Salvation

Salvation By Vivi Dumas

Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2010 by Vivi Dumas ISBN: 978-1-936394-34-0 Cover art by Dara England The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement (including infringement without monetary gain) is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC Look for us online at: http://www.decadentpublishing.com

DEDICATION To my girl Rebecca L. who challenged me to write something outside my norm *** Salvation Darius considered himself a special kind of evil. Salvation drew him to this spot. The silver body harness burned into his torso as he

perched on St. Patrick’s steeple, contemplating his end. The harness was a part of him now—only a faint lapping of heat upon his chest. Like a moist blanket, the air warmed his icy blood. As one of the only two left of his kind, isolation, pain and misery absorbed his passion for life. After a millennia of bondage and slavery to the Queen, his mind refused to support his body’s limitless power. Dawn would break in three hours. The bright salvation of the sun’s rays beckoned him. So, he sat and waited for the sun, a sun that had been hidden from him for over a thousand years. Only a few people occupied this part of town at this hour, not like Bourbon Street where the mobs swarmed all hours of the day and night. He watched the humans below, carrying on with their menial lives. Their limited existence gave them the ability to flourish. The constraints of human life provided an appreciation for living. After several hundred years, Darius’s appreciation for the beauty in the world wore thin, especially tapered with the death and destruction in dark existence. Humans conceded to an end, therefore embracing the possibilities of each new day. As he followed the musings of a young couple, a sweet, metallic smell beckoned. Centuries since the call of blood sang in his throat, the scent commanded him to answer. Darius searched the area below, spotting the source in Lafayette Square. Following the heavenly bouquet, he dematerialized and reappeared at her side. She lay on the bench, waiting for Death to take her. The yellow glow of the street lamp lit her lovely face. The sleeve of her tattered blue dress draped off her shoulder, a strip of red vinyl material peering out from underneath. Savagely beaten, her body laid in a pool of blood on the stark white bench, a compilation of contrasts with her dark complexion. He’d waited an eternity to find her, giving up when the Queen decided to eradicate their race and keep him for herself. Darius thought back to the day his Queen changed, her mind consumed by power and fear. At the beginning of each millennium, the Oracle delivered his prophecies for the next thousand years. The Queen lovingly caressed Darius’s hand as the Oracle shared his interpretations of his visions. The small, stout deity confirmed the strength and abundance of the Queen’s power, bringing a smile to her lips. As he read the next series of visions, the Queen’s sharp claws impaled Darius’s palm. A new power was to emerge within the vampire race, one who would gain control over the Queen, forcing her to relinquish her rein. This day was the beginning of Darius’s demise. The Queen quickly changed, fearing losing dominion over her subjects. She suspected everyone. Destroyed anyone she viewed as a threat. At first, she’d had the decency to make excuses for the killings, accusing the victims of breaking the law. As time passed and her mind continued to falter, the deaths became more frequent and random, until only Darius and the Queen’s henchmen remained. Eventually, the Queen’s paranoia caused her to eliminate her guards, leaving Darius the sole survivor of her madness. Even he ended up chained in a crypt, serving to satisfy her warped sexual desires. She ruined him to love, turning him into her sex slave, diminishing his strength as a male. When she came to him, he’d been honored to be chosen, but after an eternity chained to the wall in the damp, dark crypt, honor was no longer a word he understood. Shame and anguish were his brands. His lust for all things, including blood, left with his will to endure long ago.

