The Vampire's Love (2 page)

“You two
obviously know each other.”  Faren smiled at Abby.  “Are you the
reason Val is so soft-hearted towards the humans.”

Abigail,
who was stroking Violet’s back as the little pixie perched on her knee, didn’t
reply and Val cleared his throat.

“Tell me
what happened, Abigail.”  Even from across the fire he could see the way
that Violet glowed with happiness.  The bug hadn’t gone near him since the
moment she had flown to Abby and he ignored the trickle of hurt he felt. 
He was being ridiculous.

“Tell
me.”  He prompted.

Abigail
sighed.  “The vampire that took me carried me to – I don’t really know
where – some section of the forest.  I have no idea how far he carried
me.  It happened so fast.”

She
continued to lightly stroke Violet’s back, staring down at the small
pixie.  “I got lucky.  A man named Michael was hunting in the
forest.  He literally stumbled onto us and killed the vampire before he
could feed from me.

“A human
killed a vampire that easily?”  Faren frowned.

Evan
snorted.  “It happens all the time leech.”

“Obviously
he was distracted by his hunger.”  Faren retorted.

Evan
started to protest and Abby shook her head at him.  He lapsed into silence
and stared moodily at the small campfire.

“Michael
took me back to his people and I’ve been with them ever since.”  Abigail
finished.

“That’s
it?”  Val said softly.

“Yes.”

He gave her
an angry look.  “You’re not the same, Abigail.”

She
shrugged.  “Michael is very skilled at killing vampires.  He’s been
teaching others how to kill them and when I asked him to teach me, he
agreed.  I’ve spent the last year training with him.  He taught me
how to find their weaknesses and how to – to not be afraid anymore.”

“How did
you get captured for the auction?”  Faren asked curiously.

“I allowed
myself to be captured.”  Abigail gave him a look of contempt. 
“Michael has been taken by a vampire named Darius.”

Faren
started and Abigail raised her eyebrow at him.  “You know him?”

“I know of
him.”  Faren corrected.  He glanced at Val.  “There are some
ugly rumours about him.”

“They are
not rumours.”  Bill said quietly. 

“What are
you talking about?”  Val frowned.

“This
vampire, this Darius, has been taking humans and keeping them prisoner in his
estate.  He’s waged war against the humans.”  Abigail replied.

Faren
rolled his eyes.  “That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

“Bullshit!” 
Wesley snapped.  “Your kind has been using us like cattle for years. 
This world would be a much better place if the vampire plague had wiped all of
you from the face of the earth.”

“What is he
doing with the humans?”  Val asked, ignoring Wesley’s outburst.

“He’s been
using them for his own sick little games.  He pits them against each other
in death battles, and invites other vampires to watch and make bets as to who
will win.  It’s become quite popular and apparently there’s quite the wait
list to watch the games.  Vampires either pay money to watch the games or
they provide Darius with new humans to fight in the games.”

“Why did
you allow yourself to be auctioned?” 

Abigail
glanced at Wesley.  “Darius had invited Joven to his estate.  Joven
has his own large estate and Darius is anxious to expand.  He wants Joven
to join him in his little business venture.  He would hold games at his
estate in the west and Joven would hold games at his estate in the east. 
Darius would take a generous cut of the proceeds of course.”

Val
frowned.  “Why did Joven not just start his own games?  Why does he
need Darius’ permission?”

“Darius has
killed any other leeches who have tried to mimic the games.”

“I told you
– that’s nothing but ugly rumours.”  Faren said quickly.

“No, it
isn’t.”  Abigail replied steadily.

“Anyway,”
she took a deep breath, “we found out that Joven was meeting with Darius to
discuss their new business arrangement.  We have been following Joven for
days and when we realized he was stopping at the auction house, I allowed
myself to be captured in the hopes that Joven would purchase me.  Darius’
estate is heavily guarded and we needed a way to get in.”

Val stared
at her in disbelief.  “So you put yourself in harm’s way?  How did
you know that Joven would even purchase you?  What if another had
purchased you?   What would you have done then?  Did you think
of that, Abigail?”

