ANDREA'S OVERLORD (5 page)

She was exhausted from her night with Mikel. Vivid memories rushed her unbidden: his fingers dancing over her clit, his mouth kissing her belly and breasts, the dangerous scrape of his sharp teeth. Sexual longing burned anew, not so different from an amputee thinking they felt a limb that was no longer there. How could it have been so easy for him to let her go? Sorrow flooded her. It brought tears to her eyes no matter how hard she tried to stop them.

She threw herself on the bed and let a sob come. It wracked her body with a violence that surprised her. This was too much grief for a man she barely knew. She forced herself to calm down. Her fear must be the uncertainty of meeting her new mistress.

When she was in the camps she’d heard stories of others who’d had harrowing experiences with their first assignment. Some of the stories told of innocent humans being beaten within an inch of their lives, used by groups of lust-crazy vamps, and drained almost to the point of death. Most of the stories came from the human who had served as backup at these wild vamp parties and saw firsthand what went on. Andrea didn’t want to die that way. Preferably she didn’t want to die at all.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced herself to calm down further. Crying accomplished nothing. She would just have to endure whatever her fate was until an opportunity presented itself for her to escape. Andrea settled on slowing her breathing and surrendered to the tender blanket of sleep that descended. Maybe when she woke up, things would look better.

* * * *

Andrea was woken by the hushed whispers and urgent pulls of the servants. She glanced around confused over where she was. Someone sat on the edge of the bed. It was a woman with long blond hair and blue eyes who smelled like daisies. She was the most beautiful woman Andrea had ever seen.

“Hello, Andrea. I’m Charlotte. Welcome to my home.”

Andrea sat up quickly. “Forgive me, my Lady. I was sleeping so hard that—”

“Don’t be silly. Think nothing of it. I’m glad you had a good rest. I know that Mikel can be quite an energetic lover. But I would like you to come down and meet my guests. They’re all very anxious to meet you.”

Andrea nodded. She allowed the servants to help her from the bed and stared at a sheer white dress lying on a chair. It was lovely but wouldn’t cover much of her body. She guessed that was the idea.

Charlotte picked up the dress and placed it on the bed. She took a moment to run her hand down the fabric. “You will wear this and come down immediately.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Andrea replied.

Charlotte slipped out of the room and left Andrea with only the female servants. “Come,” one of them said, gesturing to her impatiently, “let’s get you dressed.”

A spark of rage filled her. “I don’t need all of you. I know how to dress myself.”

“Our mistress wants you to look perfect tonight. We are here to help you whether you like it or not. If you have any complaints, you can bring them up with her at the party.”

Andrea allowed them to dress her and hated every minute of it. They forced her to remove her bra and panties which left even less to the imagination. Why was she even wearing the dress at all? Why not just parade her down there naked? Fuming, she followed the servants down the winding stairs to the gaping crowd below. She felt like a sacrificial lamb going into a pack of wolves.

There were both men and women, but by far more men. They all looked well groomed and hungry. Their leers prompted her to cast her gaze at the floor. A building terror filled her knowing she was probably the evening’s appetizer.

“Exquisite,” one dark-haired vampire said. He had a thick accent that sounded eastern European.

Another walked forward and met Andrea at the bottom of the stairs. He ran a hot gaze up and down her body then stroked a lock of her hair. She shuddered and hoped no one saw. He was also dark-haired with a mean-looking scar that ran across the bridge of his nose and down the center of one cheek.

Charlotte moved up next to Andrea and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. “She is lovely, isn’t she? She’s the newest acquisition to my stable of slaves.”

“May we enjoy her?” the scarred vampire asked.

Charlotte smiled exposing her long sharp teeth. She stroked the man’s face. “Of course you can, Alfonso. I bought her as a party favor for as many men as would like to sample her.”

Andrea backed away from the growing crowd but didn’t get far. She was grabbed by one of the males and dragged off into a side room. There she was manhandled over to a white bloodstained couch and forced to sit down. Four men came into the room and closed the door behind them. The one with the scar removed his tie and unbuttoned the white shirt beneath. The others moved in behind him.

“What a wonderful night we are going to have, my beauty. What a
very
wonderful night.”

Andrea dug her nails into the fabric of the couch and screamed, and screamed, and screamed.

* * * *

The night’s Darkness was Mikel’s mother, lover, and whore. She seduced him with her carnal promises of pleasure, fulfillment and death. He loved Darkness because in essence she was his creator and destroyer all in one breath. She had taken his human life hundreds of years ago and given him a new one. He barely remembered the time before he was a vampire. It seemed like a dream recalled by someone else.

Sometimes he secretly mourned his passing.

He walked along the bustling streets hoping the flash of neon lights would force the memories of
her
from his thoughts. But not long after he began to wander he realized that the streets bustling with strangers only made him think of her more. What had happened last night to make such a fool of him? Had Andrea somehow bewitched him? Or perhaps her eagerness for his touch enchanted him into believing that she might really have feelings for him which went beyond his power to entrance. Why was he so ashamed of wanting to keep her?

A sorrowful longing tugged at his soul. He wanted to see her again, he
needed
to. The problem was if he forced the issue, he might actually make her new mistress take her vengeance out on Andrea and he couldn’t stand that. It was best if he just tried harder to forget her. Surely that wasn’t such an impossible thing to do.

