BOOK 2 - Viktoria Ch. 02

Viktoria had to give the vampire credit for being persistent. He lurked on her balcony, thinking himself hidden from her in shadows, again. Why he didn't just speak to her? She'd stopped on the beach and waited, but he had kept his distance and watched her. Creepy.

Ember, why did it have to be vampires? Why not something safe and predictable, like a bunch of berserkers?

Her friend had some explaining to do.

Well, if he wasn't going to talk to her she saw no reason to talk to him, but she had let him know she knew he was there. She'd stepped into a shadow and disappeared, traveling a short distance between shadows to exit behind him. The look on his face when he realized it was now her following him as he looked for her was almost worth being stalked.

She'd tired of their game in the streets and brought their contest to her home turf instead. She could have left the vampire behind and traveled to her home through shadows. He couldn't follow her that way even if he was comfortable skulking in them, but she found herself intrigued by him in spite of knowing she was better off leaving him behind.

She hoped he brought her perfume. That was an expensive bottle, the scent made for her alone. The sacrifice would have been worth it if the distraction had worked, but since it hadn't, she wanted it back.

Arriving home, she took down her wards long enough for the vampire to cross and put them back up. She went upstairs to her bedroom, and felt it when the vampire slipped over the wall. He was good—she almost didn't see the blur cross from the top of her wall into a tree and onto her balcony.

But here he was, lurking again. The vampire, no, she couldn't keep calling him that. She would call him... Lurky.

Lurky being this persistent did not bode well for being rid of him by telling him to go away when she was done with him. Well, if he wanted to lurk and watch, she would give him a show.

She tossed her stilettos into the closet and went into the bathroom to begin the process of removing her dress. Untying the strings that weren't held on by body glue from one another and a string that ran around her neck like a collar, she let them slither through her fingers one by one.

Twisting her hair into a messy bun, she filled a small bowl with hot water and dipped a wash cloth into it. Tugging at the criss-cross of strings that covered her left breast she ran the cloth over her skin to remove the traces of glue left behind. As the water cooled on her skin her pale, pink nipple hardened into an erect nub.

Revealing her right breast, she turned her back to the mirror, reaching her arms over her head and behind her back as she contorted to get at the last few strings. She stretched her body taut and arched her back, the extremes she was going to meant to tease and not necessary for the last few strings.

Teasing the vampire wasn't the best idea, but Viktoria considered it payback for having to put up with his stalking her. And she was determined he would be the one to break their silent stalemate, not her.

When the last of the strings were freed she let the dress slide off her body to pool around her feet. A low growl, cut off almost as soon as it began, came from the direction of her balcony. She gave no sign she heard it but was gratified to hear her efforts were being appreciated.

Naked, she reached for some lotion with the same scent as her perfume. Squeezing a dollop into one palm she set the tube down and rubbed her hands together to spread the lotion between them.

Tilting her head to one side to stretch her neck, she rubbed one hand up and down her throat while the other one slid across her collarbone. Moving her hands down, she cupped her full breasts and massaged lotion into them. She tweaked her nipples, letting out a small moan as her head fell back.

She slid her hands lower, skimming her belly, waist, and hips before propping one leg up on the counter so she could slather lotion over the length of it. She took her time, making sure to bend, stretch, and display her body as she massaged every inch of her leg before she shifted to prop her other leg on the counter and start over again.

Finished with her lesson on how to apply body lotion, she left her dress pooled on the floor, switched off the light, and walked through her bedroom clad only in the moonlight streaming in from the open balcony doors.

Lurky lurked, his stare boring into her.

She told herself it was the cool winter air, not Lurky's hot gaze, that had her body shivering and her nipples hardening.

Her bedroom, like everything else about her, was a study of light and dark, and her bed was covered in an inky black comforter. She crawled onto the high four-poster bed and rolled onto her back, letting her body relax.

Time to step up her game even further.

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Up to this moment in his long, undead life as a vampire Jael thought only the sun, beheading, or a stake through his heart could kill him. But as he watched his Draga touching herself he added 'spontaneous combustion' to the list of possible ways to die.

