CHAPTER 66
FRANKIE
∞
Holy fucking shit, he’s really close. I can feel the heat cascading off his body, and yet, my skin is covered in goosebumps. I shiver when his lips barely brush my cheek before looking at me with a devilish grin.
“Maybe I want a bad boy who does good things,”
I whisper. “And maybe I want a good boy who does terrible, filthy things.”
I can see him breathing a bit quicker as he stares at me. “I can definitely do both, Chess.”
He taps under my chin with his knuckles and smiles widely at me. “Let’s get you fed so I can fuck you until the sun comes up,”
he says happily before turning around and heading towards the door.
“Wait! What about sleep?!”
His hand pauses on the handle, and he looks back at me. “Sleep is for the weak, and you, my Queen, are not weak.”
I chase after him, scrambling to close the door behind me before jogging to catch up with him. “I like sleep,”
I whine, looping my arm through his.
“Fine,”
he grumbles. “I’ll let you sleep for a little while.”
My steps slow when we near his apartment. There’s a man standing outside the door with his hands laced behind him and his head down. He’s really tall, and lean muscle wraps his frame. He’s standing in just some dress pants. No shirt and no shoes. His hair is dark and wavy, and it’s long enough to settle over his forehead and cover most of his eyes.
“Mirin. Thank you for coming on such short notice,”
Wren says, opening his door.
“Of course, my King.”
His voice is deep and heavy with an English accent. I see faint bite marks on his neck as I pause in front of him. I glance to Wren, and he nods his head. I pull my gaze from him to look at Mirin again.
“Is he…?”
I ask hesitantly.
“Yes. He’s for you. Mirin, this is your new Queen…Francesca. You will be assisting her tonight.”
“As you wish.”
He finally looks up at me and my breath stutters. His eyes are such a light blue, that they almost blend right into the sclera. His jaw is strong and covered in a light scruff, and he has a scar tearing through one eyebrow.
“Chess,”
Wren says, snapping my attention back to him. I quickly walk into the apartment, and Mirin soon follows.
“Where would you like me, my Queen.”
Being called a Queen by anyone but Wren, is sort of freaking me out. I don’t know how I actually feel having a title when it’s in a serious situation.
“Um…”
I have no idea what I’m doing, and I fidget around awkwardly until Wren comes up behind me and settles his arm across my shoulders.
“Have a seat on the couch, Mirin. We’ll be with you shortly.”
Mirin nods his head and does as he’s told without question. “Why are you so nervous?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing, and him calling me his Queen, sort of freaked me out.”
“Get used to it, Chess. You are a Queen now. We are mated, so you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“Wow, way to lock me down with no ring to show for it.”
I snap my mouth closed and I slowly lift my head up to look at Wren when his arm stiffens across my shoulders. “I’m kidding!”
I say quickly and he frowns.
“Are you sure?”
He asks cautiously.
“Wren,”
I say exasperated. “I don’t want a fucking ring. We barely know each other.”
I’m such an idiot.
Sure, we barely know each other, but we already said we loved each other, and somehow got magically tied together by these mother fucking Fates he keeps talking about. Do they actually exist? I’ve heard the stories about the three Fates who control destiny, but I always just thought that was a story. Well…vampires and werewolves were just stories too and look how that turned out.
I shake my head and bring myself back to the present situation. Wren is still staring at me, and anxiety starts creeping around in my chest. “What?” I sigh.
“I know you better than you think, Chess. I would also think you know everything that is important about me. I may not have delved completely into my past, but I will if that’s what you want to know.”
“Can you handle that without losing your shit again?”
He frowns. “I don’t feel the insanity anymore, so I think you can handle my normal anger, no? You seemed to handle me fine at my worst.”
“Touché,” I smirk.