His voice
was rising and he could feel anger burning in his belly.  If he hadn’t
stopped at the auction house tonight, Joven would be feeding from Abigail at
this very moment.

Abigail
gave him a cool look.  “We’ve been watching Joven for a long time,
Val.  He has a certain taste and I fit the bill.  We were quite
certain that he would purchase me.”

Val snorted
angrily.  “If I hadn’t killed him when I did, he’d be feeding from you
right now.  You know that.”

She
shrugged.  “I will do whatever it takes to save Michael.”

“Have you
gone mad?”  Val asked softly.  “Is that it?”

“No. 
I told you - Michael saved my life and I owe him a debt.  I pay my debts
in full.”

“I
remember.”  He said tersely.

“It doesn’t
matter.”  Evan said gloomily.  “Thanks to that goddamn leech, Joven
is dead.  We’ve lost our chance to save Michael.”

“Maybe
not.”  Abigail said thoughtfully and Evan glanced at her.

“What do
you mean?”

“Darius and
Joven have never met in person.  All we need is a vampire to pose as
Joven.”  She stared at Val as she spoke and he shook his head.

“I will
not.”

“You have
to.”  Abigail glared at him, her hand clenching into a tight fist. 
“This is your fault, Val, and you’re going to help us get into Darius’ estate.”

“No.” 
Val said calmly.

Abigail
took a deep breath and looked at Faren.  He held up his hands.  “No
way, pet.  You can count me out of your little suicide mission.”

“Coward!” 
She hissed at him and turned back to Val.

“I won’t
put you in deliberate danger, little dove.  Do not ask me to do so.”

“Neil and
Maria are in there.”  She said quietly.

Val jerked
in surprise.  “How do you know that?”

“We have
someone in the estate already.”  Wesley spoke quietly.  “He’s been
sending us information.”

“Then use
him to get past the guards.”  Val said angrily.  “Why do you need
Abigail?”

“It would
be too dangerous for him.  There is no way he can get us into the estate
without his betrayal being discovered.  He’ll be killed.”  Abigail
replied.

“This is
madness, Abigail!”  Val suddenly shouted.  “You’re playing a game you
can’t possibly win.  I will not allow you to do this.”

“Allow
me?”  Abigail stood, ignoring Violet’s frown as she tumbled from her knee,
and marched around the fire.  She stood in front of Val and glared at him.

“You have
no right to tell me what to do.  I do what I want.”

He stood
and scowled at her.  “Have you forgotten what happened between us?”

“Shut
up!”  She hissed at him before glancing at the others.

Val arched
his eyebrow.  “Do they not know, little dove?  Do they not know that
you belong – “

“I said,
shut up!”  She punched him hard in the stomach and he flinched but grabbed
her arm and yanked her against him before she could move away.

Her three
companions stood and drew their swords but Val paid no attention to them. 
It was the first time he had touched Abigail in thirteen months, and the feel
of her body against his was intoxicating.

“Let her
go, leech.”  Wesley said warningly.

Abigail
held up her hand as Val put his arm around her waist and stroked her hip
through her pants.  “Just wait, Wesley.” 

She bit her
lip.  “Val, I’m asking you to help us.  Help Maria and Neil – they’re
your friends, remember?  Please, we can’t do this without you.”

He stared
into her dark brown eyes.  “I will help you but I want something in
return.”

She
stiffened and tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her go.  “I won’t let
you feed from me, Val.”

He smiled
and brushed his thumb across her lower lip.  “That is not what I want,
little dove.”

He let his
eyes drift down her body and when he glanced up at her face, he was thrilled to
see the hot blush in her cheeks.

“So you do
remember.”  He murmured.

“Val – “

“Make your
decision, Abigail.  I will help you break into this Darius’ home if you
spend the night with me.”

“What?” 
Wesley shouted.  “No!  Abby, we will find another way.  I’m not
letting this leech touch you!”

Abigail was
staring at Val and he gave Wesley a smug grin.  “It is not your decision
to make, human.”

He turned
back to Abby and said softly, “Do we have an agreement?”

She
hesitated only briefly before nodding and Wesley cursed loudly.

“He’ll bite
you, Abigail.  You know he will.”

