The Sacrifice

Evangeline Anderson

KINDLE EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson on Kindle

The Sacrifice

Copyright © 2012 by Evangeline Anderson

Kindle Edition License Notes

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Author's Note--I realize everyone is waiting for the next Kindred novel, Exiled, and I promise I am working on it right now and hope to have it out this fall of 2012. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy The Sacrifice. Please don't pirate and hugs and happy reading to all!

Evangeline

Chapter One

“So what are you wearing to the Glen tonight?” Lexy sounds thrilled, as though she can’t wait to offer herself up as a sex slave . Or maybe she’s excited about offering me. Since I’m finally twice eleven, (twenty-two in regular, non-witchy language,) I am finally eligible to be chosen as the Sacrifice. Not that the Sovereign would pick me, but still, it’s a coming of age rite.

“I don’t know…” I sigh and lean against the counter displaying some of our most potent magical herbs. The dry, fragrant scent of them fills the air around us, so much that sometimes I think I smell it in my sleep. This shop, The Witch’s Brew, has been in our family for generations and I’m the general manager. Not because I want to be but because I really don’t have much of a choice.

“Come on, Emma—you must have something picked out. You’re twice eleven now.” Lexy swishes her long auburn hair over one shoulder, still sounding excited.

“I don’t see why I have to come at all, let alone get all dressed up,” I grumble. “It’s not like I’ll ever get chosen.” Not that I want to be chosen, of course—no one does. Being the Bloodlust Sacrifice for the Sovereign of the Tampa Bay supernatural community is considered a deep honor—but it’s also a hassle and a pain in the neck. And I do mean that literally—the Sovereign is a vampire.

“You don’t know that—you might be chosen.” But Lexy sounds doubtful. “I mean, you’re a member of an ancient family with a powerful magical lineage,” she continues, obviously trying to be upbeat. “Your mom was the head of the coven until—”

“Please, don’t.” I hold up a hand to stop her.

“Sorry.” Lexy looks contrite. She knows I don’t like discussing my mother. She died in a house fire when I was only eight but the memories are painful and I still miss her every day. “Anyway,” Lexy goes on, “I’m just trying to say you do have a chance.”

“Right,” I snort disdainfully. “Lexy, I have no chance—I’m a dud.”

Lexy puts one perfectly manicured hand on her slender hip. “Don’t call yourself that, Emma!”

“Why not? It’s the truth.” A 'dud' is a person from a magical family with no magic of their own. That description fits me to a T. After my mother’s untimely death, I went to live with my aunt and cousins, of which Lexy is my favorite. We were all about the same age and as we grew, my cousins all began to exhibit signs of magical skill. Me, I exhibited nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Then when puberty hit us all, one by one, their powers grew. The onset of menarche is a powerful time for a witch. A time when her hair and eyes take their true and lasting shade and she comes into her own magically and physically.

All of my cousins came through puberty beautifully. Lexy, Trissa, and Delilah each have flaming red hair and brilliant green eyes. They’re all tall and slender and gorgeous—every supernatural creature with a penis within a hundred mile radius is attracted to their beauty and magic. A fact that Lexy and her sisters take full advantage of. In fact, Delilah, the most delectable of the three, even specializes in sex magic. Making love with a lot of different men isn’t looked down upon in the witch’s matrilineal society—it’s more like a status symbol. Lexy and Trissa are a bit more sedate but not much—they always have a date or three lined up for Friday night.

And then there’s me.

Puberty was not kind to Emma Krist. It didn't seem to matter how ancient my lineage or how powerful my mother was, the whole legacy just passed me by. All I have to show for my passage to womanhood is mousy brown hair, muddy hazel eyes, and debilitating menstrual cramps every time my period rolls around. Not to mention that I never got the tall, slender figures my cousins inherited. Instead, I’m short and curvy—way too curvy, unfortunately, with big boobs and even bigger hips. Add that to my lack of magic and the males of the supernatural community aren’t exactly beating down my door. Or any other males either, for that matter.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Lexy says, frowning. “You’re beautiful, Emma, and you’ll come into your power eventually. I know you will.”

“Yeah, right,” I mumble. “And until then, I’ll just keep minding the shop while the rest of you actually practice the craft.”

“You don’t have to stay here, you know,” she points out. “You could get a job in the human world if you wanted to.”

I’m planning on doing just that, actually. I’m getting a degree in Herbology and Botany, taking classes at night whenever I can. But I’ve still got a few years to go before I graduate so, in the meantime, the family shop is my best option. Besides, somebody has to run it and it would be a waste to have a real witch tending the shop when she could be out practicing the craft.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, wanting to change the subject. “Anyway, what are you wearing?”

“A sexy sheer little something I picked up at the last festival.” Lexy gives me a coquettish smile. “Guaranteed to get Alex’s attention and keep it.” Alex is the alpha wolf she’s been flirting with for the past few months. She’ll probably get him during the Sacrifice Ceremony but knowing Lexy, once she has what she wants, she’ll lose interest and move on to the next interesting male. “So what are you wearing?” Lexy demands, returning to her original question. “Something sexy, I hope.”

Actually, I plan on wearing a nice long black skirt and a long sleeved silk shirt to go with it. Not very sexy and not very cool, considering the Florida heat, but black is slenderizing and the long skirt and sleeves will cover a multitude of sins. I can’t tell Lexy that, of course—she’ll have a fit. So I just shrug vaguely. “I’ve got something picked out at home—it’s no big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal—it’s your twice eleven!”

“I don’t know why you’re so excited,” I grouse. “It’s bound to be the same as always. The Sovereign will chose one of the fairy girls because they’re the prettiest and sexiest and their blood is the most potent. Then everyone else will pair off and the whole thing will become one long orgy.”

“Will you listen to yourself?” Lexy shakes her head in exasperation. “I’m telling you, it’s going to be different this year. Don’t forget, there’s a new Sovereign ascending.”

“So?” I shrug. “He’s still going to be a vampire. What’s the difference?”

“The difference is that he’s younger—only a little over a hundred, and you know that’s not very old where vamps are concerned. Plus, everyone is saying he’s into some pretty kinky stuff.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Kinky how?”

“You know,” Lexy says mysteriously. “Whips and chains and bondage. Apparently he has unusual ways of taking blood and power. And he fucks like a bull.” She sighs. “I wouldn’t really want to be chosen but if I was…”

“If you were, you’d be stuck being some vamp’s sex toy for an entire year,” I point out acidly. “Not to mention his personal blood bank. Ugh.”

“It’s not so bad being bitten—if the vamp does it right.” Lexy frowns at me. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done a vamp before.”

I shake my head. “Nope, sorry. Not interested.” Actually, my closely guarded secret is that I’ve never ‘done’ anyone before. I’m a virgin—a big no-no for a witch, who is supposed to use sex to augment her power. But since I don’t have any power to augment in the first place, it’s really not a big deal. Well, except to my ego but what can I do? As I said before, the guys aren’t exactly knocking down my front door. And though I could probably hook up with a human guy for a one night stand, I don’t want to lose it like that. Somehow I can’t take sex as casually as Lexy and my other cousins—I want it to mean something. Which is stupid, I know, but I can’t help the way I feel.

“Well maybe tonight is your night,” Lexy says, interrupting my inner pity party. “I happen to know of a really hot vamp who says he likes your type.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Are you trying to set me up again?”

“Well, somebody’s got to,” Lexy huffs. “It’s for your own good, Emma. A witch needs company, you know.” Which is a nice way of saying she needs regular screwing.

“No thanks. Not this witch.” I shake my head firmly. The last time I let Lexy send me on a blind date, the guy she picked up turned out to be a horny werewolf on a full moon night. I barely escaped with my virginity and my panties intact.

“Emma,” she begins but I override her.

“I’m only going tonight because I have to go,” I tell her. “If I wasn’t required by supernatural law to be there, I’d skip it and stay home to watch a Gilmore Girls marathon.”

“Oh, you…” Lexy throws up her hands. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you, Emma.”

“Just love me,” I said, giving her a winning smile. “And let me live my life the way I want to.”

“Never,” she declares. “If I did that, you’d go on being frumpy and lonely forever. I’m determined to transform you.”

“And just how do you plan to do that?” I put a hand on my hip.

“You’ll see,” Lexy trills. “I’ll be at your apartment around six thirty to pick you up.”

“But the ceremony doesn’t start until eight,” I point out.

“So? We’ll hang out. We haven’t had any good cousin time in ages.”

“Just hanging out? That’s all you’re planning?” I’m very suspicious of this—Lexy always has an ulterior motive.

Lexy gives me a wide-eyed glance that’s just a little too innocent. “Of course. And also—”

But whatever else she was going to say is interrupted when the string of chimes hung over the door tinkle a musical warning. Someone is coming into the shop. A customer—time to be professional.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I tell Lexy.

“See you tonight.” She blows me a kiss and heads toward the door.

As Lexy is leaving, the customer is coming in. They brush shoulders and Lexy stops to lift her eyebrows suggestively at me behind his back. I make a quick shooing motion and point to the door. Now isn’t the time to flirt. She giggles and leaves, the chimes tinkling a second time as she flits gracefully through the door.

I put on my best 'I’m a professional witch' face and look up at the customer…and up and up. He’s tall—at least six foot five, which makes my own rather diminutive five four seem even shorter. He’s also handsome—all chiseled features, dark hair and broad shoulders. He’s even got one of those little clefts in his chin and some sexy stubble to go with it. No wonder Lexy was making eyes at me behind his back. On his right hand he wears a heavy gold ring with a strangely carved black stone. Onyx, maybe? I’m not sure. But I do know there’s something about him—a muted power I can feel thrumming in the air around him. I’m sure he’s a supernatural being but I can’t place what kind, exactly.

I get a chance to study him because he’s perusing a handwritten list, staring at it fiercely as though he’d like to burn a hole in it with his eyes.

“Yes, sir?” I say at last, when he continues to just stand there, looking at the list. “Can I help you?”

“I certainly hope so,” he snaps. “That is why I came here.” He’s wearing an expensive charcoal suit with a crisp white shirt and a solid red silk tie that looks like it cost more than my car. When he looks up, his eyes are cool gray, reminding me of a winter twilight.

Rich asshole, I think, but don’t say. “All right then,” I murmur smoothly. “If you’ll just tell me what kind of spell you’re trying to work—”

“These are the herbs I need,” he interrupts me, going back to the list. “Mugwort, serpentavia root, yarrow, rosemary—”

“Wait a minute.” I hold up a hand to stop him. “Do you need them fresh or dried?”

“How should I know?” he snaps. “You’re the expert—you tell me.”

I take a deep breath, reminding myself to be professional. “It depends on what kind of spell you’re casting or what kind of potion you’re making?” I end the sentence as a question, raising my eyebrows at him, hoping he’ll fill me in.

“It’s a potion,” he says reluctantly. “I really can’t say any more than that. Look, just give them to me dried.”

“All right.” If he wants to be an asshole, I don’t care how his potion works out. I come out from behind the counter and start hustling around the store, grabbing the herbs he named. We keep most of our merchandise up front on the various shelves which means technically he could get them himself. But it’s clear Mr. Tall, Dark, and High-handed is used to being waited on so I take it upon myself to get what he’s demanding.

When I turn around, I see him watching me closely. For some reason, I feel my cheeks get hot. I’m wearing jeans and a modest crew neck T-shirt but somehow it feels like those cool gray eyes can see right through my clothes. Don’t be stupid, I tell myself uneasily. As if someone like him would look at someone like you. “Um, is there anything else?” I ask, trying not to let him see that his eyes on me disturb me.

“Hmm?” He looks at me speculatively. “Oh, yes—I also need adder’s tongue, cinnamon, cedar—”

“Hang on.” I go and get the things he’s naming, collecting them easily—all except the adder’s tongue. We don’t get much call for that one and it’s stored on the highest shelf in the store. Feeling self-conscious, I stretch up on my tiptoes, trying to reach it. I can brush the red tin it’s stored in with my fingertips but I can’t quite—

All at once I realize he’s right behind me. “Allow me,” he murmurs. I can feel the heat of his big body along my spine as he reaches over my head and easily plucks the red tin of adder’s tongue from the top shelf. He isn’t actually touching me, but he’s not far from it, either.

I turn quickly to find my face just inches from his broad chest. When I look up, I’m confronted with those cool gray eyes again. He’s studying me as though I’m some kind of a bug he wants to know more about. I can feel his power, throbbing like a beating heart between us. Whatever he is, he’s one dominant son of a bitch, that’s for damn sure.

“Oh!” I try to take a step back but the shelf is in the way. I only succeed in making the various jars and tins of dried and fresh herbs jangle against each other.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, but he makes no move to back up and give me more space. “I didn’t mean to frighten you—I was only trying to help.”

“You didn’t frighten me,” I lie, lifting my chin. He might be a hot, powerful supernatural whatever he is (I still don’t know his species) but I’ll be damned if I let him intimidate me in my own shop. For a moment we lock eyes. Mine widen and his narrow—it’s strangely intimate and also disconcerting. Who is he?

Finally, I manage to look away and sidle farther from him, putting some space between us. “What else do you want?” My words come out sounding rude—almost belligerent—but being this close to a male, especially such a large, dominant alpha male, isn’t something I’m used to.

He clears his throat and consults the list again. “Cedar, ginseng, and rue. And that should do it.”

I shake my head. “No, not that last one. You don’t want rue.”

“Excuse me?” He gives me a displeased frown. “You don’t even know what kind of potion I’m concocting.”

“Yes, I do,” I say, feeling calmer now that I’m out of his general proximity. I go back behind the counter, cementing my authority here as the witch in charge. “You’re making a divination serum,” I tell him. “Probably to help you find your true love.”

“What?” For the first time he looks genuinely angry. Not just pissed or snappish but really irate. “Who told you that?” he demands, striding toward me. He has long legs so it only takes two steps to put him right in my face. I’m glad we have the counter between us, not that he couldn’t just step over it, as tall as he is.

“No one told me,” I snap right back. “It’s obvious. Look—you’ve got mugwort, that’s good for clairvoyance. Serpentavia root and adder’s tongue for divination. Rosemary and cedar for purification and love. Cinnamon for lust and ginseng for, uh, sexual potency.” I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks get red at the intent way he is studying me.

“And?” he demands.

“And so you don’t want rue,” I say, nodding to the shelf where the herb is kept. “Rue is for exorcisms and hexes. Adding it to a true love divination serum would ruin the whole thing. I mean, you want to find the girl…or guy, right?” (Hey, what do I know about his sexual orientation? I can’t even tell what kind of supe he is.)

His face darkens. “It’s a female I am searching for, I can assure you of that.”

“Okay, sorry.” I hold up my hands in a 'don’t shoot' gesture. “But anyway, you want to find her and bind her to you, not hex her. Rue would ruin a perfectly good serum.”

“And you’re sure of this, how?” He leans over me, looking into my eyes, obviously trying to intimidate me.

I look right back and frown at him. “Besides getting a degree in herbology and horticulture? An entire lifetime spent in this shop, learning the properties of every known herb at my mother and aunt’s knee. Believe me Mr…”

“James,” he says, drawing back marginally. “Aiden James.”

“Believe me, Mr. James,” I said, ignoring his offered hand. “If a witch of my lineage tells you not to put rue in your love potion, you’d better pay attention.”

“It’s not a love potion,” he says, frowning at me. “None of this is about love. I just need to find the right one.”

“The right one for what?” I demand.

“None of your business, nosey little witch.” He glares at me frostily. “You don’t need to know.”

That’s technically true but I don’t like being insulted in my own store. Well, my family’s store but it feels like mine since I run it. “That’s it.” I point to the door. “You can leave now if you want to be rude.”

“Is that so?” He leans forward again and bares white, even teeth. To my surprise, I see two long, curving fangs where a normal male’s canine teeth would be. Holy crap—he’s a vampire! I’m stunned and more than a little afraid—I’ve never seen one who could hide it so well. He’s scary as shit but still, I endeavor to hold my ground.

“Yes,” I say, hoping my voice isn’t shaking too much. “That’s so.”

“Are you threatening to kick me out of your store?” he demands.

“If I have to.” I may not be a powerful vampire or even a practicing witch but we do have some pretty effective 'leave me alone' type spells already made up in aerosol cans like magical mace. They come in handy for a lot of witches who, as I said before, like to sleep around. Sometimes a guy gets clingy and you need an out. Of course, I have no idea if they would work on a vamp but it looks like I’m about to find out. Slowly, surreptitiously, I reach under the counter for an aerosol can full of the distilled warding spell.

Aiden James still looks furious. “You should learn to treat your customers with more respect,” he growls in a soft, menacing voice. “Were you mine, you’d be severely punished for such a display.”

“Well I’m not yours,” I point out, my hand tightening on the smooth cylinder of magical mace.

“A great pity,” he snaps. “There’s nothing I’d enjoy more than teaching you a lesson, little witch. You’re badly in need of some discipline.”

I can’t believe him. What kind of caveman is he, anyway?

“Right,” I say. “Well, I’m afraid you’ll just have to forgo that particular pleasure. And I’ll treat you with more respect when you start treating me with more respect. This is my place of business—don’t come in here and insult my intelligence.” I may not like running this stupid shop but I know my stuff cold and I’ll be damned if I let him say otherwise.

To my surprise, Aiden James suddenly stops looking scary and vampiric and nods a little stiffly. He takes a deep breath and his next words genuinely surprise me. “Very well, I will admit that it was rude of me to disparage your knowledge.”

“Thank you,” I say, nodding.

“I can see you know what you’re talking about. You’ve saved me from a very costly error, Ms…”

“Emma,” I say grudgingly. “Emma Krist.” I wonder how he can be out in the daylight. The gold and onyx ring on his right hand catches my eye again, must be magic—heavy duty magic too, to pull off something like this. A vampire with access to high-level sorcery—great. My little bottle of magical mace would probably bother him as much as a gnat bothers an elephant. Slowly I release my grip on it and place both hands on the counter.

“Very well, Ms. Krist, you’ve earned my respect.” He looks at me speculatively. “And my interest. Forgive me for being rude, I’m very preoccupied just now.” He puts out his hand in a conciliatory gesture. “We are well met on this Sacrifice Eve.”

I don’t really want to shake his hand but I don’t see that I have much choice. Reluctantly, I hold out my own hand. “Well met, indeed,” I say, giving the ritual response. Or that’s what I start to say as his hand closes over mine.

But as the vampire's much larger hand engulfs my own, I feel a strange tingle that runs down my arm and gives me a most uncomfortable jolt. My heart starts to hammer and I jerk my hand away from him. What the hell…?

Aiden James must have felt it as well because he looks from his hand to my face and back again, as if trying to figure out what just happened. Well if he finds out, I wish he’d let me know. I’ve never felt such power from anyone before, not even my Aunt Cassandra and she’s a senior witch and the mistress of our coven.

The vampire studies me, his gray eyes narrowed. “You know,” he says at last. “I think I’ve changed my mind.”

“About…about what?” I ask, wishing my voice didn’t sound quite so breathless.

“About this…all this.” He waves one hand negligently at the packets of dried herbs strewn over the countertop. “I don’t think I need to make this potion after all.”

“You don’t?” I look at him uncertainly. He was so intent on his list, so insistent about the ingredients. What changed his mind?

“No.” He shakes his head, then cocks an eyebrow at me. “I assume I’ll see you at the Sacrifice Ceremony tonight?”

“Of…of course,” I stutter, feeling stupid. My hand is still tingling from his touch—along with other parts of my body. What happened? Who is he really? Then I realize what he’s asking. “Not that…I mean, I won’t probably be around afterward,” I say quickly, feeling my cheeks heat up. “For the uh, celebration. The after party, whatever you want to call it.”

“The orgy,” he says, and there is a spark of heat far back in his gray eyes that makes me tingle all over again. “You don’t intend to participate?”

“Uh, no. Not at all.” I shake my head firmly. “I don’t…I’m not…not like most witches. Besides, I have to be back here early tomorrow.” I pat the counter, indicating my place behind it.

James looks at me speculatively. “I see.”

“So I might see you there but I won’t…I can’t…”

“I understand.” He nods, cutting me off.

Suddenly I feel stupid. It’s not like he was propositioning me. Someone who looks like him? Please—he can have anyone he wants and I’m sure once he catches sight of my lovely cousins I’ll be the last witch on his mind.

I clear my throat and try to get back to business. “Uh, so anyway. Are you sure you don’t need the herbs?”

“Quite sure.” He gives me one last long look from those cool gray eyes and nods. “Good day, Emma. I’ll see you soon.”

I seriously doubt it, I think as he heads out the door, empty-handed. As I put back the herbs, I wonder again who he really is and what happened when we touched. But it seems my questions are destined to go unanswered. I’m sure if I see him at all after the Sacrifice celebration, he’ll be partying with some slender fairy chick or chatting up some other pretty witch or were. As for the girl he was searching for, he won’t have to look hard to find one to suit him.

I sigh softly and look at my watch. Almost time to close up anyway. I put the shop in order and try to get him out of my mind. But somehow he lingers there, Mr. Aiden James with his sharp teeth and even sharper eyes. Why can’t I stop thinking of him?

Chapter Two

“Stop fussing with your outfit—you look gorgeous.” Lexy looks at me approvingly.

“I do not.” In fact, I have never felt more exposed in my life. As it turns out, I had been right to be suspicious of her offer to 'hang out and have some cousin time.' In fact, what she wanted was to see what I was wearing to the Sacrifice Ceremony. When I finally, reluctantly showed her the long skirt and blouse combo, she whipped out a pair of scissors and cut huge holes in both articles of clothing before I could stop her. Talk about pushy!

Of course I had nothing else to wear but Lexy had that covered. She'd brought along an outfit that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a strip club. Okay, maybe it isn’t that extreme but it certainly feels like that to me.

I have on a deep blue halter top made of some soft, silky material that twists around my neck in a loop and barely covers my breasts. It leaves my back bare so there’s no way I could wear a bra—which makes me feel incredibly naked.

Down below I’m wearing a peacock-dyed skirt made of the same material. It falls in long, soft folds from my hips to my ankles, with a slit right up the middle. It also leaves my midriff exposed. I keep having the urge to cover my stomach—exposing my navel feels almost as obscene as hiking up my skirt and giving everyone a good view of my pussy.

To this lovely but revealing outfit, Lexy has added some peacock feather earrings but no necklace—tradition dictates that no female eligible to be chosen as the Sacrifice should wear any jewelry around her throat. Because if the Sovereign picks you, he has to have unobstructed access to your neck. This is the same reason everyone is wearing their hair up, as well. Lexy has pulled mine into a modified bun at the nape of my neck with little curling tendrils coming out to frame my face. It’s almost pretty but no matter what ‘do I’m wearing, my hair color is still mousy brown.

Lexy has pronounced my outfit 'gorgeous' and 'perfect' at least two dozen times since we left my apartment and arrived at the Glen—the large, clearing on the outskirts of Tampa where all major interspecies supernatural business is conducted. And indeed, as I look around, I can see that what I’m wearing isn’t nearly the most revealing outfit on display.

The fairies, keeping to themselves as always, have on shimmery, diaphanous gowns that are practically see-through and most of the female weres have apparently decided to treat the Glen as a topless beach. Dryads and nyads drift around clothed in only leaves and water vapor and the majority of my sister witches have on lingerie that could charitably be called 'revealing'. (If you’re not feeling too charitable, however, you could just say slutty—it amounts to the same thing.)

In fact, what I have on is pretty modest, all things considered. But I still can’t help feeling like my nipples are too visible through the thin fabric and wishing I could cover my bellybutton. It’s not like I have six pack abs. I wrap my arms around my bare waist self-consciously.

“Will you stop fussing?” Lexy says again, pulling my arms away from my midriff. “You have a nice curvy waist, you ought to show it off more often. Just look around at all the hot guys—you don’t see any of them complaining about the view.”

She’s right about one thing, at least—the Glen isn’t exclusively filled with females. Hard-bodied males of every supernatural persuasion are out in force, no doubt anticipating the sexual free-for-all that will follow the selection of this year’s Sacrifice. I see muscular weres clad in only tight, faded jeans, mysterious vamps, mostly sporting black leather that contrasts nicely with their pale skin, and shimmering, disdainful fairy men, so beautiful they’d put any human male model to shame. There are satyrs and fauns too, their bottom halves already transformed to animal form with hairy goat legs and thick male equipment hard and prepared for action.

One, in particular, catches my attention—Emil Sanchez, leader of the Curved Horn clan. I don’t know why, but my eyes are drawn to him, his knotted muscles covered in thick curly black hair that almost looks like a pelt. He has a swarthy face with two, stubby horns growing from his forehead. When I look at him, I smell smoke in the air and hear screaming…begging…

Sanchez must feel my eyes on him because he turns toward me and runs his long, red tongue over his thick lips. Down below, he cups his heavy cock and thrusts his hips crudely.

I look away quickly, feeling my cheeks heat. The smell of smoke and the phantom screams fade away as my stomach rolls in disgust. Ugh—what is it about him? I’ve hated him for as long as I can remember and it’s not just because of his lewd gestures, though I can’t quite put my finger on any other reason. I just know that I loathe the slimy satyr with my entire being.

“Oh, this is so exciting!” Lexy bubbles, breaking my train of thought. “I wonder what the new Sovereign will look like. I hope he’s not old and ugly.”

“All Sovereigns are old because they’re vamps,” I point out. “How they look just depends on what age they were when they were turned.”

“Well, somebody ought to make it against the law for them to turn any males after age forty,” Lexy grouses. “That way there would be less chance of having to be a sacrifice to an ugly old vamp.”

My thoughts return briefly to the vampire I had in my store earlier that day. Aiden James looked to be somewhere around thirty when he was turned—although ages can be difficult to judge with vamps. I wonder if he’s here tonight, like he said he would be. I’ve been surreptitiously searching the crowded Glen for him since we got here. But so far, no luck. Probably already sexing up one of the fairy girls, I tell myself sternly. Stop thinking about him. But I can’t—I keep wondering how I’d feel if he saw me in this outrageous outfit Lexy has all but forced me into. What would he say? Hopefully, I won’t have to find out.

Suddenly, a trumpet sounds, calling the rowdy crowd of supes to order. Having all these species in such a small area with no bloodshed really is a remarkable achievement and it’s all thanks to the vamps.

Over a hundred years ago, all the supernatural creatures kept to themselves—a kind of self-imposed segregation. It was considered unthinkable for them to be friends, let alone lovers. Violent feuds and bloodshed over territorial rights were common and beginning to draw unwanted attention from the human community. That was when the vamps stepped in and declared martial law.

Figuring rightly that the violence between species could be replaced with sex, they instituted a vamp overlord or Sovereign, and instituted the first Sacrifice Ceremony. Eligible females of every supe species were ordered to appear in the Glen for one night of each year, on midsummer’s eve, and offer themselves to their Sovereign. The reigning vamp would pick one female to act as his source of power, blood, and sex for the next full year—the Sacrifice—and then declare the rest of the night a sexual free-for-all.

The females left behind felt free to copulate with whatever males were on hand—no matter what their species. This 'festival of fucking', as my Aunt Cassandra called it, has led to a dramatic decrease in interspecies fighting. There’s a lot of crossbreeding too, though people still mostly tend to settle down with someone of their own species.

Of course, there were those who hated the new order, but more than any other supe, vampires can be ruthless. They crushed anyone who opposed them in the most bloody and public way possible. Other than that though, they seem to have a laissez-faire attitude toward ruling their fellow supes—they pretty much let everyone do what they want as long as there isn't any killing to get the humans upset.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the supernatural community to take note of this and, aside from a few disaffected minorities, most people settled down and fell in line. Peace reigned and everyone was happy, especially the vamps. They’re willing to mostly mind their own business and make very few demands. In fact, it’s only once a year at the Sacrifice Ceremony that we’re even reminded we have a vampire overlord. So it works out nicely for everyone.

Well, except the Sacrifice. But I don't want to think about that.

“So who do you think it’s gonna be? Who is he going to pick?” Lexy whispers to me as we all come to attention following another trumpet blast. She’s eyeing the crowd speculatively, taking note of the females straining eagerly forward, all filled with a strange mixture of dread and anticipation.

I wonder if Lexy’s information about the new Sovereign is common knowledge. I don’t remember feeling this much tension in the air at the other Sacrifice Ceremonies I’ve attended. But of course, the old Sovereign was just that—old. As in, well over sixty when he was turned. Females who served him said he only wanted a sip of blood from their wrist once or twice a day and never made any other demands on them. It was considered kind of disappointing—at least from a gossip point of view. After all, the Sovereign is Lord and Master of his Sacrifice—he actually legally owns her for the entire year of her term. He can do anything he wants to her and she can’t do a thing about it.

Just thinking about it makes me shiver.

Not like I have anything to worry about, I tell myself consolingly. After all the new Sovereign is…is… My thoughts stutter to a stop as I see a familiar form striding out onto the raised stage that has been erected in the middle of the Glen for this night. He’s wearing tight black leather pants that cling lovingly to his long, muscular legs and a black leather jacket to match with no shirt on underneath, but there is no mistaking that dark hair or those cold gray eyes.

“Is that him?” Lexy squeals. “Oh my Goddess, it is him!” She turns to me. “Emma, isn’t that the guy who was in the store earlier today?”

Numbly, I nod. The new vampire Sovereign is none other than Aiden James.

And for some reason, he’s staring right at me.

Chapter Three

It’s just your imagination, I tell myself uneasily. He’s not really looking at you. He’s searching the crowd for a hot sexy supernatural vixen, trying to find the next Sacrifice. There’s no way he’ll pick you.

“Supernaturals of the Tampa Bay Area,” Aiden James begins in a deep, powerful voice that carries without the aid of a microphone. “We are gathered today to pay homage to an ancient ritual—one which has brought us peace and prosperity in troubled times.”

“Oh my Goddess, that voice,” Lexy moans. “I think I just creamed my panties.”

“Hush.” I plant my elbow in her skinny ribs. “I want to hear what he’s saying.”

“The Sacrifice Ceremony is as important as it is ancient—it binds us together as a community. I and some of the other vampires here tonight well remember the strife and dissention between our peoples before it was enacted. Now, we all live in harmony. Long may the Sacrifice continue!”

“Long may the Sacrifice continue!” the crowd shouts back. I try to join in the shout but my voice seems to be stuck in my throat. Aiden James is scanning the Glen as he talks but those cool gray eyes keep coming back to me. I wish I could hide—I want to duck behind Lexy who is so much taller than me but somehow I can’t move.

“As most of you know, your old Sovereign, the venerable Zandor Quaid, who served long and well for over two decades, has now gone to his final rest.” Aiden James bows his head for a moment in respect. When he looks up, his eyes flash pale fire. “Now the Vampire Council has chosen me as your Sovereign and as such, I demand my Sacrifice!”

The crowd starts to chant. “Sa-cri-fice. Sa-cri-fice.” I see several females, who are closer to the stage than I am, leaning forward eagerly. Clearly they wouldn’t mind giving their all to the hot new vampire overlord. I, on the other hand, am shrinking back, trying not to be seen. But still those gray eyes pick me out of the crowd.

Aiden James raises his hand and silence falls immediately over the rowdy supes. “There are many ways of finding the appropriate Sacrifice,” he says, still looking at me. “Some Sovereigns chose to hold a lottery. Some consult an oracle to learn the name of the right female. Some even brew divining potions, though this sort of magic is best left to our lovely witches.”

Lexy and the other witches around us hoot and cheer and fellow witch yells, “Witches do it on a broomstick!”

Somebody else yells back, "Witches do it with a broomstick. Or is that a dildo? I always get those two mixed up."

"So do the witches," a satyr says, causing a general roar of laughter.

"You want me to strap the stick on and come after you?" the first witch asks, making a mock threat. "I'll show you exactly how magical my broom can be."

More laughter and catcalls follow but I can’t join in their excitement. I feel almost sick with fright—the divination potion—he’s talking about me. About us, this afternoon in the shop! I’m sure of it.

The new Sovereign raises his hand again for silence. Once again, a hush falls. “I, however,” he continues, “Need none of these methods to assist me. I know the name of my chosen Sacrifice.”

From the corner of my eye, I see several of the gorgeous fairy girls primping their hair and smoothing their iridescent wings. Clearly they think one of their number is about to be chosen—as always. I think so too—at least I fervently hope so. I hope—

I become aware that the soft murmuring around me has stopped. Even worse, everyone in the entire crowd seems to be looking at me. I realize that in my desperate concentration on the fairy girls, I have missed something very important.

“What?” I hiss at Lexy, who’s staring at me as though I’ve suddenly grown a second head.

“Oh my Goddess, Emma…” She shakes her head, unable to go on.

Then the deep, commanding voice of the new Sovereign booms from the platform once more. “Emma Krist, come to me. Come take your place at my side.”

No, it can’t be. It can’t. But somehow it is. Aiden James is looking directly at me and so is every other person in the entire Glen. It’s an introvert’s worst nightmare and it’s happening to me.

“Go! Go on, he already called you twice,” Lexy hisses, giving me a little shove toward the stage. I stumble clumsily and she grabs my arm, somehow keeping me upright. Her perfectly shaped fingernails bite into the bare skin of my upper arm but I barely feel the pain. “Hurry,” she says urgently.

Somehow I manage to put one foot in front of the other and make my way to the stage. I feel like a clumsy little kid who has somehow found her way into the adult party and is now being punished for her intrusion. Aiden James watches me every step of the way, which doesn’t help a bit, I can tell you.

I get to the stage and I’m about to head for the stairs on one side but James apparently can’t wait for that. Leaning down, he slides his hands under my arms and picks me up as though I weighed no more than a doll. Then he sets me down beside him and firmly takes my hand.

I feel a shock go through me again as he interlaces our fingers and nods to the crowd. They are murmuring uncertainly and several of the fairy girls look pissed. How dare the new vampire Sovereign pick a dud over one of them?

That’s right—a dud. I’m a dud! I think and a sudden rush of sweet relief floods me. I just have to tell him this—that I have no magic—and surely he’ll realize what a poor choice I am. After all, one of the Sacrifice’s main purposes is to feed her master’s power. (I don’t like to think about what other appetites she’s supposed to feed.) But if I don’t have any magical power of my own, how can I possibly augment Aiden’s? It’s impossible and I feel sure that as soon as I get a chance to explain, he’ll let me go and pick someone else.

“Aiden,” I hiss at him from the corner of my mouth. “Uh, Mr. James, I mean.” I’m honestly not sure what to call him.

“What is it, Emma?” To my intense discomfort, he stops looking at the crowd and turns his full attention on me, staring at me as though we were the only two people in the world.

“I…” I swallow hard and hear a little clicking sound in my dry throat. “I just think there…there’s been some mistake,” I stammer.

“Oh?” He raises one eyebrow at me. “And why is that?”

“I…I’m a dud,” I say and it’s never been harder to get that word out. I hope the people in the crowd can’t hear me admitting to my magical incompetence but from the spiteful glee on some of the fairy’s faces, I’m pretty sure they can. Aiden James is still just staring at me so I have to elaborate. “I don’t have any magical power,” I explain.

“Yes, I know what a ‘dud’ is, Emma,” he says patiently. “But that description does not fit you in the least.”

“Yes, it does,” I say desperately, still hyperaware that every eye in the Glen is trained on the two of us. “I’ve never been able to work a spell in my entire life. I know herbs and their magical properties but, well, that’s about it.” I shrug uncomfortably. “So I can’t be the one you want. There’s no way I could help, uh, feed your power because I don’t have any of my own.”

His gray eyes flash silver in the deepening twilight. “Who says I want you for your power, Emma? The Sacrifice gives her master far more than that.”

“I…but…I…” The dark promise in those predatory eyes has my heart pounding against my ribs. “Mr. James…Sovereign…”

“That’s correct, I am your Sovereign, in more ways than one,” he growls softly. “And as such, I will put up with no more backtalk. You, Emma Krist, are the female I choose. The only one I want. I will have no one else by my side this first year of my reign.”

“Oh,” I whisper faintly. Well, so much for the idea that he’ll let me go because of my magical defects. His eyes are boring into mine and I am powerless to look away. My knees feel like jelly. “All right,” I whisper at last.

“The correct response is ‘Yes, Master,’” he says softly.

“Yes, M-master,” I repeat, only stumbling over the words a little.

“That’s good. Very good, Emma.” He strokes my cheek gently and the touch of his large hand seems to start a slow fire under my skin. “A good first step. You must submit to me in this, as in all things. Do I make myself clear?”

“Very clear…Master,” I add hastily.

He nods approval. “Very well. Then bare your throat for my pleasure.”

My insides clench with a mixture of fear and longing. Oh Goddess, I can’t believe this. He’s going to bite me, claim me as his in front of the entire supernatural community. And there’s nothing I can do to stop it. To be honest, I’m not even sure I want to stop it anymore. There’s something about Aiden James—he’s overwhelming.

Slowly I tilt my head to the side, baring my throat for him. He leans toward me and I can smell his scent—a dark, spicy musk that is entirely masculine and completely intoxicating… But then he draws back, frowning.

“What?” I look up at him uncertainly. Has he changed his mind? Is he going to let me go after all?

“Do you not know that you are forbidden to wear anything around your neck at the Sacrifice Ceremony?” he asks me sternly.

“I…but I’m not,” I protest. “I don’t have on a necklace.”

“But you have this.” He fingers the loop of silky blue fabric twisted around my throat.

“It…that’s part of my halter,” I protest, putting a hand to my neck protectively. “And it’s not that big. I’m sure you can just, uh, work around it—can’t you?”

His face darkens. “You have much to learn about respect and submission, Emma. Take it off.”

“What? No way!” I cross my arms over my chest. “I can’t…can’t be topless in front of this crowd.”

“Many others are.” He nods briefly at the female weres, their bare breasts jiggling in the moonlight.

“I’m not like them,” I protest. “I can’t.”

“Are you refusing me?” he demands, his eyes flashing again. “Think long and hard before you answer, Emma. And remember that any defiance you offer me will be punished.”

“Am I refusing to go topless in front of the entire Glen? Yes…yes, I am.” I lift my chin and glare at him, my heart jackhammering in my chest. “And I don’t care about punishment as long as you punish me in private.” I keep my voice barely above a whisper, for his ears alone. I sense there’s only so much I can get away with and shouting defiance of my new lord and master for the entire supernatural community to hear is definitely crossing the line.

His eyes narrow but he nods, as though I’d just confirmed something he’d been thinking about me. “Very well. I will take blood from your wrist instead of your throat. But know this, Emma—you will be punished for your disobedience. And you will learn to submit to me before our time together is through.”

I can’t stop myself from shivering—his voice is so cold I feel like frost crystals are forming on my skin. Without any further warning, he takes my hand and raises it to his mouth. Looking out at the crowd, he says, “I claim this female as my Sacrifice. She is mine and no other male may touch her so long as I own the rights to her body and soul.”

Then he opens his mouth and his fangs seem to grow impossibly long and sharp in the moonlight. I try not to cry out when he sinks them into the tender bracelet of blue veins that runs along the underside of my wrist, but I can’t help emitting a muffled shriek. That hurts.

It wouldn’t hurt so much if you were open to me. If you were willing to submit.

The soft, deep voice in my head startles me. How did that happen? Does he have some other magic I’m not aware of? Then the pain is suddenly replaced with intense pleasure. I gasp as it floods me, stroking my nipples until they’re tight with desire and sliding between my pussy lips like rough, demanding fingers. My spine arches and my hips thrust involuntarily forward, reacting to the phantom pleasure. I can’t help myself—I’m melting into a puddle of lust. Wet and panting. Wanting more. But more what? What the hell is going on? What’s happening to me?

I’m showing you how it can be. Next time don’t make me force it.

Abruptly the pleasure ends, as though it was cut off by a knife. I become aware that the crowd is roaring approval and everything seems to be spinning around me. Why am I so dizzy? Surely he hasn’t taken that much blood. So why—?

The world starts to tilt, skewing crazily sideways as he pulls at my wrist, drinking me down. Then, as suddenly as they pierced me, his sharp fangs withdraw. Strong arms catch me before I can fall face first onto the wooden stage. Aiden James lifts me easily, cradling me against him with one arm.

“I declare this Sacrifice acceptable,” he thunders, causing the crowd to roar even louder. “Celebrate in whatever way you choose,” he continues. “I go to claim what is rightfully mine.”

Then he turns and strides off the stage, taking me with him.

Chapter Four

I lie helpless in his arms, overcome with pain and pleasure and still in shock over the events of the last ten minutes. Did that really just happen? Did the new Sovereign really just claim me—plain, mousy little dud of a witch Emma Krist—as his sacrifice? It doesn’t seem real…doesn’t seem possible.

It’s only when the vampire deposits me in a waiting limo and climbs in after me that it really begins to sink in. This is real…this is happening. Right here and right now, I have suddenly become someone’s real life sex and blood slave. I am in bondage to the new Sovereign and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I sit up slowly and look at Aiden James, who is staring intently back at me. “That was quite a display of defiance you put on,” he remarks. His deep voice is soft but there is something in his eyes that makes me shiver.

“If you expect me to say I’m sorry, you’re going to be disappointed.” I don’t know where I get the courage to speak like this to him. Maybe it’s just a vague feeling I have that if I don’t stand up to him now, I never will and he’ll run roughshod over me for an entire year. Goddess, an entire year! I’m stuck with him for an entire year.

“I could make you beg to apologize,” he says. “But I won’t—not now.”

I’m frankly surprised at this. “Why not?” I blurt before I think.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you complaining that I don’t choose to make you grovel?”

“No, no,” I say hastily. “But you just…you went on and on about punishing me. I didn’t…didn’t think you’d let me out of it so easily.”

“Oh, I’m not,” he says casually. “Make no mistake about it, Emma, you will be punished for your insolence. Just not right now.” He looks at me speculatively. “As for my reasons for the delay, I find that anticipation heightens any punishment. Also…I find myself intrigued by your modesty. Any other woman in the Glen would have gladly stripped herself when I demanded it. Yet you refused.”

“I’m shy,” I say stiffly. His promise of future punishment has my pulse pounding with fear but I try not to show it. “I don’t…don’t do that kind of thing.”

“You mean you don’t show your body?”

I swallow hard and nod. “I mean maybe if I were tall and skinny like my cousins but I’m not so I don’t want to…” Realizing I’m babbling, I make myself stop.

He nods slowly. “I see, though I think there’s more to it than that. Has it ever occurred to you that not every male finds the ‘tall and skinny’ type arousing?” His eyes burn into mine. “Back when I was made a vampire, women had curves—real curves. Full breasts and hips…” His eyes roam over my body, making me blush and try to cover myself. “A man misses such things,” he murmurs, almost to himself.

I don’t know how to respond to this—is Aiden James actually saying he prefers his women short and chunky to tall and supermodel thin? Before I can think how to phrase the question, he is leaning forward to give directions to the limo driver.

“Where are we going?” I ask, as the long black car starts smoothly on its way.

“Home,” he says calmly.

“Your home or my home?” I ask, hoping fervently that he’s just going to call it a night and drop me off at my apartment. We can always get into the whole punishment and submission thing the next time we get together, right? But Aiden’s next words shatter my half-formed hopes.

“My home is your home now,” he says. “You will live in my house, eat at my table, and sleep in my bed for the duration of your term as Sacrifice.”

“What?” I stare at him. “But…but what about my clothes?”

“I’ll send someone for them.”

“My… my plants. Someone has to water them.”

“I’ll send someone to do both.”

I try again. “My job at the shop? Can I still work there during the day?”

“I’m afraid not.” He gives me an annoyingly superior smirk. “Serving your new master is a full time job.”

I want to say that he’s not my master, but unfortunately that’s not true—he is. And besides, it would sound so childish. Like saying, 'You’re not the boss of me,' or something equally immature. Still, I grope for more reasons why I shouldn’t be tied to him twenty-four/seven.

“But my family—I’m the only one who works the shop on a regular basis,” I say. “Without me there, one of the other witches will have to stop practicing the craft in order to run it. That’s a loss of income.”

“Your family will be more than adequately compensated.” Aiden sounds almost bored. “Is there anything else?”

I try one last time. “My class—Advanced Herbology. I take classes at night. Can I—”

He frowns. “When you’ve proven to me that you know the true meaning of submission then and only then will you be allowed to resume your coursework.”

“But I paid good money for that class,” I protest. “And one of the grading requirements is attendance. If I miss too much I’ll fail.”

“Well then…” He gives me a lazy smile. “You’d better learn to submit soon, hadn’t you?”

Suddenly I am furious—he thinks he has me sewn up in a neat little bag, doesn’t he? “Let me tell you something, Master,” I say, leaning forward and pointing a finger at his broad chest. “If you think I’ve got nothing better to do than bow and scrape and dance attendance on your every whim, you’re wrong.”

His eyes narrow. “Is that so?”

I sense I’m going too far but I don’t care. “Yeah,” I say sarcastically. “That’s freaking so. And if you expect me to enjoy jumping through your ridiculous hoops and fall in love with you and beg for your approval to do anything I want—”

“This has nothing to do with love,” he snaps, cutting me off. “It’s about dominance and submission and that’s all.” He leans forward until I shrink back. He is crowding me, getting into my personal space. “And believe me, Emma, I have a damn good reason for demanding that you submit to me.”

“Would that reason be that you’re some kind of a sexual sadist?” I say but my voice comes out in a breathless squeak instead of the strong, fearless tone I hoped it would.

“Absolutely not.” Aiden leans back, resting comfortably in the soft leather seat. “Dominance and submission is not a new game to me, but it’s not one I indulge in often. Usually I like to know that my partner wants such treatment before I deal it out.”

“Well, I don’t. Want it, I mean,” I say as forcefully as I can.

“How do you know?” he murmurs, eyeing me with interest.

I look at him in disbelief. “How do I know that I don’t want to be…be dominated? To be punished and hurt?”

“Punishment can be a pleasure in and of itself, if performed correctly,” he purrs. His gray eyes are lazy and half-lidded with something like hunger burning far back in their depths.

“How…how could anyone possibly get pleasure from being punished?” I whisper, feeling my cheeks heat.

“That depends on the punishment.” Lightly, Aiden brushes my hot cheek with the back of his hand. A jolt of electricity tingles through me at the gentle touch.

“I…I don’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to, Emma. Your earlier modesty tells me that you have very little experience of the sexual world, especially the dark side of that world, which we will explore together.”

A sudden image flares in my mind like a struck match. I can see myself, naked before him and tied to the bed. It’s a big, four-poster and my ankles and wrists are bound to each of the thick posts with some kind of black cord. Aiden is leaning over me, holding something in his hand…a blindfold. I suddenly know he’s going to put it on me and then do anything he wants…anything at all. My nipples are as hard as bullets and my pussy is dripping, my cunt swollen with a need only he can assuage. There is fear in my hazel eyes, but longing also. Longing to give myself to him completely, to submit in any way he wants, to offer myself to my Master…

No! I shake my head, trying to clear it of the disturbing vision. Where did it come from? Did I just have a bizarre fantasy or is the vampire somehow feeding me images of what he wants to do to me? Either option seems equally upsetting.

“But…I don’t want to explore it,” I say, trying to pick up the threat of our conversation.

He shakes his head. “A great pity—this will be more difficult than I feared. Still, what you want is immaterial in this case.”

“Why?” I demand. “Why is it immaterial? If you always give your…your partners a chance to say yes or no then why not give me that chance?”

He frowns at me. “You ask far too many questions. I would prefer you to sit in silence for the rest of our trip.” Before I can protest his high-handed proclamation he adds, “Every word you speak from now until we reach my home will add to the punishment you already have coming to you.”

“I…you…you…” I sputter incoherently.

“That’s three more strokes,” he says, sounding almost bored. “Would you care to try for more?"

Actually, I wouldn’t. I sink back in the butter-soft leather seat and fume silently instead. Arrogant bastard! But the strange vision I had of myself tied to his bed won’t leave my head. And I’m already wondering, what kind of strokes is he talking about?

Chapter Five

Aiden’s house is a flat out mansion—no other word fits.

We have to drive down a long and winding road through some pretty dense tropical vegetation, which tells me the vampire likes his privacy. Either that or he forgot to pay the gardener. The house itself is long and low, all one story, which makes sense in Florida. It’s much more expensive to cool a house with upper floors. It’s a sprawling modern design with lots of outer glass walls—surprising in the lair of a vampire. The lights inside give off a soft golden glow in the deepening night, promising a haven of safety. I am sure they lie.

“I spent years missing the sun,” Aiden says, obviously seeing me examining the glass walls. “When I acquired the means to reacquaint myself with its light, I didn’t want to waste it.”

Well, that explains all the glass. And it’s private and secluded back here—the house is surrounded by dense Florida foliage. So I guess he doesn’t have to worry about anyone seeing him walk around naked. If he does walk around naked. Just the thought has me blushing. If the broad, muscular chest I can see peeking out from the leather jacket he’s wearing is any indication, Aiden James naked would be a sight to see.

Wonder if you’ll be seeing it sooner rather than later, whispers a little voice in my head. I shiver at the thought.

Before I can speculate further, the limo pulls up to the front door, its tires crunching on the crushed shell driveway. Aiden steps out first and holds out his hand for me. It’s an old world, courtly gesture, one I’m tempted to ignore out of sheer perversity. A single look at my new master’s face, however, tells me that would be a mistake. I take the offered hand without comment.

He helps me out of the limo, then takes me firmly by the arm. With his other hand he makes a gesture towards what looks like a motion detector or monitor of some kind and the double front doors fly open soundlessly. Aiden marches me inside and they shut just as quickly with a very final clicking sound I don’t care for one bit. Are we locked in? Before I can ask, he is steering me through the house, one hand still clamped firmly on my arm.

“Hey, wait a minute! Where are we going?” I protest, forgetting his moratorium on talking.

“To the bedroom,” he growls. He’s walking so quickly I have to trot to keep up and the opulent house is a blur around me. “Your education begins tonight.”

My education? Is he serious?

Apparently so because the minute we enter a large master bedroom, he releases my arm and says, “Strip.”

“What?” I stand there confused and more than a little terrified. The very room we’re in seems built to intimidate. The walls are solid, not glass at least. As for the décor, it’s tres masculine. Big, heavy, dark furniture, thick, deep gray Berber on the floors, and a huge four-poster bed covered by a maroon spread. With a start, I realize this is the bed I saw in my dream—or vision or whatever you want to call it. The one I was tied to while Aiden was about to blindfold me.

“You heard me,” he says, pulling my attention back to him. He is standing there in the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking my escape and his arms crossed over his chest. “Strip.”

“I…why do I…?” I can’t finish the sentence.

Aiden sighs in obvious frustration. “Emma, I know you’re new to this but let’s get one thing straight from the start. A submissive does not ask why. She simply does what she’s told to do, the minute she is told to do it.”

