Blood Curse (Pulse #8) (4 page)

          Jaegar raised his head, grinning, his absence from her inner thighs tormenting her. “Maybe this is a new vampire ability – or a vampire curse. Every hunger is heightened. Even this one. I've never been with anyone like this before, Kal. The sensation, the pleasure – it's unbelievable...”

          “I'm beginning to understand why they say vampires can't hold back,” Kalina struggled to force out the words between moans.

          “It's why we equate sex with feeding, Kal. The two things that make us vampires feel alive. Stronger. More powerful.” He moved his mouth up, kissing his way up on her stomach, her ribs, her breasts – so sensitive by now that the slightest touch sent her reeling. He was tormenting her, she know, making her wait for her pleasure, and the mix of desire and desperation she felt sent her all but over the edge.

          “Jaegar, I can't wait a moment longer,” Kalina cried. “We need to be together now, fully, completely – I don't care about the consequences anymore. I have to be with you. I've already been with you in my mind – take me bodily, too.”

          “But...the Life's Blood...” Jaegar groaned in frustration and pulled back. “You know we can't, Kal, as much as we want to. We need to fulfill the prophecy. We can't risk de-activating your blood. Now more than ever.”

          “It's a
stupid
rule!” Kalina cried. “It doesn't even make
sense
!”

          “We should stop....” Jaegar looked pained. “I don't want to, Kal, but it'll be harder to stop later, and I'm afraid I'll lose control...”

          But even as he backed away from her, Kalina could still feel the pangs of intense sexual pleasure coursing through her, even though Jaegar was standing a few feet away. She could still feel the touch of a tongue lapping between her thighs; still feel fingers brushing against her skin. Was it her own hands...or...

          Suddenly the world around her changed. She was no longer in a hotel room, but in a darkened chamber, candle-lit, luxuriously decked out in silks and velvets. The sort of place, she thought, that was fit for a Queen. She was naked, covered in scented oils, fingers rubbing up and down her skin. Magnificent, masculine strong fingers, massaging the tensions out of her thighs, then touching her gently below until she was moaning....

          “You have a strong touch, like a lion, but you can be so gentle – like a dove,” she heard herself say to the invisible hands. “Hands that have slaughtered many,” she continued. “But hands that have made many a woman moan.”

          “Yes, my Queen.” The voice was familiar – too familiar.

          “You did well,” Kalina was saying now. “This morning. Leading my men to your friends. They never suspected what would happen...”

          “A complete surprise.” Now she could feel the man's mouth, kissing, licking the golden tanned legs that stretched out towards her beautiful, flawless back. He kneaded her smooth buttocks, and Kalina felt herself inhale sharply with pleasure.

          “Lovely,” she said.

          He continued kneading her flesh, drawing out moans

          “You've come a long way in such a short time,” Kalina heard herself say. “I'm proud of you. No wonder they revered you so strongly as a general in your day, friend and foe alike.” She turned around, kissing him on the mouth, her tongue delving deep, kissing him until he was out of breath. “I am very happy with your progress, my new General. We have the vials your ancient friends guarded so bravely in the cave. Pity that they did not even save what they lay down their lives for. We will keep these hidden in our possession until the time comes when we will need them.”

          She looked down at Octavius’ smooth muscles, his taut stomach, his sinewy legs, and moved up close to him. She tore the loin-cloth from his hips, sighing with delight as she took in his naked body before her. “You are magnificent,” she proclaimed, licking her lips. “For the attack, for retrieving these vials, for giving me such pleasure, you deserve a reward. Well done, Octavius, well done.”

          She bent down and took his hardness into her, moving her lips and tongue so skillfully that soon Octavius was crying out with intense pleasure, her whole body, like his, shuddering with release...

          “Nereti,” he cried. “Nereti, my Queen....”

          And then Kalina's eyes flew wide open, and she shot back up, screaming, screaming, and screaming his name.

