Chapter 19 – Dahlia #2
“You’d think, wouldn’t you? Vampires are strange.
I can’t pretend to understand my brethren half the time.
We tend to go by oaths and codes, things that have ceremony to them.
I can tell everyone you’re mine and they’ll probably stay away, but unless I claim you publicly, I suppose some don’t think it counts.
Lots of partners have been stolen that way. ”
The way he says that makes me think he’s leaving some part out.
“Did that happen to you?”
He just grins at me, the shadows making his smile look extra macabre, and I have my answer. Somewhere along the line he stole someone else’s girl. He probably thinks karma is out to get him now.
“Shall we?” he asks, gesturing to the door.
I nod and with flourish he punches in the code and the door swings open.
He grabs my hand, his palm cool as he holds me tight, and leads me through the narrow black corridor. It feels like walking through a coffin. Even though I already did all of this during my astral projection, it feels different now. Corporeal. It has consequences whereas it didn’t before.
Valtu then brings me to the other door, opening it so that we’re standing on the iron landing at the top of the red-walled room.
“Welcome to the Red Room,” he says to me, gesturing with a swoop of his arm to the scene of mayhem below.
Like last time, the metallic scent of blood and the musky smell of sex hits my nose, and also like the last time, no one seems to notice my entrance. Everyone below us is deep into their fucking and feeding sessions, though there seems to be even more participants than last time.
Valtu closes his eyes and breathes in deep, nostrils flaring, and when he opens his eyes again, his pupils are bright red.
This is the first time I’ve really seen that with him and from personal experience, I know he’s feeling bloodlust. The question remains.
How long will he remain in control until it totally takes over?
He looks down at me and smiles, and I watch in real time as his canines sharpen into fangs.
“Don’t look so alarmed,” he says, and even his voice has changed.
It’s become smoother, like it’s been dunked in silky fine wine.
“This is something you’ll have to get used to. You don’t think me more handsome now?”
He runs the tip of his tongue over his fangs.
“I don’t think it’s possible for you to get any handsomer, if we’re being honest here.”
His grin widens just as the bass of the music downstairs rattles on. Even in bloodlust, his ego is the thing that needs to be fed the most.
“Come with me, my colomba rossa, ” he says, holding out his arm. I’m his red dove now. “Let me introduce you to my world.”
We go down the steps until we’re at the main floor and still no one is paying us attention. The music is loud, hypnotic, drowning out most of the moans, and slaps, and groans, there’s blood and naked bodies everywhere.
“You hardly seem fazed,” he notes, looking over at me. “I would have thought walking into a vampire feeding frenzy and orgy would have spun your head around…then again, why am I surprised, when you’ve proven to have quite the appetite yourself.”
I clear my throat, my pulse starting to quicken as the sounds and smells start to get to me. “Yeah, well, guess I’ve watched too much porn.”
He laughs. “What kind of porn are you watching? And why aren’t we watching it together?”
Then his face grows serious and he steps further into the middle of the room, cupping his hand over his mouth. “Attention everyone!” he bellows.
Only a few people look up from their activities with mild interest, the rest carry on as usual.
“Don’t make me compel you!” he adds, his voice booming and I can feel it enter my head like I’m hearing it from inside my brain.
This is certainly a loud way to compel people but it seems to work because finally he has their attention.
Not everyone stops entirely, but a lot of the thrusting has slowed and the moans have grown quieter.
“I have a new human I wanted to introduce you to,” he says, rather proudly I might add.
“Her name is Dahlia Abernathy and I have chosen her as my own. I wanted to bring her here to make sure you all know that she is a part of my life and will be treated with only the highest regard. To do otherwise is to face very grave consequences. She is mine and mine alone. Do you understand?”
A few murmurs sound from the crowd and I find myself looking for people I recognize, or Saara and Aleksi, but I don’t.
I guess that’s kind of a relief that no one from my local coffee shop or my school is here.
That will avoid future awkward conversations in class (though Valtu did say it was forbidden for humans to talk to other humans about vampires outside of these walls).
“Okay then,” Valtu says to them with a wave. “Go about your business.”
But they don’t. They stand there, watching us.
Waiting now.
We have their attention.
Great.
“Come here,” Valtu says, holding out his hand. I take a deep breath and put my hand in his, feeling like I’m sealing some deal as I do so, like all of this is now binding.
