Blood Ties

The leafless trees were like clawed hands, reaching for my body. They snagged and tore at my hair, my dress, my bare legs, as I ran full pelt towards the edge of the forest. Just a little more I can do this!

I knew he was gaining on me, I could sense his presence only a few paces behind, but he moved with such speed and stealth, not a twig broke or a patch of ground was disturbed. They could all glide like ghosts, silent to the human ear. They were made for the hunt, had all the attributes of the greatest predators: speed, agility, heightened senses, and teeth so sharp they could pierce skin leaving only the tiniest pin pricks.

The forest began to thin, making it easier to pick my way through. As I was beginning to think I would make it out of this alive, my bare foot got caught in a fallen branch, I hurtled to the ground, shredding what was left of my tattered dress further. My head smashed against a large rock and I felt the warm trickle run down my cheek.

‘Well, Serena, did you really think you could escape me?’ he sneered, shaking a chunk of unruly black hair from his eyes, ‘You hunt me down, to stake me in my sleep and then run away when I try to fight back, that’s not a very fair fight is it?’

I tried to heave myself up, but my ankle was badly damaged from my fall, probably sprained, the pain was unbearable. I propped up on my elbows, trying my best to look dignified. I had made a crucial error in my timing; I should have waited, why I didn’t wait! In my haste to stake Cardlow, I hadn’t realised the sun had begun to set; he had woken from his daytime slumber before I had completed the kill, now the hunter had become the hunted. All I could hope for was that he killed me quickly, but I didn’t see that was going to happen. He was pissed, and would thus make me suffer.

‘I won’t apologise, you deserve to die, all vampires deserve to die!’ he kicked my ankle, cutting me off as I groaned in agony.

‘What gives you hunters the right to decide our fate; you’re all the same, wrong idea’s drip fed to you from birth. You are no better than my own kind.’ He was deluded in his thinking; it was an honour to be a hunter, my family’s legacy passed to me.

‘Get it over with already, kill me!’ I screamed at him from my position on the damp ground.

‘No, I think I will take you with me, my clan deserves to take pleasure in this as much as me.’ His words chilled me to the bone. He was going to take me to his lair, let his friends play with me, taste me and there was nothing I could do about it.

He bent and scooped me over his shoulder, where I lay limp, resigned to my fate. I was in no state to put up a fight, better to conserve my energy, if I survived till dawn that would be the best time to stage an escape. My dress rode up my legs, revealing my bare thighs. I felt him lick my bare skin; a scratch from my forest dash. My body shuddered in revulsion.

‘You taste mighty fine, I would rather not share, but that would be selfish, don’t you think?’ He trudged off into the forest; the last thing I remember was his heady scent of cloves and vanilla as I drifted out of consciousness.

******

‘How do you suggest we go about it?’

‘I'm not sure; I want to make her suffer in the worst possible way.’

‘Why not just drain her and be done with it?’

‘She tried to stake me in my sleep! We need to send a message to the hunter colony,’

I woke to the voice of Cardlow and a deeper, gruff voice of another vampire. I was trussed up, my wrists and ankles bound with rope to a wooden structure resembling a crude cross. Kind of ironic that they would use a religious symbol. We were in some sort of cave, dimly lit with oil lanterns, there were no windows, I guess because of the light sensitivity of the vampires.

‘Serena, how nice of you to join us, I hope you’re well rested. Can I get you anything?’ He made an exaggerated gesture with his hands.

‘You could just let me go,’ he laughed, ‘or I guess I would settle for some water.’ My throat felt raw. The other vampire saluted Cardlow and exited the room without saying a word.

‘Of course,’ he headed to a small table and poured out a glass of water. He pressed the glass to my lips, tilting it so I could sip, droplets splashed down my chin onto my breasts, but I didn’t care the water was fresh and tasted divine.

‘Thank you.’ I muttered. Why was he dragging this out? Toying with me, pretending to be hospitable while I'm being held prisoner.

‘Now I have quenched your thirst, I think it’s only fair you return the favour.’ Before I could respond, he had bared his fangs and sunk them into the side of my neck. The pain was excruciating, but short lived as the endorphins released by a vampire bite poured into my system. I was lost in pleasure and ecstasy as he drained my blood, sucking noisily at my throat. A moan escaped my lips as he withdrew.