But today, the day he planned to take his departure from this world, the thirst returned, calling to him from this exquisite creature waiting at Death’s door. Darius’s harsh laugh echoed among the trees. Fate was a tease. She played with his emotions and tempted him further into condemnation, searing his torture just as the straps of silver singed their pattern into his flesh. The iron-tainted smell of blood permeated the air. Darius stared into the woman’s angelic face. With her eyes closed and lips slightly parted, the childlike innocence of her expression pleaded with him for mercy, but not the kind of mercy he struggled to administer. The death awaiting her was not the kind he was prepared to give. He reached out and fingered a lock of her golden brown hair, then caressed the side of her round face, wiping the dried blood from her mouth. She was lovely. Can she accept me as I am— a broken monster? Never in his life had he made another of his kind, refusing to damn another soul to his hellish eternity. This night, his reasoning eluded him and only the visceral need to make her his survived. Darius scanned the park to ensure they were alone. Only the trees would witness his crime. His fangs protruded and he slashed his wrist, allowing the blood to flow freely. Holding it to her mouth, he begged, “Drink.” He shifted to sit on the bench, holding her head in his lap. As his blood flowed into her mouth, awakening her out of her unconsciousness, she fought against him, her hazel eyes wide with fear. “It will save you,” he whispered in her ear. “I can’t let you die.” Clutching his arm firmly to her mouth, his heart raced as her lips pulled on the wound. Ecstasy shot like liquid lightening through his veins as she latched on to him, catching the droplets with her tongue. As her sucking grew stronger, his muscles tensed and his cock stiffened from the sensual urges of feeding. It had been a long time since it had answered to anything except pain. With every lick of her tongue, it grew harder. The frenzy of her feeding slowed. Her body writhed, needing the sexual relief accompanying the bloodlust. His swollen erection throbbed as her hands caressed her breast and skimmed down the red vinyl corset to find her glistening slit. A deep groan escaped his throat when he glimpsed the steel rod piercing the hood of her clit. “Help me. I need to come.” Her honey eyes glowed with anticipation, inviting him to join her. Blood was a powerful aphrodisiac, especially blood as old as his. “What do you want me to do?” He slid a hand across the satin skin of her breast and rolled a rock hard nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “Bind my hands. Restrain me.” She glanced away. A pang of fear stabbed at his heart. He was the one who wore the restraints. For centuries he’d been the Submissive, never the Dominant. “I’m sorry. I know it’s strange, but I need this.” Ripping the shirt off his back, forgetting about the silver harness branding his body, he tore the fabric into strips, tying her hands over her head and to the back of the bench. His hands trembled as he tightened the scraps of cloth. The mixture of fear and excitement in her eyes reminded him of the first time he lay bound on the Queen’s bed. He’d been so young then, so eager to please. As the years progressed, her heart hardened and her obsession for power killed any love he may have held for her in the beginning. Would he be able to control his newfound urge for dominance? After centuries of submissiveness, he wasn’t sure he could walk the line between love and pain without crossing over to the wrong side.

Darius gazed down at his mate and his compulsion to have her overrode his concern for controlling his need for power. Still hovering over her, he yanked the straps tight against her wrists and lowered his head, consuming her lips. He growled into her mouth as their tongues tangled in heated frenzy. She tasted of iron and honey as his tongue plunged further into her sweetness. “Is that what you wanted?” He hissed, surprised by the arousal awakened in him because of the control over his female. As the power surged through him, the semen pumped to his crown. He was once again the vampire he’d lost so long ago— powerful, strong, and male. “Touch me.” She gazed up at him from hooded eyes, licking her supple lips. Struggling against the binds holding her arms, she rolled her hips, rubbing the wet moisture of her pussy against his hardness. “Are you telling me what to do?” Darius pulled away, causing her to cry out and arch her body toward him. “I’m sorry.” Her glance ravaged him like a hungry lioness stalking her prey. When she submitted to him, Darius gazed into hazel bliss as he explored her ebony body, coming to rest on the swell of her breast. The firm, round mound fit perfectly in his palm. He fondled his prize, brushing his thumb across the rosy brown bud of her nipple. When she arched toward his touch, he pressed her back onto the bench, feeling her quiver under his power. Taking another strip of his shirt, he blindfolded her. His lips grazed hers. She relaxed, releasing a breath as he showered kisses down her neck. The sweet scent of her arousal enticed him to continue lower. Sliding off the bench, Darius lifted the hem of the blue dress, pushing it up her thighs. He relished the velvety soft feel of her skin as his lips brushed the inside of her thigh. She shuddered as his tongue blazed a wet trail to her sex. When he brought his lips to lick the steel rod in her clit, she gasped. “Oh, God.” His cock jumped against the zipper of his jeans at the heat in her voice. Darius tore at the zipper, easing the pressure as the full length of him spilt out of his jeans. “I have to have you—” he groaned, shifting himself between her legs. “I’m scared,” she moaned as he ran his slick tip along the succulent folds of her pussy. “I’ll protect you. I’ll teach you how to survive in this life. Or should I say death? I’ll never leave you alone.” He wanted to believe his words, but fell short. He’d become the monster he desperately wanted to escape when he’d condemned her soul to hell tonight. . I should’ve never turned her. I should’ve let Death claim her. She had a chance at redemption. I’ve stolen that from her. Can I help her become something I despise? Do I have the strength to fight my own demons? With her by my side…yes. “What if I don’t want you to? Would you let me go?” He’d lost that option once his blood hummed through her veins. “Too late. I can’t let you go.” He hated the excitement caused by her bondage. This power urged the Queen to keep him bound in silver, and submissive to her control. Untying her from the bench, he picked her up to straddle him. He slowly penetrated her lush folds, trembling as the liquid heat of her passion surrounded him. Looping her lashed hands over his neck, he molded her tight against him, inhaling the soft vanilla scent of her shampoo, tainted with the metallic smell of her blood, an erotic cocktail he could drown in. Her fingers tangled in the dark hair at the nape of his neck as she lifted