“So you’re asking for my unconditional obedience?” My voice is quavering but I’m determined to have my say. “That seems like a tall order considering we’ve known each other less than twenty-four hours.”

Aiden runs a hand through his hair, a very human gesture of frustration. “I will tell you again, I have good reason to demand your submission. And it is not simply my personal preference.”

“What reason?” I demand. “Tell me.”

“In good time.” He eyes me sternly. “For now, do as you are told. Strip, Emma, or I will strip you myself. And I promise you won’t like the punishment afterward if I have to do that.”

He keeps promising to punish me but as yet he hasn’t said how he’s going to do it. How many punishments have I racked up so far? I open my mouth to ask in the most sarcastic way possible but the expression on his face makes me swallow my words. He’s just standing there, waiting for me to obey him. To take off all my clothes and get naked right here and now. I open my mouth again and this time what comes out is, “Do I really have to?”

His eyes soften a little at my pleading tone. “Emma…” He takes a step toward me and I back up, my thighs hitting the footboard of the tall, four-poster bed.

“Please,” I whisper. I realize I’m begging now but I can’t seem to help myself. All my sass and sarcasm has leaked away now that I’m pressed up against the bed with the huge, dominating vampire looming over me.

“I understand that you’re frightened and shy,” he murmurs softly, taking another step forward into my personal space. “But I must have you naked, my lovely little witch.”

There is a finality in his deep voice that tells me he’s not changing his mind about this. I’m going to have to do it, no matter how much I don’t want to.

“Fine,” I say, feeling furiously self-conscious. “I’ll strip. But don’t blame me if you don’t like what you see.” Turning my back to him, I push down the long peacock colored skirt and let it pool around my ankles. Then I take the loop of fabric from around my neck and slip off the halter as well. Finally I’m left in nothing but the strappy black sandals Lexy loaned me and a pair of blue lace underwear. I know I should take them off too but somehow I just can’t.

“Emma,” Aiden says softly and slowly I turn to face him. I cross my arms over my chest, hiding my too large breasts as best I can.

I know most women would die to have a double D cup but my bra size has always been a source of embarrassment to me. I remember the taunting voice of a girl I hated in high school. “More than a handful’s too much, Emma.” And her friend had laughed and added, “Yeah, and Emma has more like a car-full! Besides, big boobs don’t count when you’re fat.”

I’ve slimmed down some since those dreadful days but not nearly as much as I want to—as I should. Of course, if someone would have told me I would be standing naked—or nearly naked—in front of a supernaturally hot and hunky vampire in the near future I would have hit the Stairmaster a little harder.

“Take your arms away,” Aiden says quietly. “Let me see you.”

Miserably, knowing I have no choice, I do as he says. I feel completely exposed with my breasts bare, my nipples on display. Because they’re so big, they’re not exactly as perky as I’d like. Of course, not everyone with big boobs can look like a porn star—most of them are only so firm and high because they’re sporting a plastic rack. Still, I feel woefully inadequate standing there in front of the gorgeous Aiden.

“Emma,” he says. “Look at me.”

“Why?” I much prefer to study the carpet. Is there a swirly pattern in the Berber? It’s completely fascinating. Or at least better than looking up to meet those piercing eyes I can feel boring into me.

“Remember what I told you a submissive never asks?” he remarks.

Crap. Reluctantly, I look up at him.

“Now,” he says softly. “Why are you ashamed?”

“I told you in the car,” I say. “Because I’m shy. And because I’m not tall and skinny and perfect.”

“Like the cousins you mentioned? The ones you grew up with?”

Hesitantly, I nod. “Yes.”

He frowns. “And if they and their type are so attractive, why didn’t I choose one of them as my sacrifice?”

“I don’t know,” I say miserably. “I don’t know why you picked me. Is it because you’re still mad about what happened in the shop?”

He shakes his head. “No, it has nothing to do with that. Although I must admit, I wanted you from the first minute I saw you.”

“You…you did?” I can’t quite believe it. Then I remember the way he kept watching me so intently while I was trying to get the herbs he was requesting.

Slowly, he nods. “I did. I find your shape—which you seem to be so ashamed of—quite beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, looking away.

“You don’t believe me.” I can hear the frown in his voice. “But it’s true, Emma. The modern standard of beauty has changed but my own ideal has not. Your hourglass curves are much lovelier than any of the skinny stick women I see walking around these days. Why would I want to bed a woman who looks like an adolescent boy?”

“I don’t know…” Finally I look at him again. The blazing intensity I see in his eyes finally convinces me—he’s telling the truth. Wow. “Thank you,” I say at last, not knowing what else to say. “That’s…it does make me feel somewhat better. Knowing you like…full figured girls.”

“Full and luscious.” His gaze roams over my body in a way that makes my skin tingle and my cheeks get hot. “But I cannot see all of you just yet,” he continues, his eyes fastening on my blue lace panties.

“Oh, I…” I glance down at the little triangle of fabric between my legs which is all that stands between me and total nudity. I’m guessing they’re going to have to come off. Reluctantly, I hook my thumbs in their lacy sides, preparing to push them down.

“No, wait.” Aiden holds up a hand to stop me. “Let me,” he murmurs.

Before I can say anything, he is kneeling before me, his breath hot on my inner thighs. He cups my hips for a moment, his large hands cool on my hot skin. Then, slowly, as though he’s unveiling a masterpiece, he slides my panties down, baring my pussy.

I’m not sure if I want to die of embarrassment or faint from lust. I’m extremely glad of my rigorous personal grooming routine. I keep the area in good shape, even if no one but me ever sees it. My brownish blonde curls are neatly trimmed and the slit of my pussy is just visible.

“Beautiful,” Aiden breathes and runs one fingertip gently over my heated flesh, tracing my slit lightly from top to bottom.

I gasp and bite my lip. I was fully prepared to hate this part of the sacrifice deal. After all, I’ve never had sex before and now I’m going to be forced into a sexual relationship with a man I barely even know. What I wasn’t prepared for was his gentleness. His tenderness and consideration in assuring me that my body pleases him as it has never pleased me. I also wasn’t prepared for the way his feather-light caresses make the heat pool between my legs and my breath come short.

“Do you like that, Emma?” Aiden looks up at me as he strokes his fingertip over my slit once more. I’m getting wet now—I can feel it. Looking down I realize I can see it too. My pussy lips are getting puffy and swollen, opening to reveal my slippery pink inner cunt. I die a little inside with embarrassment—surely Aiden will know exactly how much he’s affecting me. There’s no hiding it when my own body is acting against me this way. “Emma?” he says again, raising and eyebrow at me.

“I…yes,” I say at last, knowing I can’t lie to him. Not with the evidence on display like this. I squeeze my thighs tightly together, trying to make it less obvious. “Yes, I…I guess so.”

“You guess so?” He frowns. “Perhaps I should do something to make you more certain.”

“No, no!” I protest quickly. “It’s good. Really…really good. I’m just…I’m not used to…to this kind of thing.”

“I’m beginning to think you’re not used to anything of a sexual nature,” he remarks, finally rising to his feet.

I bite my lip. Should I tell him I’m a virgin? It’s my most closely guarded and embarrassing secret—even worse than being a dud.

“I’m glad you’re capable of enjoying pleasure from my touch,” Aiden says, looking down at me. “But I’m afraid you’ll also have to endure pain.”

“Pain?” I try to back away from him but the damn bed is in the way again.

“Yes, pain.” Casually, he sits on the bed and pats his lap. “Come here, Emma. It’s time for your punishment.”

Chapter Six

“What kind of punishment are we talking about?” I ask nervously, keeping my distance.

“One which will be worse if you don’t come to me at once.” Aiden frowns. “Don’t make me come and get you, Emma. I promise you’ll be sorry if I do.”

Feeling trapped, I inch reluctantly toward him. Moving faster than I can see, Aiden reaches for me and pulls me to him. The next thing I know I’m over his lap with my torso resting on the bed, my ass in the air, and my legs hanging down.

“Wh-what are you doing?” I stutter, trying to turn my head and see him.

“Giving you your punishment,” Aiden looks at me sternly. “The one I promised you. The one you earned by disobeying me.”

“Okay, all right, I know all that,” I babble. “But what…how…?”

“How am I going to punish you?” He looks slightly amused. “I would think that would be obvious. I’m going to spank you.”

“What?” The word comes out in a breathless squeak. I don’t know what I expected when he kept promising to punish me but not this—never this. Being put naked over his knee and spanked like a little girl…it’s just ridiculous. Isn’t it?

“You heard me.” One of his large, warm hands is rubbing my naked ass now, sending shivers down my spine. “I’m going to spank you, Emma. Ten strokes for refusing to do as I ordered during the Sacrifice Ceremony and three more for the words you uttered after I told you to stop speaking.”

“You can’t be serious,” I say blankly. “I’m not some naughty little kid who got in a food fight at school.”

“No, you’re my defiant submissive who doesn’t know how to submit,” he fires back. “This is lesson number one, Emma—if you disobey, you get punished.”

Before I can say another word his big hand comes down on my bottom hard. Smack! I gasp—damn, that hurts!

“It’s meant to hurt,” he says and I wonder if he’s somehow reading my mind. He strokes my ass again, as though finding just the right spot to let the next blow fall. “Don’t tighten up like that, Emma darling—it doesn’t help.”

But I can’t help myself—every muscle in my body is clenched. When the next blow falls, I bite my lip to keep from gasping again. And then the next and the next, all accompanied by a bright starburst of pain and the flat smacking sound of his palm connecting with my flesh.

I lose count around seven. I can no longer hold still—I’m writhing in his lap, desperate to get loose, but there’s no way. Aiden has me pinned, my legs held firmly down.

The pain is bad but the other sensations are worse. The feeling of being pinned down, held, punished ought to make me angry as hell. Instead I feel…something else. A heat which seems to start somewhere in my belly and spreads to my entire body. I feel so bare, so naked, so hot, held helpless in his lap like this. He can literally do anything to me and I can’t stop him. My pussy feels wet again and my nipples are hard little nubs, rubbing against the maroon satin duvet.

No—hell, no! I tell myself. This is not turning me on. This is crazy!

Try telling that to my body, though. It’s revving like an engine as I wiggle and squirm on my new master’s lap. I don’t understand—do I have submissive tendencies hidden so deep inside even I didn’t know about them? Or is this all about Aiden James and the way it feels to be close to him, to be mastered by him?

These questions are too deep for me to answer, especially when my ass is singing in pain with each measured slap of his large hand. I’m gasping and moaning, crying out, “Oh!” or “Ow!” with each swat. I can’t seem to stop myself. I guess I left my dignity at the door. Or more likely it came off with my clothes when Aiden ordered me to strip. I feel like I’m going to explode from the pleasure and pain and overwhelming emotion. Will this ever be over?

And then abruptly, it is.

His hand stops spanking but he makes no move to let me off his lap. Instead he strokes my sore ass gently, almost lovingly and murmurs something too low for me to hear.

“What?” I ask, turning my head toward him, hoping my question doesn’t provoke another spanking.

“I said, after the pain, the pleasure,” he says. Still keeping me prone on his lap, he reaches across the bed for something. I’m about to ask what it is when I feel a new sensation. His hand is back and this time it’s soothing rather than painful.

Aiden rubs a cooling cream over my tortured skin making me moan softly, even though I’m trying not to make a sound. “Gently, my darling,” he murmurs as he works on me, stroking the cream across my skin in long, slow strokes.

“Thank you,” I whisper when it seems that he is done at last. “That…that feels much better.”

“And it’s going to feel better still,” he says. “Spread your legs, Emma.”

“I…what?” I gasp, twisting my head around to see him better. Really, this position is getting old but he still doesn’t seem inclined to let me up.

“You heard me.” He looks at me steadily. “You need to know that pleasure as well as pain can come by my hand. So spread your legs.”

“I…I thought we already established that your hands give me, uh, pleasure. Earlier,” I say, pressing my thighs together. I really don’t want him to see how wet I got from the spanking. I’m still confused about it myself.

“Emma,” he says sternly. “Aside from ‘why’, the other thing a submissive never says is ‘no’.”

“I…but I…” I look at him anxiously, unable to utter my fear and embarrassment.

Aiden must be able to see them in my eyes because his stern gaze softens and he goes back to stroking my sensitive ass. “It’s all right, Emma,” he says softly. “I simply need to get to know your body. I’m going to explore your pussy with my fingers—going to test your depth and see how wet you get.”

I bite my lip. “But…why? I mean, I know I’m not supposed to ask but this is, well, private.”

He nods. “I understand. The reason I need to know your body is to see how well it will fit with mine. I’m rather…” He clears his throat. “Rather large in certain areas. I need to make sure you can accommodate me.”

Oh my Goddess…I feel faint, but his explanation makes sense. It also makes me perversely hotter. The soft, gentle way he explained how he needed to explore my body makes me feel like my insides have gone molten.

“All right,” I whisper. I hide my head in my arms and then slowly, carefully, I part my legs for him.

“Good girl,” Aiden says approvingly. Of course, he’s plenty strong enough to have forced open my thighs himself but that plainly isn’t his style. He doesn’t want to force me—he wants me to submit to him. So far he’s winning this game we’re playing—if it is a game.

“So lovely,” he says softly, cupping my quivering pussy in one large palm. “So delicate.” He sits there for a moment, just holding me, letting me get used to his touch, I’m sure. Then I feel two large, blunt fingers spread my pussy lips wide. A third finger strokes over my heated insides, sliding over the sensitive button of my clit, making me jump and moan.

“Like that, do you?” Aiden murmurs. He does it again but this time the fingertip circles my throbbing clit, stroking all around the hot little nub without actually touching it. He goes on and on like that until I think I’m going to die.

“Beautiful,” he growls softly as he works on me. “And so wet already. You’re very responsive, my darling. It’s going to be a real pleasure getting to know your lush little body inside and out.”

I bite back a moan and try not to writhe too much. But I swear, the way he’s touching me is driving me crazy. How long is he going to keep this up? As long as it takes, apparently. Beneath my abdomen, I feel something hot and hard and huge growing—poking at the bare skin of my stomach. Oh my Goddess, is that his cock? He said it was large but this thing feels more than large. It’s more like the jumbo extra deluxe version. Maybe it feels bigger because of the leather pants he’s wearing—maybe some of the leather got bunched up. I certainly hope I’m right because if not, there’s no way I’ll be able to 'accommodate him' as he so eloquently put it.

If anyone would have told me this morning that I would spend my night naked on a vampire’s lap, with my thighs spread open so he could explore my pussy, I would have said they were delusional. If they had further told me that I would like it—that I would want to beg for more, I would have called the local mental institution and reserved them a room. But that’s exactly what I want to do—I need more, need it so badly.

I can’t beg, I tell myself sternly. After all, I’m already in a very compromising position, I have to retain some dignity. I bite my lower lip hard to keep from pleading with him to make me come. I’m so close. If he would just give me a little more direct contact…

Suddenly he stops completely.

A little cry of frustration escapes me—I can’t help it. I feel like I’m going to explode!

“Sorry about that, Emma.” His deep voice sounds both amused and aroused. “But I think it’s time to test your depth now. Spread a little wider, I’m going to put my fingers as deep into your pussy as I can go.”

There’s no point in arguing but still, I feel a stab of apprehension. I’m still worried he’ll find out about my virginity. Not from a hymen—I got rid of that myself years ago when I fell on a fencepost by accident. But still, I’m tight and unused. I’ve never had anything bigger than my own fingers up there and his are much larger than mine.

“Gently,” Aiden murmurs, as though sensing my fear. “Very gently, darling. Just spread yourself open and trust me. I won’t hurt you.”

He seems to keep his word about these kinds of things—if he promises pain, he delivers, if he promises pleasure, well, he gives that too. So I bite my lip and make myself spread my thighs a little wider, trying to welcome him in. “All right,” I whisper.

“Such a good girl,” Aiden says, his deep voice slightly hoarse. “Such a good girl to spread open your pussy for me, Emma.”

His words of approval send a jolt of pure lust straight through me. Why that should be, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the dirty words spoken in that deep, sensual voice. Or maybe it’s the gentle way he’s touching me. He couldn’t be any more careful even if he knew my virginal status. Speaking of which…ow. Now it’s starting to hurt just a little as two thick fingers begin to slide into my liquid depths.

“Hmm.” I can hear the worry in Aiden’s tone but I can’t quite bring myself to look at him. Not when he’s touching me so intimately. “You’re very tight,” he says. “More so than any other female I’ve ever felt.” He withdraws his fingers. “I’m going to try something,” he murmurs, spreading my pussy lips again.

“Wh-what?” I manage to squeak out as he begins that slow, circular massage around my clit that drives me crazy.

“I’m going to make you come and see if you’ll loosen up for me. You do want to come, don’t you, Emma?”

At this point, there’s no way I can deny it. “Yes,” I whisper in a very small voice.

“Yes, what?” he asks.

I know what he wants. “Yes, Master,” I say. “I…I want to come.”

“Ask me for it, then.” His fingers continue to circle, almost but never quite touching me where I need him the most. “Ask me nicely, my lovely little witch.”

“Oh!” I bite my lip and squirm in his lap, still not wanting to beg.

“I can keep this up all night, you know,” he says softly. “I can keep you right on the edge without ever quite pushing you over. It can be quite excruciating…in a very pleasurable way, of course.”

I know he’s telling the truth—he can obviously play my body like a violin. I’m going to have to give in and surrender the last shreds of my dignity. I don’t want to but my clit is throbbing and I’m on fire from the waist down. There’s no choice.

“Please,” I whisper and then force myself to speak louder. “Please, Master, make me…make me come. Please, I need to come.”

“Of course you do,” he says, his voice husky with lust. “Of course you need to come, Emma. Just relax and let me touch you—relax and let me make you come.”

His fingers stop their circling and rub me more directly, sliding delicately but firmly over my aching clit, touching me in the exact way I need to be touched.

I’ve been on edge for so long, that’s all it takes. My back arches and I cry out as a tidal wave of pleasure swamps me. Oh Goddess, so good! I’ve never had an orgasm from anyone’s hand but my own. I can’t believe how much more intense it is when it comes from someone else.

“That’s right,” Aiden growls softly. “That’s right, sweetheart, just let yourself come. Come all over my hand.” As he speaks, his fingers slip lower, finding the entrance to my pussy. I moan as they slip inside me. I can feel my inner walls spasming around the invading digits but Aiden was right, somehow they do seem to slide in more easily.

He thrusts into me gently at first and then harder, hitting the end of my channel with each stroke, making me gasp and fist my hands in the slippery satin duvet.

“You like that, Emma?” he growls, speeding up. “You like it when I fingerfuck your sweet little cunt?”

“Yes,” I gasp, unable to deny it. “Yes, Master, yes.” I press back against his fingers, seeking more. Oh, Goddess—it’s a whole new level of pleasure. It’s deeper, more satisfying somehow. I can only imagine how it would be if it was his cock instead of his fingers inside me, stretching me open, taking me, making me his… Just the thought makes me feel like I’m going to come again.

Aiden seems to sense this. “That’s right, sweetheart,” he murmurs, thrusting even harder. “Give it up for me. Let me feel you squeezing my fingers with that tight little pussy.”

He brushes my throbbing clit again as he thrusts into me and I can’t help it—with a low moan that sounds suspiciously like his name, I am coming again. This time it’s a deeper orgasm, one that seems to well up from within and overwhelm me. I can feel my inner muscles clench hard around his fingers.

Aiden must be able to feel it to. “Good girl,” he says, still pumping into me. “Good girl to come so hard for me. Gods, you’re tight.”

At last the pleasure recedes, like a wave pulling back from the shore. It leaves me feeling drained, both mentally and physically. It’s almost as though I'd run a marathon—or what I imagine it would be like after a marathon, anyway. I only run when chased.

My new master seems to be finely attuned to my body. When he senses that I’m finished coming, Aiden withdraws his fingers gently and strokes my back in soothing circles.

I just lie there, limp. My pussy might be tight but the rest of me feels like overcooked pasta. I’m completely exhausted. I think I’d be happy to lie here all night, face down on his lap, and sleep.

But Aiden isn’t going to let me. “Very good, Emma,” he says, sitting me up. “You’re beautiful when you come—has anyone ever told you that?”

“No,” I whisper, looking down. Now that I’m upright again, my lassitude seems to have magically drained away and I’m ashamed to face him. I can’t look him in the eye after writhing all over his lap and spreading my legs for him. Can’t let myself admit that I called him Master and begged him to make me come.

“Just look at you—you’re blushing.” He sounds surprised. “Was it really that hard for you to give yourself to me?”

“It was…intense,” I say, trying to find the best word to describe the experience. In fact it was so intense my chest feels tight with emotion. I’ve never given this much of myself to anyone before. It’s not a big deal to him, though, I tell myself sternly. It’s just business as usual so stop getting all emotional. I take a deep breath, trying to calm down.

“It can be overwhelming the first time you submit to someone,” he acknowledges calmly. “But this was just a small step forward.”

“It was plenty big enough for me.” Despite my calming breaths, I’m still blushing and trembling, pressing my thighs together. The last orgasm he gave me echoes through my body, like the aftershocks of an earthquake.

Aiden frowns. “Really, Emma, anyone would think you’d never had a man touch you before.”

I glance up at him quickly before I can stop myself. Then I look back down at my hands, hoping he can’t read my inexperience in my face.

“Emma?” he says.

I only looked at him for a moment but apparently those gray eyes are as sharp as they look. “Yes?” I whisper.

“Exactly how many sexual partners have you had?” he wants to know.

“Oh, you know…”

“No, I don’t,” he says sternly. “Not until you tell me.”

“Fine,” I say, half angry, half ashamed. “None, all right? No one in the supernatural community wants to date a dud. Or a prudish witch, one who’s too afraid and ashamed to take off her clothes and get naked in public—or in private for that matter.” I look down at my hands, the words coming faster now. “I know it sounds pathetic—I’m twenty-two and still a virgin. I probably could have found some willing guy just for the night to get rid of it but…I’ve never wanted it to be like that. I want it to be more than just a…just a quick fuck.”

Goddess, I’m so stupid! My cheeks are so hot I feel like my face is on fire as I wait for his reply. He’ll think I’m weird now, strange, defective…

But Aiden’s answer, when it comes, surprised me.

“Of course it should be more than just a fleeting encounter—a night spent in the dark with a stranger.” He strokes my hot cheek gently. “I must confess, I know it makes me sound old fashioned but…I’m glad you’re a virgin.”

“You are?” I look up at him uncertainly.

He nods, a little smile playing around the corners of his sensual mouth. “Don’t forget, Emma, I come from a time when virginity was mandatory for females until marriage.” His gray eyes become suddenly serious. “I swear to you, darling, when I take you I’ll be sure you’re ready for me.”

“Th-thank you,” I stutter, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Goddess, I’m such an idiot. I can’t even talk about sex without getting all flustered.

“Your modesty does you credit,” Aiden tells me. “And your virginity is a welcome surprise.” He sighs. “Although we may have to take some extra measures to get you ready to make love.”

“What?” I look up at him, surprised. “You mean…you’re not going to…to do it tonight?”

“Tonight?” He looks almost shocked. “Of course not.”

“But why?” I say, uttering the forbidden question.

Aiden doesn’t reprimand me. “For one, because I think you’ve endured quite enough shocks for one night. And for another, we have an entire year—why rush our pleasure?” His eyes are suddenly heavy-lidded with lust as he stares at me. “And believe me, Emma, it will be a very great pleasure to sink my cock deep into your soft little pussy and pump you full of my cum. To claim your body with my own.”

“Oh,” I whisper, my breath catching in my throat. There’s something about hearing dirty talk in that low, sensual voice that sends me into instant overdrive.

“But that is for another time. As for tonight…” Aiden rises from the bed. “I think it’s time you got some sleep.” Coming around the side of the bed, he helps me slip under the satin coverlet and cool, crisp cotton sheets below. I don’t usually sleep naked but he hasn’t offered me anything to wear to bed and suddenly I’m incredibly tired.

“What about you?” I manage to ask before yawning. “I thought you said…I’d sleep in your bed.”

“This is my bed and you will be sleeping in it. I, however, will be sleeping elsewhere.” He strokes my cheek gently. “You’re lovely but I don’t sleep with anyone.”

“But…” I want to protest that I’ll feel lonely in this huge bed all by myself but I can’t seem to get the words out. Aiden is looking into my eyes and the more he looks, the sleepier I get. It occurs to me to wonder if he’s put me under some kind of a sleep spell—can vampires do that? I thought they didn't do magic…

But before the thought can fully form, my eyelids close and I’m gone.

Chapter Seven

When I wake up in the morning, sunlight is streaming through a wide window at the far end of the bedroom. I shift in the bed and make a little noise of pain when my tender ass rubs too roughly against the cotton sheets.

Wait a minute, why am I tender there? What’s going on? And for that matter, where am I?

I shift again and suddenly everything comes rushing back—the Sacrifice Ceremony, the lesson in submission, the spanking and most of all, the way Aiden fingered me and made me come.

Oh my Goddess, did all that really happen? I sit up in bed, wrapping my arms around my knees. I want to deny it, to pass everything off as a dream, but there is no arguing with this vast bedroom and its massive furniture, or the huge bed I spent the night in.

I wonder where Aiden is. To my shame, the mere thought of the big vampire makes my heart beat harder. It’s almost like I’m infatuated with him, which of course, is ridiculous. I just met him yesterday—he’s practically still a stranger.

A stranger you bared yourself body and soul to. A stranger you told your most embarrassing secrets, whispers a little voice in my head. Trying to shut it up, I flop back down and pull my pillow over my head. As I do, I stretch out my arms and my fingertips find something thin and smooth that crackles when I touch it.

I sit up again and look to see what’s in my hand. It’s a piece of paper covered in bold, flowing script—a note.

My Darling Emma,

I trust that you slept well after your exertion last night. I will be waiting for you in the dining room when you awake. Please wear what I have left out for you—you will find it on the dresser. Wear this and nothing more. I look forward to continuing your education.

A.

“Controlling bastard, aren’t you?” I murmur to myself as I read over his dressing instructions. Then again, I suppose that’s part of the whole Master gig. My heart skips a beat when I see the last line about continuing my education. Goddess, what does he have in mind for me today? “Only one way to find out,” I murmur and hop out of bed.

After a quick but refreshing shower in the master bathroom, which has marble everything and is bigger than my living room, I wrap myself in a plush crimson towel. Then I wander back out to the bedroom to see what kind of outfit my new master has chosen for me.

“What the hell is this?” I stand in front of the large mahogany dresser with its ornate, oval mirror and stare at the 'outfit'. Only it’s not an outfit at all—it’s a collar. A lovely one, to be sure—it’s been made to look a little like a necklace with a ruby charm dangling from the front—but a collar just the same. It even has a buckle instead of a clasp. Seriously, he expects me to wear this? This and nothing else?

“I don’t think so,” I mutter to myself. I might be willing to wear the collar, since we’re playing this dominance and submission game. But there is no way I’ll prance around naked with it on. Letting Aiden see me nude is one thing. Walking around with no clothes in a house made of glass walls is something else entirely. It’s not going to happen.

I’ll just wear what I had on last night, I tell myself. But when I go to search for them, my blue halter top and peacock colored skirt are gone. Well, crap. It doesn’t look like Aiden is leaving me many options.

But I’m not going down without a fight. If I can’t find my clothes, I’ll have to wear some of his. Opening the mahogany wardrobe at the far end of the room, I begin rummaging through the rows of clothes. Hmm, it smells wonderful in here—like cedar and some kind of dark spice—Aiden’s personal scent, I realize. I’m tempted to burrow in among the hanging suits and dress shirts and just breathed him in. Maybe I can find the entrance to some magical land where animals talk and nobody expects you to submit and wear a collar. But I sense I’ve kept my master waiting long enough.

I pick a deep red, long sleeved shirt and put it on. Aiden is so big his shirt falls to my thighs, making a suitable, if somewhat short, dress. I have to roll the sleeves up almost to my elbows and then I look at myself in the oval mirror.

Not bad. The crimson shirt contrasts nicely with my pale skin and makes my mousy brown hair almost blonde. My mother had the same pale skin but her hair was raven black and fell to her waist. I sigh, wishing that I’d inherited her hair color and not just her skin tones.

The shirt looks good but what about the collar? Reluctantly, I decide I’d better wear it. I’m already disobeying Aiden’s orders about not wearing anything else. Maybe seeing that I also slipped on the article he left out for me will appease him.

I buckle it around my neck and am surprised when it fits perfectly—almost as though it was made for me. It doesn’t feel constrictive and it doesn’t choke me. Instead, the smooth black leather seems to mold itself to my throat, like a second skin. The ruby pendant nestles in the hollow of my throat resembling a drop of blood, glittering when I move. I’m glad I chose the red shirt because they definitely go together.

Finally I’m ready to leave the room. I let myself out of the bedroom and start walking but soon I find that the house is kind of a maze. There are hallways branching into hallways, sitting rooms, bedrooms, a study lined with leather-bound books, even a professional looking kitchen hung with burnished copper pots—but no dining room that I can find. The glass walls everywhere makes it seem like a mirror maze at the carnival—I’ve always hated those things. Even worse, I start getting the weird, creepy feeling that someone I can’t see is watching me.

Just as I’m about to get really weirded out, I turn another corner and find myself in a large, formal dining room. There, sitting at the far end of a table that could easily seat sixteen, is Aiden. He has a laptop open beside him and is going over a thick sheaf of paperwork but when I come in he looks up.

“Ah, finally.”

“Sorry, I got a little bit lost.” I come over to the table, very aware that he is staring at me without blinking. Goddess, suddenly wearing his shirt—when he expressly forbid me clothing—seems like a bad idea. “Do you like my outfit?” I blurt at last when he still doesn’t say anything.

“You look very fetching in my clothing,” Aiden rumbles, frowning. “But as you well know, Emma, you’re not supposed to be wearing anything but the collar.”

“I am wearing the collar, see? I shake back my hair, baring my neck for him, making sure he can see the ruby winking in the hollow of my throat.

“Yes, and it looks lovely on you. But why are you also wearing my shirt?” Oh crap, he sounds so stern.

“I…uh…” I swallow hard, trying to think of an excuse. “I thought I might be cold?” I say weakly.

Aiden frowns. “The house is kept at a constant seventy-five degrees during the day, Emma. And with all the sunlight coming through the windows and walls, there’s no way you could be too cold.”

“Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it?” I snap, suddenly angry at his unreasonable demands. “Maybe I don’t want to run around nude in a house that has mostly glass walls. What if some pervert was peeking in?”

“That’s impossible,” he says flatly. “I value my privacy highly and I pay well to make sure it stays intact. No one will see you, Emma. Remove that shirt right now.”

“I don’t want to,” I whisper, clutching the crimson fabric to my chest. “I…I feel safer with it on.”

“That’s exactly the point,” Aiden says patiently. “How can I break down your boundaries when you feel safe? You need to be out of your comfort zone.”

“Maybe I like my comfort zone,” I say mutinously.

He sighs. “Do you really think I want you naked just to discomfort you? I have other reasons as well. I want you to make friends with your body.”

“Make friends with…what?” I stare at him incredulously. What the hell?

Aiden must see the skeptical look on my face because he raises a hand and says, “All I mean is that you need to spend some time in your own skin in order to realize how beautiful you are.” His eyes roam over me from top to toe, making me feel hot all over. “To see yourself as I see you.”

“That sounds like some kind of crazy therapy,” I say but I can feel myself blushing from the way he’s looking at me.

Aiden shrugs, his broad shoulders rolling under the expensive gray suit jacket he has on today. “Call it what you will but until you learn to love yourself, until you’re completely comfortable with your body, you can’t submit to me properly.”

I sigh. “I still don’t understand why you need my submission so badly. Is this the way you augment your power?”

“Something like that but it’s not what you think at all. This isn’t just for me.”

I look around. “Are we doing it for someone else? Are they watching?”

Aiden laughs. “No, Emma, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it like?” I demand.

He sighs. “I will tell you all in the fullness of time. For right now, please remove the shirt so we can eat.”

I can tell he’s not going to let this go. And he’s already seen me naked last night—this should be no big deal. But somehow it is, it really is. It’s much harder to take off my clothes in the broad light of day than it was to slip them off last night in the warm, forgiving lamplight of the bedroom.

I unbutton the shirt slowly, trying to put off the moment of complete nudity. Aiden watches me, his gaze roaming over my body as more and more of me is revealed.

“Lovely,” he growls softly when I reach the last button and the shirt hangs open around me. He pushes back from the table and beckons to me. “Come here, Emma.”

Not knowing what else to do, I come to him and stand where he indicates, right between his legs. He’s so tall that, though he’s sitting and I’m standing, we’re still eye-to-eye. “Master?” I whisper softly, hoping to appease him—wondering what he’s going to do.

“So beautiful. Such full breasts.” He palms one of my breasts gently and thumbs the nipple until it’s a stiff little peak. I have to bite back a moan—Goddess, his touch sets me on fire. “I love the way you look like this, with your nakedness framed in crimson,” Aiden murmurs, cupping the other breast and giving it the same treatment. “I’ll tell you what, Emma…”

“What?” I whisper as he continues to stroke and tease my breasts. He seems to like pinching my nipples until I gasp and then circling their aching peaks until I moan.

“I’ll let you keep the shirt on,” he murmurs, looking up at me. “As long as you keep it open, just as it is now, and don’t try to hide your body from me. I want to see you every minute—looking at you is a visual feast.”

No one has ever said anything even remotely like this to me before. I’m stunned for a moment but then I realize this is the best deal I’m going to get. I’d better take it quickly. “Yes,” I nod. “Yes, Master, that would be nice.”

“Very nice,” he murmurs. “But I’m afraid you’ll still have to be punished for disobeying me.”

“What? But I thought we had a deal,” I protest.

He frowns. “A deal you forced me to make when you came out here dressed instead of nude, as I required. That kind of manipulation from a submissive is called ‘topping from the bottom’ and I won’t have it.”

“What…what are you going to do to me?” I ask. “Bend me over your knee and spank me again?” I’m ashamed to admit the thought of that, of being held down and punished by him, is making my pussy wet. Goddess, what’s wrong with me?

“Nothing would give me more pleasure,” Aiden growls, his gray eyes flashing silver for a moment. “But I have much to do today and I’m already running behind.” He looks at the heavy gold Rolex on his wrist and frowns. “However,” he looks up. “I do have a means of punishment here that I think will be appropriate.”

Before I can ask what it is, he is pulling what looks like two little alligator clips from his pocket. They have black rubber tips and are attached with a length of fine, golden chain, which coils in his palm like a pet snake.

“What are those?” I ask, looking at the clips apprehensively.

“You’ll see soon enough. Come here.” He beckons for me to get closer, which I do, even though it puts my breasts right in his face.

Aiden doesn’t seem to mind in the least. He palms one of my heavy breasts and sucks the nipple gently into his mouth. I gasp as he takes me into his wet heat. His tongue plays with me—circling my sensitive bud, then lashing it until my legs are so weak I feel like I might fall down. It seems like each new sensation of pleasure goes straight to my pussy, making it wet and hot and ready for him. He sucks me hard, taking as much of my breast as he can into his mouth at one time until I moan. Then, slowly, he pulls back, eyeing my fully erect nipple approvingly.

“Very good,” he murmurs. “And now that you’ve had your pleasure, it’s time for punishment.”

“What kind of punishm—” I begin but that’s when he clamps one of the black rubber alligator clips to my nipple—the nipple he just finished sucking, the one that’s still so sensitive even the soft breeze from a nearby window feels too intense.

I yelp and try to jump away but Aiden holds me still. Swiftly, he sucks the other nipple until it too sticks out. Then he puts the second clamp on. When I look down, I can see the fine-link golden chain swaying between my breasts. It feels like someone with mean fingers is pinching my delicate buds as hard as they can.

“It hurts,” I protest, wishing I dared to take the damn things off my nipples. One look in Aiden’s gray eyes tell me there’s no way I can. Not without incurring his wrath and an even more severe punishment.

“They’re meant to hurt,” he responds calmly. “Take a deep breath, Emma. Relax into the pain.”

I try to do as he says and I find that I can manage—a little bit. The pain in my sensitive nubs isn’t quite so intense now—it’s more like intense squeezing. And I have to admit, to my shame, that every sensation I feel in my breasts is going straight to my pussy to make me wetter and hotter than I have ever been before. Am I getting off on the pain? Or the fact that it was Aiden who inflicted it?

“Better now?” he asks, searching my eyes.

I nod shortly. “A little.”

“Good.” He strokes one tortured breast gently. “Tell me something, Emma—deep down, do you like the way it feels? The bite of the clamps?”

I can feel myself blushing. It’s almost as though he’s reading my mind—but there’s no way I’ll admit it. “No,” I say hastily. “No, of course not. Why would I like it?”

“Because you’re a natural submissive,” he murmurs. “I could tell it the moment I touched you. You don’t want to acknowledge it, but giving yourself to me, however reluctantly, arouses you greatly.”

“No, it doesn’t,” I lie, trying to keep a straight face. “Not at all.”

“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow at me. “So if I was to finger your soft little cunt right now I wouldn’t find you wet and hot for me?”

“No, I…I don’t….don’t think so.” I shift uneasily in front of him. Goddess.

“You don’t think so?” He frowns at me sternly. “I think we’d better find out for sure. Spread your legs and open your pussy for me.”

“I…do I have to?” I whisper. I know what he’ll see if he forces me to do this. He’ll find out how hot and wet I really am. How the punishing clamps on my nipples are causing my pussy to cream for him.

Aiden twists one finger in the gold chain hanging between my breasts and gives it a sharp tug. I yelp as the clamps bite even harder and a fiery mixture of pleasure and pain jolts through me, causing fresh wetness between my legs. “Do as you’re told,” he says sternly.

“Yes, Master,” I say through gritted teeth. Part of me hates the humiliation of what he’s demanding I do. But there is another part—a part so deeply buried I never would have found it without Aiden. That naughty little part of my psyche loves the feeling of hot helplessness, of giving control of my body over to someone else. Someone bigger and stronger who can do anything he wants to me. I try to push that part away—it’s sick and wrong to be turned on by this treatment, isn’t it? I am no longer sure. All I know is that my master is watching me, waiting for me to obey. Every second I delay I am risking more punishment.

Taking a deep breath, I spread my legs for him. Then, (and this is even harder) I reach down and part my pussy lips with my fingers, holding myself open so that he can inspect my wet, pink interior.

“Lovely,” Aiden murmurs, cupping my open pussy in his hand. I can’t quite stifle a moan as his warm palm comes in contact with my slippery inner cunt. I can feel the heel of his hand rubbing my throbbing clit even as two thick fingers sink deep inside my pussy. He looks up at me. “And not just lovely—very wet and hot. You do like this, Emma. Even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

“I…I…” It’s impossible to answer when he’s pumping slowly into my pussy with those long, thick fingers. Goddess, I haven’t even had breakfast yet and he’s about to give me an orgasm.

“Wet and hot but so tight,” Aiden says, still pumping. Goddess, I’m so close. If he would just rub my clit a little harder… a little faster… “We’ll have to do something about that after breakfast,” he continues. Then, abruptly, he withdraws his hand.

I’m left standing there alone, bereft, unfulfilled. I make a little sound of protest but Aiden seems unconcerned.

“You may sit now, Emma,” he says, indicating a plush dining room chair adjacent to his. “Breakfast will be served at once.” He picks up a small crystal bell I hadn’t noticed earlier and rings it sharply.

To my surprise and embarrassment, a door on the far side of the room opens and an elderly human man with thinning white hair and watery blue eyes shuffles in carrying a tray. Oh my Goddess, has he been watching? Has he seen everything that Aiden was doing to me? Quickly I try to cover myself with the crimson shirt but Aiden stops me.

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, Emma. Barnes won’t look at you.” Barnes, presumably, being the old man.

“But…” I have never felt so naked. I’m still itching to cover up, even though the servant’s watery blue eyes are pointed discreetly away from me.

“It’s my wish that you remain bare,” Aiden growls softly, his eyes flashing. It’s clear he’s not going to bend on this.

Reluctantly, I stop fiddling with the crimson shirt and let it hang open by my sides. My clamped nipples throb fiercely and my pussy feels incredibly wet and naked. My cheeks are so hot I feel like my face is on fire. Yet I sit there quietly, on display, while the elderly servant serves out scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes.

He puts a steaming plate in front of me and I pick up my fork and start eating, not sure what else to do. I’m sure the food is delicious, but I can’t taste a thing. All I can feel is how embarrassed I am. How I wish I could sink right through the floor and never return.

Finally, after pouring me a steaming cup of what smells like Earl Grey tea, the old servant leaves. I breathe a sigh of relief and feel myself relaxing. It’s entirely possible that he’s watching us from the next room but as long as I can’t see him doing it, I feel better.

Across from me, Aiden is enjoying a hearty breakfast—which is, to put it mildly, impossible. Vampires subsist completely on blood. Anything else becomes completely indigestible to them when they lose their humanity.

“Vampires can’t eat,” I blurt, before I think about it.

“This one can,” Aiden says mildly, looking up from a bite of pancake. “And I enjoy it greatly.”

“But how?” I ask. “You’re not human anymore.”

“The same way I can tolerate sunlight.” He gives me a predatory smile. “I assure you, Emma, there are a great many human pleasures I enjoy.”

My stomach does a flip as I consider the implications of his words. Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore. I put down my fork as butterflies continue to swoop in my stomach.

Aiden frowns at me. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m not hungry,” I say. “Besides, this is really fattening. I mean, it’s good, don’t get me wrong. But pancakes and bacon? Come on, I haven’t eaten this stuff in years.” Not since I got out of high school and made an effort to lose some weight, anyway.

“Haven’t I told you that I like your shape?” he asks sternly. “I want you to feel free to eat what you want, Emma.”

“What, so I can get horribly fat and unattractive?”

“You’ll never be unattractive to me. And I like a woman with something to hold on to.”

“I’m only here for a year,” I remind him. “If I spend that time pigging out, I’ll never get married and have kids. I mean, it’s bad enough that I’m a dud but…” I trail off as I see the burning light in his eyes. He's angry about something I’ve said—furious.

“You’ve only been with me for a night and you’re already thinking of finding a new master?” he says in a low, dangerous voice.

“What? No!” I protest hastily. “But you and I both know the term of Sacrifice only lasts a year. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to want to keep me around after time is up. Right?”

Aiden’s eyes narrow and then he looks away, the muscles in his jaw clenching. “Right,” he says tightly. Abruptly, he pushes back from the table. “Breakfast is over,” he announces.

Well, all right. So much for making me eat more. I push back from the table too. “What now?” I ask, though I’m almost afraid to find out.

“Back to the bedroom,” he says, rising and throwing his linen napkin over his half eaten plate. “I have one more thing for you to wear while I’m gone today.”

Before I can ask what it is, he is striding from the room so fast I have to trot to keep up.

Chapter Eight

The 'one more thing' turns out to be a kind of harness that straps around my thighs and presses up against my crotch like a pair of weird leather panties. There’s a hole in the crotch though, with another, smaller harness as though something is meant to fit through it. Before I can ask Aiden about it, he produces a slim, flesh colored dildo and holds it up.

“What’s that for?” I ask warily as he kneels before me to finish strapping the harness in place around my thighs.

“It’s to open you,” he replies, matter-of-factly. “Spread your legs, Emma.”

“What? You expect me to wear that all day while you’re gone?” I cross my legs quickly. It might be slim but it’s still considerably wider than his two fingers, which are the largest things I’ve ever had inside me.

“Of course I do.” He frowns at me. “How else can I get you ready to accommodate my cock when I take you?”

I can feel my cheeks getting hot at the casual way he talks about fucking me. “I don’t know,” I confess at last. “But you never said anything about me wearing a dildo all day long.”

“Emma,” he says. “I’m simply trying to break you in gently. Would you rather I threw you on the bed and took you here and now, ready or not?”

I bite my lip. “N-no,” I whisper. I might have found a strange, twisted enjoyment in his mastery of me but I have no wish to be raped.

“I didn’t think so,” Aiden murmurs. “This device will help you get used to being penetrated and filled.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “And I don’t recommend cheating and taking it out once I’ve left the house for the day. Every morning I’ll be fitting you with a larger phallus. If you skip a day, you’re going to have more pain the next day.”

“I see.” And I do. I’m going to be walking around all day with this thing inside me and I don’t dare take it out, even when Aiden is gone.

“Good,” he says, looking into my eyes. “Now I want you to spread your legs for me and let me fill you, Emma.” The words are spoken in a low, quiet voice of command. A tone I’m already beginning to think of as his 'master voice'. To my great shame, I feel a surge of lust between my legs when he speaks to me like that.

“All right,” I whisper reluctantly.

“All right, what?” he prompts sternly.

“All right, Master.”

“Excellent, Emma.” He strokes my thigh soothingly. “Now turn around and grip the bedpost.”

I do as he says, gripping one of the thick bedposts with both hands.

“Very good,” Aiden says. He is still kneeling on the ground behind me and he raises the tail of the crimson shirt I am wearing, baring my ass. “Now spread your legs and push out your ass,” he directs. "I want your pussy tilted toward me so I can line this up correctly.”

I do as he says but just as I’m in the correct position, I happen to look to my side and see that this whole interaction is visible in the oval mirror of the dresser. My breath catches in my throat and I stare at the mostly naked girl gripping the bedpost and spreading her legs for her master.

Aiden, for his part, doesn’t seem to notice I’m watching us in the mirror. He simply holds the flesh-colored shaft by its base and slides it carefully and precisely into the hole in the leather harness.

I gasp when I feel the cool latex touch my skin.

“Once it’s seated fully inside you, it will warm to your body temperature,” Aiden says, as though reading my mind.

I think about saying it’s the 'fully inside' part which worries me much more than the thing’s temperature but before I can, the head is sliding between my outer cunt lips, finding the entrance to my pussy.

I clench in fear—I can’t help it. This seems so unnatural, so foreign. My whole body feels tight at the very idea of letting this happen.

Again, Aiden seems to sense my mood. “It’s all right,” he murmurs, stroking my thighs and ass soothingly. “You can do this, Emma. It’s my wish that you open yourself for me and it’s for your own good. I know you can submit.”

“I…I…” I want to say something biting and sarcastic. Something about how would he like to submit to my foot up his ass? But I can’t quite get the words out. I know he’d punish me for such insolence and besides, a part of me wants to trust him. Wants to put myself in his hands and please my master. “I’ll try,” is what finally comes out of my mouth.

“Good, very good.” I feel something warm and wet and hot at the top of my right buttock—did he just kiss me there? I look in the mirror just in time to see him do it again, this time at the top of my left buttock.

I let out a little sigh. The unexpectedly tender gesture seems to loosen me up somehow. I’m sure Aiden knows that because I feel the flesh-colored phallus resume its journey. The slick head breaches my entrance and slides gently but relentlessly up and into my tight pussy channel.

“That’s good, Emma. You’re doing very well,” Aiden murmurs in a low, encouraging voice. “Open up for me. Open up and take it all.”

I bite my lip as I watch the slim wand piercing me in the mirror. I watch the careful way Aiden inserts it, slowly but steadily, filling me to the limit. At last the head bumps against the end of my channel and I give a breathless little moan. In me…Goddess, in me so deep!

“There,” Aiden says softly. “You can relax, darling—it’s all inside you now. Pressing right against the mouth of your womb—exactly where I want to be.” He gives the end of the phallus a nudge and I gasp as it presses even deeper into me, sending a bolt of pleasure inward. Aiden snaps the bottom part of the harness in place, preventing the dildo from falling out. Then he stands up and steps back to admire his handiwork. “Walk about,” he says to me. “Let me see how you move with it inside you.”

Grimacing, I do as he says. I expect it to be a strange, invasive feeling to walk around with the artificial shaft filling my pussy and it is. But it’s arousing too. As much as I hate to admit it, the feeling of having something inside me, filling me up, makes me so wet I can feel my juices soaking the leather harness. Suddenly the extra surge of horniness makes me angry—damn it, am I ever going to be in control of my own body again? No matter what he does to me I can’t seem to help reacting, can’t stop myself from wanting more.

“Beautiful,” Aiden murmurs, watching me with half-lidded eyes. “How does it feel, darling?”

I take another step. The phallus pulls out slightly and then, with my next step, it sinks back inside me, pressing hard against the end of my channel. It’s a rhythmic motion, the press and pull of this thing inside me, and I have no doubt what it’s meant to mimic. Aiden doesn’t just want to open my pussy, he wants me to get used to being fucked. So by the time he finally slips his cock inside me, my body will be ready for it—hungry for it—whether I’m mentally prepared or not.

“Well?” he says and I realize he’s still waiting for an answer.

I glare at him defiantly. “It feels like…like someone is fucking me with every step I take,” I say.

Aiden smiles and shakes his head. “Not quite. I assure you, Emma, when I decide to fuck you, you’ll know it.”

I feel my cheeks get hot and look away. Goddess, I can’t believe I’m walking around half naked with a freaking dildo up inside me. And I’m going to be stuck like this all day! “Don’t you have to go to work?” I mutter, taking another stilted, awkward step.

In the mirror, I see Aiden’s gray eyes darken. “As a matter of fact I do,” he snaps. “I’ll see you tonight. You may have the run of the house and the pool but do not leave the grounds. And Emma?”

“What?” I say, not looking at him. I know I sound like a sullen little kid but I can’t help it. I feel so out of control. So weird.

Aiden, however, is not having my attitude. Gripping my chin firmly, he forces me to meet his eyes. “Emma,” he says, in a cold, quiet voice that makes me shiver. “You may remove the nipple clamps for the day although I expect to see you wearing them when I come home. But you must keep the harness on and whatever you do, don’t touch yourself or make yourself come. Do you understand?”

“You think I’m so turned on by all this I won’t be able to keep my hands out of my panties?” I demand sarcastically. Well, if I was wearing panties, anyway.

One corner of his cruel but sensuous mouth turns up in a half-smile. “Don’t kid yourself, darling, I know exactly how my touch affects you. But I expect my orders to be obeyed.”

“Fine.” I want to glare back at him but his gaze is so intense I have to drop my eyes.

“Fine, what?”

“Fine…Master.” I use the title like a curse but Aiden chooses not to acknowledge my tone.

“I’ll be back at five tonight. Have a good day, Emma,” he says. And then, before I can say anything, he is gone.

Chapter Nine

The minute he leaves I take off the clamps. They leave my nipples tender and tingling and so sensitive I can’t even bear to touch them at once. Goddess—and he expects me to put them back on the minute I hear him walking through the door? Ugh.

