27. Silas

Anderson regardsme with raised eyebrows and an open mouth.

"The National fucking Guard is sabotaging our alarms?" He leans back in his creaking leather chair, steepling his fingers in front of his mouth. "And you said there was only one of them?"

"Yes, just the one, thankfully. He shot at us without a second's thought."

Anderson huffs out a breath, wincing as a crash of thunder sounds above us. "Jesus, this storm." His eyes move back to me. "What do you think? Can we keep the bloodbags safe out here?"

I consider my answer for a moment. I honestly don't think we can, I think we're in danger. I think we need to move to Savannah, we're too isolated out here. Where once being out on our own was considered safer, making us less of a concentrated target for attacks of Afflicted, things have changed now. Our weapons stores are finite.

But all I can think about is Juliet. In a large compound like Savannah, like Boston, I'll never see her. We won't have the freedoms we do here.

And it's with that singular, selfish thought in my head that I meet Anderson's gaze, and shrug.

"I don't think we'd have better chances elsewhere right now, if I'm honest. It's better if we wait to see what Boston says about it."

Anderson seems pleased with this answer, his lips pulled into an expression of approval as he nods. "Great, that's what I hoped to hear."

Rain batters the roof, and the wind howls through the cracks in the windows. Lightning flashes heavily beyond the blinds, and Anderson swivels in his chair to crack them with his finger, gazing outside.

"We'll be lucky if the power stays on," he mulls quietly.

"Well, fingers crossed, ey." I rise to my feet. "If that's all, sir."

"Yeah, thanks King."

I head for the door, my hand on the knob, when Anderson's voice stops me.

"King, just a question."

I half turn back towards him, looking over my shoulder at him. "What is it, sir?"

"You were out there alone, weren't you? Today, I mean?"

"Yes, sir. I was." I nod emphatically. Hopefully not too emphatically.

"You said Us." He narrows his eyes a little. "When you said the National Guard was shooting at you, you said Us. Who's Us?"

Fucking idiot. Fuck fuck fuck.I laugh lightly and shrug. "Sorry sir, bloody British slang, still creeps up on me every now and then."

Anderson's face instantly relaxes, and he laughs too. "Ah, got it." He dismisses me with a jovial wave of his fingers and a nod.

It shouldn't be a big deal, but as I head out into the raging storm, I berate myself over and over. Fucking misspeaking like that, slipping up - it can't happen. I have to be careful. Sneaking Juliet back into the compound in the midst of a massive storm was hard enough. They'd been frantically searching for her and I'd had to make up a story about her getting scared in the forest. Thankfully everyone was too busy to ask questions.

The lights overhead flicker and dim for a moment, like they're breathing, trying to stay alive in the raging storm. They brighten back up, only to flicker again as another gust of wind batters the compound. The sky is filled with one burst after another of lightning, threading its way through the dark clouds as they build above the compound.

A sheet of rain catches me as I head for my cabin, just as a deafening roar of thunder claps directly overhead. The compound is plunged into darkness. Glowing dots of flashlights begin to appear, and I head for the obs tower. Just as I reach the bottom of the stairs, Crawley is there, waving me away.

"It's all out, man. The storm knocked that network right out. We gotta go secure the gates and the bloodbags." He says something else which is drowned out by another growl of thunder directly above us, and he waves his hand, gesturing for me to follow him to the shower block.

Lightning continues to dance around us, sending shadows dancing along the walls, and I hate the fucking panic that begins to whir in my limbs. The compound is unprotected. If the power is out the alarms are out. I don't like this. And the National Guard are no doubt out looking for their man who never made it back…

Crawley throws open the shower block door, shining his flashlight inside. "Anyone in here?" He calls.

A few voices reply, peering into the tunnel of light, holding their hands up and blinking in response. Humans, some wrapped in towels, some half-dressed, walk towards us.

"Powers out," Crawley barks. "We're in lockdown conditions. Into the dorms and stay there."

They all nod their assent, and then the sweet scent hits me like a gut punch. Juliet's walking towards me, her damp hair hanging over her shoulder, dressed in a thin white shirt and tight leggings.

"You go ahead," I say to Crawley, "I'll check the rest of the building for stragglers."

