Vampire Enslavement (Lords of Bondage) (9 page)

Chapter 6

Modez had dreamed of her again. The human sex slave. He remembered that night clearly when he had arrived at the villa. The male servants had not been alarmed when they had seen a hybrid standing in the hall. He hadn’t expected that.

“You must be Adonis,” one of them had said. “The hybrid gladiator. The whore is naked and ready for you, so go claim your reward.”

Modez hadn’t known what they were talking about, but he understood what a whore was and what he could do with her. One look inside the room and he couldn’t resist the tall, leggy blonde woman who offered her lightly furred sheath to him. A human sheath. He had known she was off limits to him, but he hadn’t cared. And the woman had spread her legs wide for him and welcomed his cock eagerly. Even after she became aware that he was an intruder rather than her customer, the woman had allowed him to take his pleasure of her. Her sheath had fit him perfectly and he wanted to keep his cock in her forever, the pleasure was that intense. He had even tried to establish a mating bond with the female, but she wasn’t compatible. Too bad. The prince had ordered all humans destroyed during the taking of the villa, but he couldn’t kill that female. He had warned her of the danger and allowed her to escape. He hoped she had made it, but he didn’t know what had become of the woman.

Modez closed his eyes, remembering the way the woman had felt. So unlike the hybrid females whose sheaths weren’t capable of expanding to fit a male’s cock. Nature had made them oversized, for the most part. Compared to that human, a hybrid sheath felt like a cold, cavernous pit. It was difficult to feel much sensation unless a hybrid female was in heat, then her sheath became more welcoming. But not as welcoming as the human sheath. And the human could feel that way all the time. He groaned thinking of it and his cock grew hard as stone. He tried to envision the blonde again, but instead Kiera’s image fixed in his mind. He tried to shake it away. He was confused, obviously. Her black hair and violet eyes were certainly appealing and her face was fine boned and exotic. A nice hybrid specimen. And her body, so human-like. She would feel much like that blonde slave if he took her body. He moaned and shifted in his bed to get comfortable. He didn’t need to think of Kiera that way. He wouldn’t be enslaved to any woman’s sheath, no matter the pleasure. He wouldn’t allow her to have control over him. But a human slave would be manageable. She would have no choice but to obey him, to please him. Despite the rumor that hybrids would become addicted to sex with human females to the point where they would reject interaction with their own kind, he knew he wouldn’t be affected in that manner. The human had been enjoyable, but he intended to mate with a hybrid. And he hoped to return to Asstrumnia with a human slave. Someone he could keep for pleasure purposes until he felt ready to take another mate. The hybrid females were only naturally receptive to sex once a decade, on average. They had hybrid bed servants who tended to their needs during the off-times. But a human slave would be preferable.

Modez groaned again, knowing there was no relief in sight for his long neglected shaft. He forced himself out of bed and dressed in a rush. He left his room and made his way to the library where a meeting was taking place.

“So good of you to join us.” Diermont gave him a questioning look. “You slept late.”

“Sorry.” Modez sat down in a sturdy wooden chair and looked at the prince. “What did I miss?”

“We captured a Roman who claimed to know Lucine’s whereabouts. The male believes she is hiding somewhere in Eros.”

“Do we know the location?”

Diermont grimaced. “Unfortunately the human died during our attempt to retrieve the information from him. We’ve destroyed seven barns, but I believe there are more that we have yet to discover. I fear Lucine has taken her operation underground.”

Seamus sat completely upright in his chair. “We have had success here, Your Royal Highness. Many hybrids have been rescued from barns and gladiator rings.”

“That may be true, but I fear we have failed some of our brothers.” The prince pulled out a parchment and rolled it flat upon the table. “A party of our warriors returned from Bacchus. We had a tip that Lord Camron was being held at a ludus there, that he had been forced to fight as a gladiator and had taken the name Black Death.” Diermont pointed to the area on the map that corresponded to the Roman city notorious for its festivals of wine drinking and revelry. “When our warriors arrived, they found the hybrid slaves had been sold to a mage named Wilma. Our druids do not know if Lord Camron still lives, but his lifeforce has been sensed in various places, including Flourda.”

