The Brethren Of Tavish [Vampire Coven Book 1] (13 page)

“You said you’d teach me to swim.”

“It’s always best to learn to tread water
first.”

Tavish kissed her hard. His hands brought her
hips to his waist. His erection pressed to her belly. Both of his hands
squeezed into her behind massaging her. His tongue rolled with hers and Mercy
buried her fingers into his hair to pull him closer. She let her head drop back
and Tavish lifted her higher to ravage her neck with his teeth and lips.

Mercy was panting already. She clasped her legs
around him wanting him. It was exciting to love each other in the water. They
were alone, until Mercy saw the Anivamps. She jumped but Tavish held her
tighter. He promised her she was safe in his arms. She peeked at the animals
over Tavish’s shoulder. Druid yawned lazily. Lovel sat on his haunches. When
Tavish slipped into her she gasped. Mercy, still wary, studied the animal
vampires. They looked at Tavish with adoration. Mercy had an odd sensation they
wanted to be noticed. For a brief second her hand rose and she twinkled her
fingers in an attempt at a wave to Lucile, she being the seemingly less
threatening of the foursome. The great ape
rose
high
on her feet and raised a hand. Mercy relaxed.

She kissed at Tavish’s throat. He licked hers
but took no blood. She did feel safe. Mercy closed her eyes and gave into the
sensations he created. The smells, sounds and tastes of the foliage were in the
air. When Mercy opened her eyes, Lovel was swimming nearby. Rhino was chasing a
butterfly. Lucile watched them quietly, her eyes an open book of longing. Druid
was harder to interpret, his big shaggy head rested on his huge paws, his eyes
were half closed.

Tavish held her by her waist and behind. He
lifted and released her so she would slowly slide back onto him, impaling herself.
His muscles bunched and relaxed. With some surprise, Mercy noted they had
floated into the middle of the pond. There was no bottom when she looked down.
Tavish stopped letting her slide back onto him on her own. He was lifting her
and pulling her down to meet his now eager thrusts.

The water began churning around them. Waves
lapped at her cheeks and flowed across her shoulders. Mercy clung tight. Tavish
held her crushed against him. She loved his tempered power. He knew exactly how
much to exert without crushing her, yet making her captive. Mercy cried out
when she came and heard Lucile grunt from the bank. The great ape began beating
her chest. Tavish was growling as he built and moved faster. Mercy gasped in
air in huge mouthfuls. Her moans grew louder with each heated hard thrust of
Tavish’s hips. Mercy clung harder to him. The water made them both slippery.
When Tavish roared his release Druid roared and Lovel howled. Rhino stopped
spinning in tight circles and snorted. Lucile sat back on her haunches and
grunted. Mercy laid her head on Tavish’s shoulder.

“I like swimming already,” Mercy whispered.

Tavish chuckled and gazed around as if noticing
where they were for the first time. “Then I’ll have to bring you swimming often.”

Tavish spent the afternoon teaching Mercy to
swim. He called it dog paddling. Lovel was a pro. At one point she took Lovel’s
tail and paddled along. By the time they left the pond, Mercy’s fear of the
Anivamps had lessened. No doubt Tavish controlled them, but after three hundred
years, Mercy wondered at their intelligence. When Tavish took them both into
the sky, night was fast approaching. Mercy cuddled close to his chest. The warm
air dried them. She was happier than she ever remembered. And for the first
time in her life she felt absolutely safe from everything in the world. It was
an incredible feeling. Mercy thought it might be love. She was in love with
Tavish and it felt right.

* * * *

The
iceberg
reeks
of him, Master. There are females as
well.

Tavish was alone in the hall with Ursus
a week later. She had found Remo. “You have done well, my friend.”

Your
little cub has family there. I could smell her scent.

