Page 6 of Prince with a Chance of Darkness (Grimm Cove #7)

Chapter Six

Vlad

Vlad bent slowly keeping his attention on Ponytail Girl while he reached down and retrieved the bag of human blood. He rose, holding it out to her, hoping she’d drink it.

She snatched the bag from his hand and stared down at it, seeming confused.

He eased closer, gesturing to the bag. “If I may.”

She stood there and actually let him touch the bag and her hand.

He lifted her hand and the bag toward his face and lowered his head. He adjusted the bag and showed her how to drink from it, taking a sip himself. The coppery fluid slid down his throat. A tiny bit of blood ended up on his lower lip as he moved the bag, her hand still in his, toward her face. “Your turn.”

Ponytail Girl’s gaze locked on his mouth. She went to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, her tongue moving over his lip, taking the blood.

Vlad moaned, his entire body tightening with need. He had to focus to keep from lifting her and doing what his body desperately wanted to do. Liquid covered his hand and he realized then that he’d squeezed the bag of blood, causing blood to spill out and over his hand and Ponytail Girl’s.

She didn’t seem to care as she kept her mouth pressed to his. Her tongue moved from his lip into his mouth and he staggered back, tripping over the tray and falling rather unceremoniously onto his ass.

Ponytail Girl followed him down, putting her body over his, straddling his waist much like she’d done the first night they met. She was still holding the leaking bag of blood. She brought the bag to his lips and smeared blood over his lips.

“ Lumini?a mea ,” he said softly, trying to push the bag toward her. “You are who needs to feed.”

Her brow furrowed and he knew in that moment she was struggling—fighting through the darkness—trying to make sense of his words. “Drink.”

Her mouth covered his again and she licked the blood from him. He was torn between feeling like a mother bird and wanting to bury himself deep in the temptress on him.

She ground against him, moving from licking blood from his lips to kissing him.

His demon rejoiced.

Vlad tensed and broke the kiss. “ Lumini?a mea, no. You need to feed, not… Not this.”

This is perfect , the demon said, clearly delighted with the turn of events.

Before Vlad could fully pull away, she slammed her mouth onto his more aggressively.

It took every ounce of his self-restraint to keep from flipping her onto her back and taking things further. Not to flip her beneath him and sink his fangs and other things into her.

He relaxed his mouth, fighting against returning the kiss. He wanted to, but he knew he had only so much willpower.

She dropped the bag of blood onto the stone floor and brought her blood-soaked fingers to his lips. She slid her fingers between their lips, getting blood into his mouth and hers.

His tongue naturally went to it and Ponytail Girl grinned against his mouth—wicked and wild. She moved her fingers, kissing him full on once more.

A partial groan, partial surrender fell free from him. His hands found her backside and his tongue greeted hers.

His demon’s laughter was the only thing that stopped Vlad from taking things to the next level. He stopped the kiss and laid perfectly still beneath Ponytail Girl.

She bit lightly at his lower lip, sending need straight to his groin. Her fangs pierced his flesh and the moment left Vlad torn between the desperate need to be in her and knowledge that this wasn’t natural. That the pull to her was dangerous. What if he lost control and harmed her?

We would never harm her! shouted his demon.

Ponytail Girl smeared the blood from her hand over his jawline and then his neck. She licked it from his skin, each swipe of her tongue driving him toward the edge of reasoning.

“ Lumini?a mea , you are killing me,” he whispered, his hand sliding into her hair as he held her head to his neck. “When I insisted you feed, I did not mean like this.”

Shut up, Vlad. You are ruining everything, the demon stressed.

She kept going.

He found himself whispering the plea from earlier. “ Doamne, ai mil? de mine, c?ci sunt pierdut .”

“Do my eyes and ears deceive me or is Dracula the Great currently pinned beneath a fledgling, pleading with her to have mercy on him?” Lucian’s voice cut through the cell.

Lazily, Vlad glanced over to find the wolf-shifter standing in the open doorway of the cell, a smug look on his face.

Vlad was about to tell him where he could shove his commentary when Ponytail Girl sank her fangs into his neck and ground against him. Pleasure slammed through Vlad and a breathy moan came from him as he held Ponytail Girl to him.

Lucian tossed his head back and laughed loudly.

Ponytail Girl sucked on Vlad’s neck, drinking blood from his vein as she continued to grind on him. She tensed and her legs tightened on his waist as her sucking drew deeper.

“What are we laughing about?” asked Katarina. “Did the White Wolf take another chunk out of you?”

“Look. Our legendary master has been undone by a mere fledgling,” said Lucian.

Katarina entered the cell, sniffed the air, her gaze taking in the situation. Her eyes flashed with black and then red a second before she was to Vlad, yanking Ponytail Girl off him. She then attacked Vlad, snarling and slashing at him like a crazed maniac.

No, said his demon, showing great restraint. Like a protective mother.