"No problem." Crawley turns, telling the humans to follow him out into the stormy night.

Juliet's gaze lifts to mine as she passes me, and my hand shoots out to wrap around her arm, holding her still. Her eyes don't waver from mine as she waits. The others shuffle out, and we're alone, her grey eyes illuminated by the harsh glow of the flashlight.

"What are you doing?" She asks quietly

"I'm not leaving you in that dorm." I pull her closer to me. "All the power's out, and I don't trust them to keep you safe."

"You're crazy, they'll notice."

"Stay here." I raise my eyebrows, waiting for her to agree. "Stay here, and I'll be back in a minute."

Finally she nods, taking a seat on the bench. "Don't leave me here too long, I don't like the dark."

I give her a crooked smile, and quickly turn on my heel to head after Crawley. As I approach he's waving the humans into the dorm, looking like he's half-counting, but also too put off by the gusts of wind that keep battering us.

"All accounted for." I raise my voice to be heard over the storm. "Shower block's empty."

"Great!" He blinks the rain from his eyes. "Anderson's put out the order for everyone not on shift to stay inside."

"Right, no problems. Not much to be done anyway, ey?"

"Guess not!" Crawley shoves the door closed after the last human walks in and gives himself a shake, like an irritated terrier. "You go on ahead and get out of this rain, you had enough on your plate today."

"Thanks, man." I head off with a wave, checking over my shoulder that he's not watching as I detour to the shower block. Fucking idiot. The voice is back, chiding me, cursing me and my stupidity and my addiction to this woman. But I'll be damned if I leave her unprotected. I'd rather face Anderson's full fury and every sadistic punishment he can dole out than leave her out here.

I stick to the shadows, weaving my way back to find Juliet waiting where I left her, her arms wrapped around herself. Wordlessly, she gets to her feet and takes my hand, letting me guide her back to my cabin under the scant cover of darkness, an angry light show flickering through the sky.

But finally, we make it across the compound, to the dark line of cabins. The wind and thunder continue to rage, swallowing up all sound as I hurry Juliet up the stairs and through the door.

"You're crazy," she says as I shut the door. "They'll be looking for me."

"Crawley won't give a fuck, he shoved all the humans into the dorm and closed the door." I run a hand over my face, brushing away the rain. I can still see her, even in the darkness. She's soaked through and shivering lightly. "I'll get a fire going."

"Oh good, it's freezing in here."

There's shuffling sounds behind me, and her scent begins to fill the room.

"This storm is wild."

"Yeah it is." I stoke up the flames, the logs crackling loudly as they catch. When I turn back towards her, she's crept into my bed, her wet clothes discarded on the floor. The firelight catches the gold in her hair, and she smiles at me as I move towards her.

"You're all wet," she says in that sexy, breathy voice that drives me fucking crazy. "You should strip off."

I don't need to be told twice. I remove my clothes, relishing that look she gives me as her eyes move hungrily over my body. This is foolish. This is a bad idea. But I punch that voice down. No one will know. No one will come looking for her, not now.

She's mine, for as long as this storm rages.

And I'm going to take my fucking time with my girl.

I kneel at the end of the bed and pull the blanket down, so I can see her. She smiles and bites her lip as she gazes at me.

"Open your legs," I command, and she does, spreading them not quite wide enough for me to see all of her. But fuck that smell hits my senses, and my fangs suddenly feel ten inches longer. I growl at her. "Wider."

She lifts her hips and opens her thighs more, showing me what I want to see. Then she runs a hand down her stomach, pushing two fingers between the lips of her pussy, spreading them into a V so I can see her swollen clit.

"Better?" That fucking voice. That husky, dangerous voice. It makes me want to do all manner of things to her, right now and all at once.

But I'm taking my time. The rain battering the roof reminds me - I have time tonight.

"So much better, angel." I crawl towards her, and her scent spikes, hot and intoxicating. "Now, for what I want to do to you tonight, I need you to have a safe word, do you understand?"

Fear licks through the scent of her arousal, but that just makes me even harder.

"A safe word?" Her voice drops an octave, and she's as turned on by that flicker of fear as I am.

"Yes, angel. Because saying No or Stop, well…" I run my nose along her thigh, along the line of her veins where her heated blood thunders so close to my lips. "I told you I want to hear you beg, and plead. I meant it."

