A Vampire Tale with a Twist

Chapter Nine

"So, Angela, you're a newborn vampire."

Lounging inside one of the private jet's luxurious seats, his dark blue suit contrasting its pale leather pleasantly, Lucian was the picture of elegance. All of the injuries inflicted on him a few days ago were fully healed by now, and his skin positively glowed with health as he smirked at Angela from across the aisle.

"That wasn't a question, mon cher," he said, when she opened her mouth to argue. "More of an observation."

Stymied, Angela shrugged and turned her attention to the bright city lights visible far below them. It wasn't like her to back down from an argument, but with Eztli acting as the pilot, Lucian and she were alone in the back of the plane, and rightly or wrongly, it made her nervous.

"Don't be nervous, little fräulein," Lucian said, on cue. "I promise I won't bite you again, unless you ask me to."

The snort of derision escaped her before she could stop it, and his answering laughter so irked her, she lost her composure completely.

"Bite me, Lucian," she snapped. "I dare you. Bite me and see what happens."

A shudder went through the plane as she issued the challenge, its twin jet engines humming noisily. Distracted by what felt like turbulence, Angela and Lucian exchanged a worried glance. They didn't get to worry much, however, before the plane levelled off, its flight becoming smooth and predictable once more. A fraction of a second later, Eztli's tall form appeared at the entrance to the cockpit, dark and imposing like clouds before a storm.

"You. And you," he growled, glaring first at Angela, then at Lucian. "We've barely taken off, and already you are at each other's throats."

The rebuke had an immediate effect on Angela, causing her to cower down guiltily. Not so Lucian. Obviously feeling he'd been wronged, he made as if to stand up, protesting, "Ta mere! We were not..."

He never managed to finish. Faster than lightning, Eztli was upon him, forcing him back into his seat and leaning over him threateningly.

"That wasn't a question, mon cher," he said. Switching to French effortlessly, he went on, "Ne jurez pas devant las dame."

"Désolé," Lucian replied quickly. His eyes darted sideways to Angela while he went on in English, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Eztli said, continuing to glare at him. "I don't want her first words in French to be those."

Angela wanted to insert herself into the conversation, if only to stop them from talking about her as if she weren't there, but the sight of Eztli reaching down and grabbing Lucian by the throat stopped her. There was a threat of imminent violence there, and it caused her heart to do a backflip in her chest, the same way it did the night she first witnessed a fight between the two. The same as then, she found herself transfixed by the power exchange on display. Clearly, Eztli was the dominant, alpha male, and it wasn't just his toned physique that marked him as such. It was his whole demeanor, from his posture to the way he stared at his opponent, like he might make a meal of them at any moment. Yes, that was the thing, Angela thought, biting her lip in excitement. She was just wondering if Lucian felt the same way, when Eztli turned his pale gaze on her and said,

"Mein fräulein, try not to get too carried away by your thoughts. If you keep going the way you are, I won't be held responsible for my actions."

Angela's eyes widened, her thoughts turning carnal, quite against her will.

"You wouldn't," she gasped, looking pointedly at Lucian. "Not in front of him!"

To her consternation, Eztli threw back his head and laughed.

"Sure, I would. Hence the warning." The smoldering look he gave her made Angela's heart do another backflip, leaving her positively speechless. This left it up to Lucian to insert a plea, on both their behalf.

"Mon Dieu! Je t'en supplie," he cried, desperately. In response, Eztli tightened his grip and snarled in displeasure.

"Say it in English, so Angela can understand," he commanded.

"I... beg of you," Lucian translated, and swallowed hard. Eztli's hand around his throat was obviously making it difficult to speak, yet he barely paused before adding, "Don't, please don't take her right here, right now..."

"Why not?" came the merciless retort. "It's a great way to pass the time on a long overseas flight. Besides, she needs it. You've read her mind. You know it, as well as I do."

Lucian's face was a mask of misery as he admitted, grudgingly, "Oui, oui. She wants you bad. Any fool can see it. But..."

"No buts," Eztli cut in. "When you accepted my invitation, you knew this might happen. Now, you can either sit here and avert your eyes, or I can help you by draining you of most of your blood. The choice is yours."

"Merde," Lucian spat, squirming uncomfortably. "I'd almost prefer it if you drank from me till I passed out, but I can't let you ruin this gorgeous Armani suit."

