Chapter 34
Vesper
The cold sweat did nothing to keep the heat from rising to my cheeks.
Veylor caught me in a vulnerable moment, and I absolutely despised it.
I don't want him to perceive me as weak and defenseless. He already sees me that way just because I'm human. Not showing emotion other than anger was my second line of defence besides the oath.
He saw me cry.
No one gets to see me cry, not even Lord Dickhead.
But now I can’t sleep, not even during the day.
Why can’t I be strong?
If Oryx wasn’t here I would be crying for my mother, for her strength.
I recall those summer nights and the storms that would shake the funeral home.
The wind would make the old house creak, and the rain would lash against the ancient windows.
Even in the safety of the basement, I felt scared as a child.
She would hold me tightly, whispering that everything would be alright, and I believed her. I trusted her completely.
The only other person who came close was Oryx. He never lied; he only knew the absolute truth. However, when he said that Veylor didn't intend any harm, I couldn't believe it—not after what Veylor had done before.
That icy demeanor, those unyielding eyes, and that unreadable face. I was torn between disbelief and suspicion.
Could he really desire me? I couldn't shake the feeling that his intentions were to cause me harm.
That was the case until now. When I witnessed the walls collapse around him and he saw me bleeding, completely shattered, exhausted, and without hope. He realized how he had shaped who I am today, especially when I'm engulfed in darkness and tormented by nightmares...
He stumbled.
I saw something different.
For the first time, his eyes softened, and his lips trembled slightly. The usual smug grin was gone, replaced by a furrowed brow and downcast eyes.
The air between us shifted as his shoulders slumped, and I could see the weight of guilt etched into the lines on his face.
His lips trembled, his eyes turned glassy.
Emotion. He had emotion.
Then he turned away like he couldn’t bear to see me like this.
Oryx shifted me into his lap and licked the remaining blood off my arm. I squirmed in his hold, the heat of his tongue sparking the heat between my thighs to come alive.
“Shh, I know, I will take care of you,” he purred.
Each time I wake, I’m exhausted and unable to sleep. I see those vampires claw at my skin, hear the clicking of their throats and the gulps as they taste my blood.
I wasn't troubled when Oryx did it. He was gentle. The comforting rumble from his chest calmed me, igniting a fire within me that made it impossible to rest until he tended to me in ways I shouldn't desire after such a nightmare.
I needed him.
“I will put you to sleep, my pet. Lay back.”
Oryx groaned and sank back into the disheveled bedding.
The blankets were a tangled mess, and he carefully peeled away the dress I had slept in.
His fingers, though large, moved with surprising grace.
He made no rush, allowing his hands to glide up the sides of my body, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake.
Each teasing touch sent a shiver through me as he guided me back down onto the bed.
“That’s it, my pet. Lay still, let me feast.”
I wanted to fight back, but I was so exhausted. In all honesty I was tired of fighting, tired of trying to stay awake, fighting with Veylor, thinking.
I just wanted to rest.
Oryx's skull nestled against my inner thigh, the coolness of his skull contrasting with the warmth of my own.
As he gently pushed my legs back, his long, agile tongue traced delicate patterns over my sensitive skin, sending shivers up my spine.
I inhaled sharply, caught off guard by the intensity of the sensation, as he nuzzled his nose closer, drawing in deep, deliberate breaths of my scent.
Why was this so hot?
“Yes, let me take in your arousal.”
Oryx didn’t feed on blood as often anymore, he wanted my body. Something about desire that I didn’t have time to think about. I just knew he took in my orgasms, my pleasure and he said it made him feel full and not sluggish like the blood did.
His hand grazed up my side and pulled me closer to him, his tongue flicked inside my body. My back arched and as soon as he hummed against my clit, I had already fallen over.
My body was primmed for him.
Oryx stood up, revealing his impressively muscular chest. No human or any other creature had a physique quite like his. If I wasn’t so tired I’d sit up an lick it.
My eyelids drooped, barely registering his words as he moved behind me. I struggled to remain awake, avoiding dreams, yet with Oryx close by, I felt assured of his protection. I trusted him completely.
“Oryx.”
He hummed and spread my legs while he coated his dick with my arousal.
"I'm glad to see you're so eager for this. You rely on this big cock to help you relax, knowing I'll always be by your side."
I moaned and pushed out my breasts. His hand reached around my body and cupped one of them, pinching the nipple while his cock fully slipped inside me. It was tight at this angle and I winced as he began a slow torturous pace.
“My little pet. My human. I will always keep you safe. Even Veylor wants to keep you safe. He is very upset at your state.”
I grunted in protest as I felt my treacherous pussy flutter around him.
Oryx's tongue grazed my shoulder. "Your body likes him, at least. Once you get to know him, things will be different."
I shook my head, reluctant to agree. The memory of Veylor observing us a few days ago still lingered. The way he looked at me—my breasts, my face—while he touched himself was hotter than I cared to remember. I enjoyed being the focus of his gaze, though I wished I could despise him for it.
Oryx’s tail wrapped around my thigh possessively as his thrusts now pulsed inside me. The suckers pulled and sucked inside my walls.
I cried out.
“That’s it, let me rock you to sleep. Don’t fight it.”
The tip of his tail rubbed against my clit and my mouth opened in a silent cry.
Oryx snarled behind me, his voice a rough whisper in my ear.
“Fuck, you taste different. You taste…” His words dissolved into a throaty, strangled roar as I felt the heat of his release spread within me.
My eyes fluttered shut, overwhelmed by the sensation of his body shuddering against mine, his muscles tense, and my head hung in the crook of his strong arm.
“Yes, sleep my pet. We will find a way to get rid of the nightmares.”