He settles his hand at my lower back and nudges me towards Mirin. He settles in next to him and brings his face in close to Mirin’s ear. He whispers something to him, and Mirin nods his head as his eyes flutter closed. Wren snakes his arm behind him and brushes his fingers along his neck lightly. He’s barely touching him, but Mirin moves away from the contact, exposing his neck to me. I gulp and swallow the saliva pooling in my mouth as the vein visibly pulses. Wren is being so gently with him, and the way he shifts his hands up through Mirin’s hair to cradle his head against his shoulder, is almost…sensual.
This is turning me on…
What the fuck is wrong with me? He’s not doing anything sexual to him, and yet I feel heat pool in my belly and drift down between my legs. Wren lifts his other arm towards me and curls his fingers, calling me over to them. I feel the ache deep in my gums before my fangs drop the closer I get to them.
He holds out his hand to me and I take it. He guides me forward and nods to the other side of the couch. “Get comfortable. However you need to be in order for you to have control and precision. This is your first time, but I want you to try and be gentle. Mirin is a good donor. He’s patient and willing, and that’s why I chose him for you. I’ll be right here, so you don’t have to worry about taking it too far, okay?”
“Okay,”
I say shakily. I settle into the couch on my knees as close as I can to Mirin.
“Are you okay like that?”
Wren asks.
“I…I don’t know.”
“Do you feel like you can stay like that long enough to feed?”
“How long is that?”
“That’ll depend on you. It depends on your pull and how hungry you are, but I won’t let you drain him, Chess.”
I have no idea how Mirin is staying so calm through this awkward conversation. If I was him, hearing the mention of being drained as a possibility, would have me panicking for sure.
“Can I sit in his lap?”
I’m kicking myself for asking for permission, but I don’t want to upset Wren.
“If that’s what you feel you need to do, then yes, Chess.”
I shift back off the couch and sit myself into Mirin’s lap with my legs draped overtop of Wren’s. He raises an eyebrow at me but places his hands gently on top of my thighs. I’m struggling to steady my breathing as I stare at his neck. My mouth is fucking watering, and my hunger rages forth.
“What do I do?”
I ask and my voice sounds different. Deeper. Primal.
“You can see the vein. Just put your mouth there and bite down. You don’t need to go deep. Once you pierce the vein, the blood will come out easily.”
My body is practically vibrating as I lean in towards Mirin’s neck. I catch a whiff of his scent, and I feel a growl building in my throat. He smells good. Like crisp apples and whiskey.
I feel his delicate flesh at the tips of my fangs and my body shivers. They really are sensitive. I feel them sink in and then my mouth fills with pure bliss. His blood coats my tongue and I swallow that first, euphoric gulp.
More.
His blood tastes amazing, and his scent doesn’t even compare to the pure ecstasy on my tastebuds.
I moan against his skin and my hand shifts up to his throat to grip his jaw, tilting him further away from me. I lap at his blood with my tongue and push my fangs a little deeper. Mirin lets out a soft moan and my body lights up at the sound. My venom is sinking into his system and making him feel as euphoric as I do. I feel Wren’s hand slowly rubbing at my thigh and I grip Mirin’s jaw harder. He whimpers at the force and then Wren’s hand clamps down on my leg.
“Easy,”
he growls. “Don’t get rough or you’re going to regret it later. I know you don’t actually want to hurt him, Chess.”
I hear his words filter through my mind, but all I can focus on is the feeling pulsing inside of me.
“Chess,”
he snarls. His voice resonates like a gong blasting through my head and I slam my eyes closed, pulling away from Mirin’s neck. “Breathe,”
he coos, rubbing at my leg again. “How do you feel?”
“Like I just got hopped up on speed,”
I say in awe. “I’m sorry. I got lost in it.”
“It’s okay. It happens to everyone the first time. He’s fine, I just didn’t want you to take it further and then hate yourself for it later.”
“You’re very gentle with him,”
I say quietly. I swipe my fingers against Mirin’s neck, wiping away the small bit of blood still lingering there. “It’s such a clean bite.”