‘See, we both enjoyed that.’ He commented smugly. He was grinning, pleased with my body's betrayal. I had never been bitten before; my kills were normally swift and without error, it was frightening how good it felt. My body craved more.

‘Some say it’s better than sex, I don’t agree though, nothing beats fucking while drinking blood.’ He winked and backed out the room. Leaving me feeling nauseated.

******

The next few days were much the same. Cardlow would visit, offer me nourishment in the form of bread and water, and then take his own, by drinking my blood. I began to expect his bite and even crave it, my body wanting the escape the endorphins in his saliva offered. He would then offer me a bucket to use as a toilet, shaming me further. I realised he was using mental and emotional torture, rather than physically abusing me.

On what I thought to be about day ten, Cardlow came and cut me from my ties. He sat me on a rickety cot in the corner of the room, placing my wrists in his hands and rubbed the welts that the rope had caused, caressing my skin in slow circles. He brought my wrist up to his mouth and I tensed in anticipation for his bite, but he kissed my bruises instead, working up my arm. My body shivered involuntary from his tender touch.

‘I hope you will be more comfortable without the restraints, I want you to enjoy our time together as I have grown to. Your blood really is intoxicating, must be the hunter genes.’ He stared into my eyes, as I tried to gage his true feelings. He looked sincere which scared me the most.

‘Why are you treating me kindly, I thought you wanted to kill me?’ I mumbled keeping my eyes downcast.

‘Oh, I do,’ He replied, tilting my head up to meet his steady gaze, ‘But I am beginning to see the benefits of having a blood donor around, hunting has become rather dangerous as your clan have been looking for you. They are roaming in groups, staking and decapitating any vampires that cross their path.’

He brought his mouth down to my throat, but was left once more disappointed as he inhaled my scent then leaned back again without biting. I left out a frustrated sigh and he smiled knowingly.

‘Your craving my bite, you want it, go on, tell me it’s not so.’ His black eyes bored into me, compelling me to tell the truth.

‘Yes, Please, I want it.’ I whispered. My face flushed, embarrassed by my omission.

‘Beg me! Tell me you want me, that you crave my touch.’ He stood up drawing me with him, so we were standing face to face.

‘No! I will not, I do not want you!’ I shouted indignantly.

‘Fine, I will leave, then, one of my men can serve you from now on.’ He began to walk away, but I grabbed his arm, worried he meant his words. The truth is I did need him. I wanted him, I wanted his bite. He had become a comfort in my captivity. I hated myself for feeling anything but contempt for a vampire but my body’s desires won over my mind's reasoning.

I drew him to me, wrapping my arms around his neck; I pulled him into a deep kiss. He responded instantly, pulling me tight with one arm around my waist, the other sliding beneath my skirt, caressing my bottom through my lace knickers. I felt his fangs slide down, nicking my tongue, I drew back, gasping. This was the most erotic thing I had ever experienced, my heart was pounding and I could feel dampness pooling between my legs. I was beyond aroused. I knew it was wrong, but my body seemed to not care.

‘Bite me, please.’ I begged, needing the release it provided.

‘No, not yet, you haven’t told me what I wanted to hear yet.’

‘I need you, please, I want you,’ I pleaded, pulling his hand to my breast.

‘I'm not sure I believe you, I think it’s only my bite you are addicted to.’ I wasn’t sure if this was true, but I knew I would do anything to feel that pleasure again.

‘Can you not see from my body’s reaction, how much I crave your touch, your attention.’ He ran his hand up my skirt, moving my underwear aside, he ran a finger up my slick opening. I moaned, relishing in his contact. My whole body quivered in anticipation of the unknown, my nipples tingling, aching to be toyed with. Never had I felt so alive.

‘I see you are rather wet for me,’ he pulled his fingers up to his mouth, tasting my wetness with his tongue, ‘You taste divine,’ He pushed me down onto the bed, straddling me, he hitched up my skirt and tore my panties away. The shredded remains fluttered to the floor, along with any doubts I had about making love to a vampire.