His body and instincts were at war with his mind in an unfair two to one fight to claim his Draga. An unfair fight in which the odds had become further skewed as his Draga unknowingly joined the battle against his mind.

Jael thought it was bad when she used the washcloth. He hadn't thirsted for water in thousands of years, but watching the rivulets of water drops caress her as they slid down her skin, he'd craved for those drops like they were an oasis in a desert he'd been crawling through for days.

Watching her movements while she revealed her body bit by bit, baring herself with no hint of self-consciousness as she let her dress fall to the floor had him clenching his fists. Watching as she touched and massaged every inch of her skin with a cream that bore the same scent as the perfume he associated with her made him step forward.

And the way she'd walked across her bedroom, her skin glowing in moonlight before she crawled onto her bed, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. He could see the effect of the cold on her body. She shivered and her nipples were hard points, but she didn't get under the bedclothes for warmth, she lay on her back on top, her pale skin glowing against the ebony covers.

She'd let her legs fall open, and her hands traveled over her body with a new purpose as she began pleasuring herself. The fingers of one of her hands slid up the inside of her thigh to her core and moved in rhythmic circles. Her eyes fluttered shut and she moaned as his new favorite scent flavored the air—the scent of her arousal.

Jael had seen enough. His mind gave up the fight and he stepped from his hiding place on the balcony through the open doors into her bedroom. "Viktoria." He spoke in a quiet tone, not wanting to scare her."Don't be alarm—"

"So, the vampire can speak."

Jael frowned. She knew he was here? More to the point, she knew what he was? And far from sounding startled or scared, she sounded... bored. She hadn't even opened her eyes to look at him or stopped moving her hands over herself.

"I was beginning to think you were mute." His Draga arched her back. "You'll have to work on your timing, though. I'm busy now."

Jael crossed to the foot of the bed, grabbed one of her ankles, and yanked her towards him.

Viktoria laughed as he pulled her towards him, opening her eyes to meet his gaze. "What exactly do you think is going to happen here?"

Jael's eyes bled into black and his fangs descended. He turned his head to the side and inhaled the scent of Viktoria's lotion on her calf. He knew the scent of her, now he wanted the taste of her on his tongue. "I hunted you. I caught you. You are mine." He opened his mouth, aching to fill her with venom.

She lifted her free leg and planted the heel of her bare foot on Jael's forehead, knocking his head away from the leg he held. "Poor, misguided predator. I was never your prey, I was bait. Aren't you hunter enough to recognize a trap? Or have you never been the one caught before?"

Cool sensations flowed over his body, wrapping around his neck and wrists, yanking his head back and his arms out to his sides. He tried to move, and found he couldn't. He tightened his grip on Viktoria's ankle. "Witch."

Viktoria smiled. "I can tell you what's not going to happen. You are not going to break my skin with your fangs. So while I'm considering indulging one of your appetites, if you're hoping for a snack, prepare for disappointment."

Jael growled, a low, almost inaudible rumble deep in his chest. He hadn't decided what he wanted to do about her being his Draga, but he knew he wanted his fangs in her. To have her deny him anything displeased him. Whatever was around his wrist constricted until he was forced to open his fingers and free her ankle.

Viktoria sat up and eyed him. He was strong, and there was a bit of magic about him, but her shadows around his neck and wrists could keep him in place. "There's only one reason you followed me home, but it's not the reason I led you here." She knelt in front of him and ran a finger under the collar of his shirt. "I want to know what's happening with my friends. I believe you can tell me. You answer my questions, and I'll let you have most of what you want, but only for tonight. Agreed?"

Jael added 'venom building up in his fangs and dissolving his skull' to his list of possible ways to die. His mouth ached, his fangs full of venom he burned to inject her with to mark her as his. He stared at her mouth, but it was hard to concentrate on her words when she was naked and on her knees in front of him.

"Lurky, are you listening to me?"

Jael's head snapped up to meet her gaze. "Lurky?"

Viktoria shrugged. "Lurking is all you've done all night. It seemed a fitting name."

"My name is Jael. You shouldn't have been able to see me in the shadows. How did you do that?"

