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The Crimson King Ch. 01

By: velvetpie



The night was beautiful. Quiet, decadent in its richness, the inky velvet sky stretched for miles beyond eyesight, the retreating edges watercolor smooth as the sun arose and added pinks, mauves, oranges and yellows to its visual palette. He had always enjoyed watching the arrival of the sun. He was just upset that he could never linger long enough to see the brilliant star rise between the clouds and spread its glory over the land. To do that would mean certain death for him.

Thorne Halsbury was a vampire.

His tall frame cut a noble silhouette against the lightening sky and he leaned against the cold wrought-iron rail of the balcony, pushing his mane of dark, unruly curls back as his turquoise eyes searched the watery dawn. Thick, manicured fingers stroked a soft tuft of blond-brown fur, fashioned in a well-trimmed goatee and full lips parted the space between sections of facial hair. He smiled lazily. Another beautiful day. 

He felt the presence behind him before it fully registered in his senses and he smiled. 

"Enjoying the view?"

"Yes." Thorne answered the elderly man, Pieter, the housekeeper he'd known for as many years as he'd walked the earth and sighed in despair. "So beautiful, Pieter."

"The sun, she is the giver of life." He stepped closer and gently laid his hand on Thorne's strong shoulder. "She is also the bringer of death."

Thorne reached back and patted Pieter's hand. He knew that the housekeeper was trying to tell him that it was time to come inside. Pieter was his closest and only friend and Thorne suspected that he hovered over him because he secretly knew what really lurked in the depths of Thorne's soul. He knew the despair and the loneliness that pierced his soul. It would only take a few minutes, a few rays of sunlight to reduce that pain into nothingness.

"Come, Thorne. It's time to retire."

"Yes, Pieter." With one last look at the approaching dawn, he followed the man into the house and sought the dark comfort of his bed. The tears came as they always did and he didn't bother to wipe them away. He simply closed his eyes and silently begged for death.

* * * * *

"Sammi, we go live in five."

"Okay, thanks, Leon."

Sammi Glass opened her reporter's notebook and perused the hieroglyphics she'd written there. The story was a well-covered one, but she was presenting the mayor's re-election race with a different angle. That different angle was standing just a few yards away, nervously smoking and pacing back and forth. Leon Hughes, her cameraman, went over and spoke quietly to the girl and she seemed to calm down. He fished his wallet out of his pocket, gave her two folded twenties and a brotherly pat. 

"Okay, let's do it."

Sammi nodded and motioned for the girl to stand beside her. "You'll be out of the camera's shot until I step toward you. Then I'll ask you a few questions and I want you to answer them just like you did before, just like we were talking at the diner. Don't look at the camera, just look at me."

"And you'll get me a room for the night?"

"It's already done and it's for as long as you need it, Mary." Sammi laid a gentle hand on the girl's forearm. "This wasn't completely your fault." The girl nodded jerkily. "Now, put your cigarette out and take a deep breath."

"Sammi, five, four, three, two, one ... "

The cool strawberry-blonde blinked in the lights, then began speaking. "Mayor Richard Chambliss has been called a lot of things: a great man and a wonderful husband but the youngest mayor in our current history has never been called a father. Standing beside me is Mary Ann. We have hidden her face in order to protect her identity but as you can see, Mary is eight months pregnant with the mayor's child." The rest of the interview went smoothly. The girl stammered a few times but remembered to look at Sammi and gained a modicum of strength from the eye contact. "Reporting live, I'm Sammi Glass, Channel 5, Eyewitness News."

"And we're out." Leon turned the lights off and stashed the camera in the van.

"Did I do okay?"

"You did wonderfully, Mary. Now, Leon is going to take you to your new room and I've put lots of groceries in there for you." The girl's eyes widened. "And a doctor will be coming to visit you today along with a nurse from the clinic. Other than those two, myself and Leon, do not let anyone else into your room, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"It's for your protection, Mary. The mayor is going to comb the city looking for you. You have everything you need in that room and if you need anything, you call the number on the back of the card I gave you and either Leon or I will take care of it."

"Yes, ma'am." Mary's eyes filled with tears as she fingered the card. "Thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure, Mary. You won't be alone through this." Sammi pulled the stiff girl into a warm hug and smiled when her thin track-ridden arms went around her middle. "You're drug-free now and pretty soon, you'll have a beautiful son or daughter."

"And a new life?"

"Yes, a new life. Now get going. I want you to have something to eat and get some rest. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Sammi's cell phone rang and she flipped it open. "Sammi Glass."

"Sammi, that was fantastic! Where'd you find that girl?" It was her news director, Jacob Whiting.

"I can't reveal my sources, Jake. You should know better than that."

"Got her set up?"

"All put away and tied with a bow."

"Great job, Sammi."

"See you back at the office."

Sammi closed the phone, watching Leon pull away with the girl. Poor girl. She really had no idea what she was in for. Chambliss would do his best to either make her miscarry or kill her outright. There would be no payoffs from the Mayor's office. If she could survive the next two months, she would be rich. If she could survive.

The phone buzzed again in her hand and she thumbed it open again. "Sammi Glass."

"You like to play with fire, don't you, Miss Glass?"

"Who is this?"

"Let's just say that I'm a concerned party."

"What, should I call you Deep Throat?" She sighed deeply. "Goodbye."

"You don't want to hang up on me, Miss Glass."

"Why not, Deep Throat?"

"Because I can keep you from getting killed."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. I just called to give you a friendly bit of advice."

"Somehow, advice from you doesn't sound friendly."

"Well, it is and if you're the smart girl that I think you are, you'll take it. Chambliss will stop at nothing to find that girl and if that means killing you, he'll do it."

"So what's your advice?"

"Give up the girl and save your life. She won't be harmed."

"No, just her baby."

"She'll be given money to compensate for the pregnancy."

"Nothing can compensate for the life of a child."

"Maybe not, but half a million dollars could soften the blow."

"Look, I don't know who you are but there's no way in hell that I'd give Mary to you. I don't know how you got my number, but make sure you lose it."

Sammi closed the phone and leaned against her car, taking a few deep breaths, shocked to discover that her hands were shaking. Very little got to Samantha Lynn Glassman. She had survived violence at the hands of her stepfather and she had witnessed the rape of her favorite aunt, Sarah. She'd fought off her stepbrother's advances and ignored it when he called her stupid. Instead, she'd thrown herself into her studies and had won a scholarship. And had never looked back. 

A Bachelor of Science degree and a few years later, she was Sammi Glass, on-air talent for Channel 5. Her assignments often took her into drug-ruined neighborhoods and crack houses, which was where she'd found Mary living. She wasn't sure why, but the skinny little girl with the slightly rounded belly grabbed her heart. She'd taken her out of the house and using her own money, had checked Mary into a private rehab. Now, weeks later, she was clean and had her own place, looking forward to having her child. Now, Mary wasn't alone.

Sammi sighed. She wished she wasn't so lonely but maybe Mary could fill that empty space.

A high-pitched scream split the night air and Sammi whirled around, plastering herself to the side of her car, her heart pounding in fear. She was about to dial 911 when something smacked the cell phone out of her hand, lifting her off her feet and suspending her in the air.

"Not a good idea." The thing had a mouth and it spoke in low, raspy tones to her, flaming eyes blazing in the darkness of its shadow. She wanted to scream but the horror that pulsed through her didn't seem to reach her mouth and she certainly couldn't draw breath to give it a voice. "I don't require an audience. Do you?"

When his face breached the light, Sammi gasped. She had never seen such a beautiful man. His almond-shaped face was framed with wild dark gold curls and his dark, full lips were parted, two long canine teeth framing an otherwise perfect set. He leaned closer, the reddish light dying in his eyes but the true color remained hidden. She suddenly felt light-headed, lolling like a rag doll in his arms.

"What's a pretty morsel like you doing down here at night? It's not safe."

"I'm a reporter. I – I just finished a story."

"Well, you should get in your car and go home."

"I will." Sammi gasped, gazing into his eyes. "Who are you?"

Her scent was in his nostrils, a clean mixture of florals and dry cleaning solution from her suit. But the scent that caught and held his attention was coming from between her legs. She was becoming aroused by his nearness. That realization threw a deep pain into his middle, striking his vulnerability and he longed for the comfort of another's touch. It would be easy to take her, to lave her thick nipples with his tongue and to push himself into the sheath of her heated core. And to hear her whisper her name as they came together ... He licked his blood-covered lips and swiftly returned to reality, his bloodlust returning. He could not take her. Not now.

"Do not worry about who I am, Miss Glass. Get in your car and leave this dangerous place."

"Will I see you again?"

Her innocent question startled him for a moment. Her clear sargasso eyes locked onto his, dazed with his will and he sighed. Of course, she wouldn't feel this way when her head had cleared. The ability to manipulate humans was a boon in most situations but suddenly, Thorne wished he was just an ordinary mortal. "No."

"Why?" Sammi felt compelled to ask the question, though she wasn't quite sure why. Something about him pulled at her, making her want to be near him, to see him again, to hear his voice.

Try as he might, he could not keep his loneliness from bleeding into his voice. "Because I am not someone for you to know. Now go home."

Thorne slowly returned them to the ground and watched reporter Sammi Glass enter her sedan and drive away, wishing that his life could be different. She was certainly beautiful and his eyes had not missed the lush curves beneath her suit. Were circumstances different, he would have been pounding into her like a man possessed. Sighing in despair, he returned to the alleyway where he'd been before he'd seen the woman. 

A long swath of dark blood traced the path of his prey, now pitifully trying to crawl to safety. There would be no safety this night. Bloodlust blazing in his eyes, Thorne Halsbury knelt, pulled the man's head up and violently severed his carotid artery, welcoming the warmth of the blood spilling on his lips. His senses buzzed with the man's vitality and he felt the man's mind cry out for his loved one and it angered him. He bit more deeply and the memories faded quickly, leaving only the still-pumping blood and the shell. 

After a time, Thorne arose, his hunger sated but his mind raging with one word. Sammi.

* * * * *

Sammi Glass blinked her eyes several times and looked around. She recognized her house and her driveway but she couldn't figure out how she got there. She remembered the shoot and sending Mary off with Leon but driving home ... wait. There was a man. A handsome man with a mouth that she wanted to kiss ... she shook her head, unable to remember anything more and grabbing her purse and bag, she trudged up the path and let herself into the house.

She had an early call tomorrow so she bypassed the television and headed up the stairs, undressed and showered, pulling her robe on and brushing her shoulder-length hair. She almost screamed when she saw him sitting on her patio, his feet propped up on the small table. She went to the sliding glass door and gazed through its crystal pane, waiting for him to notice her.

"I'm sorry." The words echoed in her head. "I couldn't resist following ... to make sure that you were okay."

Confusion ruled Sammi's senses. She'd heard the words yet they sounded as if he was standing just behind her when she could see him sitting outside. "How did you do that?"

For the first time, she was able to see his eyes, a deep, seemingly fathomless shade of blue that defied description. A deep abiding twinge flew through her pussy and her nipples hardened to aching points, tenting the white silk of her robe. She watched as he stood, stretching more than six feet upward, his rangy body covered with black leather and a black leather duster draped over his broad shoulders. He strode over to the glass and smiled gently, making her feel as if warm butter was being poured over her. 

"Yes, I'm okay." She answered audibly.

His smile widened slightly. "Good."

"Would you like to ... "

"No!" Her hand arrested its movement as she reached for the lock. "I do not wish to come in." He pressed his hand against the glass. "I can feel your heart beating. Do not be afraid of me. I don't wish to hurt you."

Sammi stepped closer, her senses stirred by his presence. She wanted to flip the lock and slide the glass aside. She wanted to feel his mouth on hers and his skin against hers. "Please. Tell me who you are."

"My name ... " His resolve failed him when her sensual thoughts slammed through him. His long unused cock throbbed in its leather confinement and he ached to release it. "My name is inconsequential."

"Why is that? You know my name, you know who I am. Why can't I know who you are?"

"Because ... " Thorne's mouth dried up as she placed her hand against him, willing the heat of her body through the glass. "Because nothing good will come of us."

"Why do you say that? How do you know until we try?" She had spoken the words but she didn't understand why she'd said them, why she felt so drawn to this handsome man. Maybe it was because they were kindred souls.

"We can't try, dear Sammi. I would only break your heart."

Her mouth nearly touched the glass. "Then break it."

Her whisper nearly brought Thorne to his knees. He could feel the heat of her body through the glass and the perfume of her arousal was intoxicating. He could imagine that her pussy was leaking juices down the insides of her creamy thighs, that she would whimper sweetly when his thick tongue slowly lapped them up. An involuntary moan escaped him before he could contain his feelings and he backed away, pain coloring his features.

"I can't, Sammi." He leapt easily onto the balcony's railing. "One day, you will thank me for it."

Sammi watched in horror as he stepped off the three-story balcony. She fought the urge to scream and opened the glass, dashing to the edge of the balcony and looking for him. The handsome man was no where to be found. 

"I know you can hear me." She spoke softly to the wind. "Come back to me. Please, come back."

The Crimson King Ch. 02



Indeed, Thorne heard her. The depth of her whispered passion found him and he fought the urge to return to her balcony, to beg her to open the glass and let him in. But he hadn't let her open the glass because he wanted something more. He didn't want her to be another victim. She stirred feelings so deep inside him that he had streaked home, heading straight for his room and hiding under the covers. Still, her words had found him and the connection left him breathless.

"You can hear me, can't you?" He tried to ignore the sweet strains of her voice but his heart wouldn't let him. Somehow, she had found out how to use the connection that he had created and a flood of warmth raised goosebumps on his skin, making him hiss with need. "Oh, yes! I can feel you!"

"Please stop." He pleaded, throwing the covers aside and letting the cool night air caress his rock-hard cock. "I can't take it."

"It's your fault." Her voice tickled in the corners of his mind. "You started this." She laughed and the brightness of her soul seared him with its beauty. "Now I'm going to finish it."

"Sammi, don't … " 

His entire body shuddered in concert with hers. "Too late." Their connection was so strong that he could see her and he groaned, his hand encircling his purpled cock and stroking it gently. She was laying on her bed, the white silk robe carelessly tossed to the side. Her strawberry-blonde hair hung in an autumnal cascade over the edge of the bed, her fair skin pink in the soft light. He gasped. "Do you see me?"

Thorne could not respond. The breath refused to leave his lungs as he stroked his thick pole, using the copious pre-cum to lubricate the heated skin. His fingers moved down, circling around to give the heavy balls a squeeze, then slid back up to the head and gave it a hard squeeze. "Sammi, please … "

"You do see me!"

"I see you. I smell you … "

"You smell me? Do you smell my pussy?"

He groaned, inhaling deeply. He could fly blindly and find her by that scent. "Oh, yes."

"And do you want to taste it?"

Again, Thorne groaned. The visual was just too much for him to stand. It had been … how many years? … since he'd had human contact. He'd been a vampire for nigh on seven hundred years and he could never remember actually falling in love, wanting to be with one person. He'd had plenty of relationships before but no one had touched him like this. "Yes."

"Oh, please. Tell me your name."

"No."


"Yes. Tell me or never visit me again."

"My name is … Thorne."

"Thorne … " The weight of his name on her tongue floored him once again, making him shiver. "Oh, Thorne, my pussy is wet. I want to cum so badly. Mmmm … " She dipped her fingers into her honeypot and held them to her nose, inhaling deeply. "Smell that?"

His cock throbbed in his fist as her womanly essences filled his nostrils. She was so ripe, so ready for his assault that he could barely think straight. "Sammi, I … "

She slid her fingers around her fat, wet pussy lips, stroking them softly and drawing a lazy circle around her rippling hole. Thorne felt the electrical pulses as they streaked through her body and blasted into him. He groaned loudly, his muscles tightening in response. His aching cock twitched again, the fountain of pre-cum steadily pooling in the wide slit and sliding over his rigid flesh. As her fingers slipped into her well-lubed hole, his fist moved up and down, sending a storm of tingles raining onto his body.

"Oh, yes, Thorne … " Her voice was sultry and breathless, her desire riding her hard as circling fingers plunged deep, temporarily robbing her of her senses and catapulting her closer and closer to her climax. He felt her need as keenly as he felt his own: dark, deep and enduring and his hand moved a bit faster, gripping harder and lengthening the strokes. 

"Sammi!" The heat of her ardor sparked his vampiric nature and his canines elongated, fueled by the passion in his blood. "Don't!" She didn't heed his warning and he was lost to the sensations of her climax, mingled with his own release. Just as her pussy clamped around her fingers, a thick string of semen spurted from his tortured prick, spraying his chest once, twice, three times.

His eyes were filled with the rubescence of blood and it was several minutes before he returned to present time, to the sun cracking the dark shell of the sky and allowing the golden yolk to flow over the world below. His fangs retracted as his bloodlust cleared and he laid silently, his heart still pounding, the turgid flow of his blood pulsating through his now-flaccid cock.

"Good night, Thorne."

*****

A few hours later, when the morning sun beat a path to Sammi's bedroom and the alarm clock blared U2, the newswoman was pulling into the parking lot of Channel 5, her eyes bright and her latte steaming. Within moments, she'd passed the security checkpoint and was striding into the newsroom, news director Jacob Whiting following her like a dog in heat.

"Where the hell have you been, Sam? I've been trying to call you for the last two hours."

"I was at home, sleeping, Jake. I would have answered the phone if you'd have called."

"I did call. I called seven times. You never answered."

Sammi shrugged her shoulders, hiding the questions she was asking herself. Normally, she was a light sleeper. Could that dream she had have anything to do with it? "Maybe the battery died." She grinned and took a swallow of her coffee. "How's Mary?"

"Fine. She called earlier to thank you and I told her that you'd call when you got in."

"Good."

"And there's something else." His usually enthusiastic face turned somber. "There was a murder last night."

"A murder?"

"Yeah. Just a few blocks west of where you were. Did you hear anything last night?"

Sammi thought for a long moment. Something was attempting to rise to the surface but bobbed lazily under the waters. "No. We finished up and left."

"Well, a middle-aged man was found dead in an alleyway and his throat was ripped out."

"Jesus!"

"Yeah, and he was bled dry."

"What?" She came to a stop, glaring at him. "You've had too much coffee this morning, Jake."

"I'm not crazy." Jacob continued. "This is the fifth one in the area. They call him the ‘Crimson King'."

"'The Crimson King?'"

"Yeah. The first person he killed was found with a crown on his head, bled dry. "

"Ew!" Sammi arrived at her cubicle and dropped her purse and bag on the floor. "Gross!"

"Well, you'd better get over it. I'm assigning it to you."

"Oh, Jake! Why can't you give it to Grant?"

"Because he's covering the senate races. Besides, after your scoop last night, you're the high man on the totem pole."

"I see." Sammi sighed. "So what do you have on the Crimson King?"

"Nothing much. No one has ever seen him."

"No one? Oh, come on, Jake! This sounds like a bad rerun. This is not ‘Night Stalker', you know."

"I don't know, Sam." Jake plopped himself in one of her visitor chairs. "I've heard a lot of strange stuff about the Crimson King."

"So?"

"No one I've ever spoken to has ever gotten anywhere with an investigation of this creep."

"Any leftovers?"

"Other than the bodies? No. No forensic items."

"What about blood?"

"Nope. If there's anything left, it belongs to the victim."