I have the run of the house but it takes me a good long time to get up the courage to leave my room again. For one thing, I’m afraid I might run into the creepy old servant—what was his name? Something with a B but I can’t remember at the moment. Who is he, anyway, and how is he tied to Aiden? Also, I'd glanced in the kitchen while I was looking for the dining room and I don’t remember seeing him in there. Either there is another kitchen in this huge house and I happened to look into the wrong one, or the creepy old servant can move like lightning. I certainly hope my second kitchen theory is the right one because the idea of that old guy zipping around the house at supernatural speed makes me shiver. Ugh!

The other thing that keeps me in the room is how awkward it feels to walk around with something up inside of me. And I don’t care what Aiden says, to me it feels like I’m being fucked with every step I take. It slides in and out of my pussy in a way that feels almost deliberate—as though Aiden’s hand were guiding it somehow. Which is crazy, I know—he’s probably across town somewhere in his office not even thinking of me. But still, that’s what it feels like.

Finally I decide that I can’t stay in the room all day. I consider taking off the harness before leaving, but dismiss the idea at once. Even if Aiden didn’t find out, he’s right in saying I would have more pain when he moved up a size. I wonder briefly how many of these I’m going to have to wear. How big is his cock, anyway? How open do I have to be to let him in?

That particular question brings a vivid mental picture to mind—me lying on my back with my arms bound over my head and my legs spread wide, my ankles tied to the bedposts. I can almost see Aiden, naked and muscular bending over me, fitting the head of his cock to the entrance of my pussy only he’s so much thicker and longer than the slim phallus currently resting deep inside me. I can almost feel him sliding himself in, stretching me to the limit…

Snap out of it! I tell myself sternly. I have to get out of this room. I can’t sit here and fantasize about my new master all day long, no matter how infuriatingly hot he is. I need to go explore. Maybe I can find some clue about him—something that will tell me how to get along in the year I’m stuck in this mirror maze of a house.

Wrapping the crimson shirt tightly around me, I venture out into the hallway for the second time that morning. To my relief, the house seems to be deserted. I make my way with slightly more confidence this time and find the study easily.

Shelves full of leather-bound books that look well-worn and often read catch my eye. I wander over, browsing their titles but many of them are in different languages and the ones that are in English have dry, esoteric titles like Paths to the Future and Stars: Their True Faces and Meanings. I’m about to give up—clearly Aiden and I don’t have the same taste in reading material because there’s not a mystery or an erotic romance in sight—when I catch sight of a book I actually know: Farrow’s Handbook of Spells and Summonings.

I take the thick, leather-bound book from the shelf, feeling a tingle of magic race through my fingertips as I touch it. Just because I don’t have any magic of my own doesn’t mean I’m immune to the magic of others. This particular copy of Farrow’s is thick with it—as though it once belonged to a very powerful witch or warlock. Hmm…

Intrigued, I study the book more closely. There’s a broad crimson ribbon, which looks a little like a hair tie, sticking out of it. I feel its frayed, satin end with my fingers and get another tingle of magic. Fascinated, I open the book to the page it’s marking.

Divination Love Potion, reads the title of the spell. For finding meaningful and lasting love. Wow. As I read down the list of ingredients I see that they are exactly the herbs Aiden came into my shop asking about. Well, all except for the rue, of course. He must have transposed that from another spell somehow.

Why was Aiden looking for meaningful and lasting love? Maybe he just wanted to be sure he was compatible with whoever he chose as his sacrifice? Or maybe he wanted some poor girl to fall in love with him so he could control her better, whispers a little voice in my head. He was going to give her this potion the moment he claimed her and she wouldn’t have had a chance.

But he didn’t—he put all the ingredients back. Or rather, had me put them back. What changed his mind? I remember the jolt I felt when he first touched me and also the way he’d admitted he wanted me from the moment he laid eyes on me. Did he simply see me in the store and decide I was the one? Was it some kind of love at first sight?

Don’t be stupid, I tell myself uneasily. Aiden’s not in love with you. He wants to control you—to force you to submit to him. That’s all there is to it. As the mutinous thoughts race through my mind, a sudden, painful shock jumps from the leather covers of the book to my fingertips. I gasp and almost drop it. What the hell? It was almost as though the damn thing could read my mind and was disagreeing with my assessment of my new master. Which is, of course, even stupider than the idea that Aiden loves me. There’s no way a book, even one imbued with magic from its previous owner, could hear my thoughts.

“Stop being paranoid,” I mutter to myself. Quickly, I reshelf the leather-bound copy of Farrow’s and take a step back. Some things are better left alone.

I turn from the shelves and survey the rest of the room. There’s a fireplace at one end and a massive mahogany desk at the other. Sitting dead center in the middle of the desk is a laptop, which I’m instantly itching to get my hands on. But on the corner of the desk is something I find even more intriguing—an old fashioned telephone. A princess model that appears to be made out of real mother of pearl and gold with an actual curly phone cord attached to it. Wow—who has a landline anymore? Apparently Aiden does. Or maybe the old fashioned phone is just a prop? Maybe it doesn’t even work—after all, it doesn’t even have buttons. It has a rotary dial which I’ve only seen in old movies. Well, only one way to find out if it’s real.

I cross to the desk and sit down in the plush, black leather chair behind it, which is much too large for me. The cushion is cold against the backs of my thighs but I don’t care. I reach for the phone and bring the heavy, old fashioned handset to my ear. It feels ludicrously large and bulky but when I listen, I hear a dial tone. Go figure, it actually works!

Immediately I dial Lexy’s number. It seems to take forever and the phone makes a hollow, ratcheting sound with each sweep of its ancient dial but finally I hear it ringing. I only hope my cousin will pick up—this line is going to show up as an unknown number on her cell. I wish I would have brought my own cell to the Sacrifice Ceremony but I hadn’t had anywhere to put it and hadn’t wanted to risk losing it in the rowdy crowd.

Lexy answers on the fourth ring, sounding cautious. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Lexy, it’s me!” I can’t disguise my relief at hearing her voice.

“Emma?” she squeals. “Oh my Goddess, I was so worried about you! How are you? Was the Sovereign magnificent? Did he ride you like a stallion?”

“I’m fine and he’s okay,” I say, deliberately ignoring the last question. “I’m calling you from his house right now.”

“Is it amazing? Is it fabulous?”

“As a matter of fact it is,” I say. “He’s definitely not hurting for money.” Then again, what vampire is? The fanged set are notorious for having more money than God and the Republican party put together.

“Why did he pick you?” Lexy wants to know. “Did he say?”

“He hasn’t really told me yet. Although he did say that…” I clear my throat, almost too embarrassed to go on.

Lexy clearly senses some juicy gossip. “Come on, Emma,” she urges. “What did he say?”

“That he, uh, wanted me from the moment he first saw me in the store,” I say in a rush. “I mean, I have no idea why. I tried to tell him I’m a dud but he acts like he doesn’t believe it.”

“Maybe he wants you for more than your power, did you think of that?” Lexy demands. It’s so exactly like what Aiden himself said to me that I feel a strange sense of déjà vu.

“Maybe…” I say reluctantly.

“Maybe nothing—you’ve got the figure of a goddess and he obviously likes women with curves,” Lexy assures me. “So where is Mr. Mysterious now?”

“At his office, I think. He said he had work to do and left.”

“So he just left you there all alone after a night of passion? How rude!” Lexy sounds indignant. “Someone should tell him he can’t just fuck and run like that.”

“Why not? You do it to guys all the time,” I point out. “And besides he hasn’t actually, uh, done that yet.”

“What?” Her shriek nearly deafens me. “You mean he accepted you as his Sacrifice but he still hasn’t claimed you yet?”

“I wouldn’t say he hasn’t laid claim to me,” I say, thinking of the collar I’m currently wearing. If that isn’t a mark of ownership, I don’t know what is.

“Well, why hasn’t he fucked you? Is he gay or something?”

“Most definitely not,” I assure her. There’s no doubt that Aiden likes females. “He’s just…taking his time. He seems to think the anticipation will, uh, heighten the experience.”

“Weird…” Lexy sounds almost thoughtful. Then she switches gears again. “So can I come over and see his place?” she asks, sounding as playful as a puppy eager to explore.

I’m tempted to say yes and ask her to bring me a selection of clothes from my apartment. Aiden promised to fetch them for me but so far that doesn’t seem to be happening. However, two thoughts stop me. One, I’m not sure how Aiden would feel about me inviting someone over to his house without asking his permission first. In fact, I think the odds are that it would piss him off—a lot. And two, I’m still wearing this stupid harness. If I sit very still, as I am now, I can almost forget the damn dildo is up inside me. But the idea of seeing someone I know—even Lexy—while wearing it, is just too freaking weird. Even if I kept it hidden, I would still be able to feel it up there and I’m sure she would notice me walking funny and then it would all come out and…uh-uh, no way.

“Sorry,” I say reluctantly. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea right now. Maybe I can ask him later.”

“Oh.” She sounds crestfallen. “Well, how about we just meet for lunch? I can at least pick you up, even if I don’t go inside, can’t I?”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m allowed to go out,” I say. The thought that I’m a prisoner in this house gives me a sudden lump in my throat. “I…I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to stay in the house.”

“What?” Lexy sounds pissed. “He can’t do that to you—order you around like that!”

“Actually, he can,” I say. “I mean, that’s pretty much what being the Sacrifice means, doesn’t it? I’m his…his property.” I swallow hard but the lump won’t go down and suddenly I want to cry. “I’m…I’m stuck here for a year. I can’t even go out to attend any classes.”

“Oh, Emma!” Lexy sounds genuinely worried about me. “Honey, please don’t cry! I wish I was there to give you a hug.”

“I wish you were too,” I say, sniffing. “I could use a hug right about now.”

“I’m sure you could and Mr. Bossypants Vampire Overlord is too high and mighty to give you one, isn’t he?”

She’s completely serious but her new nickname for Aiden makes me want to laugh instead of crying. “That’s one way to put it.” I sigh. “Look, I probably shouldn’t stay on too long. This is one of those old fashioned land lines and I’m not sure if he has the phone monitored or something creepy like that.”

“What are you going to do for the rest of the day? Just file your nails and wait like a good little girl for Daddy Vamp to come home?”

“Right now I’m exploring,” I say. “Trying to figure out a little more about him. I thought maybe if I understood him things here might be…well, a little easier.”

“Of course they would!” Lexy sounds excited again. “I’ll try to dig some dirt on my end too.”

“And how will you do that?” I ask. “You going to start frequenting the blood bars?”

“Of course not, silly. I’ll just sleep with a few of his fellow vamps. There’s nothing like a little pillow talk for getting information.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Lexy,” I say. “But you don’t have to sleep with half the vamps in the Bay Area just for me.”

“Who says it’s just for you? I’m kind of on a vamp kick right now.” She says casually, as though confessing she’s been craving a certain type of latte at Starbucks.

“Really? And what happened to the werewolf you were lusting after last night?” I demand.

“Booooriiiing.” Lexy yawns. “You know he didn’t even last five minutes before blowing his load? Ugh—at least vampires are never premature ejaculators. Most of them have had years to learn to get it right.”

“Whatever you say,” I tell her. “But look, I really should go now.”

“Okay. Just try and call me when you can. I’m saving this number under Emma’s master’s house. Okay?”

“What?” I jump as though she stuck me with a pin. “Why would you call it that? Who say he was my master?”

“He did, when he claimed you last night,” Lexy says cheerfully. “Talk to you later, cuz.”

And with a click, she’s gone.

Chapter Ten

After Lexy hangs up, I have a moment of dejection. She’s more than my cousin—she’s my best friend and biggest cheerleader. I wonder when I’ll get to see her again. I guess I’ll have to ask Aiden about it tonight.

Just the thought that I have to ask permission to see a friend pisses me off and I go from depression to irritation in an instant. Then I catch myself—Goddess, I’m really going through a wide range of emotions lately. I’m sure part of it is due to my new life situation but I’m also afraid my frequent mood swings might mean the onset of one of my rare but horrible periods. I’m really irregular and usually don’t get them more than three or four times a year but believe me, that’s more than enough.

Well, on the bright side, if I do get my period, Aiden will have to let me go home—at least for a while. I have a certain herb brew that I keep ready, which is the only thing that keeps the cramps bearable. I usually take it and curl up in my darkened bedroom for twenty-four hours until the worst of the pain passes. Without it, I’m completely incapacitated and I don’t think my new master will be too enthusiastic about having a deathly ill sex slave who can’t even lift her head, let alone do anything kinky. Of course, I haven’t had The Dream yet—the one that always comes right before my period. So maybe it’s just my new circumstances that are making me emotional.

I realize I am still holding the heavy old fashioned phone receiver in one hand as I think and a soft beeping is coming from the earpiece. I put it down with an audible clunk and spin the black chair restlessly. As I do, my eyes fasten on the laptop again. I reach for it…and draw back. Snooping in my new master’s computer is probably the biggest no-no I could commit. A lot of men don’t even want their girlfriends seeing what they look at online and I’m nothing to Aiden but a slave.

But I won’t be snooping, I argue with myself, my fingers still itching to open it. I’ll just check my e-mail and send a message to some of my professors saying I’ve had a personal complication and I might not be in class for a while. Then I’ll shut it down and leave everything exactly where I found it—Aiden will never even know.

That sounds harmless enough. Promising myself I’ll be quick, I open the laptop and reach for the power button. But to my surprise, it pops to life by itself. Not only that, but there is a video starting on its screen. As I look for a way to stop it, a title suddenly appears in the center.

The Tender Dominant

Hmmm, this could be interesting. And it can’t hurt to watch for just a minute, right? I stop fiddling with the mouse pad and sit back in the leather chair, watching.

There is no intro—the first scene begins at once. A girl with blonde hair and green eyes is sitting on the edge of a large bed. She is wearing a black bra and panties and her legs are crossed demurely. Her hands are folded in her lap and her face is serene. Clearly she is waiting for someone.

She doesn’t have to wait long. The bedroom door opens and a powerfully built man with skull cut hair enters. He is wearing nothing but black leather pants and his upper body is muscular and cut. I can’t help thinking of Aiden’s six pack abs, which were visible last night when he claimed me and named me his Sacrifice. I wonder what he’d look like completely naked…

The video on the laptop screen draws my attention back to the scene at hand. The muscular man is standing in front of the blonde girl but he says nothing. She looks down at her hands shyly, also mute. I wonder if there is going to be any talking at all and I sort of hope not. The cheesy, contrived dialog is one of the things I hate about porn. All that, “Oh God, fuck me, baby! Fuck me harder!” and “Take it, bitch! Take it all!” is so stupid and fake, not to mention really off-putting. So I like it that the two people on the screen aren’t saying anything. Not that it’s completely silent—there is background music. But not the bow-chicka-bow-wow kind—it’s something soft and unobtrusive with acoustic guitar that I actually like.

The man—the Dom?—lifts the girl’s chin, forcing her to look at him. The move reminds me of what Aiden did to me this morning when he wanted my complete attention. I shift in the seat uncomfortably, and the phallus he put inside me shifts too. I cross my legs tightly, trying not to think about it.

The Dom on the screen leans down and whispers something in the girl’s ear, too low for me to hear. She looks at him uncertainly, then nods. Not as if she is agreeing to a request, though—as though she is acknowledging something he told her. Something he’s planning to do to her that she can’t stop, even if she wants to.

At first, however, all he does is stroke her hair and kiss her cheek. He sits down beside her on the bed and runs one large hand over her shoulder, making her shiver. Is she shivering with anticipation or fear? Maybe a mixture of the two? I don’t know but I can’t seem to stop watching.

I like the way he strokes her body, running his big hands over her as though he owns her. As though she is his most precious and cherished possession and he needs to take care of her. He cradles her breasts, teasing her nipples to hard little points behind the thin material of her bra, then strokes lower, caressing her belly and thighs, urging her to spread her legs. The blonde seems reluctant at first but then she sighs and submits, opening herself to him.

The man cups her pussy through the silky black panties. I can see him pressing against her, parting her pussy lips through the slippery fabric. The blonde throws back her head and moans softly, breathlessly, surrendering to the pleasure he gives her.

I shift in the black leather seat again. Damn, this is really kind of hot. I’ve never seen porn like this—porn that seems to have been made with women in mind. There’s no screaming or begging, no endless series of ridiculously contorted sexual positions or demeaning cum-shot facials. There’s just this—just a woman submitting to a man, giving herself up to his big, warm hands on her body.

I can feel my pussy getting wet and hot as I watch the scene unfold. The man reaches in his pocket and produces a small, black scrap of fabric. A blindfold, I realize. The girl on the screen seems to realize it at the same time. At first she shakes her head but he lifts her chin again and looks at her sternly. No words are necessary—that look is enough. At last she drops her eyes and nods. She is frightened but she has to submit. Goddess, I know that feeling—it’s scary and erotic at the same time. I feel sorry for the blonde girl but at the same time, watching her dilemma is really turning me on.

Her master fastens the blindfold around her eyes and makes sure she can’t see. Then he lowers her gently to the bed, arranging her so she’s right in the center of the mattress. He raises her arms over her head and then ties her wrists to the headboard with a black satin loop. She shifts uncertainly but a soft word from him makes her settle down and relax into her helplessness. He is her master, whispers a voice in my head. What else can she do but submit to him? What else can she do but open herself and take whatever punishment or pleasure he offers her?

I shouldn’t be thinking like this but I can’t seem to help it. Goddess, I don’t know why this is making me so hot but it really is. I shift again, feeling the phallus move in a fucking motion inside my pussy.

The Dom leans over the blonde girl and slowly strokes her breasts. Then he unsnaps her front hook bra and peels it apart, baring her for his approval. He looks at her hungrily, clearly pleased at what he’s seeing. She shivers, almost as though she can feel his gaze on her naked skin. He caresses her breasts gently, then kisses her nipples, sucking them hard until she moans softly and arches her back, offering herself to him.

Then he produces a pair of nipples clamps.

I watch, my heart suddenly racing as he attaches the two sliver clips to the girl’s erect nipples. Goddess, it makes me think of how Aiden did the same thing to me this morning. Suddenly I wish I hadn’t taken them off. The way they squeeze me is painful but pleasurable too in a way I can’t describe. Experimentally, I open the crimson shirt, baring my breasts, and pinch one of my nipples. A sharp little shock runs straight to my pussy. Oh, that feels good. I pinch the other one too, imagining I’m still wearing the clamps. Remembering how it felt when Aiden put them on me.

I want to see more breast play but the Dom has moved on. He is working his way down the blonde submissive’s body, kissing and licking her taut abdomen as she moans and quivers under him. When he gets to her pussy, he slides his thick fingers into her panties and rubs, obviously opening her, exploring her inner cunt.

I feel a gush of wetness from my own pussy and look down. All morning I’ve been trying to ignore this damn harness Aiden put on me, but now the sight of it between my legs is unexpectedly erotic. The way the black leather straps crisscross over my thighs, the way the crotch presses against me, holding the phallus in place inside, gives me a sudden jolt of lust. I can’t help noticing, though, that the leather doesn’t cover my entire pussy mound—just the bottom part. My neatly trimmed thatch of curls and most of my cunt slit are still entirely visible. And in fact, much more than that is on display. I’m so hot that my pussy lips are swollen with need, opening of their own accord like flower petals, to reveal my pink inner cunt. I can see the sensitive button of my clit peeping out, almost begging for attention.

I start to slip my hand between my legs…and then Aiden’s words come back to me. 'Don’t touch yourself and don’t make yourself come.' It was his final command before he left the house this morning. Although I don’t see how he could possibly know if I broke his silly rule, I reluctantly draw back my hand and go back to watching the screen.

It’s well worth watching. The Dom has removed his submissive’s panties now and is spreading her legs, baring her pussy. She’s shaved completely bare down there, I notice, and wonder what that would be like. I keep things neatly trimmed but I’ve never tried shaving or waxing it all off. Why should I? It’s not like there’s anyone to admire my handiwork. Now there is, whispers a little voice but I push it away and keep watching.

The Dom is kneeling beside the bed, almost in an attitude of worship. He positions himself between the girl’s legs, his broad shoulders forcing her to spread even wider. Using his thumbs, he delicately parts her bare pussy lips, revealing her pink interior. For a long moment he simply looks at her, drinking her in, studying her delicate folds, her secret places revealed just for him. The blonde submissive moans and bucks her hips—clearly the waiting is killing her and just as clearly her Dom knows this. Anticipation, I think, remembering Aiden’s words again.

Then the Dom licks his submissive’s pussy from bottom to top, his tongue gliding gently but firmly over her inner folds. The girl gasps and moans, her hands clutching at the black satin band that binds and restrains her, but she makes no move to get away. Instead, she opens herself even wider, pushing her hips up to meet her master’s mouth, begging for this most intimate and forbidden kiss.

This time I can’t stop myself from reaching between my legs. I’ve never had a man do this to me, but I have to confess it’s a turn-on to watch the Dom going down on his submissive while she’s tied and helpless on the bed. I spread my pussy lips with my index and ring finger and stroke rapidly over my throbbing clit, my middle finger flicking lightly but firmly over the center of my desire. I pump my hips too, feeling the phallus shift within me, fucking me. Goddess but I’m so hot…so close…

“Emma, what did I tell you about touching yourself before I left this morning?”

I nearly jump out of the seat at that cold, commanding voice. Aiden! Where is he? I look wildly at the door of the study but it’s still closed, just as I left it.

“Look at the laptop,” he says dryly.

I look again and there, at the bottom right of the screen, just below where the Dom is licking his submissive out, is a three by three inch square. Aiden is visible in this screen-within-the screen and he looks extremely displeased.

But I’m sure he wasn’t there a minute ago! I think wildly. How long as he been watching me?

“I’ve been watching since you first opened my laptop,” he says, with that uncanny ability he seems to have of either reading my mind or guessing my thoughts. “I was hoping you might continue to abide by my orders, even if you were snooping in an area that doesn’t concern you. But now I see that you’re incapable of obeying even the simplest command.”

“You…you set me up.” My voice is a hoarse croak. “You left the laptop out in plain sight and put a hot movie on it you knew would turn me on to try and trick me.”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “On the contrary, I had no idea it would ‘turn you on’ as you put it. Although I suppose the fact that it did proves we’re not wasting our time. The movie is actually for my own viewing pleasure.”

On the screen, the Dom has the blonde submissive’s legs over his shoulders and is slowly guiding this thick cock into her pussy. She moans wordlessly as his flesh slides into hers, filling her to the limit. I feel my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Can…can you see what’s going on in the movie from where you are?” I ask in a small voice.

“No. But I can see that you’re still touching yourself when you were expressly told not to.” His stern gray eyes flick down and I realize that I’m sitting there with the shirt open and my fingers spreading my pussy, almost like I’m putting on a show for him. Oh Goddess, what’s wrong with me?

Quickly I snatch my fingers away and pull the crimson shirt closed tight around me. But it’s too late—the damage has obviously been done. “I just wanted to check my e-mail and tell my professors I wouldn’t be in class tonight,” I say miserably. “I didn’t mean to…to disobey orders…Master.”

His eyes soften when I use his title but only slightly. “Whether you meant to or not, you’ve violated the rules I set for you, Emma,” he says sternly. “And for that, I’m afraid there will have to be a punishment.”

“A punishment?” I squeak, remembering the way he put me over his knee and spanked me the night before. My ass is still a little tender from that and I’m in no hurry for more.

“Did you really expect anything else?” he demands.

I drop my eyes. “No, Master. I…I guess not.”

Aiden seems mollified by my submissive answer. He nods and looks at his watch. “Good, since I can’t eat with you this afternoon, I’ll have Barnes bring a light lunch to your room. Afterward, may I suggest a cooling swim in the pool. It might help you keep those hands where they belong.” His eyes flick over my hands, curled into anxious fists in my lap.

Actually, a swim sounds lovely and I want to see the pool. “But I don’t have a suit,” I protest.

“You don’t need one,” Aiden says sharply. “For the last time, Emma, no one will be watching you.”

“But your uh, butler guy—Barnes…”

“Is legally blind.” One corner of his sensual mouth quirks up in a rare smile. “He finds his way through the house by touch and manages by being familiar with everything.”

“What?” Now I’m pissed. “And just when were you going to tell me that?” I demand. “You knew how uncomfortable I was this morning at breakfast when you made me go naked in front of him. You—”

“Careful, darling,” he says softly. “You’ve already earned yourself one punishment today. Don’t make it two.”

I bite the inside of my cheek and cross my arms over my chest. “Fine.”

“That’s better.” Aiden nods at me. “And the reason I let you believe he could see is that I need you to be ready to display yourself when I ask you to. You weren’t willing to do that last night at the ceremony; I needed to see if I could break down your barriers enough for you to do it this morning.”

“But why?” I can’t help asking. “Why would it be necessary for you to…to show me off like that?”

“For my pleasure. You’re a very beautiful woman, Emma. It might please me to share your beauty with others sometime in the future.”

“What?” I’m suddenly cold all over. “You want to share me? Huh-uh, no way! That’s not in my job description.”

His eyes turn cold again, so cold I can almost feel the frost coming out of the computer screen. “Your job description is whatever I say it is,” he growls softly. And then his tone softens. “But when I say share, I mean in the visual sense only. I will never tolerate another man’s hands on you. Just the thought of it…” He shakes his head, his eyes flashing fiercely. “It doesn’t bear thinking of.”

I feel a little better now—at least he’s not thinking of making me take on the starring role in a gang-bang orgy or something abhorrent like that. Still, the idea of being naked in front of other people makes me unhappy. I guess it’s something we’ll have to take up another time.

“I see,” I say, as neutrally as I can.

Aiden cocks his head to one side. “Do I detect a hint of defiance, Emma?”

“Why would I be defiant?” I give him my best wide-eyed innocent look. “I don’t want to risk earning another punishment, right?”

“Ah yes, your punishment.” He leans back and gives me a cold, thoughtful look. “I’ll be home precisely at five. When I get in, I expect to find you completely naked, wearing only the collar, clamps, and harness.”

“But…but what about our deal?” I clutch the red shirt around me like a lifeline. “You said I could wear—”

“If you can’t obey orders, you forfeit your privileges, Emma,” he says. “As I was saying, I want you naked and bent over the bed with your bare ass in the air, ready to take your punishment. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

A thrill of fear and something else goes through me. “Yes, Master,” I whisper, unable to say anything else.

“Very good. I’ll see you at five.” And then the screen abruptly goes blank and the little box with his face in it disappears.

Chapter Eleven

I spend the rest of the day in a haze of worry and dread. What is Aiden planning to do with me? Probably spank me—but with what? His hand? A cane? He won’t really hurt me, will he? I mean, the spanking was a little painful but not in a life-threatening kind of way. But he’s a vampire and they’re not usually known for their leniency.

Barnes, the blind old servant—now I feel guilty for thinking he was creepy—brings a tray to my room at noon. It has creamy, mild goat cheese, some crisp wheat crackers, and a delicious assortment of fruit. There’s a white wine spritzer to go with it, which I gulp down though I usually don’t drink. But at this point I’ll take anything to calm my nerves. Hell, I wish I had spreadable valium to go on my crackers instead of cheese.

Lunch is delicious but I really don’t have much of an appetite. My stomach is tied in knots by the pictures my brain keeps showing me. Pictures of me spread out naked while Aiden does whatever he wants to me. Goddess, I have got to get hold of myself!

An hour after lunch I find my way to the pool. It’s in an enclosed atrium with tropical flowering plants all around. Beautiful. A glass skylight above lets in the sunlight, warming the pale blue water to perfection.

I remove my collar because I’m not sure if the ruby is real or not. If it is, I better not risk losing it at the bottom of the pool. Then I look down at my harness. I want to take it off too but I’d probably better not press my luck. I dive in with it on, trying to ignore the feeling of the phallus moving within me as I stroke through the water.

After forty minutes of laps I feel a little more calm and clearheaded. I exercise regularly in my futile attempt to lose weight and while physical activity doesn’t seem to do much to budge the numbers on the scale, it does do wonders for my state of mind.

After my swim I shower off the chlorine in the shower stall, placed conveniently and unobtrusively in the corner of the atrium, and dry myself on a large, fluffy towel. There’s a whole stack of them on one of the lounge chairs beside the pool and I use another on my hair. I take special care to dry the harness but it seems to have taken no lasting damage from the water. Maybe the leather has been specially treated to withstand it? I don’t know and don’t care—I just want to be sure Aiden can’t accuse me of taking it off for any reason.

All the swimming and obsessing I’ve been doing over my upcoming punishment has worn me completely out. I know it seems strange, but I’m actually sleepy. A glance at the clock on the wall shows it’s still hours before Aiden comes home. Plenty of time to relax in one of the lounge chairs and stare at the pool for a while. Maybe I can let my mind go blank and stop thinking about what he’s going to do to me when he comes home…

I wake up with that hazy, confused feeling you get when you mean to just lie down for a power nap and wind up sleeping away the entire afternoon instead. What am I doing here? Why am I naked in a lounge chair by a strange pool? I blink at my surroundings uncertainly. Then suddenly the silver hands of the clock catch my eye. Hmm, it’s ten ‘til five.

Holy crap! Ten ‘til five! Alarm bells start going off in my head. Aiden is going to be home soon—very soon! And what if he’s early?

I stumble up out of the lounge chair and run out of the pool atrium and back into the house in a blind, naked panic. Which way is my room? I turn down a long mirrored corridor that looks vaguely familiar but ends up in a part of the house I haven’t seen before. Crap. I waste precious minutes backtracking, trying not to get more lost. All the time I can almost hear the clock ticking. Aiden said he would be home precisely at five and I bet it’s only five ‘til now. If I’m not in the position he told me to be in…But I don’t even want to think about that.

Finally I find the right hallway and make a mad dash for my door. Outside the house I hear the crunching sound of tires on the crushed shell driveway. Oh no, he’s home! I make it to the bedroom and tear open the door. Rushing for the dresser, I grab the nipple clamps and clip them in place. I’m so worried about being on time that I barely feel their bite as the fine golden chain swings between my breasts.

With just seconds to spare, I run to the foot of the bed and bend over it, placing my hands on the cool satin coverlet and pushing my ass out into the air. I breathe a sigh of relief—whew, made it! My hair is flying everywhere, looking positively wild, no doubt. I wish I didn’t look so disheveled from my haste, but at least Aiden can’t give me another punishment because I’m not following orders. I—

Suddenly I realize I am missing something.

I don’t feel the butter-soft leather band around my neck or the weight of the ruby pendant in the hollow of my throat. Almost too horrified to look, I turn my head slowly to glance at my reflection in the old fashioned oval mirror over the dresser. Oh my Goddess, I don’t have on the collar! The very first thing he gave me to wear and I lost it!

No, not lost—I took it off to swim. It’s just down by the pool. I can still get it—

But just then Aiden stalks quietly into the room, ending my fantasies of zipping down to the pool, grabbing the collar, and getting back to the bedroom just in time to assume the position. “Hello, Emma,” he says and his voice is so cold I feel like I swallowed a pound of ice cubes. “Are you ready for your punishment?”

“Y-yes, Master,” I somehow manage to croak out. I keep my body bent over the bed, trying not to shiver under his keen gaze. Now I’m actually glad for my fly-away hair. Maybe it will hide the fact that I’m not wearing the collar. My stomach clenches in fear—how angry is he going to be if he finds out?

“You seem agitated,” he remarks, which is the freaking understatement of the year. “Have you been that worried about taking your punishment?”

I think about my hours of anxiety and obsessing, wondering what he is going to do to me, and my pulse races. “Uh, you could say that,” I admit in a low voice.

“Emma, that has to stop.” He sounds as though he is frowning but I don’t dare raise my head to see. “Punishment is part of your life now. You can’t submit properly if you fear it so much.”

“How am I not supposed to fear being beaten?” I demand, jerking my head up to glare at him.

He looks offended. “I am not going to beat you. There’s a difference between physical abuse and corporal punishment, you know. I’m simply trying to train you to submit. A process you’re making infinitely more difficult by—” Suddenly his eyes narrow. “Emma,” he says in a low, dangerous voice, “Where is your collar?”

Shit! My heart pounds out a frantic rhythm and my mouth is too dry to talk.

“I asked you a question—where is it?” He’s still speaking softly but the cold rage in his voice would be enough to freeze anyone in place. “Did I not tell you that I wanted you naked, bent over the bed, wearing the collar, the clamps and the harness?”

“Y-yes,” I manage to get out at last.

He takes a step toward me, looming over me, glaring. “Then why did you disobey me? Are you deliberately trying for another, much harsher punishment?”

“No, all right?” I burst out at last. I stand up and cross my arms over my chest protectively. “I just forgot it. I left it by the pool—I took it off so it wouldn’t get ruined while I was swimming. Then I…I lost track of time and I had to rush back to the room only I got lost because y-your house is s-such a freaking m-maze…” The lump I felt earlier while talking to Lexy is suddenly back in my throat and this time I can’t swallow it down. I try to go on but whatever I was going to say ends in a sob. I do my best to hold back the tears—I don’t want to cry in front of him. It’s stupid and girly and weak and it will probably just reinforce his view of me as a dumb little sex slave but I can’t help it—the tears just come.

I don’t know what to expect from Aiden—maybe he will bend me over the bed by force and spank me again? Or give me a look of cold disgust and then leave. Vampires aren’t known for being warm and fuzzy and he doesn’t exactly strike me as the hearts and flowers type.

But he does neither of these things.

Instead, he gathers me into his arms and sits on the edge of the bed and just…holds me.

“All right, darling. It’s all right,” he murmurs, pillowing my head on his shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I…I don’t see how,” I say, trying to get myself under control. I don’t want to, but I have to admit I like the feeling of his strong arms around me. And his scent, the smell of cedar and dark, masculine spice, is comforting somehow. “This isn’t going to work,” I tell him miserably. “I’m just…I’m not the girl you want. This is all a big mistake.”

“Look at me, Emma.” He lifts my chin until our eyes meet. “I did not make a mistake when I chose you,” he says softly. “You absolutely are the one I want—the only one I want. I don’t know how to make that any clearer.”

“But you want a woman who knows how to submit, to do this kinky S&M thing with you,” I protest. “And I…I’ve never even had sex at all, let alone kinky sex. How am I supposed to do this?”

“With my help, every step of the way.” He strokes my cheek. “Please believe me, Emma, I wouldn’t demand your submission if I didn’t have to. But I do—a great deal is riding on it.”

I frown. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to,” he assures me. “Not right now, anyway. But it’s important for you to know that I’m here for you—I’ll help you. But you have to do your part—you have to at least try.”

“Why should I?” I ask mutinously, swiping at my eyes. “Why should I try so hard to get past my comfort zone and break down my boundaries just so you can dominate me and turn me into a good little submissive?”

“Because you want to.” His voice has gone deep and soft and dangerous again—his Master tone. “Because it makes you wet to submit to me—it arouses you as much as it arouses me to see you being submissive.”

“What?” I shift uncomfortably in his lap, suddenly very much aware of my nakedness. “I…what are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to deny it, darling.” He strokes my cheek again and this time his touch sends slow fire dancing through my veins. “Tell me something, what part of that ‘hot movie’ did you enjoy watching the most? Was it when the Dom blindfolded his submissive…or when he tied her to the bed?”

My breathing is suddenly shallow and tense and my skin feels too small for my body. “I…I don’t know what you mean.”

“Come now, Emma.” He is beginning to sound stern again. “Don’t waste your time or mine by lying to me. You yourself admitted you found the movie arousing. And even if you hadn’t admitted it, I caught you with your hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.”

I feel my face heat as I remember how he caught me touching myself. Goddess, I’ve never done that in front of anyone before—it’s such an intensely private act. The fact that he saw me, even for a few moments, makes me want to die of shame.

“Emma,” he says warningly and I know he’s waiting for my answer about the movie.

“Fine,” I whisper, looking down at my hands. “I…I liked all of it, all right?”

“No, it’s not all right.” He raises my chin again. “Look at me. Tell me which part you liked the most. If you don’t, I’m going to take you into the study and we’ll watch it together until I know simply by observing you.”

Oh Goddess, I’m going to have to tell him. “I…” I clear my throat. “I liked the part where he went down on her.”

“Intriguing,” he murmurs. “And what exactly did you like about that? Have you ever had it done to you before?”

“No, never.” My voice has dropped to a whisper but I still keep talking. “I’ve never…never had a guy do that to me but I liked the way it looked. The way he was so…so masterful with her and yet so gentle at the same time. He was…was touching her, tasting her, and she couldn’t do anything about it because she was tied down.”

Then I look away again, my heart beating and my cheeks burning. Goddess, I can’t believe I just admitted that! Aiden is right, I am turned on by this submission stuff.

It’s a revelation to me, but he doesn’t seem surprised at all.

“Good, very good. You see, you can obey orders when you try.”

“I shouldn’t want to try,” I mutter, still looking away.

“But you do want to, don’t you, darling?” He kisses my flaming cheek and I shiver with nervous tension. “You don’t want to admit it, but you long to give yourself to me. To open yourself and let me master you, just as the Dom mastered his lovely submissive in the movie you watched.”

“I…I…” I can’t quite bring myself to admit it out loud. But I know that he sees the truth in my face.

“That’s all right—we’ll talk about it later. Right now we still need to tend to your punishment.”

“What?” I look up at him uncertainly. “But I thought—”

“Darling, your tears roused something in me I haven’t felt in years—compassion,” he murmurs. “But a submissive still has to take her punishment.”

“What…what are you going to do to me?” I ask, my voice quavering. “I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon, wondering…”

Aiden frowns. “I can see that with you anticipation turns quickly to anxiety. That was never my intention.”

“I can’t help it,” I say. “I’m a worrier.”

“So I see.” He sighs. “Very well—this once I’ll tell you exactly what I’m going to do. First, I’m going to bend you over the bed. Then I’ll give you exactly five strokes with my belt.”

“Your belt?” I look down, studying the black leather belt around his lean, muscular waist nervously. It has a very hard looking silver buckle.

“I’ll strike you with the belt, not the buckle,” he says, as though reading my thoughts. “My intention is to punish you and teach you a lesson, darling—not to injure or disfigure you.”

“Oh.” I swallow hard. “All right. Then what?”

“Then I’ll get you ready for dinner,” he says lightly. “Am I right in assuming you barely touched your lunch?”

“Yes,” I admit. “I…I was too worried.”

“You never need to worry like that, Emma,” he murmurs, stroking my cheek. “I will punish you often but never in such a way as to harm you permanently. In fact, I hope in time you will look forward to being punished.”

“Look forward to it?” I look at him, wide-eyed. “Why would I possibly do that?”

“Because, darling…” His voice has dropped to a low growl and his gray eyes are hot. “In this contest of wills we are involved in, punishment is as likely to include pleasure as pain. Do you understand?”

I bite my lip, feeling my body grow hot with some unspoken need. “I…not entirely.”

“That’s all right,” Aiden murmurs. “I’ll teach you.” He stands, pushing me gently off his lap. “Now run down to the pool like a good girl and get your collar. When you come back, I want you to assume the position and get ready to take your whipping.”

My heart thuds so loudly in my ears I can hardly hear my own reply. “Yes, Master,” I whisper. And then I turn to do his bidding.

Chapter Twelve

I’m tempted to take my time getting to the pool and back but something tells me Aiden won’t wait for long. And if he has to come find me, five lashes with the end of his belt will be the least thing I’d have to worry about. So I rush through the mirrored corridors, relieved when I find the pool on the first try. Maybe I’m finally getting to know my way around this funhouse maze of a mansion.

When I get back with my collar buckled in place, Aiden is sitting on the side of the bed, long legs crossed and the black leather belt held casually in one hand. He has the buckle end wrapped around his palm and the other end of it trails down to the floor, looking like a long black snake. When I see it, I feel my entire body break out in gooseflesh. How much is this going to hurt?

“Assume the position, Emma,” he says softly, rising from the bed in one fluid motion. He’s all grace and power—all vampire. And I feel like a frightened little nothing of a witch as he strides around the bed to loom over me. “It’s all right, my darling,” he murmurs, perhaps seeing the fear in my eyes. “After the pain, the pleasure—remember?”

To my shame, a hot current of desire runs through my veins. Goddess, what is he turning me into? Will I actually crave this kind of treatment, look forward to being punished in time? I don’t have time to answer these questions. All I can do is bend over the bed with my hands on the mattress and my head bowed.

But apparently this isn’t the right position. “Lower,” Aiden instructs me sternly. “Get your entire upper body on the bed, Emma. Then lift your ass into the air and spread your legs for me.”

Goddess, it’s almost like he’s getting me into position to fuck me! The idea makes my cheeks burn and I do what he says quickly, hoping he can’t see me blush.

The bed is waist high on me so it’s not hard to simply rest my chest and arms on it. I even nestle my cheek to the maroon duvet, trying to take comfort from the feeling of cool satin against my face. Then I press my ass outward—which makes the phallus still strapped inside me move in a most disturbing way—and spread my legs for him.

The position makes me feel hot and vulnerable in a way I didn’t think was possible. I can feel my insides clenching with a mixture of lust and fear as I wait for the first stroke to fall.

“Are you ready, Emma?” he asks, his voice low and stern. “Ready to take your punishment?”

I bite my lip and am hardly able to reply. But I force myself to whisper, “Yes, Master. I…I think so.”

“Let’s see—shall we? This is for forgetting your collar and snooping where you don’t belong.”

From the corner of my eye I see the blur of his arm and then with a flat, smacking sound the belt falls. I gasp as it strikes me, flames of pain licking over my exposed skin, marking me for my Master’s pleasure. I let out a muffled cry and grip the satin duvet in trembling fists.

“That’s one,” Aiden murmurs. “You’ll have three more like it so brace yourself, darling.”

Three more? But I thought he said he’d give me five?

The question is driven out of my head as the belt licks over my skin again…and again and again. The pain is much sharper than it was when he spanked me with his hand and yet, somehow I like it. Maybe it’s the feeling of being so open for him, so helpless but the pain of the belt starts a fire between my legs, making me want to shift from side to side and ease the growing pressure I feel in my swollen clit. I don’t dare move though—not until the last blow falls.

But after four sharp licks with the belt, he pauses for a moment. “Spread your legs wider now, Emma,” he commands softly. “You’ve had four on your ass. You need one more between your legs to teach you a lesson.”

“B-between my legs?” I stutter, turning my head to look at him in disbelief. “But—”

“Do as you’re told,” he says sharply. “At once, Emma!”

Biting my lip, I open my legs even wider and tense my body for this last blow. The leather harness strapped between my legs shifts again and I can feel it pulling back, revealing more of my naked, vulnerable pussy. Is this where Aiden intends to spank me? On my tender outer pussy lips? But he can’t…he wouldn’t…would he?

“This is for touching yourself when I told you not to,” Aiden says, cutting off my frantic thoughts.

The black belt licks up between my legs, stinging my exposed pussy lips, making me gasp and jump at the sudden heat that blooms there. Tears sting my eyes for just a moment—this is a much more sensitive area. It makes me glad I only had to take one blow there.

“Five,” Aiden says. “Your punishment is over—for now.” I start to get up but he puts his hand on my hip, indicating I should hold still. “Wait a minute, darling. I need to examine you first,” he says.

His hand strokes over my hip and begins exploring my sensitive, tingling ass. A glance in the mirror shows bright pink stripes on my pale flesh where the belt hit me. I wonder if my pussy lips are bright pink too and feel a mixture of shame and heat I can barely contain.

“Such a lush, delicious ass,” he murmurs, stroking along my quivering cheeks thoughtfully. “I love a woman with a heart-shaped ass, do you know that, Emma?”

I’ve never heard my ass described as “heart-shaped” before but then again, I haven’t had any lovers who might be interested in describing it. “No,” I whisper. “I mean no, Master.”

“Well, I do and yours is perfect.” His hand roams lower, stroking over the leather harness buckled around my thighs. “I see the phallus is staying in place well,” he murmurs as his fingers trace the crotch of the harness. “Are you getting used to wearing it?”

“Somewhat,” I whisper hoarsely. “I…I can almost forget it’s there if I don’t move too much.”

“I’m going to take it off you now,” he says and I feel him unbuckling the straps. “I want to examine your pussy.”

I let out an audible moan as he takes off the leather straps and pulls the flesh-colored phallus slowly out of me. It’s a relief to be free of the thing and yet…now I feel so empty. So unfilled.

“That’s good,” Aiden murmurs, stroking the small of my back with his other hand, as though soothing a frightened animal. “Now turn around, Emma. Lean back on the bed and keep your legs spread.”

I do as he says, feeling even more vulnerable now that we are face to face. “Are you all right?” He cups my cheek and rubs his thumb gently under my eye. “You’re crying a little.”

“Am I?” I put my hand to my cheek reflexively.

“Did it hurt that much?” His eyes are compassionate, almost tender.

I bite my lip. “Not…not when you spanked my ass,” I whisper, falteringly.

“Poor darling.” He cups my face and leans down to kiss my wet eyelashes with disarming gentleness. “Let me see if I can make it better.”

He puts the harness to one side and kneels before me on the floor, his breath hot on the insides of my thighs. I can feel myself blushing as he examines the lips of my pussy closely, making sure he hasn’t hurt me too much. They are dull red, just like the stripes on my ass, and tingling with heat.

“Poor Emma,” Aiden murmurs again. “I’m sorry I had to punish your pussy, my darling, but it’s the only way you’ll learn not to touch yourself until I tell you to.” Leaning forward, he presses a soft, hot, open-mouthed kiss to the right side of my swollen pussy.

I gasp and nearly jump out of my skin. “What…what are you doing?”

He looks up at me, his gray eyes burning. “Kissing you better. Remember—after the pain, the pleasure. Always, Emma.” Leaning forward, he kisses the other side of my pussy as well. Then he spreads my cunt lips open carefully with his thumbs, exposing my secret inner folds. I can see my clit, framed like a little pink pearl and pulsing just for him.

“So beautiful,” Aiden murmurs. He nuzzles me gently, breathing in my scent, and then kisses me again—this time right on my open pussy. I moan as his hot mouth envelopes me and the soft, sweet suction begins. He is kissing my pussy the same way he would kiss my mouth—gently, intimately, and very, very thoroughly.

His tongue laps gently over my clit but just as I think I’m going to explode he stops and rises, licking his lips. “You taste delicious, darling,” he assures me, his deep voice thick with lust. “Your pussy honey is even sweeter than your blood.” He strokes my hot cheek. “I can’t wait to taste you more thoroughly. But now we must get ready for dinner.”

“Dinner?” I croak. I’ve never been less hungry in my life—well, for food, anyway. My entire body is crying out for more of this, more of his touch on my skin, his mouth on my most secret and private places. I’m a mess of raw nerve endings and exposed emotions. I need to come and I need my orgasm to come from him—from his hand. The same hand that pleasured me. The same hand that punished me. “Please…” I whisper. “Please, Master. I’m so…I need…”

“I know exactly what you need,” he murmurs. “But you won’t get it now. Come, let’s get you dressed for dinner, shall we?”

Chapter Thirteen

My 'outfit' for dinner appears to consist of a pair of black, satin-lined handcuffs and a black silk sleeping mask and nothing more—well, except for the collar and nipple clamps that I am still wearing, of course.

“But how can I eat like this?” I protest when Aiden settles me into one of the cushioned dining room chairs and places my cuffed hands in my lap.

“Simple—I’ll feed you.” He makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world for me to be dependent on him for every bite.

“But why?” I ask the forbidden question again as he puts the sleeping mask in place over my eyes.

“Because you’re mine now.” His voice is a low, possessive growl that sends a shiver down my spine. “Mine to care for, to protect, to cherish. From now on I’ll feed you, bathe you, dress you if I want you to wear clothing—take care of you in every possible way.”

His promise, spoken in that soft, deep voice affects me in a way I’m not ready to deal with. Suddenly I can feel my heart hammering and my breath coming short.

“I…I’m not some life-sized Barbie doll, you know,” I say, trying to push back the feelings rising inside me. “Something you can take out of its box and play with until you get bored and want to put it back.”

“I’m aware of that, Emma.” He lifts the blindfold and looks at me, his gray eyes burning into mine. “But I don’t think you’re aware of how deep a bond between a vampire dominant and his submissive can be. I will give my very blood to nourish you if necessary—do you understand?”

My breath catches in my throat. Vampires take blood from others regularly—it’s how they live. But they don’t give it. I think it has to do with vampire biology—because blood is what animates them, their body doesn’t like to part with it. They heal any cuts or abrasions almost instantaneously so deliberately cutting themselves deeply enough to give blood would be agonizing.

It’s simply not done. And yet Aiden is offering this to me, and the look in his eyes says he is completely serious. If the need arose, he would suffer that I might live.

“You…you would?” I can’t help asking.

He nods, slowly. “It’s not simply that I own you, Emma—you own me too. A piece of my soul.” He puts a hand to his chest and clenches it into a fist.

“Vampires don't have souls,” I whisper and then wish I could call the words back.

He closes his eyes and a look of pain passes over his face. It’s gone so quickly I wonder if I imagined it. “Maybe not,” he says. “But you own a piece of me nonetheless.” Then he replaces the blindfold and calls for Barnes to bring out the first course.

I have no idea what to expect when I open my mouth for the first bite and I’m surprised by the sharp and spicy flavor of the soup that hits my palate. I taste the tartness of lime, the bite of red pepper, and other flavors so rich and complex it’s hard to differentiate them.

Aiden gives me a moment to savor the taste before he gives me the next bite. “What do you think?” he asks as I finish swallowing.

“Delicious,” I say. “But…unexpected. What is it?”

“Tom Yum soup—it’s Thai,” he says, giving me the next bite. “Do you like it?”

“Yes—very much.”

“Good. We have other Thai dishes as well tonight.”

A vampire who not only eats, but enjoys ethnic cuisine. Go figure.

Not that I’m complaining. The next course is Pad Thai which I have had before, but never like this. It’s creamy and sweet and sour and salty all at once. The noodles are perfectly al dente and the crunch of crushed peanuts on top makes my mouth water.

Aiden seems to take pleasure in my enjoyment of the food. I wonder if he is eating himself—it doesn’t seem possible since he’s so involved in feeding me.

“What about you?” I ask after he gives me what he says is the last bite of the noodle dish. “Aren’t you eating?”

“I enjoy food but I don’t need it to survive,” he says, blotting the corner of my mouth with what feels like a linen napkin. “And I want to concentrate on you—I love how sensual your mouth looks when you eat.”

I am immediately self-conscious. “It’s not fair,” I tell him. “You can watch me as much as you want but I can’t see you at all.”

“That’s the point, darling,” he murmurs. “You need to learn to trust me even more than your own senses. You need to give yourself to me completely.”

His words make me hot and cold all over. “I’m trying,” I whisper. “I didn’t want to at first but, well, I don’t mind as much… now.”

