Twenty-Three
Varos
He wasn’t sure for how long, but Avalon had fallen silent. Silent and unbelievably still. She looked like a statue, her human motions forgotten. No heartbeat, no breathing. Not a single muscle twitched. She didn’t even blink. He didn’t regret saving her life—not one bit. But in that moment, he mourned her human body. He missed the way she blushed under their praise, the soft whoosh of her lungs filling with air and the scent of her blood rushing just beneath the skin.
Of their own accord, his feet carried him around the table. Avalon tracked his movements, sitting stone still with her lips parted to utter words she couldn’t find. He came to a stop in front of her, brushing his thumb over her cheek and feeling his lips curl into a smile.
“You are doing so well, little dove,” he praised. And she was. She battled her excruciating thirst every second of the day, executing more and more control every time she fed from Lysander. “You mesmerise me every day with your impeccable strength.”
“I…”
He silenced her with his lips on her forehead.
“I don’t understand. If you lost yourself after you turned then how am I…” She trailed off, seemingly unable to form her thoughts into words.
“Because you’re self aware. You do not give into temptation. You have been given the time and space to adjust to your new body without giving into the thirst.” His lips brushed against her skin as he spoke. “You are strong and determined not to hurt anyone.”
“So, if you brought a human in here I wouldn’t be this calm.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“What about Lysander?”
“Lysander might taste good, but he is not fully human. His blood is nothing compared to a pure human’s essence.”
Avalon shuddered, almost as intrigued by the thought as she was terrified. Then she reached up, curling her hand around his neck and pulling herself to her toes. Her mouth claimed his, her body guiding him back until he slammed into the wall. He willingly gave up control, giving her what she needed as his shirt was ripped from his body. Avalon expertly worked open his belt, shoving his trousers to the floor as her tongue breached his mouth.
He worked at her clothes, calculated yet efficient. Once she was bare from her waist down he lifted her into his arms, her legs finding their spot around his waist. His cock wept, aching for her touch. Avalon effortlessly positioned the head at her entrance, and he swallowed a groan as she sank onto his length slow and steady. He turned and shoved her against the wall, pulling a moan from her chest.
Avalon wound her fingers in his hair, clenching hard and wrenching his head to the side to expose his neck. Seemingly forcing herself to go just as slow as he was, she teased her nose along his jawline. “I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.
His response was nothing more than a primal snarl, Avalon’s fangs piercing his skin and the warmth of her antidote spreading through his veins. For a split second, he forgot himself, losing himself in her drug. Then she impatiently rolled her hips and as if on cue, his cock jerked inside her. He held her by her hips, lifting her slightly before impaling her on his cock once more. The combination of his impending orgasm and Avalon’s antidote coursing through his body had him floating. He took her hard and fast, that knot in his stomach tightening. He knew he wouldn’t be able to take his time—not like this.
“Shh,” he hushed, quickening his pace. “Take it easy on me, little dove.”
Her feed slowed, but that didn’t stop the antidote. Behind the veil of lust, he knew he was close. He’d done nothing to aid her own climax but he was too close to stop. His skin tingled, pace falling uneven and fireworks popping off across his skin.
He came with a roar, filling her with a hot rush of cum and letting his forehead rest against the wall. Avalon drank a bit more, humming against his skin as he rode out the last of his orgasm. Then she extracted her fangs, sealed the bite, and gave him a gentle kiss. He sank to his knees, holding onto her tightly. Avalon welcomed the embrace and nuzzled into his neck.
He simply soaked in her presence, tracing over the ridges of her spine. Being alone with her felt good. He wasn’t jealous by any means but being alone with her felt… special.
“I have something to confess to you.”
“What’s that, Varos?”
“When I was in your apartment, I was looking for your charging cables in the nightstand. I didn’t mean to spy, but a silky bag caught my attention.”
Avalon giggled, though she stiffened slightly beneath him.
“I peeked inside.”
“Of course you did.” She didn’t seem upset but judging by the way she nuzzled into his neck, she was clearly embarrassed by the situation.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I had my suspicions.”
“I ordered one—for you to have here.”
“You’re making this worse,” she laughed, keeping her face hidden from him.
“I wasn’t going to tell you, thought it was a terrible and invasive idea, but this is the second time you haven’t come while being with me.”
“It’s okay. I enjoyed myself.”
“But—”
She sighed, rearing her head back and holding a finger to his lips to silence him. “While I was with Troy, I learned to fake it. As if I could orgasm from his slightest touch. He liked it that way, would be frustrated if I didn’t come. After I left him, I had trouble.”