"What about needle marks?"

"Needle marks? From what?"

"The blood removal."

"Uh … there weren't any."

"What? Then how was the blood removed?"

Jake swallowed, leaning closer to her. "Sammi, the Crimson King is a vampire."

Sammi Glass laughed. And not just an ordinary laugh. One that came deep from her toes, rumbling upward and parting her throat with wanton robustness. "Really, Jake. You must give Anne Rice a rest."

"I'm not joking, Samantha!" Jacob Whiting hissed, showing an emotional side that Sammi had never seen. "Surely you've heard of the legend. The Crimson King's been around long before I got here and he'll be here long after we've left."

"Jake," Sammi leaned back into her chair, sipping her latte. "Vampires are creatures of fantasy. They don't really exist."

The man she'd known as Jacob Whiting changed into a serious professional before her very eyes. "Come with me."

"I can't. I have a lot of research to do … "

"It can wait. Come with me."

Barely assenting, a scant thirty-two minutes later, Sammi found herself at the morgue, greeting Roland Thaw, the assistant Medical Examiner and following Jake and him into the antiseptic bowels of the county's Coronor's Office and Examination Center.

"So, Jake, what can I do for you?"

"I brought Sammi to see the ‘special' patients." Roland's dark eyes narrowed in disbelief. "And to see the newest victim."

Roland's eyes flicked to her, then back to Jake. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Jake nodded. "It's going to be her gig. She ought to know the truth."

"Jake, none of us know the truth."

"True, Rollie, but she needs to know what we mere mortals know."

Roland shrugged and gave her a weak smile. "All right, missy. Welcome to our personal Twilight Zone, 2004."

Sammi tried her best to smile but found it hard to ignore the stiff hackles that had arisen on the back of her neck. "Lead on, MacDuff."

Roland led them into a small supply room and Sammi and Jake were both fitted with smocks, pants, booties and headwear. Jake put his on without comment while Sammi chuckled during her fitting. When they were suited, they entered the elevator, watching as Roland extracted his magnetic card key, slipped it into the provided slot and pressed the Lower Level 5 button. The wide steel box thrummed as it slid down the suspended cables, then the door opened onto the mostly dimly-lit floor.

"Need an electrician?"

Roland laughed. "No. We just don't use it as much so we keep the electricity expenditure down here to a minimum. Everything still works, however. We just don't use the switches unless it's necessary." He paused, glancing to Jake but holding Sammi's attention. "We also don't use regular lighting here. That's the reason that there are no windows on this level, other than the fact that it's a lower level."

Sammi thought that this was strange and looked to Jake, who seemed to completely ignore her. "Why the special lighting?"

"You'll see." Roland turned his back on the twosome, used his card key to enter a set of polished stainless steel doors and secured them once Sammi and Jake had passed through. Once inside, Sammi and Jake stood in the center of the square room, waiting patiently as Roland opened a steel locker and adorned himself in the same clothing as they had. The only thing he added was a light blue face mask, tossing one to each of them and gesturing for them to put them on before stepping in front of the black-lighted silver door. "Ready for the freak show, kiddies?"

Jake nodded, then turned to Sammi. "What you see in here is classified as confidential. You cannot tell a soul, not one person, ever in your lifetime what you've seen in here, nor can you detail your viewing in words or pictures. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes." For the first time, Sammi felt scared. She'd never heard that tone in Jake's voice and she hoped that she would never hear it again. "I won't tell anyone."

"Okay. Let's go."

Roland placed his hand onto a biometric plate and patiently waited for the machine to do its duty: reading his fingerprints, comparing them to those on file and searching for his security clearance level. The light under the plate burned blue, signifying that Roland had high clearance and it went dark as the inch-wide steel door slid aside and the three humans slowly entered.

"Welcome to our Area 51." Roland muttered, handing two pairs of talc-lined gloves to them while pulling a pair on himself. Four doors opened off of the open area, all closed and locked with the same biometric plates as the one outside. Roland activated the first one, waited for the door to move aside and stepped into the chilled, purple lighted space. A coffin, square and unremarkable, sat in the center and Roland lifted the lid, holding a handheld black light aloft over the contents. "This is Stefan."

Stefan was nothing but a few bones and a handful of tattered cloth. He had been found in the same alleyway, about a mile up and he had been gutted. His heart had been missing and his poor state of upkeep had been blamed on the detectives. No one had known about the Crimson King back then. Another smaller coffin held bones from eight previous murders, all with the same modus operandi. All had now been linked to the Crimson King.

The second door held five coffins, all containing mummified contents, as did the third door. Each consecutive coffin held human contents that were more complete than the one before, yet each was still missing an item.

Finally, the fourth door. Roland used his card and took a gun out of the glass-and-wood box, a special gun that was equipped with silver bullets. "Stand behind me and if I say, run, do so."

Sammi heard the words but was unable to quell the amusement that bubbled in her throat. This was all so ridiculous. Black-lighted bones and well-kempt bones did not a vampire make, if a vampire could be made. "Ooo, I'm so afraid."

"You will be."

The door slid closed behind them and the interior light bathed them in violet rays as they slowly moved forward. A jail cell loomed ahead, the dingy steel bars dully glinting in the light. They crossed a dark column of tile, moved into another circle of light and stopped in front of the cell doors.

"Wake up, Domenico." At first, no sound answered Roland's call, then there was the sound of newspapers being rubbed together and a deep groan. "Come on, Domenico. I know you weren't sleeping."

The slithering sound grew louder and the accompanying groan played a gruesome counterpoint, driving the mirth from Sammi's body and instead, instilling a deep seated feeling of dread. Bitter bile burned the base of her throat and her hackles raised again, almost painfully.

"No." Thorne's disembodied moan matched her own and she recoiled from the unseen, held stationery by Jake's strong arm. The tendrils of the light caught the approaching man, playing on the hills and valleys of his ruined features. He shuffled over to the door, reluctantly moving into the light, even though he knew that it would not harm him and cast his eyes toward the group.

"Sammi, this is Domenico Roballo."

The scream caught in her throat as she viewed the man. His skin was a nauseous shade of gray where it laid against bone and black where it slipped into shadow. His nose was gone, the cartilage long eaten away and his teeth were bared in an eternal snarl, his lips shriveled into useless borders. It was his eyes that caught her attention. The eyeballs rotated in their sockets, dry as corn husks, the pupils mercilessly trained on her.

Deteriorated lips curled around rotting teeth as long-dead Domenico Roballo did his best to smile. "Pleased to meet you."

Sammi fainted dead away.



The Crimson King Ch. 03



Domenico Roballo. The name Sammi had innocuously transmitted to Thorne had kept his sleep from being restful. Roballo had been one of his victims in 1884. He was more than surprised to find out that Domenico had been, for all intents and purposes, ‘preserved'. Sammi's shock ignited his senses like a short circuit but his trance-like state kept him immobile. Once the sun set, he was able to rise and sat up, rapidly blinking and letting his feelings stretch out for her.

Sammi, Sammi …

*****

She had been so embarrassed. Jake had apologized, upset that the sight of Roballo had affected her so much while Roland looked on, shaking his head.

"I warned you."

"What the fuck was that thing?"

"A vampire." He answered, watching as she sat up with Jake's help. "No one wanted to kill him but we don't allow him to feed regularly. He gets awfully strong."

"Roland, vampires don't exist."

"Then you explain him!"

Sammi couldn't. There was no explanation to be had. The man in that cell was a walking dead man and he was alive. She looked to Jake who nodded. "Do you believe now?"

"I'm not sure." She said shakily. "May I speak with him?"

"Off the record. Permanently." Roland snapped. "And not for too long. He tires easily."

"I promise and Jake will be with me."

Roland gave a curt nod and re-opened the door, moving aside as the twosome entered. Domenico was still standing at the cell door, his gaunt frame swaying slightly.

"Sorry if I scared you, sweet." He rasped. "Are you all right now?"

For a moment, Sammi forgot that she could speak. "Uh … er, yes. Thank you."

"So why would a beautiful woman want to come see me?"

"Are you really a vampire, Mr. Roballo?"

"Yep. Was a farmer first. I sure miss the smell of freshly turned earth. Nothing like it in the world."

"Do you know who bit you?"

"Nope, never had the pleasure of meeting him. I was plowing a section of field when someone grabbed me from behind and bit me. Never knew what happened. Went home and let the wife clean me up. Then, I bit her. I had never fed before so I ended up killing her." He seemed to sag a bit at that revelation. "My boy, Danny, was next, then both of my daughters." He paused to take a breath. "After that, it was just anybody I could find until they caught me."

"And how long have you been here?"

"In this facility, about fifty years. I was captured in 1932 and I've been handed down through many generations."

"Do you want to die, Mr. Roballo?"

The leathery head hung, the greasy hair covering the damaged face. "I'd like that more than anything but I know that I'd probably go to hell."

"It's never too late to confess your sins, Mr. Roballo. A priest could give you a confession."

"Then would you kill me?"

Sammi shivered at the desperation in his voice. "No, Mr. Roballo. I couldn't kill you."

"I could kill you." The compassion she'd felt towards the unfortunate man died quickly, the underlying menace in his rasp palpable. "You'd be a tasty bit, eh?" He took a deep sniff. "Ah, you've met him, haven't you?" 

Sammi tried to hide her shock but succeeded miserably. "N-No."

"Yes, you have. I can smell your arousal from here. You want to fuck him, don't you?"

"I think it's time to go." Jake muttered, taking Sammi's arm.

"He wants you, Sammi. He wants to split that snow-white pussy with his red rod. He wants to hear you scream his name as he takes your blood."


"Sammi … "

She couldn't move. Her feet were rooted to the spot as Domenico lewdly continued. "He wants to make you his own!"

"Sammi, come on!"

Later, she would not remember leaving the Examination Center, nor Jake driving her back to the office. She only came back to reality when they slid into her parking spot and Jake laid a concerned hand on her arm. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry to worry you."

"Maybe taking you there was the wrong thing … "

"No, it was right. Just a bit disconcerting." Sammi sighed deeply. "It's all so … "

"I know how you feel, Sammi. I felt the same way the first time I found out." Jake's dark eyes took on a faraway and haunted look. "I've spent nearly ten years searching for the Crimson King. And this time, we're so close."

"Jake … Roballo was right."

"About what?"

"I did meet him. At least I think I did."

"Jesus! Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't come together until he mentioned it."

"So you saw the murder?"

"No." She wracked her brain for the memory but they were foggy, like shadows crossing the moon, the light filtering through in patches and illuminating certain spots. "I heard a scream."

"And then?"

"I can't seem to remember, except … "

"Except?"

Sammi closed her eyes and was transported back to her balcony, to the vision of his mesmerizing eyes on the other side of a pane of glass, eyes filled to brimming with pain and despair. We can't try, dear Sammi. I would only break your heart. "N-Nothing." She stammered, her heart pounding as blood rushed to her face, recalling their mind touch. "I'd better get upstairs. I have a bunch of research to do."

"See if you can find out what his name is. It'd be interesting to find out what his history is."

Thorne. "Sure, Jake. I'll see what I can find."

Hours later, Sammi found herself in the library, searching through dusty tomes and crisped fiche plates looking for any information she could find on Thorne and coming up empty. She'd fielded a dozen calls concerning Mary, people claiming to be her parents, agents for the local welfare agency, etcetera. They always came out of the woodwork. Deep Throat had called, unfailingly polite as he reminded her that she held her life in her hands. 

She forwarded the call to Jake, checked with Leon about the girl and satisfied that she was safe and taken care of, filmed a short follow-up for inclusion into the five o'clock broadcast and headed off to the library, where she still was now as the clock chimed eight.

"You won't find any information about me in these." The breath caught in her throat as she looked up into his luminous eyes, trapped between fear and flirtation. He pulled the chair out across from her, dropping his book onto the table and giving her a knowing smile. "Doing a little light reading?"

"Uh, yes." Sammi sat dazed, wondering what had gotten into her. Ordinarily, she was never at a loss for words but with this beautiful creature sitting across from her, she came undone. "Trying to find out more about you."

"Why?" He paused, pulling her legal pad over to his side and quickly perusing her writings. "Ah, a story. On vampires?"

"You know?"

"Of course." Thorne smiled into her eyes. "We're connected, love. Everything you see or feel, I see or feel." He moved closer to her, his scent wafting towards her. "Did you forget last night?"

"I wasn't sure that was real." Sammi blushed, looking back down at her notes. 

"Shall I make sure that you know it's real?" 

"I … " The moment his fingertips touched her cheek, she knew she was lost. A spark charged between them and his strong hand slid down her arm, the thick fingers weaving through her sweaty ones.

"Come with me."

She wanted to say no but her body betrayed her. Sammi blindly followed him up the stairs, not knowing where he was taking her and not really caring. The heat of his flesh against hers confused her senses and she found herself craving it. She hated that he seemed to know her better than she knew herself and she was afraid to find out what he had discovered carnally about her. He led her to a secluded area on the second floor of the library, respectfully placed the unused books and periodicals on the surrounding chairs and turned to her.

"Sammi."

His seductive whisper fired her soul and she moved into the circle of his arms, her heart uncertain but her passion sure. The loneliness that rang so loudly in her heart found an answer in his embrace. She pressed her body against his as his mouth captured hers, his warm, dry lips meeting and measuring hers, then forcing hers open. She whimpered, her body shuddering as he took control, wresting that precious commodity away from Sammi Glass, TV reporter and finding Samantha Glassman, woman.

Sammi couldn't breathe. Every inch that pressed against his body tingled and she was growing light-headed, now that his mouth was claiming hers. Her hands encircled his neck and her hands slid through the thickness of his silky hair, the curls winding around her fingers as she opened her sweet mouth further, allowing his tongue to sweep inside and explore.

Thorne sighed with the slightest hint of whimper as her soft mouth opened to him. His tongue wrapped around hers, teaching her the experienced dance of seduction as he knew it and fanning her flames until glowing embers ignited into a tumultuous blaze, scorching them both. She clung to him, gasping as his deep kisses robbed her of breath, turning her shapely legs into jelly and reducing him to an enamored schoolboy.

"Do you still doubt that what's between us is real?"

His mouth took hers again, his hands sliding over the soft fabric of her blouse and pausing at the buttons. As he popped each one open, his lips kissed the newly exposed skin, lower and lower until his breath was fluttering over her quivering abdomen. Slowly, he placed a wet kiss just under her belly button and smiled at her loud intake of breath. 

"Thorne … "

He unbuttoned the skirt and slid it past her hips, then used one of his sharp canines to pierce and shred her pantyhose. Her entire body trembled as he ripped them aside and lowered his face to the very wet juncture of her legs. Her juices had run down the inside of her legs, the majority pooling in her panties. He slid his hands very slowly up the curves of her hips, hooked his index fingers into the sides and pulled the panties down.

Sammi gasped at the feeling of nakedness. Her trimmed pussy was open to the air and exposed to his eyes. She felt the urge to speak, to cover herself from his scrutiny but the warm gust of his breath on her mound drove all thought from her mind. A shiver ran through her when his hands lifted her knees and pulled them aside, baring her weeping core. Knots of anticipation and pleasure twisted her stomach, tightening and unraveling at each touch of his mouth. She screwed her eyes shut and endured the breathless expectation that stretched her nerves to almost breaking, waiting for the stroke of his tongue.

Thorne spent a few long seconds inhaling her musky scent, then used one thick finger to part her ruby pussy lips, his mouth watering at the pearly juice that spilled out. Her body reacted immediately and he gazed at the beautiful sight of her body arching back, her heavy, rose-tipped breasts softly swaying. Her body hummed with tremors as his finger sank into her honeypot again and again, slightly curving upward and finding her special spot. He gently stroked, bringing her closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, then stopped, kissing her stomach as he waited for her to come back down.

She moaned in despair. She was so close … his finger was joined by another, stretching her, filling her, stroking her. A low groan escaped her and she heard herself grunt each time his fingers pumped into her hole. She tried to be quiet, remembering that they were in the library, but the sensations were too strong. A deep shudder tore through her as she moved toward the crest, only to dwindle into an erotic shiver when his fingers slid out of her.

"Thorne, please!"

Thorne ignored her plea, lowering his mouth to the inside of her thigh and sensuously licking her juices up and running them over his tongue. He pressed her knees farther apart, examining the pink outer lips and the much darker inner lips surrounding her blood red center with an appreciative eye, then snaked his tongue into her dripping hole. Her body arched again, the breath leaving her in one long gasp as he speared her deeply. He reached up and grabbed her pendulous breasts, giving them the attention he had earlier denied. 

With each lick, he squeezed her soft flesh, rolling the nipples and pinching them in concert with his actions. Her pussy muscles rippled around his tongue and her nectar coated his face and flavored his mouth with its tangy sweetness. Thorne didn't think he could ever get enough. He moved his nose upward and pressed its tip on her hidden button, his tongue still stroking.

Sammi nearly screamed when he touched her clit and an intense jolt of electricity sliced through her, sending her already overloaded senses into overdrive. She wasn't aware that she was shouting his name. She wasn't aware that she had grabbed his head. She was only aware of her impending climax, wildly humping her snatch against his face as she finally reached the pinnacle. Pleasure burst through her, consuming her and leaving her gasping in its sultry ebb, her pussy still quivering around his tongue.

He drank every drop of her luscious cream, savoring her release as if it was his own and pulling back when she finally released his hair. If it was possible, she was even more beautiful, spent and sated. Her cheeks were as rosy as her hard nipples and her green eyes had darkened to a lust-driven hue that sent a shiver rushing down his spine. He retracted his teeth, forcing his hunger down for her sake and moved over her trembling form, seizing her mouth with a soft caress.

His husky whisper sent chills up and down her spine. "Do you still doubt that what's between us is real?"

"No." She answered breathily, caught in a blissful cloud. His elegant fingers rebuttoned her shirt and pulled her underwear and skirt back up. "Thorne … " She sat up and was immediately caught up in the beauty of his eyes, blushing as he raised her still damp panties to his nose and sniffed deeply.

"I can't help you with your story, Sammi."

"You can't? Or you won't?"

"Both." Thorne touched her cheek, his fingertips memorizing the silky softness of her skin and the warmth that throbbed underneath. "And you know why."

Sammi met and held his gaze, a tremble of fear snaking through her. "Because you're a vampire, too."

"Yes." Thorne nodded, tracing the tempting contours of her bottom lip. "But you already knew that." He watched the change in Sammi's face, seeing her accept the truth of her feelings.

"Did you … " She didn't want to offend him but she had to know. "Did you bite me?"

His smile was easy, lazily playing on his lips and brightening his eyes. "No, sweet." He almost chuckled at the relief on her face. "It was very tempting, though." He moved close and kissed her ear, whispering, "Especially when you were calling my name."

Sammi blushed again. "I … I … "

"Say nothing." He smiled. "It would take more than that to incite me to feed."

The word feed made her shiver. "I see."

"No, you don't, but don't worry, Sammi. I have given you my promise that I would not hurt you and my word will stand." He tucked her panties into his pocket and helped her onto her feet. "Let's get you back down to your books."

He escorted her back down the stairs and to her seat like a gentleman. It was such a departure from how he'd been just minutes ago, ravishing her pussy like a madman. Her still throbbing pussy twitched in response to her thoughts and she smiled even wider.

"Something funny?"

"Not really."