“I’m glad.” I feel the cool brush of his fingertips over my cheek and then he tugs very gently on the golden chain between my nipples. I moan softly in surprise at the spark of pleasure/pain that runs through my body. “So beautifully responsive,” he murmurs. “And now it’s time for dessert. You’ll be glad to know that for this course I will remove your blindfold.”

I blink as the lighted room comes into view. Aiden is sitting across from me, still dressed in his immaculate gray suit, though he has removed the jacket and loosened his tie. He looks like a man just home from a hard day at the office and I wonder what kind of business he runs. He passes for human very well and he can go out in daylight. Is he working somewhere in downtown Tampa, mixing with human colleagues who have no idea of his true nature?

The thought sends a shiver down my spine—it would be like working with a wolf or a mountain lion and having no idea until it was too late. Still, Aiden James seems much too civilized to prey on his coworkers, whoever they might be. Maybe he’s the CEO and doesn’t have to deal with them very much—that would fit his cool, remote personality to a T.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, looking at me closely.

“You, Master,” I blurt before I think. I clear my throat, my cheeks getting hot. “I, uh, was just wondering where your office is. Where you work from.”

“I own a company with offices in downtown Tampa, if you really want to know,” he says. “Most of my employees are in a separate building from the one that houses my office.” He gives me a rare smile, baring those sharp white fangs it’s so easy to forget about until they’re staring you right in the face.

I bite my lip and look down. He must know I was thinking about him snacking on his workers. Was it a lucky guess or can he see into my thoughts somehow?

“Your face is very easy to read,” he remarks.

“That’s what Lexy says too,” I say. “Uh, my cousin.”

“The one you were talking to today on the phone?” He raises an eyebrow at me and I blush.

“Well, yes. Are you monitoring my phone calls?” I demand.

“I could if I wished, but no. I do, however, take note of when my telephone or computer has been used.”

“You can’t cut me off from the outside world forever,” I protest. “I have a life, you know. Maybe not a very exciting one but—”

“What do you most want?” he says. “Ask, Emma. I can’t promise to give it to you but I won’t be angry with you for asking.”

“To talk to my cousin,” I say at once. “Maybe go out with her for lunch sometime. Or have her over here?” I make this a question because I’m not sure about asking to have people over to his house.

Aiden frowns. “Yes to the first request—you may talk to her as much as you like on the phone. As to having her here, I am a very private man.”

“I understand,” I say quickly but he raises a hand to stop me.

“But, I understand the female need for companionship.” He sighs. “You may have her over as long as you’re willing to see her while you’re dressed in the way I see fit.”

“You mean I can’t take off the harness when she comes over,” I say flatly and Aiden nods.

“Exactly. I need you to wear it for a certain number of hours during the day. It serves to open you and also to remind you of me.” He looks at me intently. “I never want to be far from your thoughts, Emma. You are never far from mine.”

I look down, unable to stand the intensity of his gaze. “Don’t worry,” I mumble. “I…I think of you a lot too. I can’t help it.”

He smiles and strokes my bare thigh until I shiver. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“What about my class?” I ask in a rush, my heart pounding. “Can I contact my professor? When can I go back? My final exam is coming up soon and—”

“No classes, not yet.” He frowns. “It’s not safe.”

“Not safe?” I frown back at him. “I’ve been going all semester with no problem. I mean, I know it’s a night class but—”

“You didn’t belong to me before,” he interrupts me, frowning sternly. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Emma, but as the new Sovereign I have many enemies who would be happy to do to you what they couldn’t do to me.” He sighs. “Besides, you’re not nearly through with your training yet. And…”

“And what?” I prompt him impatiently.

He looks at me thoughtfully. “And I’m not ready to share you yet,” he murmurs at last. “The bond between us is still too fresh—too new. I need you here, where I can nurture it. And protect you.”

“Protect me and keep me all to yourself, you mean,” I say snappishly.

“Exactly.” He’s perfectly calm about it, as though it’s not a big deal for him to keep me confined in his home. “Now then.” He claps his hands. “Let’s have no more unpleasantness. You can contact your professors and ask to do the assignments from here. If they give you problems about it, let me know. I can be very…persuasive when I have to.” For a moment his gray eyes flash silver and I shiver.

“All right,” I whisper, though inside I’m still upset. Am I going to be kept a prisoner here in his house this entire year? It’s very confusing to be so attracted to a man who is also a vampire and my captor. I must have the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome ever because I can’t help wanting to please him, can’t help craving his touch…

Before I can dwell on the problem too much, Aiden rings a tiny silver bell and calls for Barnes to bring out dessert.

It turns out to be banana coins—slices of banana wrapped in some sweet pastry and fried until they’re crispy on the outside and meltingly soft and sweet on the inside—with a scoop of coconut ice cream on top. The entire concoction comes in a little porcelain bowl with a matching pitcher filled with golden honey sauce on the side. Aiden drizzles a little bit of it over the dessert before spooning up one of the coins and a generous amount of ice cream. He holds it out to me.

“Be careful, darling. The inside is going to be extremely hot but the ice cream should keep it from burning your tongue.”

I wonder if he’s always this solicitous and careful of all his submissives, then I remember him saying this isn’t a game he plays often. He certainly seems to be enjoying it now, though. He feeds me two more coins with the creamy smooth ice cream and gives me a sip of cool water to cleanse my palate. Then he puts down the spoon, sits back and looks at me.

“It’s time for the second part of dessert now, Emma,” he says softly, his eyes half-lidded and his voice deep and soft. “Can you guess what that might be?”

“No,” I whisper, my heart suddenly thumping. “No, I…I have no idea. What is it?”

Instead of answering, he asks me another question. “Tell me, my darling, have you ever sucked cock?”

Those dirty words in that deep voice of his sends a spark of heat straight to my bare pussy. “No,” I whisper, pressing my thighs together, feeling suddenly even more naked. “No, I…I never.”

“Well, you’re going to learn. Come here and kneel before me on the ground.” He scoots his chair away from the table and opens his long legs. Then he unzips his expensive gray slacks and pulls out his cock.

I try not to gasp but I can’t help it. He has the longest, thickest shaft I’ve ever seen in my life—and that’s saying something because Lexy has a thing for gay porn and she’s always making me watch it with her.

Aiden seems unaffected by my shock. “It is both a blessing and a curse,” he remarks as he strokes himself slowly with one well-shaped hand. “It is the reason I was turned in the first place—but it also ensures that I can never take a female without extensive preparation.” He gives me a slow smile. “Which is one reason I am so content to take my time with you, my lovely little witch.”

I stare at him until I remember I’m supposed to do more than just look. Awkwardly, my hands still cuffed in front of me, I slip off the chair and knee-walk over to settle between his thighs.

“Very good.” Aiden strokes my hair away from my eyes and gives me a look of approval. “Now the main thing is to never use your teeth but I don’t really expect you to be able to fit much of me in that lush little mouth at first.”

I’m relieved to hear that. His shaft looks thick enough to choke me. “But then…what do you want me to do?” I ask hesitantly.

“To begin with, just lick.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “You did like the honey sauce, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” It was delicious—sweet and a little tart as though a tiny bit of lemon juice had been mixed into it.

“Good,” Aiden rumbles. Lifting the porcelain pitcher, he drizzles a thin line of honey sauce over the broad, throbbing shaft of his cock. “Come here, darling,” he murmurs, beckoning to me. “Lick me clean.”

I lean forward, more eager for this than I want to admit. Though it’s never been my number one fantasy, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to give a blow job. To take a man in my mouth and taste him, master him in a way, with the power of pleasure. And the fact that it’s Aiden sitting there, watching as I hesitantly put out my tongue to take the first taste, only makes me hotter.

I lap gently at the thick club of flesh rising from between his thighs. It’s long and straight and ends in a broad head with a small slit at the end. Though the rest of his shaft glistens with the golden honey sauce, there is a small drop of clear liquid beading at that tiny slit that I know is all Aiden.

He groans softly, deep in his throat, and strokes my hair gently as I clean him, feeling like a naughty cat cleaning away cream with my tongue. My hands are still bound in front of me, my head bowed over him in a submissive posture as I nuzzle close to get every last drop. Every drop but the clear one, that is. I’m saving that for last.

The skin of his shaft is like warm silk under my tongue and I can feel him throbbing as I lick him. I like his scent, it’s dark and spicy and utterly masculine. It makes me want to rub my cheek against him, to somehow mark him with my own scent like an animal might, marking its territory. I wonder briefly if this is how he feels about me. Is this need to mark, to claim, the reason he’s so possessive?

“Very good, darling,” he murmurs, pulling me back to rest my chin on his thigh when I have licked away the last drop of honey. He caresses my cheek tenderly and looks into my eyes. “Did you enjoy your dessert?”

“Yes, very much,” I say boldly. "In fact…” I arch my eyebrow at him. “I want seconds.”

“There’s more where that came from,” he says softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I want to suck you this time,” I say. I’m not sure where I get the courage to say the words—they just seem to come out. “I want to take you in my mouth—all the way.”

His eyes are half lidded with pleasure but he shakes his head, a little regretfully, I think. “I don’t want to choke you, my little virgin.”

I bristle at his words. “Just because I’m inexperienced doesn’t mean I can’t learn,” I point out. “Please, Aiden…Master. I…I’ve always wondered what this would be like and so far…well, so far I like it.”

“I see.” His eyes gleam. “Very well, you may try but you must promise to be careful and stop if I tell you to. I don’t want to come tonight.”

“You don’t?” I look at him uncertainly. “But…why not?”

“There are several reasons, the first and foremost being that I tend to produce quite a lot of cum.” He strokes my cheek. “I don’t want to shock or frighten you by expecting you to swallow such an amount.”

“Oh,” I say softly, biting my lip.

“Oh indeed,” he mocks me gently.

“I can take it,” I look up at him. “I…I want to make you come. The way you made me come last night.”

“That’s a lovely offer but not tonight, my darling,” Aiden says firmly. “And as for seeing my cum, you’ll be feeling it soon enough, filling your sweet little cunt the first time I fuck you.”

I feel my hands clench in concern as something new occurs to me. “Aiden,” I say hesitantly. “I mean, Master, I…I’m not on any kind of birth control right now. So if you come in me…” I can’t finish my thought out loud. It’s very rare for a vampire to make a human woman pregnant but it has been known to happen from time to time. Especially a woman with witch blood in her background.

He frowns. “We can discuss that another time. It won’t be an issue tonight.”

I’m surprised at the rush of disappointment I feel at this announcement. True, his cock is really large and I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy for him to get it inside me. But some naughty, perverse little part of me wishes he would try. The stern look on his face, however, tells me this is nonnegotiable. Well, at least I get seconds on dessert.

I lean forward to take him in my mouth but he stops me. “Wait.” He rings the bell again and calls for Barnes. “Clear the table,” he tells the servant and though he talks to Barnes, he looks only at me, cupping my cheek in his hand and looking into my eyes. “But be quiet about it. My darling Emma is trying to concentrate on a task and I don’t want her distracted.”

“Yes, sir. Very good, sir,” murmurs the servant. He begins to move in a deliberate fashion, clearing away the dishes and taking them back into the kitchen.

“All right now,” Aiden says to me. “Suck me, darling. Suck my cock.”

I feel like every nerve in my body is on fire with embarrassment. “I can’t now,” I hiss, my eyes flicking up to where Barnes is carefully removing a half full soup tureen. Even though I know he can’t see me, I’m certain he heard Aiden’s commands to suck him. I’m mortified—utterly mortified.

“Emma.” Aiden’s voice is suddenly stern. “Pay no attention to Barnes, you know he can’t see us. You need to get used to giving and receiving pleasure in front of an audience.”

“Why?” I demand. “Are we going to be putting on some kind of show?”

“Emma,” he growls softly. “Either you suck my cock here and now or I will put you on your back on the table and lick out your sweet little pussy until you cream all over my face—all while Barnes clears the table and polishes every piece of silver in the house not two feet from your head.”

I can feel my skin shrinking from the very idea of such shame. And from the look in Aiden’s eyes, he’s serious. He really will do that to me. Reluctantly, I bend my head toward him again.

“That’s good, darling,” Aiden murmurs as I lap tentatively at the broad head of his cock. That little clear droplet at its crown is salty and as delicious as I thought it would be. “You’re such a good girl to suck my cock, Emma.”

Trying to forget that Barnes is there, I lean farther and take even more. The head alone is a mouthful but I like the feeling of it filling my mouth. And I especially like the way Aiden strokes my hair and whispers what a good girl I am and how well I suck him. I don’t know why his approval means so much to me—honestly, it really shouldn’t. But somehow it does—maybe because some deep, buried part of me wants to make my master proud.

“Oh, Emma,” he groans softly, his long fingers carding through my hair as I lap and suck the broad head. He has more clear fluid—pre-cum, I suppose—flowing now, and I lick it up eagerly and suck him, looking for more. I wish I could get him all in my mouth, that I could feel him throbbing at the back of my throat, but I know that’s impossible. He’s simply too big for me to handle. I like trying, though.

Soon I’ve forgotten all about Barnes and found a steady rhythm of licking and sucking and tasting. I wish I could touch him with my hands too but they’re still bound in front of me as I kneel naked between my master’s legs, pleasuring him with my mouth.

I never want it to end but Aiden pulls me away long before I’m finished.

“Enough.” He is panting, his large frame shaking with some emotion. Lust? Desire? “Dessert is over now,” he tells me, tucking himself away before I can protest and helping me to my feet. “It’s time for bed.”

My legs are all pins and needles from kneeling so long and I wobble as I stand. Aiden scoops me up at once, cradling me in his arms like a small child.

“I can walk,” I protest as he carries me effortlessly through the house as though I weighed no more than a feather.

“I don’t want you to.” He smiles at me. “I want to carry you to the bedroom and tuck you in myself.”

I don’t complain anymore after that. I simply lay my head on his broad shoulder and wonder if every dinner with my master is going to be like this.

Chapter Fourteen

Once in the bedroom, he bustles about, getting me ready for bed. After removing my collar, handcuffs, and nipple clamps—and pausing a moment to suck my sore, tingling nipples as he does—he puts me in the shower stall. There he washes me himself, with long, loving strokes using a big, puffy sponge. He doesn’t seem to mind when the spray gets him slightly wet.

I wish he would touch me more intimately, that he would discard the sponge and soap me with his bare hands. But he seems intent on teasing me, touching me just enough without actually giving me any satisfaction. It’s maddening but I sense it’s all a part of the game we’re playing.

A game I’m beginning to like much too much.

Aiden washes and conditions my hair, then gets me out of the shower and dries me thoroughly with a large, fluffy, white towel. He wraps my hair in another towel and then pronounces me ready for bed. He’s just about to tuck me in naked, between the crisp cotton sheets, when I protest.

“But Aiden…Master, I’m not really tired yet. And it’s only…” I glance at the grandfather clock standing against the far wall. “Eight o’clock.”

He frowns. “Don’t humans need at least ten to twelve hours of sleep at night to be at their best?”

“Sure, if I was only three years old,” I say, feeling slightly exasperated. “I’m twice eleven—I normally don’t go to bed much before midnight. Six or seven hours of sleep is all I need.”

He raises an eyebrow at me skeptically, as though I’m a naughty child trying to dodge bedtime. “Are you sure about that?”

“Of course I’m sure.” This time I can’t keep the exasperation out of my voice. “You were human once—don’t you remember?”

He shakes his head. “Emma, it’s been well over a century since I was human or had anything to do with humans. And when I was turned, a great many of my mortal memories faded—that is always the way with my kind.”

“Well, take it from me,” I say. “I don’t need to be put to bed early like a child. I’m wide awake—I’d just be miserable lying here in the dark with nothing to do.” I look at him shyly. “Unless…unless you were, um, planning to come to bed with me?” My heart beats fast and I’m not sure how I want him to answer.

Aiden smiles. “My curious little virgin. I would love to join you in bed and spend hours exploring your body. But not tonight—you’re not ready yet.”

I want to ask when I will be ready but I decide not to push it. “What are you going to be doing until bedtime?” I ask, wondering where he sleeps for the night and for how long.

“I have some work to catch up on—I was going to do it in the study.”

“Well…can I join you?” I ask awkwardly. “If you’re busy I promise not to interrupt. I can be very quiet—just give me a book to read.”

He looks thoughtful. “I must confess that I usually don’t enjoy anyone’s company but my own. But you are growing on me at an alarming rate.” He nods. “Yes, you may join me in the study.”

“Thank you…Master,” I say, smiling. It’s becoming disturbingly easy to remember to call him that. I try not to think about it.

He smiles back. “We should change clothes first. I’m nearly as wet as you are from your shower.” He eyes the fluffy white towel wrapped around me. “And you are very overdressed.”

I bite my lip. Crap—I was just getting used to being covered again. “Couldn’t I keep them on?” I ask softly. “I’m still wet and it’s chilly in here.”

“It’s not that chilly,” Aiden begins but I cut him off.

“Not for a vampire, maybe. But for a human…” I wrap my arms around myself and shiver theatrically.

He gives me a skeptical look and then sighs. “All right, I’ll find you something.”

He rummages in the wardrobe, changing out of his business suit and into a pair of faded, comfortable looking jeans and a white t-shirt that shows off the width of his broad chest nicely. For me, he produces what looks to be a long, satin smoking jacket in deep, emerald green.

“It’s mine,” he explains, removing my towels and draping it over my shoulders. “From a time when such things were fashionable. It’s not the style anymore, of course.”

“Of course,” I echo, smiling. “Unless you’re Hugh Hefner.”

He laughs. “Yes, well. I kept it because it’s comfortable. You may wear it as long as you leave it open.” He strokes my cheek and then his hand trails lower to cup my breast and casually thumb my nipple. “Any time I look at you, I want to be able to see your luscious body. You must never hide it from me, Emma.”

My breath catches in my throat as his touch starts an all too familiar fire under my skin. “Yes, Master,” I whisper, almost without thought.

“Very good. You’re being so obedient all of a sudden.” He looks extremely pleased. Then he lifts me gently and walks out the door toward the study.

“Why are you carrying me again?” I ask, mystified. “I really am capable of walking, you know.”

“I’m carrying you because I can. Because I like it.” He gives me a warm, lingering kiss on the mouth before setting me on my feet, just inside the study door. “Because you’re mine, Emma,” he says softly and then goes to sit behind the huge desk, in the big black leather chair. “Now I must work. Find a book to amuse yourself and don’t bother me.”

The abrupt change takes me aback somewhat, but when I study him under my lashes, I can see that there’s nothing malicious about it. He simply switches modes supernaturally quickly, from pleasure to work—it’s like a light switch with him. He can turn it off and on whenever he needs to. Very practical and utterly vampiric.

I can’t help envying him his supernatural concentration and control—my skin is still warm and tingling where he touched me and I can still taste his kiss on my lips. It’s useless to think of anything else but his hands on me—still, I do try. I scan the shelves again for something to read but once again I find nothing.

Finally I settle for the copy of Farrow’s Handbook of Spells, which I was perusing earlier. I handle it carefully but to my relief, there are no shocks from the worn leather cover this time. There’s a choice of two other seats in the study—one is a comfortable looking brown leather loveseat drawn up before the fireplace that dominates one end of the room. It’s all made up with a stack of logs just ready to be lit but of course there’s no fire. In Florida's nearly year-round heat, I bet Aiden doesn’t get to use the fireplace much.

The other seat is a wooden, straight backed chair sitting across from Aiden’s desk. After a moment of internal debate, I take the copy of Farrow’s and settle onto the hard wooden chair across from him.

If Aiden notices my deliberate choice to be closer to him, he doesn’t let on. His eyes remain fixed on the screen of his laptop and his fingers keep flying over the keyboard with vampiric speed, making them look like nothing more than white blurs.

Sighing to myself, I open Farrow’s and read over the familiar spells. This handbook is one of the first that any young witch is given to study. By the time she’s twelve or thirteen and has started menstruating, she ought to be able to manage the simplest ones by herself. Call the Candle Flame to Life, is the title of one spell. How well I remember struggling with that one! My cousins could light candles from across the room even before they hit puberty. With me…well, let’s just say I never even got the candle’s wick to smolder. Not so much as a wisp of smoke though I tried for hours upon hours.

There is a pair of ornate silver candlesticks on Aiden’s desk with long, creamy white candles that have never been lit in them. Out of habit, I concentrate on one of the tapering wicks and call for a flame. I know the secret name of fire—I have known it from the age of eight. It was one of the things my mother was teaching me just before our house burned down. I think it now, letting it echo in my head. I close my eyes and imagine a flickering yellow flame growing just for me, coming when I call like an obedient pet.

The image is so strong and vivid I’m half convinced that I’ve finally done it. That I’ve finally called the flame. But when I open my eyes, the wicks are still as cold and untouched as ever without even a wisp of smoke or a hint of ash to show for my efforts.

What did you expect? You’re a dud. But I’m still disappointed. Every bit as much as I was as a child when I tried and tried and failed and failed over and over until I burst into exhausted tears and finally accepted my magic-less status.

I’m just beginning to feel really depressed when the soft strains of acoustic guitar reach my ears. Hmm, that music is familiar…then I realize that Aiden is watching the video again. What was it called? Something about the gentle dominant, wasn’t it? I must admit that when I saw it earlier, I was a little too distracted by the vid itself to bother memorizing the name.

Looking up, I see that he is utterly engrossed, his piercing eyes fixed intently on the laptop screen. Is he getting anything out of this? He doesn’t appear to be aroused but then, what do I know? Maybe he’s seething with lust inside—I know I am. All day long I’ve been teased in various ways and I still haven’t been allowed to come. I can feel my pussy tingling at the memory of the movie and suddenly I want to see it again.

Moving quietly so as not to disturb his concentration, I put down the copy of Farrow’s and walk around the desk to stand beside him and watch.

The Dom is going down on his submissive again, licking and sucking her little pussy while she moans softly and writhes against the bonds that hold her to the bed. I feel my pussy begin to get hot and creamy at the sight. Then I remember Aiden kneeling in front of me and giving my pussy that long, loving, thorough kiss. Goddess, that was so hot. My knees feel weak just thinking about it.

“Are you enjoying the movie?” Aiden’s deep voice cuts into my thoughts and brings me back to myself. I look up to see that he’s watching me instead of the screen. Feeling embarrassed, I press my thighs together, wishing I was allowed to shut the green robe I’m wearing and cover my nakedness.

“Are you?” I counter, trying to be bold. “Why are you watching it? You don’t look very, uh, affected by it.”

One corner of his sensual mouth quirks up in a smile. “Actually, I’m watching less for pleasure than for information.”

“Information?” I frown. “I thought you said you’d done this kind of, uh, domination thing before?”

He nods. “I have, but it’s been many years. The information I’m seeking is regarding human frailty. I’m reminding myself, you see, of how very delicate and breakable you are.”

“Breakable?” I don’t like the sound of that.

Aiden nods. “A vampire my age is immensely strong—many hundreds of times stronger than a human man. I could crush your limbs if I hugged you too hard or smash your skull with a flick of my wrist in a moment of inattention. I must be always on my guard to be careful, gentle…tender.” He gives me a little smile. “I daresay you think the punishments I’ve given you so far have been harsh but I assure you, darling, each stroke of the belt or hand I’ve dished out is no more than a love tap to a vampire.”

I put a hand to my throat. “Would it really be that easy for you to…to kill me?”

“Of course it would—just as it would be easy for a human parent to kill a helpless baby. But that doesn’t often happen, now does it?”

“No, I guess not.” I’m still not very comforted.

Aiden sighs. “I see I’ve upset you, which was not my intention at all. I simply want you to know that I’m always on my guard around you. That I will never be less than fully controlled, never less than completely careful of your life and wellbeing.”

“Why do you care so much?” I ask. “If you really hurt me, I mean?”

“Because you’re rapidly becoming a part of me,” he says, matter-of-factly. “Every hour our bond grows. I would as soon chop off my own hand as injure you, darling—even by accident. Which is why I try so hard to be careful.”

I have to admit he’s done an excellent job so far. True, he’s inflicted pain on me when he punished me, but it was always in a careful, deliberate way. I never felt, during either of the spankings he’s given me, that he was in any way out of control.

“Stop worrying and come sit with me,” Aiden says, breaking my train of thought. He pats his lap. “Come, we’ll watch together.”

Feeling a little shy, I come to settle on his knee. At first I just perch there but with a little prompting from Aiden, I relax so that my back is to his broad chest. I take a deep breath, inhaling his warm, cedar and spice scent, filling my lungs with him as I absorb the heat of his big body.

“Mmm,” Aiden murmurs in my ear. “Now isn’t this nice?”

I have to admit it is—although a little uncomfortable. My position on his lap makes my bare breasts thrust out and puts my pussy on display in a most disconcerting way. I tell myself to pretend I’m at a nudist camp, to just ignore my nakedness and concentrate on the movie. But since the Dom currently has his submissive up on her hands and knees and is ramming into her from behind, paying more attention to the movie doesn’t help.

And then Aiden starts to touch me.

“Look at that,” he murmurs, bringing one arm around me and casually cupping my breast. “He’s punishing her pussy with his cock.”

“Is he?” I whisper, not sure what else to say as he pinches and twists my nipple in a way that sends both pain and pleasure shooting through my body. “Is…can that be a punishment?”

“Fucking, you mean?” He’s pinching my other nipple too, now. Teasing it, causing my body to react whether I want it to or not. “It can, yes. I prefer to use it for pleasure but sometimes, when a submissive has crossed the line, she needs a harsher punishment. Then it becomes necessary to fuck her roughly, to remind her who her master is.”

I’m disturbed by this idea. “You mean…rape her?”

“No, of course not,” Aiden replies at once. “I promise you, Emma, I may at some time in the future take you forcefully, but I will never take you by force. There is a difference between rape and a punishment fuck.”

“There is?” It’s hard to talk when he’s stroking my breasts and teasing my nipples but I make myself speak anyway.

“Of course.” He nods at the laptop screen. “This submissive knows that she’s crossed the line and earned a severe punishment. Watch…” He stops touching me for a moment to rewind the movie to a certain point. “See?” he says, nodding at the screen. “He doesn’t force her to get to her hands and knees—she gets willingly into the position and offers herself to him.”

I watch quietly and sure enough, the blonde submissive gets on the bed and spreads her legs wide for her master with no sign of reluctance. Still, I’m bothered by the scene. “But…” I clear my throat. “But she knows he’s going to…going to fuck her hard and she still…still opens herself to him?”

“That is the essence of submission, darling,” Aiden assures me in a low, purring growl. “Taking your punishment willingly and without hesitation.”

“I don’t know if I could do that,” I whisper. “If…if I’ll ever be able to do that.”

“You will,” Aiden assures me. “In time, darling. And when you do—when you offer yourself to me without any reservation, even knowing that what I’m going to do to you will hurt—when you rejoice in the pain as well as the pleasure—then and only then will your education in submission be complete.”

I don’t know if I want to be that 'educated' but I don’t say so out loud. It’s becoming too hard to talk with Aiden touching me, stroking and teasing my naked body until I feel like I want to moan with unreleased tension.

“Do you think she enjoys offering her body to her master like that?” Aiden asks in a low voice. As he speaks, his hand slides down to cup my naked pussy. “Spreading her legs and inviting him to fill her tight little cunt with his big hard cock even though she knows he’s going to fuck her hard? To give her a punishment fuck?” He spreads me open as he talks, stroking lightly over my swollen folds, which are already creamy and wet for him.

“Master,” I gasp as he circles my clit with one careful fingertip. “Oh Goddess, please…”

“It’s been a long day for you, Emma,” he murmurs in my ear. “I’ve teased you and punished you and made you wear the harness. But I don’t think you’ve been allowed to come, have you?”

“You know I haven’t,” I whisper back, my voice ragged. I’m so close now—if he would just give me a little bit more…

“And you’d like to come, wouldn’t you?” he prompts me, still slowly stroking my inner cunt.

“Yes, God, yes,” I gasp. “I need too—you know I do.”

“Well then, go ahead, darling.” Abruptly, he withdraws his hand, leaving me gasping and panting and only a hair away from the edge.

I groan in frustration. “What are you talking about?”

“About making yourself come, of course. Here, I’ll show you what I mean.” Lifting me gently but firmly, he turns me around until I’m straddling him, my legs spread wide around his narrow hips and my breasts nearly in his face. “Now, Emma,” he says, his eyes gleaming. “Go ahead, make yourself come.”

“I…but I…” My entire body, so flushed with desire only a moment ago, is suddenly cold. I can’t do this—can’t touch myself in front of him. He already saw me doing it early today when he caught me on the webcam. That was an accident but it will still go down in my personal history of most mortifying moments of all time. And now he wants me to do it again but this time on purpose? “I can’t,” I say, my voice trembling. “I don’t…I’ve never…never done that in front of anyone.”

“You’ve never had a master before, either.” Aiden’s voice has dropped a register and his eyes are stern and uncompromising. “But now you do. And it would please me greatly, Emma, to watch you stroke your pussy until you come for me.”

I can’t believe this. He’s really serious—he’s really going to make me do this. “What…what if I won’t?” I ask hesitantly.

He frowns. “Then I’ll punish you. And you won’t be allowed to come all day tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. Believe me, Emma, the buildup of sexual tension can be quite painful after a while.”

I bite my lip. “I’m just…I’m embarrassed.”

“Of what?” he asks softly. “You’ve got a beautiful body I love looking at and you make the most appealing sounds when you come. So soft and helpless—it’s makes me hard just thinking about it.” Reaching up, he strokes a strand of hair out of my eyes. “Go on, darling,” he murmurs, looking at me steadily. “Put on a show for me. Let me see you touch yourself—touch your little pussy.”

I don’t know what else to do. Taking a deep breath, I let my hand slide down my trembling abdomen slowly, slowly, until I finally reach my naked mound. Closing my eyes, I slip my fingers inside my wet folds and begin rapidly to stroke my swollen clit.

“No.” Aiden’s stern voice interrupts my concentration. My fingers stop moving and my eyes fly open. What was I doing wrong? “Look at me,” he instructs, cupping my cheek. “I want to look into your eyes while you come.”

“Y-yes, Master,” I whisper. The intensity of his gaze is hard to bear—it’s so intimate, so invasive. But I force myself to stare into his face as my fingers go back to work, stroking my swollen clit.

“Beautiful.” Aiden spares a glance down between us, studying my fingers, watching the way I work on myself before he looks into my eyes again. “I love watching you pleasure yourself, Emma. I love how pink and flushed your cheeks get and how bright your eyes are. Not to mention the way your slim fingers stroke that hot little clit.” He caresses my hair. “Tell me, darling, are you getting close?”

I am, but the ultimate peak is still eluding me. Part of the reason is embarrassment—though I’m slowly getting used to it, my innermost self is still screaming that this is a private act and I shouldn’t be performing it for anyone to watch. The other part is that I need something else, something more…but what, I don’t know.

Aiden seems to know, though. “Would you mind if I helped out?” he asks, softly.

“Of course not, Master,” I whisper breathlessly.

“Good.” Gently but firmly, he slides two long fingers deep into my heated pussy and begins to fingerfuck me in a slow, steady rhythm. “Now come for me, Emma,” he commands in that low, forceful voice. “Come for me and let me feel your sweet pussy squeezing my fingers.”

Oh Goddess, I couldn’t stop myself if I wanted to! He’s fucking me harder now, pressing deep inside me, hitting the mouth of my womb with every thrust. And all the time his eyes hold mine with a burning intensity that makes me feel like I can’t look away.

My orgasm hits me in a rush so powerful I feel faint. “Aiden,” I gasp. “Master…oh!” I can feel my pussy contracting around his fingers, feel my hips thrusting to meet his rhythm as I lose myself completely in the pleasure of the moment.

“Good girl, Emma,” he whispers fiercely, his eyes half-lidded and burning with lust. “Come for me, darling. Come hard. God, I wish I had my cock inside you instead of my fingers.”

The thought of that long, hard ridge of flesh I can feel under my ass sliding deep inside me, fucking me, makes my body tremble with longing. Goddess, his fingers feel so good but I need more. So much more…

“I can’t give you what you want, not tonight,” Aiden says and I realize I’ve been speaking my thoughts aloud. “I’m sorry, darling, but you’re just not ready.”

“You are, though.” I wiggle on top of him, eliciting a low groan from his throat. “Let me make you come, Master,” I beg, for the second time that night. “I don’t have to use my mouth if you don’t want me to. I can just…rub against you some. Please?”

I don’t know why I want this so much but I do—Goddess, I really do. And I can sense that Aiden wants it too—of course, it wouldn’t take a psychic to feel the huge lump of his cock growing in those tight jeans he has on.

“Very well,” he growls at last. “When the time draws closer, we’ll have to conserve our sexual longing. But we still have days before the event.”

I have no idea what he means by this but the sight of his long, thick cock making its second appearance of the night drives it completely out of my mind.

“Now then,” Aiden growls, pulling me closer. “Ride me, my little witch. Slide that hot little pussy against my cock until I coat your belly with my cum.”

I am more than eager to comply. Pressing close to him, I spread my cunt lips and enfold his thick shaft in my creamy pussy. We both moan at the intimate contact and I gasp as I feel his heated shaft glide over my throbbing clit. I’m still so sensitive from coming that I feel almost raw—the sensation of his hot, silky skin against mine is almost too much, too intense. And yet, I want more of it—so much more.

Aiden guides me, his big hands bracketing my hips as he pulls me against him. But I’m not content to let him control things completely. Reaching between us, I press his cock deeper into my folds and work my hips against him, coating him thoroughly with my slippery honey.

I’ve never touched a man like this before, never gone so far, and I want to go farther—want to go all the way. The sensation of his heated flesh rubbing against mine is delicious and with each long up and down stroke the broad head of his cock bumps over my clit and rests just for a moment at the entrance to my pussy before thrusting up again toward my belly.

I begin to have a very vivid fantasy. I want to wait for a down-stroke when the head of his cock is lodged at my wet opening. Then I’ll rise up on my knees and thrust my hips forward. That way when he slides upward again, he’ll slide into me rather than against me.

I can almost see it happening, can almost feel his thickness breaching my entrance and filling my pussy. The temptation to put my plan in action is almost too great to be denied. I’m just about to do it…when I look into Aiden’s eyes again and realize he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“No, darling,” he says, his voice stern despite almost being hoarse with lust. “I’d hurt you and that’s the last thing I want to do. You’re not ready yet—tonight I’m just going to come on your belly.” He grips my hips more tightly and pulls me against him. “And you’re going to come with me.”

I’m already hot and on the edge. The way he pulls me to him and the short, hard, masterful thrusts that rub the broad shaft of his cock almost roughly against my throbbing clit push me over again. I cry out his name and grip his broad shoulders tightly as I feel myself clenching again, my whole body going tense with orgasm.

Aiden lets out a low groan and then I feel something new—something hot and wet is jetting from his cock in hard, short spurts and coating my belly, just as he promised.

Curious and still hazy with lust, I look down to see his cock spurting between us. He’s still pressed between my pussy lips and I can feel each jet of cum traveling up his thick shaft before it wets my belly.

I can’t help staring in awe—Goddess, he’s right, he does come a lot. Now I’m really glad he didn’t ask me to suck and swallow all that. My whole lower abdomen is wet with his essence and I can feel the creamy stuff slipping down between my pussy lips too, into my unprotected pussy.

It’s this last thought that makes me pull back, just as he finishes coming. I’m not protected, I remind myself. Not on any kind of birth control at all. Oh Goddess…

“You can go clean up, if you like,” Aiden says quietly and I realize he’s been reading my face again—or maybe my thoughts. I’m still not convinced he can’t do that. “But blow out the candles first.”

“Candles?” I look at him uncertainly. “What are you talking about?”

He gives me an amused look. “Behind you, darling. The candles you lit when you came.”

I jerk my head around and stare at the twin candle flames burning brightly in the silver candlesticks on the far edge of his desk. Can it really be? Did I really light them?

“But I can’t…I don’t…I’m a dud,” I get out at last.

Aiden frowns. “No, you’re not—you’re one of the most powerful witches I’ve met in years. But you’re blocked. Something is holding your magic in but just now, when you let yourself go with me, some of it leaked out.” He shrugs as though it’s no big deal. “That’s all.”

“I…but I…” I can’t get over it. After years of trying and crying and swearing and hoping and finally giving up and accepting I have no power…this is just too much to take in. “Are you sure it was me?” I say at last.

“Positive.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “I’m a vampire, remember? It’s impossible for me to have any magical talent—it would be at odds with my very nature.”

“But…but you can go out in daylight. And eat. And—”

“Those abilities were bought for me at a price.” He looks away. “For a very great price.”

For a price? What price? “Who bought them for you?” I ask, though the closed look on his face warns me to stop. “Was it whoever owned that copy of Farrow’s?” I nod at the spell book that lies abandoned on the wooden chair across from his desk.

Aiden doesn’t answer. “I assure you, Emma,” he says, pushing me gently but firmly off his lap. “I have no magical abilities of my own. It was you who lit the candles. And you are the one who must blow them out.”

I’m surprised that he knows whoever called the candle flame must be the one to extinguish it. It’s important to the circular nature of magic but that’s not something a vampire would be aware of. Unless he’s had dealings—intimate dealings—with witches before. I want to ask him more about the spell book and the witch who owned it but he’s clearly not going to answer. He’s simply waiting patiently for me to blow out the candles so he can go get cleaned up and changed.

I’m pretty sticky myself so I decide that this particular conversation will have to wait until later. Much later if Aiden’s reticence to talk about his past is any indication.

Leaning over the desk, I puff gently on the twin candle flames and watch them wink out of existence. I still don’t know how I lit them or if I’ll ever be able to do it again but Aiden is beckoning for me to go. There’s no time to wonder.

He lets me walk to the bedroom this time—maybe in deference to our mutual state of post-coital stickiness. (Okay, I know it’s not really post-coital but it’s as close to sex as I’ve ever gotten so I’ll take what I can get.) Or maybe he’s just quiet because he wants to put some distance between us. He’s certainly not nearly as talkative and affectionate as he was earlier and there’s a brooding look on his face that makes me vaguely uneasy.

I haven’t been on very many dates but I’ve heard tons about the different kinds of men from Lexy. According to her, you want to avoid the dark, silent, brooding types, no matter how attractive they may seem to start with. 'Give me a Bingley over a Darcy any day,' Lexy always says. 'I like my men happy, eager to please, and uncomplicated.'

All attributes my new master seems to lack. Of course, I didn’t get to choose Aiden—he chose me. A fact that I still have mixed feelings about. On one hand, it’s very easy to be attracted to him. He’s so masterful and handsome and sure of himself. He knows exactly what he wants and tells me exactly what he expects. When I obey, he gives me mind blowing orgasms and lavish praise that makes me feel special in a way I never have before.

On the other hand, he dishes out pain as well as pleasure and seems to expect me to like them equally well. He wants to own me body and soul and he’s already talking about some mysterious bond growing between us. I’m not sure how to feel about that—after all, I just met him one or two days ago.

Has it really been such a short amount of time since he first walked into my shop with that list of ingredients? Somehow it seems so much longer than that. But time doesn’t seem to have much meaning here in this strange, glass house. It stretches out like taffy until I don’t know where I’m going or how long it takes to get there. I—

“Stop.” Aiden takes my arm, breaking my train of thought and I realize that we’ve reached the threshold of the bedroom.

“Stop what?” I look at him, startled.

“Stop thinking so hard.” He cups my cheek for a moment and looks into my eyes. “Just let things be, Emma. We have such a short amount of time here together—try to enjoy it.”

“A short time?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’m here for a year. I’m yours for a whole year…Master.”

“Such a short time,” he repeats softly. “The blink of an eye. A snowflake melting on your cheek.”

I suppose living for centuries gives vamps a different sense of time. What seems like a long time to me is nothing to him. “I guess maybe I’d feel the same way if I was basically immortal,” I say neutrally. “But to a mortal witch like me, a year can be an eternity.”

“Vampires aren’t really immortal—we just have very long lifespans. Which can be shared…under the right circumstances.”

“You mean like a life-bond?” I shake my head. “I thought that was only between two vampires.” Vamps sometimes bond themselves together to double their lifespans. It can only be done once and it ties them together so that if one dies, it drags the other down too. But I’ve never heard of a vampire bonding with anyone mortal. If they did, it would have the opposite effect and cut their lifespan in half. It could mean the difference between the vamp living a thousand years or only living five hundred.

Both ages sound incredibly ancient to a mortal but to a being like a vampire, there’s a significant difference there. Of course, they’d get to share their truncated lifespan with their mortal lover who wouldn’t die until the vampire did, but I don’t know of any that would be willing to cut their lives in half for love.

“There are some of my kind who would bond outside our race,” he murmurs, leading me into the bedroom at last. “I have heard of it being done.”

“Well I haven’t,” I say. “Um, is it all right if I take another shower? I’m kind of sticky.”

“So I see.” His sharp gray eyes flicker over me in a way that makes me blush. He nods at the master bathroom. “Help yourself. I’ll be waiting to tuck you in.”

Well, that’s kind of nice. I go into the bathroom, relieved to have a little alone time to take care of business. Aiden is amazing but he’s so intense—it can be hard to be around him all the time. I feel like he sucks all the air out of any room he’s in—in a good way, of course. A way that makes me incredibly hot, but still, a girl needs to breathe sometimes.

I take a quick shower, being certain I get all of his essence off me and out of me. Not much leaked into my pussy so I hope I’m okay. If I had a normal cycle I’d be able to tell but with my period being so irregular, I have no idea. Well, the chances of getting pregnant by a vampire are slim anyway, I think, trying to make myself feel better. Just get over it. And maybe ask Lexy to bring some condoms or something.

I shut off the water and dry myself thoroughly. Then I wrap myself in a big, fluffy towel and come out of the steamy bathroom.

Aiden has also changed. He’s wearing another pair of faded jeans but this time his t-shirt is black. It still clings to his chest in a mouthwatering way, though. Mmm, I wouldn’t mind running my hands all over the flat, muscular planes of his body. I wonder if I’ll ever be allowed to explore him the way he seems to enjoy exploring me.

“Come here, Emma. It’s time for bed,” he says and puts out a hand to me. I come forward and take his hand. Aiden interlaces our fingers and squeezes my hand gently. “Are you feeling sleepy now?”

I have to admit that I’m fatigued. A day full of sexual tension, punishment, and pleasure topped off by two delicious orgasms will do that to a girl. I open my mouth to answer in the affirmative…and yawn instead.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Aiden says dryly. “Come on—get rid of those towels.”

He takes my towels, over my halfhearted protests. “Isn’t there anything I could wear to bed?” I ask, shivering. “Those sheets are bound to be cold.”

Aiden frowns. “No, I want you naked or nearly naked at all times. Come, I’ll help warm you up before I go.”

My heart speeds up at the idea of how he might warm me, but he simply takes me to bed and spoons me, curling his big body around mine protectively and rubbing his hands over my arms and legs. As the heat of his big body envelops me and his warm, masculine scent fills my senses, I begin to feel deliciously drowsy.

“I thought…” I yawn again. “Thought vampires were…cold blooded.”

“A myth,” he murmurs softly, his deep voice soothing in my ear. “Along the same lines as the belief that all witches ride broomsticks and keep black cats as familiars.”

“I like cats,” I protest and yawn again.

“I’m sure you do.” He sounds as though he’s smiling. “You’re nearly asleep now. Would you like me to tuck you in tight before I leave?”

“Why do you have to leave?” I protest sleepily. “This is nice…lying here like this together. Don’t you like it?” I don’t think I would have the nerve to ask him this if I wasn’t so tired but in my fatigued state, it just comes out.

“As a matter of fact, I do like it,” he murmurs. “Much more than I should.”

“I don’t…don’t understand.” I yawn again, so sleepy I can hardly hold my eyes open. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’ve already gone much farther with you tonight than I meant to,” Aiden says. “And I don’t intend to break any more of my rules.”

I want to ask him what his rules are and how they apply to me, but I’m too tired. The next thing I know, Aiden is kissing my cheek and murmuring that I should have sweet dreams.

As he turns out the light, my eyes slip closed and I’m out.

Chapter Fifteen

“So how are you enjoying life in the lap of luxury?” Lexy demands, her voice excited on the other side of the phone. “And when can I come see you?”

“Soon,” I hedge, winding the old fashioned phone cord around my finger. “Just…not yet.” I still haven’t gotten up the nerve to have her over while I’m wearing this damn harness and I don’t know when I will. Every day I contemplate inviting her over…and every day I chicken out. But I know I can’t put my curious cousin off much longer—it’s been nearly a month since Aiden claimed me as his sacrifice and Lexy is dying to come over and see my new life.

Without the shop to run or any outside distractions, my days have fallen into a strange kind of routine. Every morning after breakfast Aiden brings me back into the bedroom and puts the harness on me, sliding a slightly larger phallus deep inside my pussy. Then he gives me a lingering kiss and strict instructions not to touch myself before leaving for work. After that, I spend the day completely naked—swimming, lounging by the pool, talking to Lexy on the phone, doing homework, reading, or studying Farrow’s. I still haven’t managed to repeat my trick with the candles but the spark of hope I thought had died out in my heart has been rekindled. I can’t help wishing that maybe Aiden is right—that I really do have power and it’s just blocked.

Aiden comes home around five each day and usually finds some reason to punish me. Sometimes it’s some small task that he’s given me to do, which he claims isn’t completed to his satisfaction. Sometimes it’s my attitude if I’m feeling particularly defiant. Whatever the reason, we usually wind up in the bedroom with me over his knee or bent over the bed while he spanks me or uses the belt or the paddle or the riding crop on my ass.

I still resist these punishments but not as much as I did in the past. That may have to do with the fact that Aiden always pleasures me afterward. If my skin is stinging he rubs soothing ointment or oil into it and that usually leads to a slow, delicious pussy massage. Sometimes he lets me come but mostly he doesn’t—either way, I’ve become alarmingly addicted to having those long white fingers stroking my hot flesh.

After my punishment, he takes me to the dining room, handcuffs me, and feeds me dinner. Sometimes I wear a blindfold and sometimes not. After dessert, I usually sit under the table and suck his cock, though he still hasn’t let me take him all the way. In fact, as far as I know, Aiden hasn’t come again since the fateful night in his study. He’s growing stingier about my orgasms too, preferring to keep me at a fever pitch of lust at all times, apparently, instead of allowing me any kind of release. It drives me crazy but what can I do?

After dinner we usually spend time together in the study although sometimes we skip that if Aiden has decided to continue my 'education' in the bedroom. Often he dresses me in revealing outfits and makes me parade around in ridiculously high heels, putting on a show for his enjoyment. At first this made me uncomfortable but slowly, the realization that he really does like my body has made me like it more too. So what if I’m not a super model? Real women have curves and if my master wants me to show mine off, why not? Besides, he loves to touch me and tease me when I’m dressed up for him and I love the feel of his hands and mouth on my body.

But the nights we play 'dress up' are nothing to the nights he ties me up. Sometimes he ties me to the bed with silk scarves and spends hours teasing me with feathers and ice cubes and different kinds of nipple clamps. Once he tied me to the bedpost, a silk rope wrapped around my body, crisscrossing my breasts and pulled up tight between my pussy lips. He teased for what seemed like forever, touching, sucking, biting until I begged for release and called him 'Master' in a broken, longing voice. Only then did he finally let me come.

But even after all this, he still hasn’t fucked me. He says he’s preparing me, getting me ready to take him when the time comes. Sometimes I want him inside me so badly I ache, but as far as I know, he still has no plans to take me in the immediate future. I’m trying to be patient but it’s really hard.

So when Lexy begs to come over and see me, I’m reluctant. I’m living a whole different life now and besides, I would have to talk to her while wearing the harness. I’ve been sorely tempted to take it off at times but I’ve always resisted the temptation because Aiden is so adamant about me never, ever removing it. I’m sure Lexy would sense something was going on if she came over and I was walking funny and I’m just not ready to get into the nitty gritty details of what Aiden does to me yet. I know my cousin and best friend has had lots and lots of sex but I doubt she’s ever had the kind of relationship I have with my new master.

Thinking of that makes me remember what happened last night…

“I’m home, darling,” he murmurs, stepping into the study and laying a flat black, expensive looking briefcase on the desk.

“Oh, hello.” I look up guiltily from the laptop. “I was just…just doing some homework.” My Herbology professor has been very accommodating about letting me do assignments online. However, I’m still not sure what I’m going to do about my final exam, which is coming up soon. I’ll really have to be there in person for that and Aiden will just have to understand. Although how I’m going to make him understand, I’m not sure. He’s so protective it’s ridiculous.

“Homework, hmm?” he murmurs, looking over my shoulder. I try to minimize the image but it’s too late—he’s seen it. On the screen a woman lies bound and gagged. Her legs are spread and she’s been double penetrated—her pussy stuffed with her master’s cock and her anus filled with what looks like a kind of tail. It’s a thick black wand with multiple thin, leather strands attached to the end. The image both fascinates and frightens me. I’m getting quite used to Aiden mastering my pussy but he hasn’t yet tried anything further.

“This intrigues you?” Aiden asks, looking at the screen and then at me, one eyebrow raised.

I can feel my skin getting hot as a blush rises to my cheeks. I cross my legs, feeling the phallus shifting inside me and nod shortly. “Maybe.”

“Interesting,” he murmurs. “I hadn’t intended to start anal play until after I claimed your pussy but we can begin sooner if you wish.”

“I don’t…I’m n-not sure…that’s not the only thing that…that I find, uh, interesting,” I say, stuttering in embarrassment.

“Is it the double penetration?” Aiden asks, matter-of-factly. “Because I do have another harness, darling—one with room for two phalluses instead of just one.”

“It’s not a dildo I want inside me,” I burst out, my irritation finally overcoming my embarrassment. “It’s you!” I bite my lip and look down at my hands. “It’s you, Master,” I say in a whisper.

“Oh?” Aiden lifts my chin and looks into my eyes. “Are you frustrated, darling? Wondering when I’m finally going to fuck you?”

“Yes,” I admit. “It’s been almost a month since you claimed me as your sacrifice and I’m still technically a virgin. I think I’m ready now, Aiden…Master. I want…want you inside me.” I blush as I say it, my cheeks getting even hotter but I can’t hold this in anymore. He hasn’t let me come for the past two days and I’m going a little crazy.

“You’re not ready yet,” he says softly. “I know you think you are, Emma, but the phallus you’re wearing still isn’t nearly as large as what you’re going to have to accommodate the first time I take you.”

I look at the growing bulge in his expensive charcoal suit pants and know he’s right. Still, I want him.