          “What is it?” Jaegar flew to her side. “What happened?”

          “A dream...no, no, it wasn't a dream. I saw him...saw him...”

          “Who?”

          “Octavius. And he was with
her!”          

            “
Nereti?” Jaegar looked concerned.

          “Yes, he was with her. I mean,
with. Her.
”

          “That's impossible,” Jaegar looked shocked. “Octavius loves only you, you know that.”

          “He was the one who led the attack – it's true – I heard her say it....”

          “Then it's not really him,” Jaegar insisted. “Nereti's glamours are powerful. She's controlled him, brain-washed him into forgetting who he really is. Octavius, the Octavius I know – the Octavius I constantly try to compete with... - he never would hurt you like that. The real Octavius would stake himself before doing her will.”

          He wrapped his arms around Kalina, who tried – tried and failed! - To hold back her tears. “You know it doesn’t mean he doesn't love you, Kal. He loves you so much – and even in my envy I can never deny it. He loves you so much....but now...he is forced to serve another.”

Chapter 4

         
K
alina couldn't believe it. Could this really be happening to her? She had never once doubted Octavius’ love, Octavius’ strength. He had been the powerful one, the forceful one, the one that she could trust even when she could not trust herself. Kalina remembered with bitterness how often she had been the one to try to overcome his scruples, to make him give into temptation, to overflow with desire until all his professed self-denial was for naught. How often had she offered herself to him, stretched out her naked body before him so that he might take her all in and gasp at her beauty; how often had she placed his cold hands against the warmth of her breasts and begged him to want her – begged him to give in? He was so strong – she had always known that! Too strong, she had said. He told her it was a challenge, a struggle, an internal war against his darker impulses, but it was a war he had always won. He had not touched her the way she ached and craved to be touched in months. He had not kissed her properly in almost as long. He had told her the truth –
we can never be together. I must serve my purpose for eternity.
And such a purpose precluded love.

         
Love – love – love –
all her strength and all her power had gone into such love. And it still had been far from enough to make him bend to her will. It had still been far from enough to make him touch her, to make him
want
her as violently and uncontrollably as she wanted him. Kalina had tried to seduce Octavius so many times, so
very
many times, and every single time she had failed.

          But Nereti had succeeded.

          The bitterness made Kalina want to vomit. What she had failed to do – Nereti had succeeded! She had overcome his scruples, his power, his desire to do good. His lust and need for
her
had been enough to destroy everything he held dear. He had betrayed his friends, his Consortium allies, his principles, his
loves.

            No...
Kalina raged inwardly.
He never loved you, Kalina. This whole time that you thought, you imagined, you dreamed that he wanted you, loved you, you were wrong. The reason he was able to withstand you had nothing to do with nobility or strength. It had nothing to do with any of it at all. The only reason he withstood your advances was because he didn't want you enough.

            Not like her.

            Not like her.

           
How could she have been so stupid? Kalina felt the hot tears dribbling down her face. Nereti was an ageless vampire queen, befitted with all the powers her station deserved, powers of seduction and glamour that no human, not even a Life's Blood Carrier, could rival. Nereti was more beautiful than she was – in the darkest recesses of her heart Kalina felt sure that this was the truth. Older, more experienced, more seductive. She knew how to please a man – or a vampire.

          No, Kalina felt sure of it – Octavius had never loved her. He had felt sorry for her; he had pitied her; he had told her a kind excuse in order to let her down easy, rather than revealing the truth about how he really felt.

          That was how it was! The tears were coming faster now, so quickly that she did not bother to wipe them away on the silken sheets of the hotel suite. They were boiling on her vampire-cool skin.

          “Kalina, please...” Jaegar was wrapping his arms around her, enveloping her in the kind strength of his embrace. “Kalina, please don't cry. I can't stand to see you like this. I can't stand to see you hurting.” He swallowed hard. “And I admit it – I'm jealous, too. Seeing you get worked up like this over him.”

