Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Read online

  "So we need her to be alive and well? But there's no way we can trust her, my dear. The life she was given by her mother and father will be extinguished, ridding us from this Vatacan scum,"

  "Can I eat her?" Boris asked as he licked his lips. "I'm hungry, and all I've been doing for the last few hours is run," Boris growled.

  "Make sure she suffers as long as possible. I want her to know that choices have consequences, and hers brought us to this moment."

  "With pleasure," Boris sneered as he stepped up to the cell. I turned my back to them and stepped toward the staircase when she started crying, cursing and sobbing. "Cry all you want, little girl, but no one is there to save you this time. I do wonder though," I said glancing over my shoulder. "Was it worth it? Do you think your life was well spent?"

  Harma was about to burst into tears. We just needed to push her a little further, but there was no need. She'd die cursing her own bad luck, and life's terrible choices. After all, there was no emotion as strong as regret, which could anker our very soul to a place. I've seen them before in the woods around the estate.

  Boris opened the cell door and snatched her off the bed. Harma dropped to the cold, stone floor screaming in both fear and pain. Taking his time, he dragged her from the cell and drew out the moment much longer than necessary.

  "Wait! No! I'll give you more information! I'll dig it up personally from the keep's vault! Don't let him eat me!"

  I grinned at how easy this had been. Was she royalty? The usual zealots would endure the torture of any magnitude without spilling as much as she did with just a slap across her face. And a couple of broken bones.

  Boris murmured something about how weak the clergy had become and dropped her legs. She cried out again as they hit the floor with a thud. Sobbing, she tried to push herself up, but with a mangled arm, it was a bit harder than she thought it would be.

  "What do you propose, little girl?" I asked, leaning in close to her face again. I could feel the disapproval from my ladies as they watched the interchange, but I was rather enjoying myself after a long time with a prisoner. To be honest, it was quite disappointing in how long she lasted, though.

  "I-I'll swear an oath, take any curse on my body or will agree to any binding you can think off! I swear! I'll serve you from now on! As a spy, maybe! Yes! Or whenever you need to get in somewhere!"

  "Katya?" I asked, raising my head to meet her gaze. She nodded slowly.

  "She speaks the truth. I'm rather at a loss for how the hell she could climb so high with such a weak will, but whatever. She's honest for now."

  I nodded thoughtfully before staring into Harma's eyes again.

  "Heal up. You have a day to mend your wounds and recover whatever energy you can. We're postponing the trip until tomorrow. Make sure she doesn't leave this place, Katya. And Selene, put some nasty curses on her. More than the standard."

  "Yes, my lord," Katya replied with a grin.

  "Oh, how I'm going to enjoy this," Selene whispered. It was much more than a whisper as all of us heard her just fine. Harma gulped as the two women approached.

  Boris walked after me, staring holes in my back. I knew that he wanted to ask me something, or he'd storm out before I managed to make it to the stairs. I wasn't going to make it easy on him, though. If he wanted to talk, he was free to do so. Though it gave me a kick every time he tried to be polite during our negotiations', or whatever you call it. I didn't think it was fear, though, but rather respect?

  "I want to expand my pack," he suddenly said once we reached the main room. What he said caught me off guard for a split second, but I didn't let it show.

  "Sure. How many?"

  "A full pack. I'm not talking about the random roamers, but my own pack. I want to have fifteen of them."

  I stopped walking and turned to meet his stare. He wasn't nervous in the slightest, nor did he appear to harbor ill will. I should know since he was bound to me.

  "Sure, but you take no one from Zharevo unless they don't have any family, and agree to it."

  "I have already lined up five candidates. Three men and two women, all without any family."

  "Go ahead then," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. "But don't get any funny ideas. I think you're treated quite generously here. Especially with all the blood infusions that are making you as strong as you are."

  "I won't lie. Some things crossed my mind, but it would be too bothersome. I don't stand a chance alone against such enemies, so I'm happy with what I got for now. If that should change at any given time, I'll be sure to let you know eye to eye."