her hips, allowing the tight muscles of her sex to caress every inch of his cock. “I want to look at you,” she breathed into his ear. Licking her neck and kissing her eyes through the blindfold, he growled, “No.” The silky lips of her slit wrapped around his thick girth. Her hips strummed a hypnotic rhythm, up and down his cock. As Darius thrust hard into her, she sucked in a hard breath and bit into his neck, drawing blood. The mixture of pain and ecstasy and the dripping wetness of her sex drove him to the brink of insanity. He stretched her to full capacity and she welcomed him, over and over again. Slumping against the hard wood bench, Darius ripped her dress in half and tossed it aside. He basked in her beauty, the image of her exquisite breasts outlined by the tight, red corset branded into his mind. Her left nipple, decorated with a silver ring, begged to be tasted. Sitting up, he pierced the nipple again with his fang. A tremor shot through his body when her cunt clasped his dick, surrounded with the warm, liquid sensation of her orgasm. With his blood flowing hot through her veins, Darius experienced everything she felt. His body tensed as the sparks of electric ecstasy shooting through her body tingled in his veins. She tilted her head back and a loud scream escaped her lips as he grabbed her hips and thrust deep inside her. Another swift movement of his hips buried him further in her warm abyss, causing her thighs to quiver against his legs. He absorbed every moment of her euphoria. Indulging in her pleasure, he licked his finger and teased her clitoris until she fisted a handful of his hair, and tremors ravaged her body from the climax. “Oh, fuck!” Her voice was a savage whisper. The pounding of her heart vibrated against Darius’s chest. Her soft panting left moist whispers against his skin. He tightened his arms around her waist, sculpting her body into his, damp heat radiating off her skin. He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her temple. She met his gaze, granting him a smile that rejuvenated his once-dead heart. She dropped her eyes and gently kissed his collarbone. “What’s your name? Since you’re fucking me, you should at least tell me your name.” Her lips covered his, before he could answer. Urgent and needy, her tongue explored every crevice of his mouth, teasingly darting over his fangs. “Darius.” It came out as a rush of air. She rolled her hips, grinding into his groin. “Well, hello Darius. I’m Gisele. Do I please you?” “More than you could know.” At those words, Darius gripped her hips and thrust his full length into her steamy, wet sex. “I’ve waited a long time for you,” he murmured in her ear. The sticky folds of her pussy glided along his dick. He bit into his lip to keep from crying out. Using the strength of her arms to leverage against him, she slid up and down his cock as it pulsed inside her. She bit his shoulder and moaned when he used his thumb to massage her clit again. Her legs trembled around his hips as she pumped along his rockhard erection. “Mmm… Did I give you permission to taste me?” Darius’s fingers dug into the cheeks of her ass, grinding her further down his cock. “No.” Gisele panted as he stroked hard into her and smacked her ass, punishing her for her disobedience. Shuddering into another orgasm, she collapsed against his chest. “Waited so long for this.” He gritted the words, struggling to hold on. The power and

strength of controlling his body and actions once again gave him a new vigor for life. The thrill of having someone wanting to please him pushed him closer to the point of no return. This female belonged to him. Her essence filled the void in his empty heart. “I want to make you come.” Her words were dark, filled with lust. Using her thighs to guide her, she quickened her pace. Her wet pussy stroked him until he quivered on the verge of euphoria against her sweat-soaked body. Every muscle in his body seized as her petite frame rode him hard. The rhythm of their thrusts matched the pounding in his heart. Her creamy folds wrapped around him like a velvet glove, sending flames tickling up his spine. Darius held her waist, bringing her down to sink the full girth of his cock inside her. Every movement of her hips brought him closer to the rapture of release. Not even in the early days, with full-blooded vampires, had sex been this explosive. Then after years of brutality and bondage, his body only responded to the cruel torture gifted to him by the Queen. Gisele pulled him down to her with the arms tied around his neck. He kissed the valley between her breasts. The hot mugginess of the Louisiana night added to their stickiness. Her body slid against him, causing his nipples to tense. The sweetness of her breath licked at his ear. “Why did you save me?” she breathed heavily. “Because you’re mine.” She tensed at his words. Distracting her, he caught the tip of her nipple in his teeth and she leaned back to give him full access. When he released her, she whispered, “How do you know?” “Because you saved me tonight.” When the word left his lips, she molded her body to his and continued the fluid movements of caressing his cock with her pussy. “I want to make you happy,” she whispered, kissing just behind his ear. “Do you now?” He shuddered as the sensation of her climax lapped at his dick. Holding her tight to him, he plunged into her dripping heat. A tremor shook the earth beneath him and his body trembled in response. He came inside of her, mixing his seed with her succulent juices as she relaxed in his arms. The force of his discharge drained him. Frozen, afraid to move, he held her clutched to him. If this was a dream, let him die now and never wake. He untied her blindfold. “Are you okay?” “I wouldn’t know how to answer. It’s been a very strange day for me.” Her laugh was hollow and vacant. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, tightening his arms around her. He didn’t understand how he could find pleasure in making her submit to bondage, even if it was at her request. She convulsed then, her body contracting into a ball against his chest. “Shit,” she screamed. “What the fuck is happening to me?” “It’s the change.” Her nails dug into his neck as the pain contorted her face. He panicked not knowing exactly what to do. There was only one person who could help him. Saving Gisele is worth my destruction. Her naked body shivered in agony as he swept her into his arms and dematerialized out of the park. He reappeared in the tiny bungalow nestled in the heart of the French Quarter, which served as his own personal hell. Inside the bedroom, he laid her on the low platform bed. It was a rare privilege for him to enter the bedroom. Most days, he

