CHAPTER TWENTY
B rianna followed Willow out into the garden, where they were greeted by a dozen or more vampires.
In the middle of the space sat a large fountain made of stone or marble, she really wasn’t sure. It was grand and old, similar to those you saw all around Italy with some old dude with a beard and a little wiener hanging between his legs.
Clearly not a vampire, then . She smirked to herself.
Water flowed from the top and down into the surrounding pool where dozens of goldfish swam. Tiny lights lit up the sides, where a few of the vampires sat with their legs dangling in the water.
If it weren’t for the fact they were all so inactive during the day, Brianna wouldn’t know the people in the castle were vampires. Except for one thing. Most of them were extraordinarily beautiful, with perfectly toned bodies. Strong arms, muscular legs, and lean abdominal muscles. All of them.
She glanced at Willow. She’d always been a fit young woman, but her body had been changing over the past week. Her arms were looking stronger and leg muscles more defined.
It was hard to view vampirism as a negative thing unless you valued your mortality. She wasn’t sure of her view on it. Drinking blood or the yellow plasma the royals favored didn’t exactly look appetizing, but then again, neither did kale juice.
She sat down on the grass, giving Willow space to make friends with her new community. It was cute hearing them excited about the upcoming royal ceremony.
“Oh, please, tell us what your gown is like.”
“No can do. You’ll just have to wait until the day of.”
“My family is streaming in from Australia,” one vampire said. “It’s going to be some god-awful time during the day, but it’s such an auspicious event. They’re so jealous I’m here.”
Willow smiled and laid a hand on the female’s arm. “That’s so nice. Please tell them I appreciate it.”
“You must be so nervous.”
Brianna tuned out of the conversation, her mind returning to the tattooed man she’d woken on top of this morning.
The ceremony drew near, and with it so did her departure day. Her heart felt extremely heavy at the thought. It was confusing to know she would miss Craig but not remember him.
Right now, all she wanted to think about were his big, powerful hands on her and the way his eyes sparkled when he plunged into her. God, she loved sex with him. Maybe it was because he was a vampire. He’d told her vampires had been having sex with humans for thousands of years. The two races had never interbred because only mated vampires could breed.
It was one big reason they’d been so successful at remaining inconspicuous among humans. On one hand, it was alarming they had. While she trusted the vampires she’d met, how could she be sure they were all trustworthy?
History, she decided. Humans hadn’t been all gobbled up.
Well, she’d been gobbled up last night by her own fake vampire boyfriend. She blushed at the memory, and then suddenly felt a warm shiver run through her.
“Good evening, mate.”
She jumped and looked at the hand he was holding out to her. She took it and he pulled her up against his chest, digging his hand into her hair. In front of everyone, he lowered his lips and kissed her passionately.
Willow coughed.
Against her lips, he murmured, come with me.
“Um, Willow, I’ll meet you in the queen’s rooms a bit later.”
“Okay, sure.” The note of question in her friend’s voice was clear, but Craig was already dragging her across the cobblestones.
Bri didn’t know where they were going, but just having him near her felt ridiculously delicious. His arm went around her, and they slowed as they entered the castle. Up a flight of stairs they went and along a hallway. Then he pushed through a doorway and tugged her inside.
The room was large, with large pillars and sunken seats in the floor. In one corner there was a hot tub large enough to fit at least twenty people; it too was flush to the ground. A water feature in another corner flowed crisp, blue-looking water like a Grecian bath. Music twinkled around them. She spotted a long sofa and noticed something unusual. Leather cuffs hung from the feet on fine chains.
The lights dimmed.
Craig stepped up behind her and ran his hands down her sides.
“What is this place?”
She had an idea, but the thought scared her.
“A playground of sorts.”
A shiver ran through her, and she sunk back into his embrace.
“Nothing will happen here that you don’t want, Bri.”
She nodded. Turned. His lips dropped to hers. “Tell me what you want?”
“I don’t know.”
Craig rubbed her lips with his thumb. “Shall I show you?”
She nodded again, trusting him with her body for some crazy reason.
“You say stop, I’ll stop. Got it?”
“Yes.”
He led her across the room and began undressing her.
“Will there be anyone else here?”
He stopped, froze, and stared down at her. “No. Fuck. Why? Do you want that?”
He looked angry.
“No.”
Relief crossed his face. “Good. I’m not fucking sharing you, Bri.”
“I just wanted to know.”
He held the side of her face. “I’m sorry. No, nobody. Not ever. It’s just us.”
Well, they didn’t have forever, but she ignored that.
“But you’ve done that before, haven’t you?”
Deep emerald eyes held hers. “I’m hundreds of years old, baby. I’ve done everything you could imagine and more. With humans and vampires. Of both sexes. Are you okay with that?”
Bri’s imagination went wild. She glanced away and saw him with other females, and felt irrational anger flow through her.
“Hey, come back.”
