The Darkness Beyond Ch 07

He recognized her scent, and the feeling of her hair dragging across his chest before he even opened his eyes. She was laying on top of him, kissing small trails across his chest, and he sighed contently when he finally looked at his former lover. She was beautiful, her red hair surrounding her face like a halo of fire, and her green eyes looking at him intently, waiting for his reaction. He sighed and stretched out his hands for her.

They kissed for what seemed like forever. His hands wandered across her body, brushing the tips of her breasts, sliding over her curves. When they finally parted, he took a long look at her face, something which he hadn't done in a very long time. She was still heart-achingly beautiful, her sensually curved lips shaking ever so slightly in arousal, her green eyes looking at him, dazed.

He knew her body well, and his hands reached between her legs with certainty. She moaned as he worked his magic, rubbing her clit and fucking her with three fingers. She threw back her head, red hair flying, and he smiled at the sight. He had missed this.

"Yes," she moaned, "Please... please!"

He guided her hips to his waiting cock. He was hard, had been since he had sensed her presence, and he couldn't help closing his eyes in enjoyment when she finally mounted him and he felt his cock sliding up and inside her. They both moaned, kissed some more, and he helped her keep the rhythm of her slowly grinding hips by moving his alongside hers.

"I missed you," she whispered, sucking on his ear, and he could only groan in agreement. He moved his hand between them once more, he could feel himself getting close and he didn't want her to think he was being egoistic. Her face flushed when he pinched her clit over and over again, expertly inflicting just the right amount of pain for her to translate into pleasure. As her moans became high pitched and he could feel his release flooding her, he offered her his wrist without thinking. Only when she sank her fangs into him and he felt the knife in his other hand did he realize what was happening.

"No!" he groaned, but the parasite in his mind, whose presence he hadn't noticed until now, took over his actions and plunged the knife into his lover's body, slipping it just under the ribs and into her heart.

Her green eyes were wide, staring at him, not understanding. He knew he had betrayed her, just like she had betrayed him all those years ago, but what he had done was a hundred times worse.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as she slowly slumped, the life leaving her and her essence slowly surging up his arm. He wondered faintly why he cared so much, and then he felt himself plunged once more into the darkness as her body vanished from his sight.

"No!" he cried, reaching out for her and feeling only emptiness.

**********

Cian awoke with a cry of anguish, sitting up on the blanket, his eyes darting around wildly. His breath was accelerated, and he felt a profound sense of loss along with the urgent throbbing of his cock.

"Oh no," he whispered, clenching his hands into fists, when he fully realized that waking up wouldn't help him escape the reality of this particular dream. He pressed his lips together, suppressing his pain.

"Cian?" Hannah sat up beside him, one hand timidly touching his shoulder. He turned to her, taking only a second to spot her flushed cheeks, her shaking lips and her glazed eyes.

Without thinking, he kissed her. His arms wrapped themselves around her and he lowered her back to the blanket. She wasn't resisting. On the contrary, she held him as well, responding to his kiss and stroking his back comfortingly through his shirt. Cian only groaned and deepened the kiss, tangling his hands in her silky hair and pressing himself against her more fully. She spread her legs in response, driving him wild.

His body shook with the sudden desire for her. He reached for the hem of her pajama top, fumbled with a button, then tore them all in his impatience. He admired the evenness of her creamy skin, then lowered his head to kiss it, his tongue trailing over her milky white breasts before his lips closed around one of her nipples. Her hands buried themselves in his hair in encouragement, and he bit her ever so slightly, making her arch against him.

"Please," she whispered hoarsely. Her hands moved to the front of his shirt as she tried to free him of it, her hands clumsily undoing one of the buttons. He helped her along, undoing them himself, then shrugged off the shirt and enjoyed her hands wandering over his chest. They kissed again, urgently exploring each other. Cian finally moved away from her, just to pull her cotton pajama pants off her body. Hannah let it happen, but tugged at his pants as well. She managed to get her hands on his belt, unfastening it. Cian did the rest for her, his erection twitching when it encountered the cold air.

He covered her once more, and she thankfully pressed herself against his warm body. Her lips found his again, demanding attention. Cian gave it to her, but after a few kisses he dipped his head, paying attention to her bellybutton, and finally kissed his way even lower. The insides of her thighs were white as snow, and he marveled at their delicate beauty as he kissed them, then he parted the triangle of neatly trimmed raven curls to reveal her sex. He kissed her there, taking his time as he explored her with his tongue. He could hear her panting, and her hands buried themselves in his hair again, urging him on. She was incredibly wet already, and he enjoyed the taste of her arousal.

Finally, she pulled him back up by his hair.

"Let me," she whispered, wrapping one hand around his cock. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her attentions, her urgently sucking mouth and lovely warm tongue, stroking her hair while she pleasured him. It went on for a while, she sucked him as though her life depended on it. When she finally came up for air, he gently pressed her down onto her back again and moved over her. He wasn't willing to wait any longer.

It seemed as though she wasn't either, judging by the way she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer. He used his hand to find her entrance, and he couldn't help groaning loudly as he slid into her. She was so damn warm and wet, so welcoming.

