The Blood is Love by Karina Halle
3
Lenore
Solon staresat me for a moment, then blinks. “You want to watch the feeding? Tonight?”
I nod slowly. “I’ve never seen it before. I want to see it. I want to see what happens.”
He presses his lips together, studying me. “You might not like what you see.”
“You think I’m too delicate to see what vampires do? Solon, I’ve seen it. And I’ve seen what I can do. With you, and with…others.” The awful flash of my teeth sinking into Matt’s neck goes through my head, and I quickly bat it away before it can bring on a guilt-induced panic attack.
I can see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out what I can handle. Then he says, “Alright.” He finishes the rest of his drink and places it back down on the bar, eyes coasting over me. “It can get, uh, rather messy in there, even for those not feeding.”
I gulp back my scotch and grin. “And I’m wearing a leather dress. It’ll wipe right off.”
“Can’t say the same for my tux,” he says woefully. “It’s Tom Ford, you know.”
I roll my eyes at how vain he can be. “I know. I’ve seen your closet. And you have a million of them.”
He takes my hand and leads me through the club. By now, most of the vampires are back to chatting and drinking fine wines and cocktails in their own little groups, but every now and then they’ll watch us as we go past. If the easy way Onni approached us changed any of their minds about me, it’s not apparent.
The Dark Room is located at the back of the club, near the stage, which is currently vacant. Wolf is standing outside the door, on guard. With Nordic cheekbones, and his height and shoulders, he has a most commanding presence, especially in his white tux.
“And what brings you over to my neck of the woods?” Wolf asks us, his golden-green eyes dancing.
“Someone in there?” Solon asks, gesturing to the door.
“Wouldn’t be standing here if there wasn’t,” Wolf says, eying us warily. Between Wolf, Ezra, and Amethyst, their jobs at Dark Eyes are all pretty interchangeable. Someone mans the back door, someone bartends, and someone is in charge of the Dark Room. From what I understand, Wolf’s current role is to handle the human volunteers and to make sure it all goes safely. Apparently, despite the restraints, vampires do lose their cool every now and then and flat out kill someone. Just the risk that humans take when they step inside here.
“Think they’d mind if Lenore watched?” Solon asks.
Wolf’s brows go to the ceiling and he stares at me. “You want to watch?”
“Can’t be a very good vampire if I don’t know exactly what goes on in there,” I tell him, feeling a little defensive. What on earth could be so bad? They already explained to me, many times, what happens in there. Doesn’t sound much different than how I feed off of Solon, just probably a lot more clinical. Like donating blood at a blood bank or something like that.
Wolf looks back to Solon, as if to say, are you sure? Solon just nods.
“Okay, then,” Wolf says, putting his hand on the door. “I don’t think they’ll even notice you’re there.”
Good, I think. Wouldn’t want the vampire to get stage fright or something and have me spoil their whole meal.
Wolf opens the door and Solon and I step into the dim room. The smells of blood and sex slap me in the face, a straight shot to the brain, already setting my senses on overdrive.
“Knock if you want out,” Wolf says, before he shuts the door on us.
Oh my god.
The blood.
There is blood absolutely everywhere, splashed on the steel floors, splattered on the walls. But that’s not what has my jaw dropped to the floor, my cheeks flaming hot.
Right in front of us is a very buff, very naked male vampire with his arms chained to the wall, the chains long enough for him to grip the waist of the petite brunette human he’s currently railing from behind. She’s also naked, eyes pinched shut, mouth open in moaning ecstasy. Her back is slashed all over with deep cuts and bleeding and every now and then the vampire will lean forward and lick the blood off her back. For a moment he meets my eyes but it’s like he’s looking through me, his expression lost to the bloodlust.
They aren’t alone in their bloody writhing. At the back of the room is a black chaise lounge, and on it is a plus-sized woman with a great rack lying on her back, also totally naked, with two vampires feeding from her. She has a vampire’s cock in her mouth and while he fucks her lips, he drinks freely from her bleeding wrist held up to his mouth.
