Chapter 29
Vastion
Iwas thoroughly ruined. I had not imagined how she would bewitch me, and now I was bound by her spell.
My mind and heart well on their way to becoming reckless.
As she came once against my mouth and again against my hand, I could not have imagined the way my hunger for her would only increase.
I would never be fully satiated by this woman.
I would always long for more. More time, more everything.
Back in our private chambers, she strolled toward me in a barely-there robe, patting her hair dry with a cloth and eyeing me with a hunger that said she too was not done.
I moved toward the doorway of the balcony.
I had opened it narrowly to allow for a breeze, my usually cool skin feeling uncharacteristically hot.
I stepped out onto the stone platform and inhaled the fresh air as waves crashed against the wall below us.
In the distance, the night sea was illuminated only by moonlight and a twinkling cascade of stars.
A few lanterns dimly lit the balcony in an inviting warm amber hue.
Es moved in beside me, her silk robe split into a low V down her chest all the way to her navel.
Her freckles, like so many stars, clustered here and there; and my eyes used them to navigate her exposed figure.
I welcomed her into an embrace, shielding her from the chilly air that had already peaked her perfect nipples below the sheer fabric.
Her hand slid slowly down my chest, across my abdomen to sit idly atop my waistline.
“I would so very much like to return the worship—and I do not require a throne,” she purred.
I placed my hand atop hers to stop it from wandering further. I cleared my throat, trying to find the right words, ones that would not upset her. “I cannot. Not yet.”
“Why?” She half-smiled, her eyes now alight with challenge. The kind of challenge I’d usually welcome, but now it was disarming in an entirely different way.
“I am yours. I’ve been yours. But when you are mine… When I finally have you, I’ll be forever changed. And maybe that moment scares me more than it does you…” I trailed off, fearful of her reaction.
The weight of my past hung over me like an ominous storm cloud, a phantom following me through shadows at every turn.
I feared anything ever being mine again, for then I’d have something to lose.
I’d given myself to my kingdom, to a cause, to my people.
I’ve given friendship and companionship.
But no grief had ever been so great as giving love and having it stolen, being unsure if it had really ever been mine.
Part of me wondered if I could just be hers and that would be enough. Her expression turned knowingly somber.
A chaotic, circular logic began to loop inside my mind.
Even if she were mine, time would eventually claim her.
The hourglass was itself an instrument of death.
This truth was inescapable. And yet, somehow, felt so distant.
For as her heart swelled with thoughts of the present, I counted myself privileged to call this astonishing woman my wife.
Esiree lifted her hand, gently turning my chin to face her gaze. Trying her best to draw me back from the weight of my confession.
“Then perhaps it is time I am the one to distract you?”
Without permission, she slid her hand down the front of my trousers and unapologetically grasped me.
I stiffened instantly, sucking in a breath of surprise.
I wanted to pull away, to stop her, but then she began to slowly stroke me, and I let out an encouraging groan.
My resolve had been entirely lost, as it always was where my wife was involved.
I leaned down and wrapped my hand behind her neck, weaving my fingers into her hair before tugging her head back, forcing her to look up at me.
Her dominant expression didn’t falter, she only continued to increase the pace of her strokes.
I remembered the number of times I visited the Falls and had wished for this moment.
But it was nothing like finally feeling her touch rubbing eagerly against me.
I pressed my mouth to hers; my kiss was deep, impatient—almost feverish, while I felt my cock pulsing in her grip.
When I pulled away, my head tilted back toward the sky, I closed my eyes, trying to avoid shuddering into her hand so soon.
“May the Gods never still the hands of those who worship thusly,” I declared.
“Only my hands?”
Suddenly, Esiree knelt and looked up at me mischievously, before placing both hands on my trousers, unbuttoning and sliding them fluidly down my thighs.
She took my hardened cock in one hand and glanced back up before flicking her tongue lightly across the tip, already dripping from my excitement.
Es lapped it up and continued to tease me, my muscles tightening all across my body at the prospect of this gorgeous woman on her knees for me.
Soon thereafter, she was done torturing me with playful teasing, and proceeded to place her lips wholly around me, running her slick mouth up and down the entire length of it.
I watched in stunned awe as she took me fully, feeling each time I hit the back of her throat; but she did not waver.
She simply increased her speed and bobbed her head with closed eyes, focused and determined to make a mess of me.
I gathered her hair in my hand, holding it away from her face so I could admire the view.
My emotions raced between disbelief and the ecstasy that I hadn’t granted myself in over half a century.
The encounter carried a breathless novelty, the long stretch of years since I had last known such intimacy only deepening the pull of my desire.
There was a fleeting moment where the sheer intensity of her devotion held me suspended, a visceral rush to my senses before I completely surrendered.
I let myself go, moving my hand in time with the dip of her head, losing myself in the intoxicating sensations she drew from my body.
There was no fear or disgust in her actions. More than pleasure, a feeling of immense peace overcame me—the realization that she had finally accepted me as a man and not a monster. As she let out enthusiastic and unmerciful moans against my shaft, I began to throb toward climax.
Esiree moved her hand in tandem with her mouth and unexpectedly used her free hand to clasp my balls. Saliva dripped down the sides of her chin as her hands massaged gently, elevating the intensity of the oncoming orgasm.