“Since we met? Have you been with anyone else?”
His head tilted and one eyebrow rose. “Jealous?”
Bri narrowed her eyes at him. Two could play that game. “Shall we ask some males to join us?”
He hissed and pulled her up against his chest. “Don’t do that.”
“Well, dammit, Craig. Answer my question.”
He let her go and ran a hand through his hair. “There have been no other lovers since I met you.”
Good .
“And there won’t be.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeated, returning to his task of seductively removing her clothing. “You’re mine.”
So he kept saying.
He backed her against a wall that felt like velvet and lifted her arms. Straps were fastened around her wrists, but the chain was long, so her hands hung beside her head. Her heart began pounding as if she knew something different was about to happen. Craig removed his clothes as he watched her standing there, cuffed and naked. He stroked his cock and stepped closer.
“Legs wide.”
Bri was already wet—how could she not be—and hummed as he rubbed his fingers through her. She moaned and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Craig was clipping a chain to her nipples and one to her clit. Pleasure flared through her body.
“Oh God.”
She felt her juices pouring out.
“Good girl, I need you wet. Really fucking wet.”
Craig pressed two fingers inside her and sucked on her lower lips. His eyes were wild. There was something different. She felt a shiver run through her; a slice of fear. He pulled out a shelf from behind her while simultaneously lifting her with one arm. She looked down, confused, then her eyes shot up to him. His face flared with arousal as he took in the large molded cock lining up at her core.
“You’re going to take this inside you now.”
“Oh, God,” Bri cried as he lowered her onto it. As he did, her arms were drawn up by the chains. He had her in complete and utter submission, and filled with cock. Craig wiped a hand over his mouth, lust pouring from his eyes as he took her in. She hung quivering with need.
“Fucking hell.” He lowered to the floor and began sucking on her clit as she cried out. He flicked the chain and tugged at it to stimulate the nipple clips, and continued licking her.
Overcome with pleasure and pain, Brianna panted and moaned. She was on the edge of coming, but something felt off.
Craig lifted her hips and began manually making her fuck the cock. She needed it, wanted it, but it felt wrong. After a moment, she took over the movements herself. This was unlike anything she’d ever done before, and it felt completely outside her comfort zone. Yet she couldn’t stop. Her body was on fire as she pleasured herself and Craig stood watching.
“Take me in your mouth, baby.”
He took her chin and guided himself inside. She closed her lips around him and suckled while she bounced up and down. He tugged on the chains, sending both pleasure and pain through her body.
“Gawgk” she said, her mouth full of him. Then he took it to another level as the cock inside her began to vibrate.
She screamed.
Craig’s cock fell out of her mouth, and he stroked himself hard and fast as she continued screaming out her orgasm. When their eyes connected, hers with a look of desire and fear, he froze.
“Fuck.”
Suddenly, he lifted her off the member, and with vampire speed, he released her wrists and pulled her into his arms. As her brain caught up with her body, she sagged against him. But he wasn’t done. He wrapped her around his body and plunged into her. Brianna threw her head back and cried out.
“Look at me, baby.”
When she did, two sizzling green eyes blazed at her as their bodies exploded together. She collapsed against his chest and held on to him as their breathing steadied.
Minutes later, he took her chin and gazed down into her face.
“Fuck, I am so sorry. Please forgive me.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about what had happened. Her body had been shocked and delighted at the same moment, yet it had felt different between them. She had felt his desire, but it had been cold. Purely sexual. Which wasn’t what they had done before, she suddenly realized. What that meant, she didn’t know.
“Then why?”
He looked around the room as if it were his most hated place on earth. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. Not you. Not here.”
Brianna felt shame rush through her. Had she let him down? She had to ask; she had to know. “Did I do something wrong?”
Confused, narrowed eyes met hers. “No! God, no. I don’t know what I was thinking. This is not a place for you, Bri.” He ran a hand over his face. “But fuck, Bri, I thought I was going to die watching you on that cock. I’ll never have enough of you.”
She laid a hand on his cheek. “Tell me. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t know. This”—he waved around the room—“this place is where I would come for pleasure. We all did. I guess I needed to bring you here. To know.”
“To know what?”
He shook his head. “I’m still trying to work it out.”
She just stared at him, more confused than ever.
“When you asked if anyone was joining us, I wanted to kill someone.” She frowned, and he let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, who? I don’t fucking know.”
He shook his head.
“You don’t belong here, and I don’t want you in here.” When she blanched, he grabbed her face. “No, don’t do that. What I meant is that you mean more to me than this. You shouldn’t. But you do.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He kissed her lips with passion, but also warmth and emotion, something she hadn’t felt from him before. She relaxed into him and felt his arms wrap around her.
Brianna wasn’t ready to face the emotions that were brewing between them, and she could tell the large vampire underneath her wasn’t either. They had said enough for now.
He led her under the flowing water, which was surprisingly warm. “Forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive, vampire.”