  "Good, make sure you keep your word. Now, I got something to take care of before we leave."

  With a flourish, I turned back around and moved up the new staircase that lead to the keep's second floor, private only to my ladies and me. Boris stormed off in a hurry slamming the door shut behind him. I sighed. At least he'd come out openly and told me what he wanted. Way better than plotting behind my back. Now to take care of one last thing before we headed out.

  Chapter Five

  "Took you long enough," Tierney said as I entered the lone Northern tower. The room was vast and lavishly furnished just for her. Only Katya and Hana knew that she stayed here occasionally, but it couldn't be helped.

  "Yeah. A lot of things happened over the last two days. Speaking of which, when did you come back?" I asked, dropping beside her on the pile of animal pelts. Her naked body was enticing for me to take her as she lay there. The way she breathed and bit her lower lip promised me a world of pleasure.

  "Do you have time?"

  "If I want to, yes. Why? You want everyone to hear how loud I can make you scream?"

  "Maybe," she whispered, wiggling her ass onto my lap and pushing her breasts right into my face. I had to say it was hard to deny her' charms', but in the end, it was for the better. There were many things we needed to discuss, and doing so while ravaging her wouldn't work out very well.

  "Not tonight, love," I replied as I bit down on her right breast drawing blood. She yelped and sank her teeth in my neck, drawing mine in turn. I could feel her shudder as my power became part of her own. "We need to talk about your sister," I said after I had enough of an appetizer.

  She stopped abruptly and pulled back, her pupils dilated, but still focused on mine.

  "What now? Was she here again?"

  I shook my head and laid back down on the furs.

  "No, but Freya was. She told me some-- things about her, the clergy and me personally. I have a son now."

  "What? That's preposterous!"

  "I thought so too, but Katya said that Freya was honest, and you know how good she is at mind-reading. What's more, Freya turned out to be a deity of sorts. I have no idea who she is, but the moth woman tripped Katya's highest ward. The one where you need to be extremely powerful to activate the damn thing."

  "Shit. What else did she say?" Tierney asked as her long fingernails scraped along my chest sending shivers up my spine. She knew how much I loved it.

  "That he was the son of a deity, partially, and that your sister is turning him into something very dark. Oh, and he has the same Dracul gene as I do."

  "Double shit! And here I thought I had good news," she cursed and dropped beside me.

  "What good news?"

  "Well, there was mention of an ancient keep that was supposedly razed to the ground by an order that called themselves Order of the Dragon. It's said that they sacrificed thousands to stop great evil thousands of years ago."

  "And you're saying this why?"

  "Huh? What do you mean why?" she asked, leaning her head on my chest. "An ancient evil that threatened to engulf the whole world into darkness was buried in that keep. Don't you think it would be worth checking out?"

  "Maybe, but first I need to get rid of the portal and find my son," I said, caressing her long, dark hair. A flash of lightning illuminated the mostly dark room, announcing the arrival of rain. Soon I smelled the ozone in the air before raindrops star
ted hammering the roof above our head.

  "Where is it? The keep I mean."

  "It used to be in a place called Bran. We could be there overnight if you fly us."

  I remained quiet, unsure of what to do. Finding Vlad and destroying the portal should be the priority, but when it came to Tierney, there wasn't much I could say no to. She was the epitome of beauty, darkness and rough sex, lust, and pleasure. Still, rationality won out this time, but only by a hair's breadth.

  "We need to stop them from attacking this place while we're gone. I plan to visit Bran with only you as an escort. When we do, I don't want to worry about the town and the people we're leaving behind."

  She nodded and put her head down on my chest once more. I couldn't help but trace my finger along with the scars that covered her back. Tierney didn't seem to matter anymore, unlike the first time we had sex here in the tower. She flipped out, attacking me and demanding I never did it again.

  "Do you think we'll be able to survive the upcoming storm?" she asked, her voice a tone weaker than it had been seconds ago. What could I even answer to such a question?

  "I don't know. But if possible, I don't want you to die with me. You've lived for hundreds of years, why throw it away over a newborn baby Vampyre?"