Her breath catches a little, her nipples peaking and a new rush of blood to her pussy telling me she's more than ready to beg and plead and ask me to stop, while not meaning it at all.

"But…" I press a kiss to her inner thigh, grazing her skin ever so slightly with my fangs. "You pick a safe word, and when you say it, everything stops. Instantly. No question."

"Red." She says it so quickly, almost urgently. My dirty little slut wants me to shut up and fuck her.

I chuckle against her skin, so hot and soft, the smell of soap still clinging to it. "Red? So original."

"I snuck books from my mom's office," she says over a gasp as I move my mouth over her stomach. "They were dirty books, or to a kid they were. And their safe word was red."

"Red. OK." I raise myself over her, looking down into that sweet angelic face. It'll be lashed in my cum by the end of the night. "Red, and everything stops, angel. Immediately. No questions as-"

"Oohhhhh my god stop being a gentleman and fuck me!" She closes her eyes, tipping her head back on the pillow, her throat so mouth-wateringly on display.

I huff out a laugh against her throat. "So fucking needy."

Her hips roll underneath me, pressing her wet heat against my dick. I let her do that some more, because holy fuck the anticipation of sinking into that hot pussy is making me drunk. But it's not enough for my girl, because she shoves against my shoulders to push me on my back. Of course I let her. There's no way she could move me unless I let her.

She scrambles on top of me almost clumsily, panting and crazed. She positions herself on top of me, reaching down to guide me inside her. I watch my dick disappear into her cunt, slowly as she adjusts to me at this angle.

"Fuck, you stretch so good for me, angel." I'm clasped so tight inside her it's like she'll never let me go.

"Oh fuck," she moans, circling her hips. She tips her head forward, her hair covering her face, like she's hiding. Has my girl gone shy on me? It's almost as though she's never done this before, as though she's never been in control.

"Fuck, angel, do you know how beautiful you look right now?" I caress her thighs, and she raises her chin just enough so I can see her face. I hiss in a breath as she carefully circles her hips again. "You feel so fucking good."

"Yeah?" Another movement back and forth, and a breathless moan.

I grip her hips, not moving her, still letting her lead. "Like a fucking dream. Find that spot, angel, find how it feels good for you."

The praise gives her renewed confidence, and she throws her hair over her shoulders. She leans back, one hand resting on my thigh, holding herself steady as she rocks herself back and forth. She finds that rhythm, that sensation that has sweat beading between our bodies.

She closes her eyes, losing herself in the moment, sinking into that feeling as she rides my cock.

I find myself rocking under her, meeting her movements, because fuck every single movement of her hips has my balls drawing up tighter and tighter. I'm going to fucking come. I've never come with a woman on top. I take three deep breaths, trying to hold off, because watching her like this is too good, it's fucking beautiful.

But I keep rising and rising, my stomach tensing under her hand. I press my thumb to her clit, and she moans, riding me harder as she finds the friction she needs.

"That's it, angel." I didn't want to come this fast, but I remind myself - I have time. Thunder crashes and wind howls through the roof, the storm continuing to rage as Juliet's orgasm tears through her, her cunt so tight around me that I don't even have a fucking choice but to come. Pumping her full of my cum, buried this deep inside her - I couldn't have imagined a better way to start the night.

She's panting, her breasts covered in sweat, glistening in the firelight. Her head is tipped back, the veins in her chest thrumming, tracing a delicious maze leading straight to her nipples. I can't resist. I can't hold back. I sit up and seize her nipple in my mouth, sinking my fangs into her silky skin. She screams, the sound drowned out by another clap of thunder, and her pussy damn near chokes another release out of my cock.

I swirl my tongue over her nipple, sealing the puncture marks, and she shivers. With a small moan she rises off me, onto her shaky knees and collapses onto her stomach on the bed.

Cute. She thinks we're done.

I trace kisses up her spine, over her ribcage. "You were amazing, angel." I roll her onto her back, licking the sweat from her jawline. Her hands are thrown over her head, her eyes closed, her chest pounding.

"I've never done that before," she murmurs.