“He
won’t.”  Abigail replied.  “Do I have your word that you won’t, Val?”

Val smiled
at her.  “Yes.”  A predatory grin crossed his face.  “I will not
bite you until you ask me to.”

“I won’t
ask you.”  She flushed at his knowing smile.

“Of course
you won’t.”

She glanced
at Faren.  “And him?  I want his word that he’ll stay away from the
others.”

Faren held
his hands up innocently and gave her a charming smile that she didn’t return.

“If you
touch any of them, Faren, I’ll kill you.  I’ll hunt you down and rip out
your heart.  Do you understand?”  Val said softly.

Faren gave
him a mock look of hurt.  “I thought we were friends, Val.”

“Do you
understand that I will kill you?”  Val repeated.

Faren
saluted him.  “Perfectly, my friend.  I give you my word that I won’t
touch your human friends.  Besides, I’m still full from my earlier dinner
of the driver.”

Val took
Abigail’s hand and Wesley took a step forward.  Val arched his eyebrow at
him.  “I don’t need your assistance for this, human.”

Wesley’s
hands clenched into fists and he grunted with anger as Abigail gave him a
pleading look.  “It is the only way, Wesley.”

“No, it
isn’t, Abigail.”

“Yes it
is.”  She replied quietly as Val led her towards the carriage.

Abigail
took a deep breath and tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.  From
the moment Val had pushed back his hood, she’d had to restrain herself from
throwing her arms around him.  Lust and need had enveloped her like a
thick cloud, and she was angry and disgusted with herself.  She had spent
the last year convincing herself that it had been his bite that had made her feel
what she did and to have it so immediately obvious that it wasn’t, angered and
confused her.

She felt
like everything she had worked so hard for over the last year had been swept
away the moment she laid eyes on Val.  She was still anxious to save
Michael and Neil and Maria, but the anxiety was buried under a wave of need for
Val that was so strong it took her breath away.

She had
never considered herself much of an actress but she thought she’d done a
remarkable acting job in the last half hour.  It had been a sheer battle
to keep her true feelings hidden from both Val and the others.  When Val
had put his arm around her waist and stared at her body, the familiar hunger
for him had coursed through her veins and she had damn near leaned in and
kissed him.

When he had
given her his terms for helping her, she had made herself hesitate before
agreeing.  There was no way in hell she was letting him know how much she
wanted him and how eager she was to fuck him again.  She was baffled and
more than a little embarrassed by her body’s response to him. 

She took
another deep breath as Val opened the door to the carriage.  She would
hide how good it felt when he touched her and, no matter what happened, she
would not beg him to bite her.  She had vowed never to be a goddamn meal
ticket for a vampire again and, while she might fuck Val and love every minute
of it, she wouldn’t break that vow.

“Go on,
bug.”  Val said and Abby realized that Violet was landing on her shoulder.

Violet
frowned at him and clung tightly to Abby’s hair. 

“It’s okay,
little one.  Go and stay with Wesley.  He won’t harm you, I
promise.”  Abby said.

Violet
pouted and Abby smiled a little.  “I will spend all day with you tomorrow,
my sweet Violet.  Go on now.”

With a
small frown, Violet flew to Wesley.  She landed on his broad shoulder and
stared up at him for a moment.  He ignored her and gave Abigail a look of
hurt and betrayal.  She bit her lip and gave him a wavering smile that he
didn’t return.

Joven’s
carriage was large, the seats long enough for a person to stretch out on, and
she examined the shutters on the inside of the carriage windows
carefully.  It was obvious that Joven used this as a sleeping compartment
as well, and the shutters were made of thick wood and impenetrable by sunlight.

Val latched
and locked the door of the carriage before sitting back on the seat.  He
smiled at her as she sat on the edge of the seat on the opposite side of the
carriage and wrapped her arms around herself.

“I’ve
looked for you for many months, little dove.”  He said softly.

“Well, now
you’ve found me.”  Although she looked calm, her cheeks were flushed and
she bit at her lip.  It was a sure sign that she was nervous.  She
looked and acted so differently now that the small recognizable gesture
relieved him.

“I’ve missed
you.”