“You did really well, Chess. Most vampires don’t do it so cleanly the first time. As for being gentle with him…Mirin isn’t like the others.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s actually in the turning program. He’s not just in our system for feedings, so he’s one that we cherish in the hopes of being able to continue our kind. I would never treat him like the blood whores who only want to get high or fucked or both.”
“What’s he smell like to you?”
He looks at me, confused. “Does he smell good to you?”
“He’s one I can tolerate better than the others…I would say he smells a bit like autumn.”
“Like apples and whiskey?”
His eyebrows furrow and he leans in closer to me. “You smell it too?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes dart to Mirin’s neck and then back to me. “Have you tasted him before? Does he taste like he smells?”
“I’ve never fed from Mirin myself. I don’t usually feed on men, but now you have me curious.”
He shifts back to look him in the face. “Mirin, are you alright with me having a taste of you?”
“Yes, King,”
he says quietly and shifts his head towards me to expose the other side of his neck to Wren.
I watch Wren carefully, paying attention to everything he’s doing as he feeds. He’s barely pierced his skin before he’s pulling back and licking his lips with wide eyes.
“What is it?”
“He tastes good.”
“Right? It’s like drinking some type of apple ale.”
“I don’t get it. All the blood whores I’ve had, all taste disgusting to me.”
“What did…Alex taste like?”
I hate bringing this up right now, but my train of thought is running rampant as I concoct theories in my head.
“Alex,”
he chokes on his name and closes his eyes as he pulls in a deep, settling breath. “He tasted like cloves and bourbon. His smell was different too. You reminded me a lot of him in the sense I had a harder time staying in the present around the both of you as humans.”
“Wren,”
I say excitedly. “If my theory is right, Mirin can be turned.”
“What do you mean?”
“Alex smelled and tasted good to you, and he accepted the change. You can’t handle any of the blood whores’ scent or taste, and it’s not like you socialize with humans often to be able to notice it on anyone else. Then me. You could barely control yourself near me, but I smelled good to you too and I’m assuming I tasted fantastic, but I changed too. Mirin smells and tastes good to us, Wren. I don’t know if this applies to all vampires or not, but Mirin should be able to be turned by a pureblood at least. I think the blood is the key. You need to hunt down the blood.”
His eyes widen, and he shifts back in his seat. “That’s…that’s a far reach in theories, don’t you think?”
I shake my head. “Mirin is in the program anyways. If you want this to work, I suggest you assign him to a pureblood. They’ll have the highest chance of success.”
He motions for me to shift off of Mirin. I slide my legs off of him and back up as Wren also pulls himself to his feet. “Thank you for your service, Mirin. I’ll be in touch over the next few days.”
Mirin sways slightly as he rises to his feet and Wren grips his arm to steady him. “Thank you, King.”
I see Wren’s jaw twitch, but he nods his head and helps Mirin to the door. He seems to get irritated when people call him King, but he did it to himself. I smirk to myself just as he comes over to me. “What are you smiling about?” He muses.
“Nothing, King,”
I tease. He clucks his tongue and bends down, throwing me over his shoulder. “Wren! What the fuck?!”
He smacks my ass hard and a small moan slips from my lips. “That’s for calling me King,”
he laughs as he carries me over to his balcony. He rips the door open and sets me down. It’s a gorgeous night and Wren looks adorable as his hair flutters across his face in the light breeze. The look on his face has my breath trapped in my throat. He slowly moves his hands over the buttons on the dress shirt, undoing each one until I’m open bare to him. He slips the shirt off my shoulders, grips me by my waist and sets me down on the metal railing.
My heart rams against my rib cage and I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Wren, what are you doing?”
I hiss out.
He slips my death grip on him and pulls my hands away, moving them to the railing itself. My hands clamp down around it while his hands shift to my hips. “Do you trust me?”
“I…I want to,”
I whisper.
“Chess. I’ll never let you fall.”
I swallow down the anxiety building in my throat and give my head a small nod. He leans in towards my face and I can feel his breath caress against my lips. “I love you, Chess.”
My heart swells with joy. “I love you too, Wren. I trust you.”