Page 28 of Club Blood

“I know you won’t,” I said reassuringly. “In total transparency, however, Warren will be making his appearance tomorrow morning. He is . . . taking his timeenjoyingthe conference.”

“Can we trust Warren?”

“You’ve known him as long as I have,” I said confidently, “He has been one of our biggest assets, even being states away. He is an incredible addition to the coven.”

“But I am still your second?” she pleaded. My mouth curled in disgust at her blatant begging. I found myself nodding, although I loathed to do it.

“For now,” I mused. She stiffened against my back again, turning me around so that our bodies were flush against one another. I could feel her nipples against my own, and the reassuring touch made me suck the bottom of my lip in contemplation.

I didn’tneedhelp finding my own release tonight, but she was always sowilling.

“You need blood,” she noted. I nodded again. Was my thirst so blatantly obvious to everyone? “Drink from me, it’ll make you feel better.”

Pleasure and thirst were so tightly entwined, one increasing the desire for the other. Drinking from another you were sleeping with was always such an intimate experience. I didn’t want Narcissa’s company tonight, but the burn in my throat was hard to ignore.

My mouth opened on its own accord, my lips outlining the tips of my fangs as I lowered my mouth to her neck. Sat nestled so sweetly in the place outside her collarbone were two pin-pricked scars. My teeth found their place effortlessly. I hesitated for a moment, closing my eyes to relish the excitement that pounded through me. The burn in my throat egged me on, convincing me that I would positively die without her thick, syrupy blood waterfalling down it.

“Just do it,”

I waited for a second longer, insistent on making the choice to drink from her myself, not by her attempts to seduce me by breaking my restraint. My teeth punctured her skin, and my mouth latched on to her, letting her blood coat the insides of my mouth. Desire rushed through me as I sucked on her skin, feeling the give and pull as her blood found me.

Narcissa moaned from under me, her hands finding her own breasts, tugging at the tips. My hands wrapped around her neck, my eyes creasing as satisfaction rolled through me. Cecelia stood before me, my hands roaming her body in my vision. My mouth connected to her, the desire from us both filling the room with so much content and absolute pleasure that I practically moaned from the power of it all myself.

When the burn in my throat subsided, my vision becoming clearer, I tore away from Narcissa as she manifested before me, wiping my mouth. Cecelia would have been a far more enjoyable sight to behold. Instead, the perfect body of my second was enough to tear me from my fantasy. Narcissa was unaware that I had detached myself from her, her hand sliding down and finding her own wet heat, feeling around unabashedly.

I stepped away from her, wiping my mouth of blood once more, and locked my eyes on the door. I hoped to God Cecelia would be there, picturing her touching herself into release, so passionately that it made her pass out from pleasure. I would return to her tomorrow. Her acceptance of my touching her, of my claiming of her body even after she was kidnapped from her home and her life, was a hell of a turn-on.

“Narcissa, I need you to leave,” I said with a tone of finality. She opened her eyes, her hand still situated between her pretty thighs, daring me. We stood in silence a moment too long before she succumbed to my command.

“Of course, myqueen,” she seethed in disappointment, walking with no attempt to hide her nakedness as she pulled on the double doors, opening them wide.

“I suppose I don’t have the same draw as the human girl. You will tire of her, Mercy.”

“Get out,” I commanded, watching her as she shrugged before slinking out into the hallway. My room was mine once more, and I brought my hand to rub at the tension building in my temples.

“Tomorrow morning I expect you in my office when I call!” I screamed after her, hearing no confirmation. I rolled my eyes, her comfort in my presence would need to be checked soon, and be loud enough that she would think twice before treating me like her plaything, instead of her being mine.

I rolled onto my bed, pillows plumped behind me as I ignored the duvet. I was not ashamed of my body, or the pleasures it sought to find. My hand trailed down my skin, finding my ready folds and enveloping my fingers in them.

I touched myself, thinking of nothing but the sweetness of my human and how powerful I was, taking her as my own. Cecelia’s name was only a whisper across my lips as I came apart on top of the covers.

18

CECELIA

The rays seepingthrough the curtains woke me from my post-orgasm slumber, leaving me groggy and a little disgruntled that I wasn’t still asleep, dreaming of Mercy buried between my thighs. My head cleared only slightly when I showered, washing away the remnants of the night before.

I was once again immensely grateful for the clothes Mercy had purchased for me when I found a pair of charcoal-gray ribbed leggings and a hoodie to match. There was an assortment of camisoles to choose from and I pulled one on, feeling it cling to my curves before sliding my hoodie on over it. It was rare for women to be able to dress for comfort and not style without being judged for it, and I was grateful to be able to lounge around.

Was I ignoring the fact that I was technically being held captive by a bunch of fucking crazy vampires? Yes. Did it make me screwed up that I still wanted to kiss Mercy senselessly? A little. I never claimed to be smart.

The compound seemed quiet as I slipped out of my bedroom. It was past noon which meant that most of the Known would be away for the day. While they never had to actually sleep, a number of them would slip away to rest while the sun was up.

It was a fascination to us humans when the Known revealed themselves. There was so much lore, so many movies, books, and shows, that nobody could really comprehend what it meant to have vampires actually exist. It was easy to assume that vampires slept in coffins, turned into bats, and could be burned into a pile of ash within a second of being in the sun. It took weeks for us to understand that we would have to learn what was lore and reality, even if reality now seemed like a bad fever dream.

Older vampires were, unsurprisingly, stronger and able to withstand a lot more than any of the newborns. Baby bloodsuckers would need to rest whenever the sun was up and consume a lot more blood than the others, usually as soon as the sun went down. They also could never be in the sun, ever, without turning to smoke and ash.

But vampires like Mercy, well, they were different. The older vampires needed little to no rest – although some did enjoy the routine of it – and could survive without feeding constantly. I had learned, through copious amounts of fascinated, frenzied research with Laura, that older vampires could even withstand being in the sun for small amounts of time before it became dangerous.

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