Thorne knew exactly what she'd been thinking. The connection they shared laid her every thought and feeling bare and he'd been hard as a rock since he'd taken her upstairs. He watched as she sat, checked the time on her cell phone and turned to him with a smile. "I'll say good night."

"Good night? Already? It's only 8:30."

"I know, but I don't want to impose on your time."

"It wouldn't be an imposition, Thorne."

His heart leaped in his chest and he took a breath, hoping that the warm feeling he felt from her was borne of attraction and possibly affection. "Then in that case, would you like to have dinner with me?"

The smile she gave him was so brilliant and so warm that he thought he'd died and had gone to heaven. "Dinner? You can have dinner?"

"I do eat, Sammi."

She laughed. "I'm sorry. I've just never known a vampire before." Sammi felt so stupid. How could she have said something as stupid as that! "I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Good. Shall I pick you up here?"

"Yes, the library closes at ten. If you could come back here … "

Thorne leaned down and kissed her, pressing her mouth open and tasting her yet again. "I'll see you at 10:01."

"Okay." Her shy smile gave him the jitters. "See you then."

Sammi Glass watched Thorne leave, closing her eyes and remembering the feel of his hands on her skin, of his mouth on her legs, of his tongue in her sex. Her pussy pulsed again and she felt his warm breath on her neck, even though he had departed.

Soon, dear Sammi. Soon.



The Crimson King Ch. 04



Sonny Frangipone lit his cherry cream cigar and shoved the cigarette lighter back into its nesting place, drawing deeply on the smoke. Mingled flavors of his mother's famous cookies swirled into his nasal cavity, whisking him from the inside of a smoke-ridden and dent-damaged SS Super Sport to the table in Madonna's kitchen. 

Maddie Frangipone was well-known in the neighborhood for her Cherry Crème cookies and sold huge batches of them to stores and neighbors alike when he was a kid. Every night, she came home from work and started filling orders, making the dough, baking the cookies and packaging the finished product. And every night, he could eat as many cookies as he could hold while basking in the warmth of her attention.

That was why Sonny smoked cherry cream cigars. That was not why Sonny was waiting to kill a woman.

The central library towered above the empty street, a few cars hugging the chilly concrete curb as the rest of humanity flooded by. He had seen several people enter and depart and had even left the comfort of the car to take a leisurely walk through the building, noting that the target in question was on the main floor, her coil of red-gold curls mussed and her gorgeous face focused intently on a yellow lined legal pad. His dick hardened instantly. He had known that Sammi Glass was beautiful but up close and in civilian clothes, she was a knockout. He thought about fucking her before plugging her. It would be so sweet!

The library's door opened and Sammi came out, pulling a thick zippered sweater close as she carefully navigated the steps. She looked around, as if expecting someone, then sat down on the flat stone rail, pulling her cell phone out and making a call. Time to grab her.

The phone rang three times before a young voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mare. How are you?"

"Fine, Sam."

"Glad to hear it. You need anything?"

"No. Leon brought me some food this morning. Otherwise, I'm good."

"Fantastic. Anyone you don't know come by?"

"No."

"Good."

"When are you gonna come by?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. That okay?"

"Yeah. I just miss … "

"What?"

"A little girl talk."

"Aw, Mare. That's cool. I'll see you tomorrow then. Okay?"

"Okay."

Sammi didn't hear the man approach. All she felt was her cell phone being ripped out of her hand and a pair of angry eyes glaring at her. "Hey!"

"The incomparable Sammi Glass." Sonny hissed, pinning her arms close to her body and pulling her against him. "You're much prettier in person."

"Let me go!"

"Where's the girl?"

"What girl?"

"Don't play stupid with me, cunt!" Sonny wrenched her arm backward, drawing a sharp cry of pain from Sammi. "Let me refresh your memory. The girl, Mary. The Mayor's concubine."

"I don't know … "

"Give me the information, you fucking whore, or you'll take her place."

"Let me go!"

The words had scarcely left Sammi's lips when she was thrown to the ground and the man was whisked into the stratosphere. Shaken, she fell to the pavement, bloodying her knees and sobbing in pain as she grabbed her fallen cell phone.

"Sammi!" Thorne plucked Sammi from the ground, anguished at the pain he felt radiating from her and quickly carried her to her car. "Are you okay?"

Tears jeweled her thick eyelashes. "Yes, but my knees hurt."

Thorne pushed her skirt up and flinched from the sight of her crimson blood, dripping down her legs. "You're bleeding." 

Sammi heard the constriction in his voice and felt her insides quiver with fear. It's the blood he desires. It was a simple enough answer but it wasn't the one that satisfied her question. She dipped a finger into the escaping blood and held it out to him. His features darkened, his nostrils flaring and his canines slipping down into position.

"Stop." His voice was thin, fragile. "You don't know what you offer me."

"Yes, I do." Her buttery voice flooded his senses. "Lick it."

Unable to fight his instincts, Thorne leaned forward and let his tongue lash her finger. The blood droplets scattered over his tongue and into his mouth, setting his bloodlust on fire. He cleaned her offered digit, then dropped to his knees, enjoying the metallic scent of her life essence. His spine shuddered, making his body quiver.

"Go ahead, Thorne. Lick them."

He was afraid to give himself over to his bloodlust. What would happen if he couldn't stop? "Sammi, I might not be able to stop."

"I trust you, Thorne."

I trust you. He'd never heard those words before. At least not from a human and it shook him to the bone. How could she trust him, a vampire? He couldn't even trust himself. He felt her hands on the sides of his head and he was moving closer, closer, closer … yes! The glorious richness of Sammi's blood was cascading over his tongue and he shook with the onset of his bloodlust. She was so pure, so clean that his mind sang with the taste of her. He swabbed the long drips on her calves and attached his mouth to her wounds, sucking all that he could and shivering with need.

"Thorne, stop."

Her words quickly brought him back to reality and he raised his blood-red eyes to her, his fangs fully down. He was surprised to not see fear in her eyes. "You're not scared of me?"

Of course, she was scared. She was downright petrified. But she forced herself to remain calm. "No." She couldn't know but her trust was the greatest gift she could have given him. She arose slowly, her legs still sore and gave him a smile. "Now, are you still taking me to dinner?"

"Absolutely." Thorne took her hand, pressing a tender kiss to the soft back. "Shall we?"

*****

"Good morning, Thorne." The housekeeper was patiently waiting in the shadows, concern written on his withered features. 

"Good morning, Pieter. What are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you."

Thorne grinned, picked Pieter up and swung him around, howling with glee. "Oh, Pieter. She's so beautiful!"

"She?"

"Sammi. My beautiful Sammi." Pieter prepared tea for them as Thorne recounted his meetings with her and listened to what the words didn't say. And he was very astonished to find that Thorne was … happy. "We're going to dinner again tonight."

The older man set his cup down and chose his words carefully before speaking. "Is that wise?"

The smile on Thorne's face faltered, the edges drooping. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"She's a mortal."

"That never stopped us before."

"No, it hasn't, but you had a hard time with the death of your last wife."

Alena. The grief from her death had finally started to lessen when he'd met Sammi and until now, he'd conveniently forgotten it. Now, the stark hand of sorrow squeezed his heart and for a long moment, he gave into the dark feelings that had immersed his heart for so long. "I remember, Pieter." Thorne took a contemplative sip of his tea. "But that was eighty-two years ago and I have not had a mate since."

"You don't count the ones you took to your bed?"

"No. They were merely … entertainment. This one … this one has captured my heart like no other has." His eyes gleamed as he turned to Pieter. "In all these years, all these women … it's as if we're soulmates."

"I remind you once again that she's a mortal."

"That could be taken care of."

Pieter turned to glare at the young man. "You expect her to choose to our life?"

"She might."

"Thorne, we consort with the night and drink the dregs of life's existence. What beautiful woman would agree to give up the beauty of the sun to slink about in the shadows?"

"A woman who loved me."

"And Camille, Zora, Bonnie, Miriam and Alena didn't love you?"

"No, Pieter, they loved me." Thorne reflected on each of the women. "Maybe it was I that didn't love them. Maybe they were only conveniences, a faithful embrace, a meaningful release. But it's different with Sammi."

"Did you decide this after you tasted her pussy?" Pieter chuckled in his cup at the look on Thorne's face. "The scent of a sweet pussy is not easily covered up."

"No, I didn't make my decision after tasting her. I made it long before that." Thorne faced the old man, setting his cup down. "If she chooses our world, would you help us make a life together?"

Pieter set his cup down, laying a thick, gnarled hand against the young man's face. "Thorne, I have been with you for five hundred years and I have taken care of you and served you without question. Do you remember what you told me after you made me?"

"No."

"You said that you'd seen me with the children in the park and you wanted a father like me." He picked his cup back up, draining the tepid liquid. "And I have tried to be that father to you. Do you think I would stop now?"

"No, sir."

"Now, it's time to retire."

Thorne swallowed the last of his cold tea and gave Pieter an impulsive kiss on the cheek before ascending the stairs. On the outside, he was happy, but on the inside, his mind was working in overdrive, trying to figure out a way to ask his lovely girl if she wanted to become a vampire.



*****

"Reporting live, Sammi Glass, Channel 5, Eyewitness News."

"And we're out." Leon took the camera from his shoulder and gave her the ‘okay' sign. "Good job, Sam."

"Thanks, Leon." She handed him the wireless pack and pulled the lavaliere loose. "Hey, and thanks for taking care of Mary. She told me that you've been coming by to see her."

"She's a sweet girl in a bad circumstance." Leon shoved the news van's side door open and began reloading the equipment. "I hate to think of her being alone and facing all this."

"You're very sweet, Leon."

He chuckled, smiling at her. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Late night dinner last night … "

Sammi couldn't help but smile, her thoughts filled with Thorne. Her nipples hardened at the remembrance of their last kiss, her body shivering at the touch of his hands on her skin. Dinner was just a dream. She'd eaten teriyaki salmon while he dined on a very rare Delmonico steak but she didn't seem to remember how it tasted. All she could think about was him: the way he looked at her with his soft eyes, the way his mouth fitted perfectly to hers, the heat of his hands through the fabric of her dress.

"Well, a girl has to eat, doesn't she?"

"Mmm-hmm." Leon opened the door and let her slide in, then moved around the other side of the van, getting into the driver's side. "What's his name?"

"Thorne."

"Thorne? What is he, a soap opera actor?"

Sammi laughed. "Why would you say that?"

"Because that's a soap opera name if I ever heard one!" Leon started the van and navigated out of the parking lot, heading toward the freeway and back to the office. "But seriously, what do you think about Mary?"

"I think she's a nice girl with a long road ahead of her. She hasn't been clean that long so there's a chance that she could relapse. She hasn't finished her high school education so she's not as intelligent as she should be. And then, there's the question of the baby and its parentage."

"Yeah."

Sammi laid a gentle hand on her cameraman's shoulder. "There's nothing that she couldn't work through with your love and help, though. She'll need a strong shoulder when she deals with Chambliss and I think you could help her with that."

"Yeah."

"What does she think about you?"

The question had barely left Sammi's mouth when the van took a sickening lurch. The seatbelt bore most of the brunt of the sudden motion but that didn't make her feel better. Her mouth went dry when she saw the expression on Leon's face and the fact that he was stamping on the car's floorboard.

"Leon?"

He nodded wildly. No. "No brakes, Sammi!"

An involuntary scream left Sammi's throat as the van bumped over a curb, then wavered on three wheels, fighting to keep tread kissing pavement. Leon's arms bulged with the effort and his smooth cinnamon skin erupted with nervous sweat and his desperate eyes met hers. The other tire met tarmac and all squealed as the vehicle righted itself, dealing a glancing blow to an unsuspecting guardrail. 

Sammi fought the urge to vomit as fear twisted her innards. The headlights played on the black road, picking up the rhythm of the center stripes, weaving between them like a drunken seamstress' needle in a hem. Leon grasped the steering wheel in a death grip, trying to wrestle the one ton van into submission, despite the speed. By the way the van rocked side to side, it was evident that he was losing the fight.

"Hang on, Sammi!" A wide swath of silver metal was approaching fast and Leon knew that he wouldn't be able to turn the van. The curve was too sharp and they were traveling too fast. "Hang on!"

There was a loud crash, the gut-wrenching sound of metal shredding and then silence as the mangled van became airborne, soaring over a glistening surf-washed cliff face, then descending downward in a graceful arc, headed for the murky embrace of the glassy sea.



The Crimson King Ch. 05



"Sammi … "

The disembodied voice gently called to her and she was suddenly a bird, lazily flapping her wings as she soared over sea and earth. She swooped and glided, catching the caress of the winds and laughing when she was pushed upwards under their guidance. She felt so vibrant, so free as she headed for a twinkling light on the horizon. The radiance from the light swelled, gathering an outline and becoming a target. As she flew closer, she recognized the form and he turned towards her, his arms open and his eyes blazing. She screamed, the shrill shriek carried away on the wind, towards the crashing waves and breaking on the oily rocks below.

"Sammi … "

Sammi Glass opened her eyes and blinked slowly. Bright sunlight filtered in through the heavy drawn drapes, filling the spartan room and giving sustenance to a few plants that sat on the cold, marble sill. She tried to sit up, moaning as pain swam through her skull, forcing her back to the pillow.

"Well, welcome back, Miss Glass." A happy-voiced nurse greeted her, breezily moving about the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Where's Leon?"

"Mr. Antonidas? He's on the fourth floor, resting comfortably."

"He's okay?"

"Why, yes! Why wouldn't he be?"

Sammi lay back, closing her eyes and trying to remember what had happened. There had been an accident. The van had ripped through the guardrail and the subsequent speed sent them careening over the cliffs, heading straight for the cold water. She remembered the harsh impact, the tinkle of glass and then … nothing.

"How long have I been here?"

"You were brought in last night. It's almost two now so nearly 12 hours." The nurse checked her vitals and gave her a cheery smile. "I'll send the doctor right in. Do you feel up to having visitors?"

"Uh, sure."

"Good. Your news director, I believe his name is Jake?"

"Yes, Jacob Whiting."

"That's it. He's been waiting outside to see you. Shall I send him in?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, he can't stay long. Doctor Rutherford has to give the okay."

"Can I see Leon?"

"No, but I'll let him know that you were asking after him."

"Thank you."

Sammi didn't watch her leave, her mind on the aftermath of the accident. She wondered if Thorne had missed her last night. She closed her eyes and reached out to him, finding him deep in slumber. Thorne. She whispered his name, dissecting the layers of sleep and finding his sleeping core. Thorne, I'm okay. Please visit me tonight. She didn't stay any longer. She felt as if the effort was draining the precious little energy she had and she opened her eyes to the sight of Jacob's pale, drawn face.

"Sammi, you okay?"

"Yeah, Jake. I'm okay."

"It's a miracle. That's what everyone is saying."

"A miracle? Why would they say that?"

"Because the van was found burnt beyond recognition but you and Leon and most of the equipment was found on the beach."

Sammi sat up, instantly regretting the movement, her head throbbing with her heart beat. "What?"

"The van exploded. At least that's what they're saying happened. Number one, someone tampered with the brakes and number two, there was a strange little thing attached to the gas tank, set to go off when you guys reached 90."

Her voice shook. "A bomb?"

Jacob nodded, keeping his voice low. "Yes." He pulled a chair over to the side of her bed and grabbed her hands. "And that's not the half of it." He moved closer. "They have eyewitness reports that you and Leon were magically extracted from the van and that's how you ended up on the shore."

Thorne! "I don't understand."

"I think you do." Jacob leaned even closer, his lips seeking her ear. "It was him, wasn't it?"

"I don't know, Jake. I don't remember very much."

"Did you get his name?"

"No."

"No name?"

"He wouldn't tell me."

"But you think it was him."

"Jake, I just told you that I don't remember! Honestly, you're worse than a damn psychological test."

The door opened and a grey-haired gentleman strode in, followed by the nurse. "All right, Mr. Whiting. Time to leave."

"I just got here!"

"Sorry. I have to examine the patient. You can come back later."

Sammi gave herself over to the doctor and slipped back asleep after the medical professionals left. She was tired and her head was still aching so she gave in to the sleepiness that claimed her, comfortable in the thought that uniformed guards had been posted outside her room for her safety. Though it was unspoken, everyone knew that the ‘accident' had been delivered by Mayor Chambliss.

It was several hours later when the soft, insistent touch of a set of fingertips tugged her from her sleep and she opened her eyes to the warmth of Thorne's orbs. He touched the purpled bruise on her cheek and gingerly traced her split bottom lip, tears glistening in his eyes. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." Sammi tried to smile, wincing at the pain. "They say that I was very lucky."

"And that you were." Thorne adjusted his height, effortlessly floating above her. "Someone was following you last night and rescued you and your cameraman."

"It wasn't you?"

Thorne nodded negatively. "I woke up late or else I'd have met you at the shoot."

"Then … who could it be? Another vampire?"

Thorne's beautiful eyes narrowed. "Why would you think that?"

"No one else could have saved us from that wreck." Sammi reached up, smiling when he drifted upward, just out of her reach. "You saved us, didn't you?"

"No. I told you, it wasn't me."

Her cheerful smile died. "So what's that mean?"

"That there's another vampire out here." Thorne took a deep breath. "I'm not the ‘Crimson King'."

Sammi's breath caught in her throat as the implications of his words caught her. "Another … "

"Are you disappointed? Was that why you were with me? To do a story on the ‘Crimson King'?"

"No." Her eyes burned hotly in her bruised face. "I'm not like that."

Thorne took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He floated down, letting his body hover just inches over hers. "I had to ask, you know?"

Sammi did know and she understood why he was asking. "It's okay."

"Sammi," His voice deepened, matching the hunger that raced through his loins. "I want to taste you again."

"Oh, Thorne." Her entire body hummed with the anticipation of his touch and she closed her eyes, moaning when his lips took hers, pressing gently and allowing his tongue to trace her wounded lips. His touch was so gentle. He pulled the sheet back and removed the hospital gown she was wearing, then lowered his mouth to one of her already-puckering nipples. She arched, her soreness suddenly insignificant as shivers of pleasure rushed to her awakening pussy.

The scent of her arousal was intoxicating and he drank in every bit. His lips moved to her neck, kissing the soft flesh, moving across her collarbones and past her raspberry nipples, heading downward, over taut ribs and quivering stomach muscles. He loved her honest responses, a catch of breath or a soft whimper, that let him know how much she was enjoying his touch and he made it his mission to extract as many out of her as he could, each sweeter than the last.

Again, the touch of his tongue was gentle, softly stealing between the damp folds of her sex in search of her hidden pearl. He found it quite easily, stroking it into attention as she fought to keep her moans and whimpers low so as not to alert the nurses. She couldn't keep from quivering, her body arching to meet every stroke of his tongue as she moved closer to a sweet orgasm. 

Thorne pressed his tongue into her weeping chamber over and over, drinking in her essence and tickling her emerging clit on the upstroke. He wanted her to forget the accident and its accompanying pain. While his mouth captured her clit, curling around and stroking, he slid one thick finger into her canal. Her body arched yet again, the breath leaving her lungs in a low growl.

"Oh, God." She couldn't think; all she could do was feel. His finger moved in and out of her, joined by a second a minute later, catapulting her into the stratosphere. Her pussy clamped down on his fingers and her thick cream squeezed out, coating him and sliding down her ass crack. She rode those cum-slickened fingers to three more earth-shattering climaxes before he allowed her to breathe. "Oh, Thorne. I want to feel you inside me."

