Page 18 of Cruel Vampire King

“I’d like that,” I said, feeling bold.

Greyson smiled, pleased. He sat behind me and pressed his hands into my shoulder blades. “Lean into me.”

Following that order was… difficult. Leaning against him put me in a vulnerable position. He could move aside suddenly, and I’d be left tumbling to the forest floor. I did it anyway, trying to enjoy the warmth of his touch, the feeling of his strong handsagainst my back. Anything to erase this lingering feeling in my gut that said I wished it was Luken with his hands on me.

A subtle heat spread from his hands. It sank into my body, soothing the lingering pain along the way. I let out a sigh, letting my eyes close. It felt tingly, like the touch of a feather. As the magic worked its way through me, it spread down my arms, wrapped around my torso, and sank into the core of me.

“Don’t be alarmed if it turns you on,” Greyson murmured in my ear, too quietly for the others. “Elvish magic sometimes has that effect on other species. It’s why elves are so popular as doctors.”

I bit my lip as the tingling grew stronger. I felt the vaguest sense of arousal, but I pressed my teeth a little harder into my lip. The dull pain reminded my body of the consequences, and any sense of arousal I had disappeared. The warmth eased my ragged lungs and allowed some of the pain to disappear. However, when Greyson’s hands started to drift downward, I pulled away.

“I think that’s enough for now,” I told him.

“Are you sure? I can still sense damage,” he answered seriously. “I could do an even better job with direct skin contact.”

I scooted away from him. “I see. Sorry, Greyson. You can’t make me forget there are cameras on us. I don’t want to be featured on the porn sites.”

Greyson laughed and raised his hands. “You got me there! But you should try to rest. We’re going to have a busy few days ahead of us. We should all rest… while we can.”

I nodded, understanding the wisdom of his words. I stretched out on the ground, finding a comfortable spot. Thekelpie flank spat and hissed over the fire; I’d eat some in the morning. For now… a yawn stretched my jaw. For now, I needed to sleep.

***

Ysara took second watch. Just before dawn, she woke us. “We should get moving. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

I rubbed my tired eyes and reached for my pack. My staff sat nearby—Thessa had retrieved it after the kelpie took me below the surface—and I used it to help get myself to my feet. My muscles ached and protested, but they’d ease off soon enough, I was sure.

An arrow sailed through the air and struck Greyson’s shoulder. Thessa screamed as she lunged for her sword. Ysara shifted to wolf form, and Kael snatched up his double-sided axe. I twisted, searching the trees where the arrow came from. Greyson let out a raged howl and threw his hand outward, yelling a harsh language. Flames burned from the tips of his fingers, shooting towards the trees. They burst into flame.

A human stumbled from the trees, a burning, ruining bow in his hands. He shouted as he slapped at the flames. The rest of his team leaped from the bushes, shouting as they charged us in turn. I whirled, striking my staff across the back of an elf that went for Thessa. The elf whirled, laughing when her eyes landed on me.

The elf abandoned Thessa and came at me, wielding a double-bladed weapon. She spun and danced like a snowflake blowing on the wind. It was all I could do to keep her from striking at me. Her wrist flicked, and I spun away, using my staff to block the blade that bit at my neck. She was tall and lithe butstronger than she looked. My staff was forced backward, nearly knocking me in the head.

My lungs burned, proving that I hadn’t yet recovered. My movements were slower than usual, my muscles weak. I ground my teeth and feinted to the left. As the elf dodged that way, I used my staff to vault myself to the right. I jumped onto the elf’s back and brought the staff down on her hands. The blades skittered away on the ground. Locking my legs around her waist and my elbows around my staff, I brought it back to slam into her throat. I growled through the spike of pain that wound through me as I pulled with all my strength, crushing the elf’s throat.

She went down, gasping and gurgling. I released her and yanked my staff free. I whirled just in time to see an orc behind me. He swung a longsword at me, and I rolled out of the way. The slice of the blade hit the end of my braid, cutting through it cleanly.

At least it’ll be a quick death if he gets me. I laughed to myself as I rolled to my feet and dug my heels into the ground. Having lost the element of surprise, the orc backed off half a step. His eyes were wary as he circled to my left. The sounds of fighting from my team sounded in my ears, but I blocked them out, focusing solely on the threat facing me. The orc lunged, and I dodged, smacking him in the face with the staff. It hardly seemed to bother him.

“You could switch teams, you know,” the orc growled in a gravely voice. “Join us. We’re stronger.”

I didn’t bother engaging, swirling in below to jab the staff into his groin. There was no switching teams. The orc’s face went white as he stumbled back, dropping the longsword. I rolled for it, and the orc lashed out, kicking me in the face. He knockedme over and leapt on me. His fists rained into my face, breaking my already broken nose further. Blood pooled at the back of my strength.

The assault paused. I gasped for air as the orc lifted a rock in two hands over his head. Fear bolted through me, and I tried to throw him off, but he was too solid. Suddenly, he was yanked backward. His weight left me and I was able to roll to the side as the rock fell heavy into the earth. Tawny paws wrapped around his shoulders and dragged him back from me as Thessa’s jaws closed over his head.

How such a little woman could shift into such a huge panther, I didn’t know. Her teeth cut through bone and sinew without effort and she tore the orc’s head clean off. She bounced back, spitting the head out.

That was twice she saved my life. And this time when she shifted back, there was no horror in her face. Just bleak determination. She strode over to me and held out her hand. I grabbed it and groaned as she pulled me to my feet.

“Are you okay?” she asked, then winced. “Your face…”

“I’ll be fine.” I touched my throbbing nose. It was nothing compared to getting burned alive. “You hurt?”

Thessa shook her head. Gods, but she had a knack for avoiding injury. I glanced at the others. Kael was already going through the pockets of our attackers. They were all dead, and we were all alive. My heart hammered, and I tried not to examine my feelings too closely.

“I’ll be fine, thanks for asking,” Greyson groaned. Ysara was tending to his shoulder.

Kael kicked the head of the decapitated orc aside. “We have to get moving. There will be more where they came from.”

---