CHAPTER 13

Vita

VITA PACED THE DIMLY lit room.

Well, she supposed it was not just a room, but her room. The servant had escorted her from the High Consul's office and promptly left her alone to stew with her thoughts. She wore a line into the rug from walking back and forth over and over again.

The room had a large bed piled with plush pillows and blankets and a simple wooden desk and chair. There was a single small window with a view of the rose garden, glowing eerily with the light of the nearly full moon. When she had tried the knob, it wouldn't budge.

Someone had locked her in.

It would be alright. That's what she kept telling herself as she thought about what had just happened. Amulius had left her. She was here with the High Consul for some unknown reason, and now he knew about her surges.

None of these things were good, though the idea of never seeing the Praetor again sent a trickle of relief through her.

Vita jumped when she heard a knock at her door, then a clicking of the lock. Her eyes shot around the room in a panic, trying to find something to defend herself with, as if a candlestick would save her.

The strange woman, Aurora, entered with a shuffle of silk.

"Renatus requests your presence in his quarters."

Oh, Gods. Already? He had said he didn't want a consort, but here he was inviting her to his bed. The thought of sex with the High Consul wasn't unpleasant in and of itself, but in her own time, by her own choice.

Though she had no urgency to go back to the Praetor's villa, Vita wondered again if the known danger was perhaps better than the unknown.

"Requests?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Come along, dear. Let's not keep him waiting."

It was worth a try.

Vita gathered her dress and followed. The journey was quick as they stopped just a few doors down from hers.

Aurora opened the door, gesturing for Vita to enter. She walked in carefully, skin prickling with goosebumps as if expecting an attack.

The High Consul sat in a lavish armchair, one leg crossed over the other as he thumbed through a book. He wore a casual white shirt, long-sleeved and cut in a deep v, so different from the elaborate garments she was used to. The door shut behind her and she was alone in the room with him, waiting awkwardly until he closed the bulky tome and set it on the table, turning his attention to her.

"Vita. Come, sit with me." He gestured to the chair next to him, plush and red, and she obeyed. "Care for a glass?"

He took a casual sip of wine, eyes sparkling as he observed her. She nodded, thinking it would be best to be in a bit of a haze for whatever was going to come next. The High Consul poured her a glass and his fingers brushed hers as she took it, sending a shiver down her spine.

Vita took a tentative sip, not taking her eyes off of him, wanting to be ready when he moved in. The scent of berries wafted up to her nose, the wine mellow and with a tinge of sweetness. He watched her lips as they pressed against the glass, and she quickly set it down to rest on her lap.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a sorcerer?"

The question surprised her.

Sorcerer ? Vita wasn't a sorcerer, had never considered herself adept at magic. Her surges were just mistakes of nature, something that had gone wrong when the Gods had created her.

"I-I don't know," she said, her voice cracking. "Most people would want me thrown in the city jail if they found out."

The High Consul chuckled.

"Darling, surely you noticed Aurora is blessed with magic. I'm not one to follow arbitrary edicts, no matter who proclaimed them."

Blessed with magic? Such a strange notion, an odd way to think of the curse that had haunted Vita her entire life. But she supposed his words were true enough. Aurora was a powerful mage, that was clear, and the High Consul valued her presence, even though it was in direct violation of the Emperor's law, the man who governed over all of them.

Even if Vita didn't need to worry about her surges being made public, she still did not understand what she was doing here.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and for a moment she wondered if it was Aurora coming to take her back to her room.

But no, two new people entered, one of which she'd seen before.

She remembered the man from the Aonalia Feast, the one who had watched her with glowing red eyes as she ate. The one who had spied on her at Ad Noctua. He was large, easily over six feet tall, and bulky, with wavy auburn hair that curled around his ears. The other person was a woman, close to Vita's size and with the same raven black hair, though hers lay as straight as a stick against her back. What were they doing here ?

The High Consul stood up to greet the newcomers, his constricting pants showing off his toned ass and thighs. He paced over to them, resting a hand on each of their cheeks, and it was impossible not to stare.

"My dearest pets… this is Vita. She's here to see the show tonight."

Show? What show?

Vita absentmindedly took another swig of wine as she tried to ignore the tension cutting through the room. The two newcomers gazed her way, licking their pale lips as if the sight of her made them hungry.

"She will not be joining us?" the man asked, his voice a deep, raspy whisper.

The High Consul turned to Vita with a smirk.

"Only if she wishes to, though I believe she's a bit shy."

Joining them for what?

The large man took the High Consul's hand and led him to the enormous bed. He slid his fingers under the neatly tucked shirt and slipped it off over his head. Vita gaped at the High Consul's smooth, toned chest, his slender waist, the pale skin glowing in the warm light of the candles.

Clearly, the man was seeing the same thing she was, because he ran his hands over the High Consul's chest with a leer, and Vita felt only a slight twinge of jealousy.