Slowly, Eztli let go of Lucian's throat and grabbed a handful of his long hair, tugging on it so as to tilt his head back.

"It's just a suit," he said. His intent was clear, and Angela could see a vein in Lucian's neck pulsing as he remonstrated gently,

"No, Eztli... No. I don't want to be drained again, so soon after last time. I'll be fine sitting here, alright? Just go ahead and do what you need to do."

"Are you sure? A moment ago, you were saying something quite different." Eztli's incisors were at their maximum length, their sharp points glistening just millimeters from Lucian's neck.

"I'm sure. I'm very sure. Please." The fear in Lucian's voice was like music to Angela's ears. Staring at him through the thickening red haze, she thought about the way he had attacked her, and how good it would feel to return the favor.

"Easy, fräulein," Eztli said, conversationally. "You're about to lose control. And you know what will happen if you do."

"Sorry, Eztli," Angela replied, meekly. But though she tried to rein in her thoughts, they kept on coming. Whispering, pulling at her, urging her to obey her instincts.

"She really is a newborn, isn't she?" Lucian said, observing her with narrowed eyes.

"Indeed, she is. But don't let it worry you. She won't do anything with me here." The calm assurance in Eztli's tone failed to transfer itself to his friend, as evidenced by his somewhat skeptical reply,

"So, no guarantees for when I'm alone with her? How comforting."

Silently, unseen by Eztli, Angela snarled at him.

"Fräulein, come." The order, spoken in a clipped tone, made her jump guiltily. Did Eztli see her snarling and wished to punish her? The thought made her hang back for a second, but only a second. Then her feet were moving, seemingly of their own accord, taking her to him.

"Eztli, I..." she began, but he never let her finish. Letting go of Lucian, he straightened up and spun around to face her, his pale eyes boring into hers disconcertingly.

"We are less than ten hours from Geneva, so I really must insist you start calling me Liam, from now on." He glanced at Lucian, adding, "That goes for the both of you."

"Yes, Liam," they murmured, in unison. There was a moment of silence, which saw both of them squirming in front of Eztli.

Liam, it's Liam Degrande, now

, Angela recited to herself. Well did she remember the hard spanking he gave her a few days prior, while asking her to repeat the new name to him.

"That's very good, fräulein. I'm glad you remember." He nodded in approval, before reaching up and smoothing a loose strand of hair from her face with a gentle touch. "Now, let's talk about your relationship with Lucian here. In particular, your thirst for revenge."

Suppressing a shudder, Angela bowed her head and bit her lip to stop herself from blurting out something stupid. Denial was pointless where Eztli - Liam, was concerned, yet she wanted to defend herself. To explain to him that her feelings were not only natural, but entirely out of her control.

"I know this is hard for you, fräulein," Liam said, ignoring her thoughts for once, "but you must do as I say and push down those urges when they arise. If you don't, and you force Lucian to defend himself, he's likely to hurt you. And if that happens, I will have no choice but to kill him. Him, and anyone else who might be around to witness it. Understand?"

Looking up at him in alarm, Angela nodded. The threat of such serious consequences filled her with unease, even though most of it wasn't aimed at her but at Lucian. Still, Lucian was an old friend of Eztli's... of Liam's. A

very

old friend. If she were to cause his death, directly or indirectly, there was no telling what it would do to her fledgling relationship. The harm it would cause. Her hand flew to her mouth at the thought.

"You mustn't fret, my dear," Liam said, catching her hand in his, much larger one, and pulling her close. "The things you fear will never come to pass, if you simply do as I ask."

Angela took a deep breath to steady herself. The feel of Liam's body against hers made her faint with excitement, his scent drifting into her nostrils like a very expensive, very fast acting aphrodisiac - the most powerful aphrodisiac imaginable.

"Oh, Ez... Liam. I'll do anything you say. I promise."

"That's my good girl," he said with a smile. And then, still smiling, he took her wrists and pulled her arms behind her back. Over the sounds of Lucian cursing, "merde, merde, merde," she protested loudly, some innate, vulnerable part of her resisting the idea of being so handled in front of another man.

"No, Eztli! I mean Liam! Please! No," she begged, but he only grinned at her, while adjusting his hold and trapping her wrists together, in one hand. This left his other hand free to roam over her voluptuous, squirming body, all the way from her hips to her breasts, which were thrust forward more prominently, thanks to the way her back was arched.