He claimed my mouth and I explored his body with my hands. He was a fine man, even if he technically wasn’t a man. He was made of well toned muscle, our bodies matched in this sense due to my hunter training. Pulling my dress over my head, leaving me naked, he greedily eyed my body, then began trailing kisses from my neck, down my bosom, across my stomach and then nibbled at the apex of my thighs, his fangs scraping my tender flesh. I groaned, my heat building, pleasure taking over my senses.He repeated his journey over and over again, while tremors palpitated through my body. His tongue swirled around my tender nub; he then inserted a finger, pushing me over the edge. I climaxed loudly, calling his name. Before I had a chance to recover, he bit into my thigh, causing my body to convulse further. I had never felt pleasure so intense, I didn’t think it would ever end, tearing my body to pieces.

When his mouth finally left my thigh, I was light headed and dazed. He scooped me into his arms, resting my head against his chest. I sat cradled in his lap while he softly stroked my hair. For a moment it almost felt normal, a couple cuddling, post coitus. But nothing was normal about this situation, he was a vampire and I was supposed to kill him.

I reached down to grab my dress off the floor, as I picked it up Cardlow batted it away.

‘You don’t need that; no way I'm done with you yet.’ He growled, flipping me over so I was kneeling on the mattress. He quickly unzipped his jeans and released his erection from his briefs, pushing the throbbing tip against my naked cheeks. The thick tip prodded and probed around my entrances, his slick fingers following the trail, I could hardly bare the sensation, it was overwhelming. He entered me in one quick thrust, making me gasp with surprise. I had never had sex in any other position than the conventional, this was so deep! He began moving in a steady rhythm and my body began building again, again! He was groaning against my ear, and then began pushing harder, faster.

I was breathless, pleasure was cascading throughout my body, each time I came close to release, he would slow and tease me once more. The heat spread like wildfire throughout my body, it was torture of the most erotic kind. He was beginning to emit a rumbling growl, his own teasing becoming too much, I could sense he was close.

‘Come for me, let me take you to your final pleasure.’ His words were my undoing, I came again as he found his own release, collapsing onto my back.

******

He didn’t return for a few days after our love making, leaving me feeling ashamed. He had broken me down and abused my weak will. I was a mess. My body still craved his touch, my blood still sizzled wanting the release only he could bring.

I was no longer restraint by any means, my food and water was shoved into my room without the sender revealing their face. I began to consider means of escape, now the effects of his bite were wearing off, my mind was beginning to become my own once again. Was his bite what caused my willingness to concede to his wishes? Or was it pure, untamed desire? I truly did not want to know the answer.

All was calm, until it wasn’t.

I awoke to a loud crash, the sound of wood being splintered and broken. It took me a moment to realise it was the door to my prison; an axe was protruding into the room. The mystery friend or foe kept beating at it, over and over, until finally they could pull apart the pieces of wood and step into the room.

‘Willum?’ I didn’t wait for a reply as I bounded across the room and into the hard bulk of a man, which was my clan leader. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘We're here for you, I apologise that it took so long, we had to have a sound plan to take on the blood sucking demons who have you.’ Willum shifted a step back, and looked me up and down; checking for damage. He frowned, making his aging skin wrinkle deeper.

‘I'm okay, I promise, they have actually treated me kindly,’ I blushed at the memory of the last time I had seen Cardlow.

‘Let’s get you out of here, be prepared for a struggle,’ He handed me a silver tipped stake, ‘It may be daytime, but there are no windows in their lair, so they may not be their strongest but will still put up a fight.’

I followed him out of the room into a long narrow corridor. I had no clue where we were heading, as I had been unconscious when brought in. The corridor had another ten or so rooms leading off it, all similar to the one I was kept in. No-one occupied the others; I guess they normally killed their captives a lot quicker.

When we reached the end of the corridor, the room opened up into a large atrium. There were brawling vampires and hunters crowding the room, blood had already been spilt, from which side I was unsure. Willum nodded mutely, and then dived into the fray. I followed, stake at the ready.

