Beloved

Jasmine thought about the dream as she quickly dried herself and climbed in to the large bed. Her body felt every moment of the dream as she recalled it. Her heart ached at the thought of what she had to do now. She made up her mind to leave as soon as she could. She could not allow herself to think she had a future with Raife after everything she had been through. Leaving would be so much easier than being rejected.

Raife rose shortly after dusk to meet with Alice. He needed to know her feelings about the woman in his spare bedroom.

"Did she feed?" He asked when Alice joined him.

"Yes. Seamus was very happy to volunteer." She said with a slight smile.

"I informed her of how to do so without causing pain. Hopefully, she will be able to hunt for herself once she gains some confidence in herself."

"Thank you, I hadn't even thought to talk with her about that particular aspect of her abilities. I'm going to the library to write the report to be sent to the elders. Get me when Dominic arrives." He dismissed her and walked down to the library. Dominic was his closest friend, and his lieutenant. Their group was one of several that worked for the elders, capturing rogues, and any others who broke vampiric law or risked exposure to the human world. He needed Dom to arrive and fill him in on Thomas' capture or the possibility that he had to be killed.

Raife couldn't concentrate on the report as his mind kept wandering back to the dream. As he replayed it in his mind he felt his body responding. He was almost tempted to go find Jasmine and have a talk with her, but he did not want her to feel he was pushing anything at her. And the way he felt at the moment he would be hard pressed to keep his hands to himself.

Luckily the decision was taken away from him as he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." The door swung open slowly and in walked the object of his fantasies. His cock responded immediately to her nearness. He could even smell her all the way across the large room. She looked better tonight than she had. The bath and feeding had done wonders for her. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in the candlelight. Her body was outlined in one of the simple dresses he had stocked in her room. Her flaming red hair hung loosely down her back falling to just above her round hips.

"I was wondering if we could talk for a few moments." She said in a voice barely above a whisper. Her hands folded in front of her and her eyes downcast.

"Of course, what do you need?" Raife had to force his eyes away from her breasts, as the dress fit tightly enough there that they threatened to spill over the top.

"I was just wondering what happened last night. Who was Thomas? Why me? Is he dead?" She stuttered and stumbled through her questions, never once looking up at Raife.

"Well, in order, last night my team and I rescued you. Thomas is a rogue. He goes about causing all manner of trouble for the vampire world. He continuously causes threats to our way of life. I don't know why he chose you, but the way he works, you were probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And don't even start blaming yourself, that's not what I mean. It could easily have been another girl in another place."

"All that matters is that you are safe now and can become familiar with what you have become and the abilities you now possess."

She only stared at the floor as she listened. Jasmine was terrified of what he didn't say. Raife had said nothing about whether that bastard was dead or not. If he was still alive, that was just one more reason for her to get as far from here as possible. After a few moments of silence from her, Raife spoke again.

"I think you should probably feed again. After the first few months you should be able to survive only feeding once or twice a week. Alice told me you did very well last night with Seamus. You are learning quickly, little one."

"Thank you for rescuing me, and allowing me to stay here for now." Jasmine replied, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. Those red specks in that beautiful field of emerald green shocked him back to that wonderful dream. He felt his cock twitch and begin to leak as she looked at him.

"I'll send a volunteer to your room in a bit. I have a meeting to deal with first." His voice was a gruff whisper, filled with lust. He wasn't going to be able to keep his hands from her for too much longer.

Thanking him again she turned and left, closing the door softly behind her. Her thoughts were mangled, running circles around her head. His scent had hit her as soon as she opened the door. Immediately her mind had jumped right back into the dream. She had suddenly yearned to touch him, kiss him, and do all the other things from her dream. But she also knew that was a bad idea if she was going to follow through with her plan.

Seeing Alice on the stairs coming toward her she decided to do something constructive with her evening. She asked Alice for cloth, needle and thread, then went to her room and chose a book from the shelves to read while waiting. Shortly, there was a knock on the door and in walked a younger woman. Light blonde hair hung just past her shoulders and she carried a large basket.

"Here are the things you requested. Oh and I'm Isleen. Lord Raife asked for a volunteer for you and I'm it." She smiled brightly and seemed completely unafraid. Jasmine stood and walked over to her. She was becoming accustomed to the needs of her new body and overcoming the fear of doing what she must to survive.

As her teeth slid into the flesh of the young girl's neck her mind jumped to the memory of Raife biting into her. She couldn't pull away from the thought as she drank. Her body grew warm and tingly as she sated her thirst. She felt herself becoming aroused at the thought of Raife's bite. A small moan broke her reverie, and she realized she was on the verge of drinking too much. Stopping herself, she closed the wounds and stepped away.

