Blood Relations - Chapter 6

Saturday, July 19, 1997

Looking up from the newspaper, Emil nodded a greeting to Vicky as she walked into the kitchen. He set aside his half full glass and asked, “What’s the verdict?”

“I’m in,” Vicky said, still walking to the refrigerator. “I do hope you’re a civilized vampire.”

“What do you mean?” Emil asked.

Vicky opened the freezer and nodded when she found a box filled with rolls of red tinted gauze pads. “I’ll be your sex slave forever if you can tell me where the kettle is.”

“It’s in the cabinet above the stove, and please add enough water for me.” Emil rocked his seat onto the back legs, using the point of his toe under the table to balance himself. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? Setting aside the obvious dangers, I’ve noticed you’re very...possessive about your partner.”

Vicky laughed as she leaned over the sink to fill the kettle. She didn’t bother arguing over Emil’s choice of words to describe Amber, because, by then, none of the coven would have believed that Amber was just a pet.

Vicky asked, “You think I’ll try to take your head off?”

“The thought did occur to me, yes.” Emil folded his arms and made a disdainful snort. “Besides, at my age, I feel like a pervert for playing with anything as young as Amber.”

“You could pass the job off to—”

“No, Amber will want me, and her choice makes sense. I can probably do this without going into a full bloodlust, and it would be a lot less brutal than turning her over to one of the boys.”

Vicky closed her mouth on a snarky comment and nodded her agreement. But the next comment that came to mind was too good to resist. “We’ll try not to call you grampa in bed.”

Emil feigned an indignant scowl. “You are still young enough to spank according to vampire law, you know.”

Vicky laughed and wiggled her ass. “It’s no good, gramps. I already like it too much.”

***

Amber lay in the bathtub, her face the only part of her body not submerged under the water. She listened to her heart beating, and her pulse sounded measured and relaxed. Her chest whooshed in a slow pace as she breathed, in and out, in and out.

The heat lamp was on, and the low-watt lights above the sink mirror were off, bathing the white tiles in an intense red color.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that she was inside a womb.

Amber inhaled, held her breath, and sank her head back, forcing herself to keep her eyes open under the water. The ceiling warped and swirled above her, the details lost in the surface refractions until she forced herself to be still.

Amber was scared, but she couldn’t admit it without being questioned on whether she was sure about her choice. She was, but it didn’t make her fear any less keen. The blade of fear sliced down her back, numbing her body and drawing strength from her limbs like blood rushing from open wounds.

Amber thought, I got punted into a van by a daemon. How bad could sex with a vampire be?

Levity wasn’t helping. Beyond the deed itself, there was eighteen months of pregnancy. Eighteen. Eight-fucking-teen. As in two human pregnancies back to back. She didn’t want to think of how long labor might take.

Yet she was committed already to eighteen months of feeding on blood to keep herself and her child alive. That was one and a half years of being the monster she feared so much. She loved Vicky as a person. She was bound to Vicky as a partner, and she truly would do anything to make Vicky happy. But Amber felt a bone chilling fear when she thought of how Vicky sustained herself.

She was frightened by the other vampires in the coven, even if none of them were a threat to her. Claudia gave up hunting during her pregnancy, but she would most assuredly return to it once her child was born. The others still patrolled on occasion, and it didn’t matter to them if they killed good people or bad. It was all just food to them. 

But I don’t have to hunt, Amber reminded herself as she raised her head and exhaled. I can drink from willing volunteers and stay at home with Claudia. She’s having an easy time with her pregnancy, because she’s protected by the coven. So, so long as I don’t piss Emil off, I’m welcome to stay and drink as much free blood as I want.

Amber grimaced before adding, Great.

She raised her head to rest it on the back of the tub. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she thought, This isn’t just for Vicky, anyway. I’m about to turn twenty-five, and it’s not like Marcus and I had the best of luck having a child, even if we were “practicing” all the time.

Amber pushed aside the thought, but it returned to pick at more of her fears. There was the possibility that she was sterile too, and she couldn’t have a child. It might explain why she and Marcus were never successful, though they’d never used protection.

Then again, there was also the chance that she didn’t have enough halfling genes to carry a vampire baby. Either way, the odds were high that Amber couldn’t get pregnant, and she’d be a failure in yet another way.

The bathroom door opened, and Amber sat up to look over the edge of the tub before she offered Claudia a wave. “Come to wish me luck?”

Claudia laughed coyly and said, “No, I’m here to give pointers.”