He entered the next club he passed. He jostled through the crowd ignoring nasty looks and settled at the only bar seat still vacant. An attractive woman came over and offered her neck for him to bite. He politely shook his head. She shrugged and wandered off. He wondered if she’d started out innocent like Andrea and grew jaded over time.

He hated to think of Andrea that way.

An old friend of his named Clark came over and squeezed his shoulder. “You seem a little tense this evening.”

“I didn’t feed last night.”

“That’s easily remedied.” Clark gestured for a busty woman to come over. She did and waited dutifully for Mikel to take blood from her. He pulled her against him and sank his fangs into her throat. She tasted of stale tobacco smoke and cheap red wine. He wished she was Andrea. He finished and dismissed her.

Clark gave him a searching look. “You’re not yourself tonight. Was your initiate that good?”

Mikel tried to laugh the question off. “I seem to be temporarily smitten with her.”

“Then have her again,” Clark said with a shrug. “She’s being offered as a party favor at her new mistress’ party. I’m sure a high-ranking overlord like you can get in with no questions asked.”

Oh by the gods, no!
Mikel didn’t even thank his friend for the party tip as he rushed out of the bar.

Chapter 8

Mikel knew Charlotte’s house well. After all, he’d been there many times. The house was often the epicenter of many parties, several of which lasted for days on end. As he expected, the front door was open. He stalked in and bypassed the usual human servants offering themselves for anything he might want. On any other night he would have started with them and finished days later with an epic orgy. Not tonight.

To the rear of the house was the head butler overseeing a maid scrubbing out a bloodstain on the carpet.

Mikel touched the butler’s arm and guided him to a private corner. The butler bowed his head in obedience and followed keeping his gaze on the ground. “Has something displeased you, sir?” the butler asked.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I understand Charlotte has purchased a new initiate. Where is she?”

“I understand your eagerness to sample her flesh, sir, but I’m afraid she’s already with four men of Miss Charlotte’s choosing. Perhaps you could
—
”

Mikel held up a hand. “Shut up. I want to be taken to that room immediately.”

The butler gave him a tense, puzzled look. “I will, sir, but please be advised that Miss Charlotte gave strict instructions that the gentlemen were not to be disturbed.”

“I don’t care. Don’t concern yourself with Miss Charlotte. I’ll deal with her.”

“All right, sir, if you insist.”

The butler scurried to the stairs and led Mikel to the room at the end of the hall. He knocked but Mikel pulled him out of the way and just opened the door.

Andrea’s thin dress was torn and lightly smeared with blood. Her beautiful pale face was etched with agony and sorrow. She lay on the bed surrounded by the four vampire males but it didn’t look as though she’d been violated yet.

Mikel’s stomach dropped. Sickness and shame overtook him.
I knew this might happen. I should have laid claim to her when I had the chance.

The vampire males must have just begun because if they had been here a while they would have done a lot more damage. An unrestrained fury fired his system and Mikel had to clench his teeth to keep himself in check. He needed to get her out of here unharmed and losing his temper wouldn’t accomplish that goal.

One of the males eased off the bed and approached him. “What the hell is this?”

“I’ve come to claim this woman,” Mikel said. He let his gaze carry a veiled threat as it wandered over each man. “Get off her now.”

The other two seemed unsure but they got off the bed. “Charlotte gave her to us for our pleasure.”

“Well I’m taking her for mine.”

The door slammed behind him and Mikel turned around. Charlotte stood before him with a blazing rage in her eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Mikel prowled up and fixed her with his darkest glare. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m taking what pleases me.”

“This woman is mine! I bought her for a fair price and she’s mine to do with as I please. Now I don’t know what you’re playing at, Mikel, but you can’t just come in here and repossess her. Your time with her is done.”

Mikel let an icy moment of silence change the tone of the room. He could smell their fear building. “I’ll pay you for your trouble.”

Charlotte gave him an impish grin. Apparently she liked being bullied. “You can’t. Nothing can repay me for dealing with your arrogance.”

Mikel placed one hand on Charlotte’s throat and pulled her close to him. He peeled his lips back and bared his long, white teeth. Like most older males they were thicker than most and cruel. It didn’t take much imagination to know how much damage they could do tearing into flesh, living or dead.

“Give her to me,” he whispered, letting his lips caress her skin as he spoke.

“What do I get in return?”

“I’ll purchase you a young, human male full of blood and eager to please you.”

She smiled and slowly eased out of his grip. “You do strike a hard bargain. But I have to ask, why do you want her back? You’ve had your pleasure with her, what could she possibly offer you now?”

Mikel knew better than to give Charlotte anything she might use against him. “She gave me pleasure. I want to play with her until she’s ruined. There is nothing more to it than that.”

“I won’t stand to be cheated. When will you send this young man for my pleasure?”

“When would you like him?”

She grinned and glanced back at Andrea. For a second, Mikel was afraid Charlotte was going to want to hold onto Andrea as collateral. “I would like him by tomorrow night.”

Mikel nodded. Now he had to take a risk he was loath to take. He had to try and leave without Andrea so Charlotte would give her up easily. If it seemed like he was too attached to the woman, they would surely use her against him. He started for the door.