"Silly vampire." Her low chuckle had the vampire in him pushing for control, the need to take her body and blood riling his baser instincts. "You are not a creature of shadows. You are a creature of darkness." Viktoria unbuttoned his shirt and spread the halves open, exposing his muscled chest. She leaned forwards. "Are you going to answer my questions, Lurky?"

The forceful thump of his heart as she licked a line over it and up his chest startled him. A Draga could restore a vampire's lost humanity, but the part of him ready to live in the moment didn't need any help. He yanked on his shadow restraints. There was no give and they only tightened as he pulled against them. The protections on his swords only worked when they were in his hands. He was stuck at the mercy of this witch for now. It bothered him he was not bothered by this. "Ask," he snarled.

"You know where Ember is and what happened to Musette, don't you?"

Jael considered her question. He would never betray Stryx, but it seemed pointless to deny this much. Viktoria had seen Stryx with Ember, and anyone who knew Ember would know Musette would be close. He nodded.

Viktoria leaned forwards again and laid light kisses down the side of his neck, the trail of her lips ending at the muscle over his collar bone.

"Is Ember in any danger?"

Jael snorted. "Not likely."

Viktoria bit him and Jael growled.

"I don't like answers that tell me nothing."

"Maybe I like being bitten."

Viktoria pulled back from him and caressed his hard length through his pants. She arched an eyebrow. "Do you?"

Jael swallowed. "She's not in any danger from us. We would die to protect Ember and Musette."

Viktoria unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, sliding them down to his thighs and wrapping her hand around his erection. "That was a good answer. Now tell me why you would protect them with your lives."

Jael chose his words with care. This witch was his Draga, but he didn't know her. He wasn't ready to tell her about Dragas, and definitely not about strygoi. The fewer people who knew Ember had become the first strygoi in a thousand years, the better. "Ember belongs to Stryx."

Viktoria laughed and loosened her hand around him. "I doubt Ember sees it that way."

Jael couldn't help a smile as he tried again. "Stryx belongs to Ember?"

She grinned. "Better." She tightened her grip and stroked him as she leaned forwards and flicked her tongue over his nipple.

Jael hissed as her tongue slid down his body to trace over the muscles of his abdomen. "Viktoria..."

"Isn't this why you're here?"

He was here for a lot more than this teasing. "Not quite."

Viktoria released him and sat back on her knees, a pout on her face. "I hoped you might be the adventurous type. You don't want to play with me?"

Oh, he wanted to play with her. He didn't mind a little bondage, used it often when his vampire side was triggered too easily and he needed the extra control. But he was not in the habit of being the one helpless to another's attentions. He didn't want her to stop, though. Jael closed his eyes, fighting for control. She'd given him an out. He'd tell her to stop, end this and leave before—

Her mouth closed over the head of his erection and his hips jerked towards her. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Viktoria on her hands and knees, her head moving as she slid her tongue over him. He groaned. "Viktoria..."

She pulled her mouth from him and sat back. "What? You didn't seem to mind that."

Jael disliked the amused sparkle in her eyes. His gaze drifted to her mouth. His hands clenched into fists he wanted to tangle in her white-blonde hair so he could direct her head as he liked. "Release me."

"I have an idea." Viktoria tilted her head. "I'll tell you all the things I want to know, and as long as you are giving me helpful information, we can keep playing. I'll start up high, and if you keep talking long enough," she lowered herself so her next breath feathered over his erection, "maybe I'll even make it this far again."

Jael glared at his Draga. This woman might be able to bring his dead heart to life, but she may very well be the true death of him.

She lay back on the bed. "I'm patient. I can wait all night, but you can't. And I was already busy when you interrupted me, so I'm going to finish what I started while you think about my offer." She cupped a breast and slid a hand between her legs.

Jael thrashed and lunged, making it to his knees on the edge of the bed before the shadows around his neck and wrists constricted, not letting him go any further. How dare she withhold herself from him? Leash him like a pet and deny him what he wanted. The hands on her should be his, not hers. The need to mark her as his raged through him. His first instinct was to agree to anything she wanted to get her mouth on him again, but he reined himself in. "I'll say what I can. Some secrets are not mine to tell."