At the other end, a female vampire in a green glittering dress is chained to the wall, her blonde head buried between the woman’s soft legs. Her fingers are digging into the woman’s hips so sharply that she’s drawing blood, little pooling droplets that run down to the chair, but she’s feasting on the woman like she’s the main course. From the way she raises her head from time to time, her mouth dripping red, face smeared with blood, I know she literally is eating her out. Or at least sucking her dry.
Heat presses between my legs and I know I’m wet, my pussy throbbing painfully, like a switch has been turned on inside me.
And I know Solon can smell it, because he’s breathing in deeply and pulling me back against him just enough so I can feel his hard-on press against the curve of my ass.
“I told you this wasn’t for the faint of heart,” he murmurs in my ear, the rough quality of his voice making my thighs squeeze together even tighter.
“You didn’t tell me it would be an orgy in here,” I manage to say, unable to tear my eyes away from all the blood and feasting and fucking, even though I know I should. For my sake more than anything. The adrenaline and lust are so overpowering that I’m afraid I might start attacking Solon right here and join in their little fuck fest.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he says through a groan, nipping my earlobe as he presses his cock into me harder. “But I keep my feedings private. Always have.”
“So you know I’m thinking about how badly I want to fuck you right now?” I ask huskily.
“If you’re thinking the same as me, then yes,” he says through a growl. Then he pulls away enough to raise his hand in the air, creating a doorway of flames.
Normally I would protest to going inside the Black Sunshine, but honestly, from the way my hormones are ripping my brain apart and leaving me without rational thought, I don’t think we’d even make it upstairs to the bedroom before attacking each other.
We step through the flames and the world goes black and white and silent. The feeding frenzy has turned to writhing ghostly shapes. You can still tell they’re fucking, but the moans have ceased.
And I’m still more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life.
I don’t have to tell Solon that though.
He’s already grabbing me roughly by the jaw, covering my mouth in a hard, violent kiss until I’m moving back, back, back across the steel floor and my head thumps against the wall.
We both fed the other day, but I’m suddenly so ravenous that I’m clawing at him, desperate to drink his blood, to get off, to fuck, to do everything and anything, and from the way he’s handling me, hands rough, cock hard, I know he feels the same.
His hands go to the bodice of my dress, ready to rip it off me, but I manage to say, “Wait. Don’t ruin it.” Cleaning blood off a leather dress is one thing, having it ripped to shreds is another. I wouldn’t mind wearing it again.
He grumbles in protest, his fingers moving so quickly that it feels like a rush of air at my back and then the dress is zipped off, falling to my feet, leaving me completely nude, and he’s suddenly naked too, the tuxedo in a pile.
There’s something so jarring about seeing Solon here like this. Not just in the black and white world of Black Sunshine, turning our bodies different shades of gray, but him standing here in this sterile room, totally nude. With the way he’s standing, breathing hard, muscles primed, cock hard and erect, his hair a mess, he looks absolutely feral, like he’s about to pounce on me and tear me apart.
He looks like a beast, I can’t help but think. Even though there is a real beast that lives inside of him, one I only glimpsed briefly as it fucked me royally, part of me wants to bring that beast out of him again. He’s warned me about it, that I can’t tame that monster inside of him…but who says I even want to?
I reach back to take off my heels, utterly uninhibited about being so naked and on display, when he lets out a low guttural noise from his chest. “Don’t. Keep the shoes on.”
My brows go up. Okay then. I make a mental note to wear heels more often.
He takes a predatory step toward me. Then another. My eyes keep bouncing from his rigid cock, bobbing with the languid movement, to his gaze that burns so hot and deep that I feel I’m about to enter a new territory with him.
Fuck, I’m practically dripping between my legs at the thought.
“Go over to the chains,” he says, voice low and rough.
I look over my shoulder. I can see the ghostly glowing shape of the chained male vampire still fucking the woman, though with the way time moves in here, it’s all happening in slow motion.
“The empty chains,” Solon clarifies.
Now my other brow lifts. “You want me to chain you up?”
He gives me a wicked grin. “Not a chance.”
So much for me bossing him around.