Avalon kept her gaze down. He didn’t dare move, her finger travelling over his lips and cheek, curling around to cup his face. It was a light touch, as if she barely even realised what she was doing.
“I thought something was wrong with me. So, I looked it up, read a lot about it and realised that though most women enjoy their counterparts most also don’t come easily.” Their eyes finally met, Avalon’s lips twitching into a shy smile. “I’m not upset that I didn’t orgasm. The greatest gift is that you don’t force me to pretend. I can be vulnerable with you, without being afraid that you will use it against me.”
He reached up and mirrored her touch, letting her lean into his palm. “Every second you share with me, I feel blessed. I turned you without consent, made you into something you never asked for, yet here you are: trusting me. It should contradict itself, yet you are in my arms allowing me to be with you.”
“I’m not going to lie, I don’t know how to feel about being a vampire. But I enjoy being with you—all three of you. It feels good. Not that it didn’t beforehand, I enjoyed the time we spent together.”
“Now it is without secrets.”
Avalon’s expression softened. “Exactly. That makes it even better.”
He leaned his forehead against hers, relishing the moment and the trust she was pouring into him.
“I want to know more about you,” Avalon whispered. “But I’m not sure how much you are willing to share with me.”
“Anything you want to know, is yours.”
“You say that now, but if you find my questions hard to answer or you simply don’t want to, just tell me.”
He didn’t move, content in holding her there in his lap. “Of course.”
“Have you been alone all these years? I mean you had Marcus and Lysander to keep you company but did none of you ever feel lonely?”
“With us having to hide for so long, it was hard building meaningful relationships. We feared detection from the lycans for a long time. As Lysander said, we only felt more daring once we crossed the Atlantic.”
“So, you did seek out company, just nothing long term.”
“Yes.”
“Were they also vampires?”
“Some, but we knew how they felt about Lysander’s kind. So, we never shared our secret with them.” He sighed, his heart heavy as his memories returned to his sweet Vanessa. “There was a human I loved once. I hadn’t meant to gift her my heart. I wanted her to spend the rest of eternity with me, to make her mine forever. She didn’t survive my venom. After I felt her take her last breath, I swore never to let history repeat itself.”
Avalon leaned back and at first, he thought she wanted to distance herself from him. Instead, she took his face in her hands and studied him, her eyes burning into his as she sought out something he wasn’t sure how to give. “That’s why you didn’t offer to turn me—why you never would have.”
“Yes. Marcus wanted to tell you, and offer you a life with us but I couldn’t bear it. It was only when I saw you taking your last breath that I realised I couldn’t let you go.” Tears spilled and his chest ached with guilt. “I couldn’t let you die either, couldn’t handle the thought of losing another precious soul. I didn’t think, I just acted. I was selfish.”
“No one wants to see someone they are close to dying.”
“I acted against your wishes.”
“I’ve wanted to be with you and you gave me that.” Avalon nuzzled against his cheek. “I’m grateful to be with you, no matter how hard I’m struggling to adjust. I’m not upset with you, just trying to figure this out. I’m sorry you lost her and I’m thankful you feel safe enough to share your story with me.”
His tears slowed, and he pulled Avalon close. They simply sat there, relishing the quiet and not needing to say a word.
There was nothing that needed to be said .
Twenty-Four
Marcus
He didn’t care for garden supplies. Scratch that—he did, but only because of the bright smile on Avalon’s face. Although, a trip to the garden centre hadn’t been why he offered to join Lysander. It was simply an excuse to leave the house.
Marcus took the wheel and drove them to one of those grease-laden fast food restaurants. It was actually one that Lysander found to be “edible.” So, he ordered Lysander’s usual alongside a few extra meals. Lysander crooked a brow, but Marcus elegantly ignored it. They hadn’t divulged to him yet that Troy was still alive. They weren’t keeping it from him necessarily, but it hadn’t come up in conversation. They didn’t want Avalon to know yet and with her newfound hearing skills, it was impossible to talk about at home.
Although Lysander was no fool—he figured it out quickly. “You kept him, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Revenge.”
“And you think that is a good idea?”
“I do.”
“She will kill him if she gets anywhere near him. ”
“We’re not going to just throw him at her. When she’s ready, we will let her know he’s still alive. What she chooses to do after that is her choice.”
Lysander rolled his eyes, but followed him through the abandoned building nonetheless. The silver-encrusted walls made his skin crawl, but he showed no signs.