“Since when has Flourda kept hybrid slaves?” Outrage laced Seamus’ tone as he pushed for more information.

“We weren’t aware of any until now. I’ve contacted Lord Camron’s family and I’ve alerted the king. They are looking into the matter.”

“If Flourda has harmed one of our own, there will be war.”

“We will continue to track down these barns.” Diermont slammed his fist on the table, projecting the parchment into the air. “The druids are working on a way of drawing out Lucine. We will not leave Rome until that woman is captured.”

Modez agreed on the need to prioritize. They needed to focus their energies on the issue at hand, which meant destroying the laboratories and related facilities run by the Maximus family.

Shane turned to face Cabrian. “Does your slave know Lucine’s location?”

“No, she does not.” Cabrian looked uncomfortable with the question. “Leave Cassia out of this.”

“She’s Lucine’s stepdaughter. She should know something.”

Cabrian stood from his seat and glared at Shane. “She knows nothing. The druids have already questioned her.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Seamus was always one to smooth things over when arguments got heated. “Our druids have thought of a new way to deal with the situation. The Hydra materials can be tracked to get to the source. All samples of hybrid seed are processed in one of Lucine’s labs. If you find the lab, you find Lucine.”

“Where will you get the samples?”

“Where do you think?” Seamus looked pointedly at Shane. “You’re about to be milked once more, McDonald. We need samples to sell to the Roman supplier we’ve been in contact with.”

“You don’t mean…you expect me to jack off in a cup?”

“Well, you do have experience with the act and we need donations.”

“I was traumatized, man. Now you expect me to endure it again?”

“We will all be doing it. Visant Brannon, the druid, will mix his seed in with the samples we will sell to the supplier. He has assured us he can track his seed. It will hopefully lead us to Lucine’s underground lab.”

“Will we get milkmaids to help us?” Modez wouldn’t mind recruiting a few to tend to his cock. Unlike Shane, he wouldn’t be left traumatized by it. He would have complete control of any milkmaid who ministered to him.

“No, I am certain you are all capable of managing things without assistance.” Diermont tapped his lip with his fang while he pondered the situation. “I suppose the act will stain your hands, but that cannot be helped. Snotti wouldn’t appreciate it if I asked her ladies to massage cock. And I will not endorse the use of human milkmaids. So plan to get your hands dirty. It is for a just cause.”

Chapter 7

Kiera woke slowly. Only for a moment did she wonder at the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach before the explanation dawned on her. Oh yes. She had made a colossal fool of herself by falling to the floor. What hybrid fainted like a Roman ninny? None, except for her. She had shamed herself in a room of nobles, making them aware of her humanlike frailness. That damned illness—why could she not recover from it? Her kind didn’t tolerate those with physical weaknesses. In some societies, they willingly left those stricken with illness to die from the elements. She had hoped to conceal her condition while her body healed itself.

Kiera groaned, now remembering additional reasons to feel embarrassed. She had not fallen to the floor. She had fallen against Modez’s leg. That was so much worse than falling to the floor. She twisted and turned in the bed while she imagined Modez’s horrified reaction as she collapsed against his person. It would be amusing if she didn’t have to concern herself with his upcoming retaliation. Would he lodge a complaint against her for improper behavior? If he made a fuss about her, Snotti would be mortified and she would never hear the end of it.

Kiera groaned again and forced herself to sit upright. Drafts of cold air hit her bared skin and she looked down at herself with disbelief. The top of her gown was pulled to her waist and her underclothing had been cut. She wracked her mind, desperate to recall what had happened after she had passed out from exhaustion. The last thing she remembered was the dark color and fine texture of Modez’s trousers.

Kiera put her hand to her throat, wondering at the soreness. It felt like she had been bitten. She froze as the truth dawned on her. Someone had attempted to mate with her while she lay unconscious. The evidence was on her throat. She scanned her breasts, but did not spot any bite marks there. She felt no soreness between her legs and the bottom part of her undergarment was still tightly wrapped around her, which suggested she had not been ravished. She was grateful for that, at least. She was troubled at the thought of someone ogling her body and sticking fang to her without her knowledge. She couldn’t fathom who would do such a thing without Diermont’s permission.
Unless her attacker already had the prince’s permission
. It was a believable explanation. The only problem with that idea was that Diermont had always insisted on being present during mating attempts.