Thorne paused in licking his fingers to meet her dark eyes. "You don't know what you ask of me, Sammi."

"Why? Would you bite me then?"

"I might." He savored her taste, closing his eyes for a moment to imagine being inside her. "The bloodlust of a vampire runs perilously close to our sexual desires and I might not be able to stop myself from biting you." He bent to kiss her puffy lips. "And I could never forgive myself for that."

"What if I wanted to become a vampire?"

The blood drained from Thorne's face and his heart gave a great lurch in his chest. Did she know what was she asking? "I would say no."

"Is being a vampire that bad?"

"Drinking blood almost every day? Absolutely."

"But you don't drink human blood, do you?"

Thorne had known that this was coming. "Yes, I do." He said softly. "I never outright attack anyone. I just look for victims."

"Victims?"

"Victims of crime, car accidents … people that are already beyond hope. I've lived like this for years and have never had a problem."

"Until the ‘Crimson King'?"

"He showed up about two hundred years ago and has been creating victims. I've tried to catch him but I'm always seconds too late."

"Have you ever been close enough to recognize him?"

"Once. He had just finished feeding and I had smelled the blood and was coming in to see what was happening. He turned and looked at me, then flew off."

"How is it that there's another vampire that you don't know about?"

"We can't always sense each other. There could be still more here that I couldn't feel. Most keep themselves hidden because some vampires like to play Black Widow."

"I see." Sammi pulled the sheet over her naked body, then raised her hands, caressing Thorne's face. "Thorne, I need you to do me a favor."

"Name it."

"The young girl that I interviewed the night I met you, Mary. I need you to go check on her and make sure that she's safe." Very quickly, Sammi related the information regarding Mary Ann and the connection to the accident. 

When she finished, Thorne's handsome features were taut with anger. "Why didn't you tell me about that earlier?"

"I was afraid that you'd be upset."

"Well, you guessed right. I am upset. Someone tried to kill you tonight. You didn't think I'd be upset?"

"I didn't think about that … "

Thorne heard the confusion laced in her words. "You didn't think I'd be upset that you almost died? What do you think we've been doing?"

Sammi was speechless. She had enjoyed their trysts but she was afraid to think that his attention was anything other than superficial. After all, there was a monumental problem between them and it wasn't something that could be fixed with therapy. "I … I'm sorry, Thorne. I guess it's hard to have a relationship with a vampire."

Thorne let the hurt flee from his heart and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll go check on Mary for you. You promise me that you'll rest."

"I promise."

"And Leon?"

"I promise that he'll rest, too."

"Good." Thorne smiled into her soft eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." She accepted his warm and encompassing embrace. "I want to make love next time." Her innards quivered as their eyes met, the communication deep and undeniable. His mouth opened to protest and she laid a gentle finger across his delectable lips. "I'll take the risk."

Thorne felt torn; torn between the chance to love this woman and the possibility that he might kill her or worse, make her a vampire like himself. Beautiful Sammi Glass didn't deserve an existence like that. Still, he knew how stubborn she was and he nodded, giving her one final kiss before floating toward the open window. "Sleep well." He whispered, knowing that she was already deep in slumber, her pussy twitching in remembrance of him.

Now, to pay a visit to Mary. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about this …



The Crimson King Ch. 06



Pieter pushed the heavy wooden door open and winced at the cold that met him. Thorne had insisted that he move his lab but he was too content with the dark dankness of the dungeon that he could not resist its consolation. He set the basket of supplies down and activated the special black lighting system, illuminating two long trestle tables and a host of tubes, beakers and Bunsen burners arranged in scientific fashion. 

Three different colors of liquids boiled in the glass tubes: dark red, dark blue and icy green and all swirled, then mingled by slow drip into a tall, thin test tube. It was to this tube that he hurried, his brow furrowing in concentration as he twisted the stopper closed and stoppered the tube, lifting it carefully from the steel holder. The fluid moved slowly, thickly coating the smooth glass and inching its way into the purple light.

Pieter held his breath.

The liquid crept into the luminescence and began to bubble.

The housekeeper's shoulders slouched in recognition of the defeat and he flung the tube across the room in anger. He had been so close, so close to discovering Beauregard's Solution … if only he could perfect it! He'd read all the old texts and scoured the journals and yet, the equation was still elusive, floating just outside of the reach of his intellect, taunting him with each failure.

His thoughts turned to Thorne and to the woman he loved. If he could create the Solution, he would be able to give the young man what he craved: a normal life. Beauregard's Solution would cure the hunger pangs, would ease the allergy to natural light and would allow progeny to be born virus-free. Thorne would still need to feed but at a greatly reduced rate of twice a year. He could marry and bear children. He could swim in the currents of the salty ocean. And he could witness the birth of a new day.

Pieter sighed and as if in a stupor, shuffled over to the end table, selected a shiny scalpel from the tray and neatly opened the vein on his left wrist, the blood puddling, then dripping into the sanitized beaker.

Back to the beginning … 

*****



"We're here, Mr. Chambliss."

If Richard Chambliss heard the chauffeur's voice through the intercom, he paid it no particular attention. The total of his concentration was focused on the blonde's hot mouth as he pushed his stiff rod into her welcoming orifice, grinning evilly as his girth threatened to make her pretty lips bleed.

"You like that, dontcha?" She tried to answer but with her mouth filled, it came out mmphf. He didn't care. She was just a receptacle and he intended to give her a good thick load. Her elastic lips wrapped around the head, her tongue lashing the sensitive head as she swallowed his copious pre-cum. He pulled his cock out and got on his knees, placing a fatherly hand on the nape of her neck. "Come here, little one."

His cock slid into her stretched mouth, the head thrusting against her uvula and throat. She gagged and tried to push him away, but her strength was no match for her. He rammed his thick pole past her pearly whites, loving the feel of her spit-warm tongue and spongy cheeks as he sawed in and out. "Yeah." The word left his mouth in a deep hiss as he continued pumping. Tears dripped down her cheeks, her mascara leaving black tracks that fired his blood. "Yeah, fucking take me, little one." 

His climax surprised him with its quickness and ferocity. He grabbed her head with both hands and pushed his prick into her mouth until her lips touched his pubes and exploded. "Fuck, yeah." His cock jumped in her hot throat, pumping gob after gob of gooey sperm into her belly. Finally, he released her, sitting back on his haunches and pulling his half-flaccid penis from her mouth with a pop. It was then that he noticed that she was unconscious and gave her a wicked smile, leaning forward to activate the intercom.

"Garson, I'll get out now."

"Yes, sir."

The door opened and Garson performed his usual duty. He leaned down, cleaned Chambliss' cock of any leftover cum and zipped the mayor's pants. "Thank you, Garson. Is everyone here?"

"Yes, sir. Martin and Morgan just went up. They phoned me to say that they're ready for you."

"Fantastic." Chambliss got out and glanced over his shoulder at the still-unconscious girl. "You may have my leftovers."

"Thank you, sir."

Chambliss reached into his jacket pocket, extracted a cigarette and lit it as he climbed the stairs. The apartment complex was one that he had visited before. Years ago, when he was a volunteer in the mayor's office, he had taken a gay lover who had resided here. God, just the thought of his hot Latin body made him stiffen again. He reached the landing and found 17 without a problem. His quiet knock brought Martin Hough, part of his personal bodyguard contingent, to open the door and let him enter.

"Thank you, Martin."

The huge, muscle-bound man nodded in obeisance. "She's in the living room, sir."

"Fine. Lead on."

The tiny foyer entrance opened into the living room. Morgan, Martin's twin, towered over the cowering woman, nodding respectfully to the mayor and meeting his brother's dark eyes with a sexy smirk.

"Hello, Mary Ann."

"Richard, I didn't mean to tell her. She … she … "

"Aw, come here, pet." Chambliss sat on the couch and opened his arms to her. The sobbing woman crawled over and threw herself into his embrace. He pulled her close and gave Martin and Morgan a nod. The two men silently left the living room, leaving the mayor and his pregnant girlfriend alone. "You know, I've been looking for you. Why didn't you come to me?"

Mary sat back, training her innocent eyes on him. "I thought you didn't want to see me any more."

"Are you kidding?" Richard felt his prick harden as his gaze fell upon her milk-filled breasts. "You're a knockout, Mary Ann."

"Yes, but I'm pregnant. With your baby."

"I know that, honey, and you've never been more beautiful."

Mary's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Really. Here." He took her hand and placed it on his crotch, letting her feel how hard he was. "Feel that?"

"Yes."

"That's because of you."

"Really, Richard?"

"Has my cock ever lied?"

"No." She smiled shyly.

"Now, why don't you take me to your bedroom and show me that sexy body of yours?"

"Oh, Richard!"

*****

Morgan entered the kitchen behind his brother, pushing him against the sink and dropping blistering kisses all over Martin's neck. "I missed you, little brother."

Martin shivered, his nipples hardening instantly under the circular motions of Morgan's fingertips and he sighed. "You've only been gone a week."

"An hour's too long to be away from you." Morgan turned his brother in his arms and seized his mouth, roughly plunging his tongue inside. "Take me inside you, little brother. I can't wait."

Martin dropped to his knees and unzipped his brother's pants, practically drooling over the eight-inch cock that slapped his cheek when he tugged the Calvin Klein under shorts aside. He took the dark ruby head into his mouth, gratefully sucking the slimy pre-cum and swallowing Morgan's cock to the hilt. Morgan groaned, leaning back against the counter and fighting to keep his legs sturdy as his little brother's experienced mouth played a well-worn tune on his skin flute. Martin varied his speed, slowing down and lengthening the stroke, then moving faster, concentrating on the fat head. Morgan alternately cursed and whimpered, succumbing to the heat of Martin's mouth and letting it lead him towards pleasure.

Suddenly, Martin released Morgan's cock and stood, dropping his own trousers and offering his ass. Morgan bent down and shoved his face between his brother's ass cheeks, deeply inhaling the scent that was distinctly Martin and began to rim his tart asshole. Martin moaned, slipping a leg out of his pants and widening his stance so that Morgan could reach more of him. Morgan thanked him by pressing his face farther in, licking and sucking Martin's clasping hole and flicking his tongue over the sensitive perineum skin and ball sac.

"God, Morgy, don't make me wait any longer!"

Morgan momentarily ignored Martin's words, pressing his tongue into his asshole and tongue-fucking him until Martin was sobbing with desire. Only then did he stand, place the head of his rod against Martin's waiting hole and pull his brother backwards. Martin shuddered in his brother's arms, driving back until he was completely filled. 

"Morgy." Morgan turned Martin's head and captured his mouth, entangling their tongues as he reached down and grasped Martin's dribbling pole and matched his ass strokes with his hand strokes. Martin gasped, breaking the kiss and putting his hands on Morgan's muscled thighs. "Oh, God, Morgy! I'm gonna cum already!"

Morgan licked his brother's neck and bit, sucking hard and pumping Martin's plump cock. Martin cried out, thick ropes of pearly cum squirting from the wide hole in his dick and splattering on the floor. Martin's climax triggered Morgan's and he grabbed Martin's hips, slamming into him and shouting his name as his semen rushed from his heavy balls into Martin's slick, hot canal. Over and over, he ejaculated into his trembling brother, holding him close and sharing a breathtaking series of aftershocks with him.

"Now," Morgan whispered, slipping down to suck the cum out of his brother's asshole. "It's your turn."

*****

Chambliss watched Mary shyly undress, his mouth watering as cotton and rayon slid aside and revealed cranberry nipples, fat and engorged with mother's milk and smooth, rosy skin that stretched over her large belly. Just beneath was a well-trimmed pussy, one that he was well-acquainted with and his cock twitched as he remembered how much she creamed.

"You look good enough to eat."

With a little effort, she crawled onto the bed, propped herself up on some pillows and seductively spread her legs. "Then eat me."

Chambliss didn't have to be told twice. He was a sexual degenerate and eating a pregnant woman's pussy had to tank on the highest of levels. He shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie, toed his shoes off and crept towards her dark, silky petals. He wanted to take his time but his first taste of her made him so horny that he pressed his nose into her, sticking his tongue as far inward as he could. Mary screamed in delight, her hands caressing her unborn child as pleasure overtook her senses.

"I want you to cum on my tongue, little one. I want you to cum over and over until you can't breathe my name." He gave her a long lick, from stem to stern, curling his lips around her clit and giving it a tender suck. "Is that all right?"

"Oh, yes, Richard." All thoughts of Leon swirled away on the tip of his tongue. "Oh, yes!"

*****

"NO! I said, NO!"

Garson so loved working for the mayor. The perks were absolutely … "Oh, yeah. Suck it, bitch!" The girl struggled beneath him, trying to push his weight off her but she couldn't. He'd learned this little trick from the mayor. Straddle the girl's head and put your knees on her hair. She can't get up then. "And don't bite me or I'll kill you."

Mmmm. Delicious sensations traveled the length of his buried dick, the most delicious being her gag reflex constantly stroking him as he pressed against the back of her throat. God, he'd never felt something like that before. Fuck if she'd pass out. He could still fuck her mouth … 

"What the hell?" A loud crash had sounded on the roof of the limousine and Garson yanked his glistening prick from her mouth. "Did you hear that?"

The girl struggled from under him, hastily wiping her mouth and trying not to puke. "I don't fucking know!" Grabbing her purse, she flung the door open and stalked out.

"Bitch!" Garson's expletive echoed in the empty lot and he tugged his pants up, wondering where the hell she'd gotten to. "The mayor will bury you!" Still, silence answered his shout. He finished adjusting his uniform and examined the vehicle, relieved to find no damage, but still wondering what the noise had been.

"Looking for something?"

Garson opened his mouth to scream but the rip in his throat and the gurgling blood kept the sound from emerging.

*****

Martin's hard cock pierced Morgan's tight asshole and slowly slid inward. Morgan hugged the refrigerator, whimpering as his brother's slim dick plowed his ass. Martin was all he'd ever wanted. Even when they were experimenting as kids and were double-dating, he'd fuck the nameless, faceless girls while all the while, he was imagining that it was his little brother. Then that night … the night Martin had taken him … the night after their first kill … nothing had been the same for him. His world became Martin and wetwork.

"Marty." He gasped, feeling Martin stand on his tiptoes to deliver the deepest stroke to his clutching ass. "Fuck! I love you!"

"I love you, too, big brother." Martin murmured, humping Morgan's delicious ass and letting himself go, immersing himself in the smell of the sex and the taste of his sweat. He couldn't help but lick his broad back as he rammed himself deep in Morgan's bowels. "Oh, yeah. Oh, baby!"

Morgan steeled himself for the hot release of his brother's cum and gasped as a warm blanket of fluid covered his entire back. "Marty?" He reached over his shoulder and dipped his fingers into the liquid, bringing it to his face. It was blood. He didn't understand. Martin's thick, pulsing cock was still lodged in his welcoming asshole. What the hell had happened?

"I hope you got your rocks off." A deep voice said.

Morgan screamed as his eyes transmitted the gruesome scene to his lust-ridden brain. The stranger in the black leather coat held the torso of his brother and was sucking blood from the hicky he'd given Martin earlier.

And then, he was just screaming …

*****

Mary Ann couldn't stop quivering as the mayor arose from her pussy. Her heart was pounding in her chest and rivulets of opaque juice coursed out of her rippling quim, lubricating her asscrack and spreading on the sheets. She tried to catch her breath, sleepily watching Richard remove his pants, his thick rod dripping pre-cum as he spread her legs open again.

Little did she know that he had secreted a knife under his crumpled pants and planned to slice her throat open at the moment of his ultimate climax. He'd never had a snuff fuck and this way, he could rid himself of the unwanted child and the scandal and blame it all on the "Crimson King'. He nearly broke into full-blown laughter as he slid into her hot, creamy hole. She was so naïve. She really believed that he was going to leave his wife and marry her and that they could metamorphosize into the perfect couple.

Richard wrapped his hands around her slender neck, sliding fully into her snatch and thrusting into her again and again. He didn't see the look of fear on her face and the sudden uneasiness that flowed through her body. She had seen something. She had recognized that this wasn't a reconciliatory fuck; this was a goodbye fuck. 

"Richard … "

"Yes, little one. You're so perfect. I should have thought about this sooner."

"Thought about what?"

"About getting a woman pregnant and fucking her. Do you have any idea how hot your pussy is because of the life you're carrying?"

"Richard, get off of me!"

"Not yet, honey. I haven't cum yet."

"Get off me!"

With a sudden swiftness, Richard's heavy weight was lifted from her body and she was looking into the red, burning eyes of something she didn't know. "Who … what are you?"

"Run." The being said. Clutching her clothing to her naked body, she slipped off of the bed and stumbled towards the stairs. "Get your things and run."

Mary heeded the alien's words and half-fell, half-ran down the stairs, the coverlet slipping over her shoulder. She gazed at the emergency suitcase she had packed and turned toward the kitchen, intent on grabbing a few bottles of water. Blood covered every inch of the countertops and sink and something resembling pasta in a red sauce littered the floor. She gripped her stomach and quickly turned away, blindly pounding down the landing and the attached stairs.

She didn't make it very far. A pale young man in a uniform was lying at the base of the stairs and a half-dressed young woman lay in a twisted heap near the limousine. The softness of the stars and the cool, light breeze did nothing to calm her jangled nerves. 

The excitement of the evening melted into complete blackness …



The Crimson King Ch. 07



"LEON!"

"Mary! Mary, calm down!" Mary Ann opened her eyes and looked around, her entire body shaking with memory. The rich surroundings were unfamiliar but the handsome features poised above her were warm and comforting. "You're safe. You're safe now, baby."

She met Leon's soft eyes and pushed herself up, trying to remember what had happened. "Leon?"

"Yes, baby. You're safe." He moved aside and Sammi came forward, her open arms encompassing Mary and holding her tight.

"What ... what happened?"

"Did you see him?"

Mary broke Sammi's embrace and stared into the stranger's face. "S-See him?"

"Yes. The 'Crimson King'. Did you see him?"

Sammi gave Thorne a warning look and smoothed Mary's hair down. "Mary, tell us what happened last night."

Last night? Mary shook her head in confusion. "Last night?"

"Yes, baby. You've slept a whole day." Leon murmured quietly. 

"Wow." She thought for a moment, then she turned to Leon. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Richard ... "

Sammi nodded to Leon. "I knew he had your phone taken." The reporter stood slowly, limping slightly as she checked her own bag. "He didn't take mine because I took the battery out, but he knew you'd have Mary's number."

"Where are we?"

"My home." Thorne announced, his hackles still tingling in warning. His gaze fell across the room's occupants: Pieter, Leon, Sammi, Mary and Sammi's boss, Jacob. Something was still not right. He had felt it as he'd approached the complex and found the bodies, all dead expect for Mayor Chambliss who was missing and Mary, who was lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. 

"And who are you?"

He wanted to give her a formal introduction but something was still wrong. A little voice warned him not to reveal his surname and he gave her a warm smile. "I am your benefactor, a friend of Miss Glass'. You and Leon are here as my guests."

"And Sammi?"

"She is my guest also."

