As time wore on, my body recovered from the feeling of revulsion the drinks I’d forced down caused. Thoughts of the love couple eased into the back of my mind. I found myself actually relaxing and even enjoying Pierre’s company. He proved to be witty and incredibly charismatic when he wasn’t on guard about his position within the kingdom’s realm. I even surprised myself wondering what it might be like to rule the kingdom with him by my side. I forced the thought from my mind by pushing images of Geo into the forefront.
The fact that I could be jealously unnerved over Abigail’s reunion with Luthias and needed to force images of Geo into my head in order to push out thoughts of partnering with Pierre concerned me. I’d been a vampire long enough to understand that vamp genes were highly sexual genes that sometimes needed to be kept under control, but I didn’t believe I could blame my fickleness on them. My feelings for Luthias, okay… but Pierre? There had to be something more behind what was happening. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t decipher what it might be.
One of the primary differences I noticed between my life in Geo’s kingdom and that of my new realm was the hours they kept. Where Verso tended to imitate the timeline of humans, Vampire Land was, for the most part, nocturnal. Luthias prepared me for this in advance, so when the early dawn peeked over the horizon and the members of court made polite exits to their living quarters, it came as no surprise.
I made my way back to my rooms with the assistance of Pierre. Light filtering through the loophole directly opposite the door to my rooms danced off his light brown hair in the pre-dawn light like tiny fireflies. It softened his strong, hard features; giving me a glimpse of the man he was while in human state. I sucked in air as my body reacted to the sight. There was no denying his good looks. Short of Geo and Luthias, he was the handsomest male -vampire or human- I’d ever met.
The twinkle in his eyes gave indication that he didn’t miss my body’s reaction to his good looks. His rich smile as he gently placed his soft lips to the back of my hand caused such a sensation in me that I almost swooned. My knees trembled while I struggled to compose myself.
“Who were you before you were turned vampire?” I surprised myself by asking.
“My past interests you?” he said with surprise while remaining bent over my hand.
“I guess it does,” I stammered.
“I was noblesse ancienne; the eldest son of a great French nobleman, Francois Blaise,” he said proudly.
“Did you fight for the king?” I asked nervously.
“I did many things for the king,” he said softly as he moved closer and placed my hand over his heart. “It is an honor to serve. In fact, I would consider it an honor if you allowed me to stay and serve you by giving pleasure, my queen,” he whispered so close to my ear that the reverberation of his words tickled.
I sucked air into my lungs, but made no other sound. My mind whirled with the facts Gwendoline and Luthias fed it about the active and pliable sex life of these vampires. I remembered the way Luthias pleasured me in the cave without seeking anything in return. He’d said they considered it a privilege and an honor to be able to service a noble in this way. He also said they considered sex necessary to stay balanced. Was Pierre expecting me to allow him to do the same? Was it something I should or shouldn’t allow? I couldn’t help wonder if he’d make such an offer, had Charles been alive. I doubted it. I was pretty sure from what Luthias told me and through conversation amongst the crowded hall that, although single vampires were promiscuous, they were also territorial when it came to their mates. Those who were without mates were expected to roam from bed to bed, but those in a relationship were expected to remain monogamous.
Chills consumed my flesh as the light touch of his lips slowly crept up my wrist toward my elbow. I instantly regretted changing out of the sensible dress Luthias provided and putting on the more elegant, more updated sleeveless gown. It allowed his teasing mouth easy access to my slender arms. I could feel my nipples harden and my abdomen tighten in anticipation of what may come. Was I really going to allow this handsome, yet dangerous, creature into my rooms? My body surely wanted to, but my mind screamed caution. I may be responding to him sexually, but I knew inherently that he was a force to be reckoned with. Being this close to him and feeling the energy projecting from him made me question whether I was truly up to the task. I choked back the moan of pleasure that sought its way past my lips and inched my way backward until I felt the smooth mahogany door against my back. My free hand rested on the door handle while I continued to debate the advisable thing to do.
“Excuse me, my queen, I do not wish to interrupt, but I have a few things to discuss before ye retire,” Luthias said from the shadows of the corridor in a voice that resembled a jealous growl.
I pulled my arm free from Pierre’s sultry grasp and sucked in air to try to clear my head. I caught a brief glimpse of irritation on Pierre’s face when he raised his head, before he composed himself and made his excuses to leave us.
I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or annoyed with Luthias as I watched Pierre’s regal stride disappear into the recesses of the castle corridor. I was fairly confident I could have escaped his advances and slipped into my room, leaving him wanting more. Luthias’s interruption, combined with my exaggerated timidity, may backfire and push him away totally.