"Thank you, ma'am." Isleen said as she slowly turned and walked out of the room.

Jasmine sat in the chair and began her work, wondering what she had done to the girl. That memory had been very real. Not quite the remembering of a dream. As she thought about it more she realized that in her dream, Raife had been inside her when he bit. Just now, with this memory she didn't recall any penetration, just the bite.

Contemplating this information, she began to fashion a few tunics and a matching number of trousers. She couldn't run very well in a dress. After the clothes were finished, she used the rest of the cloth to fashion a bag, just large enough to fit the clothing in. It was still a few hours till dawn when she finished. She hid the bag under the mattress of the bed and hung the clothes in the wardrobe.

Raife was sitting at his desk wondering about the effect this woman was having on him. His head was spinning from her scent and the sight of her breasts almost spilling out of her bodice. He needed a few moments alone to remedy the situation in his trousers. As soon as he decided to do just that a knock on the door caused him to curse.

"Yes!" He called, clearly frustrated. Alice opened the door and ushered Dominic and Cian into the room.

Raife looked across the room at the two vampires who had become his highest ranking officers, and somehow also his friends. Dominic stood tall and broad with black hair hanging just past his shoulders, and amber eyes that demanded respect. Cian was a few inches shorter and nowhere near as broad, but no less intimidating. His white blonde hair was cut short, only a few inches long, and his sapphire eyes belied the strength held in the smallish form.

"Please tell me you had to kill the creep." Raife said to both of them. He watched as the usually fear instilling vampires glance fearfully at each other and then the floor.

"One of you needs to tell me what happened. Now! I am not in a mood for games." Raife said, now worried about what these two were clearly afraid to tell him.

"Well, we found out some new intel we didn't have before. Apparently Thomas is one of the few vampires with the ability to transform." Cian said and then looked to Dominic to finish.

"We followed him to the end of the tunnel and just as we were coming out above ground, we saw him. He changed. He took the form of a bat and flew away." Dominic finished quickly and tensed waiting for a response from their leader.

Raife listened intently as the story was told, his anger barely held under the surface. He thought for only a moment before issuing orders, keeping in mind the fragility of the woman in his care.

"Okay. So the son of a bitch escaped. We'll deal with it. You two get your things, you'll be moving in here to help protect Jasmine. First get in touch with the rest of the group. Split them up and have them scour the surrounding areas for him. We have to find him." Raife was shaking with anger at the thought of that monster on the loose.

"Why do we have to stay here? I don't think he'll be coming after her." Cian spoke softly, noting the emotional turmoil of his leader.

"We took his new toy. For some reason he decided to change her. Normally he just kidnaps, rapes, feeds from and kills his victims. Jasmine, for some unknown reason, was different for him. Now go split the teams and get back here quickly. I have to check on our guest." He said to his men, as he tried to decide whether or not to inform Jasmine of this new development.

An hour later he was walking up the stairs to Jasmine's room to tell her the news about Thomas still being alive. As he turned down the corridor leading to her room he began to scent her. The lavender bath soap was strongest, but just underneath was the unique scent of her and his cock jumped again at the smell. Raife thought to himself that he really needed to find a few moments alone to remedy the situation yet again arising in his trousers. As long as she was in his home he was going to need a lot of time to himself.

True, he had several servants in his home very willing and able to share his bed. Yet, he had no interest in them in that role. All he could think about recently was Jasmine and her soft flesh rubbing sensually against him. Shaking his head to clear away the steamy thoughts, he strode to the door of her room.

He knocked and waited for her to allow him entrance. After a few moments with no response, he knocked again. Beginning to get agitated and more than a little worried, he knocked once more, waited only a scant moment then threw the door wide and strode inside. Looking around he saw the dress Jasmine was wearing earlier thrown across the arm chair by the fire. But the woman was nowhere in sight.

Turning quickly, he ran from the room down the corridor's calling her name and opening every door along the way. Raife's mind whirled with the possibilities of what had happened to her, He knew she could have very well just gone for a stroll around the castle, but his mind continued to jump at the thought that Thomas had somehow gotten into his home without being noticed and taken the girl again.

Not knowing how long she had been out of her room, he continued to race through the castle searching, the fear that she was gone again building with every second. Every door he opened that she wasn't behind had his heart wrenching in his chest. As he ran he realized something that had him skidding to a halt at the bottom of the stairs.

Raife loved her. He had only known the woman one day but somehow he had fallen completely and irrevocably in love with her. He thought back on the dream and came to the conclusion that he didn't want her just to warm his bed for a few nights. He wanted her to share his bed for the rest of their long eternity. He wanted to make her his, forever.

Wishing he had more time to contemplate this epiphany, Raife started up the stairs to finish searching the castle and find Jasmine. Turning the corner at the top he ran right into Isleen, knocking her to the floor.