"So many firsts with me, hmm?" I kiss her gently, her soft lips parting for me. "Lucky me." The taste of this mouth. Fuck.

"Silas," she says softly, nuzzling into me.

"Yes, angel?"

"Have you ever done a 69?"

I laugh out loud, and her head snaps to look up at me.

"What?" She sits up and indignantly pushes the hair out of her face. "Also you look really sexy when you laugh. I hate it." She pouts a little, and looks even more fucking adorable.

"You're the sweetest little thing to ever exist, do you know that?" I sit up, leaning on my hands in front of her, nudging the corners of her mouth with my lips. "Yes, angel, I have done a 69. I've done a whole host of things, anything you can imagine."

"Threesomes?"

I chuckle. "Threesomes, foursomes, orgies, all of it."

She sighs a little as I run a finger along her collarbone. "Have you ever had sex with a man?"

"Yes, angel." I follow the line of my finger by kissing along her chest.

"So you're bi?"

"I'm a vampire," I say with a grin, meeting her eyes. "We fuck everyone. But right now, I just want to fuck you." I pull her to me, wrapping her in my arms, putting her flat on the bed.

"Wh-what's your favorite thing to do?" She asks, a whimper bursting from her lips as I slide my dick inside her.

"My favorite thing to do is fuck this cunt, angel."

She shakes her head, her back bowing as I fuck her. "No, I mean, your favorite position."

"You'll need to guess." I lean up to maneuver her leg over my shoulder. She winces, but within a few strokes she's moaning and thrashing underneath me. She's beautiful, those lips parted in an O, fresh sweat bursting from her skin. The smell of her arousal is mixed with my own. Now she smells like mine. I want to fill her up til every vamp in this compound smells that she's mine. I want to scar her neck with puncture wounds so everyone can see I drank from her.

The thought makes the darkness at the base of my skull swell and swirl. Red prickles at the edges of my vision. I shouldn't give in to this. It's dangerous, a step too fucking far.

No.The voice tries to reason, but I'm too far fucking gone with desire now. I pull out of her roughly, her breathing choking a little. I seize her hips, pulling her up to my face, sinking my fangs into her labia and slashing two lines down the inside of her thigh.

She cries out, gasping and hissing. I didn't release any venom, I know that hurt. I know it's fucking agony. The dark thing inside me doesn"t care. I admire my handiwork, two sharp lines, from the lips of her pussy. Blood drips from the gashes, and I lower my mouth. Now I release venom, just enough to heal, but little enough to leave a scar.

"Mine," I murmur against her skin.

"Yours."

My eyes skate up her body, meeting her gaze. Her mouth is open, and she's panting. She leans up on her elbows to see what I've done.

And she fucking smiles.

"You branded me?" She cocks an eyebrow.

I grin, running my lips along her thigh. "Yes, I did. And if anyone else ever fucking touches you, I'll rip their throat out."

"And what if I want to have a threesome?" She stretches her arms over her head, smiling. "What if I want to fuck another guy while you watch?"

I have her by the throat, baring my fangs at her. "Say that again."

She's not even a little scared, smiling lecherously. "What if I want one guy in my pussy and another in my mouth, and you watch while they have me?"

"You're a filthy little slut, but only for me, you understand?" I squeeze her throat, and she moans. "Say you understand."

"I understand."

I rise to my knees, and straddle her chest. Her eyes fly open, surprised, her gaze flickering down to my hard cock before she looks back up at me.

"Mouth, open." I pump myself, staving off the image of her being with anyone else but me. "You want to think about other men?"

She shakes her head, her mouth obediently open, her tongue extending past those pretty swollen lips.

"You ever think about another man, I tear his head off. Clean off. You understand?" I clench my molars as my orgasm rises. "You ever, ever look at another man, I kill him, you get that?"

A small flicker of fear, enough to make me even harder. Her eyes are wide, her breathing rapid. She licks her lips, quickly opening her mouth again.

"You're mine, fucking mine." I groan, and ropes of my cum fly across her face. She flinches, her eyes closing out of instinct, but her mouth staying beautifully open for me. One hot stream after another lashes her, until I'm leaning over her, panting, braced against the headboard.

A hand reaches up, stroking my jaw, and I turn my mouth into it, kissing her palm.