remained chained in his crypt like a caged animal. “Ah… You’ve returned and brought me a gift.” The low rumble of the Queen’s voice clawed at his nerves. “She’s not for you.” He met her glare with his own. “Are you talking back to me?” She brought her hand up to strike him, but Darius caught her arm before she could move. Shock silenced her. “How do I help her? What can I do for her?” When she remained silent, he snatched her by her strawberry blond hair and demanded, “Answer me. Now.” Her grey eyes sparked as she took him in. Power flexed through his body when he recognized her fear. “A bath. Take her to the bath.” The Queen’s voice softened and her eyes shifted to the floor. “Go fill the tub.” He barked the order. For the first time since he’d been with her, she obeyed him. With her blood flowing through his veins, Darius felt her fear and hurt, her defeat. A part of him pitied her, wanting to ease her pain as he’d done for centuries. Pain was his burden to bear. She gazed upon him as though seeing him for the first time. “I thought you were gone forever.” “If it wasn’t for Gisele, I would have been resting in the true death when the sun rose.” His throat constricted as he spoke the words. A tear trickled down her face. “I would have met you there soon. There is no way I could survive in this world alone.” Darius scoffed. “That is of your own making. You destroyed all of our kind. You banished me to the crypt, only to surface for your bidding, killing my love for you each time you subjected me to your humiliation.” “I only wanted to keep you for myself. I couldn’t bear the thought of another taking you from me. So I removed all obstacles, including your ability to defy me.” She fidgeted with her skirts and stared at the wooden floor. The sorrow and fear in her eyes softened his tone. “You made a drastic miscalculation in your strategy.” “I know that now,” she whispered and left the bedroom to draw the bath. Stripping out of his clothes, he cradled Gisele in his arms, carrying her to the bathroom. The iridescent glow of her ebony skin dulled as the transition deepened. Her temperature cooled, increasing her shakes. With her wrapped in his arms, he submerged them into the hot comfort of the water. The steamy liquid lapped at her skin, calming her. Darius snuggled her into the protective cocoon of his arms. She leaned into his chest. Her heartbeat thundered in his ears, her rage boiled in his blood. He absorbed her suffering and sobbed red tears, raining kisses on her sweat-soaked face. The Queen moved from the corner of the small room to the tub as she watched him. With his blood in her veins, he connected to Gisele, sensing all her pain. The sharing of blood allowed everything she experienced to transfer into his consciousness. He felt what she felt and saw what she saw. They were one. Without a doubt, thirst scorched the back of her throat while primal hunger twisted in the pit of her stomach. The humming from his artery sang to her, offering respite from the pain. Darius murmured sweet words into her hair, his own experience telling him her hunger would drive her to the point of

insanity. Her arms circled his neck, as she pulled herself up his body. Running her tongue along the line of his carotid, she growled and sank her fangs into his neck. The Queen gasped, moaning as she watched them from the side of the tub. With unexpected tenderness, she wiped the blood dribbling from the wound in Darius’s neck and brought it to her mouth. She leaned back against the tile wall and lifted her hips, removing her heavy, black silk skirt. In her stockings and black leather bustier, she reminded Darius of the monster he hated, but her eyes reflected the love that had also drawn him to her in the beginning. “Turn so I can see you,” he commanded his Queen, as Gisele continue to drink from him. The Queen appeared at the front of the tub, waiting for his next order. “I want to watch you fuck yourself. Show me what you want me to do to you.” Her hands slipped down her body and found her cream-dipped folds underneath the black silk panties. She thumbed her clitoris as he fondled the same spot on Gisele, causing her to bite deeper into his vein. He inserted two fingers and explored the depths of Gisele’s pussy while the Queen slid her own fingers into her cunt, igniting the heat already smoldering from his blood. Gisele arched into the palm of his hand, never letting go of his neck, her obvious need growing beyond the bloodlust. The Queen moaned his name as she masturbated, and watched as he pleasured Gisele. The sound of his name on her lips made his cock harder and his fingers work faster. He stroked inside the luscious lips of her pussy. His pace increased as her hips rolled to meet his thrust. He saw the pictures in her mind as she fucked his fingers and he imagined they were his cock. His free hand massaged Gisele’s breast as the Queen fondled her own. Intense fire radiated throughout his body when the Queen pinched the hardened peak of her nipple. Sinking her fangs deeper, Gisele growled against the crook of his neck. Both his females came in unison. Braced against the marble tile on the bathtub wall, Darius savored the heat of Gisele’s climax in the palm of his hand. When she unlatched her fangs from his neck, he scooped her under her ass and materialized on the bed. He fell on top of her as he devoured her lips while his tongue aggressively searched her mouth. His cock ground into the fine black hair surrounding her sex. The Queen materialized at the foot of the bed and waited for directions. “Did you get enough?” he growled as he pierced Gisele’s lip with his fang, tasting the sweet bouquet of her blood. At the same time, he motioned for the Queen to come closer. “I could never get enough of you.” She reached her hand between them, stroking him from base to crown, making him thrust into her palm. “Do you want her too?” Gisele skimmed her eyes over the Queen’s lithe body, inviting her to join. “Young hunger is insatiable. Although I’m not young, you’ve awakened a hunger I’ve never felt before. Yes… I want you both.” He straddled Gisele, pinning her with his thighs. “Chain her arms to the headboard and bring the ankle rod.” The Queen eagerly followed his directions. Disappearing and returning with the requested items, she latched the leather cuffs on Gisele’s wrists and attached the heavy silver chain to the ring on the head of the bed. She extended the ankle rod to maximum length, spreading Gisele’s legs wide to welcome him then ran a slender hand up Gisele’s long leg. His dick pulsed in response. “Does she please you?” the Queen asked. His hand followed the Queen’s path up Gisele’s legs and caressed the hot moisture