Mary nodded, accepting the support she felt as it flowed through her from Sammi's warm hand. "I ... " The tears began before she could stop them. "I was such a fool. Richard came to visit ... "

"How did he find you?"

"I don't know." Mary glanced at Sammi, whose quick nod urged her to continue. "All I know is that I was fixing dinner and his bodyguards walked in. Morgan and Martin. They go everywhere with him."

"Must have been the two in the kitchen." Pieter murmured and Thorne shook his head.

"What?"

"Just go on, Mary." Jacob urged, clasping Sammi's shoulders. "Tell us what you saw."

"They threw my dinner away." Mary threw a shaky smile at Leon. "I was trying to make chicken lasagna for you." Leon smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I was so mad that I started crying. Then Richard walked in." She took a deep breath. "He convinced me that he'd made a mistake. That he wanted to marry me and make a family with our child."

"Oh, Mary." Leon reached out to stroke her hair and she pulled away. "It wasn't your fault. He was victimizing you again."

"I know, Leon." Her tears fell anew. "But I should have been thinking about you."

"Mary, tell us what you saw."

"I don't remember." She said softly. "It looked at me and ... " Her eyes filled with the remembered horror. "It told me to get my things and run."

"It spoke to you?"

"Yes. It looked like a man but it had flaming red eyes and fangs in its mouth. It told me to run." Mary took a long breath. "So I ran. And then I passed out on the stairs. Is ... is my baby okay?"

"Yes, baby. A doctor came by and checked you out and the baby's heart beat is strong. He also said that you have to stay in bed until the baby is born."

"What?"

Leon shook his head. "He said that you could lose the baby if you aren't careful so he thought you should stay in bed."

"But what about my stuff?"

"All your things are here." Thorne pulled a drawer open and showed her the contents. Her underwear, neatly folded, lay inside. The next drawer held her shirts and the third, her jeans. "Sammi made sure that all of your possessions were recovered before the police arrived."

"And my Cuisinart?"

"You wanted that?"

Mary smiled weakly at Sammi. "Leon bought it for me."

"I got it, Mary." Leon said in a soft voice. "I cleaned it up just in case you wanted it."

"Well, since you're okay, we'll leave you to recover. Mary, this is Pieter, he's the housekeeper here and if you jerk on that cord, " She indicated the bell pull. "He'll come to your aid."

Pieter stepped forward and pressed a respective kiss to her palm. "I am at your service, madam."

"Thank you." Mary said in a small voice, suddenly beginning to feel overwhelmed by the attention. She turned to Leon. "And where will you be?"

"Right here with you." He gestured to a small bed shoved off in the corner. "I'll be close."

Sammi smiled at the repartee that was developing between the twosome and Jacob and Pieter preceded her out of the room. Thorne kept his arm wrapped securely around her waist, bearing most of her insignificant weight on his strong shoulders.

"You can let me go now."

"No, I can't."

"Why?"

"I know you're still bruised."

"I'm okay."

"Sammi ... "

"Thorne, I'm okay."

His arm relaxed and she was able to walk on her own, desperately trying to hide a wince as she limped at his side. She knew that he could see her discomfort but would do nothing else to aid her unless she asked. She blushed deeply. "Thank you any way."

"I'm very worried, Sammi."

"Worried? About the 'Crimson King'?"

"Sammi, do you keep a journal?"

"A journal?"

"Yes. Of all of your assignment locations?"

"Um, sort of. Leon would have a more complete one than mine. As the cameraman, it's his responsibility to keep location logs."

Thorne pushed the door open and walked her in, watching as she slipped out of her house shoes and robe, then slid between the sheets. He leaned over her and gave her a soft kiss, smoothing the hair back from her forehead. "I want you to get some rest."

"Thorne, I've rested all day."

"Then keep resting."

"Will you join me later?"

"Sammi ... "

"You made a promise to me, Thorne. It's my choice."

He'd hoped that she'd forgotten about it but he should have known that he wouldn't be so lucky. "Sammi ... "

"If I wake up without you right here," She patted the empty space next to her in the big bed. "I will never talk to you again."

Thorne wanted to ignore her but his heart wanted this so much. "I'll be beside you, sweet."

* * * * *

Jacob had been watching Pieter all night. The older man had been giving him the evil eye all night and now that he was watching the house's owner and Sammi interact, he felt his eyes even more, boring thoughts through the back of his head.

"What?"

Pieter glared at the man, arching an eyebrow at his bellow. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes. You've been staring at me all day."

"I guarantee you that I haven't been staring at you all day. I do have other duties."

"Maybe, but your duty today has been to stare at me."

Pieter felt strange. All the years of being a vampire, he had remained alone. He had dabbled in relationships, here and there, but nothing had held his interest. His practical mind always returned to the reality of his situation. He could never have a long term relationship. "So? You are a stranger to my home."

Jacob scrutinized the man, taking in the salt-and pepper hair, the broad shoulders and the lean frame. His dark eyes met another pair of chocolate brown eyes. "I'm a friend of Sammi's."

"Yes, but she doesn't own this house."

"And you do?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Pieter turned to him, his impassive features looming over him. "I'll bid you a good night, Mr. Whiting."

"I don't get to stay?"

"I wasn't aware that you wanted to stay." Thorne said, entering the front hallway.

"Is it a problem? I'll leave if it's a problem."

Thorne didn't know Sammi's boss but she trusted the man and Thorne would trust her. "No problem, Mr. Whiting."

"My name's Jake."

Thorne turned to Pieter. "Would you make sure that he's made comfortable?"

The housekeeper nodded woodenly. "Absolutely."

* * * * *

"Where the fuck is she?"

The office of Mayor Richard Chambliss was in a shambles. His faithful secretary, Cheryl, had tendered her resignation; his political adviser was in the bathroom, suffering from stress-borne diarrhea and his wife was desperately trying to pretend that all was well. The air-headed First Lady waltzed around the office, her baby blues slightly unfocused and an uncommon lilt in her step.

Only his assistant, Randolph, remained. "Uh, we don't know, sir. The apartment has been scoured."

"Scoured?" Chambliss couldn't believe that his evidence and the girl had escaped his grasp. Not to mention that his beloved bodyguards, Martin and Morgan, had been obliterated, as well as his chauffeur, Garson. "How could someone had gained entrance to the scene? I thought I ordered it sealed!"

"Well, the FBI took over this morning, since you had been present ... "

"How did they know I'd been there?"

"Seems you dropped your wallet in the bathroom."

"Shit!" Chambliss wiped a hand across his face. He really fucked this one up badly. "Ellie, will you please sit down?"

Ellen Chambliss waltzed over to where her husband sat, lifted her dress, baring her pussy and straddled his lap. "Fuck me."

Randolph looked stunned, pausing in mid-writing and he glanced at the mayor. "Leave us, Randolph."

"But, sir ... "

"Leave us. The lady wants to be fucked."

The assistant scurried out and Richard proceeded to rip the clothes from his drugged wife's body. Ellen Hunter Chambliss had always had a beautiful body and it hadn't changed in eight years of marriage. Probably because she was barren. The inability to have children had always been a sore spot for her and he'd endured years of therapy and multiple doctor visits, trying to discover the problem. It turned out that Ellen had been born without ovaries and she immediately became frigid, forcing Richard to find his sexual excitement elsewhere.

But drugged, she was something else. She impatiently rubbed her wet pussy against the front of his dress pants, leaving a wet spot. "Come on. Fuck me."

He flung her onto her back across his desk, unzipped his pants and roughly shoved his cock in her wet hole. She writhed beneath him, her neat breasts bobbing wildly. Somehow, it reminded him of Mary Ann and of how her little breasts had bobbed when he fucked her. 

Richard slammed into her mercilessly, the thought of Mary Ann in his mind, a curse on his lips.



The Crimson King Ch. 08



Pieter's dinner was, in a word, superb.

It began with a light Pinot Grigio, crispy and ice-cold, served in heavy, cut-glass goblets. Its slight acidity made it a perfect match for the garlic-basil sea scallops that came as the first course. Sammi sighed loudly, chewing slowly and letting the sweetness of the shellfish mingle with the buttery strength of the garlic. Her blissful smile made Pieter blush.

"Heavenly."

The second course was a Caesar salad, bright green leaves of Romaine lettuce covered with fragrant dressing and thick curls of Parmesan. Again, the wine fit perfectly and glasses were re-filled, except for Mary who opted for lemonade. Finally, Pieter unveiled a pot roast, toasty brown and swimming in juices. Whole pearl onions, baby carrots and halved fingerling potatoes with white split skins completed the dish and a chorus of oohs and aahs went up when he snipped the cooking twine and began to slice into the meat.

Pieter laid thick slices onto each plate, along with a generous portion of vegetables and made sure that everyone was pleased with their meals before he began to carve the second, smaller roast. It was much rarer than the other and Mary grimaced at the sight of the blood oozing from the meat.

"Sorry, Mary." Thorne apologized, handing Pieter his plate. "Pieter and I prefer our meat a little more on the rare side."

A hearty cabernet was presented with the roast and everyone at until they were stuffed. Pieter was especially pleased to see that Mary ate everything on her plate. After dinner, she asked to go to bed and gave Pieter a warm hug and thanks for the meal. Leon excused himself as well, putting his arm around her and escorting her to bed.

"Would you like a sherry?"

Sammi nodded negatively to Thorne's offer. "No, but I would like a Frangelico, if you have it."

"All right." He turned to Jacob and Pieter, who were deep in conversation. "Jacob, Pieter?"

"I think I'll take a sherry up to my room. I've got some work to do."

"Work?"

"Yes." Pieter arose slowly, turning toward Jacob. "On a personal project."

"I see." Jacob stood also, tossing his napkin on the table. "Well, I'll bid you all good night." He held his hand out to Thorne. "Even though I still don't know your name, thanks for your hospitality and Pieter, thanks for an exquisite dinner."

Jacob followed Pieter out of the room, leaving Thorne and Sammi.

"Shall we?"

Sammi took Thorne's arm and let him lead her into the library.

* * * * *

Leon lay silently in the room, staring sightless into the darkness, his fingers wrapped around his rock-hard tool. He could hear her breathing, light and clear and he imagined her heavy breasts, rising and falling, rising and falling ... He whimpered like a child, lost in the depths of the sweet fantasy. He'd met a lot of girls in his life but no one was like Mary. Her beauty, her innocence ... she was a fighter. She had kicked a dope habit to have this child and she was determined to be the best mother in the world.

Still, as drawn as he was to her intellect and her survival skills, his masculinity could not resist the siren call of a soon-to-be mother. And neither could his memories. He had never forgotten the beauty of his mother when she was pregnant with his brother, Mateo. How she had cuddled him against those heated breasts and clutched him to her nurturing body. He'd long to suckle on her taupe nipples like his baby brother but she had denied him. He was too old and the milk was for the baby. Oh, mother!

"Leon." His entire body stiffened as her hand closed gently over his, her small fingers lacing through his. "Come to my bed."

"No."

Her soft mouth covered his, turning his resolve into jelly. "Leon, please. I need you."

"I don't want to hurt you, Mary."

"You won't, Leon."

Mary stood up and trembled as the strong Latin man arose from the cot, his lean, muscular frame clothed only in underwear. He loomed over her, his arousal jutting in front of his and his solemn features trained on her. Her small hands made short work of ridding him of his underclothes and she took his hand, leading him to the bid bed and pushing him back onto it. Kneeling between his legs, she marveled at the beauty of his cock and gently licked the clear pearl of pre-cum from the mushroom head.

"Oh, Mary." Leon breathed, goosebumps forming on his arms and legs. He could barely contain himself as her delicate mouth covered the head, her tongue snaking over the sensitive skin. Her lips moved down his stalk, stopping about two-thirds of the way from the bottom, struggling to take all of him into her mouth. "It's okay. It's okay if you can't."

Mary ignored him, doing her best to swallow his thick length. He smelled so good and his skin was so smooth that she found herself deeply enjoying the act, especially when he moaned her name so silkily. She wrapped her hand around the base of his stalk, using the mixture of her saliva and his slick pre-cum to lubricate the skin, while her mouth sucked the large head. She wanted to smile; she must have been doing something right because he was gripping the sheets and gasping as his hips tried to match her rhythm.

"¡Dios! ¡Dios Mio! Mary!"

Without warning, he came, his salty-sweet essence spurting into her mouth and momentarily making her cheeks bulge before she swallowed it. He filled her mouth twice more, then his lovely bulk went limp, his wet cock sliding from between her lips. Mary crawled over him, locking lips and sharing the traces of his cum with him. He groaned, pulling her as close as possible and sucking on her tongue.

"Oh, Mary! I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She whispered, planting kisses along the seam of his mouth. "You'll have plenty of time to thank me later. Now come and get under the covers. I'm so sleepy."

Mary climbed under the covers and Leon followed, pulling her close and burying his face in her soft hair. He never felt so comfortable in his life.

* * * * *

He was having a strange dream.

It was a glorious dream, though. The warmth of a body was pressed against his back and a hot tongue was making its way across the nape of his neck, down the sensitive side and up around his ear. Jacob whimpered softly as a pair of hands gently slid down his sides, raising goosebumps in their wake, caressing his flesh with great care. The palms circled his buttocks, kneading and squeezing, then pulling the globes apart. Cool air rushed down his ass crack, followed by a thick finger that smoothed the soft, blond hair at the top and chased the slight hirsute trail to his asshole.

Jacob moaned, unconsciously wiggling and widening his legs, still deep in sleep. The finger circled his pucker again, teasing the receptive skin and lightly pressing inward after each loop. On the sixth loop, the thick fingertip slid inward and Jacob's cock hardened to steel, juice leaking from its spongy tip. Another finger joined and soon, he was being stretched and fucked by the fingers, his body unconsciously responding. Finally, a third breached his hole, accompanied with a cold, wet sensation that made him shiver into wakefulness.

"Hey."

He didn't have a chance to struggle. The warm body pinned him with tensile strength, the fingers replaced by the velvety steel of a stiff cock that traversed the slickness of his ass. 

"Hey! Get the fuck off me!"

"Fight me." The voice whispered hotly in his ear, the fat mushroom head still teasing his asshole and making him squirm. "Fight me, Jacob. Show me you're a man."

"I don't have to show you anything!" The desperation in his voice caused it to thin and break. Jacob was not a small man at 6'1" and 220 pounds but the way he was pinned and the power involved left him helpless. "Get the fuck off of me!"

"Make me!"

The seductive nature of the voice and the hot breath on his ear made Jacob shuddered, along with the lubed cock that continuously tormented him. He wanted to give in and lift his hips. He wanted to feel the fullness of a fat cock in his hole. "Please." The quiver in his voice betrayed his feelings. "Don't do this."

"You want this, Jacob."

"What?"

"You've been fighting with me all day, rubbing up against me in the kitchen, giving me those sly smiles ... I know you were flirting." One of Jacob's hands was released and a questing hand wormed under their sandwiched bodies, finding Jacob's cock, rigid and dribbling. "Do I lie?"

"No, please." The hand recaptured his and muscled knees spread his legs apart. "Not like this."

"Fight me, Jacob, because I don't intend to get off of you." The cock teased his flexing hole again, slower this time and a thick tongue set off a series of tremors as it traveled around the shell of Jacob's ear. "I intend to get off in you."

Before Jacob could protest further, the body leaned into him, the cock's head pressing past his sphincter muscle. He cried out, partly from the pain and partly from a renewed effort to wage war with this person. The pillow absorbed his grunts and something on the nightstand went crashing to the floor.

"Yes." The voice hissed. The motion from the struggling made the head fully pop in and Jacob growled in anger, pain and pleasure radiating through him. He redoubled his efforts, gasping and trembling as the cock continued its assault on his asshole. He knew that his actions were causing further penetration but he didn't care. He thrashed, he bucked, he pushed, he battled. Winded and seemingly defeated, Jacob sunk to the mattress, his body shuddering as the rasp of springy pubes against his ass skin signaled bottom.

"God, yes." Jacob breathed as the slow attack began, sliding slowly out of his stretched hole, then back inside with an intimacy that stole Jacob's breath. Arms covered his and fingers intertwined, lips nibbled his neck and caressed his ear and toes stroked his calves. His skin felt electrified, tingling from forehead to toenail and he couldn't stop trembling. "Oh, God, yes!"

"You feel so good." The voice said seductively. "So slick and tight."

"So do you. Oh, so fucking hard ... "

"I've been thinking about doing this all night." Jacob growled again as the pace picked up, the gentle rhythm clicking on an unheard metronome. He tried to spread his legs wider and was rewarded by a deeper stroke and a hard suck on the side of his neck. He whimpered submissively. "I wanted to swallow that beautiful cock and taste you but you just looked so good. Still wet from your shower and naked."

"Oh, yeah."

"Would you have liked it if I caught you in the shower?"

"Yes." His stomach quivered as the fantasy unfurled in his mind. 

"Would you have let me fuck you?"

"Yes."

"Like I am now, by force?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Fuck, you're going to make me ... " No more words filled the dark silence. Grunts, moans and whimpers wove into music that pierced Jacob's soul. He gave himself over to the exquisite feelings, to the roughness of an unfamiliar tongue in his mouth and a stranger's prick in his asshole. All bets were off now. His hips were jerked upward and he reached for the headboard, holding on for dear life as the pole plowed his ass, drilling and driving him closer to the edge. "Cum with me."

Jacob roared as his cock exploded, creaming the sheets with thick globs of cum and his knees shook like jelly with the force of his release. His partner's climax took him off guard, triggering a strong aftershock that made him gasp with its intensity. Hot liquid scalded his insides, escaping with each subsequent stroke and coating his balls. Shivering with aftershocks, Jacob crumpled to the bed, carrying the weight with him and whimpering as the semi-hard cock withdrew, leaving him empty.

Pieter kept his arm around the man, pulling him close as he trembled. It had been a long time since he'd been attracted to someone and even longer since he'd had the urge to mate. "Did I hurt you?"

"No."

"I didn't mean to be so rough."

"Yes, you did." Jacob reached out in the darkness and let his hand travel up Pieter's leg until he found the still-thick cock, rubbing it gently. "In fact, I would have liked it a little harder."

"Really?" His rod began to stiffen in Jacob's hand and he moaned as Jacob bent and licked the shiny head, then proceeded to clean his prick, bringing him to a raging hard-on in mere minutes.

"Really." Jacob whispered huskily, releasing him. "I'm going to take a shower. Wanna join me?"

* * * * *

"Mmm, this is so good." Sammi swirled the snifter, inhaling the rich hazelnut aroma of the liqueur and feeling its warming effects speed through her blood. She leaned back against Thorne, her eyes closed in absolute bliss. "I wanted to thank you for allowing Jacob to stay."

Thorne smiled, pushing soft curls off her forehead and touching her skin. "It's no problem."

She watched emotions play on his guarded features, captivated by the beauty and darkness she saw evinced there. "Thorne, who do you think is the 'Crimson King'?"

"If I had any idea, Sammi, I would have killed him."

"Would you have?" She sat up a bit, staring into his eyes. "Even if it was Pieter?"

"Pieter? Are you kidding?" He threw his head back and laughed warmly. "He wouldn't hurt a flea."

"Would he hurt Jacob?"

"Jacob? Why would he want to hurt Jacob?"

Sammi shrugged her shoulders, taking another satisfying sip. "He seemed awfully interested in him."