“I’m so sorry to spoil your fun,” he said jealously, “but ‘twould not be wise to succumb to his seductions. ‘Twould put ye at a disadvantage, should it come down to a battle over the thrown.”
“You sound jealous when you have no right to be,” I sulked. “Where’s your wife?”
“I have no wife,” he replied softly as he moved closer.
“That’s not the way Abigail tells it,” I said vehemently. “Did you two make up for lost time?”
“Now you are the one who sounds jealous,” he said in a tone just above a whisper. “You have no need to be, my love.”
It took me a moment to realize he’d dropped his heavy brogue.
“Where’s your brogue?” I asked.
“Do you prefer it?” he said with surprise. “I thought differently.”
“I don’t mind it,” I said with a shrug, “but I’ll admit it makes you seem different; almost like you’re someone else.”
“I dropped my antiquated way of speech long ago in order to interact better with the rest of the world,” he explained. “I revert back to the ancient way of speaking while in Vampire Land in order to blend in better. So many of the residents here are stuck in time. Believe me when I tell you that, even though I may speak differently when the need arises, I am and always will be a humble servant who loves you with all his heart.”
“And Abigail?” I pouted.
I knew I was being overly ridiculous, but my brain felt dizzy and muddled and my emotions were heightened. I just didn’t care how I sounded at that time.
“Appearances must be kept up,” he said softly as he moved so close I could feel his breath on my face. “She and I were a couple for centuries before I met you, my love. It’s expected that we be together, although we are not.”
“Does she know that?” I questioned warily as I felt his hand reach around me to open the door to my rooms.
I’d barely finished my sentence before his lips consumed mine while his body pushed me through the open doorway. My head spun with passionate delight as his tongue pushed away all thoughts of anything but making love to my handsome vampire. He was not just my lover. He was my friend and my protector and I needed him; not simply for the sexual release and pleasure he could provide, but for the comfort and assurance of having someone who truly loved me and who I could trust to keep me safe in this perilous world I’d entered.
All thoughts of Abigail flew from my mind -and no thoughts of Geo entered it- when he swept me into his strong arms and carried me across the room to the oversized feather bed. Softness enveloped me as he lowered me onto the thick coverlet and raised the hem of my gown to expose my slender, bare legs. I shuddered with delight when he pulled off the low heeled slippers that were died to match my gown, one by one. I wiggled my toes with sinful delight as he nuzzled his face into the arch of one foot and then another. He lowered his fangs and allowed them to lightly graze my flesh as he slowly worked his way up my calf to my inner thigh. I jerked with delight when he stopped just before reaching my most private area and gently sank his fangs into my tender flesh. I gasped at the sensation of pleasure his light sucking caused before he pulled back and licked my pierced flesh until it no longer showed signs of his invasion. I’d never experienced this type of vampire interaction before. It both surprised and excited me. I briefly wondered if this was part of the sex act or something more before he pierced his wrist with his fangs and held it just above my lips. His blood flowed slowly into my mouth. Its familiar taste brought back memories of the first time we’d made love. I moaned with satisfaction and pulled his wrist to my lips so I could feed freely.
I’m sure he allowed me more blood than I should have taken before I came to my senses and stopped. Mimicking him, I licked his wrist until all signs of the wound were gone. He slowly pulled my gown from my shoulders in order to expose my breasts. My already taught nipples reacted to the cool air before he consumed one with his mouth and cupped the other with his hand. My body went wild with desire when he moved down to my most private area with his moist lips and teased until I thought I’d go mad. All pride left me and I begged for release. The low chuckle he emitted only served to arouse me more as I grabbed a fistful of his blonde hair and pulled his head up to look at me.
“Enter me now or I’ll go mad,” I whispered with husky urgency.
“As you wish, my love,” he replied.
I have no idea how he’d managed, in all his busyness, to shed his clothes in preparation for the immediate entry that followed his words. I marveled only briefly over the fact before my attention was consumed by the pleasures of the joining of our flesh as he poured forth declarations of love that only sincerity can produce. If I had any doubts about his true feelings for me, they were swept away by the intensity of our coupling.
When we’d finally satisfied our desire for each other, we lay in rapturous silence. My head had cleared considerably and I felt more like myself. I snuggled deep into the crook of his harm and closed my eyes while I reveled in the afterglow of our lovemaking. My abdomen not only felt satiated...it felt occupied. It was a feeling that’s hard to explain; it was as if Braedon was still inside me. I wrestled with telling him about it before deciding against it. Bringing up another man’s son while in the throes of lovemaking was never a wise idea. This was my first time making love with Luthias since I’d given birth. I was positive what I felt was the satisfaction of our coupling. My frenzied liaison with Geo prior to leaving -followed by grandmother’s discovery of us and our frantic scramble to hide the evidence- couldn’t compare to the lovemaking I’d just experience. I attributed that to why I felt so different in the aftermath. My body was clearly satisfied and my needs satiated. I lay contented.