between them. “Yes.” “More than I did?” Her voice was small and careful. “You never offered what she has given me.” The Queen edged behind him, her hand slipping along the ridges of his back. “And what is that?” Her tongue lapped at the base of his spine and worked its way up. “A choice.” He groaned as he suckled one of Gisele’s breasts, causing her to yank on the chain holding her in place. “I offer you that and more now.” The Queen slid from his back and licked the hardened tip of Gisele’s other nipple. Both females’ eyes sparked with lust and glowed in the darkness. He trailed a finger between Gisele’s breasts, down the tight, flat expanse of her abdomen, ending in the center of dark hair covering her cunt. His finger slid into her as his Queen closed her mouth around the firm plumpness of Gisele’s breast. Gisele writhed from the contact, her legs jerking against the rod keeping them spread apart. “Can I taste you here?” Licking the finger that had been inside her, he tasted her tangy sweetness and his erection grew thicker in reply. She nodded yes and accepted a kiss from the Queen. The sight of them together painted a picture of hedonistic utopia. Darius found his heaven in the arms of his previous hell. “Do you want to taste her pussy while I make you come?” His voice rolled like a low rumble of thunder. Gisele didn’t reply. “Do you want her?” He demanded an answer. “Yes,” she murmured into the Queen’s hair, both females shuddering at her reply. As he slid down Gisele’s body, the Queen positioned herself over Gisele’s face, using the headboard to hold up her frail frame. He growled in appreciation when he lifted Gisele’s knees and they dropped to the side, giving access to the caramel brown folds of her sex. It glistened wet and moist for him. Running his hands down the inside of her thighs, he opened her as wide as the ankle rod allowed. His thumbs grazed up along her slit, splitting her lips. The hard steel of the ankle rod dug into his chest as he flicked his tongue over her clit. Dipping his face into her pussy, he explored, tasting every inch of her. He brought his head up, enjoying the arch of the Queen’s back. “I wonder if she tastes as good as you do.” Gisele groaned. “Oh God, yes.” “Do you like the feel of her mouth on you, my Queen?” He slid his fingers into Gisele’s cunt, slowly maneuvering in and out. She tilted her pussy to receive him. “Yes… yes.” Her cries silented as she missed the headboard and yanked the chain that trapped Gisele. Excited by the thought of bringing Gisele the same pleasure she bestowed upon his Queen, he lowered his head back to her dark wetness. She thrashed against his mouth, encouraging his frantic kiss. She sucked in a breath when his tongue slipped to the crease of her ass, lapping the cream dripping from her pussy. He moved back to her swollen clit, sucking it until she ground mercilessly into his mouth. She screamed out in ecstasy when his fangs punctured her clitoris, drinking the heavenly ambrosia of her blood. At the same time, his Queen released her own howl of ecstasy as she came against Gisele’s mouth.