"Yes!" was all she whispered, eyes closed and fingernails buried in his shoulders. She breathed rapidly through her parted lips and her face flushed even more than he had thought possible. Her cheeks were positively glowing. Cian rode her hard, unable to hold back any longer, but she welcomed him once more, her legs locked behind his back, holding him close and urging him on. Cian slid into her and pulled back out, over and over again, now striving for release. Hannah lifted her hips as well, begging, and he felt the rush of orgasm like a drug coursing through his blood.

Trained by so many years of feeding, his hands expertly tilted her neck, pushing her bandage away, before he realized what he was doing. But once that particular piece of her skin was exposed, there was no pulling back for him. He was too hungry, too starved, and she was too tempting right there in front of him. She whimpered as he sank his newly exposed fangs into her, half expecting to feel the knife stabbing him right then and there. But her hands kept holding on to his shoulders, and he felt the convulsions of her body during her orgasm as he sucked her blood. He relished the exquisite, sweet taste.

Stopping his drink felt like the hardest thing he had ever done. He was famished, and he wasn't built to interrupt the feeding until he had sucked in the last trickle and his prey was limp and lifeless. With a half-groan, a half-sob, he finally forced himself to dislodge his fangs and retract them, fighting for control over his instincts. He was breathing hard and his heartbeat reverberated throughout his entire body.

He pulled away from Hannah, cradling her head. She had indeed gone limp, passed out from the blood loss he had caused, but when he searched, he felt a slow, steady pulse. She would survive this. Carefully, he wrapped her in his cloak and then moved up, placing her head in his lap so the hard stone wouldn't hurt her. For a few minutes, he just sat there and stared.

He was completely shaken. Meraja was more than likely dead, the dream he had had still chilling him to the bone. He hadn't admitted to himself for the longest time how much he actually had missed her, distancing himself from any emotion instead. He'd always done it this way, and never had he had them all come rushing back when he had least expected it. Except for this time.

And he had no idea when he had started caring about Hannah, he just knew that he suddenly did. It was more than disconcerting. He took in her prone form, absentmindedly stroking her shoulder with one thumb. He hoped she wouldn't try to kill him again when she woke up.

On the bright side, her blood had strengthened him immensely. He finally healed the bruises on his throat, but kept the scratches on his back Hannah had given him. He was fond of those for now. When he looked up, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he had woken up, he noticed Noor. The bald woman was sitting upright about twenty feet away from them, looking in their direction without shame. Cian frowned, but ignored her stare.

He didn't understand a thing about Noor. If he had to take a guess, he would say that the dimension must slowly be driving the woman insane... Noor had bouts of rationality in between her nonsensical ramblings. But the really curious thing was that all evidence pointed towards the conclusion that she must have come over here from Earth. He had not seen any other even vaguely humanoid creatures in the Lost City, apart from the Thuarins, and he doubted there were any others left. The only ones that had been in this dimension were the vampires, and they had left thousands of years ago, all of them.

He clenched his jaw as thoughts about the rest of his brothers and sisters entered his mind once again. There were only three or four left now, depending on whether Hannah had had another dream. Judging by how flushed she had looked when she had woken up, he assumed that she had. Probably Adrian, he figured. Or possibly Coran, or... maybe even Aurai. He couldn't suppress a grin at this thought, wishing he could have eavesdropped on her dream if this was the case. Either way, he hoped he would leave this dimension before that parasite, whoever it was, made him fuck Lizanne. She was still fairly attractive for her age, but she

was

over six hundred years old... and it showed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, and he raised his head. Noor had gotten up from her spot and was now approaching him, completely ignoring the fact that he was naked. From the looks of it, she was having one of her most rational moments yet.

"Another dream, then," she said, sitting down, and it wasn't a question.

Cian nodded, wondering what her point was.

"Do you understand yet?" Noor asked. "Will you avenge me?"

Cian helplessly shook his head. He couldn't make heads or tails out of what he was supposed to be understanding, but Noor wasn't giving up.

"Don't you think it odd," she asked, "the way they have been picking their victims?"

Cian considered it. The ones left were the very youngest and oldest of the vampires. Briar had been second-to-youngest, but his passing had been an accident, at least as far as he could tell. Cian himself was right in the middle of the order, and they hadn't been able to get to him because he was hanging out in another dimension. But what was odd about the order they had been killed in, as opposed to any other? He didn't know.

Noor sighed, sounding frustrated.

"Shame on you," she said. "At this rate, you will never get them."

"Hey, I'm trying my best here," Cian defended himself. "You're just not making any sense."

Noor stared at him, her eyes dark. "The elusive essence is not only of use to a human, you know. If you robbed the girl of hers, you would be twice as strong, twice as powerful."

Cian's eyes widened. "Are you saying... you mean one of us has been doing the killing?"

Noor bared her teeth in that grin-like grimace. "Your elder... she is not the caring mother you want her to be."

Cian shook his head wildly. "No, that's impossible. We may not like each other, but we are all loyal to the group. Especially Lizanne. You don't know what that is like."

"I don't?" Noor asked, something low and dangerous in her voice. Her eyes were suddenly clear.

Cian frowned. "You do?"

"Yes, I do," Noor answered, getting up and towering over Cian. "Because I was the one thrown into this Hell by Lizanne some three hundred years ago when she experimented with essences, in her quest for more power."

"You don't have an essence," Cian whispered, trying not to believe what she was saying. But deep inside, he had already figured out the truth.

"I do," said Noor. "Because I was the tenth vampire."