“Interesting.”
Tavish stood thinking.
A family member would please his little cub. Tavish had annoyingly been
thinking of ways to please her more and more. The way she took delight in the
simplest of things was a breath of fresh air. She had cried in enchantment when
he had shown her his library. She had a fondness for books. Normally, as a rule
the humans weren’t taught to read or write. Mercy couldn’t write and her
reading was slow, but it amused her and made her happy. What could be the harm
in a few little stories?

“We will go tonight. Thank you, Ursus.
You’re a big help as always.”

Tavish gazed deeply into her eyes for a
moment before her huge paws wrapped around him in a bear hug. His face buried
into her fur as he returned the almost bone-crushing pressure. He loved her. A
small movement caught his eye and he saw Mercy hiding off to the side. She was
smiling at him and Ursus in a fond way. Ursus noticed her too.

I like
her, Master. She doesn’t run and cower from me. She has strength, heart.

Tavish stepped back from the bear. He
had been thinking the same of Mercy. “Off with you, my friend. We will meet you
there shortly.” Ursus grunted in the affirmative and left. Tavish looked at
Mercy who crept out of the shadows; she was smiling at him.

“I didn’t want to intrude on her
moment,” Mercy said.

When she drew close, Tavish wrapped her
in his arms, exceedingly more gentle than he had been with Ursus. Her beautiful
body molded to him. He lowered his head to smell her sweet scent. He needed to
be more careful. She wouldn’t live forever and it was best he didn’t get too
attached. He warned his men often enough about their own females.

Mercy nuzzled his chest with her nose,
making him smile. Her teeth bit carefully at him before her tongue licked him
over his shirt. She had grown very playful with him. She begged him often to
share his memories and she gave herself to him willingly. Tavish knew she was
in love with him. Her memories of her feelings flowed as fast as her blood.
Tavish liked when they joined. She was the most exciting and yet innocent
female he had ever met. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let her get a little closer.

Later that night, Tavish settled Mercy at the
mating table. Tanya tossed her head like an annoyed mare and glared at Mercy,
and for the first time, Tavish lost patience with the woman who was behaving
more and more like a spurned bitch towards Mercy. Tavish didn’t normally raise
his voice with his humans but he did with Tanya. To her deep humiliation,
Tavish ordered Tanya to her room; she could eat alone. And she wasn’t to return
until she could learn to behave like an adult. She left, racing from the hall,
howling and sobbing with embarrassment.

A few of the men, human and vampire chuckled as
she bolted, wailing at the top of her lungs in her drama queen fashion. Even
Rhett howled with laughter and clapped. Tanya was under some disillusion that
Tavish wanted her; he didn’t. Mercy didn’t look smug, Tavish knew she wouldn’t.
She did look a little sad. She had, after all, done nothing to Tanya. She was
too innocent to understand why Tanya was so jealous of her.

Tavish gave Tate strict instructions he was to
deliver Mercy to Laken upon finishing their dinner. Laken was remaining behind
to watch the coven while Tavish hunted his enemy. He had already informed his
men it had taken Ursus a week, but she had been able to track Remo down. It was
time for the renegade vampire and his coven of misfits to die.

Tavish and twenty of his men took to the dark
sky. Though allowing Remo to live, Tavish had kept a close eye on him and his
followers until the ice age struck. At one time, there were only ten in Remo’s
coven. Tavish was uncertain as to how many more he had. It didn’t matter. Any
he had gained would be two hundred years old or less and no match for Tavish
and his older, more powerful men. Hopefully, Remo wouldn’t have turned many
with the human food supply so diminished. Even a loyal vampire would turn on
his sire if he hungered enough. Tavish hoped the volatile situation had made
Remo show at least some self-control.

The iceberg Ursus took them to
was
massive. Deep caverns and halls were strewn throughout
like a block of Swiss cheese. Before long, Tavish could hear the strong beating
of a heart, then another faster heartbeat. The radiating warmth told him the
two before him were human and no threat.

“Did you really think I would do this? Are you
insane?
Or just stupid?”