Her blood and thick wetness mixed on his tongue as Gisele reached her release. “Fuck me. Fuck me now!” she begged, rattling against her chain. The Queen caressed Gisele’s breast and explored the curves of her body. Leaning down, she offered Gisele her small firm breast, shuddering when Gisele took hold. He released her clitoris with a kiss. “You want me to fuck you? Then ask me nicely.” His fingers played along her split, causing her legs to quiver. “Please,” she mumbled as she suckled the Queen. He mounted her, cradling himself between her legs. “Say my name.” “Please, Darius,” she purred like a cat in heat. “Yes. Let me watch you fuck her.” The Queen scooted back against the headboard to get full vantage of him. Holding his engorged manhood, he ran it along Gisele’s fleshy opening. “Is that what you both want?” Her hips angled to receive him. “Not yet,” he laughed, smacking her on her ass. “I want you to come with us.” His eyes met the grey of his Queen’s. “Open your legs and use your fingers like it’s me between those thighs.” A lopsided grin crawled across his face as the Queen’s white legs sprawled wide over the black pillows and her fingers found the dripping pink flesh. He dipped inside Gisele and pulled out. “You’re teasing me.” She hissed as his fingers rubbed circles around her swollen clit. As he slid into Gisele, his eyes flashed to the Queen. Watching her masturbate destroyed his focus. He snatched Gisele by the hips and buried his full length inside her fiery cunt. Looping the bar trapping her ankles around his neck, he plunged even deeper. She sheathed his penis with the tight lips of her pussy. The friction massaged all nine inches of him, forcing semen to the head. Gisele tore at the chain attached to her wrists. The clanging from the links sent waves of heat shooting through his cock. The harder Gisele struggled, the harder he thrust into her, and with each push of his hips, soft moans escaped his Queen. He spread Gisele wide, folding her knees into her chest, as he delved inside her repeatedly. The combination of his urgent strokes and his frenzied stimulation of her clit brought her to her brink. “We’re almost there. Are you ready to come for me, my Queen?” Her fingers stroked harder, first two, then three. “Anything for you, my love.” His lips pressed into the curve of Gisele’s neck. He trailed kisses down the line of her jaw. The scent of hot sex saturated the room, the Queen growled as his smell infused the air. He held Gisele by her shoulders, quickening his strokes. He dropped his head back, close to his peak. The sharp tips of her fangs pressed into his skin. When she bit into his chest, he came inside her, but never stopped fucking. Each one of his thrusts shot his hot venom into her. His cock submerged into her pussy, hitting her G-spot each time he fully entered her. She pulled hard on his chest when he rammed himself so deep his balls touched her ass. Gisele gasped in pain and sublime pleasure and released her fangs. Shivering from her own climax, the Queen slid to Gisele, gently tasting her lips. Gisele shuddered under him. The Queen lay on the side of them, caressing his back, as he lay with his full weight on Gisele unable to move. His body drained of blood and energy, he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of his females’ breathing in his ears. Their heartbeats drummed a rapid rhythm. Slowly, he removed himself from between

Gisele’s legs and squeezed in the middle of both females on the bed. “Release her,” he ordered. Metal clinked and Gisele sighed with relief as the Queen removed the restraints. Laying in silence, he gathered them both to him. “Will you stay with us?” He stared into the darkness, unable to look Gisele in the face. He didn’t want to witness her rejection. “Do I have another option?” She tightened her grasp on his hand. “You’re the only one who can help me survive.” “I shouldn’t have turned you.” He brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back softly. “I’ve condemned you to hell.” “You mustn’t fault yourself. This is my doing. I drove you away.” The Queen buried her face into his arm. “But I will make amends. I will love you both.” “I’ve longed to hear those words from you. So many years I’ve waited for this night.” He placed a kiss in each female’s hair, smelling his scent on them, the scent that proved once again he was a dominant male. “Where did you go tonight, my love?” The Queen reached across him and held Gisele’s hand with him. “I was ending my life this morning. I was waiting for the sun on top of St. Patrick’s when I caught Gisele’s scent. She saved me.” He smiled into the night as his females burrowed into his chest. “She saved both of us. I could never live without you.” He flinched at her words. “I know it’s hard to believe from the way I’ve treated you, but I have always loved you. Why do you think you are still alive when the others have perished?” “Death missed out all around tonight.” Silent thought greeted Gisele’s words. He kissed her lips, savoring her taste. “We’ve cheated Death and won a second chance.” He covered them with the blanket as the shutters closed to block out the sun. “Sleep, my loves. When the sun fades we’ll explore the possibilities this new life holds for the three of us.” His females curled against him, eyes heavy with the impending dawn. Sated, Darius drifted into a sound slumber. *** ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vivi Dumas submerges herself in the dark underworld of the supernatural. To balance the analytical and logical confines of her day job, she unleashes the fiery passions of her imagination in her writing. Although she grew up an Army brat, she calls Louisiana home, but have endured the hot summers and cold winters of Maryland for the last 16 years. You can visit Vivi at: www.vividumas.wordpress.com

Red’s Return Copyright © 2010 by Brigit Aine For Red Hood, it's been a long journey to Grandma's house. Her escape to big-city life is not what she had expected; the hustle and bustle of metropolis has left her feeling alienated and more of a freak than she could have imagined. Torrent, the town where she grew up, on the other hand, has so much more to offer—friends, family and acceptance of her 'special' breed of talent. Red quickly makes up her mind to return home. The warm embrace of her parents and grandmother are alluring, but the mysterious stranger she bumps into on the path to Grandma's might just sweeten the deal.

