehold of control, as expected.

“And you are not allowed to touch yourself, Sher.”

This time her anger ignited and continued to burn hot. Not being able to join in the fun was a harsh punishment for someone whose body was trained to crave pleasure. The exclusion would add a level of intensity that would drive her to the brink of madness and leave her hanging there.

“Sit over there facing me. Hands behind your back. Bend your knees and spread you legs as far as they will go so I can watch the juices run from your pretty, soon-to-be unsatisfied pussy.” Lowan pointed to the farthest edge of the carpet. Back ramrod straight, Sher walked slowly to her designated spot for the afternoon. He watched her ease down to the carpet with all the dignity she could muster, her face a mask of bland boredom. Lowan was sure he was the only one who noticed her fingers trembling as she smoothed an errant wisp of curl away from her forehead before grasping her wrists behind her back.

Lowan lay on the thick, soft, perfect-for-fucking carpet, and stretched his body like a big cat.

So Sher thought to choose women he wouldn’t find attractive? Once again, she proved she didn’t know him as well as she thought. Especially with the darker woman. Lowan’s eyes slid back to her.

“What is your name, beautiful?” he asked silkily, his cock beginning to stir just from the sight of such endless luscious skin. His keen hearing picked up her quickening heartbeat as she held his gaze and answered steadily.

“My name is Kimora.”

Such lovely light brown eyes, tipped up at the sides, almost feline. The color of old-fashioned root beer ice.

“You are of mixed race?” he inquired.

“My mother is African-American, my father, Japanese. They met as students at the University of San Francisco while he was there on a scholarship long ago.”

Lowan had sworn off humans since his run-in with the law, and didn’t usually care for large women, but Kimora not only caught his attention, but held it. In all his long years he’d never seen such a perfect body. He found himself wondering if she tasted like the cocoa her skin resembled. Her breasts were large, not overly so, but stood proud and firm with big areolas made for sucking. A small diamond stud winked at him from the bellybutton above her smooth, trim tummy. Hips flared wide and curved around to a perfectly round ass that made his mouth water. He just knew the cropped curls at the vee of her thighs hid a sweet, dewy treasure. The woman had some meat on her bones and Lowan couldn’t wait to taste her.

He’d always heard black women didn’t take any shit from anyone. How her handler had ever gotten this one to accept their lifestyle, he’d never know. But her passion ran hot, so close to the surface it set a hungry glow in her beautiful whiskey brown eyes.

Folding his arms behind his head, he spread his legs and said, “Kimora, come here and pose for me, luscious.” Lowan almost grinned at the shock streaking along the underdeveloped bond with Sher. Oh, she seethed like a cauldron with a top on it, but in record time Lowan’s focus shifted away from the woman across the carpet. His mind and thoughts filled to overflowing with nothing but the beauty standing with a foot on either side of his slim hips. Yes, a proportioned vision of sculpted grace. His gaze traveled from the firm thighs she flexed and tightened with ease to the glistening lips of her pouty sex. The toned muscles of her quads and hamstrings were easily visible. Hands on hips, the woman dug a toe into the carpet and tightened a calf muscle. He reached out and trailed a single finger up that lovely rounded bulge covered with so much cinnamon brown skin.

Then she bent over, planted her palms flat on the floor, and used her stomach muscles to pull her legs up off the floor. She remained perfectly balanced on her hands, legs spread wide in a decadent vee. Strong and flexible—nice combination.

“Very nice,” Lowan crooned, following her movements as she gained her feet. “Turn around and flex that lovely ass for me.”

She did, along with her nicely developed back, shoulders and biceps. Damn, she was gorgeous.

He almost shook his head in dismay when it was time to proceed with Sher’s lesson. After all, he couldn’t let her get away with leaving the property unescorted, sneaking after Myles’ men, then walking into the middle of a potentially dangerous situation. There was no love lost between Sher and Myles. Lowan knew that. But his Second kept them all one step ahead of the V.C.O.E. and they simply couldn’t afford to have the damned woman foiling Myles’ operations just because she didn’t like him. And he was under no illusion the woman didn’t know what she was doing. The question was, why had she really done it?

“Thank you, Kimora.”

Her smile lit up the room. He turned his head until his cheek rested on the carpet and his blue-white gaze settled on the others still standing along the edge of the carpet. “The rest of you may serve me now.”

His fingers wrapped around Kimora’s ankle and held fast when she started to move away.

“You.” His voice had kicked up a notch, sounded strained, urgent. He pointed to his lips and said, “Right here.” She sank to her knees and her labial lips parted just enough for him to glimpse the candy pink inner folds. He inhaled and groaned with delight. The scent of her fragrant sex filled his lungs, reminding him of tropical coconut mixed with something piquant and savory that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Closer,” he ordered.

Kimora did as he asked, but not fast enough. With speed born of a vampire he grabbed her about her solid hips, yanked her forward and pulled her down over his face.

His tongue slid up and down the seam of her warm pussy. Lowan hummed with satisfaction as her unique flavor burst over his taste buds. Her hips swiveled and her breathing deepened. Soft little moans escaped from parted lips with each exhale. Such a sensual creature.