“I’ll stretch,” I say impatiently. “The female body is made to open—I’m sure I’ll be able to manage having you inside me. It might be a little tight at first but—”

“It’s not only your body that needs to be ready but your mind,” Aiden tells me. “You’re not ready to completely surrender yourself to me yet, darling. And until you are, I won’t take your virginity. Won’t fill your pussy with my cock and my cum.”

Just hearing those dirty words in his deep voice sets my heart pounding. Goddess, I want him but he’s determined not to take me yet. “What can I do?” I say, hearing the sexual frustration in my own voice but unable to do anything about it. “How can I prove I’m ready?”

Aiden frowns thoughtfully. “If you’re that determined to prove yourself, you can come to dinner with me tonight.”

“Dinner?” I feel exasperated all over again. “We eat dinner together every night.” Well, I eat—he mostly feeds me and does obscenely delicious things to my body. But still…

“Tonight it’s going to be different,” Aiden promises me, his gray eyes gleaming. “Tonight we’re going out. But first we have to get you ready.”

He takes me into the bathroom, rolls up his sleeves, and gives me a bath. Not a shower but a long, slow, leisurely bubble bath. He shampoos and conditions my hair, rinsing it carefully so as not to get any suds in my eyes. He washes every part of my body by hand, paying careful attention to my breasts and pussy. I moan aloud as he caresses my tender nipples with soapy hands and then dives lower, cupping my pussy and stroking my throbbing clit beneath the heated water. I’m so close—I feel like I’ve been on the edge for days and I wonder if he’ll let me come tonight or just tease me some more.

After soaping me all over, Aiden shaves beneath my arms and also my legs. I felt strange the first time he did this—it’s such a personal act and one I’ve always performed for myself. But I’m used to it now, just as I’m used to him feeding me and brushing my hair and tucking me into bed at night. Sometimes I feel less like his sex slave and more like a much loved, well cared for child. Taking care of me seems to give my master almost as much pleasure as touching and teasing me sexually. And gradually, I’m getting used to it.

Tonight, however, Aiden raises the bar. After taking me out of the tub and drying me thoroughly, he leads me over to the bed and has me lay down on my back with my legs hanging over the edge.

“Hold on a minute, darling,” he says and disappears back into the master bathroom.

He removed the harness before putting me in the tub and I feel bare and empty and intensely vulnerable just lying there open like this. Thank goodness, I don’t have to wait for long. When he returns, he’s carrying some steaming hot washcloths, a can of women’s gel shaving cream, and a pink razor.

“What are you doing?” I raise up on my elbows to watch him as he settles between my thighs and arranges the things he’s brought with him.

“Shaving you,” he murmurs and puts one of the steaming hot washcloths over my naked pussy mound.

I gasp and writhe—the intense heat from the steamy cloth is almost too much to bear. But it’s clear from the stern look Aiden is giving me that he intends me to bear it anyway.

“But you already shaved my legs and under my arms,” I protest, still writhing. “Why…why do you want to shave me there?” And more to the point, why does he find it necessary? I keep the area extremely neat and well-trimmed. What’s the point of shaving it ?

“Tell me, darling,” he says, answering my question with a question of his own as he so often does. “Have you ever shaved or waxed your pussy completely bare?”

“Well…” I bite my lip. “No, not really.”

“It makes you incredibly sensitive to the least sensation,” Aiden assures me, removing the first washcloth and stroking the cool, soothing shaving gel over my mound with his long fingers. “And I need you to be sensitive—very sensitive tonight.”

“I…I don’t understand,” I say. “Where are we going anyway—some kind of strip club?”

He laughs. “Hardly. I’ve made us a reservation at Bern's.”

“Bern's?” I look at him blankly as he lifts the razor and begins, very delicately and with utmost precision, to shave me.

“Yes, Bern's,” he says shortly.

Bern's is one of Tampa’s oldest, finest, and most expensive restaurants. They primarily serve aged steak so tender you could cut it with a fork—or so I’ve been told. I’ve never actually been there but Lexy has. According to her, they have a bottle of wine on the menu that costs as much as a nice house. Supposedly it belonged to Napoleon.

“Why are we going there?” I ask, trying to keep my mind off how vulnerable it makes me feel to have Aiden perform such an intimate service for me. I can feel his long fingers holding me carefully, stroking the razor over my skin to make sure I’m utterly and completely bare for him. My clit tingles every time he brushes it until I wonder if he’s doing it on purpose. “Do…” I can barely get the words out. “Do you have a craving for steak?”

“Not exactly.” Aiden looks up for a moment, his gray eyes half-lidded. “Nearly done now, darling. To answer your question, we are going to Bern's because the staff there is very…accommodating. I’ve reserved us a private room.”

Accommodating? I don’t like the sound of that. I have a sudden thought that makes me cold all over. “You’re not…you don’t expect me to go out in public naked, do you?” I’ve gotten almost used to being bare all the time in his home. After all, I mostly have the place all to myself except for Barnes who I almost never see. And, more importantly, I’m sure he can’t see me because of his blindness.

Aiden gives me a stern look. “And what if I did expect such a thing, Emma? Would you refuse me?”

I swallow hard, trying to think how to phrase my answer. “There are limits, Master,” I say, my voice sounding choked. “Lines you can’t cross in public. I mean, it’s one thing for us to…to do these things here in private at your house. But—”

“But submitting to me in public, where other people can see is out of the question?” His eyes are cool now, dangerous. “We shall see about that, darling.”

“Aiden, please—”

He holds up a hand to stop me. “You will be dressed tonight, Emma, never fear. It may not be an outfit you would choose for yourself but it will cover you adequately, that I promise.” He puts down the razor and strokes my bare skin gently with the second warm washcloth. “There,” he murmurs. “Finished.”

I look down at myself and see that I’m completely bare between my legs. I bite my lip, feeling incredibly naked—I didn’t realize how much my little thatch of light brown curls hid. Now it’s possible to see my outer pussy lips clearly as well as my slit. Even my clit seems more prominent, peeking out from between my slippery inner folds, as if begging for attention.

“You have the most beautiful pussy,” Aiden murmurs, looking up to meet my eyes. “I love how wet you get for me, my darling.”

“You…you do?” I whisper breathlessly. He’s said similar things before but he seems to be in a particular mood tonight.

“Of course. Look.” Still holding my eyes with his, he opens me with his thumbs, revealing my slick pink interior. “Look at how creamy and swollen your little cunt is,” he says, spreading me wide. “It needs to be touched. Needs to be tasted and stroked and licked. Tell me, Emma,” he murmurs. “Do you want me to kiss your pussy? Do you want me to go down on you and lick your hot little cunt?”

Goddess! I can barely breathe I’m so hot. “Yes,” I whisper, unable to deny my need. “Yes, please, Master. Please.”

“There’s just one thing,” Aiden murmurs, his breath hot on my exposed inner pussy. “I won’t make you come—not yet. Knowing that, do you still want me to taste you? Do you still want my mouth on your pussy, my tongue deep inside you, darling?”

I bite my lip in frustration. When is he going to allow me a release? It’s been days since my last orgasm and I’m dying to come. But there’s no question that I still want his mouth on me. “Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, I still do…I still want it.”

“Good girl,” Aiden breathes and then he tastes me, lapping my open pussy in long, slow strokes that send me quivering to the edge, just a heartbeat from coming. But though he traces my swollen, needy clit with his tongue until I think I’m going to scream, Aiden somehow manages never to push me over that elusive edge. He seems to possess some sixth sense that tells him exactly when I’m about to come. It allows him to pull back at the last instant, leaving me wanting him so badly I think I’m going to die.

After twenty minutes of this I’m so sensitive I don’t think I can take it any longer. My master seems to sense this because he finishes by lifting my hips and slipping his tongue deep into my pussy entrance. He growls low in his throat with pleasure as he tastes my honey from the source and I gasp at the feel of him pressing inside me. It feels so good, so right, but it’s just not enough. I need more…more.

“Please, Master, I need more,” I beg shamelessly as he at last releases me and sits back, licking his lips.

“And you’ll get more, darling,” he purrs softly, stroking my inner thigh. “A little later tonight.” He rises easily, as though he hadn’t just spent the last half hour on his knees going down on me and lifts me off the bed. “Come, it’s time to get you dressed.”

It occurs to me as he goes to the wardrobe, that I felt the press of his fangs against me while he went down on me and yet he somehow didn’t so much as scratch me. That leads to the realization that he hasn’t bitten me at all, since that first night when he claimed me. Is he getting his blood somewhere else? The thought makes me feel irrationally jealous.

“Master,” I say, trying to think how to word the question. “Are you going to eat tonight?”

“I may.” He shrugs as he digs through the layers of clothing hung neatly in the wardrobe. “Honestly I’m more interested in satisfying other appetites.”

“Like…your appetite for blood?” I ask softly, not sure if I ought to be talking about this or not.

He turns from the wardrobe, frowning. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just…” I look down at the carpet. “You haven’t bitten me since our first night at the Sacrifice Ceremony. I thought you might be getting, well…thirsty.”

He looks at me directly. “Do you want me to bite you, Emma?”

“No,” I say at once, before I think. “I mean, it hurts. But I don’t…don’t want you to bite anyone else either,” I finish in a small voice.

He gives an amused chuckle. “I’m not a young vampire, darling—I don’t need much blood. But you’re saying you want me to get it from you, when I do need it?”

I bite my lip. “Yes, I guess so. That’s what I’m saying.”

“Even if it hurts?”

I remember the sharp pain of those gleaming white fangs driving into my wrist and can’t help shivering. But I’m sure of what I want. “Yes,” I say. “Even though it hurts.”

“It doesn’t have to hurt, you know,” Aiden says softly. “If you’d let me in and stop resisting so much I could make it quite pleasurable for you.”

I don’t see how being bitten could be pleasurable but then, I used to think the same thing about being spanked and punished. Aiden is slowly changing my outlook on pain. Also, I can’t help remembering the strange burst of pleasure that seemed to follow the pain during that first bite—was that him?

“Are you saying you can get inside my mind?” I ask. I’ve heard that some very powerful vampires have this skill. It would certainly explain how he always seems to know what I’m thinking. Also the way I heard him talking inside my head while he was drinking from me.

Aiden shakes his head. “Not unless you make the conscious decision to let me in. But until you embrace the bond between us, that will never happen.”

I’m not sure what embracing the bond he’s talking about entails but before I can ask, he presents me with a skirt and blouse and says, “Here. Put these on.”

“All right.” The clothes look normal enough—a thin white silk blouse paired with a plain black pencil skirt. But… “Where’s the underwear?” I ask, thinking he must have forgotten them. “I mean, I can’t wear this with no bra under it.” I gesture at the white blouse. “It’s practically see-through. You’ll be able to see everything right through it.”

“Exactly.” Aiden gives me a slow smile. “Now put it on, Emma.”

“But—” The words of protest die on my lips at the stern look on his face.

“I said, put it on. Don’t make me punish you before we go out tonight. I can promise you that sitting down for a two hour dinner will be much less pleasurable if your ass is stinging from my belt.”

That gets me moving. After all, the skirt looks normal—if a little short. And maybe the blouse isn’t as see-through as it looks.

Except it is.

When I look at myself in the oval mirror over the dresser after putting on the outfit, I gasp in dismay. I might as well not be wearing a top at all. The white silk is so sheer you can see not just the outlines of my nipples but the nipples themselves along with my wide pink areolas and full breasts. I literally feel more naked wearing this blouse than I do when I’m actually naked.

As for the skirt, it’s not nearly as normal as it looked at first. It’s a close fitting sheathe that goes to mid-thigh but it has two very high slits, which I didn’t notice at first. When putting it on, I assumed these slits went to the sides but then Aiden called me over. To my dismay, he rearranged the skirt so that the slits are in the front and back. They’re cut so high you can actually see my ass cheeks and the slit of my bare pussy if I move just the right way.

“I can’t go out in public like this,” I tell Aiden. “I’ll be arrested for indecent exposure!”

“No, you won’t.” His eyes flash. “No harm will ever come to you while I’m with you.”

“But…but what if I see someone I know?” Or anyone at all, for that matter.

“The only person you need to be worried about seeing is me, your master,” Aiden tells me sternly. “Have you already forgotten the point of our dinner date tonight, Emma? You are supposed to be proving that you’re ready for me to take you completely. So far I am not impressed.”

“Yes, I know but…” I twist my hands together and look at myself in the mirror again. Yup, still obscene.

“You’re beautiful,” Aiden assures me softly. “And I want to show you off. But since you’re still so shy…” He removes a long black silk wrap from the wardrobe and puts it around my shoulders. It hangs just long enough to cover the top part of the skirt and drapes around my front to cover my breasts as well.

I feel immediately better. “Thank you,” I say.

Aiden frowns. “As long as you know you’re going to have to remove that when we get to our private room in the restaurant.”

Well, as long as it’s private I don’t mind. “Fine,” I say, agreeing easily. I don’t mind Aiden seeing me dressed like this—I just don’t want anyone else looking.

Bern's is a large, white, windowless building in the SoHo district of South Tampa. I look around avidly, interested in everything as we walk inside. The interior seems to be designed like an old fashioned bordello with lots of red velvet and gold fixtures. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to come here. Lexy’s tale of a steak so expensive it pretty much cost five dollars a bite is both intriguing and horrifying—especially to someone like me who spends less than thirty dollars a week on groceries.

Aiden is looking everywhere too, but not out of curiosity, I sense. He seems to be looking for trouble, his gray eyes narrowed for possible threats as he keeps one arm around me in a way that is equally protective and possessive.

I don’t know what he’s so worried about. Despite his warning that he has enemies, I can’t imagine anyone ballsy enough to assault the new Sovereign who also happens to be a frighteningly powerful vampire. And even if they did, would they really choose the swankiest restaurant in Tampa to launch their attack? I seriously doubt it.

Aiden mentions his name to the maître d' and the man snaps instantly to attention. “Of course, Mr. James. Right this way, sir. It’s an honor to have you dining with us tonight.”

Wow. I look at Aiden with wide eyes. Either he comes here often or he dropped a ton of cash on renting the private room. I hope it’s the latter—I don’t like to think of him bringing other women here. Or anywhere, for that matter. Hmm, should I really be letting myself feel so attached and possessive of my vampire master?

Before I can answer that question to my own satisfaction, the maître d' himself takes us to our table, which is round with cushy, booth-type seating on one side. The table is draped in spotless white linen with a single white candle in the center. It’s actually not so much a private room as a slightly less public space, being located in a small, concealed alcove in a shadowy corner of the massive restaurant. Occasionally I can see servers passing by carrying trays of wine or food but for the most part, there’s no one but us, once the maître d' gets us seated.

Aiden sits beside me with one hand on my thigh. The entrance to our little alcove is directly in front of us—apparently you’re meant to sit in the round, half booth and enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant.

“Now that we’re settled,” he murmurs and removes my black wrap.

I bite my tongue to keep from protesting. He did say I’d have to take it off as soon as we got seated at the restaurant so I’m pretty sure there’s no point arguing. Still, I can’t help being embarrassed. I cross my arms over my breasts self-consciously but Aiden shakes his head.

“No, darling. It’s my wish that you be on display tonight. Put your arms down, please. And uncross your legs.”

I’m not very comfortable obeying either of these orders. The minute I sat down, my skirt began riding up, pushing its high slits even higher. Though I’ve tried to adjust it, I can still look down and plainly see my naked pussy slit framed by the black fabric. Aiden seems to enjoy the view.

“Don’t hide yourself from me,” he murmurs, his breath hot in my ear. “You’re beautiful, Emma. It’s my very great pleasure to show you off tonight.”

Miserably, I try to relax and not think about how naked I feel. I tell myself that the table will block the view of anyone passing by. But the tablecloth isn’t that long—I hope no one drops a fork and bends down to get it. Still, at least my skirt and what it reveals is mostly hidden from view, but there’s nothing I can do about my blouse. It’s simply transparent, putting my ample breasts on display whether I want them to be or not.

“It doesn’t matter if you want to show yourself or not, Emma,” Aiden murmurs sternly—reading either my face or my mind. “What matters is that I am your master and I choose to show you. Now sit up straight, I think our server is here.”

I sit up, my cheeks flaming as a young man who looks to be around college age steps into our shadowy alcove. “Hello, sir, madam and welcome to B—” He catches sight of my fully displayed breasts and the words die on his lips. “I…uh…” He fumbles with the menus in his hands. “I mean…” His eyes are darting everywhere in a desperate effort not to look, but they keep returning to my nearly naked cleavage and nipples, as though he just can’t help himself.

“It’s all right, young man,” Aiden says, his deep voice soothing. “You may look if you want to.” He puts an arm around me, drawing me to him, and cups one of my breasts. Casually, he begins teasing my nipple. “My lover has beautiful breasts, don’t you think?”

“I…uh…” The young server swallows hard. “I…yes, sir,” he croaks, his eyes flickering over my chest again. “Yes, she does.”

“They’re very sensitive, you know,” Aiden continues. “Watch.” He pinches my nipple, drawing a low moan from my lips. “Sit up a little straighter, darling,” he tells me. “Let our young friend see how lovely you are.”

I stare straight down at the tabletop, wishing I could sink right through the floor. And yet, as overwhelming as the embarrassment is, there’s another emotion behind it. Can it be…pride? It’s strange and perverse but I like it that a man as powerful and handsome as Aiden James is proud to have me on his arm, that he wants to show me off. And there’s an even more insidious feeling under all that—a little voice that whispers that I want to please my master. That I want to do whatever it is he wants me to do.

I fight that little voice with all my might but it’s a losing battle. Aiden’s casual touch on my breast has started a familiar fire under my skin. All I can think of is the fact that if I please him, he might finally take me as I so desperately need to be taken.

Taking a deep breath, I sit up straighter and throw back my hair, giving the server a clearer view.

“Very good, my darling.” Aiden sounds extremely pleased. He nods at the server. “You may give us the menus and tell us the specials now, if you wish.”

The server who has been standing there wide-eyed, taking us both in, jumps quickly to attention as though someone has goosed him. “Uh, of course.” Quickly he shoves the menus at us, being very careful not to touch my hand when he gives me mine. He rattles off a list of specials but I don’t hear a word he says, mainly because Aiden is still stroking and teasing my captive nipple with one hand as he holds his menu with the other.

“We’ll have the chateaubriand for two, medium rare and a bottle of your best red. A Pinot Noir should suffice, I think,” he says. “The usual sides but bring them slowly, please. We don’t want the table too crowded.”

“Yes, sir. Of course, sir.” The waiter nods hastily and takes our menus. He nearly trips on the way out because his eyes are glued to my breasts.

“Well.” Aiden sounds amused. “If you had any doubts about how lovely you are, I trust that little scene laid them to rest. He could barely keep his eyes off you.”

“That’s because you couldn’t keep your hands off me,” I accuse him breathlessly. “Maybe if you wouldn’t fondle me in public, he would have been able to ignore me.”

“Darling, no one seeing you in all your beauty could ignore you,” Aiden says mildly. “And I understand that you’re feeling a little exposed tonight—”

“A little exposed?” I exclaim.

“But,” Aiden continues, frowning. “I’m not going to put up with any more defiance. You will obey me in all things tonight or I will punish you very, very thoroughly once we return home. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper tightly. His stern tone makes me feel like a naughty child. I’m filled with a strange mixture of resentment and desire when he talks to me like this.

“Very good.” He gives me one last stern glance. “Now settle down—I think I hear him returning.”

The young server comes back again, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously as he nods deferentially. “Your wine, sir,” he murmurs, presenting a green glass bottle on a tray.

“Open it,” Aiden commands. Then, as the server fumbles with the cork, he turns to me and calmly begins unbuttoning my blouse.

My heart is in my mouth as his long fingers skim over my breasts. I risk a glance to see if the server notices what is going on. He does. He has the wine bottle open and a glass in one hand but he’s completely forgotten about pouring. Instead, he’s watching mutely as Aiden slowly and methodically opens the thin silk blouse, baring my breasts completely.

Finally, Aiden pulls the blouse all the way open so that it hangs by my sides, putting my naked breasts on display. Then he sits back and nods to the server who is standing there, frozen. “You may pour,” he murmurs softly.

The server must wonder what the hell is going on but he pours a small amount into a crystal, long-stemmed wine glass and hands it mutely to Aiden.

Aiden takes the glass, swirls it, looks at the color and inhales deeply, taking in the wine’s aroma. Then, instead of taking a sip to test it, he turns to me and cups one of my naked breasts in his large hand. Slowly, carefully, he pours a single drop of red wine, letting it land on my nipple.

I bite back a gasp as the cool wine makes my nipple tighten into a hard little nub. Goddess, I can’t believe Aiden is doing this! But he is. And as the server and I both watch, he leans down and sucks my nipple into the hot, wet depths of his mouth.

I moan aloud as his tongue caresses me, lapping the wine from my flesh. Dear Goddess, how can anything so embarrassing also be so hot? If anything remotely like this had happened to me a month ago I would have pushed the guy off me, slapped his face and left in a huff. But with Aiden, all I want is more. All I want is to submit, even though I know it’s wrong.

At last Aiden straightens up and nods at the server as though he’s done nothing unusual. “An excellent vintage. Please continue to pour.”

Wide-eyed, the server does as he is commanded silently. Then he croaks a promise that the bread basket will be out soon and scurries away.

Aiden turns to me once more. “That was excellent, darling. You did very well.”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper, my heart pounding. I can’t believe I’m sitting here in a public restaurant with my bare breasts on display, being fondled by the man I now call master. And yet, here we are. “Why?” I ask him, trying to frame the right question. “Why…do you want to do this? To put me on display?”

Aiden looks suddenly serious. “Think of this as training, darling. When the time comes I may need you to submit to me in a place more public than this. You have to be ready.”

“What place?” I ask in a fierce whisper. “What are you planning to do with me, Aiden.”

He gives me a level stare. “Anything I want, my darling Emma. And I promise, you’ll enjoy it.”

I open my mouth to answer but just then the server is back again with the bread. He deposits it on the table, takes a quick glance at my breasts, and flees.

“You have the poor boy completely smitten,” Aiden murmurs, sounding amused. “Would you like a bite of bread, darling?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think I’m hungry anymore.”

“That’s too bad.” Aiden’s large, warm hand finds my thigh and begins to massage lightly. “I guess we’ll have to work on satisfying your other appetites then.” The hand travels up, sliding higher to find the junction of my thighs.

“Aiden…Master,” I whisper pleadingly. But I don’t know if I want him to stop or to never stop. And anyway, his hand is already cupping my bare pussy.

“Always so wet,” he murmurs as his finger slips between my pussy lips. “So hot and tight and ready for me.”

Just then, I hear the waiter coming back.

“Master,” I moan, trying to close my thighs, to deny him entrance even though he’s already got his fingers buried to the hilt inside my heated cunt.

Aiden frowns reprovingly. “No, Emma,” he tells me sternly. “Spread your legs. Don’t try to hide your pleasure from me.”

I think about saying that Aiden isn’t the one I want to hide from but just then the server appears with our steak. I clamp my lips together, determined to reveal nothing as, under the table, Aiden continues to explore my pussy. But I’m sure the poor server must know something is going on by my flushed cheeks and rapid breathing.

“Cut some of that into bite-sized pieces,” Aiden directs him, nodding at the truly monstrous steak which has been unloaded onto the table before us. “I want to be able to feed it to my lovely companion.”

If the server guesses that Aiden can’t do the cutting himself because his hands are busy, he doesn’t say anything. He simply nods, swallows nervously, and begins to cut.

I stare at the steak, biting my lip hard to try and keep back the moans. My pussy is so wet and swollen I’m actually throbbing with the need to come. Aiden’s fingertips have found my clit and are teasing it unmercifully, circling slowly first one way and then the next before dipping down to my entrance to get more honey.

Suddenly, Aiden’s fork clatters to the floor under the table.

“I’ll get it, sir,” the waiter says at once.

“Of course.” Aiden sounds amused.

My heart is suddenly pounding so hard it seems like it’s trying to break free of my ribs. Oh my Goddess! I know what the server is going to see when he ducks under the table to retrieve the lost fork. Frantically, I try to close my legs again.

Aiden gives me a stern look. “Open your thighs, Emma. Wide.”

The server ducks under the table and I want to say no. I want to tell Aiden I have no wish to put on a show. Instead, I find my thighs spreading, opening wide just as he orders.

“Good,” Aiden murmurs. “Now sit back, darling. Relax and let me touch you.”

I sit back obediently and feel Aiden spreading my pussy lips wide, putting my inner cunt on display.

Under the table I hear a muffled gasp and then a soft groan. Apparently the server is enjoying the show.

“Take your time,” Aiden tells him, still sounding amused. “I’m sure the fork is under there somewhere.” As he speaks, he slowly circles my clit with one finger before plunging it deep into my pussy and fingerfucking me hard.

I moan and buck my hips—I can’t help it. I’m close…so damn close. But still I can’t seem to come.

There’s a bang from the underside of the table and the cutlery jingles together, as though the server bumped his head. He emerges from under the tablecloth at last, looking sheepish. “I uh, found your fuck—I mean your fork. I found your fork, sir!” he babbles, holding up the offending silverware.

“I’m sure you did,” Aiden says. “Take it away and bring me another.”

“Yes, sir. Right away, sir!” The waiter scurries off again.

“You’re doing very well tonight, Emma,” my master tells me, his gray eyes hot as he looks at me. “I’m very pleased with you.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. I don’t know what to think about all this—I feel so mixed up inside. Hot and embarrassed and so close to the edge I can hardly breathe. Honestly right now, I’m just trying to get through the evening without exploding.

The server brings another fork and Aiden feeds me small pieces of the melt-in-your-mouth tender steak and a few bites of salad. The food is delicious but I hardly register what I’m eating. The only thing that cuts through the steady rush of lust I’m feeling is the embarrassment every time the server comes back and watches us with those wide, uncertain eyes. It seems like the meal will never come to an end.

But somehow, it does.

“Have you enjoyed your meal, darling?” Aiden asks me tenderly as the server clears away the last of the food and departs.

“Yes,” I whisper. “It was…delicious.”

“Almost as delicious as your submission,” he says softly. “But now, before we order dessert, I think you need one more course.”

“Another course?” I don’t know what he means. Honestly, I have no appetite for anything else.

“Something you enjoy often at home,” Aiden prompts me. Then he unzips his expensive black slacks. “Suck me, Emma,” he murmurs, his eyes burning into mine. “I want to fuck your sweet mouth.”

I feel a rush of heat spreading all over me. Goddess, I so shouldn’t want to do this. But the look in those gray eyes and the command in his voice makes me feel like I’m melting from the inside out. Without a word of protest, I lean over and bury my head in his lap. Breathing in his warm, spicy scent, I rub the hot shaft of his cock lovingly against my cheek before taking the broad head into my mouth.

Bern's has a separate dessert room but when the server comes back to escort us there, Aiden elects to stay in our semi-private booth. He orders the bananas foster and drops another fork to give our wide-eyed waiter a chance to duck back under the table and watch me slowly sucking my master’s cock.

I keep my eyes tightly closed as my master’s thick shaft fucks gently into my mouth. I’m unwilling to open them and admit that the server is watching. Aiden strokes my hair gently and murmurs encouragement and praise, apparently completely unembarrassed to be seen this way. At last, to my relief, the server 'finds' the fork and leaves again, to put in our dessert order.

As soon as he ducks out, Aiden raises me gently and kisses me on the lips. “You have such a talented mouth, darling, and you’re doing so well. If you can just make it through dessert, I’ll take you home and fuck you.”

His words send my heart skittering against my ribs. Goddess, I’m so hot right now. So incredibly unfulfilled. And I want him—I want that long, thick cock I was just sucking deep in my pussy. But I’m wary of what I have to do to get it.

“What…” I clear my throat. “What do I have to do to make it through dessert?”

“Stand up and I’ll show you,” Aiden says.

I bite my lip. Standing up means exposing myself even further. Then again, the server had pretty much seen it all at this point. Slowly, I do as I’m told.

“Very good,” Aiden murmurs and I see him take something long and thick out of his pocket. “Now bend over and place your hands on the tabletop, darling.” He gestures at the table, which has been completely cleared of dishes and silverware. It’s a vast expanse of white cloth with the single candle, which has long since gone out, resting in the middle.

I shouldn’t do this, I tell myself. I shouldn’t want to do this. But I can’t help it, somehow I do. Some twisted part deep inside of me wants to please my master more than it wants to keep my dignity. And right now, that part is in control.

Slowly, I lean over the table and rest my hands and forearms on the creamy white linen. My bare breasts hang down like ripe fruit, my nipples dark pink against the light tablecloth.

Aiden murmurs his approval. “Now,” he says, “Spread your legs so I can get to your pussy.”

I look over my shoulder as apprehension stabs through me. “What are you going to do to me?”

“I’m going to fuck you—with this.” He holds up the long, thick thing he pulled out of his pocket earlier. It’s a vibrator—a dark purple one. With a twist of his wrist, Aiden turns it on and a low but powerful humming sound fills the air.

Somehow the sound seems to break the spell I’ve been under for the past two hours. “What?” I exclaim. “You’re really going to… fuck me with that thing when the server comes back?”

“We’ll start now to get you warmed up,” he says, as though it’s a foregone conclusion that I’ll stand there bent over with my legs splayed wide open and let him fuck me with the thick purple vibrator in public.

“Aiden,” I start to protest but just then he strokes the buzzing, humming head of the vibrator over my sensitive clit. I jump and moan at the instant shock of pleasure that courses through my entire body. I hear Aiden murmur something about how responsive I am and then he’s sliding the thick, vibrating cock deep inside my pussy.

And just then I hear the server coming back again. But this time he’s not alone.

As two sets of footsteps and two voices approach our booth, something snaps inside me. It’s one thing to have the server we’ve had attending us all night see me like this but to have another, a complete stranger…or maybe he’s even brought the manager, maybe there have been complaints…

I can’t! Oh my God, I just can’t! I bolt up from my prone position, pushing the buzzing purple vibrator out of me. I pull my top closed and push down my skirt. Then I grab the black wrap from the seat beside me, pull it around me, trying to cover as much as I can, and sit back down, making sure to keep at the far end of the seat from Aiden.

All the motions seem lightning fast to me but I know for a fact he’s much, much faster. He could have stopped me—could have forced me to do as he said. Instead he sits there, his face like stone, not looking at me as the servers come into our alcove.

Our original server looks at me, then at Aiden, a question in his eyes. Disappointment flits over his face but he’s obviously wise enough not to say anything. The second sever looks at his friend with curiosity and then shakes his head. Without saying a thing, they quickly prepare the dessert and flambé it tableside.

They serve it to us quickly, in two china bowls heaped with vanilla bean ice cream, and then leave, murmuring hopes that we’ll enjoy.

Of course, we do nothing of the kind. We sit there in silence for what seems like an eternity as the ice cream melts and the caramelized bananas grow cold. Finally Aiden speaks.

“Emma,” he says softly. “I’m disappointed in you.”

I start to talk, wanting to defend myself, but he only shakes his head.

“Come on, we’re going home.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Come on Emma,” Lexy whines, breaking my train of thought. “It’s been almost a month. It’s not just that I want to see his house—I miss you.”

I blink my eyes, trying to bring myself back to reality. My recollection of the night before is so vivid I can almost see the disappointment in my master’s wintry gray eyes. When we got home, I expected a very severe punishment—maybe a whipping so hard I wouldn’t be able to sit down for a month.

What I got instead was…nothing.

Aiden simply left me in the room without saying goodnight or tucking me in. He didn’t whip me or spank me or bathe me or kiss me. In fact, he completely ignored our whole nighttime routine.

That morning at breakfast, he barely spoke to me. I felt miserable and depressed and angry, but what could I say? I wasn’t going to apologize for not letting him fuck me to orgasm in front of two strangers. He had no right to do that to me, I told myself. No matter what the rules of the Sacrifice said. And yet…the look of disappointment on his face was somehow worse than any of the punishments he’s given me.

He did take time to fit the harness on me, however. And perversely, the phallus he inserted into my pussy was the thick purple vibrator from the night before. I know it’s a reminder of how I disobeyed him but he didn’t talk about it. He didn’t say much of anything, simply gave me his usual instructions about not removing it. Then he left and for the first time since I came to live at his house and belong to him, I cried.

“Emma?” Lexy asks again and I know I have to stop thinking about him or I’m going to cry again. Goddess, I’m so emotional lately. I would swear my period was coming on but I haven’t had The Dream. So I guess I’m just upset about the situation with Aiden.

“I’m sorry,” I say, sniffing. “I just…things haven’t been great with Aiden lately.”

Her response is immediate and indignant. “Did he hit you? What did he do to you? I don’t care if he’s the Sovereign or not, I’ll come get you right now if you want.”

“No, nothing like that,” I protest. Of course, Aiden does punish me on a regular basis but I’m not about to tell her that. She’d misunderstand for sure. I take a deep breath. “It’s not anything he did to me. It’s more like…something I wouldn’t do for him. And it made him mad. Well, maybe upset is a better word. Uh…disappointed.”

“Sweet Goddess,” she exclaims. “What the hell did he want you to do?”

“I, uh, really don’t want to talk about it.” I clutch the old fashioned princess phone to my ear. “Look, I should go.”

“Oh, no you don’t! I can tell when you’re upset and I’m not getting off the phone until you tell me why.”

“Lexy…”

“Better yet,” she continues, sounding both excited and determined. “I’m coming over. I know where he lives and he’s not going to stop me from seeing you one minute more.”

Actually, Aiden isn’t the one stopping her. I’ve been holding off on letting her come over because of the damn harness I always have to wear but I’m not about to say that. “Lexy, really this isn’t a good idea,” I hedge.

“What isn’t a good idea is leaving you to stew in your misery one minute more,” she says. “Besides, I need to see you—I’ve got something to tell you I can’t say to you over that ridiculous antique phone. Something about him.” I’ve told her all about the old princess phone and how it may or may not be monitored at Aiden’s discretion.

“Lexy—” I start again but she’s having none of it. “No more excuses, Emma—I’m coming over now.”

“Well if you have to come over at least bring me some clothes and my cell phone,” I say, stalling for time. “You know where I keep everything.” My apartment is a second story corner loft in the cheap part of Ybor City and Lexy has the only spare key.

She sighs. “All right, I’ll swing by your place. But then I’m on my way over. So you’d better tell the blind butler guy to make an extra grilled cheese for lunch. Company’s coming.”

“Lexy!” I exclaim. But she’s already blowing me kisses and hanging up. Oh God, she’s on the way.

I put down the phone with a clunk and look down at myself. I am sitting at Aiden’s huge mahogany desk naked, wearing nothing but the black leather collar and the leather harness which straps around my thighs and holds the vibrator inside me. What am I going to do? And what am I going to wear?

I hop up from the desk, moving awkwardly as the vibrator shifts inside me, and hurry to the bedroom. Lexy drives like a bat out of hell—even a side trip to the other side of town won’t slow her down much. She’ll be here before I know it and I don’t want to meet her naked at the door wearing nothing but my oh-so charming but rather unconventional collar and dildo ensemble.

There are clothes that fit me in Aiden’s wardrobe—unfortunately, most of them are fairly obscene. Oh they’re classy—don’t get me wrong. There are no naughty nurse or she-devil outfits. Everything is top of the line, name brand, designer and very, very expensive. (I know because I’ve found a few articles with the price tags still on them.) But everything is either too high cut or too low cut or transparent. And it’s all very form fitting—Aiden likes clothing that shows off my hourglass shape.

Finally I find a pair of black leggings and a dark blouse that’s only semi-transparent and decide they will have to do. I wish I had some underwear to wear under them—a bra would be especially nice. But aside from a few wispy, lacy pairs of crotch-less panties and one lovely delicate demi-bra which holds my breasts up without covering my nipples, I have nothing.

With a sigh, I pull on the clothes and feel immediately confined. It’s strange how quickly I’ve gotten used to going nude. Now it actually feels weird to wear clothes. Well get over it, I advise myself. Lexy is going to be here any minute!

I look at myself in the oval mirror…and wince. The top looks okay, although you can clearly see my nipples poking out under the thin fabric if you look. But the leggings…well, let’s just say it’s very clear I’m wearing something under them. Something bulky and eye-catching that Lexy is sure to ask about the minute I open the door. I can almost hear her now, “Oh my Goddess, Emma, what the hell is that thing between your legs?”

I stand there for a long moment, scrutinizing my reflection in an agony of indecision. On one hand, Aiden is already mad at me. Or disappointed with me to be more exact. I really shouldn’t risk pissing him off any further. On the other hand, I can’t let Lexy see me like this. I just can’t. I’ve been perfectly good this entire month never ever taking the harness off or removing the phallus he puts in me each day. I deserve a break, don’t I? Just for an hour or two while Lexy and I catch up and have lunch. Then I’ll put it back on and Aiden will never have to know.

Having rationalized my way out of the harness mentally, I now have to get out of it physically, which proves to be easier said than done. I pull my leggings down to my knees and go to work on the leather straps and their tiny silver buckles, which Aiden fastens and unfastens on a daily basis with such ease.

They’re a lot harder to work than I expected. I try to push the harness down like a pair of leather underwear, but it won’t go. The straps are snug, fitting my thighs perfectly with no room to spare one way or the other. Cursing under my breath, I go back to the buckles.

Finally, after a lot of time and effort, I get one side unbuckled. The vibrator is still snug inside me and I wiggle around, trying to get it out while I work on the other side. It’s just about to come lose when the doorbell rings.

As the deep, bong, bong, bong, which sounds like a church bell, rings through the house, I begin to panic. Lexy’s already here—hurry! Hurry! Frantically, I claw at the harness but my frenzied efforts only activate the vibrator, which begins humming inside me, sending sparks of sensation through my helpless pussy. Oh Goddess, I have got to get this thing off me, out of me!

The doorbell sounds again and then I hear a gentle rapping at the bedroom door. “Ms. Krist?” Barnes says in his aristocratic British accent. “There is someone at the door. Are you expecting company?”

“Yes!” I manage to gasp. I’m clawing at the vibrator now and somehow I turn it up to what has to be its maximum setting. To my mortification, the low-pitched hum instantly becomes a loud buzzing. “Yes,” I repeat, trying to pull the damn thing out of me and shut it off at the same time. “I…my friend…my cousin…”

The vibrator finally pops free and lodges itself against my throbbing clit. Instantly my spine arches as the pleasure rips through me like a hurricane. I’m still on edge from everything that Aiden has been doing to me the past three days and there’s no stopping the impending orgasm. Oh Goddess, I’m going to come! I’m going to—

“I don’t understand, madam,” Barnes says through the door. “Is it your friend or your cousin or both? Should I make lunch for two or three?” Out in the main part of the house, the doorbell chimes again.

“Three!” I gasp as the purple vibrator takes me to heaven whether I want to go or not. “Or no, two. Damn it, Barnes, I don’t know.” My spine is arching and my clit is tingling with the much needed relief. I try to take a step but the tight leggings trip me and I fall to the floor with the vibrator still going to town.

“Ms. Krist, are you quite all right?” the butler asks, sounding concerned. “Did you fall? Should I come in to assist you?”

I’m flat on my back, having what feels like multiple orgasms, tangled up in the harness and leggings with the vibrator buzzing between my legs like a freaking chainsaw. The doorbell is ringing nonstop now and the butler wants to come in and 'assist' me. I think I’m going crazy.

“No,” I moan, finally managing to shut the vibrator off with trembling fingers. As soon as it stops teasing my clit, I feel more in control. My pussy is still throbbing, but at least I’m not coming anymore. It’s amazingly hard to think while you’re having an orgasm—something I guess I never really noticed before. “No,” I say in a more normal voice—which is to say, I’m not moaning like a porn star. “I…I’m fine, Barnes, honestly. I just dropped my uh…my hairdryer, that’s all.”

“Is that right?” He sounds doubtful. “Well then, if you do not require assistance I shall answer the door. Whoever is seeking entrance to the house seems most impatient.”

Yeah, that sounds like Lexy. “You do that,” I croak. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

With a little more fumbling, I’m finally able to release the other side of the harness. I put it on the bed and pull up my leggings, feeling strangely empty and undressed without it. But freer too, I remind myself. And now I don’t have to admit everything to Lexy.

Taking one last look at my flushed face in the mirror, I smooth my tangled hair, take a deep breath, and run out to meet my cousin.

But it isn’t Lexy standing in the open doorway when I finally get to the front of the house. It’s just a UPS man and he looks strangely familiar. He’s muscular and swarthy with thick black hair on his arms and legs that almost looks like a pelt.

With a start, I realize it’s Emil Sanchez, leader of the Curved Horn Satyr clan. He’s in human form today, which is to say the bottom half of him isn’t noticeably goaty—well, aside from all the disgusting body hair, that is. He has on a baseball cap, probably to hide the two stubby horns growing from his forehead. Maybe he’s spent too much time in his satyr form and can’t go back to his human form without them. When he looks up at me and smiles, my theory is proven correct—he also has the slotted yellow eyes of a goat.

“Hello, pretty lady,” he says, grinning. “Got a delivery for you.” His eyes flicker over my blouse, taking in the way my nipples tent the thin fabric and his grin widens.

I cross my arms protectively over my chest. When he looks at me like that, I smell smoke and somewhere, someone is lost in the darkness, crying. I shake my head, trying to get rid of the strange vision.

“Madam, this person appears to have a package you need to sign for.” Barnes turns his blind eyes in my direction. “Were you expecting something?”

“Uh, no.” I give Sanchez a hard look, which he returns with a lascivious grin. “What is this about?” I demand.

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” he says with deceptive mildness. “Got a package for you.” He shoves a clipboard at me as well as a greasy pen which I take with distaste. I’m sure my fingers are going to smell all goaty and nasty just from touching it.

“Who’s it from?” I ask, scrawling my signature on the line he indicates and giving back the pen. I still think it’s strange that the leader of a powerful satyr clan is a lowly UPS man in everyday life, but I guess everybody has to work.

“Someone important.” He gives me a most unpleasant grin before pushing a small brown cardboard box into my hands. He tips his hat briefly, which exposes his stubby horns. “Have a good day, ma’am.” And then he’s gone.

I watch him leave with relief—I’ve never liked Sanchez or any satyr for that matter. They take mindless lust to a whole new level so unless you’re really into being raped, they aren’t the ideal Friday night date. Thankfully, I almost never have to see him or his kind outside supernatural gatherings. But when I do see him, he always finds a way to say something nasty or make a lewd gesture. Actually, this encounter was remarkably mild.

“Is madam ready to close the door?” Barnes asks, reminding me that I’m standing there with the large front door open, 'air conditioning the great outdoors' as my aunt would say.

“Uh, yes.” I clear my throat and step back, clutching the box to my chest.

“Thank you, Ms. Krist,” he says formally and closes the door with a snick before turning to me. “May I ask again if there will be two or three for lunch?”

I flush, remembering the state I was in last time he asked the question. “Just two, Barnes,” I say, speaking as formally as he did. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome, madam.” He nods at me, perhaps a touch less frostily. “Would it please you to have lunch by the pool?”

“Oh yes, that would be wonderful!” I’m getting excited now to show Lexy the house. It’s not like I own it but if you live in a mansion, you might as well make use of it. And having lunch by the pool sounds so perfectly la-ti-da. She’s going to love it.

A very small smile touches Barnes’ thin lips. “Very well. I’ll set everything out for you.”

“Thank you,” I say again, really meaning it.

He nods and leaves me alone. I look after him until I realize I’m still gripping the mysterious box. What’s in it? I lift it to my ear and shake but I don’t hear a thing and it’s very light—almost as though it was empty. Who would send me an empty box and why? There’s no tingling in my fingertips so no magic is involved. At least, nothing overt.

I take the box back in my room before I open it. Inside is a single slip of paper and on it, in elegant script are written these words:

Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. O. When may it suffice?

And under that:

Soon.

I stare in confusion at the piece of paper. It seems to be some kind of a quote or warning. But by who and about what? Too long a sacrifice—is someone trying to say that a year is too long for the designated Sacrifice to serve the Sovereign? Well, what good is it going to do to tell me that? It’s not like I can change anything.

I’m still puzzling over the box and its confusing contents when I hear the front doorbell again. This time it’s Lexy with a laundry basket full of clothes and—oh joy!—my cell phone. She even remembered the charger.

I give her an enthusiastic hug and then she steps back to look around. “Wow, this place is swanky! But what the hell is the deal with all the glass walls?”

“Aiden likes sunlight,” I say, with a shrug. “He says he went without it for too long and now he wants to make up for lost time.”

“A vampire who loves sunlight.” She shakes her head. “What’ll they think of next? Well, come on—give me the grand tour.”

I take her to the bedroom first, so I can deposit the laundry basket full of clothes. But I have forgotten about the abandoned harness, lying discarded on the bed. I’m quick to put the laundry basket on top of it, but Lexy is even quicker.

“Oh my Goddess—what’s that thing? Do you wear that?”

“Not all the time.” I can feel my cheeks heating and I curse myself for leaving the damn harness in plain sight. After all the trouble I went to in order to take it off and then I go and let her see it anyway! It’s mortifying.

“So he’s into the kinky stuff, huh?” Lexy grins at me and wiggles her eyebrows. “I thought he might be after what I heard about him.”

“What? What did you hear?” I’ve been living here with Aiden for a month now and I scarcely know more about him than I did when I first came. He’s maddeningly evasive when I ask about his past and he has an annoying habit of answering my questions with other questions.

“Ah-ah-ah,” Lexy trills, shaking her finger at me. “I’ll tell you everything but first you have to tell me the dirty details of what it’s like to be the Sovereign’s personal sex slave.”

“Oh come on, Lexy,” I moan but she only laughs.

“You know how it is—you have to give some to get some. Besides, I’m dying to know. You’re the envy of every single girl in the supernatural community, you know. The last Sovereign was so old and stodgy and boring. And Aiden James is so sexy and hot and mysterious and—”

“Lunch is served, madam.” Barnes is suddenly standing there at the doorway, giving Lexy a very disapproving look from his blind eyes.

“Oh, thank you, Barnes,” I say, feeling embarrassed all over again. “Uh, out by the pool, right?”

“As you requested, Ms. Krist.” He makes me a formal, sweeping bow and then stands back, indicating that we should precede him from the room.

Out by the pool, Lexy can’t stop gushing about how fabulous everything is and honestly, I have to agree with her. Lunch is a much more elaborate affair than the simple fruit and cheese courses that Barnes usually prepares for me. There’s an elegant chilled cucumber soup to start and then tiny finger sandwiches filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Next a mushroom and spinach quiche followed by blackberry sage sorbet for dessert. Barnes even opens a bottle of champagne—something expensive with tiny bubbles that tickle my nose and go straight to my head. That’s not really saying much though—I’ve never been much of a drinker.

“So tell me,” Lexy continues as we nipple and sip. “What exactly is going on here in this weird glass house?”

“About what you’d expect,” I say, and take another sip of champagne. Honestly, I’m beginning to feel a little tipsy. I really should stop but it tastes so good. “I mean, you know, regular sex slave stuff.”

“What?” she squeals. “What kind of sex slave stuff. Tell me, Emma!”

It seems to me I didn’t want to tell her before, but now that I’ve had several glasses of the lovely champagne, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

“You know,” I say again. “I wake up in the morning and have breakfast with Aiden. Then he takes me in the bedroom and makes me wear the harness.”

“What—that weird purple dildo thing I saw in your room?”

“Yup,” I say and hiccup before taking another sip. “I’m not supposed to take it off but I did anyway. I thought it would be too weird to wear it with you here.”

“You got that right.” She snickers. “So then what?”

“He goes off to work and leaves me here. Oh, but usually I spend the whole day naked except for this.” I point to the collar I’m still wearing. “And the harness.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Lexy says, looking more closely at the collar with its dangling pendant. “Is that a real ruby? And did you just say you spend the whole day naked?”

“I have no idea if it’s real but knowing Aiden, it probably is,” I say. “And yes, I don’t wear clothes. He, uh, says he likes to see me. Also, he wants me to like myself better too or something like that.” I hiccup again.

“Weird,” Lexy murmurs. “But also kind of hot.”

“That pretty much sums up the whole situation,” I agree.

“So what happens when he gets home?” she prompts but I shake my head.

“Uh-uh, cuz. No more about my kinky daily routine until you spill what you know.”

“Oh, all right,” she sighs. “But you should know I had to sleep with a lot of vampires to get this dirt.”

“Yeah, like that was such a hardship for you,” I say dryly.

Lexy giggles. “Actually, it’s been a lot of fun. Even if I am starting to feel like a pin cushion.” She looks at me curiously. “By the way, where are your bite marks? Aiden must be feeding from you, right? I mean, you should see my inner thighs.”

“Uh…” I feel slightly uncomfortable, despite my semi-drunken state. “He hasn’t actually bitten me again since that first night. He, uh, says that he doesn’t need much blood.”

“Okay, well even without the biting the sex must be amazing, right?” she prompts.

“Actually…” I clear my throat. “We haven’t, uh, done that either.”

“What?” she shrieks. “He’s had you a whole month and he still hasn’t claimed you?”

“Keep it down,” I say, feeling annoyed. “I told you, I’m not telling you anything else until you give me the information you got whoring around the vampire community.”

Lexy grumbles some at that but she finally starts to talk. “Okay, get this—apparently Aiden James has a tragedy in his past. A mysterious tragedy,” she continues, nodding when I lean forward to look at her. “It was like a hundred years ago or something but apparently when he was first made a vampire, he fell in love with a witch. Only back then, that wasn’t done.”

“Back when the supernatural community didn’t mix,” I murmur.

Lexy nods again. “Exactly. Anyway, apparently he was crazy for her but she died.”

“How?” I want to know. “How did she die?”

Lexy shrugs. “None of the vampires I, uh, talked with seemed to know. Some people say he killed her—maybe by accident. You know, taking too much blood?”

I shiver and nod. It’s not unknown for a newly made vampire to get a little too enthusiastic about feeding. Deaths happen from time to time, which is why you’re actually safer with an older, more powerful vamp than a brand new one, fresh out of the coffin. I’m not wild about the idea that the man I’m with may have killed a previous lover but Aiden always seems so controlled around me. That could never happen now…right?

“Go on,” I tell Lexy, trying to push away my feelings of unease.

“Not everybody thinks it was Aiden’s fault she died,” my cousin says. “Some say she killed herself—maybe she couldn’t deal with the whole vamp/witch interracial thing. Anyway, whatever the reason, when she took a dirt nap, he went a little bit crazy. He went to ground for years and years and just refused to have anything to do with anyone. Then, about fourteen years ago he finally came back to the land of the living—well, in a manner of speaking, anyway.”

“Fourteen years? Are you sure?” I ask, frowning.

“Yeah, why?”