~Excerpt~ Radine “Red” Hood had to laugh at the irony of the scene as she sauntered through the woods—the forest, her cape, the basket in her hands, all were reminiscent of her favorite childhood fairy tale. Why even her name, Red Hood, fit in with the scenario. She usually didn't walk to Grandma Casey’s house, as the path was not the shortest way to get there. Plus, since the freeway had been constructed there was really no need for her to walk. Today however, she was feeling nostalgic. She had been visiting her parents and felt like she needed to see Grandma Casey as well. It had been a few years since she had been home. Busy in the city getting settled and starting a new job, time had flown and years passed before she knew it, Red hadn't realized how much she had missed home until her mom called and invited her for the weekend. Red wasn't going to pass up home-cooked meals and a chance to visit her grandmother; they were things she was missing tremendously. Looking overhead at the sunlight filtering through the beautiful canopy of trees, Red thought about what a perfect day it was. She glanced around, and realized that, while the path was in the middle of the woods, it wasn’t exactly secluded. A secret lover could easily sneak up on her, but then someone else just as easily might find them in the midst

of their lovemaking. Both thoughts excited her causing her body to tingle and her nipples to harden. Biting her lip Red looked around again and then decided to be brave. Running her hands down her body, she imagined they were her mystery lover's hands. Cupping her breasts, she closed her eyes and imagined he had snuck up behind her, wrapped his arms around her. He tugged her nipples playfully and they grew hard under his ministrations. She moved her hand down her body, imagining a hard body behind hers, a rigid cock pressing into her back. She unbuttoned the top of her pants, moved her hand inside, touching herself. Her panties were already wet thinking about her mystery lover. She pushed her fingers inside, moved them in and out and imagined the feel of her lover's cock filling her pussy as she came hard. She felt her pussy clenching around her fingers, milking them like they would a cock. The tingling sensation raced through her body, she shuddered and then relaxed. Looking around, Red was relieved to see she was still alone on the path. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but the desire to have more than what she did was starting to become a necessity. Red knew that sometime soon she wanted more—getting herself off was getting old and lonely. She wanted more than a vibrator or her hand; she wanted love and warmth, to be held after sex, and to know that there was someone always there for her. After she tucked in her shirt and made sure the cloak was wrapped around her shoulders properly, she continued on her way to Grandma's house. Her mind wandered, questions about her life in the city drifting through her thoughts as she lazily sauntered up the path, a small breeze blowing gently against her skin. Was she truly happy? Was what she needed outside of Torrent? She had discovered early on that you could be very lonely in a city full of people, especially when you came from a town where everyone practically knew what you were thinking before you could voice it yourself. In the past year, Red realized that her life in the city was not as fulfilling as she had thought it would be. She had to hide who she really was in the city, as well. Everyone in Torrent knew she was different, that she had a talent. Hers was giving energy to people through the food she cooked, but in the city she had to try and tone it down, hide who she was. While talents such as hers may be normal in Torrent, outside of the town they weren’t as accepted. “Witch hunts” and stake-burnings may have been a thing of the past, but there were plenty of people who didn’t understand someone who had a gift. There was an extra potential pitfall to her ability. If she put the wrong emotion into a food she was making, it could cause someone to have a shift in their life that they weren’t expecting. Red learned long ago that she had to be careful about focusing on cooking and what she was feeling. She remembered the time she was angry with her best friend, Cassie. Red recalled coming home from school and putting all that anger into the dough for a batch of chocolate chip cookies for her grandmother. When her dad came home he was in a great mood—things had gone well at the bakery that day. He had picked up a cookie and began eating it, and all of a sudden he was yelling and screaming. It was funny now, but at the time her mom had rushed in, looked around the kitchen to see what was going on, realized Red had been baking, and threw out all the cookies. Red had to start baking all over again. Lesson learned, Red thought. Red had a few friends in the city, but no one as close as the ones she had left behind in her hometown. She wasn't enjoying being away from her parents as much as she