          “I thought he loved me!” she cried. “I thought...I'm so stupid, Jaegar...”

          “He
does
love you...” Jaegar stroked her hair. “That's what makes it so hard to hate him, to be jealous of him, even though I want to. If I thought he didn't deserve your love, I'd have staked him long ago, even though he's my Maker. His love for you is as strong as mine – as strong as Stuart's. His love for you was what brought us to you long ago. It's only a spell, darling. Only some sort of enchantment.”

          “How can you be sure?”

          “You saw what was happening, didn't you? A dream?”

          “I saw...everything...” How could she explain what she had seen! Nereti's ruby-red lips closing around Octavius’ shining, hard manhood – their faces contorted by pleasure, the moment of release when Octavius called the name that was not her own...

          “You were only able to see that because of your telepathic connection with Octavius. A connection that is a strong proof of love. You know that, Kal. Be strong, my darling. You have to be strong – for me, for him. We're never going to save him if you don't have faith that he can be saved.”

          “But does he
want
to be saved?” Kalina heard herself snap. “Or does he want to spend the rest of eternity with
her...
”

          “He doesn't, Kal darling, I'm sure of it.”

          “I could feel his pleasure. I could feel how much he was enjoying it. And I could feel
hers
, too! Could feel how much
she
wanted him...could feel how much
she
needed him.”

          “Wait, what?” Jaegar's brow furrowed in concern. “You felt
her
?”

          “Yes,” Kalina sniffled. “I felt both of them. Him and her. Looking through his eyes at hers, her eyes at him.”

          “Her eyes at him?”

          “Yeah, what does it matter?”

          “Kal...” Jaegar's voice dropped low. “This is serious, Kal. Like, really serious.”

          “What are you talking about?” Kalina couldn't even bear to look up. She wanted to forget him, forget everything, forget her pain. She didn't want to talk about this a second longer than she had to – she was not sure if she could bear it.

          “You're connected...to
her
.” Jaegar let the words sink in. “You're connected to Nereti. If you can experience what she experiences, if you can feel what she feels, that means the two of you are...”

          “I do
not
have a telepathic connection with Nereti!” Kalina shouted. “I hate her – I despise her...”

          “But you're linked,” Jaegar said, holding her hands tighter. “I don't know how and I don't know why, but I know that it's true. The two of you have a bond that transcends space and time. You're connected to her. If you can feel what she feels.” He gazed into her eyes. “What did Nereti say? You have insight, Kalina. This is valuable.”

          “I don't
want
to hear her thoughts!”

          “But it could help us, Kal,” insisted Jaegar. “It could save us.”

          “I don't know...” Kalina flung up her hands in despair. “Something about...I don't know...something about vials.”

          “Vials?”

          “This precious treasure – whatever they had in the caves – she's got possession of them. She's controlling them now.”

          “She has the vials?” Jaegar's face fell.

          “What's in those vials?”

          “It's the treasure I told you about. The one that most vampires have heard about only in legend.” Against Jaegar looked uncomfortable, even embarrassed. “The vampire seed.”

          “Seed? What do you mean seed?” It hit her all at once. “Oh...you mean?”

          “Yeah.”

          “
Ew
!”

          “Like I said, it's a little uncomfortable....”

          “Vampires, normal vampires, cannot procreate. They cannot produce offspring the normal way – with a human, as opposed to turning a vampire. They're taken by newborn vampires right before or right after a turning – to maintain fertility.”

          “
Ew!
” It was Kalina's turn to feel uncomfortable. “But what could Nereti possibly want with
that
? Her vampires have all turned long ago. What could she be planning to do with them?”

          “I don't know,” Jaegar grimaced. “But whatever it is, it's not good. These caves – these secret chambers – have been the repository of vampire fertility, vampire sexuality, for centuries. They used to call this place the Blood-Womb.”