The pathetic worm cowered on the floor, his eyes sunken and his skin pale beneath the dirt. There was no crumb to be found of the food Varos left last time.
“You forgot to feed him,” Lysander stated, leaning in the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I was a little preoccupied.” Then Marcus crouched down and offered him the food. “Are you hungry?”
The bastard looked at him, eyes milky and seeming to war with himself—desperately wanting the food but not wanting to show it. Though he quickly relented with a nod.
“How about you share a secret? Then maybe I’ll reward you.” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I want to know if you kept anything that belonged to her.”
Troy nodded, so he reached into the bag and tossed him a few fries, which Troy inhaled.
“Where do you keep them?”
“Storage unit,” he croaked.
This time the prick got a single chicken nugget. “Does anyone know?”
“No.”
That got him a whole burger. “I want to know everything about it.”
After Troy had told them where it was and how to access it, he stood and dropped the bag in front of Troy.
“Pace yourself. Not sure when we’ll be able to find the time to return. Ava is quite attached to us, you know?”
Then he slammed the door shut and locked the bolts. Though Lysander didn’t say anything, Marcus could tell that he wasn’t amused.
Once they returned home, they found Avalon in Varos’s room, nose scrunched and focusing hard on his puzzle. He couldn’t help but laugh as he walked around the table and stood behind her. “I’ve lost another to this madness.”
“It’s actually quite relaxing.”
“I would call it frustrating, but let’s just agree to disagree.”
“Did you two have fun?”
“I think Lysander enjoyed himself more than I did.”
Avalon rested against his chest. “But I’m sure you enjoyed yourself more with Lysander than you would’ve puzzling.”
“Which is why I need to get you out into the garden again. These flowers won’t plant themselves.” He kissed her cheek, then tugged her to her feet. “When was the last time you fed?”
“Not sure.”
After a quick stop in the kitchen to get her a drink, he watched as she fed and inspected her new flowers. Lysander had found some to compliment the others, along with more rose bushes in various colours. While she spent the majority of the afternoon in the sun with Lysander—he seemed to have the greenest thumb—he and Varos sat back and watched. Other than the occasional opinion they were asked for, they were happy to let her have her quality time with Lysander.
Truthfully they hadn’t seen Lysander this happy in years. He was always stressed about one thing or another and often kept to himself. Yes, the three of them were close, but seeing him with Avalon was heartwarming. The beast lurking within wasn’t his fault, but that didn’t stop Lysander from being so hard on himself. Hiding away with that secret had taken a toll on the big bad wolf with a soft heart.
Once the last plant had found it’s spot, Avalon glanced down at herself. “I think I’m going to take a bath,” she giggled, trying and failing to wipe away some of the dirt covering her. “I think I’ve taken more in the last few days, than I have in my entire lifetime, but they’re more fun now that my skin won’t wrinkle.”
“I’m coming with,” Marcus announced, leaping to his feet. Then he paused, considering how that sounded. “Only if you’d like the company.”
Avalon sucked in her inner cheek, working it with her teeth. “Okay, but only because you asked so sweetly.”
Before he followed her to her bathroom, he stopped to warm another glass of blood. By the time he stepped into her bedroom, lavender-scented steam billowed out of the bathroom. While she rinsed off in the shower, he pulled a stool over to set her glass down. He stripped, then stepped into the shower with her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. She leaned into him, smooth skin against his as the water prickled on his skin.
“You looked happy today,” he admonished
“I was.” She turned, nuzzling into his neck. “I still am.”
He marvelled into her touch for a moment longer and then kissed her hair. “Ready to soak?”
She nodded and he led her to the bath, letting her settle in the water between his legs. With her leaning against him and wrapped in his arms he relaxed and let his head rest against the rim of the tub. “I didn’t mean to be so demanding earlier.”
“But you corrected yourself. That makes me feel safe around you. Not only that you backtracked, but you let me know that the choice was mine and you wouldn’t have been upset if I told you no.”
His fingers traced lazy circles around her belly button as her words wrapped him in a cosy feeling. She felt safe with them, something she’d probably craved for a long time. “Please tell us if that ever changes.”
“I will, but I have another question.”
“And I will answer it as best as I can.”
“You said the blood we are drinking comes from blood donors. ”
“That’s right.”
“I think I once read that donated blood isn’t pure—like, it’s processed.”
“It usually is, but we drink the unprocessed ones. We actually made that mistake the first time we tried it. It tasted awful and didn’t meet our needs. We looked into it, and figured out that we needed unprocessed blood.”