I swallow hard and stare at the chains on the wall, the sleek metal links leading to soft cuffs. I went from purely vanilla sex before I met Solon to…well, I don’t know how the hell I’d classify our sex life. But putting me in chains in a vampire feeding room—in the Black Sunshine, no less—is a whole other level. That would bring my sexual experience from vanilla to Ben & Jerry’s Everything But The…
Still, there’s no denying that the hunger was already building inside me. I’ll do whatever he asks of me, as long as we both get off. I’ve already made peace with this monstrously horny side of Lenore.
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
He moves so quickly that it’s just a blur. Suddenly I’m being pushed back against the wall, the cuffs locked over my wrists and Solon is grabbing my hair, making a fist in it before pushing me down until I’m on my knees, the chains straining. Now I know what the black leather mats are for.
“Suck it,” he grinds out.
My eyes go wide.
And I obey.
Because I can’t reach his cock with my hands, all I can do is open my mouth while he tightens his grip in my hair, pulling my head forward while he makes a fist with his other hand, guiding himself into my mouth. His dick slips past my lips, deeper and deeper, until I’m nearly choking. Thank god my gag reflex has subsided since becoming a vampire.
I close my eyes for a bit and let him fuck my face, his cock sliding in deeper and harder with each and every thrust. I stare up at him every now and then, especially as he gets rougher, and more vocal, letting out lustful grunts. I love seeing his head thrown back, his neck exposed. I watch the blood pulsing in this throat, smell how hot it is beneath the surface of his skin. I want to drink from him, suck him off in both ways.
I have no control, though. I’ve never given a blow job where I haven’t been able to use my hands, so I’m at his total mercy, and his cock is relentless as it plunges in and out of my wet mouth.
That is, until I feel my fangs begin to lengthen, the sharp tips of them razing the rigid veins along his shaft.
Teasing.
Wanting.
Solon lets out a low hiss, his nails digging into my scalp, and he glances down at me with feverish eyes, out of his mind with lust.
May I?I ask sweetly inside his head.
His pupils turn bright red, the only color in this room.
Yes, my dear, he answers.
Feed on me.
I smile around his cock and then gently press my fangs down until they lightly pierce the skin, drawing his sweet blood.
He gasps loudly, this low rumbling sound that seems to come from the depths of his chest, but whether he’s enjoying it or not is the least of my concerns right now. The moment his blood hits my tongue, all I can think about is feeding, getting my fill. The hunger is out of control and I am selfish and insatiable, my fangs sinking in deeper, the blood pouring into my mouth.
I suck and I swallow and I feast on his cock like a woman starved and his nails are digging into my head so sharply, I feel wetness in my hair, blood starting to run down the sides of my face. The pain is enough to make me slow down and step back. This is a rather dangerous time for me to get carried away.
I hungrily gulp down his blood, his life force, and attempt to control myself, pulling my fangs back enough so that I can continue to suck him off in every which way that counts.
“Fuck!” he rasps out, pushing his dick so far inside my mouth that his balls press against my chin and he’s tensing and I know he’s close. The blood from his nails runs over my lips as he starts fucking me harder and then the room fills with his bellow as he comes.
It’s the hottest fucking sound and totally unhinged, just the way I love Solon. He’s in such control most of the time, that when he comes, I finally see beneath the cold and calculated alpha exterior, see the wild, primal, disheveled vampire underneath.
I swallow him down, every part of him, his cum hitting the back of my throat as his pumping slows, and he unhooks his fingers from my scalp. Slowly he pulls out, and I stare up at him, feeling like I’ve come myself, my hunger satisfied.
He drops to his knees beside me and then grabs my face, the blood smearing across my skin, kissing me hard, his tongue violent.
He pulls away, lids heavy as his eyes search mine. “I didn’t hurt you?” he asks, running his fingers through my hair.
I shake my head. “The better question is, did I hurt you?”
The corner of his beautiful mouth ticks up. “You did. And I wanted you to.” Then he licks the blood off his lips. “Perhaps you’ll let me do the same to you.”
I gulp, the throbbing back between my legs, the pressure automatically building at the thought. “Okay,” I say breathlessly.
His nostrils flare, pupils burning with crimson. “Get to your feet.”
