Blood Bond
BLOOD LINES 3: BLOOD BOND
An Ellora's Cave Publication, October 2003
Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 787
Hudson, OH 44236-0787
ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-84360-669-0
Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):
Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC)
& HTML
BLOOD LINES 3: BLOOD BOND © 2003 KIT TUNSTALL
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be
reproduced in whole or in part without permission.
This book is a work of fiction and any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely
coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used
fictitiously.
Edited by ANN RICHARDSON
Cover art by CHRISTINE CLAVEL.
BLOOD BOND
Blood Lines 3
By Kit Tunstall
Dedication
For Starr R. She wasn’t the inspiration
for this character, but she is always inspiring.
Chapter 1
The scent of incense filled the small tower
room, making Starr’s head spin with its intoxicating aroma. She kept her eyes
closed as she shifted on the thick pillow cushioning her buttocks. A hint of a
vision played at the back of her mind, but the more she tried to focus, the
more elusive it became.
She took a cleansing breath and tried again
to focus. She sensed two—no, three—people in the vision, but couldn’t make out
what they were doing. Slowly, the first one’s visage clarified, and she
recognized Lucian, with his boyish smile and carefree attitude. A smile lit up
her face in response to his.
Sorin solidified next, crouched in front of
a third person, whom he had his arms protectively around, as Lucian knelt on
the floor beside them. Starr struggled to make out their location, moaning
quietly when she realized it was her bedroom. As Sorin shifted, pushing back
his longish hair as he rose to his knees, her face emerged.
A blush tinged her cheeks in real life when
she realized she was nude, as were the two men. When Lucian’s hand cupped her
breast in the revelation, Starr’s nipple beaded in real life, pressing against
the soft linen of her blood-red robe.
As Lucian pressed closer to her, Sorin
pulled her into his arms, resting her back against his chest. His thick body
hair crackled against her bare skin, and she rubbed herself against him,
moaning. Lucian’s hands moved to cup both her breasts, and Starr parted her
thighs, instinctively inviting him to nestle between them. She was conscious of
Sorin’s cock pressing into the curve of her hip, and she reached a hand behind
her to caress its head.
Starr shifted with discomfort on the
cushion, alarmed, yet also aroused, by the swell of moisture between her
thighs. She knew she could open her eyes to end the vision, but couldn’t tear
herself away just yet.
Lucian slid up onto the bed, settling
between her thighs when she parted them. He lifted his head to suckle at her
breast. One of Sorin’s hands moved from her waist to stroke the thatch of curls
between her thighs. Starr parted her legs wider, moaning in the vision and real
life as Sorin stroked her pussy lips, spreading her dew through the damp curls
as he parted her.
She threw back her head and bit her lip as
his large thumb glided across her swollen clit, igniting feelings she hadn’t
expected. Starr arched her hips, allowing Sorin freer access, as Lucian’s teeth
grazed her nipple. “Oh, God, I want you.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she blinked,
straining to dispel the vision. Having spoken aloud had ruined the sensual
trance, and she took a deep breath, finding the incense cloying now, rather
than soothing.
Her pussy ached with need, and Starr
clenched her thighs. Her body hungered for release, and she pushed away from
the cushion, pausing only to extinguish the candles and incense before she left
the chamber.
Each step down the twisting staircase
inflamed her clit to the point where she could barely stand. With a moan of
frustration, she rushed to her chambers, pushing against the door with one
shoulder, even as she struggled to raise the hem of her robe. She kicked the
door closed with her foot and collapsed on the stone floor, unable to make it
to the bed.
Her fingers buried themselves inside her
pussy, seeking out the sensitive nub. Starr circled her clit with her thumb and
finger, shivering as sensations coursed through her. These weren’t nearly as
vivid as those she had experienced when Sorin touched her in the vision, but her
body welcomed the pleasure.
She increased her pace while picturing
Sorin and Lucian’s nude bodies. She imagined Lucian sliding his cock inside her
as she took Sorin’s into her mouth. She moaned and began rubbing her breast
with her free hand. She writhed against her fingers, flirting with the opening
of her pussy before withdrawing.
She imagined Sorin’s tongue sweeping across
her swollen clit, and a flood of moisture accompanied the thought. Small
convulsions built deep inside her womb, extending outwards, until her pussy
clenched. Starr stopped caressing her clit as the waves pulsed through her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her heart raced.
It was a long moment before she found
strength to drag herself to the bed. She lay back, letting the cool air in the
room caress her pussy, leaving the robe pushed up to her hips. She licked her
lips, imagining Lucian’s mouth against hers. She wondered how he would taste.
Despite the recent rash of vivid visions, she had never even kissed Lucian or
Sorin, except in a friendly way, when they were younger.