"Where is she? Where is Jasmine?" Raife nearly screamed at the poor girl.

"She came into the kitchen while I was getting things ready for breakfast and asked if we had any gardens here. I sent her to the courtyard outside the kitchen. I haven't seen her since my lord." The girl responded very close to tears, the fear in her eyes plain for Raife to see.

He mentally reminded himself to apologize to her later, after he found Jasmine. She hadn't been a vampire long enough for her internal clock to reset and allow her to feel when the sun has too close to the horizon. He had to get her inside if Thomas hadn't already gotten to her.

Raife ran out the door to the kitchen garden as his mind wandered for a moment to the possibility that he was too late. If Thomas got his slimy hands on Jasmine again Raife was going to rip him apart. He growled deep in his throat as he exited into the garden and again skidded to a halt on the cobbled walkway.

Jasmine was standing by the small fountain, half hidden by the rose bushes that were growing around it. She was turned slightly away from him but he could see the snow white rose blossom she held in her hand. Her flame red hair hung loose, falling in gentle waves down her back. She wore a soft pink nightgown, which wrapped lovingly around her curves, held up by two thin straps across her shoulders. His heart raced as he watched her lift the delicate flower to her nose, his thoughts running to images of her naked body pressing against his.

Jasmine stood by the fountain turning her plan over in her mind. All she really had to do was wake before Raife tomorrow night and leave. She would pack the new clothes into the bag she had made this morning before going to sleep. It would be simple really, or so she hoped.

Hearing boots on the cobblestones, she turned and met the silvery blue eyes of her rescuer and host. The rose dropped from her fingers and fell silently to the ground as she noticed the intense fire in those eyes. Suddenly she was terrified. Not of the man himself, but his eyes were almost searing her flesh.

"I'm sorry about the rose, I shouldn't have picked it. I apologize." She stuttered. The fear equally evident in her voice, as she spoke Raife moved slowly closer. He said nothing to her as he kept approaching.

"I'm going to my room now I guess, good night." Stuttering again she moved as if to walk past him. His hands were on her arms in a second, holding her in place in front of him. She shivered at the feel of his skin on hers, her mind flashing instantly to the dream. Blood rushed to her ears, and warmth pooled low in her belly at his touch. The fear dissipated as quickly as it had come and was replaced by a primal need she barely knew anything about.

Raife read the fear in her eyes as he approached and felt her shiver as he touched her. Determined to at least taste her, he leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to hers. Hoping desperately that he wasn't frightening her too badly. He needed to know if she felt for him the way he realized he was feeling for her.

He felt her response the moment their lips touched. Her body stiffened for the smallest second then relaxed as her lips pressed gently back. Using his tongue he requested entry into her mouth and surprisingly, quickly received it. Her lips parted the tiniest bit and his tongue slipped inside to explore. Their tongues intertwined and he could feel the passion coming from her in that one soul searing moment.

His hands slowly roamed her body, up her arms to her shoulders, then over and down her back to come to rest cupping her soft round ass. His mind fogged as she pressed herself into him. The soft globes of her breasts smashed deliciously against the hard planes of his chest.

"My lord! The sun!" Alice yelled from the kitchen door. Raife jerked his head up in time to see the barest hint of light on the horizon. It was definitely time to get inside. Scooping his prize into his arms he made a mad dash for the door. Not stopping once inside, he continued downstairs.

"My room?" Jasmine tried to say as he flew past her door without slowing. Heart racing, she held on tightly to the hard body carrying her down into the castle. She hadn't been in this part of the massive building but somehow she knew where they were headed. Shortly they arrived right where she had predicted. They had stopped right outside his bedroom door.

Entering the room she wasn't too surprised to note that it looked exactly the same as in her dream. He lowered her feet softly to the floor and then claimed her lips with his once again. He kissed her more aggressively this time, plundering her mouth with his. Her mind whirled as the kiss continued. What was she doing? Somehow she knew if she were to tell him to stop he would. But she didn't want him to. Even though she knew this would go nowhere and she would wind up hurting, she felt she needed this. He made her feel safe even if it only lasted a little while.

She shivered against his lips as they traveled slowly from her lips down the side of her throat. She would cherish these moments forever. The feel of his lips against her flesh. The way his hands gently groped her full breasts and round ass. These memories would light her days for the lonely eternity to come. She continued to refuse to believe he could ever have any real feelings for her. Even as he pressed his heated arousal against her thigh, she wouldn't let herself believe he wanted anything more than this moment of physical release. His mouth against her breast had her thoughts fogging over and she finally decided to quit thinking and enjoy herself for the first and possibly last time in her very long life.