When I finally opened my eyes, I found him staring at me with a faraway look. I was about to question him about it when Abigail unceremoniously stormed into the room. Stopping just feet away from the foot of the oversized bed, she put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips with disdain.
“How dare you enter my rooms without permission?” I roared with indignation.
“I see it’s not over like you assured me it was,” she spat.
I could feel Luthias’s muscles tighten beneath me. I pulled the covering over my half naked body and sat up to observe him better.
“You told her we were through?” I asked accusingly.
“We aren’t exactly together,” he replied hesitantly.,
“You don’t exactly look apart from where I stand,” Abigail practically bellowed.
“Keep your voice down,” Luthias demanded.
“Keep your pants on,” Abigail hissed.
“Wait a minute,” I said as I turned to look him straight in the eye. I was still trying to grasp the fact that he’d assured this vile female that he and I were over before coming to my bed. “Just what are we?”
“Now that’s an excellent question,” Abigail said as she folded her arms across her voluptuous breasts.
“Now is not the time to have this discussion,” Luthias said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on his pants.
“It seems a perfect time to me,” Abigail spat.
“Me too,” I chimed in.
“Why are you here?” he asked, while looking directly at Abigail.
“I’m her attendant,” she replied. “Or did you forget? I came to attend to her bedtime needs.” She cocked her head while studying my disarray closely, “I see you beat me to it.”
I gasped at the sound of her insinuation. It brought back far too vividly the memories of the night she’d prepared my body for my marriage bed with Charles.
“You’re disgusting,” I said vehemently.
“Am I now?” she said with raised brow. “I would have thought that, having turned vampire, you might long for my ministrations again. You so readily responded when you were human. It’s common knowledge that vampires aren’t as prudish about gender like humans.”
“You drugged me to get that response and you know it,” I said defensively. “Believe me when I tell you that it will never happen again!” I shuddered as I said in a low voice that was just above a mumble, “The mere thought of you touching me makes my skin crawl.”
“Truly?” she said with feigned hurt. “That’s really a shame, since I’ll have to touch you when I assist you with dressing, hair care, and…. bathing.”
“Oh hell no,” I almost screeched. “I’m perfectly happy with Ferguson. I relieve you of your duties, effectively immediately.”
“Pierre has requested that I…” she began.
“Pierre is not in charge,” I interrupted between clenched teeth. “I’m the queen and I’m relieving you of your duties. Now leave us.”
I could barely believe my eyes when she simply stood silently in one spot, as if frozen, while she looked back and forth between Luthias and me. Seeing someone as confident and outgoing as this beauty standing before me speechless while seemingly at a loss of what to do took me off guard. It affected me in a negative manner.
I felt a bit sorry for her, as well as guilty for my actions. The longer she stood there staring at us, the less my bravado remained. By the time she found her speech again, I was feeling vulnerable and very aware of my nakedness.
“Are you coming?” she asked with trembling voice as she looked directly at Luthias.
I felt relief when I heard him tell her to go on without him until I noticed the look of guilt and anguish on his face. Clearly his emotions were warring inside. If she’d managed to make me feel a tad guilty for our lovemaking, how did she make him feel? Did this she-devil really have hold of his heart? Did he love her too?
My heart sank.
“You can leave too,” I said quietly.
His look of torment transitioned into one of confusion when he realized I’d asked him to leave alongside her. He looked at me wonderingly, but said nothing. Nor did I. I needed time to think about all that just occurred. I’d just made passionate love that far exceeded coupling from pleasure with the brother of the vampire I’d promised myself I’d marry. Before me stood my tormentor and nemesis. She was the mate of said lover for centuries and he clearly still cared for her. Things were a mess.
I was a mess.
I needed time to think.
I bade them to send for Ferguson as they walked out the door. Abigail slipped out first with her head held high as if she didn’t hear me, but Luthias stopped for a brief moment, turned to give me one last haunting look of sorrow and dismay, and bowed his head.
Ferguson entered the room only seconds after Luthias closed the door behind him. Whether she was waiting outside, or Luthias and she both utilized vampire speed to travel the castle, I didn’t ask. His tortured and confused look was all I could think about. When my mind finally settled down enough for sleep to set in, it haunted my dreams.
I was no calmer when I awoke.
I felt trapped in a nightmare not of my making, with no idea how to escape.