Kiera felt overly warm as she recalled those times before when Diermont presided over the matings. He claimed he did so to ensure the male made an honest attempt to bond with her, as there had been times in the past where males abused the privilege with other ladies in order to have sex with no intention of bonding. However, she suspected Diermont watched the matings because he was a closet pervert. His eyes blazed with red heat every time Kiera lay underneath a male. A few times, she had even caught him stroking himself as he watched her being taken. And he wasn’t content to watch silently. He liked to make comments about the male’s performance, critiquing tirelessly on technique with the occasional instruction thrown in. Needless to say, this often had a negative impact on her partner’s performance. A few times, her prospective mate voluntarily quit the union after the first attempt. She had pleaded with Diermont to forgo the viewings, but he continued to insist on it.

Kiera scrutinized herself closely, feeling apprehensive. Some unknown person had looked upon her naked chest. Had he noticed she was more rounded than other hybrids? She hoped not. Only a bonded mate had full rights to a female’s body, and it should only be her bonded mate who saw her naked. She had good reason to hide her form. Many suspected her of having some human in her pedigree, but none of them realized how recently the human line had been introduced. With any luck, whoever had looked upon her had not noticed her resemblance to human females.

Despite her appearance, Kiera wasn’t human. Many nights, she proved it to herself again and again by sinking her fangs into soft flesh and drinking her fill. No human could do that.
And no hybrid female would choose to do that
. She was a freak and a deviant. She should really stop stealing blood from unsuspecting males. She was no better than the person who had assaulted her last night, taking something that would never willingly be surrendered.

Inside her mind, Kiera replayed all the reasons to stop biting males. So many sound reasons, yet none of them convinced her to stop the one thing that gave her pleasure. No, she couldn’t stop the activity that helped her cope with the stress of living with Diermont and Snotti. At least not yet. She would be more careful. She would choose a victim who deserved to lose a little blood.

An image of Modez settled in her mind and she smiled. He was a perfect choice, but at the same time, he was the worst possible choice. There was no one more deserving of her attentions and his blood would taste divine. He was also the one person that if caught, the penalty would be severe. Diermont and Snotti would be enraged by her actions. They seemed to become overly upset at anything she did that inadvertently aggravated Modez. Why they cared what he thought, she couldn’t fathom. Everyone knew that Modez carried special favor and everyone knew not to mess with him. It was bizarre, this special treatment of a run-of-the-mill lord. Yes, he was a Halloran, but that didn’t make him a God.

Kiera dressed, choosing a gown of emerald silk. She made her way quickly to the room Druscilla shared with two other ladies. “What is on the agenda this morn? I assume Snotti remains in bed?”

Druscilla gave her a funny look. “Are you feeling okay, dear?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Kiera had checked her image in the mirror and knew her color had improved. Surely she did not appear ill.

Druscilla, dressed in her finest gown of peacock blue, was a vision of beauty as she reclined in a chaise lounge. Her hair fell in perfect dark ringlets that reached her waist. “We heard you collapsed in the dining hall. Some of the ladies said you must have done it on purpose to gain the attention of Lord Halloran and Lord McLeod, but Snotti said you were likely infected with a contagion and could put us all at risk of illness.”

“You think I’m a carrier of a deadly virus? That’s strange, considering I’ve never heard of one that affects hybrids.” Kiera crossed her arms and studied the expression on Druscilla’s face, trying to gauge her thoughts. “Did Snotti really suggest I be sent away?”

“She did make that suggestion, Kiera.”

“You can see that I am perfectly fine! I pose no danger to anyone here.”

“Of course, dear. It is just that signs of illness frighten the princess. We are far from home and we have no healers here.”

The elegance of the room was proof they were far from Asstrumnia. Ornate frescoes adorned the walls, even in this chamber, which was a minor guest cubiculum. Behind Druscilla the scene on the wall depicted a vineyard with clusters of juicy purple fruit growing on lush green vines. “Diermont always keeps some healers in his service.”