“Mmm. Oh,” she gasped, grinding her sex hard against his mouth. He stiffened his tongue and slid it just inside her weeping entrance, teasing her without mercy. The lips of her cunt swelled beautifully. Dipping deeper into her hole, he rejoiced in the scalding heat of her channel as he pushed his tongue through the tight ring of clenching muscles. He eased inside, and then retreated with a sensual rhythm until Kimora anticipated the next shallow plunge.

One of the males knelt at his side and wrapped his lips around one of Kimora’s puckered, swollen nipples, and pulled it deep into his mouth while one large hand palmed and weighed the other.

Her moans were louder now, hips moving frantically. “Yes, eat me up. Just like that. Oooh!”

A glance at Sher told him her hands were knotted in her lap now. She was completely still, except for the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she called to him.

“Oh, Lowan, I want to fuck you so bad. I was wrong and I’m so sorry I disobeyed the rules of the harem. I want it. I want to be filled with your cock. Please let me come to you. Please!”

Lowan turned away. He doubted she was aware she projected her thoughts so loudly, anyone in the building with a bit of psychic skill could hear them.

Kimora’s cries of delight combined with Sher’s silent, hot, horny thoughts drove Lowan to such heights of longing and desire he was surprised he didn’t exhale smoke with each breath.

He sank a finger, then another, into Kimora’s juicy cunt. She creamed and fluttered around them. Her head fell back when his other hand spread her open and suckled on the sensitive knot of her clit, now unhooded and reaching for him. She came on a muted cry. Stomach muscles clenched and rolled wildly in time with the erratic beat of her heart.

The male sucking one of her Hershey’s Kiss nipples released it with a loud pop. Now it was her turn to suck. She didn’t hesitate when he stood facing her with the rock hard head of his glistening cock just inches from her full, lush lips. Opening immediately, she circled the tip with a wet, talented tongue. It was the sexiest damned thing Lowan had ever seen, and he’d seen a lot.

The male pushed past her lips to seat himself at the gate to her throat. Kimora didn’t resist, but relaxed her jaw muscles and took him until her nose was buried in the short curls at his groin. Then her neck began to move. In seconds she dictated the pace. And the male loved it.

In fact, so did Lowan. His cock was a thick-veined pole of throbbing lust, so hard and hungry it was a wonder the skin didn’t split. He needed some pussy and he needed it now. He’d just fixed his mouth to instruct Kimora to slide her juicy channel over him when a warm tight sheath slid down over his cock—the redhead.

He didn’t have to look up to know her mouth was wrapped around the cock of the second male. The loud slurping and humming sounds made it clear enough.

Lowan buried his face back between Kimora’s thighs while the other woman bucked his hips, riding his cock as if he were a wild, unbroken stallion. Her knees gripped his hips and she ground her body down hard, seated to the hilt. Then rose up until only the head of Lowan’s cock remained inside, and slammed back down. Over and over. Lowan wondered if the woman was a country girl.

Hell, for a pair of novices, these women worked his body so thoroughly, he felt like both the pimp and the ‘ho, demanding and giving it up to them all at the same time.

Holding nothing back, he let the pleasure of eating sweet Kimora and the delight of being milked by the redhead—he’d have to remember to get her name—flood his thoughts. The second Sher picked them up, along with his reeling emotions, her desire for him transformed to anger, then remorse, and finally resolve.

Lowan heard all of this flash through Sher’s mind while he, Kimora, the redhead and the two males exploded together, then collapsed into a pile of sweaty, sated flesh.

The second they’d managed to catch their breath, as if on cue, all four rose to their feet, left the carpet and stood in a perfect line once more, their skin glistening with the light sheen of their pleasure.

Sometime during the interlude, a towel had been placed on the armrest of his throne. Lowan didn’t bother using it. Instead, he rose from the plush rug, sat on the gilded symbol of his status and critiqued the harem members on their technique one at a time. In short, they’d all been very good.

“Your trainers are doing an excellent job with you.” Motioning to the two women, he said, “You two have been here all of three months. I am impressed with your ability to time your movements for maximum pleasure of your partners. Also, neither of you faked orgasm. If you did, you fooled me. And believe me, I am not an easy man to fool.”

Focusing on the two men, he said evenly, “You anticipated the females’ needs well. You’ve been good additions to our family for several years now and have lost none of your touch. I would like the two of you to continue to assist Lars and Seth in training these two lovely ladies. And make sure the redhead receives an extra portion of chilled blood confection with her dinner.”

All four bowed slightly. None of them so much as smiled—it would have been inappropriate. But their bright expressions showed they were pleased with their evaluations.

Sher was pissed. Resentment rolled off her like hot lava bubbling up in the crater of a volcano just before it blew. But he refused to acknowledge her in any way. Not yet.

“You may dress now.” With a negligent wave over his shoulder, Lowan said, “Sher, you may dress as well. Then escort them back to the harem.”

She rose with urgency, anticipation. Lowan knew what she expected—to be ordered to take her harem mates back to the common rooms, then return to him alone.

He could no longer afford to give her what she expected.

Dressed quickly, all of them filed towards the entrance with Sher at the head of the orderly column. Lowan’s personal guard opened the door to let them out. Sher had taken a single step across the threshold when Lowan’s voice rang out once again.

“One moment.”

Five heads swiveled around to face him as they continued to move towards the quiet hallways.

“Kimora, please get a change of clothes and come back here. Alone.”

Shock registered on Kimora’s face. The two males smirked. The redhead showed no care whatsoever.

Sher stumbled.