I’m led to a circular bed in the middle of the room, covered with black leather, with four metal poles around it and chains attached, the shackles dangling at the sides.
“Who are the shackles for?” I whisper, my heart now beating so fast. Everyone in the room continues to stare at me, and I know they can hear my pulse.
And smell my fear.
“Sometimes it’s for the human when they really want to submit,” he says with a wicked gleam to his red eyes. “Often it’s so the vampires don’t get out of control. Sometimes there aren’t enough, uh, sober vampires to watch over you.”
“And what about you? Now?”
“I got us covered.” He waves at the crowd and the tall, handsome black man I had seen earlier in my astral projection comes over to us. “This is Bitrus,” Valtu says, introducing us. “He’s been wanting to meet you for a long time.”
“I’ve only heard good things,” Bitrus says with a light African accent, his smile bright. He puts his hand out and I shake it. Like most vampires, his grip is strong, skin cool and disarmingly soft.
“Nice to meet you,” I say to him. “I’m sure if Val had been able to talk about you, I would have only heard good things too.”
Bitrus snorts and gives Valtu an amused glance. “Him? I highly doubt that.”
“So you’re, like, the spotter?” I ask.
He laughs. “Something like that.”
We make our way over to the bed and I’ve never felt so odd in my life, the fact that there are at least a dozen people, humans and vampires, standing around in a circle and watching me. The fact that most of them want to eat me like I’m cake is especially unnerving.
“Have a seat,” Valtu says, gesturing to the bed. “Let me take your jacket.”
I plop down on the bed, the leather squeaking beneath me, and Valtu lifts up my arms, taking my jacket off before handing it to Bitrus. Then he glances down at my outfit. “You sure you want to keep that on?” he asks, fingering the strap on my shoulder.
I look at my black dress. “I don’t want to be naked in front of strangers,” I hiss at him. “I don’t care if it gets ruined.” I had some clothes stashed away in his house from when I was spending most of my nights there, and this dress was the only thing I didn’t mind ruining with blood.
“Suit yourself,” he says.
“What, you wouldn’t care if anyone saw me naked?” I ask him.
He just grins again, showing off his fangs. They look so sharp now that the alarm bells are going off in my head.
Go! Run! Get away! Save yourself!
And it takes everything in me to not just make a run for the stairs. But that would probably invoke his chasing instincts.
Part of me thinks I might actually like that.
“You humans are so very uptight about nudity,” he says to me with a tired sigh. “If you want to remain fully clothed, be my guest. I don’t wish to bloody my clothes, so…” he finishes with a shrug and starts undressing.
I look around, wide-eyed. Everyone is watching him get naked, but they don’t seem particularly interested in it. Then I realize it’s because it’s nothing they haven’t seen before. Last I was here I watched his dick get sucked by some guy and I’m pretty sure that guy is somewhere in the crowd.
But my attention is drawn to Valtu as he hands his dress shirt to Bitrus, then starts unzipping his pants.
He’s not even wearing underwear today, I guess because he knew what he had planned for this evening.
He’s hard as hell, his cock sticking right up and he looks downright menacing as he stands there amongst the leather and red, the way his pupils glow with hunger, how he’s slowly dragging a loose fist over his dick, his muscles popping, his hair wild.
He’s a fucking beast.
His gaze is locked to mine and for once I really feel like his prey, like I’m his food, I’m just not sure if he’s going to fuck me first or feed from me, or maybe even both.
“Get on the bed, on your hands and knees,” he commands. His voice is totally different now. Sinister and inhumanly deep, like it’s coming from somewhere ancient inside of him.
I have to admit, I’m terrified. And he can smell it too, he keeps closing his eyes and breathing in deep and I think we’re getting close to the point of no return now.
I look at Bitrus because he seems to be more in control and normal and he gives me a short nod to reassure me that this is okay.
I give him the nod back. Take care of me , I tell him in my head.
I don’t expect him to hear me but he does.
And he looks surprised by it, staring at me curiously. I take it that most can’t do what I just did and I really hope I didn’t fuck things up by doing that. The last thing I need is to be outed as a witch.
I take in a deep breath for courage, and look back to Valtu. It’s nuts that despite how feral and dangerous he looks right now, I’m also finding him sexy as hell. Not sure what that says about me.