Thorne shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen Pieter interested in anyone." That made him stop and think a moment. Pieter had been awfully secretive as of late, spending long hours in his lab. But Pieter was his friend ... wasn't he?

"First time for everything, I guess." She gazed into the flames, the reflections highlighting her clear eyes. "Everyone gets lonely."

"And are you lonely?"

Sammi turned to Thorne, her heart pounding in her throat. "I was. Until I met you."

The words were ones that Thorne had waited a long time to hear but now, instead of joy, despair overtook him. He wanted so much to be with Sammi but he knew that it was an impossibility. It would be as it was with Alena. He would be forced to watch her grow old, helpless to staunch to wounds of time, forced to watch her fragile beauty eroded by the elements and finally, be forced to watch her breathe her last breath and bury her in the cold ground. "Sammi, I ... "

"You have to take a chance some time, Thorne." She felt the fight waging inside him and reached out to him through their connection, startling him with the power she wielded. "I want to be with you." She licked her lips, her focus on his, and pressed a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth. "In any way I can."

"Sammi, I am a vampire."

"I know that."

"I don't want you to walk in my world."

"So you would prefer to remain alone?" Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Do you know what it's like to be famous? To have hundreds of people know who you are and flock to meet you and not know what they want from you? To go on a date with a handsome guy and wonder if he's interested in you or your celebrity?" Her soft fingers traced the hard planes of his face, her eyes searching his. "I'm in a prison of my own making, Thorne. I want you to release me."

Her emotions flooded him, inundating him with longing and ache; the same feelings that he had struggled with. Would it be so bad? The transfer of fluids would be quick and she would become a nightwalker, sleeping through the splendor of daylight and hunting under the cloak of evening sky. Her beauty would be forever preserved and he would have a companion, a lover and a friend. But could he live with the sight of her fanged and bloody, frenzied with bloodlust after a feeding?

"I can't."

"Yes, you can, Thorne." She arose to her knees before the fire, opening her robe and exposing her unblemished neck and rose-tipped breasts. "It's so easy."

Her hands pulled his face down and he rubbed her fat nipples across his lips, loving the feel of them hardening in his mouth. His tongue looped around one, sucking until it was a hard bead of flesh. The other nipple responded the same way and he shivered at her deep gasp when he took both into his mouth. Her fingers weaved through his curls, pulling him up to the creamy expanse of her neck and placing his mouth directly over her carotid artery.

Thorne inhaled, quivering with the beginnings of his bloodlust, enthralled by the feeling of her life fluids pumping so strongly under the delicate cover of skin. He was imagining the feel of it on her tongue: syrupy and warm, teeming with corpuscles that would explode between his teeth and slide down his throat. His teeth spiked and began to drop down and a familiar buzzing filled his head. The roar of her blood called him, the rhythmic throb lulling his senses and hypnotizing him.

"Take me, Thorne. Now."



The Crimson King Ch. 09



Her voice sent him hurtling into the vortex, shredding his last bit of self-control and he swabbed a soft throbbing circle of her sweet flesh and slowly, surely bit down. The purity of her blood took his breath away, just as it had before, but this was much sweeter. His lips covered the wound and he drank deeply, reliving her life memories and reveling in her triumphs. The anguish he'd felt over taking her was quickly washed away, replaced by an exhilarating feeling of possession.

Sammi felt the razor-sharp puncture of his fangs and her body went rigid with pain. "Sto … " The utterance stuck in her throat, deftly lodged there by the sensual suction of his lips. Her toes began to tingle first, the sensation sweeping like a tidal wave over her body, leaving an icy wake. Her head felt like a lead weight, tied to a floating fishing buoy. When she managed to raise her head, she immediately caught sight of his burning eyes and went limp again. Her body shivered as she felt his hands move through her hair, supporting her skull and he relinquished the flesh hold that he held on her, his bloodlust burning free.

"Your turn, sweet."

The world swayed and swung before Sammi's unfocused eyes. She felt herself being pulled upright, watching as he unbuttoned his shirt and prepared to feed her. "Thorne?"

"Yes, sweet?"

"May I choose where to feed from you?"

"Yes."

"Unbutton your pants and lay back on the bed." Thorne paused for a long moment, staring down into her eyes. "Strip for me."

He could not deny the passion in her green eyes. He knelt beside her, his burning eyes focused on hers as he unbuttoned and spread the silk aside, baring his golden-haired chest and hard muscles. Her arms raised, her hands meeting his flesh and stroking his nipples. Her touch brought irresistible sensations to him. He quivered like a young boy, his every breath and reaction dependent on hers. His hands shook as he unbuttoned his pants and he suddenly felt shy under her ardent gaze.

Sammi nearly smiled at his hesitation. How could such a handsome, virile man be so bashful? She sat up and stilled his fumbling fingers, her eyes meeting and holding his. Very slowly, his hands fell away and she unbuttoned the top button, then leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the newly exposed skin. She smiled at the catch in his breath and undid another button, applying her soft lips and searching tongue. He groaned and the muscles of his stomach fluttered under her mouth. When she reached the last button, she pressed the pants down and nearly gasped at the thick root that sprang from a sparkling bed of golden-brown curls. So beautiful. Without a second thought, she lowered her mouth to its quivering tip.

Thorne fought the urge to shout. Her mouth was so warm and so wet and her tongue … "Oh, Sammi." Her hands pulled him down onto the rug and she followed, her mouth attached to his rod, lovingly sucking and licking, making him impossibly hard. Her tongue traveled his length and found his soft sac, nuzzling the sensitive skin. The pain was sudden and quick. She had bitten the side of his penis and was suckling at the wound, drinking down his blood and drawing a deep growl from him. 

A strange sensation enveloped Sammi. Her eyesight dimmed, faded, then returned with such startling clarity that she gasped aloud. Her hearing seemed to follow the same pattern but she greeted this metamorphosis with absolute silence. She could hear Thorne's breathing and the thump-a-thump-a-thump of his heart beat, elevating as she let her gaze graze him from head to toe. Her nipples tightened at the smell his arousal, the slightly sweet scent of the semen roiling in his heavy balls and suddenly, she was thirsty, yearning for a taste of him.

She sat up, her lips ruby with blood and her eyes filling with its dark beauty. "You belong to me now." She whispered huskily, energized by the blood in her veins. She bent and inhaled his sensual mixture of musk and sweat, baring her fangs lustily at the thought of fucking him.

"Drink more, my sweet." Thorne reveled in the strength of her bloodlust, trembling with its force through the connection they shared. He growled deeply, wincing as she punctured his carotid. His dick hardened, exhilaration rushing through his body as his blood married with hers and in an instant, it happened: they crossed the threshold together.

"Thorne!" Sammi didn't know what was happening. Her nipples felt super-sensitive, rubbing against the flimsy material of the robe and her bald pussy oozed clear, sweet honey. "What's happening to me?"

"You've crossed the bloodlust threshold." He grasped the front of her robe, effortlessly ripping it from her slim shoulders. Bathed in golden light, her porcelain skin glowed warmly, enticing his touch. She shivered. "Tonight, we fuck."

A low moan escaped her as he threw her onto her back, raised her knees and went right for her weeping prize. His tongue swept upward through her slit, capturing her thick juices and swallowing them. She tasted different this night; maybe because of the transformation, but she was no less sweet than before. He ran his tongue over her soft, hairless flesh, his hands splayed over her abdomen in an attempt to keep her still. Her hips bucked and her pussy muscles flexed under his tongue. "Thorne, please … " 

He knew what she wanted, what she craved. He lazily dragged his tongue along her glistening pinkness, limning each petal with the tip of his tongue, then diving under her fleshy mound to find her clit. The tiny organ throbbed with blood and he tenderly wrapped his tongue around it, molding his lips to its contours and sucking. Sammi screamed with pleasure, mashing his face into her pulsing quim and he let his tongue dip into her honeypot again, licking, sucking and devouring. She was so wet, so ready …

Thorne couldn't stand it any longer. He had to have her.

Sammi didn't protest much when he moved up over her and the tantalizing head of his penis scrubbed up and down her soaked gash. She growled her subservience to him, welcoming his thick tube of flesh into her body and gasping at the sensation of being penetrated and filled. "Oh, yes." The words degenerated into a long hiss as he sank in to the hilt, then slowly pulled out, coated with her thick and copious juices. With each stroke, she felt the nectar slip between her swollen lips and leak down onto her asshole. She reached beneath herself and pushed her finger against her wet pucker, triggering an orgasm that made her see stars.

Thorne grimaced, feeling her pussy muscles clench around him like a vise. He didn't want to cum just yet but her responses and the bloodlust was making it hard for him to hold himself back. He leaned down and caught her mouth, carefully avoiding her sharp fangs as his tongue slid within and found hers. The caress of her mouth fed his fires and he roughly sucked on her tongue, slowly plunging in and out of her. Her whimpers grew more urgent, signaling her second orgasm and he bucked his hips, driving into her quivering body and hurtling toward his own release.

"Thorne!"

His bellow mingled with her scream as they tripped together, his scalding seed jetting into her spasming cunt. She wiggled her finger in her ass, prolonging her own climax and whimpered at the force of their joining, his tongue ravaging her mouth. His body collapsed on top of her, his shoulder bearing most of his delicious weight, his mouth sliding from hers. Almost at once, the buzzing sensation of urgency began to depart, leaving her exhausted and sated in his arms.

"Is it always like this?"

"When vampires mate? It can be." He pushed up and gazed into her eyes. "If you cross the threshold with your soulmate."

Sammi's heart slammed in her chest, seeing the love in his eyes. She was almost afraid to speak. "Is that what I am? Your soulmate?"

"I would not have made you a vampire unless I was certain. I've been drawn to you since that night near the alley, Sammi, and I can't imagine an existence without you." He wiped the escaping tears from her eyes. "I love you, Sammi Glass."

Sammi closed her eyes, letting the tears stain her cheeks and cleanse the loneliness of her heart away. "And I love you, Thorne ... "

"Halsbury."

Her smile warmed his heart. "I love you, Thorne Halsbury."

*****

Pieter awoke slowly, his sleep dreamless and deep. As he stretched, he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well and a big smile creased his lips. Jacob. God, what a night! He hadn't had sex with someone so stimulating in such a long time. Neither had he been as blown away by someone as he had been with Jacob.

After their first quick tryst, they moved to Pieter's more secluded room and Jacob had proved to be a worthy opponent. He had left the bed, heading for the shower and had whispered, "Bet you can't force me to suck your cock." Pieter was already hard, but those words turned his rod into granite. He waited until he heard the water running before entering the bathroom. Jacob was in the glass-walled shower, his back to Pieter as he stood under the steaming jets. Heated water traced slight muscles and a tasty ass that dimpled nicely on the sides. Pieter's mouth watered. As quietly as possible, he pulled the magnet-held door open and slipped inside, managing to re-close it and melt away in a billow of steam.

Jacob heard something; he was sure of it. He whirled around, blinking the water away and scanned the misty room. Clouds of steam rolled around the enclosure, obliterating his view but he was sure that he'd heard something. When Pieter's strong arms wrapped him in a steel bear hug, he was so stunned that his reaction was slow. He fought against the hold, dismayed once again to find himself immobilized by Pieter's strength.

"Got you now, don't I, pretty boy?"

"Fuck you!"

"You have to earn that privilege, pretty boy." Pieter lowered them both to the floor, his cock straining to enter the warm flesh that was so near. "Right now, I have something else in mind." It took him several minutes before he could maneuver Jacob into position and smiled down into his eyes. "Suck my cock."

A malevolent sparkle lit Jacob's eyes but he continued with the pretense, his prick hard as a rock. His arms were pinned to his sides and Pieter's lovely monster of a cock was bobbing just inches from his mouth. "I'll fucking bite you."

"Try it … " Pieter reached back and grasped Jacob, giving him a long hard stroke and pinched the fat head. "We'll be dickless twins." He smiled at the painful expression on Jacob's face. "Now suck."

And suck he had. Jacob was so adept at cocksucking that before Pieter knew it, he ended up on his back with Jacob deep-throating him and a shout so loud that he thought the entire house would come running. Fortunately, the only thing that came was him. He pumped Jacob's mouth full of cum, then accepted Jacob's own hard cock, swallowing every bit of his jizz.

Pieter sighed, his cock tingling at the night's memories and he reached across to touch Jacob's back … and found an empty sheet. He immediately rolled over, threw on his robe and strolled down the hall to Jacob's room. Something stopped him from knocking. It was a pool of liquid that glistened dully in the muted light of the hallway. He raised a foot, swiped a small amount and sniffed the coppery solution. Blood!

He pushed the door open, his hackles rising uncomfortably as he surveyed a blood-ridden bed that dripped onto the parquet floor and pooled under the door. For the first time in his life, Pieter felt the cold hand of fear wrap its determined grip around his heart, freezing the breath in his throat and rendering his skin numb. 

All Pieter could do was scream.

*****

"We can't call the police!" Thorne stomped back and forth, wearing a path into the Oriental carpet. Sammi sat next to Pieter, holding the distraught man's hand. Leon and Mary were outside, enjoying a bit of air and watching the sunset.

"Then what are we going to do, Thorne? It's obvious that Jake's been killed."

"We don't know that."

"How can you say that? You saw the blood! No one could survive that amount of blood loss."

"Then where's the body?"

"Did they ever find all of the ‘Crimson King's' victims?"

"No, but I don't believe that Jake was killed by the King."

"Why not?"

"Why would the rest of us be alive?"

"Because we're vampires."

"What about Leon and Mary?" Thorne had no answer for her question and Sammi turned back to Pieter, smoothing the hair from his forehead. "And you heard nothing, Pieter?"

"No. We went to sleep and he was in my arms … "

"Pieter, is it possible that you did this to him?"

The older man looked hurt, his bottom lips trembling as he fought back tears. "No!" He spat angrily. "I fought my urges to bite him. I would never do that to him!"

Pieter's adamant response made Thorne feel uneasy because of what he'd done to Sammi. He looked over at her but avoided eye contact, his innards curdling at the thought of an interloper, of someone trespassing in his most private of places. "So, Sammi, what should I do?"

Sammi thought for a long moment. "I agree that we can't tell the cops, Thorne, but we can't let this go. We have to find Jake and the ‘Crimson King' ourselves. We can't wait for anyone to do it for us."

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"Yes." Sammi had thought long and hard about what she had planned to propose ever since her thoughts had cleared. "We set a trap."

*****

Leon watched as Mary moved about the room, putting her things away after showering and slid into a pair of silk baby doll pajamas, then sat on the edge of the bed, tucking the covers in around her.

"I don't want you to go, Leon."

"I have to, Mary. We've got to catch this guy. He killed Jacob, remember?"

She shook her head, her doe-like eyes filling with tears. "What if … what if he kills you next?"

"He's not gonna get me, love." His thumbs brushed her soft cheeks and he leaned down to kiss the tear tracks away.

"Leon, make love to me before you go."

Leon pulled back, examining her pixie-like face with the love that he felt. "Mary, I can't."

"Why? Don't you love me?"

His heart leaped at the word love. He certainly had feelings for her but he wasn't sure if he was ready to call them love, nor if he was ready to confess the depths of those feelings to her. She'd hooked onto him and he'd provided an anchor in the rough oceans that had threatened to sweep her away but she had been too eager to go back to Richard and he was afraid that she wasn't as into the relationship as he was.

"Mary, it's not as simple as that."

"Of course it is."

"Maybe for you, but not for me." He stood up, pulling his shirt on. "I'll be back later."

"Leon, what's wrong?" Mary couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. Whatever was inside his eyes when he looked at her wasn't the same. She caught his hand, giving it a gentle tug. "Please don't leave without talking to me." When he remained still, she released his hand. "Or maybe I should do the talking."

"Mary … "

"My parents got divorced when I was eight and I watched a steady stream of idiots come in and out of her life, always calling them ‘Daddy' until Bernie moved in." Her voice broke on the name. "When Mom left for work, Bernie thought that I should service him. He laughed when he took my virginity and threatened to kill me if I ever told Mom. That lasted two years, until I came up pregnant." Her throat ached with unshed tears and she swallowed hard.

Leon heard the pain in her voice and sat down on the edge of the bed, watching her face crumble as she fought tears. "What happened?"

"Mom accused me of seducing Bernie and she threw me out. I had no where to go so I slept in the library until the mayor held a staff meeting there one night and found me." She paused, sighing heavily. "Richard was so kind at the start. He paid for my abortion, got me a place to stay and even paid for a few weeks of therapy. It just seemed natural that we have a relationship. He told me that he wanted to marry me. I didn't know he was already married."

"You don't have to tell me any more, Mary."

"Yes, I do." She wiped her eyes, sniffling into a tissue. "I thought he was my knight in shining armor, Leon. I thought he was the answer to my prayers but when I told him I was pregnant, he freaked out. It was like being with my mother and Bernie all over again except he told me that I was going to get an abortion or he'd have me taken care of."

"Taken care of?"

"Killed." Silence rested heavy around that word. "So I ran away and worked during the day and hid at night. Until Sammi found me and I met you." Mary reached out and took his hand again. "I've made a lot of mistakes, Leon, but I know the truth of what I feel about you, of how I feel when I'm with you and I'm not just saying that because you've stuck around. Whether you know it or not, you gave me something precious. Your friendship." She caressed the back of his hand. "So, I'm asking, friend to friend, please make love to me." Her eyes met his, holding them. "And if you don't love me … "

"I never said that I didn't love you." He whispered, fear flooding his innards. "I just … "

"Because I love you, Leon. I love you." Mary leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, softly, gently and with as much emotion as she could will into it.

"Oh, Mary." Leon murmured her name as her lips opened under his, their tongues battling in a lover's duel. He pulled her close, taking care to protect the baby as their passion exploded, hot and heavy. He made quick work of ridding himself of clothes, then pulled her pajamas off, dropping them to the floor next to his and sat back, marveling over the beauty of her gravid body. Her breasts were huge, the nipples an almost angry red and covered with creamy porcelain flesh. Her distended stomach shaded a soft-haired pussy and he quickly slid a finger into her honeypot, sighing at the wetness that met him.

Mary moaned, pushing herself down onto his finger and begging for him to add another. He did so, pressing two fingers deep into her quim and she bucked against them, gasping in pleasure. His sure strokes brought her closer and closer, then the world exploded into a million beautiful shards when his thumb found her clit and applied circular pressure. Her creamy cum coated his still penetrating fingers and her outer lips, sliding into the crease of her ass.

"Leon, please." He pulled his fingers from her pussy and turned her onto her side, pressing his hard cock between her legs. Her warm fingers reached down and fluttered seductively against the thick head before seating him at her opening. In a slow movement, he pressed upward, his cock following the slick path into her velvety tunnel. Her body shuddered against him when his groin met her ass cheeks and he began to move against her, pulling his soaked rod out and pushing it back into her buttery hole.

She leaned back fully against him, feeling the heat of his skin and shivering at the sweep of his harsh breath on her neck. One hand snaked around her middle, his long fingers seeking her clit and applying pressure to the swollen bud. Her second orgasm slammed her with so much force that it drove the breath from her lungs. Her pussy muscles rippled around his cock, heightening her pleasure and she bent a bit more at the hips, giving him greater access to her womb.