She cleared
her throat but didn’t respond and he frowned at her.  “Are you fucking the
human?”

“Which
human?”

“The
dark-skinned one.”

“He has a
name Val.  It’s Wesley.”

“Are you
fucking Wesley?” He asked.

“That’s
none of your business.”

“You will
tell me what I want to know.”  He said through gritted teeth.

“Talking
wasn’t part of the deal.  We’re in this carriage for one thing and I’d
appreciate it if we could just get it over with.”

“Just get
it over with?”  Hurt trickled through him and he shook it off.  “Is
that what you really want, Abigail?  To get this over with?”

She didn’t
reply.  Instead, she began to remove her various weapons.  He watched
as she pulled the dagger from her boot and unbuckled both the knife from around
her thigh and the sword around her waist.

“Do you
know how to use those?”

“Yes.” 
She replied shortly.

“Perhaps we
should put them outside of the carriage for the night then.”  He winked at
her but she didn’t laugh.

“They stay
within my reaching distance, Val.”

“You no
longer trust me, little dove?  No longer accept that you belong to me, and
I will keep you safe?”

She laughed
loudly and pulled off her boots.  “I’ve spent the last year taking care of
myself, learning to kill your kind and being fairly successful at it.  So
no – I don’t need you to keep me safe.”

“But you
still belong to me.”  He said quietly.

“No. 
I do not.”  She replied steadily.

He was
sitting beside her before she could blink, his large hand wrapped in her braid
and his breath warm on her face.  “You will always belong to me. 
Always!”

“No, I – “

He kissed
her, his tongue thrusting between her lips, and she reminded herself to not
show him her need before she was throwing her arms around him and kissing him
back with wild abandonment.

Val groaned
into her mouth.  She had been acting so cold and distant, and relief
coursed through him at her enthusiastic response to his kiss.  She still
wanted him.  She still –

He hissed
loudly when she cupped his face and pain flooded through him.  She pulled
away, her eyes wide with guilt.

“I’m
sorry.  I forgot.” 

The bands
of silver around her wrists had touched his neck and he could feel the skin
burning.  She slipped the bands off and dropped them into her boots,
giving him another guilty look.  “I’m sorry.”

“Around
your neck as well.”  He pointed to the band that hugged her neck and she
unclipped it and added it to the wrist bands.

She
examined his neck carefully.  “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” 
He sat back on the seat.  “Straddle me.”

She
swallowed nervously and then swung her leg over his lap.  She sat on his
knees and he rolled his eyes and grabbed her ass, pulling her forward until her
crotch was pressing against his erection.

She made a
soft moan of need and he tugged on the back of her neck.  “Kiss me.”

She leaned
down and he quickly unbraided her hair as she kissed him with soft brushes of
her lips against his.  Her long hair fell around them like a dark curtain,
and he stroked it lightly as he pushed his tongue into her mouth.

She sucked
on his tongue, pulling a groan from his throat, and he slid his hands under her
shirt.  He hissed again, yanking his hands out from under the fabric and
staring at the burns on the tips of his fingers.

“Shit!” 
She gave him a look of embarrassment and quickly stripped off her shirt. 
She was wearing a very thin, white undershirt underneath it and his eyes
narrowed at the sight of her nipples poking against the material. 

He watched
as she hurriedly unwound the silver chain draped around her waist.

“Sorry.” 
She blushed again as he gently pushed her off his lap.

“Do you
have any other hidden silver, little dove?”  He arched his eyebrow at her.

“Um,
yeah.  On my legs.”

“Show
me.”  He indicated for her to take her pants off and she stood up. 
Feeling oddly embarrassed, she started to shimmy out of her pants. 

“Slowly.” 
He instructed.

She bit her
bottom lip, her flush deepening, but did what he asked.  She slowly
skimmed her pants down to reveal the wide band of silver wrapped around each
pale thigh and the cuff of silver around each calf.

“Very
clever.”  He said quietly.  “Take them off.”

She added
them to the growing pile of silver in her boots and was about to sit down
beside him when he shook his head.  “No, stand in front of me, Abigail.”

