Bloodguilty (2 page)

Casimir looked down at his injured hand. It was covered in dark red, raw flesh, visible against his brown skin. "I ran into one of those flesh monsters outside of town. Apparently, it wasn't smart to try and stab it with a knife."

"You're lucky to be alive. They're slow, but once they have you, they never let go," Beryl murmured. She was gentle around his wounds.

"I've never seen a creature like that before. I know better now." Casimir watched as her hands moved up his arm, and then out of view under his chin, rubbing his throat. "That reminds me: I was rescued by a man just inside of town. It's a long shot, but I was hoping you might know who he is so I can thank him."

"I might, if he lives here," she hummed. "What does he look like?"

"Young. Lanky, unshaven, with a rough voice. Messy dark hair." It wasn't much to go on, but he didn't know much else about him. "If it helps, he called me stupid."

Beryl laughed. "That's probably Mikki. He's a sweet guy, but rough around the edges. He patrols the town and protects the Jewel Box from monsters. Not… not monsters like yourself, but bad ones, like the fleshballs." She smiled as she reapplied soap to her hands. "Opal has a crush on him."

Opal. Beryl. The name finally made sense to him. "I'm surprised you're not Diamond or Ruby."

She smiled again. "There are many of us here; Diamond and Ruby were already taken."

So, the young man's name was Mikki. He would have to see if he could find him again. Casimir's thoughts were distracted by Beryl's hands gliding down his chest. She stopped and gasped loudly.

"Oh, you have a heartbeat!" She blushed when Casimir looked at her and went back to washing his body. "I'm… I'm sorry. It's just all of the stories I've heard said vampires had no heartbeat."

"Those are just stories. Of course we have a heartbeat—how else would blood circulate through our bodies? We also aren't repelled by garlic, we don't count seeds, and I like running water just fine."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm not offended. You're not the first person I've gotten that reaction from." He reached up and stroked her hair to reassure her. The more time he waited to feed, the harder his heart would beat with the desperation of drawing more blood to the rest of his body. He held off for a moment, however, not wanting to scare her by being abrupt. "You're beautiful."

"Thank you. Miss Adeline prides herself on keeping a beautiful stock." Beryl knelt beside the tub, her eyes looking over him. "Would you like me to wash your hair?"

"Please. It's disgusting."

Beryl's worked her fingers through his hair, humming to herself as she did so. "Your hair is wonderful," she said, rubbing at his scalp. "It's so thick and wavy…"

"Yes, but a real chore, especially when it's been a while between baths," Casimir said. He faked a chuckle, but the hot water had made his heart speed up even more; his veins were burning. He gripped the edge of the tub to keep control of himself. A little longer. He could wait until she was finished with his hair.

 After Beryl rinsed his hair with a pitcher, he said, "I would like to finish my bath by myself. Wait for me on the bed." As much as he wanted to enjoy the hot water—and her soft hands—longer, the hunger was too strong to ignore. He needed to take care of it while he was still in control of himself.

He finished washing quickly and pulled himself out of the graying water, toweling off. He walked back into the bedroom area and saw Beryl sitting on the bed, still wearing her transparent blue wrap. When she saw him, she began to untie it.

"I'll do that," he murmured, sitting down beside her. He pulled the strings at her breastbone and waist, the only things that held the wrap closed. She was naked beneath it, and he pushed it back from her shoulders, letting it fall. "Lie down and relax."

Beryl did as she was told, her hair fanning across the pillows. She spread her legs for him, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Casimir frowned a little at her actions. This was just a job for her, after all. She expected him to fuck her and leave. He stroked a hand over one of her small breasts, bending to kiss her. She started and lifted a hand to his wet hair, returning the kiss just as gently.

He left her mouth and kissed down her throat, feeling her heartbeat speeding up. It was most likely in fear, and the anticipation of pain, but he continued to work his way down. He was very careful of his teeth as he bit gently into one nipple, hearing her soft intake a breath.

With a smile, Casimir ran his hand up her inner thigh. He stroked in a long, smooth path up to the crease of her leg and back down to her knee. Beryl watched him, propped up on her elbows, and smiled as he touched her. Her smile turned to a gasp as his hand pushed her legs all the wider, kissing down until his tongue was tracing her outer folds.