“No reason,” I murmur. It wouldn’t be a significant number except it’s been almost exactly that amount of time since my mother died in the fire that left me an orphan. In fact, the anniversary of her death is coming up in less than a month.

“So anyway,” Lexy continues, “He had gone to ground for so long I don’t think anyone really believed he would come back.”

“Right,” I say, getting back on track. The vampires’ ability to hide themselves away from the rest of the world in a dark box and basically starve themselves to death without actually dying is unique in the supernatural community. It’s kind of like a bear hibernating through the winter, only vamps can go for years, even decades or centuries in their dormant condition until something happens to wake them from their long rest. “So what brought him back?” I ask Lexy.

She shrugs. “Again, no one knows. But when he did come back, he abjured his own kind.”

“What?” This makes no sense at all. Why would Aiden swear off other vampires? The fanged set is usually very close knit—why put himself outside of the group and its protection?

“It’s true,” Lexy avers. “They say he lived like a human. Apparently he made all these investments before he went to ground and when he came back into the light, he was a multi-gazillionaire. So he started his own company, built this massive, weird glass house, and pretty much did his own thing. Until the Council stepped in, that is.”

“The Vampire Council?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at her.

Slowly, she nods. This dark, mysterious ruling body has been the subject of much speculation among the rest of the supernatural community. It’s said to be made up of some of the oldest and most powerful vampires in history. It’s also said that no one individual, vampire or otherwise, is strong enough to stand against it. The Council chooses the Sovereign, who acts as a visible figurehead—probably so they can retain their anonymity.

“So what does the Vamp Council have to do with Aiden—aside from choosing him to be Sovereign, I mean,” I say.

“That’s the thing—they didn’t just choose him. They forced him to be Sovereign.” Lexy’s eyes widen. “Several of the vamps I talked to said they heard he didn’t want to be. But they made him—something to do with his bloodline or something. And they didn’t give him much time either—apparently he didn’t even know he was going to be Sovereign until two days before the Sacrifice Ceremony.”

I purse my lips in concentration. Hmm. That would certainly explain how rushed and irritated he was the first time he came in the shop. They gave him next to no time to prepare and he knew he had to choose a Sacrifice so he resorted to that old spell in Farrow’s. But why was he so concerned about finding just the right woman? A man in his position had the wealth and power to have anyone he wanted. Why didn’t he just pick the prettiest or most powerful witch out of the crowd and not worry about it?

I remember him telling me that he wanted me the first minute he saw me and my cheeks get hot. Was I just a choice of convenience? Did he make a snap decision to have me the minute he met me because he liked the way I looked? Or maybe the power he claims I have bottled up inside me drew him to me.

“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Lexy says. “Whatcha thinking of—whips and chains?”

“No.” I look down at my champagne glass, feeling suddenly sober. “I was just wondering why Aiden chose me.”

“Because you’re a sexy goddess. And don’t give me that look.” Lexy reaches around the table to give me a one armed hug. “You’re gorgeous, Emma—you just don’t give yourself any credit. Did it ever occur to you that he might really have the hots for you? There is such a thing as love at first sight, you know.”

“Not with vampires,” I say. “They’re so cold and stand-offish.” Although that description doesn’t match Aiden at all. Well, unless he’s angry or disappointed with me, as he is now.

“He’s probably just cold because he needs to learn how to love again.” Lexy gets a dreamy look in her eyes. “He lost the only woman he ever cared about when Katherine died and now you’ve reawakened feelings in him he thought had died with her.”

“Will you please try to sound less like a trashy romance novel?” I ask in exasperation. “Katherine—was that the name of the witch he loved? And possibly…”

“Killed. Yup.” Lexy nods, her red hair bouncing. “I couldn’t get her last name out of anyone—lost in the mists of time, I suppose.”

“I wonder if she’s the one that copy of Farrow’s belonged to,” I mutter to myself.

“What?” Lexy asks. “Why would you have a copy of a beginner spell book here?”

I tell her all about the mysterious book, the tingling in my fingertips when I touched it, as well as the way I actually lit two candles by magic—although I’m not sure how I did it or if I can ever do it again.

When I’m finished, Lexy looks at me with wide eyes. “Emma, that’s wonderful. Amazing!” she breathes. “You finally did magic!” She leans over to give me a tight, ecstatic hug and then frowns. “Why in the Goddess’s name didn’t you tell me before?”

“I felt weird discussing it over Aiden’s private phone line,” I confess, pulling away. “And besides, I kept hoping I’d be able to do it again so I could report that I’m finally not a dud anymore. But I’ve tried and tried and so far…” I shrug. “Nothing.”

“If you did it once, you can do it again,” Lexy says with utter certainty. “What exactly were you doing differently when you managed the first time?”

“Uh, well…” I’ve already told her so much, I guess it can’t hurt to tell a little more. “Aiden was touching me. Actually, we were touching each other. And, well…” I can feel my cheeks getting hot. “When we were finished, the candles were lit.”

“Sex Magic,” Lexy breathes. “That’s amazing, Emma. Who knew a vampire would be the one to finally break down the barriers and let your magic out?”

I frown because her words are similar to what Aiden said. “What makes you think I have barriers holding it back? With most duds, they just have no magic at all.”

Lexy shakes her head. “But you’re not a dud—this proves it. Besides, when we were kids, I remember hearing your mom talking to my mom one night. Your mom said you were going to be the most powerful witch of your generation—she said she was already seeing signs of your power leaking out around the edges.”

“But that’s impossible,” I say blankly. “My mother died when I was only eight—way before I hit puberty. And I don’t remember ever having any powers back then. I couldn’t have.”

“I dunno.” Lexy shrugs. “I’m just telling you what I heard. I never said anything about it before because, well, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“Thanks,” I say dryly but I know she means well. And truthfully, knowing I was a massive disappointment to my mother’s expectations would have been pretty hard to bear growing up.

“You’re welcome.” She gives me a smile. “And just wait and see, you’re going to have magic yet. All you need to do is practice while you and Aiden are getting your kink on.”

“Right,” I murmur. “It should be totally possible to concentrate on working a complicated spell while I’m tied down, being sexually tortured.”

This, of course, brings on a whole new barrage of questions that I would rather not answer since the champagne seems to have worn off. But Lexy—being Lexy—is like a bloodhound on the scent. She won’t give up until she gets every last kinky detail. We spend the rest of her visit talking about the ins and outs of being a vampire’s submissive sex slave and the time just flies.

The next time I glance up at the clock, it’s almost four forty-five. “Oh my Goddess.” I scramble out of my chair. “You have to leave—Aiden is going to be here in fifteen minutes.”

Lexy pouts. “I thought you said it was okay with him for me to come by? Why can’t I stay and meet him?”

“He said it was okay as long as I kept on the harness,” I say. I’m already on my feet and tugging at her arm, trying to get her up and out of the house. “But I took it off. He’s already pissed at me for disobeying him last night—I don’t need him to be even angrier.”

Lexy frowns and crosses her arms. “And what happens when he gets mad? Does he beat you? Because there are limits, Emma, even for the Sacrifice Laws.”

“No, it’s that he doesn’t beat me,” I say, thinking of last night. “He doesn’t whip me or kiss me or tuck me in or anything. He just gets all cold and withdrawn.” Just thinking of the look on Aiden’s face last night makes my chest tight. I really, really don’t want to go through that again.

Lexy looks thoughtful. “Hmm. An emotionally withholding vampire. Now what you have to do is—”

“What I have to do get you out of here so I can put that stupid harness back on before he gets home. Which is going to be in…” I glance at the clock. “Ten minutes. Hurry up, Lexy—move your ass!”

“Well you don’t have to be rude about it,” she huffs, but at least she’s moving now. I shoo her out of the house with multiple promises of more get togethers and lunches by the pool. But despite my attempt to hurry, I still only have five minutes to get back into the harness and try to look normal by the time she finally drives off.

Feeling like Cinderella at five ‘til midnight, I rush for the bedroom, stripping off my clothes as I go. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Next time Lexy comes over I’ll set the alarm on my phone and get rid of her a whole hour before Aiden gets home. That is, if there is a next time. If he catches me without the harness on and I let on that I took it off because I didn’t want to wear it in front of my cousin, he might ban her from the house.

My thoughts are chaotic and my hands are trembling as I finally manage to get free of my clothing and start strapping the harness back on. The loop around my right thigh goes surprisingly well, the thin leather strap folding into place around my flesh as though it was made for me. I insert the vibrator—making sure it’s all the way off first—and then go to work on the second strap.

And this is where I run into trouble. The strap is stiff and it doesn’t want to fasten. I push and wiggle, trying to get it threaded through the tiny silver buckle but it doesn’t want to budge. A quick glance at the grandfather clock says it’s one minute until five. I still haven’t heard the crunch of tires on the shell driveway but Aiden could be here at any minute.

In desperation, I return my attention to the stubborn strap. I have managed to feed the thin leather through the silver buckle but now it won’t come out the other side. Cursing under my breath, I give a mighty yank…and hear a sharp pop. With dread I open my hand to see that one entire side of the strap has torn off and is lying like a dead snake in my palm.

I stand there for a minute, just looking at it. Oh my Goddess, what have I done? What have I done? Panic rises in my throat but I push it back down. Grimly, I examine the damage. Maybe I can tie the leather straps back together and then…

“Don’t bother. It’s broken.”

Chapter Seventeen

The deep, familiar voice from behind me makes my heart sink. I turn slowly to see Aiden standing there, wearing a disapproving look on his face.

“Master,” I begin. “I can explain…”

“No explanation is needed,” he says crisply. “I can see well enough that you’ve disobeyed me.”

Feeling backed into a corner, I try a counter attack. “How did you even get here? I never heard your car driving in.”

“I saw your cousin driving away as I was coming up the drive. I stopped the car and walked the last bit of the way.”

“In order to sneak up on me!” I say accusingly. “You were hoping to catch me doing something wrong.”

“No, I was hoping not to.” He frowns. “I was afraid you’d disobey orders and remove the harness if you had your cousin over.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” I demand. “It’s one thing to wear it around you, but it’s just plain weird to have it on around family.”

“It was my order that you wear it without fail all day, every day,” Aiden says quietly. “You agreed to that, Emma.” He takes a step toward me, looming over me, looking every inch the intimidating vampire master that he is. “I also gave orders that you not touch yourself.”

I feel my cheeks getting hot. “What…what are you talking about?”

Aiden looks at me angrily. “Don’t lie to me, Emma—I can stand anything but that. I can tell you’ve allowed yourself a sexual release.”

Now I’m blushing all over. “How can you possibly know that?”

He lifts his nose and inhales deeply as though testing the air. “I can smell it,” he says, his voice dropping to a menacing purr. “Your pent up desire, your desperate release. You deliberately disobeyed my orders and made yourself come.”

I open my mouth to deny it…then remember my crazy multiple orgasm-fest when I was trying to get the damn harness off. “Okay,” I say at last. “I did but it wasn’t deliberate. It was an accident.”

He raises one very skeptical eyebrow at me. “You had an orgasm by accident? Emma, do you think I’m stupid?”

“No, of course not! But if you’d just let me explain—”

“Let me explain something to you.” He grips my chin firmly with his long, cool fingers and holds my eyes with his own, speaking with a quiet intensity that shuts me up. “I need your sexual tension just as I need your complete submission. Not just for me—there are other forces at work, other things at stake than just the two of us and this petty little game we’re playing.”

“What other things?” I demand. “Why don’t you just tell me instead of hinting around all the time? I’m the one who’s expected to submit. I’m the one who has to wear harnesses and straps and let you fuck me naked in public. Did it ever occur to you that if there’s a bigger reason for all this, maybe I’d like to be in on the secret too?”

His face is closed and he drops his hand, releasing my chin from his punishing grip. “You’ll know everything in the fullness of time. But not now—not yet.”

“When?” I explode, so full of frustration I can’t hold back anymore. “When are you going to tell me? Or are you just going to keep me in the dark as long as it suits you? Is that how you treated Katherine?”

His gray eyes flash silver and I know at once I’ve gone too far. I shrink back away from him but he never lifts a hand to me. He just stands there, looking at me. “Where did you hear that name?” His voice is cold and quiet but his eyes are terrible to look at.

“It doesn’t matter where I heard it,” I say, but the courage has leaked out of me at the sight of those eyes. It’s not just anger I see in their silvery depths but pain—somehow I have wounded him. And though I’m hurt and upset and completely pissed off, I never wanted that. Never wanted to hurt him. “You loved her, didn’t you?” I say softly. “Would you have kept her in the dark if there was something important going on?”

“No.” His voice is bitter and he finally looks away. “It was she who kept me in the dark. And then her secrets killed her.”

“Aiden—” I start to say but he shakes his head.

“No more. I cannot speak of this.” He turns to go, his broad shoulders tense under his expensive gray suit jacket.

“Wait!” I exclaim. “What about dinner? And…everything else?” I’m trying to ask him if we’ll ever get back to our regular routine. It seemed bizarre to me at first but now it’s the norm and well, I miss it. I miss Aiden. His hands on me, his lips and mouth exploring my body, the soft, caressing way he calls me 'darling'. But now, even though he’s standing in the same room with me, he seems remote—unreachable. It’s as though he is standing on a distant mountaintop I can’t climb.

“Aiden,” I whisper. “Master, please…”

“I’ll have Barnes bring a tray to your room,” he says, not turning around. “Your education is suspended for now. Do as you please.” Then he stalks out of the room. I hear his footsteps and then the heavy sound of the front door closing.

And I know he is gone.

I mope around the room the rest of the evening and finally go to bed early after barely picking at the tray Barnes brought me. I’m so miserable I can hardly see straight, which is stupid, right? Anyone would think I had fallen in love with Aiden James and was depressed because he didn’t love me back. Which is stupid—too stupid for words.

But not too stupid for tears. When I finally turn out the lights and slide beneath the sheets, I feel them hot and salty on my cheeks. Angrily, I swipe them away. What’s wrong with me? Why do I care so much if he’s unhappy with me? If I hurt his feelings? He hurt mine too, damn it! And he’s clearly keeping secrets—not telling me things I need to know. There’s a mystery here somewhere and Aiden is trying his damndest to keep me from solving it.

I tell myself these things and try to work up a good fit of righteous indignation but all I can manage is a horrible headache right behind my eyes. Goddess, there’s no use denying it—I have feelings for that damn vampire. And it makes me miserable to be fighting with him.

You more than have feelings—you love him, whispers a little voice in my head but I push it away. I can’t be in love with my vampire master. After all, our arrangement may feel like an eternity sometimes, but it’s strictly temporary. The Laws of the Sacrifice state that once a year is up, I’ll be set free. Then, Aiden will choose someone else—another Sacrifice at next year’s Sacrifice Ceremony. And he’ll probably find one who’s a lot more compliant and eager to be mastered than me. Someone who’s prettier and slimmer and not a dud and…Goddess, I hate her already and I don’t even know who she is! But just the idea of anyone else with Aiden makes me feel crazy.

I don’t know how long I lie awake in the darkness, tossing and turning, my brain churning in endless circles. Because Aiden has told me to do as I like, I put on a silky white nightgown I found in the back of the wardrobe out of spite. I’m not sleeping naked if I don’t have to! I tell myself defiantly.

But the nightgown keeps getting twisted around my hips and bunching up underneath me. It’s irritating in the extreme and after a month of sleeping nude, it feels too hot and confining. Finally I pull it off and drop it over the side of the bed. Then and only then, when I feel the cool whisper of the sheets against my naked body, do I finally drop off to sleep.

An uneasy dream twists my thoughts. Someone is hurting someone I love. Someone who takes care of me, who I need to take care of in turn. They are coming for her but I won’t let them hurt her! I’ll fight—I’ll show them what I can do, that I’m not too little or too young to control the power. I’ll show them…

Bright orange shadows dance against my closed eyelids, driving the uneasy dream away. Somehow I know that something is wrong. I open my eyes to see flames flickering around the curtains of one of my windows. The smell of smoke assaults my nose. Panic leaps inside me like a living thing—fire! My room’s on fire!

I jump out of bed and run for the door but the metal knob burns my hand. I jump back with a cry. Black smoke is seeping under the door and the flaming curtains have fallen onto the bed where I was lying just a minute ago.

I go to the other window, the one not yet on fire, but I’m small, my arms are those of a child. There’s no way I can lift the heavy glass and wood. I push against it anyway, trying with all my might, not wanting to die in the hell my room has become.

Outside the glass I see a face. A leering, laughing, swarthy face with short stubby horns on its forehead. He is mouthing something to me but I can’t hear his words. I know one thing though—if I go out, I’ll be in as much danger there as I am here in the burning house.

With a little moan, I back away from the window. I find a dark corner and curl into a ball, my arms wrapped around my knees. I don’t know what else to do.

“Emma? Emma!” A familiar voice screams my name. The door burst open and I see my mother standing there. She is coughing and choking, the smoke filling her lungs but still her first thought is of me. Seeing me in the corner, she runs to pull me into her arms. “Oh sweetheart!”

“Mamma?” I’m crying now, my hot face pressed to her neck. “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” she tells me. “We’ll get out of this but you have to be very, very brave. Now tuck your head in like this…”She tucks my exposed head and hands into my long nightgown and holds me close to her body like a precious bundle. “I’m going to run through the house, Emma,” she tells me. “It’s on fire but I’m going to use magic to keep us safe—to keep you safe. Do you understand?”

From within the protective covering of my nightgown, I murmur a muffled, “Yes, Mamma.” But I’m not sure how she’s going to do it. Even as a young witch who hasn’t yet come into her powers, I know that fire is the easiest element to call…and the most difficult and dangerous to control. Not only that, it’s drawn to witches—it hungers for us. That’s why our kind was burned at the stake in the old days—once the flames tasted them, there wasn’t enough magic in the world to keep from being burned alive. But the sound of my mother’s voice says she’s going to try.

“Here we go, sweetheart!” I feel the swaying motion of her running, still clutching me tight to her. The heat is intense, the flames licking at us like hungry tongues but somehow my Mother keeps them off. I hear her chanting under her breath, feel the magic flowing out of her like water…like blood.

Even as a child I know this isn’t right. She’s giving too much, expending too much energy—too much life force. It’s as though she’s cut a vital artery in her arm and the flow is all that is keeping us safe from the flames. But how long can she keep it up? And how can she live if she gives herself away so recklessly?

I hear her voice weakening and the swaying is more pronounced. She is stumbling now, fighting her way through the burning house with only one thing in mind—saving me. Getting me out in time before the blazing roof collapses. I don’t know how I know that’s what she’s thinking but I do. And then I know something else—she doesn’t think she’s going to make it herself.

I want to push my head out of my nightgown and protest. To tell her she has to stay with me—that she can’t leave me. Like so many free-spirited witches, my mother is a single parent. She’s all I have in the world. Oh, I have other family but none so dear to me as her. None whose hearts are linked to mine by an unbreakable bond.

Suddenly I hear a loud thumping—like someone banging on something. I push my head up and out of the confines of my nightgown and find myself almost suffocating with smoke. My mother has reached the front door of our modest little house. She is still clutching me to her but she can’t get the door open. She’s kicking it with her bare foot as she jiggles the knob, all while still keeping me safe in her arms. I can feel her distress rising, like a silver mist between us. Please, she’s thinking, throwing her thoughts out into the night like a cry for help. Just help me save my baby. Just help me save Emma…

Suddenly the door leaps open, as though someone has yanked it from the outside. I tumble out of my mother’s arms and onto the hard wooden porch, bruising both knees. I turn, expecting to see that she’s come with me, out of the inferno.

Instead I see her still in the house—just inside the doorway—wreathed in flames.

“Mamma!” I try to go to her but something or someone holds me back. A strength I cannot fathom is keeping me from getting to her. “Mamma!” I scream again but she only shakes her head.

“Go, Emma!” she shouts above the roar of the flames. “I love you but you have to go!”

“Come with me!” I beg, still reaching for her.

“I can’t.” Her long, ebony hair is alight, the black turned to an orange and red and gold corona by the flickering, hungry flames. “I can’t, Emma. The fire, once called, demands a sacrifice. Go!”

I don’t understand her words. I only know that my mother is burning…burning… I struggle in the strong grip of whoever is holding me back.

“Keep her safe,” my mother cries, as the flames consume her. “You are oath-bound to protect her!”

“I will,” a deep voice says. And then he is taking me away, taking me to safety while my mother burns. “Don’t look,” he tells me. “You don’t want to see.”

“Mamma! Mamma!” I scream and beat against his back but he pays me no attention. He moves me swiftly away from the burning house and out into the dark yard. Out there, among the trees, I see a swarthy face—the man with horns—coming for me. But when he sees my protector, he scowls.

“She is not for you,” the man holding me says. “Tell your masters she is not to be touched.”

“She’s safe—for now. When the power of her blood manifests—”

“She is not to be touched,” my protector grates. “She’s under my protection.”

“We’ll see about that.” The horned man fades into the darkness between the trees, laughing. He leaves an unpleasant, musky odor behind that lingers long after his ugly chuckle has faded. When he’s gone, my thoughts return to the horror I have just witnessed.

“Mamma,” I whisper brokenly.

“She’s gone, darling,” murmurs a soft voice. “I’m so sorry. She’s gone. Gone…”

“Gone…” I wake up crying, as I always do from The Dream.

What exactly happened that night—the night of the fire that I always dream about and can never quite remember? I can recall very few details. I remember crying inconsolably. Strong arms carrying me and a deep, soothing voice telling me I would be all right. The dark, smoke-smelling night folding around us. And then my rescuer, whoever he was, depositing me in my aunt’s arms. “She’s yours now. Take care of her.”

And then he disappeared.

I never saw his face. I never knew his name or even where he came from. But he saved me from running back into the fire and from the danger in the woods…Danger? What danger? Something about a man with horns…

I try, but the dream is slipping away. The more I try to grasp at the details, the more they disintegrate to ashes, like paper in a fire.

And then the pain starts, driving away every other thought in my head.

Chapter Eighteen

My period isn’t a regular, monthly occurrence, like it is for most women my age. It only comes on me three of four times a year—always presaged by The Dream.

And it always makes me feel like I’m dying.

The stabbing, grinding ache in my lower abdomen feels like someone is simultaneously poking me with a bayonet and driving over me with a tractor. Usually it comes on slowly, giving me time to get up and brew a cup of tea from the special herb mixture I’ve concocted, which makes it a bit more bearable. The herbs don’t take all the pain away—nothing short of death could do that. They do, however, make me feel a little less like I’m about to meet my maker.

But this time the pain hits hard and fast, like a freight train of agony smashing straight into my body. It hurts so much I can barely breathe and even if I get up, it won’t do any good. My herb mixture is at home and I have no way to get it.

I think of calling Lexy—it’s the middle of the night but she would understand. She was with me when I had my first few cycles—the ones where my aunt rushed me to the emergency room, certain I had been stricken with appendicitis or something equally deadly. It was only after having two or three periods that we realized the grinding agony was normal for me.

So yes, I’ll call Lexy and ask her to get up, go to my apartment again, and bring me my herbs. But my phone is all the way across the room on the dresser. I’ll have to get up to get to it and right now, I’m not even sure if I can turn over, let alone get out of bed and walk across the room.

Still, if I don’t get my special tea, the torture is only going to get worse. I know from painful experience that it can go on for up to twenty-four hours before my period finally runs its course. That, of course, is the only good thing about my cycle—it’s very short. It’s like my body saves up all the pain a normal woman has during her entire week long cycle, multiplies it by a factor of twenty, and dumps it on me all at once. All in all, I think I’d rather have a week of dull, achy cramps than one twenty-four hour time slot filled with unremitting agony. But it’s not up to me.

Grimly, I force myself to roll over in bed and sit up. The effort leaves me shaking, my forehead damp with sweat. I can feel the wet, sticky warmth between my thighs and I’m afraid I’m ruining the crisp cotton sheets. I never have a very heavy flow but it’s enough that I need a tampon—which is something else I left at home. I’ll ask Lexy to bring them along with the herbal tea mixture.

Now comes the hard part—standing up. I know that getting to my feet is going to feel like someone stabbing me with a thousand knives but I have to do it. I have to reach my phone. Why the hell didn’t I leave it on the nightstand instead of all the way across the room on the dresser? Ugh…this is going to really hurt…

Pushing against the mattress with all my strength, I lever myself up into a shaky standing position. Okay, that wasn’t so bad. Then I take the first step and the knives hit me. The bright flare of agony in my lower belly brings me to my knees. I hit the carpeted floor with a thump and a low moan is drawn from my lips. For a minute, all I can think about is how much it hurts. The pain…the pain…Oh Goddess, please make it stop…

And then someone is bending over me. In the darkness, I see a pale face, almost too perfect to be real. Luminous silver-gray eyes are staring anxiously into mine. Aiden…Master…

“I’m here, darling.” He sounds worried—maybe on the edge of panic but somehow he’s holding it together. “What’s wrong? Where are you hurt?”

“Not…hurt,” I manage to gasp.

He frowns. “The hell you’re not—I can smell the blood. What have you done to yourself?” He lifts one of my arms and examines my wrist, maybe looking for slash marks.

“I…I didn’t cut myself,” I say, trying to pull my wrist away.

“Then what’s going on?” he demands.

Absurdly, I’m embarrassed. Despite the raw pain still tearing through me, I don’t want to explain. This is a female matter—private. And I’ve yet to meet a man, human or supernatural, who didn’t shy away from discussing it. But Aiden is bending over me, his eyes filled with concern, clearly waiting for an answer.

“It’s…” I gasp as another bolt of pain shoots through me.

Aiden grips my shoulder tighter. “What? What is it?” he urges.

“Just…just my period,” I whisper through gritted teeth.

Aiden’s face fills with understanding. “Your monthly cycle. Is it always this bad?”

“Always,” I whisper, grateful that he understands. “I need my herbal tea—it’s at home but I’ll get Lexy to bring it. That helps a little.”

Aiden frowns. “It will take too much time for her to get here.” Gently, he scoops me into his arms and carries me back to the bed.

“No, don’t.” I struggle weakly as he tries to slide me back under the covers. “The sheets—I’ll ruin them.”

“Damn the sheets,” he says angrily. He puts me in bed and then crawls in beside me. He’s no longer wearing his expensive business suit, I realize hazily. He’s back to faded blue jeans and a t-shirt.

The pain gets worse and I start to shiver. Aiden sits up a moment, rips his shirt off and holds me close, obviously trying to warm me with his body heat. I close my eyes and try not to think about the pain but it fills me, consumes me. It feels like someone is digging out my insides with a dull shovel.

“Emma,” he whispers harshly in my ear. “This is too much for you to bear. I’m going to give you something to dull the pain.”

“Drugs…don’t help,” I whisper, fighting to get the words out. “Nothing but the herbs. Call…Lexy.”

“This will help,” he says with such certainty that I open my eyes to see what he’s talking about.

I focus on him just in time to see him bring his wrist to his teeth and bite down hard, his white fangs sinking into his pale flesh. He pulls his mouth away and deep crimson blood, like liquid rubies, begins to flow down his wrist. The set of his eyes betrays the agony he’s feeling—if everything I’ve heard is true, Aiden has just inflicted pain equal to what I’m going through on himself. Losing blood is a traumatic and excruciating experience for vampires. As I explained before, their bodies don’t want to give it up.

“No,” I whisper, my eyes going wide with horror. “You can’t…”

“The hell I can’t,” he says fiercely. “Didn’t I tell you I’d give my blood if you needed it? Well, you need it now, Emma.” He presses his bleeding wrist to my lips. “Drink. It will make the pain less.”

I open my mouth to protest but then his blood is filling my mouth. It’s hot and sweet like melted honey with a sharp, metallic tang at the end. Too weak to push him away, I let it fill my mouth and run down my throat like liquid sunshine. I know this must be hurting my master but he doesn’t make a sound or a sign, only watches anxiously as my throat moves, swallowing the sacrifice of blood he gives me.

It only takes a minute or two before I feel a change. Something miraculous is happening—the stabbing, grinding pain in my lower abdomen is fading. Slowly, but surely it slides away, like a chain pulled crushingly tight around my belly is being loosened. At last, all that’s left is a dull ache, which, while not pleasant, is a hell of a lot better than what I felt before.

Feeling stronger, I push Aiden’s wrist away. There’s no need for him to endure any more pain for me and anyway, the self-inflicted wounds on his pale flesh are already healing. His face is still anxious as he looks down at me. “Feeling better?”

“Much,” I say and take a deep breath. “Thank you. I know how much that must have hurt.”

“My pain doesn’t matter,” he says roughly. “It’s yours I’m concerned with. Is it gone—all the way gone?”

“Almost completely,” I assure him. “There’s nothing but a few, uh, cramps left now.” I feel my cheeks getting hot as I say it. Now that the pain has dissipated, I’m embarrassed again.

“Almost completely isn’t good enough.” Aiden strokes my cheek. “I want you well.”

“I feel a lot better than I did,” I point out. “Not even my herbal tea helps this much. Honestly, I feel almost normal.”

“You need a little pleasure to dispel the last of the pain,” Aiden decides. Cupping my cheek, he kisses me gently on the mouth. Despite my recent agony and the cramps I’m still feeling, his touch makes my heart pound and my blood race.

“Master…” I whisper. “I don’t…”

“You don’t have to worry about anything,” Aiden finishes for me, firmly. “Just relax, darling, and let me take care of you. First we’ll get you cleaned up.”

Now I’m truly mortified. “Don’t bother,” I say hastily. “I’m feeling better—I can take care of myself.” I start to get up and go in the bathroom but Aiden pushes me back down, gently but firmly.

“I know you can but I don’t want you to. I’m going to take care of you. Do you understand?”

Biting my lip, I nod. “Yes, Master,” I whisper.

I expect him to go get a wet washcloth to clean away the evidence of my cycle. As I said, I don’t have a heavy flow but my inner thighs are wet and sticky with blood and no doubt there are spots on the sheet beneath me.

But instead of leaving, Aiden starts kissing me. He starts by nuzzling the sensitive side of my neck and then works his way down. He takes his time, drawing one aching nipple between his lips and sucking it slowly but deeply, taking as much of my breast into his mouth as he can until I cry out at the intensity of the sensation. Then he moves to the next one, being just as slow and tender and deliberate as he was with the first.

By the time he finally finishes with my breasts and moves on down my trembling abdomen, the ache in my belly is no longer just cramps. I can feel sparks of pleasure moving inside me, the hot need growing in my pussy.

But I’m still shocked when he gets between my thighs and bends down to kiss me there.

“Aiden!” I gasp, trying to close my legs, to shut him out. “Master, no! You can’t.”

“Why can’t I?” he asks, looking at me directly. His hands rest lightly on my knees, which are turned inward, trying desperately to keep him out. I know he could force them apart if he wanted to but he doesn’t—he just sits there looking at me as though what he wants to do is the most normal thing in the world.

“Because I’m bleeding,” I say. “I mean, it’s disgusting.”

“Not to me, darling.” He strokes my tightly closed thighs. “Did you forget I’m a vampire?”

“But…but you really want to…you really don’t mind…?” I can barely get the words out, I’m still so embarrassed and incredulous that he would even consider this.

The look in Aiden’s eyes is both hot and tender. “Very much,” he assures me, still stroking my cheek. “Blood is power and this is the time when a witch’s power is at its peak. I’ve been wanting to taste your blood again from the first night I claimed you as my own.”

“But not like this.” I protest, still unable to believe it. “I mean, if you want to drink from my wrist again or my neck…”

“I want to take what you’re giving so freely,” Aiden says. “You have difficulty letting me in, which makes it impossible for me to make my bite pleasurable for you. This way I can taste your blood without hurting you—while giving you pleasure.” He looks into my eyes and his voice becomes stern. “I’m through asking, Emma. Spread your thighs for me and let me in.”

The sound of his Master voice makes my knees weak and my heart pound against my ribs. Goddess, he really wants to do this and there’s nothing I can do to stop him! Slowly, warily, I open my thighs for him.

Aiden has kissed and tasted my pussy many times in the month I’ve been with him but tonight it’s different. He takes his time, lapping gently at my inner thighs first, his warm, wet tongue cleaning me as he promised. Then he moves on to my bare pussy.

My naked pussy lips are swollen with need and my clit is already throbbing. But I can still feel the sticky wetness welling up from within. Is he really serious about this?

He spreads me open, revealing everything and looks at me. I have no doubt his sharp vampire eyes can see much more clearly in the dim bedroom than mine and I have another mini-panic attack. How can he possibly—

“Beautiful,” Aiden murmurs, looking up at me. “Always beautiful to me, Emma darling.” Then he lowers his head and licks me gently, from bottom to top.

When he starts, I’m still clenched tight with embarrassment but as his warm, wet tongue slides over my sensitive clit, I moan and relax. He’s a vampire, I remind myself. He really does want to do this. It still seems weird but I’m rapidly losing my inhibitions. His mouth on me feels so good, so right and the slow, tender way he laps my pussy turns my insides to melted butter.

He seems to go on forever, licking and tasting, circling my clit with the tip of his tongue until I moan and grasp at his thick, dark hair. His hands on my hips urge me on, pulling me up to him, guiding me to grind against his mouth and ride his tongue as he dips lower and presses it deep into my pussy in long, slow strokes. I can feel the pleasure building, rising toward an inevitable peak within me…but then, to my intense disappointment, Aiden stops.

“I don’t want you to come this way,” he murmurs, before I can ask why he stopped. “I’m afraid an orgasm will intensify your pain.”

I’m disappointed but not surprised. In the time I’ve been with him, Aiden has made holding off my orgasm into an art form. But he was being so sweet and tender I thought—hoped—that this time he would just let me come. “I guess you’re trying to build up my sexual tension again, huh?” I ask flatly.

Aiden gives a low rumble of laughter. “Not at all, darling. There will be a time in the future when I will need you to be at your peak. But for tonight, I simply want to make you well.”

“I was on the way to being well,” I point out. “I was really, really close.”

“I know.” His voice has dropped and his eyes are half-lidded with lust. “I could feel your little pussy quivering, could sense you getting ready to come.”

“Then why didn’t you let me?” I demand.

“During orgasm your inner muscles tighten and contract—It’s your body’s effort to draw a male’s seed deep into your womb if you’re making love,” he murmurs. “I didn’t want that tightening to happen without something to counteract the pain.”

“How can you possibly counteract it?” I ask, mystified. He seems much more knowledgeable about the female body than a centuries old vampire should. Actually, he’s more knowledgeable and interested than any man should be. At least, in my limited experience.

Aiden looks at me calmly. “I’m going to come in you.”

“What?” I look at him, thoroughly confused now. “But after last night and how angry you were, I didn’t think you were…were ever going to…”

“I’m not going to fuck you.” Aiden looks at me sternly. “I’m simply going to slide my cock into your pussy and fill you with my cum.”

“But…that’s fucking,” I say, feeling my cheeks get hot. “I mean, isn’t it?”

Aiden’s eyes glow silver in the dim bedroom. “Not quite, my darling. Fucking is about motion—the slow grind of my body against yours as I cover you, as I pin you down and take you.” He strokes my cheek, his eyes lingering on my lips. “The helpless spread of your thighs as you open for me,” he continues. “Your soft moans as I thrust deep inside you, filling you completely, hitting bottom inside you, the head of my cock finding the mouth of your womb with each hard, deliberate stroke.” He kisses my cheek softly, speaking in my ear. “The rhythm of my hips as I pump into you and the answering rhythm of yours as you rise to meet me, accepting me into your body, submitting to me completely. That is fucking.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “Do you understand?”

My breath falls out of me in a soft, longing sigh. “Yes,” I whisper at last. “Yes, Master.”

“Good,” he murmurs. “Then you’ll understand that when this is over, I’ll still consider you a virgin. And I will not claim your virginity until the right time.”

“All right,” I whisper.

“Excellent.” He kisses my cheek. “Lie on your side, darling and let me fill you with my cum.”

I do as he commands, lying back down on the bed on my side, but I’m still confused.

“Master?” I ask softly as he gets into position behind me, spooning my smaller body with his much larger one. “I still don’t understand. How will, uh, coming in me, make me feel better?”

“My blood isn’t the only thing that carries healing components.” Aiden’s breath is hot on the back of my neck. “When I flood your pussy with my cum, it will ease the tightness caused by your orgasm.” His arm wraps around me and his hand slides down between my thighs. “I’m going to be touching you while I’m inside you,” he murmurs. “When you come, I will too. After that, your pain should be gone completely.”

I’m hardly noticing the cramps anymore but I’m not about to protest. I need his hands on me too badly, need to feel him filling me, even if he swears we won’t really be making love.

Aiden lifts my leg, baring my pussy for him, and then I feel the blunt head of his cock sliding over my wet slit. “Easy, darling,” he murmurs, caressing my slick inner pussy with his shaft. “I promise I’ll go slowly.”

The long succession of ever-larger phalluses he’s fitted me with during this month have made me more than ready to receive him. Though I moan out loud as I feel the broad head of his cock pressing gently but inevitably against the entrance to my pussy, it’s a sound of anticipation, not pain.

Aiden seems to understand this because he doesn’t stop. With a slow, smooth motion, he slips the head inside me, stretching my pussy open at last with his thick cock.

“Very good, darling,” he murmurs in my ear. “Such a good girl to open your pussy and let my cock inside you.”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper, pressing my hips back to try and capture more of his thickness. “But could you…shouldn’t you get a little deeper into me?”

“And why should I do that?” Aiden sounds half aroused, half amused.

“Because,” I say, desperately trying to think of a halfway plausible reason to get him deeper inside me. “You…you need to be right up against me, against the end of my, uh, channel to do this right, don’t you?”

“If you mean do I need to bathe the mouth of your womb with my seed, then yes,” he murmurs. “I do. But I won’t touch bottom inside you, Emma. Not this time. Not tonight.”

“I understand,” I whisper in a shaking voice. Because that would be fucking—or close enough to it that he wouldn’t consider me a virgin anymore. But Goddess, I want more of him, want him deeper inside me, filling me up, making me his.

“Slowly then, my darling,” he murmurs in my ear. “I’m going to touch you while I slide deeper into your pussy. Spread a little wider and let me in.”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper again. I widen my stance, lifting my leg to give him better access to my pussy. Offering myself completely for my master’s penetration.

“Good girl,” he whispers again. I feel him spread the lips of my pussy and then one gentle fingertip is slipping over my swollen clit in a soft, slow, maddening rhythm. At the same time, his thick shaft starts to move, sliding deeper into my cunt, filling me with more of his thickness.

He’s bigger than any of the phalluses or vibrators he’s used on me and I can feel a definite stretching sensation as he slowly enters me. But I love it—love the feeling of being possessed by him, being claimed and owned and filled by my master.

“Master!” I moan softly as he slips himself inside me. “Oh, Master, please!”

“Please what, darling?” he murmurs stopping. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” I bite my lips in agitation. “I just…want more of you. I need more.”

“Then I shall give you more.” The rhythm of his finger on my clit speeds up and his thick cock continues its journey inward.

I’m moaning steadily now—I can’t help myself. I press back against him, hungry for even more but Aiden stops me.

“No, darling,” he murmurs sternly. “Not so far. I’m deep enough in you now, I think.”

I want to protest that I want him even deeper. I can feel him inside me, stretching my inner pussy to the limit but I want more. Want to feel the head of his cock planted firmly against the end of my channel, pressing hard against the mouth of my womb, taking me all the way, fucking me.

But it’s clear Aiden won’t allow that to happen right now. He holds my hips in place with one hand while with the other he continues to stroke and tease my clit. I feel like I’m on fire from the waist down.

“Do you like this, darling?” he murmurs, his long finger sliding over my throbbing button. “Do you like the feel of my cock inside you, stretching you, making you mine?”

“Yes, Master,” I moan and clench my inner muscles tight around him. “Yes, please…it feels…feels so good.”

“I can only imagine what fucking you is going to be like,” he growls softly. “Your little cunt is so tight and hot. You fit me like a glove.”

“Can’t you show me?” I plead with him. “You don’t have to hit bottom inside me if you don’t want. But can’t you just…just thrust a little bit?”

“Like this, you mean?” Slowly he draws out of me until only the head of his big cock is still inside my pussy. Then, with a deep, deliberate thrust he enters me again, filling me almost completely, stopping just short of pressing his cock to the mouth of my womb.

I gasp with mingled pleasure and frustration. So good, it feels so good. But everything inside me is crying out that it could feel better. “Please,” I beg him. “More!”

“No more tonight,” he says sternly. “I won’t thrust in you again, Emma. However…” Leaning down he kisses the back of my neck. “I will allow you to work your pussy on my cock. If you wish.”

If I wish? Hell yes, I wish. I need more of him, want to feel him inside me, sliding in and out of my pussy even if I’m the one doing the thrusting. Bracing myself against the mattress, I pull gently away, feeling him move out of me once more. Then I press back, taking him in again, filling myself with his shaft, taking my master’s cock deep in my pussy.

“God.” Aiden’s deep voice is hoarse. “That’s right, darling—do it. Fuck yourself on me. Fuck your hot little pussy on my cock.”

His dirty words in my ears and the way he continues to finger me as I move is driving me over the edge. I tilt my hips back and I can almost feel him, the very tip of his cock just barely brushing against the end of my channel. It’s forbidden, I know—but oh so sweet just the same. Am I still a virgin now? Maybe to Aiden’s way of thinking. But I feel completely opened by him, completely taken and claimed and it’s the sweetest feeling of my life.

“Emma,” he murmurs warningly in my ear. “I know what you’re doing. I can feel you pressing against me.”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper, tilting my hips even farther back until the head of his cock nudges firmly against the mouth of my womb. I’m being a bad girl—a disobedient submissive. Maybe he’ll punish me with his cock—like the girl in the movie we watched on his laptop.

Aiden’s hand on my hip is like steel. “You’re topping from the bottom again, Emma. If you’re hoping for a punishment fuck, it’s not going to happen. You’re too tender inside right now to be used roughly.”

I moan in frustration. “Master, please.”

“I will, however, come in you,” he murmurs, relenting a little. “Get ready, Emma. I’m going to flood your pussy. Going to fill you up.”

The hot words, coupled with the feel of his fingers spreading and exploring my slippery cunt, is suddenly too much. I can feel my pleasure growing, the orgasm starting deep inside me and exploding outward, like a star going nova around a fixed point in space.

“Aiden!” I gasp at the same time he groans my name. And then the pleasure takes me. As it does, I feel the warm, wet jets of his cum, this time spurting deep inside me, bathing the mouth of my womb and filling me up just as he promised.

I feel like I’ll never stop coming. Long after the pleasure should have ebbed, my pussy keeps clenching, pulling against the thick cock inside me, as though milking Aiden for every last drop of his seed. He stays where he is, rock solid inside me, filling me to the hilt—well, almost—as he finishes his own orgasm.

When the tide of pleasure finally ebbs, I fully expect him to pull out. But for some reason, he doesn’t. Instead, he pulls me more firmly into his arms and kisses me gently on the back of my neck, murmuring my name.

The cramps are utterly and completely gone now and with them, all the tension I was feeling earlier. I feel bonelessly relaxed and suddenly I’m tired, so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open. “Aiden,” I whisper, yawning. “Master…”

“Go to sleep, darling,” he says softly. “Your body needs rest.”

“Like…like this?” I ask, indicating the way he’s still filling me, as hard as though he’d never come at all.

“Why not—does it bother you?” He sounds amused.

“No,” I admit. “I…I like it. But I thought…thought you didn’t sleep with anyone.”

“I’m making an exception.” He kisses the back of my neck. “Go to sleep, Emma. We can talk more in the morning. We’re long overdue for it.”

His words bring a barrage of questions to my lips but my eyelids are so heavy I can’t keep them open anymore. Lulled by the comforting feeling of my master’s thickness still lodged deep within me and his strong arms around me, I finally drift off to sleep.

Chapter Nineteen

“Wake up, Emma. You barely touched your dinner last night—you must be famished.”

I wake up feeling rested and refreshed, and open my eyes to warm golden sunlight pouring in through the windows. Aiden is already up and smiling at me. He’s wearing a pair of faded jeans and nothing else—is he skipping the office today? Usually he goes in rain or shine, weekday or weekend no matter what. He’s definitely a workaholic. Not that I’m complaining, after last night I’m more than eager to spend the morning with my shirtless vampire master. Just look at all those muscles on display. Yum.

“Barnes made us some breakfast.” Aiden nods at a silver tray sitting on the dresser. Now that he mentions it, I can smell the tantalizing aroma of scrambled eggs and toast drifting through the air. There’s also a teapot with a wisp of steam rising from its spout. “Do you want to shower or eat first?” Aiden asks.

I open my mouth to say 'eat' and then remember what a sticky mess I am from the waist down. “I’ll shower,” I say quickly. “But don’t start without me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says dryly. “Hurry up, then.”

I scoot out of bed, noticing a few dark red spots on the sheets as I do. My period has already almost run its course but I’m still mortified about the evidence it has left behind.

“Don’t worry about the sheets,” Aiden says gently, breaking my train of thought. “They’re not important.”

It feels important to me but I don’t know what else to say. Quickly, I disappear into the master bathroom and take the fastest shower I can. When I come out, wrapped in towels, Aiden has changed the sheets and made up the bed.

“Come. Sit.” He motions for me to sit back against the mountain of pillows propped against the headboard. “We’ll have breakfast in bed this morning.”

Still wrapped in towels, I settle myself on the bed and look at him warily. He seems like a completely different man than he was last night. He’s relaxed and smiling and seemingly not mad at me at all. Is this all because of the sex (or almost sex) we had last night? Or has he just decided to forgive me for breaking the rules?

“What is it, Emma?” Aiden says, settling on the bed beside me with the tray in his hands. “I can see your mind going a hundred miles a minute. You might as well tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m just wondering…thank you.” I take the cup of tea from him. “Wondering why you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Oh, I’m still upset by your flagrant disregard for my rules—especially your removal of the harness,” he says, giving me a stern look. “And don’t worry, darling—you will be punished for that. But…” He sighs and takes a sip of tea. “You have a right to be angry with me as well. I’ve been on my own so long I tend to keep my own counsel. I don’t…share things easily.”

I give a soft snort of laughter. “Now, that’s an understatement. But thank you…” I put a hand on his leg. “For admitting you were wrong, too.”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “I don’t concede that I’m wrong exactly—there are still some things about me and the situation we are in together that you’re not ready to know. But I understand your frustration and…” He sighs again. “I’ll make a concerted effort to be more open with you in the future.”

“So…I can ask you questions and you’ll tell me what I want to know?” I look at him hopefully.

“Within reason,” Aiden says, frowning. “But yes, ask away.”

Questions rise to my lips so fast they almost choke me but what comes out first is, “Tell me about Katherine.”

A look of intense pain passes over Aiden’s chiseled features and he closes his eyes briefly. “Ah, you would ask me that. Not that I blame you—doubtless you’ve heard of her untimely demise.”

“Not really,” I say honestly. “I mean, I heard that she was a witch and that she died but not…not exactly how.”

Aiden sighs. “Very well. But in order to explain her death, I’ll need to tell you about her life. She was an extraordinary woman and I loved her with all that was in me.” He hands me a plate with scrambled eggs and toast just the way I like it—no butter but plenty of strawberry jam. “You’d best eat. This is a long tale and your food will be cold if you wait until I’m done.”

Obediently, I pick up a piece of toast and begin to nibble. Aiden puts the tray to one side and takes a sip from his tea mug, gathering his thoughts. His gray eyes go silver, as though remembering something from long, long ago—something buried in the past. And then he begins.

“I found Katherine in the woods to the north of here over a hundred years ago. In those days Tampa was little more than an overgrown town. Florida was the least populous state in the union for years, you know. It was too hot and swampy here for most people. As a vampire, the heat and humidity didn’t bother me, especially since I was, at that time, confined to the night as most of my kind are.”

Hmm, interesting. So he hadn’t had the ability to walk in sunlight back then. I eye the heavy gold and onyx ring on his hand again but say nothing. Aiden takes another sip of tea and continues.

“When I came upon Katherine, she was being assaulted.”

I frown. “Assaulted…how?”

“Raped.” A look of pain passes over his face again. “She was being raped.”

“What?” I spill my tea on my leg in agitation and have to wipe it up hastily with a linen napkin. “I mean, really?”

“Really.” He nods grimly. “I was out hunting in the woods and I heard her screams. A group of human men had her—they had discovered she was a witch and decided that was reason enough to brutalize her.”

“Oh, no.” I put a hand to my mouth. “Could you…did you stop them?”

Aiden closes his eyes briefly. “Regrettably, by the time I got there considerable damage had already been done. I pulled them off her and dispatched them—”

“Dispatched?” I ask softly.

“I killed them.” Aiden bares his fangs in a display I’m glad isn’t meant for me. “I ripped their throats out and drank their blood. There were five of them and I was alone but all the same, it only took a matter of minutes.”

I’ve seen how fast he can move and I know how strong he is so this comes as no surprise. I have to shiver anyway, though. This is the first time Aiden has ever talked about hunting and killing humans around me.

“Was she all right?” I whisper, and then realize what a stupid question that is. “I mean, was she badly hurt?”

“She had some bruises and contusions—some inner trauma.” He glances between my legs and I cross them hastily, understanding his meaning. “But her mind was more broken than her body.” Aiden sighs deeply. “When I came to her she tried to fight me off at first. Not because I was a vampire but because I was male. I didn’t blame her, of course.” He runs a hand through his hair. “When I finally made her believe that I had no intention of continuing the brutality the human bastards had been inflicting on her, she begged me to kill her.”

“Oh, no.” I put a hand to my mouth, my breakfast forgotten.

He nods. “Yes. She…wanted to die after what had been done to her. Virginity was much more important back then, even among witches, and hers had been taken from her in the most brutal way possible. There wasn’t as much freedom to do as you pleased and marry or not as you chose. Most women, even witches, found a husband. There was no other way to fit into the human community.”

I nod thoughtfully. “And of course, she would have a hard time finding one after…that.”

“I swore to her that no one else had seen—that I had killed all the men who hurt her,” Aiden says softly. “But she told me there were others—two who had left before I got there.” His eyes burn silver for an instant. “I took care of them later. But at that moment, my whole focus was on Katherine. There was something about her that drew me. As a vampire—a predator—I should have wanted nothing more than to finish her off. She was wounded prey—my natural instinct should have been to kill.”

“But you couldn’t, could you?” I whisper.

“No.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know if it was her magic or some of my old human instincts coming back. I was still a fairly new vampire, having just recently left she-who-made-me. All of my training before my vampire life began had instilled in me the necessity of being careful and gentle with the fairer sex. My human mother, especially, emphasized self-control and gentlemanly conduct. So consideration for ladies was ever uppermost in my mind.” He laughs softly. “She’s been dead well over a hundred years but the things I learned at her knee are still some of the only parts of my human past I recall vividly.”