When I thought I’d finally seen all her tricks, she became suddenly inspired, lifting her mouth away from my cock and running her tongue up the inside of my groin before rising up higher on her knees.
I instantly felt the grazing of her teeth before she pulled my hips tightly against her face and bit down on my hip bone.
Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough that the sting of it was felt.
She then lifted her lips and blew cold air on the spot she had just nipped.
The contrast of the breeze from her mouth softened the pain of her punishment.
She resumed her worship of my cock by running her tongue back along the side enthusiastically.
Esiree slid up and down with furious desperation to see me undone, sucking harder. My gaze fixated on her tits, the robe having fallen loose, allowing them to bounce in unison with her movements.
“I’m going to come,” I groaned, my control waning. My cock wept, the full measure of my orgasm edging on unbearable. I tried to get her to stop, to pull away, but she held one hand firmly to my rear while continuing to stroke and suck forcefully. “Es, please, I can’t—”
Uncontrollably, I erupted into her mouth, the warmth of her slick tongue still caressing my length uninterrupted.
I worried she would struggle to manage my release, but she only continued to lick me clean, a truly unladylike and most fascinating action.
The Gods had blessed me with such undeserved and rare worship.
She lifted her hand and swiped it across her mouth, attempting to brush aside the mess along her lips.
I’d never witnessed anything sexier than me glistening on the swollen pout of this woman.
Es looked up at me, still from a kneeling position.
A satisfied hunger lurked in her watering eyes.
“You taste like royalty,” she teased, while lifting my pants back up to cover me.
As soon as she buttoned them, I swept her up in my arms and delivered her to our bed in a flash that left her hair windswept, stealing her breath.
I yanked back the covers and pulled them over her nearly naked body, tucking it against mine.
My arms wove through hers and I held her tightly to my chest. The night’s exertion soon caught up with her, and her breathing smoothed into a tired rhythm.
Before sleep claimed her, I whispered, “You are perhaps the only thing that could give me the strength to do what comes next.”
Loyal armed guards stood far and wide, stationed throughout the Heart to ensure there would be no civil unrest when the news was delivered.
To my chagrin, the announcement was not without violence.
The news of additional rationing stoked fear, paranoia, and anger in my people.
Mina, who was normally stoic during these types of interactions, looked worried, almost guilty.
Wishing she could somehow make the numbers tell a different story.
But this was a necessary decision for our long-term survival.
One might think that including news of the Parcaetes’ weapon alongside this announcement might quell some of the outrage, but those who were already aware of it were sworn, under penalty of death, to refrain from sharing any information.
Worse than news of additional rations were false promises that paid no dividends.
Not until we were certain of the weapon’s continued ability to exterminate the Forlorn would we reveal our cause.
Guards were instructed to confine any insurrectionists to the prison cells.
They would still be provided their rations, like all citizens, and given time to reconcile their emotions with civility.
If released, there would be eyes on them still.
I had hoped that the years of our affliction had somehow instilled a wisdom in my people that perhaps their mortal education hadn’t.
Killing me, ceasing rations, or demanding more donations through violent means would not change our outcome.
In many ways, we were as fragile as the humans.
I met with the nobles and commoners in small groups, trying my best to play confident politician.
I was nervous to have Esiree following me around to these conclaves, but she insisted.
Revelry was like medicine for Vampyr boredom. The thought that there would be very little of that, least none that involved extra rations, brought a wave of moroseness to the Heart.
In other discussions, Orin informed me that our trip to Lyr would be delayed by a few days.
A rare plague of sunny, cloudless days, seemingly an omen of how my afternoon was already faring.
Orin also assured me that additional guards would be placed outside the reservoir.
Only our most trusted could be tasked with protecting our lifeline.
The Parcaetes carried a heavy burden with news of the reduced rations. Feeling like their efforts could somehow shift the tides, they began to work even more tirelessly.
Over the next day, I continued to manage the sentiments of the city while Esiree visited Tyber and the others, frequently bringing them small treats to keep their energy up.
She’d report back to me on her findings, informing me that they were testing new dispensing mechanisms of different shapes and sizes that might allow for the smoke to travel farther and faster.
Rapid expansion was key to minimizing our losses, and I wouldn’t involve more sentries till I was confident we could manage each attack.
I was eager to travel to Lyr, but more time for weapon refinement was probably for the best. Plus, that meant it was going to be far easier for me to pull off Esiree’s surprise.
Laila had helped me plan everything, and there was one thing in particular that I was being meticulous about.
I entrusted her to bring my vision to life.
In order to pull it off, I had to ensure that Es and I took meals in the Great Hall with the others until the big reveal.
Something she was not thrilled about, since the mood there was dismal at best.
People sipped slowly at their cups to make their disappointment obvious.
A few dramatic guests would tip their cup upside down, as if waiting for more to drip out before setting them down loudly on the table and making their exit.
On more than one occasion, I had to squeeze Esiree’s hand since I could feel her anger bubbling below the surface.
If she said anything to rouse them it could be disastrous.
A vampire with an appetite was not to be trifled with.
Eventually, they would adjust. They had to.
This is all we could afford for the time being.
That night Esiree was more than pleased to hear we’d be taking our next meal in private, but when we arrived at the closed set of doors, I placed a soft blindfold over her eyes and instructed her to wait.