Casimir watched her, finding her clit and circling around it. He could taste her growing wetness with each swipe of his tongue and could see the flush of her skin. Two fingers were eased halfway inside of her, spreading her apart, and working slowly back and forth.

"Oh," Beryl moaned quietly, her fingers winding in his thick hair. She seemed uncertain about raising her thighs around either side of his head, but relaxed when he only continued to gently pass his tongue back and forth across the tip of her stiff clit.

He raised his head, ignoring the disappointed moan from her, and pushed one of her thighs down, the stroke of his tongue replaced by the pressure of his wet fingers. "Tell me when you are going to come," he said, kissing her leg before adding, "And don't fake it for my sake, please. I really do want you to come."

"Ah… all right. I'm going to need you be a little rougher, then," Beryl replied, breathless. "Rub my clit harder, please."

Casimir thrust his fingers inside of her, wetting them again, and rounded them around her clit before applying more pressure. At the sound of her sharp breath, he bent over her thigh again, his lips feeling where her blood pulsed close to the skin. He moved down from there, just a little, and laved his tongue against her skin.

Beryl seemed unwilling to put her legs on either side of his head. He did it for her and draped both legs over his shoulders, switching the work of his fingers for tight, harsh passes of his tongue. That seemed to be what she needed, and she grabbed at his hair so hard that his scalp ached. No need for her to say that she was about to come; he could feel it in the way her thighs tensed around him.

Casimir switched to rubbing her clit with fingers again and waiting for her first cries to fill his ears. Even louder than that, to him, was the rush of blood in her veins as the wave of euphoria hit her. He bit down on her thigh at the same moment, mouth filled with the sweet, heavy taste of her blood. The narcotic from his bite would negate the sting of his fangs quickly, and he continued to draw her through orgasm with his hand, greedily swallowing mouthful after hot mouthful.

When Beryl fell back against the bed, her body going limp, he forced himself to stop. He licked over the puncture marks to make them close, cleaning his lips with his tongue before he sat up. "Was that painful?" he asked, stroking her thigh.

"You bit me?" Beryl sat up, her weight resting against her arms to prop herself up. She looked woozy. "I barely felt it."

"I choose the moments I do for a reason," he chuckled, placing a kiss against her forehead. "It doesn't have to be painful; it shouldn't be, if you know what you're doing." Beryl started to reach for his groin, but he brushed her hand away. "No, no need. I don't have enough blood in me for that."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She seemed at a loss and rose, taking up her wrap again and putting it on. "Please allow me to clean up, then. Do you need anything?"

"Not right now." Casimir lay back on the bed and simply enjoyed the feel of fresh, hot blood cycling through his system. It removed the sluggishness in his limbs, his mind. He wasn't completely strong yet, but it was certainly a start.

Beryl returned a few minutes later. "This would normally be the place where I suggested food, but you have already eaten," she said, gently teasing. "Do you need anything else at the moment?"

"I'm going to sleep for a few hours. Beryl, please make sure you drink a lot of water. You haven't lost much blood, but you may feel light-headed," Casimir instructed, closing his eyes. "If you can eat meat, that's even better." He doubted he would even be able to sleep, but he needed just to lie down and let his body rest. "I will settle up with your mistress soon."

"Sleep well, then," Beryl said and flicked a switch. The blue-green lighting disappeared, leaving Casimir in darkness.

When Casimir woke up, he barely felt like he'd slept. Sitting and lifting the curtain revealed that it was still dark outside. He got up and could see his clothing, neatly folded and resting on top of his bag. He dressed and stepped out of the room into brightly lit halls.

The Jewel Box seemed busy tonight. He could hear sounds through many of the doors before arriving in the lobby again: some groans and whispers, and even crying. Casimir kept walking. He was sure that if anyone was actually being hurt, Miss Adeline would deal with them.

He entered the lobby, expecting to see Adeline there. She wasn't, but there was another monster sitting on one of the overstuffed red sofas. She looked out of place, her black hair as stark as spilled ink. Her skin was translucent, the walls and furniture visible behind her where she wasn't wrapped in a white robe.