"Hush, my dear. You wanted me to ravish you when you chose that black lace dress you're wearing. And now, you're turning me on even more, by begging."

With her protests taken care of, he continued to fondle and squeeze her breasts more and more firmly, until she closed her eyes and threw her head back, all her pent-up desire bursting forth in a single throaty moan. He kissed her then, taking her by surprise and making her moan even more loudly into his mouth.

Please, don't stop. Please.

She begged inside her head - needlessly, as it were, for he was already grabbing her long hair and tilting her head just so. As his teeth grazed her lower lip, she moaned again. Softly. Helplessly. Thinking,

yes, oh yes. Hurt me. Please, hurt me...

He responded by biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, so that she couldn't help but cry out, "Mmm! Mmmm!"

"Quit your whining," he chided her, while licking at the wound, with relish. "We both know how much you want this. How much you need it. That's why you keep thinking those thoughts. Admit it, fräulein. You love it when I hurt you. Go on. Let me hear you say it out loud, for once."

Angela's eyes flew open. In a daze, she recalled how vehemently she had denied her dark, masochistic desires, when he pointed them out to her a few days ago. He had dropped the argument then, only to bring it up again now, when she was at her most vulnerable. She let out a mewl of defeat, then took a deep, shuddering breath - the only kind she could draw while being held in a grip of iron.

"I... I need..." That was as far as she got, before another languid lick of his tongue across her lips stopped her. How the hell was she supposed to talk, with her lip dripping blood, and the sexiest vampire alive distracting her in this way?

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm very flattered." His deep voice resembled a cat's purr, with just the right blend of soothing and seductive, to make her lose herself in it. "But I still want to hear you say it. And when I want something..."

He trailed off, fixing her with an expectant stare that she couldn't look away from, no matter how much she wished to.

"I'm s-scared," she said, and she meant it. "I know... I know you can read m-my mind. But it's still scary to say it... out loud."

His hold on her tightened while she spoke, his fingers squeezing her wrists painfully tight, behind her back.

"That's all the more reason to go ahead and say it." He leaned in and stared at her more intently, if that were possible. "Though if we're being honest, you should need no other reason, besides me asking you."

Staring back at him, Angela realized she was dangerously close to offending him, by taking too long. If she didn't oblige him, and fast, there would be a price to pay. She bit her lip out of nervous habit, worrying the wound he'd made there and making it bleed anew.

"Aaah, it hurts... It hurts so good..."

Eztli's pale eyes lit up. "Go on," he urged her, quietly. Drawn in by his hypnotic gaze, she felt the last of her resistance melt away. The words poured out of her like flood waters from a dam, giving him exactly what he wanted, at last,

"Ok. I confess. I love it when you hurt me. I don't know why, but it makes me feel so... alive. Scared and excited and so incredibly turned on. It's like nothing else I've ever known. Each time you do it, you make me want to surrender to you. And I love... surrendering. To you."

Angela didn't realize she was crying, until he reached up and wiped the tears off her cheek, with great tenderness.

"I love it when you cry for me. Fräulein." The words held a promise of more pain and it made her wet between her legs - made her want to plead with him for mercy, safe in the knowledge that mercy would be the last thing shown to her.

"Please, E... Liam... Please..."

He cut her off by kissing her roughly, all the while rubbing his hips against hers and letting her feel his erection.

"Mon Dieu. Ses incroyable," Lucian could be heard muttering to himself. Angela knew by his tone just how uncomfortable he was, but she no longer cared. She didn't even care if he was watching, rather than averting his gaze as he was supposed to. As far as she was concerned, herself and Eztli - or Liam, or whatever other name he chose to use - were the only ones there. The only two people in the world, in fact.

It was, she would later realize, one of their most romantic moments yet. A moment she would never forget. That was just as well, because her life with Liam was about to get a whole lot more complicated. Only, she didn't know it yet.

*************

"Lucian." Liam snapped, causing Lucian to sit up straighter in his seat. "Stay with Angela and help her stay awake. I must go and prepare the plane for landing."

"Yes, Liam."