***

Amber walked into Emil’s bedroom and closed the door behind herself. Her gaze sought out Vicky first, who sat stiffly on the side of the bed, fully clothed in her usual jeans and sleeveless Lycra top.

They exchanged a worried glance, but Vicky didn’t offer last minute warnings. Amber wouldn’t have heeded them anyway.

Emil also seemed apprehensive when she turned her attention to him. He lay with his back propped against the headboard. His arms were crossed over his chest, but while the pose was normally casual for him, he’d tucked his hands under his armpits, like he was covering his chest.

He was dressed in a black terrycloth bathrobe which hung past his knees, and the robe along with his nervous pose made him look like a new groom who had no clue what to do with his virginal bride.

Amber crawled onto the foot of the bed and hissed a quiet snicker. “Relax, Emil. This isn’t my first time dancing horizontally.” She almost rolled her eyes as she thought, Like I’m an experienced slut. I’ve had exactly one boyfriend in my entire life. That thought was downplaying her experience, and she admitted it to herself instantly.

While he was effeminate in appearance, Marcus had a distinctly male enthusiasm for sex. Which was funny, because he also displayed a feminine ability to have multiple orgasms on most nights. He was fond of experimenting and role-play too, so Amber wasn’t exactly an innocent lamb being led to the slaughter.

But Marcus had been a gentle lover throughout all of his sexual games, and Claudia had just warned Amber to expect something decidedly less timid.

Seeming to read her thoughts, Emil confessed, “This is going to be hard on me. I prefer my women to be...less delicate, and I’d much rather be with Vicky than with you.”

Amber nodded and crawled up toward Emil. “Then Vicky can get undressed, and you can watch her. I don’t mind.” Stung by the minor insult, she mentally added, You’re just the middleman here, buddy.

Amber reached out to pull back the flap of his robe, her eyes bulging when she saw his soft cock laying down the side of his leg. Claudia neglected to mention that he would be so big.

She threw the robe back into place and thought, Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck—

Sitting back on her haunches, Amber’s wide brown eyes moved to stare at Emil, and his expression of dismay was similar to hers.

“Still raring to go?” Emil asked. Now she looks twelve with that expression. How sad is this? I can drain a dozen humans without swallowing an ounce of guilt, but she gives me one look, and I feel like a dirty old man.

But it was more than just her age or her frightened look that were bothering Emil. She wasn’t interested in him. He was just the sperm bank donor, and he knew it.

But then, he didn’t care for Amber either. He was far more interested in being with Vicky, but he doubted he could come between the two, except to perform a charitable task.

The awkwardness of the moment killed every trace of erotic interest within Emil. So, even if he’d agreed to help, he wasn’t even remotely in the mood for sex.

Amber finally calmed her heart down, and she took another long breath to steady herself. She let it go and dropped forward on her hands to crawl over Emil’s legs. Laying her hands on his shoulders, she leaned against him and bit down on his collarbone.

Emil clutched the sheets and sucked air between his clenched teeth in a surprised hiss, his eyes filling with a look bordering on rapture.

He raised his hands to grip her hips, pulling Amber down to rub her body against his. The rush of pain mixed with pleasure had him turned on faster than he would have thought possible from a half-starved halfling.

Amber’s hands slipped under his robe, pulling it away while Emil sat up to help shrug it off. He closed his arms around her waist to pull her onto the bed, but she released her bite and whispered, “Wait.”

Emil was stunned by his own self-control when he froze. He’d even stopped breathing while he waited for her next instruction.

“Just let me do the work at first,” Amber said, her warm breath rushing over his chest. “Once I’m used to you, you can ravage me however you prefer.”

The promise intrigued him, even if he didn’t believe it.

He leaned back on the headboard while Amber slipped her robe off her shoulders. She didn’t toss it away, but rather she pooled the fabric around her hips. Her logic was, it wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have to see what she was doing.

She was half right, anyway. Not thinking about how big Emil was, she was able to avoid panicking. Then she could rock her hips to rub her sex over his, bringing him to full stiffness easily.

She raised his cock and tried to sit down over his hips. Her body resisted his, and a sharp gasp burst from Amber’s lips.

Her skin stretching wasn’t a scorching pain, but the feeling was very close. In spite of her instinct to freeze, Amber sank lower, and the burning sensation spread out to fill the rest of her body with a smoldering heat.

She locked gazes with Emil, expecting him to reach for her hips to pull her down. But he kept his hands on the bed, his fingers digging at the covers and tearing holes in them.