It was her pale blue lips that clinched it for Casimir: she was a snow maiden, and very far from home. He couldn't imagine it would be comfortable, having her icy blood in his system, any more than she would be comfortable in the warm room. He bowed his head to her, and she lowered her eyelashes in response. Hearing footsteps, he turned to see Adeline entering from a small side door.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Adeline asked, nodding to the snow maiden.

"She is, but I'd think she'd be too cold to want to sleep with," Casimir said. He took the bill from Adeline's worn hands, opening the leather folder to see the datapad inside. It itemized his expenses, and he pursed his lips; the Jewel Box was definitely not a cheap meal. He swiped his card through the reader and signed on the screen with the electronic pen.

Adeline shrugged. "I would think so too, but I'm not going to argue with a paying customer. There are things in this city even colder than her."

He looked at the snow maiden; her expression was placid. Her kind were slow to anger but didn't like to be held prisoner. She wouldn't be in this city very long, and she would leave a trail of frozen bodies in her wake. Even a kiss from an angry snow maiden could literally freeze a man's blood. He mirrored Adeline's shrug and handed back the folder. "By the way, I wanted to ask, do you know of other vampires here?"

Her expression darkened. "There is a small group here. A family, or whatever you call yourselves. One of them came here and drained Garnet, one of my boys, nearly to death. I had no idea he was a vampire; he didn't tell me he was planning on taking blood."

"What happened to him?" Casimir asked.

"To Garnet? He recovered, after a lot of rest. You might have seen him when you came in. The vampire? While he was asleep, we staked him out in front of the building and let the 'family' come and get him. I told them that if they didn't pay a heavy damage fee, the vampire's head was going to stay behind."

Well, they definitely knew how to deal with vampires here. He made a mental note not anger Adeline. "Do you know how many there are?"

She shook her head. "Are you thinking to join up with them?"

"I'm just passing through. Thank you, and please thank Beryl for me. She was lovely." He gave another respectful nod to the snow maiden and walked out into the darkness.

It was an hour or two until dawn. Despite what the old stories said, sunlight wouldn't burn him alive. He could walk around during the day, but there was no advantage to it; the light was harsh to his eyes, and any blood he swallowed during the daylight would make him feel sick.

Casimir walked back to the same place where he had seen both the monster and Mikki. There was only a fleshy burned mess where the creature had been, and he looked around it. No sign of his knife. It must have dissolved, like the skin of his hand.

That reminded him to look at it. It would be easier to examine under a light, but it hurt quite a bit less now, he could see the dark red had brightened to a healthier pink. He imagined that by the next sunset, it would be completely healed.

He saw movement to his right and turned his head to see a lean profile standing just inside of the nearby alley. "You might as well show yourself. I can see you," he called quietly.

For a moment, it looked like the other person was going to move further away, but he stepped into view, still back by the mouth of the alley. "Were you looking for me?" Mikki asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, but I thought you'd be asleep now." Casimir moved towards him carefully; he had a feeling that if he startled Mikki, he would bolt. "I wanted to say thank you."

Mikki's thin shoulders rose and fell. "You're not the first idiot I've saved. Doubt you'll be the last, either."

"Still, I'm an appreciative idiot." He stopped an arm's length away, looking at Mikki's face. His eyes were so dark they were hard to distinguish from the shadow that fell over him. "I'm Casimir."

"Mikki," he mumbled, confirming what Beryl had said. He lifted his head and frowned. "Do you smell that?"

"I smell burned flesh," Casimir said. "In any case, it's a little early for breakfast, but I'd like to take you out for a meal to thank you."

Mikki's frown deepened. "I smell blood. Let me guess: you're a vampire. Fangs are a dead giveaway, anyway."

"That would be a good guess. Yes, I'm a vampire," Casimir admitted. "But I'm not inviting you out because I was planning on making a meal of
you
." He raked his eyes critically over Mikki's whip-thin body. "You look like you don't eat enough as it is, and I have nothing else to thank you with, unless you accept sexual favors."