“She’d be proud of you, I’m sure,” I say softly.

“Would she?” Aiden looks at me steadily. “After seeing what I have become? I doubt it, my darling. But I do have few fleeting moments in my past I can look back on without shame. My treatment of Katherine is one of those.”

“What did you do with her?” I ask, fascinated by the story of my master’s long lost love.

“I took her back with me to my house. It was a much smaller, wooden structure but it was built right here, on this site.” He indicates the house around us. “This land has belonged to my family for generations—it’s where I go to ground. Where I feel most comfortable.”

I can’t help looking around me, imaging what it must have been like. I can almost picture Aiden carrying the injured, weeping girl in his arms and laying her gently on the bed. Comforting her as he comforted me last night. “What happened then?” I ask.

“I put her in a sleep trance,” he says. “It’s not magic—we can’t do magic, as you know. It’s more like the technique a cobra uses to fascinate a mouse. We usually use it for hunting and capturing prey. In Katherine’s case, I did it to give her time to heal.”

“And did she?”

“In time.” He frowns. “Her body was young and strong but her mind…” He shakes his head. “I’m afraid she was never completely free of what had been done to her. It made her sexual tastes…peculiar, when they finally emerged.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Peculiar?”

He laughs briefly. “Well, no more peculiar than what you and I have been doing for the past month, I suppose. But back then, the erotic practice of Domination and submission wasn’t nearly so well known or widespread.”

“I imagine not. But…” I hesitate, trying to think how to phrase my question delicately. “I don’t understand how Katherine could want to be…to be dominated after what she’d been through.”

“Oh she didn’t,” Aiden says blandly. “It was she who did the dominating. I submitted to her.”

“What?” I can’t help staring at him in disbelief. There is nothing he could have said that would have surprised me more. Just the thought of my tall, dark, vampire master wearing a collar and being punished is…well damn, actually it’s hot. But still extremely surprising.

“You needn’t look so shocked, darling.” Aiden sounds amused. “It wasn’t the first time I had been on the receiving end of the whip—she-who-made-me was French and notoriously hedonistic, even among my kind.”

“Is, uh…” I clear my throat. “Is that what you prefer?”

He shakes his head. “I am a Dominant by nature. But Katherine was frightened. She had deep sexual desires—urges that tormented her. However, she needed to be in control.” He shrugs. “So I let her.”

“You let her what, exactly?” I can’t get the picture of him, naked and wearing the same kind of collar he has put on me, out of my head.

“I let her whip me, bind me…” He looks me in the eyes. “Fuck me.”

My breath falls out of me in a long sigh. “She…you let her…”

Aiden nods. “You can rest assured, darling, that nothing I have done to you has not been done to me many, many times over.” He looks briefly troubled. “The only thing I would not let her do was bleed me. I never gave her my blood…not until the very end. But by then, it was too late.”

“Too late? Too late for what?” I’m caught up in the story now, not caring that my eggs and tea and toast have all gone cold.

“Too late to save her life,” Aiden says somberly. “You see, though our love was passionate, it was also forbidden. The other creatures in the supernatural community didn’t like a vampire consorting with a witch. They felt there was too much power concentrated in one place—too much potential to draw the humans’ attention and wrath down upon us.”

“But that’s silly,” I say. “We’re much stronger and safer when we stick together inside our own community—all of the supes together.”

Aiden nods. “Exactly so. Which is what Katherine tried to tell the other witches of her coven and what I tried to tell the vampires of the Council. But no one wanted to listen.” He takes a sip of tea. “So we made plans to move away from here. Katherine made me a ring…” He holds up his hand, the gold and onyx glinting. “Which enabled me to withstand sunlight and eat human food again. The plan was to move to someplace far away and live as humans. No one would be the wiser and we could keep our love.”

“It sounds perfect,” I say.

“It would have been.” Aiden looks troubled. “I was even making plans to form a life-bond with her. She didn’t want me to—she worried about me cutting my lifespan in half. I told her I didn’t care. I was planning to convince her once we moved and started our new life…unfortunately, I never got the chance.”

“What happened?” I ask softly, dreading the worst but unable to help wondering.

“Word of our departure leaked out—I don’t know how—and Katherine was captured. She was brought before the Vampire Council. Then, as now, they were the most powerful supernatural force in our area—a power to be reckoned with.”

I think of asking him about what Lexy said—that the same Council forced him to serve as the Sovereign—but I don’t want to interrupt his story. “Go on. Where were you when this happened?”

“I was making last minute travel arrangements—we were to have left the next day. We were that close to getting away.” He closes his eyes briefly and then opens them to continue. “When I got back to my old house and found Katherine gone, I knew something was wrong. There were signs of a struggle and I could smell that other supernatural creatures had invaded my territory. I followed their scent and Katherine’s, but by the time I reached her, it was too late.”

“But…you said…you told me her secrets killed her,” I say softly.

“And so they did. Katherine always wanted to plan for every contingency. Unbeknownst to me, she had been working on a binding spell—one so vast and complicated its web would encompass every supernatural race in the entire Tampa Bay Area.”

“What?” I frown at him. “But…I thought it was the Vampire Council’s idea to bring all the supes together under one rule and break down the barriers between us.”

“Yes, that’s because they want you and everyone else the spell affects to think so,” Aiden says darkly. “But it isn’t so. My Katherine was the witch who wove the spell—she did it so that we could always be together one way or another. But she had already used so much of herself and her magic to make me this.” He holds up the ring again. “She poured herself into it—body, soul, and magic. By the time she was brought before the Council, she had almost nothing left to give to complete the great spell she had started.” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “And so she gave her blood.”

My heart seems to stop in my chest. The sacrifice of blood—of life—is a last resort for any witch. When all of your magic is used, the life force in your blood can compensate—but at a price. And usually that price is your life.

I can’t help thinking that it’s the same way my mother gave herself for me. She spent all her magic holding back the fire and when there was nothing left, she gave herself in order to get me out of the house and keep me safe.

“What are you thinking?” Aiden looks at me intently.

“Just…how sad it is.” I swallow hard. “My mother…when I was eight, she died in a house fire. But what most people don’t know is that she died saving me. The way Katherine gave herself to her spell so that you two could be together—my mother gave herself to the fire to keep me safe.”

“Yes, I know,” he says gently, surprising me yet again. “I know all about that dreadful night.”

“You do? But how—”

“I know a great deal about you, my darling Emma,” he says softly. “Do you really think I would choose just anyone for my Sacrifice?” He sighs and shakes his head. “Katherine was the first Sacrifice, you know. That is why the girl chosen to serve is called so—although now it’s little more than an honorary title.”

I can’t help being glad about that. Being bled out to complete a binding spell isn’t my idea of a good time. Of course, it couldn’t have been for Katherine either. “What happened to her?” I can’t help asking. “Katherine, I mean. Did she really think she could complete the spell and still live to spend her life with you?”

“I like to think that was what she thought.” Aiden sounds sad. “Sometimes I can make myself believe it. Other times…” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. She never really got over what had been done to her that night I found her. There was no such thing as therapy, no medication for depression. She had periods of black despair when even I could not reach her. There were times when she railed at me—told me that I should have let her die or killed her the moment I found her.”

“How terrible,” I whisper. “How sad.”

“Yes.” Aiden looks at me somberly. “Her fate has tormented me for over a hundred years. I always think if only I could have gotten to her sooner, I might have saved her. But by the time I reached her side, she was bled white and beyond even the healing power of my own blood.”

“Oh, Aiden…” I put my plate of cold eggs and toast to the side and put a hand on his knee. He covers it with his own and squeezes lightly.

“Never mind.” He takes a breath and sits up straighter. “Of course, once the spell took hold, the Council saw that Katherine had been right all along—the supernatural community is much stronger and safer united than it is divided into squabbling, segregated groups. So they took the credit for Katherine’s spell and set up an overlord—a Sovereign—to symbolically rule over the entire community.”

I think again of Lexy’s gossip. “And…how do they decide who’s going to be Sovereign?”

“It’s a title passed among the oldest and most powerful of us every ten years or so.” Aiden frowns. “This year it devolved upon me though I did not want the burden or responsibility.”

“But if you hadn’t taken it on, you never would have met me,” I point out.

Aiden looks at me seriously. “I knew about you long before this office was thrust upon me. Although I admit you were…off my radar, so to speak, until I walked into your shop and saw you standing there, looking so beautiful.”

“How?” I ask, wondering if he’s been checking into my background—he must have been to know about what happened to my mother when I was eight. “How do you know about me?”

But Aiden only shakes his head. “That’s a tale for another time.” He lifts my hand and kisses the inside of my palm, his warm breath tickling my flesh in a way that makes me hot and cold all over.

Impulsively, I throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly, my towel falling down to pool around my hips. “Thank you,” I whisper. “I know it wasn’t easy for you to share Katherine’s story with me. But, well, I feel like I know you so much better now.”

“Oh, Emma…” He strokes my hair gently and holds me close so that my nipples rub against his bare chest, sending little sparks of pleasure through my body. “There is still so much you don’t know,” he murmurs. “I wonder if you’d be so affectionate if you knew everything I have to tell.”

“I’m sure I would. I think you’re too hard on yourself,” I say, stubbornly. “But you’ve always been a kind and patient master to me…even when I disobey.” I frown. “Speaking of which, you’ve told me several times that my submission is important to you, not just because you want it, but because you need it for some other reason. Why is that?”

Aiden pulls back from me, a little frown on his face. “I’m afraid I’m not ready to talk to you about that yet. You’ll simply have to trust me, my darling. It’s very, very important that you give yourself to me completely and submit to me in all things.”

I bite my lip. “Even when you want to…to do things to me in public?”

“Especially then.” Aiden’s voice is soft and stern—his Master voice. It makes me shiver with a strange combination of fear and desire. “I was very disappointed in you the other night at Bern's, you know.”

“I know,” I whisper. “And…I don’t like disappointing you. I just…I was so embarrassed.”

“You should never be embarrassed to show yourself when I want you to.” Aiden cups one of my breasts and thumbs the nipple gently, making me gasp. “You’re beautiful, Emma. You may not know it, but there’s a light all around you. Sometimes I need to share that light.”

I don’t understand his need to share me but all my other questions seem to have melted away in the heat of his gaze. “Yes, Master,” I whisper, nestling against him so that my head fits under his chin.

“I still owe you a punishment, you know,” he murmurs, his deep voice rumbling through me as I press against his chest. “For taking off your harness. And for giving yourself a sexual release when I had forbidden you to come.”

My heart jumps into my throat. But for the first time, my initial reaction to the word 'punishment' isn’t fear—it’s anticipation. Still, I try to argue with him.

“Okay, I know I shouldn’t have taken off the harness and I swear I won’t do it again,” I said. “But you have to believe me when I tell you I came by accident.”

“So we’re back to that again, are we?” He pulls me away from him and eyes me skeptically. “Explain to me, Emma—how exactly does one have an orgasm ‘by accident'?”

“It was because of the damn harness being so snug,” I say and go on to explain exactly how it happened—how the harness was stuck, Barnes was knocking on the door, the vibrator somehow got turned on and lodged right against my clit… “I was all tangled up in my clothes and I fell on the floor,” I explain to Aiden. “And you hadn’t let me come for three days before that so I was already on the edge. When the damn vibrator hit my sweet spot, I just couldn’t help it—I went off like a freaking rocket.”

“Is that right?” Aiden murmurs, his eyes dancing.

“Yes, that’s right,” I say with as much dignity as I can muster. “And if it’s any consolation, I didn’t enjoy it at all. I mean, I was basically writhing all over the floor trying to tell Barnes how many people were coming to lunch while my body went crazy. It’s really hard to concentrate on pleasuring yourself when you have a proper English butler banging on the door and demanding a head count for high tea.”

Aiden throws back his head and laughs, loud and long. It’s a deep, rumbling chuckle that seems to come from the bottom of his chest and fills the whole room. It occurs to me this is the first time I’ve ever heard him really laugh and even though his amusement comes at my expense, I can’t help liking the warm, intimate sound immensely.

“Poor Barnes,” he says at last, wiping his eyes where pinkish tears have begun to emerge. “He must have thought you were going mad.”

“I don’t know what he thought and I don’t want to know,” I say primly. “But I thought you should know it was an accident. I know I disobeyed you by taking off the harness but I didn’t lie to you.”

“Very well, I won’t doubt you again,” Aiden says, suddenly sober. “And I won’t punish you for your orgasm.”

“You won’t?” I’m surprised to hear a note of disappointment in my own voice.

“No.” Aiden shakes his head. “I will, however, take you to task for removing the harness in the first place.” He gives me a severe look. “I’m going to clear breakfast out of the way and then you’re going to assume the position, Emma.”

My breath catches in my throat and heat blooms between my thighs. “What…what are you going to do to me, Master?” I whisper, hardly able to get the words out.

“Five strokes with the belt across your ass ought to teach you a lesson,” Aiden says sternly. “And two more to your pussy, to teach you proper submission.”

“My…my pussy?” My hand creeps down to cover my tender, bare pussy lips reflexively as I remember the sharp sting of the belt’s kiss in this most sensitive spot.

“Don’t worry, darling,” Aiden murmurs, his eyes half-lidded now. “You know I’ll kiss you better afterward. But for now, I need you to submit.”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper again. And without any further protest, I do.

Chapter Twenty

“Absolutely not,” Professor Canton, who teaches my Advanced Herbology lecture, says flatly. “You’ve missed enough class as it is, Ms. Krist. There is no way I will consider letting you take the final exam anywhere but right here in the classroom.”

“I understand,” I say humbly. “It’s just…I don’t have a ride to class tonight.” Also, I have been forbidden to leave the house by my strict vampire master, who is concerned about my safety. But that isn’t something I can really share with my prof.

“Look, Ms. Krist, I’ve been extremely patient with you,” he says. “I cut you a lot of slack because I think you’re the most promising student I’ve had in years. But enough is enough. You can find yourself a ride to class tonight and take the exam with all the rest of the students, or fail the class.”

“Fail it?” I say, horrified. “But…but the damage that would do to my GPA would be irrevocable!”

“Then you’d better find a way to get here, hadn’t you? Eight o’clock tonight and don’t be late.” There’s a click and the phone goes dead…along with my future.

Thoroughly upset, I throw my cell on the bed and start pacing. This can’t be—I can’t let this happen. It’s way too late to drop the class and there’s no way Professor Canton will let me take the test online. Not that I blame him—it’s not really even fair for me to ask him. But I didn’t know what else to do.

I wish for the millionth time that Aiden was here. I’d been planning to talk to him about this, to get him to agree to let me go. Surely if he knew my whole academic career and future hung in the balance he’d be more reasonable. Hell, he could even drive me to and from the test himself if he wanted to. Thinking about it, I’m sure he would go for that idea—too bad I didn’t mention it to him before he left.

For the past two days, since Aiden had to leave suddenly, I’ve been on my own, knocking around the big glass mansion with nobody but Barnes to talk to. And since his conversation seems to be limited to what he ought to fix me for lunch or dinner, he’s really not very good company.

I hate to admit it, but I miss my master sadly. I’m worried about him, too. I wish he had left me a forwarding address or phone number, but he left in such a hurry. He simply woke me up in the middle of the night and told me there was trouble. His gray eyes were worried and when I asked him what was going on, he said that she-who-made-him needed him. He promised to be back as soon as possible and made me promise to stay in the house. I was so sleepy and disoriented, I agreed to everything at once. Now, however, I’m having second thoughts—lots of them.

Aside from my own current problems with school, I can’t help wondering about Aiden’s maker. All I really know about her is that she’s French and into kinky sex. Do vampire parents have the same relationship that humans do with their children? Or is their affection for those they awaken to the vampire life more…incestuous?

I try to push the thought out of my head but it won’t go. Or rather, it won’t go until something even worse and more pressing takes its place—like the idea of failing my test, ruining my GPA, and being forced to work in the family herb shop for the rest of my natural life.

I’m still pacing around the room, practically pulling my hair out, when my cell phone rings. I pounce on it at once, hoping it’s Aiden or maybe my professor calling back to say he’s reconsidered. (Fat chance, I know, but a girl can hope.) It’s only Lexy, however, sounding bubbly as usual.

“Hey cuz, can I come over?”

“If you want to, I guess,” I grumble. “It’s not like I have anything else to do tonight—nothing I can get to, anyway.”

“Geeze, don’t overwhelm me with your enthusiasm,” she says flatly. “Maybe I should leave you alone if you’re going to be in such a pissy mood.”

“No, I’m sorry.” I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “It’s just that I’m supposed to go to my final exam in Advanced Herbology tonight. I was going to ask Aiden to take me, since he’s forbidden me to leave the house without him. But he’s been gone for the past two days doing who knows what with the kinky French woman who turned him into a vampire in the first place.”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Lexy says. “I must have heard you wrong—you’re not really going to miss the final exam just because his High-and-Mightiness is off doing family bonding stuff with his vamp mom, are you?”

I start pacing again. “I don’t want to but I don’t know what else to do.”

“Go take the exam, of course,” Lexy says practically. “Look, I know you don’t have a car there. I’ll come get you and drive you myself.”

I bite my lip, filled with indecision. “I shouldn’t—Aiden will be so angry when he finds out and I’m sure Barnes will tell him.”

“Emma, honey, have you ever heard the saying, ‘It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission’?” Lexy asks. “I think this is one of those cases. I mean, I know you—you’ve always been anal about your grades. You’ll never forgive yourself if you flunk a class just because the Grand-High-Poobah Vampire forbid you to leave the damn house.”

“It would ruin my GPA and any future career I might have in botany or herbology,” I say, wanting to believe her.

“Exactly,” Lexy says. “And why did he forbid you to go out in the first place?”

I blow out a breath impatiently. “He says he’s worried about my safety. Apparently as the Sovereign he has lots of enemies that would love to get their hands on me.”

“Oh yeah?” Lexy sounds extremely skeptical. “And have you ever seen any evidence that everybody and their brother is out to get you?”

“Well…no,” I admit. Then I have a sudden thought. “Although I did get a weird note through the mail—that same day you first came to visit.”

“Oh yeah?” She sounds interested. “What kind of note?”

“It had some kind of quote on it—something to do with too long a submission making the heart a stone. I don’t know—it really didn’t make much sense. In fact I haven’t even thought about it again until just now.”

“Probably some jealous fairy bitch trying to freak you out,” Lexy says complacently. “Didn’t I tell you you’re the envy of every single supe girl in the entire Tampa Bay Area? They all want to be in your place—is that what Aiden was talking about?”

“I don’t think so,” I say. “I’m not sure.”

“Well, I’m sure of one thing,” she says. “If you don’t go take this test tonight and you flunk your class because of it, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your natural life. What time does it start?”

“Eight,” I say reluctantly. “But I’d probably need to be there by seven forty-five just to be sure.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven thirty,” she says promptly. “We’ll go to USF, get your test done, and drive straight home. No muss, no fuss. We won’t even stop at Sonic for a cherry limeade.” Which is one of our favorite things to do together even though I get mine diet and Lexy gets hers full strength with extra syrup.

Just the thought of that—of getting out of the house for the first time in weeks (aside from my dinner with Aiden at Bern's, that is)—makes me itch with anticipation. I’m normally a homebody and I love hanging around the house when my master is here. But now that he’s gone, I’m starting to feel the worst case of cabin fever ever coming on. I want to get out and not just to take a final, to go riding with Lexy, singing along with the radio, a sweet treat in one hand and the wind in my hair. Still…

“I shouldn’t,” I say.

“Yes, you should,” my cousin insists. “And you’re going to. So take off that damn harness—if he’s still making you wear it—and get ready to go. I’m coming right over.”

She hangs up the phone with a final click before I can say anything else. Biting my lip, I go to find something to wear. Looks like I’m going to my final exam after all.

We get to USF with no problem and I ace the final. Professor Canton checks over my answers when I hand it in and looks up at me approvingly. “I must say, Ms. Krist, you really have a good grasp of Herbology. It’s almost like you were born to it.”

I try to smother a smile. “I guess you could say it runs in my family.”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “The same family you’ve been having so many difficulties with this semester?”

“Uh…yes.” I can feel my cheeks getting hot. I’ve given him so many excuses since I moved in with Aiden and stopped going to class I’ve kind of lost track of them all.

“Well, never mind about that now.” Professor Canton stacks the papers in front of him into a neat file. “I’m just glad you made it here tonight. It would have pained me to give you a failing grade over transportation troubles.”

“Thanks, Professor,” I mumble.

He smiles. “I hope to have you in some of my other classes in the future. Provided you show up, of course.”

“Of course. Thank you.” I nod a quick goodbye and finally make my escape. Whew. I’m so glad that’s over! It will doubtless earn me a pretty severe punishment from Aiden—a whipping with his belt or maybe even a spanking over his knee. Or maybe a punishment fuck, whispers a little voice in my brain.

I bite my lip, my body in conflict with itself at the very thought. Would I want that? Could I open myself to him, submit even though I knew what he was going to do was going to hurt? Of course, I already do that to some extent when I submit to the spankings and whippings and other punishments he gives me. But opening myself for a punishment fuck would be different…frightening…strange… My heart skitters in my chest and my pussy heats up. Would Aiden really do that to me?

“Hey, so how’d it go?” Lexy pops up from the bench where she was waiting for me, dropping the old Cosmo she found to keep her busy while I took the test.

“Great.” I grin at her in relief, trying to put my disturbing thoughts aside. “I’m pretty sure I nailed it.”

“Awesome!” She grabs me and hugs me hard, doing a little victory jig I have to shuffle to keep up with. “Okay,” she says at last, letting me go. “Now we have to get a cherry limeade to celebrate. What do you say?”

I know I should decline and ask her to take me straight home, but I can’t help myself—it feels too good to be out. To be free. “All right,” I say reluctantly. “But we’ll just go through the drive-thru and go straight home, okay?”

“Sure, whatever. As long as we go.” Lexy is just pleased to be out doing something again. It makes me realize that she’s missed me as much as I have been missing her. I’ll have to talk to Aiden when he gets back about the possibility of my cousin and I having more girl days together. Having her over for lunch once in a while just isn’t enough.

“Let’s go.” I hook my arm through hers and we clatter down the stairs together happily.

It’s only when we push past the thick metal outer door that I begin to feel uneasy. The sky was still light when I went in to take my final but now it’s full dark. To make things worse, the door we left by opens up onto a long, winding concrete pathway between some native Floridian tropical plants. They’re meant as an example of our hot, humid ecosystem but to me, the huge fanning leaves just look like a great place for someone to hide.

Stop being so stupid, I tell myself uneasily. There are campus security guards everywhere. Not to mention, you’re not alone. I’m sure nobody will mess with Lexy and me while we’re together—there’s safety in numbers. Right?

Still with my arm hooked firmly through my cousin’s, I start off down the path. Lexy parked in the lot that’s just around the corner and I’m sure—

“Excuse me. Can I interest you in the plight of tigers in China?”

“Huh?” I’ve been concentrating on the path so fiercely that the soft, feminine voice takes me by surprise.

“They’re being hunted to extinction.” A pretty co-ed holding a clipboard is standing right in our way, her eyes earnest. “They use these magnificent animals for all sorts of home brewed remedies—the meat, the paws, even the coat is used.” She thrusts a picture of a yellow and black striped tiger lying majestically on a rock into our faces.

Lexy takes the picture and studies it. “Huh. Well, it sounds like none of it’s going to waste,” she says at last, giving the picture back. “I mean, they’re using the whole thing, right down to the last whisker, right? So what’s the problem?”

I can tell my cousin is being sarcastic but by the way the co-ed is gaping at her, it’s clear she has no idea. “You don’t understand,” she begins again. “These people are killing tigers.”

“I’d kill one too, if it came too close,” Lexy says with a straight face. “I mean, if it’s you or the tiger, who are you gonna choose? I’m not living The Life of Pi over here.”

“It’s wrong to kill tigers.” The co-ed is speaking very slowly, as though Lexy was a learning disabled kindergartener. “They’re endangered. That’s why I’m going to give you a chance to sponsor one—”

“Sponsor it to do what?” Lexy demands, obviously really enjoying herself now. “Go to tiger summer camp or something?”

“Well, no…” The co-ed looks taken aback. “I mean—”

“What do tigers do all day anyway?” Lexy asks. “Just lie around and eat, right? I wish somebody would sponsor me to do that. I’m and endangered species—there’s only one of me and I bet there are a lot more tigers than that.”

“Their numbers are dwindling every day.” The co-ed sounds like she’s reciting from a brochure somebody at the save-the-tigers place made her memorize. “Look.” She thrusts another picture in Lexy’s face. “This one’s name is Sheba. She’s a beautiful female and she’s pregnant. We think she’ll be having her cubs any day now.”

“So she’s a pregnant unwed mother who needs my support.” Lexy looks sympathetic. “Now I get it. Poor thing.”

“It’s very sad.” The co-ed looks like she might actually start crying. “I’m glad you understand.”

“Of course I understand—I’m not a republican.” Lexy pats her arm. “Unfortunately, my democratic ass is completely broke. So I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to support Sheba. Unless, of course, her baby-daddy shows up. Maybe he could get a job and bring home the bacon for a while.” She looks at the co-ed seriously. “Do tigers eat bacon?”

“No, but—”

“Excuse me, Ms. Krist. I’ve got a whole different animal I think you might be interested in. Right in my fucking pants.”

A musky, animalistic odor assaults my nose just as the deep voice snarls in my ear. I jump in surprise and start to turn but I’m already being held fast in two hard hands. The speaker turns me to face him and I see the slotted yellow eyes of a goat.

“Hello, Emma,” Emilio Sanchez grates, grinning at me. “Long time no see.”

Chapter Twenty-one

I open my mouth to scream but Sanchez has a meaty palm slapped over my lips before I can make so much as a whimper. I want to gag at the gamey smell of his hand but I try to bite him anyway. Before I taste blood, he yanks his hand away and backhands me. My head rocks back and I see stars exploding in my field of vision as pain blooms across my cheek. I stagger backward but the satyr catches me by the elbow and yanks me back up. He pulls out a roll of duct tape and slaps a thick piece over my mouth while I’m still stunned.

“Figure that oughta shut you up for a little while, girlie,” he mutters in my ear and proceeds to tape my wrists together too. "Don't know why you're so surprised. I brought you the warning this day was coming, straight from the Council itself. Didn't you get the message?"

The message…he must mean the cryptic quote in the cardboard box he delivered to me. My head is aching and the world around me is reeling but from the corner of my eye, I see that Lexy has been similarly bound and gagged by another satyr. The save-the-tigers co-ed is long gone. I have a faint hope that she might have run to fetch the campus police…but then I see her body, face down on the ground.

“She’ll wake up eventually,” Sanchez grunts, nudging her with the steel toe of his work boot. “The Council said no witnesses—wipe her, Grant.”

I look on in amazement as a man who is clearly a warlock bends down and presses the tips of two fingers to the unconscious co-ed’s temple. He murmurs a forgetfulness spell and I know when she wakes up she’ll have nothing but a headache and no memory of what happened.

Male witches are rare and I thought I knew most of them in the community but this warlock is new. Why is he working with a satyr against his own kind? And what do they want from me? I stare at Sanchez uncertainly, looking for clues, trying to figure this out. As always whenever I’m near him I smell burning, hear crying. This time I don’t try to shut it out. I reach for the memory, wondering why it seems so familiar…trying to figure it out. The eyes…the slotted yellow eyes outside my bedroom that night… But what night? Why—?

“You better wipe the other one too,” Sanchez says, nodding at Lexy.

Lexy shakes her head, her auburn hair whipping wildly around her face as the warlock called Grant approaches her.

“Hold her,” Sanchez tells the other satyr. He’s a big, burly guy with hands like meat hooks, which he digs into Lexy’s upper arms, making her moan in pain.

Grant manages to catch my cousin’s chin and press his fingertips to her temple. He mutters under his breath for a moment while she stares at him, wide-eyed. At last he draws back, an unhappy look on his face.

“Well?” Sanchez demands.

Grant frowns. “I couldn’t do much. She’s a powerful witch and she has a strong family behind her. They’ll be able to tell she was tampered with.”

“That’s too fucking bad.” Sanchez spits to one side, a gob of greenish goo staining the concrete walkway. “Finish the job or kill her yourself—I don’t care which. But the Council says no witnesses so there better not be any. Understand?”

“No one ever said I’d have to work against my own kind when I took this job,” Grant protests.

“Your kind doesn’t mean shit.” Sanchez’s inhuman eyes narrow and he pokes a finger at the warlock. “And your only job is to do whatever the Council tells you. Now come on—we’re supposed to be there soon.”

The two satyrs tow Lexy and I off the path—despite our kicking and struggling. Grant walks to one side, his lips moving silently in a don’t-notice-me spell. I can feel his magic tingling against my skin, enveloping us all in a silent, invisible net. We walk right past a pair of campus security guards and neither of them notices a thing.

It doesn’t take long to get to a black, windowless van—the exact kind of vehicle I imagine a serial killer driving. I nearly lose it here—kicking and clawing—as well as I can with my hands taped in front of me, that is. Finally Sanchez belts me in the face again, stunning me. I fall to the ground as Lexy makes indignant noises through her gag. I know she wants to come running to my rescue but her own satyr guard has a firm grip on her.

“Listen up, girlie,” Sanchez says, bending down to look at me. “Settle down if you don’t want more of the same. I’d tell you that I don’t like hitting women, but that would be a lie. I really fucking enjoy it—makes me hard, you know?” He grabs his crotch and shakes it at me, laughing. “In fact, when this is all over I might even fuck you.”

The casual way he says it and the gleam in his slotted yellow eyes makes me cold all over. I feel frozen as they load Lexy and me into the back of the van and clang the doors shut, leaving us in darkness.

“Where are they taking us?” I hear Lexy whisper in my head. I want to answer her but the mind voice, also referred to as the “witch-whisper” is yet another piece of magic I was never able to manage. It used to drive me crazy because I could hear everything my cousins said without being able to reply. So I know it’s useless, but I can’t help trying to talk back.

“I don’t know,” I send in Lexy’s direction.

In the dimness of the van, I see her eyes widen. “Emma—you did it! You talked to me! I heard you!” She nudges me with her foot. “Try again.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Oh my Goddess!” Despite the desperate situation we are in, she is suddenly ecstatic for me. “You can do it—you can mind talk! I always knew it—I knew you weren’t a dud! First lighting the candles and now this—your magic is finally coming in, Emma. I just know it!”

“It’s awesome,” I admit. I don’t know where the magic came from but I can feel it filling me slowly, like an empty cup being filled one drop at a time. “But it doesn’t get us any closer to getting out of here.”

“What does Sanchez want with us, anyway?” She shivers. “Ugh—I always hated him.”

“I don’t think it’s us they want—it’s me,” I send grimly. “Maybe….maybe Aiden was right about him having a lot of enemies that want to get to me.” Just thinking it makes me feel sick. What are they going to do with me? Will they kill me just to make Aiden mad? And who are “they” anyway?

“Sanchez said something about the ‘Council’.” Lexy sends back and I realize I have let the last thought slip past my mental barrier. “Do you think he meant the Vampire Council?”

“I have no idea. I hope not.” I can’t imagine being brought before that most ancient and powerful ruling body. Why would they want to see me?

We mind talk back and forth together over the twenty more minutes the van is in motion but neither Lexy nor I can solve the mystery. We do, however, make a plan of escape. Having our hands bound and our mouths gagged rules out casting a spell. But we can still kick our captors in the balls when they open the van. We wait, lying on our backs, tense and terrified but determined to do whatever we can to get out of this situation.

The van has been moving smoothly up until now but suddenly there’s a lurch and it starts rocking and jouncing over uneven ground.

“We’re going off road,” Lexy sends, her eyes wide with fear. “They’re taking us into the wilderness somewhere.”

I want to protest that there isn’t a whole lot of wilderness around Tampa but apparently our captors have found some. We jounce around, being thrown against each other, unable to brace ourselves because of our bound hands. I’ve always been prone to motion sickness and the violent motion makes me nauseous. Then Lexy bumps her head and gives a little cry behind her tape gag.

I’m still trying to crawl over to her and see if she’s okay when the van stops with a jolt and the back doors swing wide.

“C’mon out now, girlies,” Sanchez says, reaching in to haul me roughly to my feet. “No funny business or—”

I kick out and catch him squarely in the balls.

He goes white, then green, then his face turns a dark shade of purple. But through it all, he somehow manages to hold on to my arm. I couldn’t get away anyway, I realize with despair. I can’t leave Lexy here alone and she seems stunned and woozy from the blow to her head. All I have done is succeeded in making my captor even more angry.

“You’ll pay…” Sanchez finally manages to wheeze out, pinching my arm viciously until I yelp in pain. “Maybe not now but you’ll be sorry. I’ll make you sorry.” He raises his hand, no doubt to hit me again.

“We don’t have time for this.” The warlock, Grant, is suddenly there looking worried. “The ceremony has to start as soon as the moon is directly overhead. Come on.”

“Fine,” Sanchez growls. He and the other satyr pull Lexy and I out of the van and follow Grant, who is leading the way.

What ceremony? I think wildly, trying to look around as we stumble over the uneven ground. Unfortunately, it’s pretty dark aside from the quarter moon rising overhead. All I can make out is that we seem to be in the middle of a field with trees on either side. There are no landmarks, no way to guide myself even if I could break away from the satyr’s punishing grip.

They drag us up a gently rising hill and through some trees. Suddenly we’re standing in front of what looks like a miniature castle. That’s crazy though—there aren’t any castles in Florida! Except here one is, right in front of me.

There are torches burning in holders at the rounded front entryway lined with jagged metal spikes. What’s that called? A portcullis? my mind babbles as we are dragged through the gates.

Inside, the space opens into a narrow courtyard. At the end of it is a single black door with no knob. For some reason, the very sight of that door makes me cold with dread. No, not behind the black door! Anywhere but there! It’s almost as though I’ve been here before. But I know I never have. I’m just afraid of the door because I don’t want to see who or what is on the other side of it. Right?

Sanchez raps almost gently on the door and calls in a surprisingly respectful voice, asking for entry. Slowly, the door swings open and Lexy and I are shoved into a large, stone room, our reluctant footsteps echoing as we stumble in.

It’s almost as dark inside as it is outside. To one side of the vast room a fire is crackling in the fireplace. But the room is so huge it barely illuminates anything. On the stone floor, a circle about eight feet in diameter is drawn. No, not drawn, I realize—carved. There is a half inch deep circular trench gouged into the flagstones. Who the hell could have made it so perfectly round and why do I find the long curving, empty groove so disturbing?

“Watch out!” Lexy gasps in my head. “Don’t step into the circle—it’s a trap. Can’t you feel it?”

I do feel it now—the familiar prickling sensation of magic—very strong magic, crawling over my skin. But before I can step back, Sanchez has ripped the tape off my mouth and shoved me over the circle’s lip. I stumble and come to a halt in the empty center, feeling like I have somehow come to rest in a dangerous place—the eye of a hurricane that may whirl me off my feet and into an abyss at any moment.

“Emma Krist,” a low, hissing voice whispers from the perimeter of the circle. It sounds to me like what a snake would sound like if it could talk.

“Who…who are you?” My voice is shaking. I take a deep breath and try to sound a little less like a frightened rabbit. “What do you want with me?”

“We are the Council,” the voice replies.

We? Who the hell are 'we'? Looking out around the edge of the circle, I get my answer. There are eyes out there. Vampire eyes. They gleam in the flickering firelight like the predators they are. Like wolves around a campfire at night, waiting for the flames to die down enough to attack. I count twelve pairs staring at me from all around the strange, circular groove that has been carved into the solid stone floor. Every once in a while one of them will lean forward, giving me a glimpse of porcelain white skin, but for the most part they are just eyes, watching me…waiting. But waiting for what?

I decide to try again. “What do you want from me?” I ask, looking around the circle, trying to meet all their eyes in turn. It’s not easy—they don’t move or twitch occasionally like humans. They stare, unblinking like snakes. Why have I never noticed these traits in Aiden during the time we’ve been together? Is it because he’s been making an effort to seem more human, less predatory, less frightening? Or is it because he spends the majority of his time with mortals like me, away from his own kind?

“Tell her,” whispers the one with the snake voice.

Grant steps forward. “Emma,” he begins, steepling his long fingers and looking at me intently. “Do you know about the spell of binding that holds our supernatural community together?”

“Yes,” I say, nodding.

Grant looks surprised but pleased. He nods. “Not many do. But I take it Aiden James—the Sovereign vampire—has told you? How it was first cast by a witch called Katherine and has been in effect, binding us all together, ever since?”

Slowly, I nod. “Yes. But I don’t understand—”

“The spell is old—it’s losing power,” one of the vampires from around the circle says. “You might say it’s fraying around the edges. If it’s allowed to unravel completely…”

“The whole community will come apart like a badly knitted sweater,” another says. “There will be fighting, corruption, unrest between the different supernatural races—we can’t afford that.”

“It will draw human attention,” the one with the snake voice says. “This must not be!”

“All right, I get it.” I raise my hands in a gesture of acceptance. “But…what does that have to do with me? I mean, other than the fact that I’m this year’s Sacrifice?”

“You are a direct descendant of Katherine, born on the same day of the same month that she died, over a hundred years apart,” Grant says. “That makes you her heir—and the only witch who can renew her spell.”

“What?” I stare at him, uncomprehending. He’s joking—he has to be joking, right? Aiden never told me this. Never told me that I was related—intimately related—to his long lost love. That’s the only reason he wants you, whispers a nasty little voice in my head. Because you remind him of Katherine. Because you’re the closest thing he can get to her now that she’s dead.

I push the voice away with effort. Grant is saying something else and it must be important, the way the vampires of the Council are leaning forward, pinning me with their cold, inhuman stares.

“You must take up the strands of the spell and weave them back together,” he is saying, looking at me earnestly. “Use your magic to renew the spell—it’s the only way.”

“But…I don’t have any magic,” I protest. None to speak of, anyway. Lighting a candle and being able to mind-speak, which any self-respecting beginner witch can do—doesn’t qualify me to renew the ancient, powerful spell cast by my terrifyingly talented ancestress. “I’m a dud,” I tell Grant. “I always have been.”

He looks upset. “If you can’t use magic, you’ll have to use blood. It’s the only other way.”

I look at him, aghast. This is how Katherine died. She used up her magic and then had to resort to spilling her blood. Suddenly I have a clear flash—an image of this very same room and these very same vampires, sitting in judgment around the circle. I see a small, feminine hand holding a sacrificial knife. The knife’s silver blade flashes and a spurt of crimson splashes out onto the unforgiving stones.

Somehow the blood finds its way to the long, circular groove of the circle I am standing in right now. Slowly, slowly it begins to fill the deadly trench gouged in the solid stone. Katherine’s blood flows faster and faster but the circle is greedy—it drinks her blood and demands more. Her intent is to fill it up, to fill the entire eight foot circle with the scarlet ribbon of her own life. But somehow no matter how much she bleeds, it is never enough. Never enough…

“No!” I gasp as the vision recedes. “No, I can’t! I can’t die like she did. I won’t.”

“You will do whatever is necessary to renew the spell…or die trying,” the snake-voiced vampire hisses at me.

“No, she will not,” a familiar voice says and the black door with no handle bangs open.

Chapter Twenty-two

Aiden strides into the room, a look of cold rage fixed on his face.

“Aiden,” I whisper. “Master…”

“It’s all right, Emma,” he says softly, but his eyes are scanning the circle, taking in the vast strength arrayed against us. “I’m here now. I’ll protect you.” He addresses the vampires, staring them down, each in turn, as he speaks. “How dare you? How dare you take what is rightfully mine for a second time without asking? I told you I would not tolerate such an insult again.”

“Calm yourself, Aiden,” the snake vampire advises. “It’s hardly our fault you chose to attach yourself twice to the only witch capable of mastering such an advanced binding spell.” He frowns at me. “Although this one claims she cannot. She says she’s a ‘dud’ who has no magic.”

“She has magic,” Aiden asserts, raising his chin. “Magic in abundance. It’s simply dormant inside her—buried in a place she can’t reach.”

“She’d better reach it and quickly,” Grant says, with an uneasy look at the assembled vampires. “She must renew the spell tonight—it’s frayed almost beyond repair. If she can’t do magic, she will have to give her blood.”

“No,” Aiden thunders and his eyes flash silver. For a moment I think he’s scarier than any of the ancient vampires sitting around the circle. Then his face clears and his voice calms. “No,” he says more softly but no less vehemently. “There is another way.”

“What way?” I ask, afraid that I already know the answer.

“Emma will not be using her blood to mend the binding spell,” Aiden says. He strides into the circle, entering the magic, to stand beside me. “I will use mine instead.”

“That is unacceptable,” the snake vampire hisses. “You are a vampire—your blood has no magic.”

“I have had Emma’s blood,” Aiden contradicts him. “I had it at the peak of her cycle—I drank from the fount between her thighs when her magic was strongest. Her blood flows in my veins.”

“Is this true?” the snake vampire demands, staring at me with cold, glittering eyes.

Blushing and stammering, I admit that it is. Then it’s Lexy’s turn to chime in.

“You really did that?” she demands, shooting me an incredulous glance. “You let him go down on you during your time of the month?”

I squirm uncomfortably. “I was in a lot of pain and he made me feel better. You know how bad my cramps get. Besides, what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that you’re never supposed to let a vampire near you during that time. It gives them too much power—binds them to you way too tightly.” She sounds really upset. “I can’t believe no one ever told you that before.”

“Well, I guess I would have known if I had any magic to speak of or the inclination to sleep with half the vampire community,” I shoot back, losing my patience. “But honestly, Lexy, I had no idea.”

She seems about to send me something else but then the snake vampire speaks again. “You would bleed for this witch…this insignificant mortal with lifespan a fraction of your own?” he demands, speaking to Aiden.

Aiden nods. “I would,” he says quietly. “Emma is not insignificant to me—I would endure anything to keep her safe. Give me the knife.”

My heart is in my throat as one of the vampires stands and moves from the shadows into the light for a moment. He shows a flicker of white skin as he hands Aiden a long, curving, silver blade. Then he slips back into the darkness and becomes just a pair of eyes again.

Aiden holds the knife in one hand and begins to roll up his sleeve with the other. He is wearing a tastefully tailored charcoal suit but he has removed the jacket, revealing the crisp, white, cotton shirt beneath. Under that, his skin is almost as pale as the shirt. But a fine tracing of blue veins runs just under the surface, pulsing with blood he’s determined to shed.

“Aiden,” I say. “Please, I don’t want you to do this for me.”

“Be quiet, Emma.” He frowns at me darkly. “There is no choice. One of us must shed blood and I’ll be damned if it’s you.”

“But—”

“Be still and let me concentrate,” he commands, cutting me off.

I feel sick as I watch him make the first slice. Without flinching, he draws the silver blade across the white skin of his forearm. I know how much it hurts him—a thousand times worse than it would a mortal whose body would give blood much more easily. But he says nothing, just holds his arm over the circular trench, letting the droplets fall, like black rubies, into its hungry mouth.

I can feel the blood working, can feel the frayed strands of the spell coming together but slowly…so slowly. Before they are nearly woven together, let alone sealed, the cut on Aiden’s arm closes. His mouth thins to a white line but still he says nothing. He only raises the knife and cuts himself again.

And again and again and again.

It’s agony to watch him torturing himself like this and to know that he’s doing it for me. He’s bleeding himself dry so I won’t have to. Saving me the way he wasn’t able to save Katherine so many years ago.

But after the fifth or sixth cut, I realize with horror that it’s not going to work. The magic is coalescing too slowly, the circular trench etched into the floor is too thirsty. Aiden doesn’t have enough blood in his body to make this happen—especially considering how much blood a vampire body needs to function. He’s going to die if he keeps this up—surely he knows that.

One look at his face tells me he does. But it doesn’t seem to matter to him—he’ll do whatever it takes to save me. Even if it means giving his own life.

“Master,” I whisper, putting my hand on his arm to stop him before he cuts the seventh time. “Please, no. You’re…you’re killing yourself. There has to be another way.”

“There is no other way,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “Once I thought there might be but this moment has come too soon. We were not prepared, for which I blame myself.”

“What do you mean?” I demand. I’m beginning to panic at his rigid refusal to stop. I can’t lose him like this. Can’t let him sacrifice himself for me. “What are you talking about?”

“Think about it, darling,” he says in a soft voice. “There are only three ways to fulfill a spell. Magic, blood, or…”

“Sex,” I whisper, finishing the thought for him. So this is what he was preparing me for all this time. This was why he demanded my submission, why he wanted me to give myself so completely, even while others were watching. He knew this moment was coming, knew we would have to perform in front of the Vampire Council and he wanted me to be ready. Ready to submit in order to heal the spell.

“Sex magic,” Lexy whispers in my head. “If you and Aiden could raise enough energy you could slap a patch on the spell—kind of like melting the fibers of the spell together instead of weaving them. It’s not as elegant but it should work.”

“It has to work,” I send back to her desperately. “I can’t lose him like this, Lexy! I can’t let him die for me.”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you? Be careful, Emma! It’s never a good idea to get too deeply involved with a vamp.”

“I don’t know how I feel,” I tell her. “He never told me I was related to Katherine. He never said he was preparing me for this moment—never warned me what was going to happen. He’s kept me in the dark about everything ever since I came to him. But… I have to save him if I can. I have to.”

“You can but you’ll have to be completely committed to the act.” Lexy shivers. “You can’t hold any part of yourself back during sex magic or it doesn’t work. That’s why I can’t do it. I can’t…can’t give myself to any guy that completely. Are you sure you can, Emma?”

“I have to,” I send back grimly. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Enough, Emma,” Aiden says, calling my attention back to him. “I think you should go stand outside the circle now, darling. Let me finish this.”

“No.” I lift my chin and look him in the eye. “No, Master. We’ll finish it together.”

Aiden frowns. “You’re not ready for this—not ready to submit so completely, Emma. I can’t be gentle if we’re going to make this work. I’ll have to use you hard—take you roughly.”

I swallow nervously but I won’t let him see the fear in my eyes. “You mean…like a punishment fuck?”

“Exactly.” Aiden’s silver-gray eyes are half-lidded. “I was working up to this scenario, trying to get you ready gradually. But you never reached the point of ultimate submission. And I don’t think you’re ready to reach it tonight.”

“Yes, I am,” I protest softly, vehemently. “I know I am—I know I can do this.” To prove my point, I pull my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor. Next go my jeans and shoes. Soon I’m left standing in the middle of the circle wearing only my underwear. Aiden’s eyes widen as I reach back to unsnap my bra.

“Wait.” He puts a hand on my arm to stop me and looks at me intently. “Do you really want to try this, darling? Do you really think you can do it?”

“Yes,” I say softly. “Please, Master, I’ll do anything to save you. I…I want to submit.”

“My darling…” Aiden murmurs, looking genuinely touched. “I had no idea your feelings for me ran so deep.”

To be honest, I hadn’t known either until this very minute. But the idea of never seeing him again, of watching him bleed out and die on this cold stone floor, is more than I can bear. I would do anything, dare anything, submit to anything to keep him safe. To keep him here with me.

“Very well.” Aiden nods. He puts down the knife and takes my hand.

“What are you doing?” the snake vampire demands. “The spell is not yet whole.”

“Have no fear, we will heal it,” Aiden says, glaring coolly at the eyes gleaming in the darkness. “We’re simply going to try a different method.” He looks around, frowning. “All mortals must leave the Council Room. I want no eyes but those of the Council upon us as we renew the spell.”

Muttering with irritation, Sanchez and the other satyr push Lexy out the black door which Aiden left hanging open. “Good luck!” Lexy sends, her mental voice dwindling as she gets out of range. Soon all the mortals besides myself are gone from the great stone chamber. All except Grant, who just stands there.

“You too,” Aiden tells the warlock sternly. “You must go.”

Grant frowns. “But…what if you need magic?”

“Emma has more magic in her smallest finger than you have in your entire body.” Aiden gives him a withering look. “I will tap into that deep well. You’ll be able to feel the spell mend from outside.”

Grant grumbles but at last he shrugs and goes out the door, following the satyrs. He shuts it behind him and I, for one, am glad he’s gone. Not because I didn’t want him watching Aiden and I do…whatever it is we’re about to do. But because I hope he’ll protect Lexy from the satyrs.

“Never fear, darling. Your cousin will be safe,” Aiden murmurs in my ear. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls something out—something that gleams red in the firelight.

I give a little gasp when I see it. “My collar!” I took it off before I went to take my herbology final…which seems about a thousand years ago at this point.

“Yes, your collar.” Aiden frowns at me fiercely. “Do you have any idea, Emma, how frantic I was when I found this lying on the dresser and you nowhere to be found?”

I bite my lip and nod. He must have remembered the night he found Katherine missing. Must have felt that history was repeating itself…and unfortunately, in a way, it is.

“You removed it,” Aiden’ voice is steady but his eyes are flashing solid silver now. “You took off my mark of ownership and left the house without permission, putting yourself in terrible danger.”

“Yes, Master,” I whisper in a small voice. My heart is drumming against my ribs and my pussy is becoming wet as it always does when I know he’s going to punish me. But this time the punishment is going to be so much worse than ever before.

“Emma,” he says in that soft, deep, scary voice. “This kind of deliberate disobedience calls for the strongest penalty I can inflict. Strip and get on your hands and knees—it’s time for your punishment fuck.”

“Oh,” I whisper, unable to say anything else. Part of me can’t believe we’re really going to do this but another part, a part buried so far down I can barely even access it, feels a surge of anticipation. This is the ultimate surrender—the moment we’ve been working up to from the very first minute he claimed me as his sacrifice.

“Finish undressing,” Aiden say sternly. “And if you think I’ll go easy on you because of your inexperience, you’re wrong. I’m going to fuck your pussy hard and long, Emma. You deserve nothing less.”

“No, Master. I know I don’t,” I whisper. My knees feel weak as I unsnap my bra. I can’t help thinking of all the eyes watching me—all those cold, inhuman eyes watching to see me get taken and used. To see me get fucked by my master.

“Keep going,” Aiden commands when I pause. “And look only at me,” he adds, when my eyes wander again to the Council members around the circle. “Just like you did at Bern's, darling,” he continues in a softer, most reassuring voice. “Close your eyes if you must but you have to submit—both our lives depend on it.”

After seeing the predatory way the vampires of the Council are watching us, I don’t doubt him for an instant. If we don’t manage to repair or at least patch the spell, they’ll be on us. And though I know without asking that Aiden would die fighting to protect me, there’s no way he could take on twelve ancient, powerful vampires alone and win. We’d both die—they’d bleed us until the spell was mended.