Very slight.

The woman approached the two men, unbuttoning the High Consul's pants and pulling them down with a struggle. Vita diverted her eyes as he was exposed, though not before catching a glimpse of his pale cock at the ready. The woman let out a bubbly giggle as she got on her knees before him.

What was happening? Did he really expect her to watch this?

Vita heard a muffled groan and turned back to look, unable to stop herself. The High Consul had his fingers tangled in the woman's hair as he thrusted into her eager mouth, the man planting kisses along his cheek, jawline, and onto his neck. She found herself spellbound by the sight of three beautiful people indulging in unadulterated pleasure, her glass of wine trembling in her hand.

As the kisses got more aggressive, the man made a move as if to bite, but the High Consul grabbed him by the throat.

"Naughty boy," he tsked and then pointed at the bed.

The man obeyed, lumbering onto the mattress and propping his back against the headboard. Vita brushed her fingers against her lips, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her as a warmth began to build in her core.

With a rough yank of the woman's hair, the High Consul jerked her away from his cock and she stared up at him, a delirious grin on her swollen lips. He pulled her up to meet him and gave her a harsh kiss before pushing her towards the bed. The woman joined the man, both squirming with anticipation as they disrobed each other.

The High Consul suddenly turned to Vita, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Care to join us?"

She startled at his invitation, thoughts swarming through her head like a plague of locusts. Despite her fear and nerves, yes, she very much wanted that. Of course she did.

He was endlessly alluring, his beauty only more obvious as he stood naked before her. He saved her from Praetor Amulius. And that kiss. The kiss they shared in her old room, the electricity that ran through her body when he touched her.

His silky voice interrupted her thoughts. "This would make a great scene for your story…"

Oh, Gods. Not that again. Vita huffed her discontent and crossed her arms over her chest, her mind settled. She glared at him and he just laughed and shook his head.

"Suit yourself, darling."

The High Consul turned his attention back to his lovers, crawling on the bed to meet them. He moved to the woman, running his hard cock along her entrance as she wriggled with delight, whimpering moans escaping her lips. With a grunt, he pressed his way in, slowly at first, then thrusted in and out as she writhed. The other man leaned forward, clearly eager to join in.

As he fucked the woman, the High Consul brought his lips to the man's neck, planting a sweet kiss before licking a line all the way up the tender flesh. The man shuddered from the slick touch, all but melting into the silky sheets. Vita's stomach coiled with tension as she watched, intrigued by the scene in front of her, almost wishing she had accepted his invitation.

She had never had more than one partner at a time, but the idea didn't sound so bad. In fact, she had to stifle a whimper as she imagined herself between the High Consul and Verian, an overwhelming arousal infiltrating her body.

But Verian didn't want her, at least not in that way. He'd had more than enough chances to kiss her, that was certain. His face had said everything after Drusus' suggestion last evening.

Vita resisted the urge to squeeze her thighs together, to relieve the lust burning through her, instead taking another long sip of wine.

Suddenly, the High Consul leaned his head back, and fangs appeared where there were once teeth. He sunk those fangs into the neck of the man as the woman below him squealed with obvious glee. Vita's arousal turned to horror as the man groaned, the High Consul gulping against his flesh. She gripped her glass tightly, so tightly she was certain it would shatter into pieces.

He never stopped his rhythmic thrusting, even as his fangs were in the man's neck. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to the woman with unnatural speed. She screamed as he pierced her throat, though it was clearly in delight if the giggling meant anything.

Vita wanted to flee, back to her room, all the way back to the Praetor's villa, anywhere but here. But she couldn't.

It was as if all of her limbs were frozen, unwilling to listen to what she was telling them to do. Her mind raced through all the potential horrors. He was some sort of monster, a monster who was going to kill her. The High Consul would bite her and drain her of her blood, if he didn't do something worse first .

He was something out of a fairy story meant to scare children. But this wasn't a fairy story, this was real.

The low growl as the High Consul spilled his seed into the woman brought Vita back to the room. He grunted as he slid off of her, and laid between the two. Vita saw no blood from the necks of the man and woman, just two neat puncture marks on each.

"Get out."

He was piercing her with his gaze, but the other two quickly gathered their clothing and rushed from the room, seed dripping from the woman as she fled with a giggle. Vita pushed herself to stand as her muscles finally complied with their orders. The empty wine glass clinked as she set it on the table, her eyes never leaving the High Consul's.

There was no smile now, that ever-present smirk vanished from his sharp face. He glared at her and she was certain he was going to bite her, kill her. She backed towards the door as quickly as she dared, the High Consul watching every step of the way. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes, though it was impossible to identify what he was thinking.

She searched for the door handle behind her, finally grasping the cool metal and turning it. It was unlocked! Thank the Gods, they hadn't sealed her in with this monster. She heard the door click and pushed it open.

The High Consul's lips curved into a crooked sneer as Vita turned and fled.