Vlad came up and off the floor fast, grabbing Katarina and spinning her, controlling her with ease.

She was shouting at him in her native tongue, calling him every name in the book as well as some colorful invented ones. When she reached the point of threatening to rip vital pieces from him—mostly of the lower variety—he tensed.

Vlad tensed. “No more!”

It was then he noticed Lucian reaching for Ponytail Girl.

“Touch her not!” shouted Vlad, power lacing his voice.

The wolf-shifter froze.

Ponytail Girl twisted around on the floor and whimpered, covering her ears.

Vlad released Katarina and went for Ponytail Girl. He lifted her in his arms and held her to him, kissing the top of her head, radiating healing energy. “I am sorry, lumini?a mea .”

Lucian caught Katarina as she made another move to come at Vlad. “Katarina, stop. He is not harming her.”

She growled, her gaze on Vlad. “Master or not, I will…”

Lucian put his lips to Katarina’s ear and whispered softly to her.

Normally, Vlad would have picked up on what was being said, even at that level but Ponytail Girl picked then to twist in his arms and press her face to his neck. She didn’t bite him again, she just trembled in his arms, whimpering softly.

Katarina gasped. “No. You really believe as much?”

Lucian let go of her. “I do.”

“Believe what?” asked Vlad, only to be ignored.

He wondered when it was that he’d lost control over his own people.

Lucian grinned but it faded fast. He cocked his head to the side and stiffened at the same moment Ponytail Girl let out an agonized cry. Lucian growled. The White Wolf howled from down the hall. “Dragos!”

Vlad rushed Ponytail Girl to Katarina and set her down gently, readying himself to battle his maker. He’d not sensed Dragos near them and hadn’t realized he’d found a way out of his mystical prison. “Where?”

Lucian flinched and tapped his temple. “In here and I think he’s in their heads too. The white wolf’s head for sure. I can hear him—feel him. He’s connected to her mentally, pushing his will on her, summoning her. She’s fighting it. I believe her distress is causing this one distress too.”

“Go to her,” said Vlad, his hand finding Lucian’s shoulder.

Lucian put his hand over Vlad’s and the pair stared at each for a long moment. No words were spoken. Lucian twisted and raced away, going for the white wolf.

Ponytail Girl snarled and flung herself toward the open cell door, breaking Katarina’s hold—a testament to just how powerful she was.

Vlad caught her and spun her around.

Ponytail Girl looked as rabid and as wild as she had days ago. Gone was any sort of reasoning he’d seen in her before.

“Katarina, go! Shut the cell door behind you!” he shouted.

Thankfully, she didn’t argue. She did as was asked of her, locking Vlad in with the young slayer.

Vlad released Ponytail Girl and met her gaze. “Your sister is safe. Lucian sees to her needs as we speak.”

She hissed and came at him fast, kicking him in the solar plex.

It hurt.

A lot.

He grunted and twisted partially, blocking her next attempt to strike him. He didn’t want to injure her and knew he could with little effort. She came at him again, her strikes precise—not like a newly turned, or partially turned, vampire. No. She fought like a seasoned warrior.

She is magnificent , his demon added, aroused by the scrimmage.

Vlad caught Ponytail Girl’s ankle a second before her foot would have connected with his head. He released his hold on her quickly. He didn’t want to harm her. His only goal was to wear her out and subdue her.

I have a few suggestions , his demon purred.

He rolled his eyes.

What? Do not pretend you are above such thoughts. I am part of you.

Ponytail Girl spun, snarling as her elbow caught his jaw, rattling his teeth.

See! his demon boasted. Magnificent! She will be fire to bed.

She went for Vlad’s throat with murder in her eyes.

He caught hold of her and twisted.

She fought him with everything she had, causing them to tumble to the hard floor.

Vlad turned enough to take the blow to his shoulder and hip, keeping her body protected with his. They were left laying on their sides on the cold stone. She struggled more before settling back against him.

He inhaled her scent, burying his face in her hair, holding her close.

She snarled softly, the fight nearly out of her.

He smiled against the back of her head. “Shh, lumini?a mea . You are safe. Your sister is safe as well. I swear it on my life—or rather my un-life.”

Her breathing slowed and the tension left her body. For a second, Vlad was certain she’d fallen asleep. When she began to caress his forearm softly, he froze, afraid of breaking the moment.

He kissed the back of her head again and loosened his hold on her somewhat.

She twisted around and nuzzled her face against his neck.

Vlad sensed her need as if it were his own. She had not fed and he wasn’t entirely sure what she required to survive. He wasn’t used to uncertainties. At his age, he’d seen and done everything. Nothing was new to him. Not until her. “Tell me what you need. I will make it so.”

She kissed his neck and pressed her tiny fangs to his skin. She sank her teeth in and Vlad closed his eyes, basking in the pleasure as it raced through him.

He laid there with her, holding her to him as she drank from him. “Good girl.”