That’s not going to happen, I tell myself sternly. I won’t let it happen!

Determined to make this work, I hook my thumbs into the elastic sides of my panties and prepare to push them down. But this time Aiden stops them.

“Wait,” he murmurs. Then he kneels in front of me, just as he did that first night, and looks up into my eyes. “Let me,” he says. Holding my eyes with his, he slips my panties down, revealing my bare pussy, making me utterly vulnerable—claiming me as his. “Spread your legs, darling,” he says softly.

The word why trembles on my lips but I clamp down and don’t ask. Whatever he wants, I’ll give him. I need to focus only on him, just as he said. I need to forget the ring of hungry eyes surrounding us and concentrate on submitting completely to my master.

“I need to make sure you’re wet enough,” Aiden murmurs, as I spread my legs without protest. “Need to taste your sweet little pussy until you’re hot enough to take me, Emma.”

A soft moan of submission comes from my lips as he spreads me with his long fingers. I brace myself with one hand on his broad shoulder, trying to be open enough for him, trying to give myself completely.

“Good girl,” Aiden says softly, sending a shiver of pleasure through me with his praise. His breath is hot against my inner thighs. “Such a good girl to let me spread open your pussy and taste you, Emma.”

I want him so much I can barely breathe. I grip his shoulder harder and moan as his long tongue slips between my pussy lips to tease my clit. Honestly, I’m already wet and hot for him—just the idea of giving in so completely, of offering him my pain as well as my pleasure—has me more turned on than I can ever remember being in my life. But it’s not like I’m going to turn down a tongue bath by my oh-so-orally talented master.

It seems to go on forever, the soft, slow licking, the feel of his tongue inside me, probing my depths. I get closer and closer to the edge, feeling at any minute I might tilt over and shatter into a thousand pieces. But somehow he keeps me just on the edge, never quite pressing the magic button for long enough to get me off. Finally I’m panting in frustration, my hand on his shoulder gripped into a fist, my entire body tense with need.

“Master,” I gasp as he laps me gently, sucking my swollen clit into his mouth and teasing it unmercifully with the tip of his tongue. “Oh Goddess, Master…please, I’m so close!”

To my disappointment, Aiden pulls back. “I know, Emma,” he says in a soft, stern voice. “But I don’t want you to come—not yet.”

I want to ask when I’ll be allowed to come, but again I bite down hard, stifling the question. This is all about submission, I remind myself. I must give myself completely—not question my master’s every move.

“I think you’re ready now.” Aiden rises, towering over me, a look of stern disapproval on his face. “It’s time, Emma. Get on your hands and knees and spread your thighs for me.”

Trembling, I do as he says. The flagstones are hard and cold against my hands and knees but I put my head down and try to ignore my discomfort. I can feel Aiden hovering over me, the heat of his skin like a flame against my spine.

“Wait,” one of the vampires says, forcing me to remember that we’re being watched by the entire Vampire Council.

Aiden looks up, irritated. “What is it?”

“She’s too hidden.” The eyes gleam in the darkness. “Too hard to see. If you’re going to do this, Aiden, you must do it properly. Bring out the breeding bench.”

I have no idea what a breeding bench is, but the words turn my blood to ice water anyway. Still, before I can protest, one of the other vampires is bringing a strange contraption into the circle which looks like a medieval torture device.

The breeding bench is kind of an inclined plane, slanted upward. Clearly my body will lie along the wooden bench. There are holes in the wood for my breasts to fit through as well as straps for my wrists at the top and stirrups coming out from the sides. Adjustable stirrups, I realize, feeling ill as I look at them. They’re made so that once my feet are strapped into them, they can be winched higher or lower, effectively lifting my ass and spreading my legs, giving Aiden much better access to my naked, unprotected pussy.

I look at this thing in disbelief. It’s one thing to kneel on my hands and knees, to open myself to my master and let him hurt me or pleasure me as he sees fit. It’s something else entirely to allow myself to be strapped into this monstrosity—held in position whether I want to be or not. Goddess, who invented this thing anyway—some kind of sadist?

I open my mouth to protest…and catch sight of Aiden’s face. He knows what I’m thinking, how vulnerable and frightened I’m feeling, I’m certain. And I’m also certain that the Vampire Council expects me to refuse to be strapped into this strange, sexual device. The minute I defy my master and refuse to submit completely, this little foray into sex magic will be over and we will have failed.

I can’t let that happen.

Taking a deep breath, I approach the breeding bench. I press my chest and abdomen to the cool, varnished wood of the supporting plane, fitting my bare breasts through the holes provided, noting as I do that the vampires of the Council now have an excellent view of my tight nipples. I put my hands into the straps and fit my feet in the stirrups. I lean forward, getting into position—almost the same position I would be in if I was riding a horse and leaning over its mane. Then I wait.

I feel incredibly exposed. My ass is on display and my pussy is open, showing the slippery pink of my inner folds. I can feel every eye in the place trained on my nakedness but I tell myself I don’t care. The only eyes I care about are my master’s. The only man I want to see is Aiden.

When I risk a glance in his direction, he is looking at me with something like wonder in his eyes. Now he’ll see, I think, not letting my gaze waver from his. Now he’ll know how much I care. How I’ll do anything to keep him alive.

“Emma,” he murmurs, walking over to stand by my side. “Darling…”

“I’m ready, Master,” I tell him in a shaking voice. “Ready for…for my punishment.”

His gray eyes go suddenly hard. “That’s good to hear, Emma, because I’m going to punish you hard tonight. I’m going to use your little pussy very roughly and thoroughly and I don’t want to hear a word of protest. Do you understand?”

His stern words start a fire between my legs. “Yes, Master,” I whisper. “I…I understand.”

“Good.” He moves around behind me and I hear the low purring sound of his zipper being lowered. “Because I’m going to fuck you now, Emma. Going to fuck you hard.”

I feel him fit the broad head of his cock, already slippery with pre-cum, to the entrance of my pussy. I can’t help remembering the last time he did this—the way he slid into me so slowly and was so careful not to thrust in me too much. The way he tried to preserve my virginity by not touching bottom inside me. I have a feeling I won’t be a virgin by anyone’s standards—not even Aiden’s peculiar rules—by the time this is over.

Two strong hands grip my hips and I can feel my master’s breath, hot against the back of my neck. “Get ready,” he advises me, his voice a deep, menacing growl. “I’m not just going to fuck you tonight, Emma—I’m going to breed you.”

His words remind me suddenly that I’m not on birth control. And since my period is over—has been over for a while—I’m fertile and completely unprotected. I open my mouth to say this…and close it again.

“I know,” Aiden murmurs in my ear as his thick shaft slides slowly into me, stretching me wide. “I know you have no protection, Emma. I know you’re open and fertile. Completely vulnerable to my seed.”

“Master?” I whisper, making his name a question. “Are you…will you…?” I can’t finish the sentence. He’s all the way inside me now, and this time he’s making no effort to hold back. The broad head of his cock presses hard against the mouth of my womb, making me shiver with fear and anticipation.

“I’m sorry, Emma,” he tells me. “But I won’t pull out of you tonight. I’m going to claim your pussy and come in you whether you want me to or not. The best thing you can do is simply submit—open your pussy for me and let me fill you. You have no choice.”

My chest feels tight with fear at his words. Submit. I have to submit, I remind myself. And then, slowly, I start to relax. If my master wants to come in me while I’m fertile and unprotected, I have no choice but to let him. The knowledge that I am his—completely and totally his to do with as he chooses—fills me with a strange kind of peace.

“Yes, Master,” I murmur, turning my head and pressing my cheek to the cool wood of the breeding bench. “Whatever you want. I…I submit.”

“Gods, Emma.” His deep voice is tight, filled with emotion. “You’re so beautiful when you give yourself to me.”

“Thank you, Master.” I spread my thighs wider, trying to open myself still more for him, to give myself completely. “Please, Master, do it,” I urge him. “Take me. Punish me.”

“I’ll punish you when I’m ready and not before,” he growls with soft menace. The hands gripping my hips tighten and I feel him tense inside me. “Remember what I told you about topping from the bottom, Emma?”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I just…I want you so much. Whatever you’re going to give me—pleasure or pain. I want it.”

“I’ll give it to you, all right,” he says, sounding almost angry this time. “Don’t move, Emma—I’m going to fuck you now.”

I open my mouth to reply but then I feel him pull almost all the way out of me…and thrust back in hard and fast. I cry out as I feel the thick shaft skewer me, ramming into me, the head of his cock battering the mouth of my womb with each brutal stroke.

Punishment fuck…he’s giving me a punishment fuck, I remind myself, trying to remember to breathe as the hard fucking goes on and on. I want to try and twist, to get away—but there’s no place for me to go. Aiden’s hands on my hips hold me in place, not letting me move from my submissive position. His breath is hot and furious against the back of my neck and his cock seems to throb within me, stretching me to the limit with each deliberately rough stroke.

Strangely, his very roughness seems to push me closer and closer to the edge. I’m experiencing as much pain as pleasure but the feeling is so intense, so deep. I feel so opened, so taken by my master. I am his, I think as he rams into me yet again. Utterly and completely his. He’s finally claiming me. Finally marking me as his own.

“You’re mine, Emma,” Aiden growls in my ear, echoing my thoughts as he fucks me. “You belong to me now and I’ll never…let…you…go.” He punctuates each word with a particularly deep thrust, making me cry out, making me gasp my submission.

“Yes, Master,” I cry, feeling the magic of the wounded spell flow over me as my pleasure and pain start to peak. “I’m yours…only and always yours.”

“Come for me.” One of his large hands leaves my hip and travels around to my pussy. His long fingers rub roughly against my clit. “Come for your master, Emma. I want to feel your pussy holding me tight when I fill you with my cum.”

“Master…” I moan and suddenly it’s too much. The pleasure of being owned, the pain of his roughly inflicted punishment, the magic of the ancient spell pouring over me, yearning to be healed… It all comes together like a cyclone inside me and I feel myself exploding, my pussy contracting helplessly around Aiden’s invading shaft as he shoves himself hard inside me and pumps me full of his hot, creamy cum.

“Mine,” he growls again as he fills me with his seed. “Always mine, Emma. Never forget that.”

“I won’t,” I try to say but the magic gets in the way. I can feel it tingling all through me, rushing over me, invading me, calling my own, long dormant power to the surface.

Suddenly my eyes feel strange and so does my hair—my pupils burn while my scalp feels like someone poured a bucket of ice water over my head. Even my bones ache. The bizarre sensations rush over me, drowning me, overwhelming my senses until I can’t see, can’t hear, can’t breathe.

It’s too much to bear all at once. Dimly I’m aware of Aiden calling my name. I try to answer but my mouth won’t work. I shiver and gasp as the world goes gray around me. I open my mouth to scream…and everything fades to black.

Chapter Twenty-three

“Emma? Emma, darling? Wake up! Wake up.” Aiden is shaking me, a look of fear and desperation on his strong features.

“A-Aiden?” I blink up at his white face barely visible in the darkness, trying to make my eyes focus. Why is everything blurry and then suddenly sharp? And why does my scalp itch so badly? I put up a hand to touch my hair but blue sparks fly from my fingertips. With a gasp, I pull my hand back. I don’t want to set my own hair on fire! “What’s…what’s going on?” I ask him in a trembling voice.

“Your magic—you finally came into your magic.” Lexy is suddenly kneeling beside me, free of the tape that bound her earlier. Beside her Grant is standing, his hands on his knees, peering at me curiously.

“It’s true,” he says. “It came in like an earthquake when you fused the spell. I’ve never felt such a manifestation of power before.”

I recoil from him, thinking I’m still naked, but then I realize I’m wrapped in Aiden’s charcoal jacket. “Is that true?” I look up at my master for verification.

“I don’t know,” he says honestly, looking immensely relieved. “I’m just glad you’re all right, darling. You fainted and I couldn’t wake you up. Gods…” He puts a hand over his face for a moment in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. “Emma,” he says in a muffled voice. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I thought…thought I’d lost you.”

“You still might.” Lexy puts a hand on her hip. “Why didn’t you warn Emma this day was coming? Why didn’t you tell her she was related to Katherine? And what else are you holding back?”

“Lexy, please…” I hold out a hand to stop her. “I don’t want to fight right now. I’m too tired and I feel too weird.”

“No, your cousin is right.” Aiden sits back, his grip on me loosening. I don’t like that—I want to be held in his arms again but somehow I can’t say so.

“What…what do you mean?” I ask softly.

“There are things I haven’t told you.” He looks down at the flagstones, the curving circle still half filled with his blood. “Things I haven’t shared. But only because I wanted to spare you pain.”

“What things?” I don’t want to know but my mouth forms the words anyway. “What…what are you talking about? Please, Aiden, I need to know.”

Aiden sighs heavily and releases his hold on me completely. I feel so cold without him near me but I’m afraid to get close, afraid of what he might say.

“I never told you that you were related to Katherine because I didn’t want to tell you about the night I first saw you,” he says.

“You mean…the first time you came into my shop?” I asked, confused.

He shakes his head. “No, darling, I met you long before that. You just didn’t remember me. And I had almost managed to forget about you as well—until I walked into your shop. But the first time I laid eyes on you was fourteen years ago on the night your house burned to the ground.”

“What?” I look at him in disbelief. “But how…why…?”

“I’ll tell you everything.” He looks defeated and tired, as though he’s suddenly feeling every year of his immense age. “Though you will not like it and you may hate me when I’m through.”

A sudden thought occurs to me. “Aiden, you told me that Katherine was a virgin before you found her being…attacked. But somehow I’m her direct descendant so she must have had a baby.” I feel sick. “Please tell me you’re not my great, great, great grandfather or something creepy like that.”

“No.” Aiden looks startled. “No, of course not. The baby girl she had was as a result of the rape. I wanted to keep her and raise her but Katherine refused. The baby was a constant reminder—she wanted nothing to do with her.” His expression turns sad. “We placed her with a childless couple who desperately wanted her. I didn’t think about the blood tie I had to her—to all of Katherine’s descendants—until that terrible night I first saw you.”

“Blood tie?” I ask, frowning.

“When a vampire takes enough of your blood, it forms a kind of bond,” Lexy lectures. “Depending on the type and quantity of blood they take, the bond can be very strong—even lasting across centuries and generations.”

“True.” Aiden nods. “I was bound to Katherine by her blood,” he says, a faraway look in his eyes. “I loved her so much I wanted to die when she did, so I went to ground, hoping to sleep away the pain.”

“I know about that,” I say.

He nods. “When I went to ground, I still had Katherine’s blood in me—the way I had your blood in me tonight. It formed a bond to her next of kin—the little girl she gave away. She must have lived a quiet life and her daughter after her and her daughter as well, because none of them ever disturbed my slumber.

“Then, one night over a hundred years after my beloved Katherine died, I felt a calling—a tugging inside me. It was almost as though someone had tied a cord around my heart and was pulling as hard as she could.”

“The blood tie,” I whisper and Aiden nods.

“Your mother knew, darling,” he says. “I don’t know how—maybe she researched your family tree. But she knew I was bound to Katherine and her descendants and she called me up from the grave to save her and her little girl.”

He puts a hand to his face and I sense that what he has to say next is hard for him. “I came as soon as I was roused but I couldn’t save your mother—I’m so sorry. I don’t blame you if you hate me for that. But I did manage to bring you to safety. I put you in your aunt’s arms before I left.”

“That night,” I whisper. “I always dream about that night…” Suddenly The Dream comes back to me. Its details are vivid and for the first time, I can remember it all. The man with the deep, kind voice and white hands, the one who shielded me from the flames and saved me from the man with the slotted yellow eyes…it was Aiden. He was there for me from the first!

“But…” I shake my head in confusion. “If you were there, you must know how the fire started. And who was the man you saved me from? Was it…?”

“It was Sanchez,” Grant says. “He told me he’d been sent once before to get you, back when your power first started manifesting, early on when you were a child. The vampires wanted your blood to mend the spell, which was already in bad shape, even fourteen years ago.”

“Sanchez…” So that’s why when I see him I always smell burning and hear weeping. I shiver. “That bastard.” I ball my hands into fists. “I’ll kill him! Is he the one who set fire to my house?”

Grant frowns. “No—at least he says he wasn’t. According to him he went to your house but your mother intercepted him. They had words and fought—she managed to drive him away, back into the yard. He claims the fire started on the second story—he saw witch-flames shooting up the curtains in one of the bedrooms and then suddenly the whole place was ablaze.”

“Witch-flames?” I feel sick and dizzy. I look down at my fingers and see the crackle of blue sparks shooting from their tips. The Dream peels away like a piece of protective film that’s been covering my mind. Suddenly I realize that its safe fuzziness has been protecting me, keeping me from knowing, from understanding what really happened that night.

“Emma—” Aiden puts a hand out to me but I shake him off.

“Me,” I whisper, balling my crackling, dangerous hands into fists and stuffing them under my arms. “I’m the one who started the fire. I heard them arguing and I thought he wanted to hurt my mom—I didn’t know he was after me. So I called the flames. I…I wanted to throw them at him but somehow they got out of control. Oh Goddess…” I put my head in my hands, no longer caring if I set my hair on fire, as sobs rise to choke me. “I killed her—she sacrificed herself for me because she knew the fire had to be satisfied. The fire I called.”

“Oh, Emma, hon…” Lexy puts her arms around me. At first I resist but then I wrap my arms around her neck and bawl.

It all makes sense now. The way I couldn’t find my magic and thought I was a dud. It was because I’d buried it, hidden it along with the horrible memory of the night my mother died. Because I didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to admit to myself what I had done, that I had killed the one person who meant more to me than anything else in the world.

“I’m so sorry.” Aiden’s voice sounds far away and oddly formal. I force myself to pull away from Lexy and look up at him. He is standing there, in the circle, a look of grim despair on his white features. “I never wanted you to know that, Emma,” he says softly. “I fear that I’ve brought nothing but pain to you, just as I brought nothing but pain to Katherine.”

“Aiden…” I whisper but he shakes his head, a look of determination crossing his face.

“I release you from your servitude. I am no longer your master.” He stoops down and I think he’s going to kiss me one last time. Instead, he reaches behind my neck and unfastens the leather collar. Then he rises swiftly, regret filling his eyes. “I’m sorry, Emma. I hope you’ll live a full and fulfilling life.”

Before I can say another word he’s gone—flashing out the door in a white blur—showing the supernatural speed and grace vampires are known for.

For a moment I’m stunned. I feel like I’ve lost my mother all over again and now I have just lost the man I cared for, the man I…what? The man you love, whispers a little voice in my head. Only now he’s gone and he’s never coming back.

Chapter Twenty-four

Lexy takes me home with her and runs me a hot bath because I keep complaining that I’m cold, so cold I feel like I’ll never be warm again.

“You’re just in shock,” she tells me, hugging me tightly as she sits me on the bed in her spare room. “A lot has changed for you tonight. I’m going to get a bath ready and you can wash away all the bad things that happened.”

If only it was that easy. I sit on the bed feeling tired and cold and horrible. Over and over in my head, two different lines are playing and neither one of them is pleasant.

I killed her, whispers one. Me, I’m the one who did it. I killed her. I killed her.

He’s gone, hisses the other, sounding very much like the vampire with the snake voice. He’s gone and he’s never coming back. You’ve lost him. He’s gone.

“Bath’s almost ready,” Lexy calls from the other room.

Guess I’d better get undressed. I’m still wearing Aiden’s charcoal suit jacket but also my other clothes too, which Lexy helped me find and put back on. I drag myself up from the bed mechanically and start to strip even though I don’t want to. I cuddle the jacket close before I take it off. It still smells like him—like cedar and dark, masculine spice. I’m never going to smell that scent again because he’s not my master anymore. He let me go, released me from his service. He—

Suddenly I catch sight of a complete stranger right across the room from me. She’s tall and has long black hair and vivid purple eyes. For some reason, she too, is clutching a dark gray jacket to her chest. What the hell is she doing in Lexy’s house? And who the hell is she? Her face looks familiar but those eyes…

I turn to face her more fully and realize that I’m not looking at another person at all. Lexy has a full length mirror on the back of the closet door and it’s reflecting…me.

“But that’s not me,” I whisper aloud, daring to get closer to the mirror. “It can’t be. It can’t.” I feel a strangled scream rising in my throat. What’s happening to me? What am I becoming?

“What…what is it?” Lexy rushes into the room so fast she almost runs into me. “Emma, honey,” she cries. “What’s wrong?”

“That…that girl…her…” I point to the mirror, unable to say anything else. To acknowledge that the girl in the glass is me.

“Oh, that.” Lexy shakes her head. “I thought you knew—couldn’t you feel it when your magic was coming in?”

I remember the strange tingling in my scalp, the burning in my eyes, the aching in my bones. But still… “I didn’t know,” I say in a shaking voice. “Lexy, you should have told me. I thought there was a stranger in the room.”

“Oh, hon, I’m so sorry!” She hugs me but her arms around me feel different somehow. Looking in the mirror again, I realize why—we’re the same height now!

“Lexy…” I gasp, pulling away. “I…I’ve grown. I can’t believe…I don’t understand…”

“It’s just what happens when your magic comes in,” she says. “Like a second puberty. Remember how I used to be short and pudgy and have stringy dishwater blonde hair before I got my powers?”

I do vaguely remember that. But my cousin has spent so many years being tall and slim with her gorgeous waterfall of long auburn hair that I can barely recall the way she looked when we were both kids. Of course, everyone knows that a witch gets her true eye and hair color when her magic fully manifests for the first time. I just never expected it to ever happen to me. Apparently, tonight, it did.

“You’re a late bloomer,” Lexy says gently. “But you’ve got some of the strongest magic I’ve ever felt, cuz. That’s why it made such a dramatic difference when it finally came.”

“But…” I look at my new reflection, frowning. I don’t mind the hair—it’s actually the exact same shade as my mother’s hair. Just thinking of her makes me wince so I hurry on, trying to catalog the other changes. I’ve never heard of anyone really having purple eyes but mine are now—a deep jewel-like amethyst fringed with thick, black lashes. They’re startling—arresting in a way my old muddy hazel never was.

Despite the more obvious changes to my hair and eyes, what’s hardest to get used to is my new height. My body feels strange—stretched out—taller. But I can’t help noticing that even though I’ve grown a couple inches, I still have a fuller figure than my slender cousin. Which is so not fair. If I’d been able to change anything about myself, I would have wished to change my weight. I want to be skinny and sylph-like instead of hourglass shaped. Why did the magic change everything but that?

Then I realize what I’m thinking. Who cares what I look like now? Not when I just found out that I’m responsible for my mother’s death and Aiden has left me. Who cares about anything? I might as well lie down on the bed and just die.

“You stop that right now.” Lexy shakes me.

I look at her, startled. “Stop what?”

“I can hear every word you’re thinking and I don’t like it one bit!” she snaps. “Your mother loved you—she knew what happened wasn’t your fault. Kids make mistakes—you were only eight.”

“But I killed her, Lexy,” I protest. “That’s more than just a mistake.”

“For the Goddess’s sake, Emma, you’re acting like you went after her with a gun!” Lexy sounds exasperated. “You were precocious—you had a huge power crammed into your little body and it was leaking out like crazy. Remember how I told you what I overheard your mom telling my mom about you being the most powerful witch in a generation? And besides, you were trying to protect her when you started that fire.”

“I know that, Lexy,” I whisper. “I know it in my head. But in my heart I can’t help feeling…feeling that I’m to blame. I loved her so much…”

“And she loved you too, honey.” Lexy hugs me again, enfolding me in a fierce embrace, pressing her cheek to mine. “She knew you started the fire but she forgave you for it. What were her last words to you?”

“She said…” I close my eyes, the memory of my mother wreathed in flames pressing down on me like a weight. “She said she loved me.”

“Of course she did.” Lexy strokes my hair. “She never stopped loving you, no matter what. She forgave you and in time, you’re going to have to forgive yourself.”

I know she’s probably right but it’s hard to think about now. So hard when all I want to do is just curl up in a ball and stop breathing.

“There you go again.” Lexy pulls back and shakes me. “Stop it with the suicidal thoughts already, Emma!”

“How…” I clear my throat. “How can you even hear me?”

“It’s your witch-whisper, of course,” Lexy says. “Now that you’ve learned it, you don’t seem to know how to shut it down.”

“It’s the magic.” I feel stricken. “There’s too much of it and I can’t control it—any more than I could back when I was eight. God, Lexy, I’m a walking time bomb!”

“No, you’re not,” she says fiercely. “You’re just a very powerful witch who hasn’t been trained to control her powers. But don’t worry, we’re going to fix that. I’ll work with you every day until you get it under control.”

“But…what about tonight?” I look at my hands apprehensively, expecting to see blue sparks shooting from my fingertips again at any moment. “What if I accidentally light your house on fire, like I did back when I was eight?”

“You won’t,” my cousin says calmly.

“How can you be sure?” I start to move away from her. I should go sleep out in the yard. Or better yet, in the middle of a swimming pool or anyplace that’s not flammable…

“I put some magic dampers in the bath,” Lexy says. “You’ll be safe for tonight and the dampers will have worn off in the morning so we can work on getting your magic under control.”

Hearing this makes me feel a little better. I’m so glad I have a best friend like Lexy. She might seem ditzy at times but when the going gets tough, she does too and I know she won’t let me down.

Lexy makes a face. “I’m glad to have you as a best friend too, Emma. And I’m going to let the ditzy part go…this time.”

“Oh!” I put a hand to my mouth, aware that I was projecting again. “I guess I’d better go get that bath.”

“Guess so.” Lexy smiles and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I know everything seems horribly overwhelming right now but you’re going to get through it, Emma. I promise.”

I kiss her back. “Thanks, cuz. I hope…I really hope you’re right.”

But inside I doubt it. I doubt it very much.

Chapter Twenty-five

I spend the next several weeks at Lexy’s house, working on my magic. Surprisingly, learning to control it is not as hard as I feared it would be. I’ve already been through all the lessons, back when I was twelve and thirteen and still waiting for my powers to manifest. And I’ve watched my cousins and my aunt practice all my life. So it’s just a matter of putting what I already know into action.

I also try to make peace with the past. I go to visit my mom’s grave and tell her how sorry I am. Sometimes I can almost feel her presence and when I look in the mirror, I see her staring back at me. I know what Lexy says is right—she loved me and forgave me. The question is, will I ever be able to forgive myself?

But the thing that hurts me the most, even more than learning the traumatic truth about my mom, is Aiden’s abandonment. I thought he cared for me, that he wanted to keep me by his side. I guess I was wrong. But then…what about the way he claimed me? The way he insisted I was his and only his? Did he only say those things in the heat of the moment, because we were having such passionate, intense sex? Lexy assures me that’s what guys do—they make all kinds of promises, swear eternal love and devotion, say whatever it is they think you want to hear—but none of it means anything.

It’s hard for me to believe that about Aiden—I thought he was different. But as Lexy points out, even if he’s a centuries old vampire, he’s still a guy. And guys are fundamentally untrustworthy—at least according to her.

I keep waiting for him to call, hoping he’ll prove her wrong. Even if he’d just pick up the phone for a minute to make sure I’m okay, I’d be so happy…but he doesn’t. He doesn’t call and he doesn’t come into the shop on the days that I work. For all intents and purposes, he seems to have completely disappeared.

Sometimes I wonder if he doesn’t like my new look. After all, he always claimed to like me just the way I was and my magic did a complete makeover when it finally manifested. I think it’s a big improvement—aside from the fact that I’m still plus sized—but maybe he doesn’t see it that way. I hate to think that Aiden would be that shallow, but maybe now that I look so different, he’s lost interest.

I think about going to his house and talking to him but that reeks too much of desperation. After all, he released me from my service to him, what excuse could I give for showing up? I can’t even say I left my things at his place. The day after the incident with the Vampire Council, a big cardboard box arrived for me with all my clothing folded neatly inside. He’d even sent my cell phone and charger—everything was accounted for. I must have hunted through the box for an hour, turning every damn piece of clothing inside out but there wasn’t so much as a note. It hurt so much I sat down and cried afterward. And then I nearly set fire to the shower curtain when I tried to take a hot shower and relax.

All in all, not a good day.

Things are looking up a little now, though. I have my powers mostly under control and I’m finally moving back to my own place. Lexy wanted me to stay with her longer but I decided it was time to get back to my normal routine—whatever that is. I’ve been living such a strange, surreal existence for so long now, I don’t know if I’d recognize normal if it bit me on the ass.

When I finally step in the door of my little second story loft in Ybor City, my first thought is that it’s good to be home. My second is that everything is dusty with disuse—it’s been months since I lived here.

I don’t love to clean house but I get to work anyway, trying to put my place back in order…trying to put my life back in order. To go back to the way things were before Aiden picked me out of the crowd and claimed me…then tossed me aside like a broken toy he didn’t want anymore.

Thinking of my vampire master makes me sad and blue. After my cleaning spree, I decide to take a hot bath, drink a glass of wine, and go to bed early. I have to be to the shop tomorrow at seven, anyway. We’re training a new person to run it since my aunt declared that letting power like mine go to waste behind a counter is a crime against the Goddess. So I’d better get an early night.

As I snuggle into bed between fresh sheets, I close my eyes and send a silent prayer to the Goddess for deep sleep with no dreams. I’ve been having nightmares lately, dreams of blue witch-fire turning into hungry, golden flames that leap from my fingertips and consume everything in their path. I always wake up panting and covered in sweat but they seem to be your garden variety nightmares.

I’ve only had The Dream once since I went home with Lexy. It presaged my period, as usual, only this time I had a normal cycle. Meaning the cramps were bearable and my period lasted about a week instead of one hideous day from hell. It seems that my blocked magic was also to blame for the terrible stabbing agony I used to get. Now that it’s unblocked, it can flow freely, normalizing my menstrual cycle, which is inextricably tied to it.

Tired of thinking about The Dream and my other nightmares, I close my eyes and count sheep. Around sheep number two hundred, I finally drift off…only to find myself looking right at my mother.

“Emma?” She steps toward me, her arms held out.

My heart jumps. If this is a dream, I don’t want it to end. “Mom!” I rush to her arms and she holds me, our ebony hair mingling around our shoulders. To my surprise I realize that I’m taller than she is now. Well, of course I am. The last time I saw her I was only eight and…and…

“Mom,” I say in a rush. “Mom, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—I never meant to start that fire. I thought I was helping you. I didn’t know…”

“Hush, sweetheart.” She puts a finger to my lips and then hugs me again. “I know all that. I’m not angry—I love you. I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

“Oh, Mom…” Tears sting my eyes. “Then you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she says firmly. “It was an accident. Any child can burn down a house if you leave the matches lying around where they can get them. It just so happens your matches were inside you, if that makes any sense.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I take a deep, trembling breath.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” she says softly, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. “Thank the Goddess the vampire came when I called him. No one else could have gotten to us in time, no one else could have saved you from the house and protected you from the satyr.” She pats my cheek. “He loves you, you know. Very much.”

“I don’t think so,” I whisper. I feel tears rising to my eyes and try to wipe them away. “He hasn’t called or come to see me since he released me from his service. I think he’s completely forgotten about me.”

“Of course he hasn’t.” My mother sounds indignant. “He—” Suddenly her face changes. Her eyes grow large and her cheeks grow pale. “Emma, darling, I love you and I forgive you but now you have to wake up.”

“What?” I look around and see that the edges of this little reality we’re in are melting away. “No, please,” I beg. “I don’t want to wake up, Mom. I want to stay here with you.”

“You can’t.” She gives me a grim look. “You’re in danger. Wake up, Emma! Wake—”

"—up, you little bitch. Wake up.”

I gasp as my mother’s frightened face fades completely away. My eyes fly open to see the dark face of Emilio Sanchez leaning over me. His thick, goaty smell is suffocating in the small space of my bedroom. I open my mouth to scream but he grabs me by the throat, choking off the sound before it can even start.

“Told you I’d make you pay,” he growls, grinning fiercely at me, his slotted yellow eyes burning in the darkness. “I’ve waiting to get to you for fourteen years, girlie, but now your number’s up. I’m gonna kill you nice and slow but first I’m gonna fuck you, just like I promised.”

“No!” I try to shout but he’s choking off my air and it comes out as a desperate whisper instead. I think of kicking the walls to wake up my neighbors, but the condos on either side of me are empty. In fact, there’s only one other person in the whole building, an eccentric musician named Seth, and I’m pretty sure he’s on tour with his band right now. I’m literally all alone with no hope of escaping from the murderous satyr.

No, can’t think like that! I’m not helpless—I have power now. Except I need my voice to cast a spell. A fact that Sanchez doubtless knows or he wouldn’t be choking off my air until I see black spots dancing in my vision. I realize I have to hurry—if I let him make me unconscious, I’ll never wake up.

Burn him, Emma, a voice whispers fiercely in my ear. Burn him like you meant to all those years ago.

And just like that, the solution comes to me. I may not be able to say a spell, but I don’t need the power of my voice to call a witch-fire. The last time I tried to use it to drive Sanchez away, it went horribly wrong. But I’m an adult now and a powerful witch. I’m determined to make up for the past and get it right this time.

Lifting my hand, I point my first two fingers at him and call for the flames. Immediately, blue sparks spit from my fingertips and directly into his face. One lands directly in his yellow eye and Sanchez gives a cry of horror and lets me go. He knuckles his wounded eye with one hand and slaps at his clothing and hair with the other. But the witch-flames are hungry. They grow and spread, licking over his clothing and his dark, greasy hair.

The satyr howls and stumbles backward. He falls to the floor as the flames consume him and he becomes a living torch. I stare at him in horror, frozen to the spot. There is a horrible smell like cooking meat as he writhes in agony and now the witch-flames are spreading, jumping away, searching for more fuel.

No! My paralysis breaks and I call to the flames. “Come back, turn back! Stop!” But already the fire is beyond me, out of my limited control. They have been paid their due—the satyr’s writhing form is proof of that. But the witch-flames are horribly fast and voracious. They tear down the hallway and through my front door, spreading to the lofts on either side and the building beyond. Goddess, what have I done?

I watch numbly as the fire ignores my commands and then turns toward me. It rushes across the carpet and climbs the curtains, framing one of my two windows in flames. A feeling of deja vu fills me. This is exactly how it happened when I was a little girl. I called the fire and then I couldn’t control it. It’s going to eat me now, like it ate the still twitching Sanchez. Like it ate my mother. I’m going to die in agony, alone…

“Emma! Emma!”

A deep, familiar voice is calling my name. I jerk my head around, wondering where it’s coming from.

“The window,” he shouts. “Come to the window!”

I run to the one window not engulfed in flames, just as I did as a child. But this time instead of seeing the face of a monster waiting to hurt me outside, I see Aiden. Fear is etched on his white features as he shouts for me to open the window.

I wrestle with the heavy sash and finally wedge it open. The room behind me is filled with smoke and it billows out, making me cough and choke. “Aiden?” I gasp, looking down at him.

“Emma!” There is unmistakable relief in his eyes. “The whole building’s on fire,” he shouts up at me. “I can’t get to you. You’ll have to jump.”

“Jump?” I feel the pit of my stomach freeze in fear. The loft I live in may only be two stories but they are very tall stories. The ground is more than twenty five feet straight down and I’ve always had a fear of heights.

“Jump!” he shouts again, holding out his arms. “Come on—I’ll catch you.”

No way, uh-uh, whispers the voice of fear in my head. I don’t think so. “I’ll come the other way,” I tell him. “Maybe I can get through.”

“No! You’ll never make it!” His roar is loud enough to be heard over the hungry flames. I can feel their heat on my back and I’m afraid that any moment my hair will go up in a gold and orange and red corona just like my mother’s did so many years ago. Still, I’m afraid. Afraid to climb out onto the ledge and let go.

“But—”

“Emma.” His voice is stern and low and it sends a strange tremble though my body. With a start, I realize he is using his Master voice on me. “Emma,” he repeats in that same tone. “Come out of the window. Right now, do you understand?”

The many nights of erotic play rise up in my mind and I feel my body reacting, obeying, even though my brain wants to refuse. My head is dizzy and my hands are shaking as I climb out the window and stand swaying on the ledge, looking down at my master standing so far below.

“Master,” I whisper but somehow Aiden hears me.

“Now jump,” he commands, holding out his arms. “Trust me, Emma, I’ll catch you. I’ll always catch you.”

I don’t jump so much as fall. My fingers somehow peel themselves from the window pane and then, with a low cry, I’m flying free in the night with the ground rushing up to meet me. I close my eyes tight, not wanting to see, not wanting to know when I’m about to make impact…

Then two strong arms catch me and pull me close.

I put my arms around his neck and hold on tight. I’m crying and shaking and I feel him shaking too. Then, suddenly, he’s running. Running so fast the wind stings my eyes and I have to shelter my face in the crook of his neck. I have a confused impression of the raging fire receding in the distance and streets and houses streaming by at the speed of light. Then dark branches are whipping all around us. Up ahead, I see a house with glass walls, lit from within by a golden radiance. Unable to help myself, I think home.

Aiden doesn’t stop until he has me in the living room of his house and is sitting on a couch, still holding me. Only then does he speak.

“Darling.” He crushes me to him, burying his face in my hair. “Oh Emma, I thought I’d lost you.”

I’m tempted to melt at his words but then I remember he said the exact same thing after we healed the binding spell and I fainted in front of the Vampire Council. And then he left me and never called once. I struggle against him, trying to sit up.

“Why are we here? Why did you bring me to your house?”

“I…” Aiden looks stricken. “Instinct, I suppose,” he says at last. “You were in danger. My first impulse was to bring you where I knew I could keep you safe. To bring you home.”

“Your home,” I whisper. “Not mine.”

“No.” He clears his throat. “Of course not.” Abruptly, he puts me down on the couch and moves back, putting some room between us. “Forgive me,” he says formally. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t. I…I just…” Miserably I twist my fingers into knots, trying to think of what to say. How many times have I imagined this moment in my mind, since the last time I saw him? How many things have I planned to ask, to beg, to demand, to plead? And yet now they’re all gone and my head is empty. “How…how did you know I was in danger?” I ask at last.

Aiden looks at the carpet. “I felt it,” he says in a low voice. “I don’t have much of your blood left—I bled most of it out onto the Council Room floor. But there was just enough left to let me know you…you needed me.”

“Thank you for coming,” I say softly. “It was Sanchez. I set fire to him because he…he was going to…” My throat locks up and I can’t get the words out, can’t stop seeing those slotted yellow eyes as the satyr hissed his final threat.

“I know what he was going to do.” A muscle in the side of Aiden’s jaw clenches. “I should have killed him years ago.”

“Well, he’s dead now,” I say with a shiver, remembering the screaming, clawing lump of burning flesh the satyr became when the witch-flames engulfed him.

“I’m glad he won’t be bothering you anymore.” Aiden clears his throat. “As it happens, I won’t either.”

“What? What do you mean?” My heart is suddenly thumping so loudly I’m afraid Aiden might hear it. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to ground again,” he says quietly, still looking away. “I’ve tried living in the human world and it doesn’t suit me. Not without…someone to share it with. And I’ve never liked the company of my own kind.” He clears his throat. “I was actually just about to enter my coffin for the final time tonight when I felt your distress. Now that I know you’re safe, I can go ahead with my plans.”

I feel numb all over. “So…I guess this is goodbye.”

“I guess so.” Aiden’s face is calm but his deep voice is hoarse. “I’m sorry for any pain I may have caused you, Emma,” he says formally. “I hope…hope in time you may find it in your heart to forgive me. If I ever come out into the light again, I promise to look after your descendants and make sure they’re happy and safe.”

“My descendants,” I whisper and I know he’s talking about sons and daughters I’ll have with some other man. The children that have nothing to do with him—with a vampire who’s nothing more than a footnote in my past. A distant memory of a love that never was.

Suddenly there’s a lump in my throat that I can’t swallow and my eyes are stinging. “Excuse me,” I whisper brokenly. “I…the restroom. I need to—”

“Of course,” Aiden says. “Help yourself.”

But I’m already rushing past him, the tears stinging my eyes and my heart caught in a vise. He’s going. He’s leaving me. Leaving forever and if it hadn’t been for Sanchez coming around to murder me in my bed tonight, he never would have even come to say goodbye. I’ve done the stupidest thing a girl can do—I’ve allowed myself to fall for a man who cares nothing for me. I’ve given my heart away and now I can’t get it back.

I run blindly through the mirrored maze of the house. Somehow I find myself not in the bathroom but in the study, surrounded by the rows of leather-bound books and facing the huge, mahogany desk that dominates half the room. I sink down and lean my cheek against its cool surface for a moment, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Whatever I do, I can’t let him hear me. I don’t want him to know that he’s hurt me this badly, don’t want him to guess how desperately I love him…

“If you love him, go and claim him!”

The witch-whisper in my head startles me so much I nearly scream. I jerk my head up off the desk and look from side to side, trying to see who’s talking to me. There’s no one there, though. Just the ancient copy of Farrow’s Handbook of Spells and Summonings, lying open on the desk blotter.

“What?” I ask in a whisper. “Who said that?”

“I did.” The book jiggles a little. “I, your ancestress, Katherine. Speak to me in your witch-whisper. I will hear you.”

“Katherine?” I send back, my eyes wide with disbelief. “Are you really still here?”

“Only a small part—a piece of my spirit I left tied to my spell book,” she assures me. “I wanted to be able to watch over my beloved Aiden even after I was gone. I knew, you see, that I would precede him in death. Truthfully, it was what I wanted.”

“Why are you talking to me now?” I demand of her, still staring at the book. “What do you want?”

“For you to do what I never could,” she whispers. “I want you to make Aiden happy.”

“Make him happy?” I snort incredulously. “How? He doesn’t care if I live or die—I don’t think it’s in my power to affect his happiness.”

“That’s not true and you know it.” Katherine sounds stern, maybe even a little angry. “Would he have come to your aid tonight if he didn’t care for you?”

“He was responding to the call of your blood, that’s all,” I say dismissively. “He never would have come otherwise.”

“My blood is long since gone from him,” Katherine says quietly. “It was your blood that called to him, Emma. You that he wanted to save. You that he loves.”

“Yes, he saved me. Whoop-ti-do,” I say angrily. “And now he’s going to ground and he’ll never see me again. Is that the act of a man in love?”

“It is the act of a man who feels he has lost your love,” she whispers quietly in my ear. “The act of a man desperate to remove himself from the pain of that loss. He thinks you don’t want him anymore, Emma. And if you don’t speak up and let him know otherwise, he’ll go to his coffin thinking that. And this time, I don’t think he’ll rise again. This time he will let go of his life essence and return to the ground.”

The thought of Aiden giving up—letting himself die and decay—hits me like a ton of bricks, knocking the emotional wind out of me. I can barely hold back a sob. I want so much to believe her when she says, that Aiden still loves me, that he is only going to ground because he thinks he’s lost me…but somehow I can’t do it. I just can’t.

Katherine seems to feel my disbelief. “If you don’t believe me, test him yourself,” she snaps.

“How?” I demand back. Short of going back out to the living room and declaring my desperate love—which I’m not going to do—I can’t think of any subtle way to let him know I care and see if he does too.

“You know how,” she tells me, the book’s pages rustling with quiet violence. “Submit.”

“But…what…how…?”

But the book is quiet now and I sense my ancestress is gone. The little piece of her spirit she left behind to watch over Aiden’s happiness seems to feel it has done its duty. The ancient copy of Farrow’s is just a book now and I’m on my own.

At first I’m tempted to ignore her advice. After all, what does she know? What will I do if I try to submit to Aiden and he just ignores me? Or worse, politely puts me off?

What will you do if he goes back to ground? whispers a little voice in my head that I recognize as my own. If you never see him again? Are you really too much of a coward to even try? Which would be worse—his rejection or the knowledge that he might have loved you but you were too afraid and proud to try and find out?

I know the answer to that. I’d much rather risk rejection and know that I tried than wonder my whole life if Katherine’s spirit was right or not. But how exactly can I do this?

A gleaming spot of red on the desk catches my eye and gives me the start of an idea. It’s my collar—the one with the ruby pendant that Aiden took from me when he released me from his service. I could have sworn it wasn’t there a minute ago but now it is, lying beside the copy of Farrow’s and gleaming innocently in the soft lamplight.

Suddenly I know what I have to do. It may win me my master back…or it may end in terrible rejection. But whichever outcome happens, at least I will know I have tried.

Taking a deep breath, I reach for the collar.

Chapter Twenty-six

“Emma?” Aiden calls, just as I finish getting ready. “Are you all right?”

“I’m just fine…Master.” I can barely get the words out without stuttering but somehow I manage. “I’m here, in the study.”

“What are you doing in there?” I hear him ask. “Emma, what—?” He stops short in the doorway, the words dying on his lips when he sees me.

I run my hand through my hair nervously, hoping he likes what he sees. I thought about keeping my nightgown on but it’s sooty and scorched and besides, he always said he liked to see me naked. So I have taken everything off but the collar, which I am wearing in hopes he’ll treat me as his submissive again and not some stranger. The AC kicks on and a cool air current flowing from the vent teases around my naked nipples and pussy, making me shiver.

For a long moment Aiden just looks at me, and I can’t tell what the hell he’s thinking. “Emma,” he says at last, sounding stern. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I give him a look of wide-eyed innocence. “Getting ready for my punishment, Master. I…I was very bad tonight. I almost didn’t jump when you told me to and—“

Aiden is across the room in a flash. Taking me by the shoulders, he shakes me roughly. “Do you think this is some kind of a game, Emma? Some twisted little scenario you can play out one more time before I go to ground?” he asks harshly.

“No!” I cry, dropping the innocent submissive routine. “This is no game—it’s my life. A life that included you until you decided to throw me away like a piece of trash you didn’t want any more.”

“A piece of trash?” he repeats hoarsely. “Is that really what you imagine I think of you?”

“What else am I supposed to think?” I snap, crossing my arms over my bare breasts protectively. Now I wish I wasn’t naked but it’s too late for regrets. “I thought maybe…maybe you didn’t like the way I look now,” I say, making a gesture that takes in my purple eyes and black hair.

“You’re beautiful, Emma, always beautiful to me,” he murmurs. “Although I must say, I’m very glad you kept your figure. It would have been a shame if you’d become as terribly skinny as your cousin.”

I try to laugh but it turns into a sob. “That’s…that’s the only part I don’t like,” I confess. “Why couldn’t the magic make me thinner while it was changing everything?”

“Maybe it knew I like you like this.” His gray eyes flicker over me, taking in my naked body in a way that makes my cheeks get hot.

“You have a strange way of showing you like me.” I raise my chin, trying not to show my embarrassment. “You left me and never once called, never came over to check on me.”

“Oh, darling…” He puts a hand to his eyes for a moment and shakes his head. “I’ve been doing nothing but checking on you. I’ve been coming around your cousin’s house night and day, staying out of sight, trying to make sure you were all right.”

“If that’s true then you must have seen how upset I’ve been,” I whisper. “You must have had some idea of how abandoned I felt. Why didn’t you come talk to me? Tell me you cared…if you do care at all, that is.”

“Of course I care,” he says fiercely. “I love you, Emma! But I thought…” He shakes his head. “Thought you’d hate me for not being able to save your mother. For not being able to stop what happened so long ago, when you were only a child.”

“Why would I blame you for that?” I ask blankly. “I blame myself.”

“It’s not your fault,” he whispers, cupping my cheek.

“It’s not yours either,” I say in a choked voice. “And I could never hate you, Aiden. Never. I…I love you too.”

He pulls me close, crushing me to his chest and covering my mouth in a long, delicious kiss that takes my breath away. “Emma,” he whispers when he breaks the kiss at last. “Do you really mean that?”

“I wouldn’t say it otherwise,” I assure him. I put my arms around his neck, glad that even with my new height I still have to look up at him. “Are you still going to ground?” I ask softly. “Please, Aiden, say you’re not going to. If you leave me again I don’t…don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Of course I’ll stay here with you.” He strokes my cheek gently. “On one condition—that you form a life-bond with me.”

I frown. “But…that will cut your lifespan in half.”

“And lengthen yours to match it,” he says firmly. “I’ll only stay in the light if I have you with me, darling. I have no interest in living any length of time without you.”

I know I should say no, should refuse to let him sacrifice centuries of his life for me, but I can’t help myself. The idea that he wants to be with me so much, that he doesn’t want to live without me, fills me with joy so intense I can barely breathe. “Yes,” I whisper at last. “Yes, if…if you really want to.”

“I do.” His gray eyes shine, reflecting back my own happiness as he pulls me in to kiss me once more.

“What exactly does forming a life-bond involve?” I ask breathlessly, when he finally lets me go. “Is it some kind of ritual?”

“Not really.” Aiden shakes his head. “It’s more of a gradual thing. I’ll take some of your blood and then give you some of mine each time we make love. Over time, my blood will fill your veins, giving you half of my life force. And don’t worry, darling…” He strokes my cheek. “We don’t have to exchange vast quantities of blood at once. A drop or two here and there will do. Although…at certain times if you have more to spare…”

I realize what he’s talking about and a hot blush heats my cheeks. “Lexy told me I shouldn’t let you do that—shouldn’t let you go down on me while I’m…you know, during my cycle.”

Aiden raises an eyebrow at me. “Because it gives me too much power over you?”

I nod. “I think so.”

“Well, you can tell your cousin her fears are groundless.” Aiden strokes my hot cheek with his cool fingers. “You, my darling Emma, already have far more power over me than your blood could ever give me over you.”

This makes me want to kiss him again and as I lean into his strong, muscular frame, I feel something hard and hot pressing against my thigh.

“So, Master,” I murmur, when I pull back. “If it takes so long to form a life-bond, don’t you think we ought to get started?”

“Why, Emma,” Aiden growls. “Are you trying to manipulate me into making love to you? Are you topping from the bottom again?”

“I guess so,” I admit, biting my lip. “I’m sorry, Master.”

“I’m afraid sorry isn’t going to cut it, darling.” He takes my chin in his hand and looks into my eyes. “In fact, I think a punishment is in order. Shall we say…five strokes on your ass and three on your pussy?”

My whole body tingles with anticipation at his stern words. “Yes, Master,” I whisper, rubbing my naked body against him seductively. “I think that sounds more than fair.”

“In that case,” Aiden says sternly, unbuckling his black leather belt. “Lean over the desk, Emma. Assume the position.”

I have never been happier to do anything in my life. As I lean over the cool wood of the desk, the copy of Farrow’s catches my eye once more and I hear a soft little whisper, so faint I almost miss it.

“Make him happy, Emma. Give him what both of you need so desperately. Give him what I couldn’t.”

“I will,” I promise silently.

And then, with joy in my heart and heat spreading throughout my whole body, I prepare to take my punishment.

The End