“And you just go out and buy it? Like do you have a dealer?”
“That’s one of the few things that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years: money. Everything has a price.”
Avalon shivered in his arms, and it wasn’t because of the water. He remembered how easy it had been for Troy to get rid of her once he’d seen how much Varos had been willing to pay. Wanting to take her mind off Troy, he offered her the glass.
“What made you switch to donor blood?”
“Convenience. With Lysander being tied to the full moon cycle we like to have a permanent residence and that means we can’t be seen doing anything suspicious. If people were mysteriously going missing, that would put us in danger. So, we limited our hunts and each time we travel a little bit farther from where we’ve based ourselves.”
“I don’t think I want that.”
He paused. She didn’t want them hunting? It didn’t surprise him, but finding something he wasn’t willing to give up for her? That was shocking.
“I mean I don’t want to do that,” Avalon corrected.
He’d been set to argue, so he needed a moment to collect his thoughts. “You don’t have to.”
“You don’t expect that of me?”
“Of course not. We won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.”
She set the empty glass aside and repositioned herself to kneel between his legs. “I’m sorry.”
“For what could you possibly feel the need to apologise for? ”
Her gaze dropped, her hands skimming over the water and over his thighs. “I know there is nothing to apologise for, but it feels… wrong that I don’t want to hunt humans. I mean, that’s what we’re supposed to do, right?”
“We can do whatever the fuck we want, which is why I enjoy being who I am so much. As a human, you’re so limited: time, resources, illness. But now, I don’t need to do shit. Nothing limits me. Yes, I follow society’s rules and laws—some at least—but that is by choice. I don’t need money, don’t need a house to keep me warm and safe, don’t need a passport to travel, and I don’t need to answer to anyone but myself. The only thing I need to survive is blood, and I can get that wherever I want.”
Avalon’s body stilled. “Anything we want?”
“Anything. Just think about it. What are the police going to do? Hold you in a cell?” He chuckled. “Unless that cell is made from the purest silver, you’ll rip through it like paper. Many people don’t even believe we exist.”
“I won’t die.”
“You won’t.”
Slowly, she lifted her head until their eyes locked. “Would you travel with me?”
“Of course. We all would. But if you wanted to go alone, we would stay behind. You can return to us as you please. A month, a year, even a decade is nothing compared to eternity.”
He knew how hard it was to process all of this. In his first years as a vampire, he’d struggled with all the freedom. It almost felt like too much freedom.
“I want to show you just how free you are.” He shifted, water splashing over the sides of the tub. He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her in for a toe-curling kiss. Once she was completely enamoured, he leaned a little more. His weight firmly pushed her back, his hands dancing up her sides to support her shoulders. When the back of her head touched the water, she began to fight. She thrashed against the water, clawing at his shoulders—but he didn’t break the kiss. He simply doubled down, moving his mouth against hers until they were submerged beneath the water. Only then did Avalon realise: she didn’t need to breathe.
Submitting, Avalon tangled her fingers in his hair just how he liked it. She relaxed, the water giving the illusion they were floating. They didn’t need air to survive, her body and her lips were all he needed—all he wanted.
Her legs wrapped around his waist and she arched her back, rubbing against his hard length. He ached to be inside of her, wanted to feel nothing but her and the silence the water surrounded them with. Her mind seemed to be one with his, her hand pushing between them and guiding his cock to her entrance. Avalon clenched her thighs around him, demanding him to move while her hand worked her clit.
He thrusted his hips, pushing them into the porcelain beneath. Water swayed around them, no doubt drenching the bathroom floor—neither of them cared. His cock jerked when Avalon yanked his head to the side and sank her fangs deep into his neck without hesitation.
Fuck, that was hot.
He fucked her hard and fast, the water in the tub slowly dissipating. His mind was clouded with lust and her antidote. Avalon took over his body entirely, draining him from every possible source.
She quivered beneath him, her thighs tensing around him and his balls drawing up tight. His mind was clouded, but he fought to stay lucid—he had to until she finished first. He adjusted his angle, pumping his hips and feeling her fingers quicken. Then she relaxed in his grip and gave herself to him. He couldn’t hold back any longer, crashing over the edge with her, body jerking with the violence of his climax.
He drowned himself in his orgasm, absorbing every tingle that spread over his skin and every spasm his muscles couldn’t hold. She didn’t ease on her feed, so he wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted her from the water—not that there was much of it left. With her in his lap he ran his fingers through her soaking wet hair.
“Nothing constricts you, little dove. Just as the world lies at your feet, I lie as well.”