He grabbed her hips and began moving faster within her, gritting his teeth in an effort to keep his release at bay but the sweet tightness of her muscles made it difficult. That and the sight of his glistening rod, shiny with her copious juices, brought him closer to tripping over the edge. He felt the tremors begin in her again, deep and spreading, spiraling upward from her core and undulating against him. He wasn't aware that he was growling until his climax rocked him, his roar mingling in the air with her cry of pleasure as she came yet again.




The Crimson King Ch. 10



"Are you sure this is where she is?"

The private detective Chambliss had hired shook his head as they sat in the limousine, staring at the huge mansion with its imposing dark windows. "My source says that the cameraman, Leon Antonidas, bought some maternity clothes and had them delivered here."

"That doesn't necessarily mean that she's here."

The detective tossed a manila folder into his lap and Chambliss extracted a sheaf of photos. The subjects were enjoying a picnic on the side of the mansion, feeding each other what looked like salmon and crackers. The blood rushed to his face as he gazed at Mary accepting a mouthful from the cameraman, her joy evident. Bitch.

"These were taken earlier today. She's so big that it's hard to miss her."

Chambliss nodded, tucking the photos back into the envelope. He extracted an envelope from her breast pocket and handed it to the man. "Thanks for your help, Rich."

The man grinned, chewing on the unlit cigar that perched at the corner of his mouth. "Never a problem for you, Mayor."

The detective left the car and scuttled away in his own vehicle. Chambliss leaned forward and knocked lightly on the separating glass, watching as it hissed downward. "She's inside. Take her alive."

* * * * *

Thorne crouched on the corner of the roof, watching Sammi and Leon filming a story down below and his nerves were buzzing and tingling with the anticipation of the arrival of the 'Crimson King'. He knew something was going to happen because his hackles had been on end since the filming started and that always signaled a problem. And he never ignored his hackles.

A thick wad of clouds coasted across the dark sky, partially obscuring the half moon and plunging the area into temporary gloom and bathing Sammi in nothing but the harsh camera's light. He saw something out of the corner of his eye but when he whirled around, nothing occupied the roof save himself. The longer he stared, the more uneasy he felt. Something was here. Something ...

The first blow took him by complete surprise. A solid fist connected with the side of his head, throwing him off-balance and propelling him sideways. Before he could adequately react, he received another strike, this time to the stomach, driving the breath from his lungs and leaving him gasping, crawling toward the parapet. When he turned to face his assailant, the moonlight-spotted roof was empty.

What the hell? Thorne stood, rotating his jaw joint and wiping his slightly bleeding nose. He glanced over the side and saw that Sammi and Leon had wrapped the story. Just as he turned, a heavy body bowled him over the side and only by his quick wits did he manage to catch himself and swoop to a standing position. His attacker landed across from him, eyes twin flames, boring into him.

"Jacob?" Jacob Whiting stretched upward, his black cloak swirling in the breeze. The front of his button-down shirt was black with coagulating blood and his chin was slick with the dark liquid. "We thought you were dead."

"That was the idea." The being known as Jacob Whiting rasped, throwing its head back and laughing hysterically. In that instant, Thorne knew that the news director was in the throes of bloodlust. "I ate the rest of the roast, by the way. The extra bloody one. Pieter cooks as good as he fucks."

"He thinks you're dead, Jacob. He was crying."

"Crying? That old queen?" He laughed again, licking his lips and enjoying the taste of the clumpy blood. "What the fuck would he be crying about? We only met yesterday."

"Something happened between the two of you last night and you know it. Even I felt it. You and Pieter had a connection in the midst of your fucking. Something that transcended the sex. Why are you so quick to dismiss it?"

"There was nothing there. It was just fucking. Good, hard, hot fucking. Him nutting in my mouth or in my ass. That's all it was."

"Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself."

"Fuck you, Halsbury. I don't need to convince myself because I don't need anyone."

"Everyone needs someone, Jacob."

"Not me."

Thorne watched as Jacob started circling him, his fangs bared and glistening. "Why not you, Jacob?" He said softly. Jacob charged him, shoving him backwards into the brick-and-cement parapet. Chunks of masonry rained down on the parking lot below, just missing Sammi and Leon. Thorne grimaced as he stood, unable to dodge the next belt that sent him somersaulting across the rooftop.

"I don't need anyone." Jacob growled, advancing on Thorne and tossing large pieces of brick aside. "Now shut the fuck up and die." 

His fist caught him squarely in the stomach, catapulting him over the edge. Tentacles of pain snaked through him and he crashed onto the ground below, six stories down, his back and legs screaming. Thorne rolled to his knees, only to find himself flying through the air, compliments of Jacob's foot. The side of the building buckled and sparkling shards of glass rained onto his back.

Sammi crept from her hiding spot in the shadows, her eyes focusing on the man fighting Thorne. "Jake? Is that you?"

"Get back, Sammi! He's dangerous!"

Jacob picked up Thorne as if he was a toy and tossed him onto the roof of a parked sedan. The windshield fractured, splintering under his weight and Thorne groaned, blood trickling from a corner of his mouth.

"Jake, what are you doing? Why are you fighting with Thorne?" She strode forward, moving closer to Jacob.

"Don't you get it, Sammi?" Thorne wheezed, painfully rolling onto his feet. "Jacob is the 'Crimson King'."

"What?" She couldn't help but laugh. "Jacob's the King? Oh, that's funny!"

"Quit laughing." Jacob snarled, turning his back on a limping Thorne. "I am the 'Crimson King'."

"Oh, give it up, Jake. You're no more the King than I am. Now quit fighting and explain why you did that this morning."

"Sammi ... " Thorne gasped, standing behind him. 

"Pieter's worried sick about you. He thinks you're dead!" Sammi was too close when she realized that Thorne had been telling the truth. The elongated canines couldn't be ignored. Jacob was definitely a vampire. That in itself was a shock. She sensed great power emanating from him and the clumped blood on his shirt nearly made her vomit. "Jacob?"

His hand easily enclosed her bird-like neck and he lifted her from the ground, his flaming eyes locked onto hers. "I'm all powerful, Sammi. I don't need anyone."

"Oh, thank God you're still here!" Jacob released Sammi at the sound of Pieter's voice. The older man landed near Thorne, news on his lips until his eyes fell upon Jacob. "Jacob?"

"What's wrong, Pieter?"

"Chambliss has Mary."

"What?" Leon shrieked, nearly falling out of the van. "How did that happen?"

"I was downstairs in the lab. When I came upstairs to check on her, she was gone."

"How do you know it's Chambliss?" Sammi asked. 

"He left this on her pillow." Pieter held up a baby rattle. Leon recognized it as one that he'd bought for Mary. Every baby needs a rattle. Mary had been overjoyed at the idea of a first rattle and had gifted him with a soft kiss, their first. A first rattle, a first kiss. And now ...

"We've got to get her back!"

"Yes, Leon, we do." Pieter turned to Jacob, frightened of this person who was nothing like the man he'd fallen in love with a few hours ago. "Jacob, we need your help."

"Are you kidding?" The vampire laughed heartily. "You must be out of your mind, old man."

"No, Jacob. You're out of yours. You've fed so much and so often that you're out of sorts. I can help you with that."

"What, are you going to fuck my craving away?"

"No, but if you trust me, I can help you."

"And you can help us." Sammi said, helping Thorne stand. "Chambliss has Mary. Now I know that you like Mary, you've said as much to me. You can help us save her."

"I don't care if she lives or dies."

"Yes, you do." Sammi's soft voice began to pierce the buzzing in his head as the bloodlust started to wane. "You don't really want a solitary life, Jake. You don't want to be alone any more than the rest of us."

Jacob's eyes fell upon each of them, examining them and allowing himself to explore his own feelings. He'd been alone for so many years and only the grip of bloodlust had allowed him to function, to survive each night without feeling. Thorne had been correct that he'd felt something with the old man but he hadn't wanted to believe him. 

"Help us, Jake."

"Help me!" Leon pleaded, his dark eyes filled with tears. "Please, Jake! Help me!"

* * * * *

Richard Chambliss looked down at the bound body of the girl and delighted in his handiwork. Almost every inch of her alabaster skin was marked with welts from his cane, giving her a beautiful pattern of pain. Even her leaking breasts bore the marks and he greedily bent and sucked, enjoying the tangy milk and coppery blood. She chose that particular moment to come to, moaning as she unconsciously worked her wrists against her bonds and found no purchase.

"Ah, you're awake." The mayor wiped his mouth, hovering over her. "Your mother's milk is quite tasty."

"Let me go, Richard. I'll leave town. You'll never see me again."

"You're right about that, little one." He started to peel her panties off. "No one will ever see you again."

"Please." Her eyes widened and filled with tears. "I have someone that loves me."

"You had someone that loved you." He bit the words out angrily. 

"But you wanted to hurt the baby!"

"Damn right, I want to hurt the baby! I didn't want a fucking baby!"

"Well, it's too late now."

Richard laughed at her soft reply. "It's never too late, little one."

Mary began to shake nervously, fear ruling her senses. "Wha-what does that mean, Richard?"

"It means that after I give you one last fuck, I'm going to carve the baby out of you." His eyes sparkled with hatred as he spread her legs, quickly tying them open at the ankles.





The Crimson King Ch. 11



When Mary awoke, she felt the urge to scream but bit it back when she saw the last vestiges of daylight curling around the velvet drapes and realized that she was back in Thorne's mansion. The baby turned in her stomach, kicking momentarily before finding a comfortable spot and lapsing back into stillness. She smiled, running a hand over her bloated abdomen. Her baby was safe. Her hand touched another and she realized with great joy that Leon was sleeping behind her, his strong body plastered to her back.

She reached behind and found his hip, letting her fingers trace the long muscles and curve around the smooth round of his ass, then down his firm thigh. Leon moved behind her, a low moan escaping his lips as her hand continued exploring. His hand covered hers, fingers intertwining briefly before she disengaged and returned to her exploration of his marvelous leg. She let out a staggered gasp as his questing hand found her damp pussy, pushed through the golden curls and wiggled against her drowsy clit.

Leon shuddered when her body reacted honestly to his touch, arching back against him, her curvy globes of assflesh rubbing against his stiff cock. He burrowed deeper through the thick folds until his middle finger curled into her hole, stroking and thrusting inward while the other fingers pinched the fat, swelling lips together. She arched again, a tremor snaking through her body as juices wetted his fingers. He stroked again and again, bringing her close to the edge and closing his eyes as her pussy honey and whimpers of pleasure washed over him. Sensing her impending climax, he pressed the heel of his hand onto the top of her mound, applying pressure to her throbbing pearl.

Her climax snatched the breath from her lungs and she stiffened as her pussy muscles rippled around his fingers. She gasped through the aftershocks, her entire body tingling in release. His lips found her neck and shoulder, nipping and biting as his fingers swirled in her honeypot, coaxing her back into quietness. 

"Leon, please. I want you inside me."

"I don't want to hurt the baby."

"You won't. Let me show you." Her soft hand again reached back, this time, targeting his prick and adjusting her position until she could rub the fat head up and down her glistening slit. He groaned deeply, his hips moving in concert with her hand. "Come inside." She whispered in a sultry voice, pushing back a little. "It's nice and warm inside."

Leon whimpered. His juice-coated cock head split her thick lips, pushing into her hot, wet canal until he was fully seated against her. "Oh, Mary."

"Let's pretend we're making this baby." She clasped her pussy around his rod. "Fuck me, baby."

Leon couldn't think straight. He moved gently out of her wet hole, sighing at the sensation and pushed back in, drawing a low moan from her. In minutes, he was slamming against her backside, his long cock plumbing her dewy depths. Her second orgasm made him grit his teeth as more of her thick juices coated his aching prick and her third took him over the edge, triggered yet another. His cock pumped warm semen into her womb, the head flexing against her cervix, his breath hot and moist against her neck.

For several long moments, the dusky room echoed with the sounds of lovers kissing in caressing each other in the aftermath of lovemaking and soft words of affection and contentment. "Leon?"

"Yes."

"What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know. Thorne said that Pieter was working on something ... "

"Not with them. With us."

Leon pulled her close, running his fingers over her gravid belly in a soothing manner. "What do you want to happen with us?"

"I want to stay with you."

"What about the baby?"

Mary gulped against the lump in her throat. "I want to keep my baby."

Leon smiled in the darkness. "I had hoped that you'd say that." He stroked her cheek tenderly. "Mary, I'd like nothing better than for you to move in with me and to hopefully be a father to your baby." He said in a soft voice. "I ... I love you."

"Oh, Leon."

"And maybe we can make one of our own, for real."

Mary reached down, grabbing and stroking his awakening rod with a smile. "Maybe, but pretending sure is fun."

* * * * *

Pieter didn't turn when he heard the heavy door scrape open because he already knew who his visitor was. Jacob's essence was like an electrical shock to his system, an invisible pheromone that had kept him up all night, unable to seek neither the solace of sleep nor the comforting release of masturbation. What was worse was that the connection they shared laid Jacob wide open and Pieter could see into his heart. So much confusion, so much loneliness. He felt the pain of Jacob's tears and wanted to console him but his sensibilities told him that this was something that the young man needed to work out for himself.

"Good evening."

"Hi." Pieter answered tersely, checking a concoction swirling in a fluted beaker. "Sleep well?" When Jacob didn't answer, the housekeeper turned to him and was shocked to see deep black bags under his eyes. "You didn't sleep at all?"

Jacob shook his head. "I was hungry. I had to stay awake to fight it."

"And now?"

"I'm still hungry." His tortured eyes swung up to Pieter's. "Can you help me?"

"Maybe." He used a pair of tongs to carefully lift the fluted beaker and poured the contents into a large round container, then opened the descending valve, watching as the dark red liquid slowly dripped, winding through filters. "But it would require your absolute trust."

Jacob slumped onto a stool, rubbing his face with his hand, seemingly oblivious to the tears that leaked from his eyes. "I've never trusted anyone."

As before, the three colored liquids bubbled in separate tubes, slowly sliding in a viscous dance down the thin rods of glass and commingling in the solitary tube. Pieter watched the journey with the practiced eye of a scientist, anticipation percolating in his veins as he twisted the release valve closed and stoppered the tube. This time. He lifted the tube and placed it into the cradle, activating the purple light. Time slowed and crawled to a trickle as the fluid meandered down the sides of the tube, edging toward the light.

"That will have to change," Pieter held his breath. "If you want to truly live." The liquid crept into the luminescence and formed iridescent swirls in the bottom of the tube. Pieter's hands shook as he grasped the tube and held it aloft, scrutinizing the results. Beauregard's Solution. Finally. "Will you trust me?"

Jacob lifted himself to his feet, his heart in tatters in his chest and his will to live fading fast. "I don't have any other choice. If this doesn't work, Pieter, I want you to kill me." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "I can't stand the hunger any more."

Pieter guided Jacob to the stool and took his head in his hands, gazing into his eyes. "It will work, Jacob." His heart fluttered when Jacob leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to Pieter's mouth. He moved away and prepared a sterile syringe, drawing the liquid directly from the tube and expressing a tiny drop out along with any extra air. "Ready?"

* * * * *

Pieter and Jacob

"It's absolutely amazing." Jacob gushed happily. "Absolutely."

It had been a long twelve hours since Pieter had given him the shot and he had suffered through body cramps and nausea that made him beg for the sweetness of death. But Pieter hadn't killed him. Pieter had stayed at his bedside, sponging the sweat from his brow when flaming heat seared his body and wrapping him warmly when cold skated through his skin. His large hands massaged every inch of his body as cramps racked him, soothing him with whispered words and soft kisses.

The sunrise stretched across the dark valley of sky, fingers of orange and pink reaching out and giving the buildings below a soft strawberry tinge. The breath painfully caught in Jacob's throat as he watched the city come alive. Lights flickered on in windows, scents of bacon and coffee wafted through the air and the streets filled with cars until they resembled a slow flow of lava, their taillights gleaming starkly in the dawn light.

Pieter joined him on the balcony, handing him a glass of champagne. His own body still ached from the onset of Beauregard's Solution and he sought the railing to take some of the weight off of his throbbing knees. "Magnificent, isn't it?"

Jacob nodded in agreement. "It's been so long since I saw it ... " He took a long drink of champagne, turning to gaze at Jacob. His beatific smile melted into horror when he noticed the grimace on Pieter's face. "What's wrong? Pieter, did you take the shot, too?" 

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jacob set his glass down and dashed inside, returning with a chair. 

Pieter sat slowly, wincing as his sore knees bent. "I'm okay. Quit fussing over me."

"You fussed over me all night. Am I not allowed to return the favor?" The look in Pieter's eyes told Jacob everything he needed to know. For the first time since they'd had sex, Jacob allowed himself to tap into the connection that they'd shared and was floored by the wealth of feelings that flowed through them. He felt Pieter's fear: his fear of pity, his fear of loneliness and his fear of rejection. He also felt the depth of Pieter's love and closed his eyes, basking in its innate warmth, trembling with the realization that it was for him. "Pieter ... "

"No, Jacob." Pieter fought the tears that made his throat ache. "You have a chance to live a life now. Take it."

"You have the same chance that I do." The older man looked away, taking a sip of champagne. "Pieter!" Jacob's shout brought Pieter's eyes back to his. "You have the same chance."

"No, I don't." 

His raspy whisper caught Jacob. I am too old. His heart spoke softly, sadly. "You are not too old."

"I am, dear Jacob. You will always be a youthful thirty while I will always be an aged fifty-two." Pieter stretched his legs, gasping at the pain. "You deserve a younger man, Jacob. I have to be realistic in this."

"What's realistic? What the hell's that mean?"

"Besides, you don't really have feelings for me."

Jacob stepped back, glaring at him. "That's not fair. We haven't had enough time."

"Maybe not, but it's realistic." The tears slipped from Pieter's eyes, even though his face bore a smile. "It would be too painful for both of us if we were to continue. A besotted old man and a young man full of pity." He struggled to his feet, nearly dropping his glass in the effort. "I thank you for what you gave me. Without you, I wouldn't have found the secret to Beauregard's Solution and none of us would have a chance at living a halfway decent life."

"Pieter, you're wrong."

"No, Jacob, I'm not." Pieter let his gaze roam over Jacob, taking in the dark hair and ice-blue eyes, the slim shoulders and slimmer hips, the manicured hands and soft lips. "Enjoy your sunrise."

Jacob watched the man leave, sighing sadly at the closure of the connection. Pieter was wrong. Jacob Whiting did have feelings for Pieter Ringgold. He just wasn't sure what to do with them. He turned back to the beauty of the rising sun, surprised to feel the tears on his cheeks and wondering if he would ever find peace.

* * * * *

It was late when Pieter sought the comfort of his own bed. Once he knew that the Beauregard's Solution worked, he had spent much of the morning and part of the afternoon concocting a second batch, larger than and just as potent as the first. Thorne was the third recipient, Sammi the fourth. But there was a problem with Sammi. Because she had not been a vampire for a full month and fed during a full moon, her result would not be the same. She would not fully remember the events that occurred after her blood initiation. She would only retain vestiges of her memory, Thorne included.

He had stood silently while Thorne cried at the news, his own innards racked with pain. His work had kept him busy; busy enough to evade Jacob's attempts at conversation and busy enough not to see his departure. He had seen, though. He had hidden in the dusty folds of the drapes, watching his silverleaf Volvo pull out of the driveway. Jacob had slowed, pausing to glance up at the windows and Pieter felt his eyes find him, even though he was trying to hide. Then, the elegant car pulled away and Pieter was alone again.