‘Cardlow’s pet, free from her cage,’ A tall, blond female vamp stood in front of me, fangs bared, ready for attack, ‘You will wish you were still safely locked up, by the time I'm finished with you.’

She pounced, but I was ready. I blocked her with a high kick to the abdomen, it stunned her for a second, but she was back on me pinning me against the wall. The stake was knocked from my hand, clattering to the floor, out of reach. Her finger nails clawed at my arms, drawing blood and then she was gone. I looked up into the face of Cardlow, he had thrown the blond vampire across the room, she snarled then went to pick a fight elsewhere.

I stared into his eyes, tinged with crimson from blood lust. Blood was dripping onto the floor, flowing freely from my arms.

‘You’re hurt,’ he stated, running his hand over my arm.

‘I'm fine,’ I wondered where he was genuinely concerned or just making an observation.

‘Here this will make you feel better,’ before I could respond he had torn at his own wrist with his fangs, he held his wrist to my mouth, his hot blood poured down my throat. I choked on the salty, copper taste and tried to pry him away.

‘Serena!’ I heard my name being roared over the chaos, Willum was charging towards them, dagger outstretched. Cardlow turned away from me to face his enemy.

‘No!’ I shouted, Cardlow whipped behind me in vampire quick time, just as Willum reached us with the knife. I felt the cool metal slice into my chest, and watched as blood pooled through the thin fabric of my dress.

I felt my life slipping away, then all faded to black.

******

Death wasn’t as imagined it, I felt like I was suffocating, a huge weight pressing against my chest, pinning me to the ground. All was dark.

******

I could feel dirt squelching between my fingers, dirt? What was going on? My eyes flew open, all I could see surrounding me was dirt. I had been buried! In a crude grave, hopefully shallow. I reached up clawing with my hands, trying to dislodge the dirt. I frantically dug above me, for what felt like forever, until finally, my hand struck through the surface.

I removed the remaining dirt and heaved myself up out of the grave. I was surprised by my strength. I was standing in the moonlit forest I had first encountered Cardlow. Cardlow! He killed me! He had put me between the knife and himself, sacrificed my life to save his own. How could I have thought he cared? I was nothing but a conquest, a toy to be played with at his will and disposed with once he had his fill. But I wasn’t dead, I was alive. Someone had buried me regardless. How could this have happened?

I got up and decided to head back to my clan; someone must have made a mistake. The walk wasn’t a long one, and I jogged through the darkness with surprising stamina and sure- footedness. I reached the outer gate of our home within an hour.

The place was just as I remembered it. An exceedingly high wall, surrounding all the quaint huts inside. I approached the gate, intending to walk straight through, but was barred entry.

Willum came rushing out from behind the gate, ushering back to the cover of the trees. He glared at me through the darkness. I noticed he was clutching a stake in his hand.

‘Why did you return?’ He sounded extremely angry. I backed up, confused by his outrage. Did he know about Cardlow?

‘I was buried alive? Was that you?’ I stuttered.

‘I should have killed you while I had the chance.’ He shook his head, ‘Leave now and never return, you are welcome here no longer.’

‘But... but why?’ I could feel my eyes welling with tears, this was my home.

‘Just leave!’ he roared. Brandishing the stake at me.

I took off at a run, back into the darkness of the forest. I kept running for what felt like hours until I reached the edge of the great lake in the centre of the forest. My knees buckled beneath me and I sunk into the wet mud overlooking the water. My tears dropped into the lake, causing small ripples. I cried silently.

When no more tears would fall. I looked at my reflection. I looked different, my face was paler than usual, no doubt from the lack of nourishment the last few weeks, but my eyes were the strangest colour, my normal blue irises had dimmed to a dull grey and were tinged with red. I hastily backed away from the lake, my hand clasped over my mouth. God, no! Please not this! I heard a twig snap and turned quicker than humanly possible toward the sound. A deer was grazing on a bank not far from me. I began to approach the animal, crouching ready to leap. My gums ached, a sharp sting and my fangs released, I leapt on the poor creature and sunk my teeth into its neck, draining its life away.



If you like this, please download it for free on Kobo to boost my chart rating! Thanks

It is also available on Kindle but I have not managed to do a free deal yet!