imagined she would. Red had always had the freedom of being able to go where she wanted and do pretty much what she wanted. Growing up in a small town, especially one frequented by psychics, meant she could never cut lose without fear of recrimination. Her parents didn’t have to worry about her as everyone in town always looked after everyone else, the kids especially, but it could be stifling. She hadn’t realized how much she had talked to them, or felt comfort in their presence until she had left. She also really missed her grandmother. Her Grandma Casey, Dad’s mom, had been a daily part of her life forever. Growing up with Grandma Casey around had been an extraordinary experience. Grandma had her own talents, storytelling being one of them. Grandma had the best stories and the best pies so Red's friends always wanted to be at her house. Red shook her head at the memories, smiling at the mental images of her younger self. She wondered if everyone was as idealistic as she had been. Things had changed quite a bit since she had been away, even in the Torrent Forest. The trees had been thinned, making the forest a little less dark. Ground cover had been planted and fall flowers were peeking through the foliage. Red saw rooftops a little bit off the path, and some cleared roads. Houses. That was a new development since she had left for the city. Shivering a little, she wondered who would live in the forest like that. Outside of the big bad wolf from her fairy tale and the witch that ate children, she couldn’t think of anyone. Whenever Red entered the forest she felt a sense of foreboding, like something was waiting for her just out of sight. She thought she had grown out of being scared by it so she put her shivering down to the chilliness of early October. She started to think maybe walking wasn't the smartest thing she had done once she realized that she would have to pass closer to the houses than she wanted. She had become more careful about walking alone in places she was unfamiliar with since living in the city. She grimaced as she realized that what she thought of as her forest had become unfamiliar. She did recall hearing her parents talking last night about the new sheriff in town. Maybe he was one of the ones who lived out here. While she walked, Red unconsciously ran her fingers over the button holes, realizing how soft and worn the velvet cape had become. Grandma made the black velvet cape almost eight years ago, saying that if she was going to star in a fairytale she had to have the proper look. She would laugh each time Red visited, saying someday the big, bad wolf would show up and keep Red for himself. Red ran her hands over the cloak, reveling in the softness. It had been a long time since she had touched anyone, or anyone had touched her. It was almost sad. She shook her head but indulged just a little more, twirling around on the path as if she were dancing with the imaginary lover. Maybe this was the fantasy she should have played out-a masked ball, where she didn't recognize the man who held her, but he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Of Course I Try Copyright © 2010 by Seleste deLaney Love is a wonderful thing. Unless you don't get a choice in the matters of your own heart. Jocelyn has loved Max since the day she met him. Even when he scares her enough to leave, she can't resist going back. No matter how many times she tries to break free from him, she ends up in his arms and bed again. Not this time. Jocelyn needs to be free and Max isn't going to stop her from walking away—no matter how hard he tries.

~Excerpt~ When I came to his house tonight, I'd come to say goodbye. I remember that, even as his hands cup my breasts, squeezing them tenderly and rolling my nipples between his fingers. By the time Max lowers his head and sucks one tightened bud into his mouth, I can't recall why I wanted to leave. Candles and patchouli incense burn in the room as my body writhes against sage sheets so soft they feel like silk. They aren't, though. I know his silk sheets—they’re black. The low light and spicy scent play on my senses, intoxicating me until the room disappears. All I know are his hands and mouth on my body. Rough and soft. Dry and wet. Cool and warm. His lips cover mine, and I give myself to the kiss as he reaches down and tugs off my panties. I'm wearing the lace ones. I'd come to say goodbye wearing the black lace panties he loves. But by the time they're gone, I don't consider why I'd do something like that because Max's mouth has left mine and traced a line down my abdomen. I know I should fight this, but I can't. I don't want to. I want Max—for as long as he'll have me. Rough hands cup my ass as he wedges my legs apart with his shoulders. Then despite, or maybe because of, the little moans that betray me, his lips travel lower,

trailing kisses down to the inside of my thigh. His breath tickles as he hovers there, reaching out his tongue to trace a shape on my skin. It's a heart. I don't know how I know, but I'm sure. "Please, Max—" A little voice in my head screams that I should finish the sentence with "stop", but I don't. I can't. A deep chuckle vibrates against my clitoris, making a shiver run all the way to my toes. Then his magical tongue caresses the already sensitive nub, and I cry out. He sucks it into his mouth just to the line where pain and pleasure meet—treading it but never crossing over. I'm helpless beneath him, a prisoner to my body's yearnings. My back arches off the relative safety of the bed, and Max takes full advantage. With the ease of years of practice, his hands slide beneath me, pulling me closer to him as his tongue delves into me. I can't think anymore. I can only feel. The pressure of his hands on my ass. The silky motion of his tongue inside me. The rough grazing of his teeth. My hands clutch at the soft, green sheets and ball them in my fists as pleasure rips through me. I've never experienced orgasms like this with anyone else. Only Max. Wave after wave of sensation as my muscles contract around his tongue. It's never stopped moving, never stopped drawing me to my peak. I cry out his name. The only word that matters. Max. Soon enough, I can't even feel. Then there is nothing. When I wake in the morning, everything is hazy. I remember coming over, remember the sex. The incredible, mind-altering sex, but then I'm blank. It isn't the first time. There's a note on the pillow next to me. Jocelyn, I'm glad you came back. You have no idea how much I missed you. Love forever, Max Something clicks in my brain, and I realize it isn't the first time I've read those words either.