She stood
in the middle of the carriage, her arms crossed over her breasts, and her pulse
thudding so loudly she knew he would easily hear it.  He stared silently
at her until she gave him an irritated look.

“If you’ve
changed your mind about fucking me, Val, just say the word.  I’ll be happy
to go back to my friends.”

He stood in
front of her.  “Undress me.”

She scowled
at him.  “Are your arms broken?  Undress yourself.”

He leaned
in and brushed his lips across her throbbing pulse.  “Undress me,
Abigail.”

She
swallowed thickly and unbuttoned his cloak from around his throat.  She
folded it neatly and set it on the seat behind her before reaching for his
shirt.  He raised his arms and she tugged it off his body.  He heard
both her slight inhale and the beat of her pulse increasing as his pale torso
was revealed, and he smiled to himself.

She reached
for the button on his pants and he put his hand over hers.  “Not
yet.  Take this off.”  He tugged on the hem of her undershirt.

She sighed
with frustration and reached for the shirt.

“Slowly.” 
He reminded her and she eased it slowly over her head.  Before she could
pull it free of her arms, he had bent and sucked her right nipple into his
mouth.  She gave a surprised cry, her back arching as his lips pulled hard
on her nipple, and struggled to free her arms of the undershirt.

She gripped
his head in her hands as his hand came up to knead and cup her other
breast.  His fingers pinched her nipple and she jerked against him. 
“Val!”

He pulled
away, breathing harshly and holding her away when she tried to press herself up
against him.  “My pants.  Take them off me.”

He kicked
his boots off as she fumbled with the button to his pants.  She yanked
them down eagerly, every nerve in her body was screaming to be touched by him,
and moaned when his hard cock was revealed.

She
crouched down to help him step out of his pants.  She tossed them behind
her and wasn’t at all surprised when she felt his hand on the top of her
head.  He pushed her into a kneeling position in front of him. His cock
was only inches from her mouth and she couldn’t stop herself from licking her
lips at the sight of it.

“Like I
taught you, little dove.”  He said softly.

Once he had
discovered how naïve she was about sex, Val had spent an entire night teaching
her how to please him with her mouth.   She had been nervous at first
but he had been patient with her, and his loud groans and the continuous string
of compliments flowing from his mouth as she had sucked and licked him, had
made wetness drip down her thighs.

She licked
her lips again, this time with nervousness.  She shook her head at herself
when she realized she was worried he wouldn’t find her pleasing anymore. 
She had lost more than seventy pounds, and she had found her courage.  If
he had found her attractive when she was a fat, scared mouse – he would find
her attractive now.

Of
course he finds you attractive, idiot.  His giant erection is a pretty big
indication that he finds your new body hot.  The real question is – why do
you care if you please him?  You’re doing this only to gain his help to
save Michael.  After tonight, you can’t have sex with him again. 
It’s too much of a distraction.

“Abigail.” 
Val prompted.  His hand tightened in her hair and he drew her mouth toward
his cock.  She opened her mouth wide and took his cock deep into her
mouth.  He groaned and his hips thrust forward as she licked the underside
of his cock with her warm tongue.  She held the base of his cock in her
hand and squeezed firmly as she bobbed her head back and forth over his large
cock.

He groaned
again and threaded both hands through her hair.  He held her head still as
he pushed his cock back and forth in her mouth. 

“I love
watching you suck my cock, little dove.”  He whispered.  “I love how
your lips look sliding back and forth over it.”

She moaned
and he inhaled sharply as her lips vibrated around his hard shaft. 

“Good
girl.”  He moaned and pushed his cock to the back of her throat.  She
fought her gag reflex and licked and sucked firmly on his cock as she stroked
the base of it with her fingers.

He pulled
his cock free and stared down at her.  “Have you done this to the human?
 Has he felt your mouth on his cock?”

“That’s
none of your business.”  She whispered.

He stared
at her swollen mouth, a fleeting look of anger crossing his face, before he
stroked her hair back from her face.  “Tell me.”

“I’m not
telling you anything.”

He pulled
her to her feet and yanked her panties down to her ankles.  She stepped
out of them and he stared at the dark curls between her thighs with a look of
terrible hunger.