A soft whimper escaped my lips as I reached up with trembling fingers, tracing the contours of the firm hand that encircled my throat.
I believed everything Oryx said, and somehow, I was beginning to think that Veylor might have some sort of a heart.
"I didn’t know what else to do…" Oryx's voice trembled, edged with panic. My eyelids fluttered open, and I winced as a sharp cramp twisted through my abdomen, leaving me breathless.
Damn it, was it time for my period? Has it already been a month?
I groaned and rubbed my stomach, feeling the dull ache spreading beneath my fingertips. Oryx's hand, warm and reassuring, rested gently on top of mine, and I could feel the deep vibrations of his chest as he tried to calm me.
I needed to get up and clean myself, to show Oryx this was normal. Women bleed. All female animals do. I winced when I tried to move my body and realized quickly that Oryx was still plugged into my body.
Gods, really?
"You did the right thing to call me, Oryx." Veylor's voice, smooth as velvet, seeped into the room. I groaned, and I fought the urge to snap my head up, to meet his gaze with a glare, and tell him to leave.
What more mortifying situation did he need to witness me in?
All of a sudden, it was as if a warm, heavy blanket had enveloped me. My eyelids drooped, and I found myself in a state between consciousness and sleep. I hovered in a limbo where I could choose to drift off, yet felt too feeble to remain alert.
"She's bleeding, I can taste it. Why is she bleeding internally?" Oryx's voice was filled with panic. I wanted to reach out to him, but my limbs felt leaden, and I couldn't speak.
Veylor's presence grew stronger, that seemed to fill the space around us. I sensed him moving closer, the air shifting as he approached and finally knelt before Oryx. The soft blanket draped over my body provided a temporary shield from Veylor’s eyes.
"My love, it's perfectly normal. She's been here for some time, so she's probably begun her cycle. It's a period when a woman experiences bleeding."
Out of my peripheral I see Oryx’s horns tilt in question.
"She is shedding the lining of her womb because she didn't conceive, and her body is getting ready for the next cycle," Veylor explained, gently patting Oryx's shoulder. "I'll explain more later, but for now, let's make sure she's comfortable. My shadows will keep her asleep for now."
Oryx whined and held onto me tighter. “So I did not fill her with enough seed?”
I couldn’t even scoff. Is he serious? He wanted to have a baby?
Veylor chuckled. “You wanted to breed her? You just met her, have you spoken to her about this?”
Oryx shook his skull. “No, I wanted it. She would like our thing eventually.”
Excuse me, thing?!
Veylor hummed. “This is why you are not ready to have any young, Oryx. You need to learn boundaries.”
HA! He wanted to learn boundaries. We all needed to learn boundaries Mr. I-Masturbated-Beside-You.
"That would have been an interesting experiment to see what would have transpired.”
Excuse me?
“However, Vesper is a smart woman. I’m sure she wouldn’t have had coitus with you unless she had a way to protect herself from an unwanted pregnancy.”
Damn straight you crazy fucker.
“Is there blood on the bedding?” Veylor rose and I heard him step across the room.
Oryx shook his head. “No, I’m inside her.”
Oh. My. Gods!
Why couldn’t I be passed out right now? I thought he said he put me to sleep?
Veylor chuckled. “That is interesting you can taste her, does it make you hungry?”
Veylor's voice had transformed from when I first met him. Instead of being emotionless, he was now showing kindness to Oryx. He was teaching with sincerity and concern. I was glad Oryx had that with Veylor now.
“No, not hungry,” Oryx replied, “she fed me her desire earlier.”
There is literally no privacy.
Veylor returned to the bed and put more blankets next to Oryx and cleared his throat. "There are first aid supplies in the bathroom. We'll have to make do with those until Benedict gets back to town. It's been a long time since we've had a lady in our home."
Oryx continued to hold me while I listened to Veylor walk around the room. Another cramp rolled through me and I let out another groan.
“Why do humans bleed so much?” Oryx pulled my back closer to him. “I thought they wanted it in their body? Should I lick her insides to make it stop?”
If I had the strength to open my eyes to widen them I would.
Veylor let out a laugh that startled me. It was harmonious, so smooth and sinful.
Stop it, Vesper.
Once Veylor stopped laughing and I heard the latch of a box open he spoke. “No, Oryx. Not with this. It is best to let nature take its course. You would need special permission to feed from this part of her body. I believe this would be rather taboo for a human.”
Yup, very much so, thank you very much. Hard pass.
"After you remove yourself from her, you'll need to grab a clean set of underwear and place the gauze here to absorb the blood. This is the best we can do at the moment. I'll ensure Benedict brings additional supplies for her by morning."
I sensed Veylor getting up from the bed. "Wash yourself too, and then stay by her side throughout the night. If she wakes up, be there for her and protect her from harming herself during her nightmares. I will come by and bring painkillers for her in a few hours."
Oryx huffed. “Why can you not help her? What if I do it wrong?”
Veylor shuffled his feet. “I have not been given permission to see her naked, Oryx. I want to honor her and win her properly. I have a long way to go to prove myself.”
“But I know…”
Veylor cleared his throat again. “I do not care what you have done. You should not look inside her mind to find ways to help me. I will earn her on my own. Just as I have had to earn you,” he whispered.
I didn’t know what to think about any of that. First he didn’t want to see me naked and then he didn’t want to learn free information about how to win me over. He wants to do it himself?
This better not be a trick.
The envelope of darkness grew heavier as Veylor’s steps retreated out of the room. I felt Oryx move away from my body and his voice becoming more distant as I felt underwear being pulled up my legs.
This lich was trying. Was it going to be enough? I wasn’t sure, only time would tell.
Because I still think he can be a dick.