Page 39 of Across the Sapphire Sea
Spoken like a man who’d never worried for resources a day in his life. What must that be like?
Valeri was true to his word. They rode all night, stopping only to allow Elias to feed from a farmer’s cow because he didn’t want to hurt the farmer himself. Valeri had laughed at him, but in the end, he’d used his compulsion to calm the animal and shown Elias how to drink. The veins in the leg were easiest to get to, close to the surface and under a thinner layer of hide. The taste was awful, but Elias didn’t care.
The city of Rovaniemi still slumbered when they arrived in the early morning hours. They left the horses at a barn for boarding. Valeri tossed the sleepy groom an extra coin for the trouble of their early arrival. To Elias’s surprise, they continued on to the heart of the town, not some hidden-away cave. They passed by a tavern with colorful banners along the way and finally descended into an underground level of a small shop that sold leather goods.
Valeri fastened a complicated locking system behind them while Elias looked around. Though the rooms were pitch black, with his new vampiric vision he could still see the shape of things. Lounging furniture, carpets, a table and chairs, a hearth under a small fireplace, knick-knacks on the mantle, doors to other chambers. Much larger than the space they’d left behind, but similar in its lush decor. The rug was thick and soft beneath his feet.
Valeri began lighting the oil lamps, and the rich and vibrant color scheme revealed itself. Everything in deep jewel tones. Purple velvet fabric hung from the wall, gold brocade covered the lounge and chairs, the carpet a vivid sapphire blue. Even the brick of the fireplace had color, painted navy with a rich rust-brown wood mantle. He imagined the place in natural light; it would be so bright as to almost be garish, but under the gentle flickering glow of the lamps, the colors were pleasing to the eye.
“Welcome,” said his lover, voice pitched low and coming from very close to his back. Valeri’s hand landed on his hip. Elias was instantly interested.
He leaned back against Valeri’s chest. “It’s beautiful.”
“I hoped you’d like it.” Valeri pressed them together, his cock hard against Elias’s backside.
Grinning, Elias turned in his arms. “You have a knack for picking very luxurious carpets. I’d like to see how this one feels against my hands and knees.”
Valeri kissed him quickly. “That could be easily arranged, my sweet.”
“Light the fire?” Elias began to strip.
“My pleasure.”
Perhaps the best way to get comfortable in a new home was to earn a decent rug burn in front of a crackling flame.
Valeri worked him slowly, inch by inch, leaving no part untouched. Elias gave himself over to his lover’s whims. Tonight he wanted to be fucked, and he didn’t really care how. Besides, Valeri was a master at the how. First on his back, so he could watch. Then on his knees, like he’d requested. And seated in Valeri’s lap to finish.
When they were both satiated and sticky, they collapsed together on the pretty blue carpet and stared at the ceiling. Elias threw a leg over Valeri’s thigh.
Valeri grasped his hand and laced their fingers. “You approve of the carpet selection, then?”
Elias squeezed. “Wholeheartedly.”
The pops and snaps of the fire crackled in the background, and the warm air felt divine on his naked skin. Elias stretched his legs and rolled to his side against Valeri. With his free hand he traced a path from one nipple to the next and back.
Perhaps the mood was right for the question that had been on his mind since he discovered he wasn’t the first vampire Valeri had made.
He gathered his courage and asked, “Would you tell me about your first fledgling?”
Valeri’s expression hardened as he glared at Elias through half-lowered lids. The mood soured. “I don’t want to speak of him.”
“Why?” Elias pushed. A part of him really hated to spoil the afterglow between them, but his curiosity wouldn’t be denied.
“He’s an ass, and the memories are unpleasant. Don’t ask me again.” The words came out harsh.
Elias fought not to flinch. Valeri didn’t usually speak harshly. “Don’t be angry with me.”
“I’m not angry,” said Valeri angrily.
“You are.” Elias flattened his hand on Valeri’s chest. He’d gotten used to the cool skin, the lack of a heartbeat, the differences between Valeri and former lovers. He adored the thick muscle of Valeri’s pecs and below the soft gentle roundness of his stomach. Not plump, but not trim like Elias either. A body that had never been starved.
“Why do you want to know about him? It isn’t a pleasant story.”
Elias could think of many reasons, the first of which was to avoid whatever had gone wrong between them. “I want to know everything about you.”
“Ask something else.”
That wasn’t a difficult request. Elias had so many questions. “How did you become what you are? What was your life like before it?”