  "Because I'm drawn to power and to-- you. We're connected by something much more than mere blood and a sire-bond."

  "And what if I dissolve my bond over you?" I asked.

  "Huh? I'm your sire, not the other way around. Remember who turned you?"

  "Just kidding. You're too cute when you get upset. Those dark eyes and pitch-black hair. Your breasts and neck, your scent, your blood, and your life. I love it all."

  "What about the girls?"

  "I-- don't know. Katya is my favorite among the three, but you're something else entirely. Though try and keep it for yourself, will you?"

  "Only if you let me take care of you, even if only for a minute," she whispered, grabbing my cock with her right hand. I couldn't help it that I'd gone rock hard the moment I laid my eyes on her. After all, she was a goddess in her own right.

  Tierney lowered her head and kissed the tip, playfully, slowly. I leaned on my elbows and looked down at her blazing eyes as her mouth opened, taking in all my length with an ease that was beyond me.

  "I love you," she whispered in my mind. I growled sitting up and planted my hand atop her head, then pushed her down all the way. My cock touched all the way up to her throat, but I wanted to go deeper, so I pushed down even harder. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, as she tried not to gag, but she couldn't help herself.

  "Do you love me still?" I hissed. She nodded her head slightly.

  "I will always love you, even if you tear me apart and eat my heart," she whispered again. The telepathic link sure came in handy sometimes, I thought but then let go of her head. She didn't pull back but stayed like that as her cheeks turned crimson. Using her tongue, she slid all around my length as she tried to suck me at the same time.

  "Oh, you nasty little creature, you sure like it rough and dirty, huh?" I groaned.

  She nodded again before she pulled her head up. Spit dribbled down her lip and the corners of her mouth. Tierney wiped it away with a piece of cloth she produced from the coffee table and took me all in again before she started moving her head up and down as she grabbed my balls with one hand, and the base of my shaft with the other.

  "Can I make you cum?" she asked, our eyes still holding contact. I smirked and nodded my head slowly as she kept on moving her head steadily. I looked down in between her arms at her swaying breasts. Her long, hard nipples enticed me to bite them.

  "Fucking come here already!" I snapped and pulled her up, then turned her around on her belly and spread her legs apart. With practiced ease, I aligned the tip of my cock with her ass and thrust it inside.

  "No!" she hissed. "Not there again!"

  "Yes, there! I told you I didn't want to do it tonight, yet you still insisted. This is what you get when you ask for trouble, my queen!"

  My hips started slamming against her ass, leaving them red after the fourth time. Tierney's fingers dug into the animal hides as she bit down on a fox's head.

  "More! Faster!" she pleaded through screams of pleasure. I moved my hand between her legs and thrust two fingers inside. It was all it took for her muscles to contract and cum. I never stopped thrusting as I looked down at her scarred back. Before I could even try and pull out, my cock tensed up and released gout after gout of white cum up her ass.

  "You meany!" Tierney cried as she pulled herself off me and lay atop a bear-hide.

  "Shut it. This wasn't even half as rough as last time. Next time I'll use my shadows to fill up your throat, pussy, and your ass at the same time. I'd like to see how you'd deal with that."

  "Fuck you, you big brute!" she snapped and threw a fur stole my way.

  "Whatever. Tell me you didn't like it and I'll never do it again."

  "Pfft! Yeah right! That cock belongs to me half of the time, to the rest of the world the other half. You better not forget that."

  "So, how about you clean it?"

  She groaned and summoned a ball of water in mid-air, then pushed it my way enveloping my length. It felt just like her pussy, but I couldn't say that. She might get offended and drown my dark magician.

  "Better?" she asked once I was clean again. I nodded and winked at her. "So, do you have time to sleep with me tonight? Or do you need to go?"

  "I have time since you've been such a good little girl."

  "I don't like it when you call me like that!"

  "And I told you I don't care. Come, lay in my arms," I said, spreading them for her. She sighed and snuggled into my body, her breasts against my chest and her face next to mine. "You're so beautiful," I whispered in her ear.

