Page 1 of Blue Embers
1
Killian Valentyne
. . .
Almost dying in an explosion when death hadn’t run her chilling nails up my spine in centuries was a bit of a shock, but I was Killian Valentyne. I’d survived much more potent threats. Of course, knowing something was out there that could put Draak immortality to a real test certainly was an eye-opener. Still, I was hard to put down.
It was another Saturday and I was buried inside another fine woman listening to her cries as I brought her to orgasm. I would never tire of that sound. I hadn’t after four centuries and I suspected I wouldn’t for centuries to come.
Liza was a lovely young lady with curves men worshipped and raven curls that never fell out of place, even while in the throes of ecstasy. While she did the job of sating my sexual appetite, however, she was a simple-minded creature with shallow and short-sighted desires. In short, she was straightforwardly dull. Her thoughts were small and her ambitions smaller. It made for little to no conversation. That’s what I enjoyed about Liza. She never asked questions and she never tried to engage in any deep chats that might leave her sounding as uneducated as she looked. She knew she was generic, in a certain sense, and didn’t act as if she was anything else. Unfortunately, that day she had to go and break that cycle.
Liza rolled over onto her back atop the mattress once she’d stopped her pleasured moans, biting her lip with a catty smile. She batted her long lashes at me, her round, perky breasts uncovered and delicious. I leaned in to kiss her rouge lips until the words that came out of them suddenly stole the arousal from my body like air from a punctured balloon.
“Put your mark on me,” she said with an excited grin.
My movements paused, any traces of enjoyment wiped away. I frowned, almost appalled she’d even ask me after our initial agreement months ago.
“Not today, love,” I said with a displeased sigh as I rolled off the bed and onto my feet.
“Aww, Valentyne,” she whined, trying to be cute. She was like a needy cat starving for attention. “We do this so often. Why not make it official? What if I get pregnant and burn up and give birth to one of those half-breed Pikes? What then?”
I chuckled, stepping into a pair of white, cotton pants. “It’s not that easy,” I told her. “We’ve been through this. I would have towantto impregnate you.”
She stood up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and pressing her cheek to the middle of my back, but this wasn’t who we were. We weren’t a couple and I certainly had no desire to be.
Lightly peeling her arms off of me, I turned, pushing her hair behind her ear. She was pouting like a young girl, her bottom lip jutted out with disappointment.
“Sweet Liza,” I said with a smile, speaking to her like the child she pretended to be. “It would appear you’ve forgotten our little agreement. So, unfortunately, this is the last time you’ll be coming here.”
“What?” she said, her face twisting like she was about to cry.
I slipped on a grey t-shirt and walked out of the room before she could say anything else that would make me forget that we did indeed have some amazing times together.
“Best not soil the memories, love.” I waved over my shoulder, leaving her to get dressed as I exited down the hall. “Malisa will have your last payment when you leave.”
I walked myself up the white stairs of my luxurious modern house, taking in a deep breath of the bright morning, which bathed the entire mansion’s interior in white light from the many windows and glass walls that made it. Sliding my hand along the silver railing to the second floor, I waltzed to the master bedroom, a hop in my step. Yes, I had to let go of Liza, a woman who lasted longer than most, but there was always new excitement in finding another woman to fill that position. My tastes were broad, in gender and appearance, provided they knew how to please.
Stepping through the frosted glass door into the master bedroom, I was met with the sweet, citrus smell that swept in from the open balcony door. Slick, white floors glistened in the morning light. Sheer curtains blew inward like the hair on a beautiful woman standing in the wind. Light blue satin sheets and a fluffy comforter pulled halfway down were straightened and neat on the bed I rarely used, which sat atop a thick, glass platform that glowed watery cyan in low light. I certainly never invited anyone to roll around up here. This place was my sanctuary. Books lined the walls on glass shelves, all antiques collected from eras that appealed most to me. A set of spiral stairs led to a loft where I had arranged a reading area for use on particularly dark days.
Stretching, I walked to the open door and emerged on the terrace, taking in the crisp morning air. No Draakir duties could ever be better than this freedom. A freedom that brought a smile to my lips every day. Below the hill on which the mansion was built, the bright, blue ocean danced gently along the sandy shores, the hushing sound of swaying water adding to the serenity.
“Mr. Valentyne?” a French tone cut through the silence of my sanctuary.
Rolling my eyes, I spun around to see Malisa’s glaring face like a sharp arrow pointed right at me. She was a strong presence. Short and a bit round, but she stood like she was ten feet tall.
“What can I do for you, beautiful?” I spoke in the charming tone I knew the grumpy, old woman disliked.
She was a sight, her salt and pepper curls always piled on her head in a style from her youth. She wore the same type of dress every day with a flower pin of a different color each time. Conservative was barely the word to describe her.
“Liza has left?” Malisa said.
I walked in from the terrace and grumbled with annoyance.
“She asked the question,” I complained.
“And? Say no. Now I must find another woman to fill your needs. Such a hassle. You don’t think I have better things to do? Do you think it’s fun for me to hear these poor ladies cry over you? You charm them too much.” She pointed a chiding finger. “I always tell you. Fuck them and get them out. Stop making them fall in love with you.”
“Malisa.” I narrowed my eyes with an amused grin. “Watch your dirty mouth. It’s not ladylike.”