Lying limply across two of the plane's seats, with her long legs folded over the nearest armrest, Angela watched through hooded eyes as Lucian bowed his head respectfully. He was subdued after witnessing her and Liam making love - with all the sadistic games that entailed - and no longer seemed interested in teasing her. That was a good thing, a very good thing, she thought, because if they fought and he hurt her again, Liam would kill him as per his threat. Of this, she was sure. The darkness that lived inside her vampire lover, and that she found so intoxicating, far exceeded anything that Lucian could summon to fight it. Hence why Eztli aka Liam was the Alpha, and always would be. It was also why Lucian had a dozen vampires with him, when trying to exact his revenge, a few nights prior. They weren't there as mere decoys, she realized suddenly, but as soldiers - recruited to help him end Liam's life, a feat no vampire could attempt on his own.

"Well done, fräulein," Lucian said, turning toward her. "You've worked it out, at last."

The sarcasm was so subtle, she almost missed it, in her worn out state.

"Don't try to deny it, Lucian. If you must be so rude as to read my every thought, at least be honest and admit it when I'm right." As she spoke, she pulled the tattered remains of her dress over her naked, bruised body, in an attempt to recover some of her modesty. Lucian watched her unabashedly, a tight smile playing on his lips.

"Deny it? There's nothing to deny," he said, with perfect composure. He waited for her to open her mouth to argue, then interjected smoothly, "It's not possible to kill an original vampyr by any ordinary means. Dispatching a dozen lesser vampires is hardly a challenge for him. So, no, I can't admit you were right just now, because it so happens that you're wrong."

Angela frowned.

"Do you seriously mean to tell me you didn't want to kill Ez... Liam, as well as me? And if so, why should I believe you?"

Lucian frowned back at her, then rose from his seat and glided closer.

"You ask a lot of questions, for someone who has just been ravished." The brazen way he spoke made her want to slap him. With effort, she reined in her temper and shot back,

"And you're being far too cagey, for someone with nothing to hide."

He sighed theatrically, while taking a seat in the row opposite hers.

"Very well, then. I will dignify you with an answer," he said, launching into it, in the same breath, "I came upon the women a week ago, quite by accident. They were drawn by your screams, same as me, for we're always on the lookout for criminals to feed off. I should point out, in case you weren't aware, that the authorities don't mind so much when we clean up the streets of such trash. And rapists are on top of their list, needless to say."

With a start, Angela realized he spoke the truth. Everyone she and Eztli had killed belonged to a gang of some kind. Either that, or they were in the process of committing a crime. She had just never given it much thought, till now.

"Imagine our surprise when we found out the victim wasn't a victim at all, but a newly turned lady vampire being whipped by her master," Lucian went on. "You, fräulein. At first, we just watched, not expecting you to survive. Most newborns don't, you know. Titan... I mean, Liam, has always been quite ruthless, letting natural selection take its course. But as time went on, and his infatuation with you became clear, the women became angry. Although I kept my distance, I could hear them whispering to each other."

"Really? What... um... what were they saying?" Angela asked, unable to help herself. He flashed her a quick smile and said,

"It's not important. What is important is that he abandoned each of them, hours after turning them. Seeing him with you, night after night, made them delightfully infuriated, as it would any woman, anywhere. When I approached them and offered to help them kill you both, they jumped at the chance."

Angela experienced a pang of pity for the women, even though she never knew them.

"But you just said he couldn't be killed... So, you lied to them?" she exclaimed, staring at him in disapproval.

Lucian ignored her, for a while. With great nonchalance, he raised one hand and spent some time examining his fingernails for imperfections. Apparently finding none, he raised his gaze to hers and remarked, wryly,

"There you go, asking the wrong question again. Just like you did the night we met."

"Are you trying to insult me, or scare me, right now?" Angela asked, indignation adding several decibels to her voice.

"Neither. Fräulein," he said. "Believe me, I'm not a threat to you, anymore. I simply wanted to encourage you to think before you ask me something. Otherwise, you'll find it difficult to earn my respect."

He dares talk to me about respect! After what he did!

Angela thought, angrily. After a while, however, her anger simmered down, and she found herself admiring Lucian's quiet persistence. Even now, faced with her furious stare, he was patiently waiting for her to come to the right conclusion, not pressuring her or demanding an apology like most men would be. She thought back to how forlorn he'd seemed while kneeling at Eztli's - Liam's feet, crying for his lost love. Then she let out a loud sigh.