"My perfect girl," I murmur. "My perfect fucking girl."

She giggles softly, and I look down at her face. She licks the cum from her lips, stroking her thumb across her chin and pressing it into her mouth, her eyes on me the whole time. She hums appreciatively, smacking her lips.

"You're delicious."

I inhale through my gritted teeth. "Fuck, angel." I shake my head. "You look so good right now."

"Maybe you should let it dry on my face for good."

That grin. Maybe I should have a fucking safe word.

But that grin dissolves quickly as I roll onto my back and take her with me, directing her on top of my face.

"Silas." She squirms, protesting with a shy little sigh as I clasp her thighs. "You just came inside me."

"So?" I drag my tongue over her clit, and she stutters out a curse as lightning illuminates the windows. She's backlit in the crackling flashes, like some sinful, fallen angel. My angel. I can taste both of us as I drive her back towards that edge, her body pulled taut.

She comes quickly, hands pressed to the wall as she shakes and moans. But I don't stop.

I keep sucking and licking, her protests swallowed by her moans and hissed breaths. She says no, no, I can't, and fuck that makes me even harder.

She comes again, and again, shaking and clawing at my head. With every lick, every climax that rips through her, she comes more and more undone for me, like a beautiful, ruined tapestry, falling to pieces and raveling back up into a pattern of my own creation. She tastes like mine, she smells like mine.

"Silas, fuck." She sobs a little, her hands clasped to her face, her shoulders shaking. Her body quakes as her pussy contracts on my mouth one last time, and I finally release her. She slumps off me, aftershocks creeping up her spine as she flops face-down onto the bed.

I run my hands up her back, over the beads of sweat running down her skin, over the sun-kissed freckles.

"So beautiful," I murmur, bringing my lips down to her shoulder blades, tasting the scent of her arousal as it hits the back of my throat. "But we're still not done."

She whimpers, shaking her head against the bed. "I-I can't… I-"

"Shhh." I soothe her with a kiss to her neck, and she melts against me. "I want to try something."

She turns her head, her eyes hooded as she gazes at me. "What?"

I slice open my fingertip, a small bead of blood pooling at the cut. I press it to her lips, and her eyes slip closed as she licks it up.

"My blood will make you feel so much better, angel." Even as I say it, I can feel her body tense, the weariness washing off her. "I want you wide awake for what's next."

She moans, stretching underneath me like a cat. Her fingers claw and flex into the sheets as my blood courses through her, and it's better than any drug I've ever taken, knowing she's full of my cum, covered in my cum, and now has my blood inside her.

"Now, my dirty little whore is going to let me claim this ass," I murmur into her hair, and she shudders, gasping as she writhes away from me.

"Silas, I've never done - I've never done that."

"I know, which is why you're going to give it to me."

"Silas-"

I seize her chin, her eyes wide as she looks up at me. Her lips quiver under my thumb. "Is it no? Or is it red?"

Her eyes clear, and that defiant grin is back. Her body shifts under me, her ass pressing against my cock. Her breath hitches, and a smile creeps across that perfect fucking mouth.

"No."

"Good girl." I press a hard kiss to her lips. "Now get on your fucking knees."

She makes as though she wants to scramble off the bed, and I catch her thighs, pulling her back to me. I bite open my wrist, blood pouring down my arm.

"Silas, no." She thrashes, inhaling sharply as the hot drips of my blood run over her back and her ass. "Oh fuck, no, I've never done this. You're too big!"

I clasp onto my little wildcat's hips as she tries to move away from me, her protests and the fear that's spiking in her veins making me so hard I can barely see. I laugh viciously as she bucks and thrashes, leaning over her and squeezing my hand around her throat.

"You want to run? Because you know I can chase you."

She lets out a high-pitched gasp as I squeeze harder. "Silas-"

"Shut up," I growl in her ear. "You shut the fuck up now and take everything I give you."

She moans, her throat vibrating in my grip, and the dark thing inside me chuckles.

"That's my good little whore. You want my cock in your ass, don't you?"

She shakes her head wildly as I rub my cock in my blood. Everything is hot and wet, and when I press my cock to her ass, she goes rigid.