Tavish heard the angry voice of a man. The
cavern was semi-dark. The humans had no idea they were surrounded. The larger
male human had the smaller female human lifted off her feet, by the front of
her furs, pressed against the ice. She was squirming and whimpering. He was
hurting her.

“We have to,” the female whimpered and then
sobbed.

“It is death,” the male snarled.

Tavish wondered if the female was trying to
coax the male into running. It didn’t matter, they were his now. Tavish
signaled Rhett to get both of them. Rhett moved quickly. Both humans were
captured and silenced in mere seconds. Tavish examined the female first. She
was young, small, pretty and most importantly, of childbearing years. The man
was in his late twenties or early thirties, dark brown hair, a bit overweight
but healthy. Tavish didn’t have time to fool with either, they were on a
mission.

“They may both live,” Tavish declared.

The humans were wrapped well in furs Tavish had
brought. They would remain unconscious for some time; he didn’t want them to
freeze to death. Ursus stood guard. She nosed the female and pulled her under
her. The male she left off to the side. Tavish took notice.

“You don’t like the male?” he asked.

He was going to hurt
her.

Tavish nodded. Ursus hated any male who would
harm a female. Over the years, Ursus had stopped eating human female flesh or
anything female. Because Tavish had turned her, she would never have a cub of
her own. Ursus had developed a soft spot for women and children. She made do
with what she found. Tavish and his men continued their search. Periodically,
more humans were brought to Ursus to guard.

Finally, Tavish became aware of a vampire not
from his coven. The vampire was with a human female who was sobbing. The female
was naked, shivering on a thick fur. She was on her knees before the unclothed
vampire, her teeth clicking together in fear or cold, Tavish was uncertain.
Tavish assessed her quickly. The female was of childbearing years.
High breasts, rounded hips, dark-haired.
Beautiful.
A fine new asset to his coven.

“You will please me,” the vampire warned the
female.

“Not tonight,” Tavish said.

The startled vampire spun, but it was too late.
With lightning speed, Tavish was before the other vampire. Tavish slammed a
sharp piece of ice through the vampire’s heart. With a fast slice the chest was
opened. Tavish stuck his hand into the vampire and pulled his heart out. Before
the vampire hit the ground Tavish had stomped on the heart with a hard booted
heel until it was a mass of goo. He then shoved the sharp ice through the dead
vampire’s brain. By removing his heart he had killed the vampire. By destroying
his brain, another vampire wouldn’t be able to see what his last images were.

The female, who was on her knees, fainted when
the fallen vampire turned ghastly red, then black before her. His body shriveled
slowly. Within hours he would turn to dust. The female was wrapped well against
the cold and thrown over Ryker’s shoulder. Tavish would decide who he would
give her to. Every human in his coven, male or female needed a vampire to call
their own to make them feel safe. She would be taught simply uttering her
master’s name would bring him to her.
A security blanket in
the unknown.

Fifteen vampires in total were slain that
night. None of which were Remo. Tavish was annoyed but gratified with the five
humans they had captured.
One male, one young child and three
females, one of which was pregnant.
He would have to settle for getting
Remo on another night. Tavish once more sent Ursus on a mission to find the
vampire. Tavish knew this wouldn’t be finished until Remo was dead.

The humans were secured, checked for clear
breathing. Tavish added another wrap to the child, the nude female and the pregnant
female. The vampires took to the skies for their long flight home.

Chapter 7

“Jarrod?”
Mercy whispered.

She was outside enjoying the fresh air. Tavish
didn’t restrict her to staying inside. He encouraged her to wander and
exercise. Living in an ice cavern had been so confining. Out in the open she could
run if she chose. Other humans taught her exercises where she could fling her
arms and move her legs without restrictions. Most importantly she could laugh
out loud. Tavish had taken great pains to make her laugh. When she did and
covered her mouth he pulled her hands free and held them. She’d had no choice
but to laugh freely until her sides almost split. It had been wonderful.