Thanks to my vampire grace, I’m able to get to my feet easily, even in heels with my hands in chains.
He moves forward on his knees, his face at my crotch, staring up at me with fire that singes my skin. He reaches up with his large rough hands and palms my breasts, pinching and squeezing my nipples until I gasp, then lets his hands slowly trail down over my stomach, down between my thighs.
“Spread your legs wider,” he murmurs, his eyes still locked on mine.
I oblige, taking as wide a stance as possible in these high heels.
Solon reaches around my hips, placing his hand at the small of my back to steady me and keep me in place, then dips his mouth between my legs.
Still staring up at me.
Never breaking eye contact.
I’m shivering with the bone-deep intimacy of it all, how deeply he seems to stare into my soul, how I would never be so vulnerable and trusting with anyone else, just as his lips brush over clit, his hand reaching up and spreading me open for him.
Fuck.
My eyes pinch closed, my mouth falling open, his tongue dipping low and licking up a wet, wide path, the sound so loud in the stillness of this other world. I wobble on my heels for a moment, trying to stay on my feet, the chains rattling, and then he’s gripping me harder, his tongue digging deep inside me.
I cry out loudly, back arching, the dam ready to burst, but he pulls his face away just in time. I feel him blow hot air on my clit, which makes me throb with a deep, delicious ache, and I stare down at him to see him smiling wickedly.
“Tease,” I tell him, my voice breaking with lust and tightly wound desperation.
He doesn’t say anything to that. He doesn’t need to. He knows exactly what he’s doing. I come so damn easily with him that it’s not uncommon for me to come multiple times when he goes down on me, but he loves to draw it out as much as possible. Prince of Darkness; King of Edging.
Then he buries his head in deeper, tongue thrust up inside of me and I’m almost screaming from how badly I want to come, wanting so badly for him to touch my clit again.
And then he does.
With his fangs.
The sharp prick catches me off-guard for a moment and I suck in my breath, holding it in my chest while he gently drags his fangs over my clit.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
So sharp. So hungry.
And I’m waiting, waiting for the bite.
He clamps down, fangs piercing my skin.
“Fuck!” I cry out, my voice strangling in my throat. The pain of his bite is sharp and deep and delicate and it obliterates my mind. It stings and throbs as the blood pulses through me, then soothes in the most satisfying way, like each burst of agony is its own orgasm, its own hit of relief. With each precise bite, each strong suck of my blood through his lips, I’m brought to new heights until I’m coming hard, writhing on his face, riding his mouth like a woman possessed.
And Solon has given into the bloodlust, just as I had earlier. If he can’t regain control, well, I guess there are worse ways to die than during an endless orgasm.
Eventually, somehow, Solon manages to regain control. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here for, with Solon feasting on me, sucking my clit, drinking my blood, making me come over and over and over again, but I think all the muscles in my body have been filleted and my knees are about to buckle.
“Solon,” I say through a ragged gasp, “I can’t.”
And then I’m falling forward and he’s catching me in his arms, just as the chains go taut, pulling at my wrists. He holds me up, smoothing the hair off my face, staring at me with wild eyes, my blood all over his mouth.
“Are you okay?” he asks, breathing hard, his concern fighting through the hunger.
I manage to nod. “You literally made me come until I couldn’t stand. So yeah, I’m okay.”
He smirks, self-satisfied. Then he leans in and kisses me on the forehead and gets to his feet, pulling me back up. I lean against his warm hard chest, hear his heartbeat slowing, and he uncuffs me from the chains until I’m free again. I shake out my arms to get feeling back into them.
“Now you know what goes on in here,” he says to me, running the back of his fingers over my cheek. “You’re a lot less delicate than I thought.”
“You should know that about me by now,” I tell him, even though, yeah, this was a shock to my system. A shock to the girl I used to be. But I’m not that girl anymore. I’m Solon’s and I belong to him, body and soul and blood.
He clears his throat. “Shall we clean ourselves up and return to the party? I have to say, I suddenly feel like I could stay out all night.”
“Me too.” The energy and adrenaline have me feeling so fucking alive.
We get cleaned up, get dressed, and step back into the real world.