"No!" She sucks in a breath as my tip passes the first ring of muscle. Her breathing is ragged as I drop more blood onto myself, and push in further. "Shit, shit." She exhales over a moan, her head dropping between her shoulders.

"That's it, angel. Fuck you're taking me so good." I spread her ass with my hands, pushing a little harder. "Jesus fuck, Juliet. You're so tight." I stroke her back, her thighs, letting her take more of me, slowly, slowly.

I bottom out, and she lets out a guttural moan, arching as she throws her head back. I don't move for a while, letting her body stretch to me, letting her get used to this new sensation - this feeling only I've ever given her. She relaxes into me as I stroke her clit, her thighs trembling ever so slightly. When I finally do start to move, fucking that impossibly tight ass, she whimpers.

"I want you sore," I tell her. "I want you sore so you remember all day what it's like to have me buried this deep inside your ass." My girl moans. "Is that good?"

She nods, turning her head slightly so I can see her parted rosy lips as she pants. "Oh fuck, Silas, that's so good."

"Such a good girl, letting me fuck all your holes like this."

She cries out as I pound my cock into her ass, not holding back because my dirty little whore is coming apart so fucking beautifully for me. She won't be walking tomorrow. I'm sure of it. I'll fucking make sure of it. She begins to stroke her clit, fresh sweat glistening down the slope of her back. Her whimpers are high-pitched, pleas falling from her lips.

"Every part of you will be full of me by morning." I flex a hand into the hair at the base of her neck, and she moans as I tighten my grip. "You're marked by me, in every way."

"Yeah." Her voice is strained, her fingers rubbing her soaked clit as she chases her climax. I grab her hand, curling her arm behind her back. She protests incoherently, lost in her near-orgasm, her body pulsing and hot.

"That's mine, angel." I don't want anyone making her come but me.

And she does, screaming my name so loud I know someone will hear her, even over the raging storm. But the sound is so sweet I don't care, crashing down after her, coasting on the sweet sound of my girl saying my name. There's a deep pulse against my cock as I pump inside her.

There's nothing else in this moment, just her and me, her quivering skin and the feeling of goosebumps under my fingertips.

I gently pull out of her, lifting her back against me. She's shivering as my chest connects with her back, and she smells so goddamn good. I wrap my arms around her, knowing we're both covered in blood and sweat, and not giving a single fuck. It's us, mingled on each other's skin.

"You're so fucking sexy," I murmur against her ear. "You should see yourself when you're stretched around my cock. It's so fucking beautiful."

"I wanna see," she breathes, her head falling back against the crook of my neck. "I want to see you stretch me."

I chuckle, tracing kisses along her forehead. "Is that right?"

"Mhmm." She sighs, buckling a little in my grasp. "But not right now. I can't - I can't again."

I have no intention of being done, but right now I want to look after my girl. I want to clean her up and wash her down, wrap her in my arms and tell her all the ways she makes me feel whole. I kiss her tenderly, and her lips curl into a smile against my mouth.

She lets me lead her to the bathroom, lets me wash her while I tell her how beautiful she is, how well she did. It's just us in the dark, my voice and her happy sighs, our naked bodies against each other as the storm continues to rage overhead.

It feels blissful, and perfect, and much more contentment than a depraved fuck like me ever expected to feel again.

It feels like love.

The realization weighs down in my gut, tugging at the thread of my self-control that I fucking well know is already snapped and withered.

I love her.

I love her.

I love her.

I don't know what I thought I felt for her. I don't know what the fuck I thought was driving me on all these months when I watched her, when I stood over her while she slept, when I craved just the tiniest hint of her scent.

Can I love her in a world like this? How do I love her? How do I stop myself wanting to tear everything apart and burn this entire compound to the ground just so we can be together?

I don't know. And that leaves me numb.

"You're extraordinary," I whisper against her throat.

Her arms wrap around me. "So are you."

I sink my fangs into her neck, flooding her with venom and feeling her body react instantly. But she's quiet this time, not sending those cries out against the barraging storm, but keeping them here, between us, like a gift, just for me. She shudders and whimpers against my chest, her hips rocking through her orgasm. I swallow down her sweetness, and following that is a sensation so sharp that it almost has tears springing to my eyes. Because I can taste it in her.

She loves me too.