She rolled onto her side, cuddling the
pillow against her. She never would either. As the spiritual leader of Corsova,
she had to remain chaste. Her mentor, Ylenia, had told her impurity could
interfere with interpreting the visions she received. She choked back tears,
knowing they wouldn’t change anything. It was her responsibility to follow the
traditions of her people. Even pleasuring herself was taboo. Making love when
she held such a position could spell the ruination of their way of life. She
might incorrectly interpret a vital vision if her thoughts remained centered
around love instead of duty.
But how was she supposed to do her duty
when the only visions she had received recently revolved around the two men she
loved? How could she see what was best for her country when she couldn’t see
past her own heart’s desires?
Chapter 2
“You look like hell.”
Lucian’s teasing tone caused Starr to jerk
with surprise and spill the potion she had been mixing for Petru’s migraines.
She looked up to see Lucian and Sorin standing in the doorway of the circular
room of the tower, where she now spent most of her days.
“I didn’t sleep well.” She gave them a
small smile, praying her eyes didn’t mirror the thoughts dancing through her
head. Their blood-bond with her was probably strong enough to allow them to
read her thoughts if they chose, but she was almost confident her mind was
stronger. After all, psychic abilities came naturally to vampires, while
werewolves only received them by ingesting vampire blood.
She straightened to her full height, just
two inches shorter than Lucian, who stood five-ten. Sorin still towered over
the both of them, even slumped against the doorway. Her eyes traced the way the
thin cotton shirt clung to his muscles. The white material didn’t have a prayer
of hiding the thick growth of black hair covering his body. She could place her
hand on his chest and feel the crispness of his hair underneath…
She blinked when Lucian chuckled. Her
cheeks felt warm as she turned to him, wondering if her expression had betrayed
her thoughts. She swallowed a thick ball in her throat, worried they could
smell her arousal. “What?” Her voice sounded normal. If only her hands would
stop trembling, she might be able to project an aura of cool indifference.
“You’re a million miles away. You didn’t
answer me.”
She frowned. “What was the question?”
“We’re going to the lake for a swim.” Sorin
shrugged. “You are coming with us.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I have to
finish this—“
“We’ll wait.” Lucian’s tone lacked the
steely thread of command that had been present in Sorin’s, but his expression
was firm.
“You used to come with us all the time.” A
twinkle appeared in Sorin’s eyes. “
Sans
suit, usually.”
A full blush bloomed on her cheeks at the
memory. In those days, she had enjoyed the innocent sensuality of swimming
naked with the two men now in front of her. She couldn’t deny she had been
aware of an undercurrent between the three of them, but she had felt no rush to
explore it. Nor had she felt any discomfort being nude in front of them back
then. Now, she couldn’t imagine doing such a thing. At some point in the last
two years, she had lost her youthful innocence under the weight of her current
responsibilities.
“Really, Lucian, Sorin, I can’t go today.”
Sorin stood up to his full height,
six-and-a-half feet, and strode into the room. He took the goblet from her numb
fingers and placed it on the long wooden table. “This will be here when you
return. I saw Petru this morning, and he appeared fine. He even commented that
your daily dram helped keep his migraines at bay.”
“I like to have this on hand…” She trailed
off as Sorin’s hand engulfed hers. She stopped resisting when he tugged her
gently toward the door. The thought of swimming appealed immensely. It was a
hot day, and the moisture in the air clung to her hair and caused the red robe
covering her body to stick to her skin. “All right, but I can’t stay long.”
Whom was she kidding? It was almost an hour
to the lake, at a full run. It would be evening before she returned to the
castle. Starr thought she should probably feel a dart of guilt for shirking her
duties for the afternoon, but couldn’t muster any remorse. For two years, her
life had revolved around trying to live up to her mentor Ylenia’s teachings,
while she stumbled through completing the training on her own. Surely, there
was no harm in stealing a few hours for herself, spent in the company of the
two men she loved?
Although the day was too hot, causing the
sluggish air to hang heavily against her fur, Starr reveled in the freedom of
running. How long had it been since she had indulged in a run, just for the
sake of running? For that matter, how long had it been since she slipped into
wolf-form, a state where she used to spend most of her time?
Most importantly, it had been much too long
since she spent any time with Sorin and Lucian. She was usually too busy, as
were they. Since becoming emissaries for the Protector, matters of state often
occupied their time. Now she found herself dodging the men she loved, just to
avoid having to face the intensity of her desire for them.
As Bulgain Lake came into sight, Starr
slowed her pace. The men bracketed her, and she could sense the coiled tension
in Sorin and Luican’s frames. She knew they had held back for her sake. She
wasn’t capable of keeping up with them now, having gotten soft from lack of
physical exercise.
She was determined not to change to
human-form, to avoid revealing her nudity, but had no control over Lucian and Sorin
doing so. Even as she vowed not to drink in the sight of their nude bodies, her
eyes eagerly devoured them.