Viktoria rose to her knees and met his gaze as she appraised his answer. "Fair enough. I want to know what happened to Musette. You said Ember and Musette aren't in any danger from you, but that doesn't mean they are not in danger. I want to know from what, or who. I want to know where they are, and I want to see them without you vampires lurking, scowling, or growling. Why is Ember different now? She's not vampire, but she's changed. How many of you are in Port Storm? How long have you been here?" She leaned forward, nipping his neck. "Start talking, Lurky."

Jael growled at the nickname. He allowed himself a moment to figure out what he could say and savor the slide of her tongue over his collarbone. "We are twelve, and we've been here a thousand years." He paused. She hadn't asked where they lived, so he didn't tell her. He racked his brain as he tried to think of something else she had asked that he could answer.

She hummed in encouragement as she planted kisses down his chest and bit his nipple.

"Ember and Musette are staying with us. It's not safe for them at their house. There are men looking for them."

Tom, the man at the showing, had been no friend of Musette's, but he had been looking for her, and something had been off about him. When Jael didn't continue speaking Viktoria pulled away from him.

"The men work for mages!' Jael practically shouted, relaxing as Viktoria resumed her downward trail of kisses across his abs, then lower. This teasing was driving him insane. Her hand closed around him, then her hot mouth. He closed his eyes as he felt her tongue, the roof of her mouth, the back of her throat. She sucked, moving the tight circle of her lips up and down the length of him.

Jael groaned. He was almost out of information to give her, then even this maddening teasing would stop. She paused when she reached the tip of his cock, so he added, "Mages are men who drain witches of their magic. They caught Ember and Musette, and did something to Musette. I don't know what. But she won't wake up."

Viktoria pulled back when he stopped speaking. She kept her hand wrapped around his erection, squeezing and pumping. "And Ember? What has she become?"

Jael glared at Viktoria.

"Done talking, Lurky?"

He yanked harder on the wrist restraints, but they tightened around him, pulling his arms back. He stilled, and the tightness eased. "If you want to know more you have to ask Ember. It isn't my story to tell."

"I don't like that answer, Lurky." Viktoria crawled into his lap and straddled him. "But I do like that you respect Ember's secrets." She moved against him, rubbing her core over the length of his cock. "Do you have anything else to add?"

This was not how he wanted her. She was naked, but he still had his clothes on, and it was driving him crazy he couldn't touch her. Couldn't bite her. "Release me." It sounded too much like a plea. "Now," he growled.

His Draga shuddered against him and pulled back, staring into his eyes. Her heart beat fast and his gaze fell to the pulse beating in her neck.

She laughed, jerking his attention to her mouth. "Not happening, Lurky. But don't worry. I'll do all the work."

Jael tensed as her hands landed on his shoulders, just in front of his sword hilts. He arched away. "Viktoria..." As much as he wanted her, and to see what she was going to do next, no one touched his swords but him. Not even his Draga. He relaxed as one of her hands slid down his chest between their bodies.

He savored the sensation of filling her as she penetrated herself with him.

Viktoria fisted her hands around the straps of the leather harness Jael wore as she raised and lowered herself. She was wet and tight, taking him deeper on every downward motion.

"Is this why you're here?"

"Closer."

Her breasts bounced as Viktoria rode him faster, took him deeper. She arched, closed her eyes, and let her head fall back, exposing her throat to him as she pleasured herself with his body. He willed her to come, he wasn't going to last long. She panted, her heart pounded and her blood called to him. He thrust up into her as far as his limited motions let him when he felt her clench around him and she moaned. Her nails dug into him and he released into her. He calmed himself as one of his needs from her was finally met.

"Free me," Jael demanded.

Viktoria opened her eyes and studied his face. His fangs were no longer out, and his eyes were not as dark a black.

The shadows around his wrists eased and his arms fell. He wrapped them around his Draga, something easing in him as he pulled her closer. One hand tangled in her hair, the other pinned her against him. Something unwrapped from around his neck and he was free.

Jael breathed in her cool vanilla scent. "Now it's my turn. Are you ready for what happens next?"

"I am. But you might want to button your pants." The mischievous glint was back in her eyes, but he would take care of that when he made her his.