  "I know. And deadly. And dependable. And--"

  "Shh," I whispered, planting my lips on hers. "Let's enjoy this moment while it lasts."

  Tierney's eyes closed as she let herself go. Her cold breath intermingled with mine as we breathed slowly. It didn't take long for us to fall asleep laying there. Was this a farewell, I thought before I drifted off. Surely not, I hoped. But if it was, I couldn't have asked for a better one.

  Chapter Six

  "Wake up. You've been out of it for almost a day again," Katya's voice rang out in my mind. "Ivan!"

  I shook myself awake. Tierney groaned in my arms as I woke her up. I sat up cursing as I looked through the window. The sun was just setting again, which would make traveling through the night much more comfortable anyway.

  "I need to go. Katya and the prisoner are waiting for me," I said, kissing her forehead. She looked down at the fireplace. We never used it again after almost burning down the tower a month ago. But it sure was a beauty in its own right, sitting there covered in black and white marble tiles.

  "Can I come with?"

  "No. I promised Katya this would be our little trip. I can't go back on my word, now can I?"

  "I guess. Anyway, come home soon. I'll be waiting here in this tower until you do. Just so you know."

  "And if I die?"

  "Then I'll die waiting for you."

  I sighed and took her in my arms. There were no words with which I could actually describe what she made me feel. Sure, I loved the thrill of battle, of killing and of death, but life wasn't all that. She was the living proof that there was more to it.

  "See you soon. I'll be sure to bring back a present," I said before I turned to mist and slid through the window. Tierney ran after me, trying to catch me before I was out of reach, but her hand passed through the fog just like with Freya and me. I had to run because if I hadn't, I might have said something unfitting for the future Lord of Darkness. And that wouldn't do.

  Katya sat on a large wooden table inside the main hall with her legs crossed. The skintight blue dress she wore really didn't leave much to the imagination, especially with how the hem of her dress reached far above the knees. I could ev
en see she wasn't wearing anything beneath.

  "Katya? Are you ready, my love?" I asked as my body took shape at the front entrance.

  "Been ready for some hours now. Harma has already healed up, and Selene etched nine curses into her body. If she dares raise a hand against us, or even utter our names the wrong way or what we are in front of the Vatacan, her body will explode."

  "Good, good," I replied and turned to the woman.

  "Harma? You do realize we could do all this without you as well, right?" I asked. She nodded, but to my surprise, there was no malice in her demeanor. Instead, she looked more alive than when I first laid eyes on her.

  "I do, my Lord. Please, let me serve you to the best of my capabilities. And if I prove to be worthy, I would be happy to let my hair grow out for you. And-- do other things you ask of me."

  I looked over at Katya who shrugged and shook her head as if saying 'don't ask me.' Whatever. I'd find out once we hit the road.

  "Speaking of which, do you prefer a horse or flight?" I asked, turning to the Bishop.

  "Horse," my Lord. "Unless you want me to puke all over you."

  "Whatever. Prepare the--"

  "Already done while you were busy with-- mother."

  "Hey, don't call her like that! It's disgusting!" I snapped. She stuck her tongue out at me and looked away.

  "And so are you! But whatever. We can move out as soon as you feel like it, my Lord," Katya teased.

  "Good. Let's go then. I have places to be once we're done with the clergy."

  "Oh? What kind of places?" Katya asked as she pushed Harma on.

  "Wouldn't you like to know?"

  "If it involves Tierney and you fucking, then no. Otherwise, yes. I'm all ears."

  "Who's Tierney?" Harma asked.

  "Shut it!" Katya cursed and struck her with an icicle. "Don't ask stupid questions." Harma protected her face and yelped as the sharp projectile hit her arm, but otherwise remained silent.

  I sighed as we walked past the villagers and guards at the iron gate leading from Zharevo, my estate. The soldiers were well-armed and armored, watched the tree line vigilantly and didn't fool around. That kind of soldier was the best one, in my opinion, but they tended to burn out pretty quickly.