After the shot administration, he had returned to the lab, preparing their daily doses, carefully packaging Jacob's for delivery and trudged up to his room, physically and emotionally exhausted. The aches had fled from his body but not from his heart, not from his soul. He poured himself a large Sambuca, complete with coffee beans and headed for the shower, dropping his clothes along the way. 

"Well, Pieter," He sized himself up in the mirror, taking in the still-firm body with its obvious paunches and the silver-streaked black hair and golden eyes. "Another night alone."

At least the shower welcomed him. The stinging jets pulsed against his skin, a cloud of mist rising as the hot water beat down. He leaned against the tiles, letting the spray course over the back of his neck and shoulders while he sobbed in silence. He sobbed because he knew that he could have said something to Jacob, should have let him know that he could feel the seed of something there, that together, they could have brought it to bloom. But he didn't want Jacob to be held back by an old man, even if he was in pretty good shape.

"Fuck you."

Pieter whirled at the soft voice that floated over his shoulder. Jacob stood outside the shower, his dark eyes alive with anger and Pieter's heart leaped in his chest, his cock hardening at the beautiful sight. "What?"

"I said, fuck you!" Jacob stepped into the shower, ignoring the water that soaked his clothes and pushed Pieter back, pinning him with his body while his mouth sought the hot depths of his mouth, then moved to his ear, breath heated. "You're a fucking liar."

"What are you talking about?" Pieter panted, closing his eyes and whimpering as Jacob's searching mouth was joined by wandering hands, hands that caressed his furred chest, slid over his wet torso and wrapped around his straining cock. A low moan escaped him as Jacob's hands moved together, stroking him from thick stem to weeping stern, both fists tight around him rock-hard prick. "I don't understand ... "

"You." Jacob hissed, nibbling Pieter's corded neck and suckling the sensitive flesh. "You're a damned good liar. You even had me believing."

His dreams unfolding before him, Pieter felt giddy, his hands reaching up to push the wet denim jacket from Jacob's shoulders, opening his Hilfiger shirt. "I didn't tell you any lies." His mouth covered a nipple, reveling in the tightness of it beading on his tongue.

"Yes, you did, goddammit!" Jacob pushed Pieter back, gazing into his eyes, his own angry. "You lied to me when you told me that I deserved a younger man."

Yes, he had said that. To speak those words had taken every ounce of courage he'd possessed. "Yes, but ... "

"And then, you lied when you said that all I'd feel for you was pity."

"Jacob ... " The older man wanted to embrace Jacob, to let him know that those feelings were all right. He'd experienced rejection before and he was well-equipped to handle it. "You don't need to ... "

Jacob gritted his teeth as he spoke again, unexpected tears burning in his eyes. "And worst of all, you lied when you said that you didn't have a chance at life." Jacob leaned close, his lips just inches from Pieter's. "What about a chance with me?"

Pieter was suddenly speechless. After all the nights of fantasy and constant replays of the one evening they'd spent together, he never thought that there'd ever be a chance of a repeat performance. So, instead of waiting for the inevitable rebuff, he had decided that it would be best to be proactive: he would dump Jacob first, making it seem as if the young man was not to blame. But obviously, it hadn't worked. "I ... I ... "

"Why didn't you ask me how I felt?" Jacob asked, his heart teetering on the edge of oblivion. "Here." His hands grasped Pieter's shoulders. "Feel me."

Pieter resisted at first. He had only skimmed the surface of Jacob's feelings when he'd previously opened the connection but now, he had no choice. An angry torrent of feelings flooded him, disorienting him enough that he was unaware of his subsequent collapse and of Jacob escorting him to bed, dousing the shower and shedding his own clothes. All Pieter was conscious of was the onslaught of feelings that ruled his senses and what he felt was love and appreciation. Not pity. No disgust or revulsion but deep love, welling up from a place that had been untapped. It was something that Jacob had never felt before and Pieter understood the hesitation he'd sensed before. It was not that Jacob didn't feel; he was just afraid of what he was feeling.

Pieter looked up into the young man's face, reaching up to smooth the worry lines away. "Jacob, I ... I didn't know ... "

"Then listen to my heart," He bent closer, targeting Pieter's mouth. "And learn."

Searing desire washed over him as the connection filled and widened, encompassing both of them and Pieter's cock hardened under Jacob's sure fingers. He shivered as the young man's tongue plunged deeply, tasting and touching the warm inside of his mouth as if it was the first time. Jacob's hands moved over his trembling body, smoothing flesh and fur, fingertips lingering over beaded nipples, loving the low moan that rumbled through Pieter. He teased the tender pink tips, alternately rubbing, then pinching them, making Pieter gasp in pleasure.

"Are you listening?" Jacob's lips traveled from mouth to neck, raining open-mouthed kisses over collarbones, nipples and ribs. His breath escaped in shallow bursts as Jacob continued downward, over Pieter's trembling belly, past the crease of his abdomen and into the thick forest of dark curls, ignoring the straining stalk and seeking out the soft sac below.

"Oh ... " The word slipped from Pieter in a long groan, his body quivering with Jacob's touch. He reached down and ran a loving hand through Jacob's hair, arching at the tickle of tongue along the sensitive inside of his legs, then the tease of hot breath. Then time stopped as Jacob's warm, wet mouth slowly slid up the side of his cock, pausing at the top to suckle from the slit, then back down the other side. 

His taste was exquisite and a perfect mix of salty and musky precum covered his tongue, leaking from his thick rod. Jacob hummed in appreciation, moving back to the top, engulfing his tool and taking him deep into his throat. He whipped his tongue over the fleshy head, slathering the steely skin with his saliva while his head bobbed up and down, his cheeks concaving with the suction. 

Pieter alternately gasped and whimpered with each movement, his fingers looping through Jacob's hair and his toes cramping as the sensations built, hurtling him closer and closer to the edge. Then, without warning, he was there, screaming Jacob's name as his balls released their sticky load, spurting again and again into Jacob's hot mouth. He shuddered again as Jacob moved up and shared part of the cum load with him, their tongues rolling it over until both swallowed.

He moved his hands over Jacob's naked back, tracing the muscles and kneading his ass and grinding his semi-hard prick against Jacob's rock-hard cock. Jacob groaned, moving against him. Pieter reached down and smeared pre-cum over Jacob's rod, then raised his hips, placing the thick head at his pucker. The action caught Jacob's attention and he broke their kiss, meeting Pieter's eyes with an unspoken question. 

"I want you to." His plea squeezed Jacob's heart. "I want you to be the first, last and only."




The Crimson King Ch. 12



Thorne and Sammi

"This is Sammi Glass and for Bernard and everyone here at Channel 5, have a good night."

"And we're out."

Sammi took a huge breath and smiled shakily, accepting the congratulations of Bernard Porter, co-anchor of the five o'clock newscast. "Great job, Sammi. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you." She accepted the accolades of her fellow news people and stepped down from the podium, unhooking her earpiece and handing to the technician. It had been a long five months since the story of Richard Chambliss' love child had broken and made her a star. The station had immediately recognized her worth and thus began her rise to the weekend news anchor position. 

This week, she was filling in Katie Stephens, who was out on maternity leave and she was so grateful that Bernard had been one of her best friends when she'd been a field reporter. His advice and support had turned the opportunity of a lifetime from a nervous experience to a professional love fest. While she was happy with everything, her insides felt strangely empty, as if there was something missing, other than a man in her life.

She followed her usual routine, previewing the raw film for the next day's stories, going over production notes and left at ten with a notebook full of items that she had to read over and research for the next day's airing. But when she arrived home, something was different. Everything was the same in the apartment, though. She checked every room and was relieved to find that all was in order, except that she still felt something amiss … 

The shower was hot and steamy and she spent long minutes luxuriating in the therapeutic jets, letting her hands traverse her skin from shoulder to breast to thigh, smoothing her silky flesh until her fingers found their way into her pussy. Sammi gasped, her fingers rubbing her clit and slipping the others into her pot. As hard as she tried, she could never achieve what her body remembered. It remembered the touch of another and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember that person's touch.

"Sammi." She looked around the bathroom, wiping water and tears from her eyes and found no one. I'm losing my mind, she decided and toweled off, dressed in a robe and went into her bedroom, grabbing her brush to take care of her hair when she heard it again. "Sammi."

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am, love. You've been looking for me, haven't you?"

Sammi's mind struggled, caught between the real and the supernatural and knowing, believing that there was a difference in both. But still, she felt confused, listening to the disembodied voice and not knowing where it was coming from. "I – I don't understand."

"Yes, you do. Search your soul. You'll find me there."

"Who are you?" The patio suddenly filled with vapor and a handsome man breached the clouds, his deep blue eyes searching hers. Sammi felt herself drawn to the sliding glass door, her heart pounding in her chest as something familiar about him tugged at her. She raised her hands, touching the glass and mirroring him on the other side of the pane. "Who … "

"You know."

Thorne waited for her response, his stomach twisting into knots. The news from Pieter had been devastating concerning the Beauregard's Solution and her memory but there had been one shining revelation: the powerful connection that they had shared as lovers could bring the memories back but she had to open the connection on her end before that could happen. Please, his heart whispered. Please remember.

"Thorne." She said softly. "Your name is Thorne."

"Yes, baby."

Speaking his name released something inside her and Sammi closed her eyes, letting the connection open and flow, surprised at first to find him on the other end, then overwhelmed by the strength of the feelings that came through. She saw everything, everything that had happened between them and felt the love that they had shared. When she opened her eyes, she saw his tears and smiled, taking a step back. "Come in."

Joy raced through Thorne as he pushed the door aside and grabbed her, holding her as close as possible without harming her. Her arms curled around his neck and her scent filled his nostrils and he knew he was home. He couldn't help sobbing and was relieved to find that she was crying, too. "Oh, Sammi. I thought I'd lost you forever."

"Thorne … "

"Come home with me. Come home and make my life complete again." Thorne traced the curve of her lips. "I don't want to live without you."

Sammi sighed as he embraced her, his love filling the emptiness she'd felt. "Take me home."

*****

"No, no, no! Jacob, how many times do I have to tell you that the small fork goes on the outside?" Pieter fussed, reaching over his lover and re-arranging the forks.

"Why does it make such a difference?" Jacob huffed. "They're just forks."

"No, they are not. This is a salad fork and this is a dinner fork."

"I think you just want to rub my ass." He murmured into Pieter's ear, giving the lobe a sensual lick.

"You may be right." Pieter growled back, turning Jacob in his arms and giving him a deep kiss. Jacob melted against him, his hands moving through Pieter's silver hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too, old man."

"Geez, will you guys get a room?" Thorne laughed as he watched the byplay with a smile. "Pieter, the table looks fantastic. You've outdone yourself this time."

"Hey, I helped!" Jacob said, stamping his foot like a petulant child but smiling mischievously.

Thorne laughed again, clapping Jacob on the back and they hugged like brothers. "You've helped a lot, Jake, and not just with the table." Pieter blushed at the reference and went to busy himself in the kitchen. Jacob finished fixing the forks and straightened the napkins. "I've never seen him happier."

Jacob grinned. "I never thought it would happen to me, Thorne. I never thought I'd find somebody as wonderful as Pieter."

"He feels the same about you, you know." Thorne moved closer, whispering. "Did you give a thought to what we talked about yesterday?"

"Yes. I went to the store yesterday."

"Excellent. It's a triple."

Before Jacob could speak again, the doorbell rang and Thorne grinned. "They're here." He went into the foyer and returned in minutes, escorting Mary, Leon, baby Morgan and Sammi into the dining room. Pieter came rushing out of the kitchen and took the baby, making her squeal in delight as he raised her in the air.

"Take it easy, Uncle Pieter. You're going to scare her to death."

"Not a chance." He smiled at Leon, then cuddled Morgan, tickling her belly before returning her to Mary. "Morgan will never be afraid of her Uncle Pieter."

Leon and Jacob talked for a few minutes, then everyone took their seats with Thorne and Pieter serving the grilled chicken breasts, garden salad with sun-dried tomatoes and sugar-sautéed baby carrots. Baby Morgan ate her baby food, then finished off a large bottle with a loud burp, much to everyone's delight. She gurgled happily and fell asleep in Uncle Jacob's arms.

"Here, I'll take her."

"No, I'm okay." Jacob smiled down warmly at the slumbering bundle. "I'll take her upstairs and put her down."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." He stood carefully and headed down the hallway, all watching his depart with wide smiles.

"Jacob seems quite taken with Morgan." Sammi looked over at Pieter. "Thinking of adopting?"

"We've talked about it but nothing's in concrete yet."

"He looks so comfortable with her." Thorne commented. "Much better than I look. I'm still afraid that I'll break her or something."

"She's not a china doll." Leon laughed. "You won't think that when you have to change her diaper."

Everyone laughed and Thorne shook his head. "Let's hope that I miss that opportunity."

Jacob rejoined the gathering and they all moved into the library to enjoy a bottle of rare Spanish tawny port that Jacob had bought for Pieter. Thorne's gaze moved from Sammi's laughing eyes, to Leon's, dark and full of love as he smiled at Mary, to Pieter, whose aged eyes took pride in the love granted to him by his younger lover. Months ago, he was ready to leave the world behind; today, his world sat around him, all regular people who had taken him into their lives and breathed animation into his own.

He caught Leon's eye and gave him a small nod, then watched as Leon did the same with Jacob. All three men arose in concert and gave small bows to their confused partners. "We'll be right back." Well-hidden in a cupboard in the hall were three bouquets, the theme flower of each varied in respect to each partner: sunflowers for Mary, violets for Pieter and tulips for Sammi. Armed with their flowers, the men returned, each standing in front of his loved one. Jacob and Thorne turned to Leon and Leon turned to Mary.

Leon dropped to one knee and handed the flowers to Mary. Her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the beautiful flowers, then met Leon's, which were also wet. "Mary, I've been with a lot of women in my life and more than once, I thought I had found a woman who would be my perfect mate only to be proven wrong. And then, I fell in love. I fell in love with a woman who didn't have all the answers and who had made mistakes; a woman who never looked back and whined over the hand she was dealt but instead, looked for ways to better herself. And I fell in love with a little bundle of joy … " He paused as the lump rose in his throat. "A little girl that smiles every time I look at her. The second greatest day of my life will be the day that she calls me Dad." A chorus of emotional ohs went up and Leon wiped away tears. "The first will be when you agree to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Mary launched herself into Leon's arms and squealed happily as he slid the one-carat ring onto her finger.

Jacob took a deep breath and turned to Pieter who was crying openly, smiling at Leon and Mary. He commanded his lover's attention by kneeling at his feet but had to pause, his head bowed when his feelings overpowered his steely resolve and he looked into Pieter's love-filled eyes. "These are for you." 

Pieter took the bouquet and burst into tears, causing Jacob to start crying again. "These are so beautiful, honey."

He took Pieter's hand, stroking the broad back and admiring the muscles underneath. These hands had single-handedly saved his life. The Beauregard's Solution had worked and he was no longer plagued with bloodlust but was plagued with lust of a different kind. At first, part of him had been repulsed at having sex with an older man but he had learned so much since then. He learned that it had nothing to do with age. It had to do with what was in your heart. Before he met Pieter, he didn't know what was in his heart except violence and blood. Now, everything was so different. Now, he had a future.

"Pieter, I have so much to say to you but somehow, it all seems inconsequential when I look at you. The words I have mean nothing compared to being able to sleep soundly at night, to work my ass off and come home to a decent pot pie, to make love to someone who truly feels love for me. I owe you so much … "

"Don't, Jacob. You don't owe me anything."

"Yes, I do. I do owe you but don't mistake my indebtedness for pity." Jacob moved closer, his hands on Pieter's knees. "I told you that you were a liar before and you're trying to lie again." Tears squeezed out of Pieter's closed eyes and Jacob pulled his head down, pressing kisses to his wet cheeks. "The reason I feel this way is your fault. If you hadn't been so caring and concerned about me, my heart wouldn't have responded to you as it did." He reached up and touched Pieter's eyelids, gently asking him to open them and their eyes met and held, both filling with tears. "I deserve to have a life, Pieter, just as much as you do. And we both deserve to be with someone who loves us." Jacob reached up and touched his face. "I love you, Pieter, and I would be so honored to spend the rest of my life with you." He couldn't restrain his sobs any longer. "Please don't turn me away again."

"Oh, Jacob!" Pieter dropped to his knees, scooping Jacob into his embrace and sharing his tears. "I'm sorry! I just … I was just scared to believe that what you felt for me could be real."

"You haven't felt it every time we … "

Pieter's finger shushed him and he smiled. "Oh, I've felt every time but you are so wonderful, Jacob, and I've waited for so long … "

"Then don't wait any longer." Jacob pulled a blue velvet box from his pocket and showed Pieter a thick gold band with a large sapphire seated in the center. "Please marry me."

Pieter hugged Jacob again, burying his face in his fragrant hair. "Yes, Jake. I'll marry you."

Sammi was almost bawling when Thorne turned to her. Leon and Mary joined Pieter and Jacob on the couch and were all embracing each other and crying, their eyes trained on the last couple. Thorne bent on one knee, laying the flowers in her arms and looking into the eyes of the woman that he so fiercely loved.

"Sammi, we've been through so much that's it's hard to know where to begin and I'm not a great speaker like these other two … " Leon and Jacob laughed, smiling at their partners. "But Pieter can tell you where I was before I met you, where I am now and the difference between the two. More than once, I had flirted with the idea of walking out into the sunlight to end the loneliness I was feeling."

"Oh, Thorne!"

The horror in her eyes was almost enough to make him break down but he fought against his emotions, willing himself to finish. This was much too important to melt into a pool of tears just yet. "You mean so much to me, Sammi. From day one, you weren't afraid of me. You accepted me as I was and never wavered. Do you know how rare that is?" She nodded her head negatively, squeezing his hand. "I asked you to come home with me and make my life complete again. What would really make it complete would be if you would allow me to continue to be your friend and lover and to add husband to that list. Will you marry me, Sammi?"

"Of course I will, Thorne." Sammi said softly. "I will not lose you again."

The foursome on the couch cheered and Sammi and Thorne were engulfed in their congratulations. Moments later, six champagne flutes were held aloft and six voices cried out together: "To love!"

*****

The man with the limp stole slowly along the alleyway, hoping to put some distance between himself and the woman whose throat he'd just ripped out. His mouth and chin were still pained in blood but in the darkness, he knew that no one would notice. Just a few more yards .. 

"There he is!"

Gunshots rang out as a bright light pinned him to the wall. The silver-tipped bullets sliced through his slender frame, burning holes into flesh that had long ceased living. The man writhed and tossed, white-hot fire slicing him with each shot, sending him closer and closer to the grave. Finally, the last few shots echoed as he fell forward, landing with an anticlimactic thud into the muddy, wet gullet of the alley. SWAT Team Members inched forward, guns still trained on the inanimate body and one stepped forward, checking the pulse.

"He's dead."

The team moved back and Sammi Glass took a deep breath, pushing the face plate of the helmet up and speaking in a low tone. "The Crimson King has been killed in a firefight in the alleyway behind Uncle Ron's Jazz Hole." She watched as they turned the body over and smiled as she recognized the face as that of Domenico Roballo. "Our city is safe forever."