Amber’s efforts at fitting herself were not being kind to Emil. She was alternately bending or squeezing his shaft, and yet it was just enough pain to please him. His doubts about her ability to satisfy him were long gone, and in their place was a longing to take control.

But her promise kept him in check. You can ravage me however you prefer. Her words echoed in his mind and sent a tremor of exhilaration racing through him.

Once Amber was certain he wouldn’t force her to move faster, she leaned over and clamped her teeth down on the same spot again, evoking another pleased grunt from him. 

Adjusting to him took much longer than Amber expected, and she was covered in a sheen of sweat by the time that she had settled herself over his hips. Her legs burned from the effort of holding herself up, and her lungs felt too tight to allow for a normal breath

Underneath her, Emil was trembling. The effort to restrain himself became harder with every passing minute, and he clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding audibly.

She was still for too long, and he dropped his hands to clasp her hips. Then not even her rapid head shaking could stop him from taking over. In fact, the pain she inflicted on his shoulder spurned him on.

He raised her body only a few inches before he let go of her. Amber couldn’t keep herself up, and she sank onto him quickly. She stiffened and uttered a muffled cry, but Emil was already raising her again.

Amber moaned against his shoulder, and when she bit down harder, his stretching skin popped and loosened around her teeth. Emil grunted in pleasure and drove himself into her, raising his hips from the bed.

Cool, thick blood flooded Amber’s mouth, and she released him, pushing herself away while she sputtered. The taste wasn’t unpleasant, but she was panting hard, and she was afraid that she might drown in the wound.

Her gaze fell on the bite, and she felt horrified by the jagged ugliness of it. But there was an unreal quality lent to the wound by the dark blue blood leaking in slow streams, or by the blue color which flushed the skin surrounding the bite.

Emil lifted her up at a faster pace, and he raised his hips from the bed when she dropped, thrusting into her eagerly.

A loud moan tore free from Amber’s chest, and she had no sooner gasped in air before the next thrust sent another moan erupting out of her.

Amber grabbed his thighs to hold herself in place. Emil still tried to raise her, and his eyes were lit by an animal need for release. Panting for air, Amber nodded and whimpered, “I’m ready.”

Emil sat up and closed his arms around Amber. He held her tightly as he rose up on his knees, and then he leaned over, laying her on her back. His embrace tightened again and he pulled her down as he thrust his hips up.

Their union produced a pop of flesh meeting flesh, and Amber’s eyes bulged wide. Her mouth fell open, but her voice failed her.

Emil gave her no chances to recover between each thrust. The bite wound throbbed in pulsing waves, and his body thrummed in time with their ebb and flow. His breath rushed to and away from his lungs, synchronized perfectly with the pounding ache, and with every new breath, he was sampling her aroma and her taste.

Emil’s mouth watered. He needed to feed from her.

Amber felt his cool breath rushing over her shoulder, and then the back of a smooth hand slid over her throat. Emil lifted his head away, and the hand rose with him.

Amber opened her eyes and saw Vicky’s wrist pushed into Emil’s mouth.

Vicky had almost waited too long, but she was hypnotized by Amber. Her musky scent was intoxicating Vicky, pulling her into a state near bloodlust.

When Emil opened his mouth, he wasn’t aiming for Amber’s throat. He moved to bite into the skin above her collarbone, just as she had done to him.

Emil’s grip on Vicky’s wrist was timid, and he didn’t draw back on the wound. He didn’t notice that she was bleeding, and he was only barely aware of her wrist in his mouth. His senses were still tuned to Amber as he rutted over her prone, pale body.

Though he’d said he had no interest in her, she had his full attention from the moment she’d bit him.

Amber shocked them both by pulling Vicky’s wrist away. She nodded at Vicky, her mouth turning up in a smile while her eyes sent a silent message, I’m okay.

Her other arm looped around Emil’s neck, and she pulled his head down to her sweat-slick skin. Emil needed no other incentive to act, and he bit her, his pointed fangs piercing her soft skin like tissue paper.

Amber whined, clamping her teeth over her bottom lip. Her eyes squeezed shut as her face tensed in a pained expression, but she didn’t struggle. Her arm around his neck remained loose, though she squeezed Vicky’s wrist with a vice-like grip.

Then his bite loosened, and he began to lap his tongue over the wound. A low growl rose from Emil’s chest, the animal inside him responding with pleasure over the exotic taste of Amber’s halfling blood. His thrusting pace quickened again, and he grunted louder. His hands clutched her shoulders, drawing the skin around the bite taut.

Amber moaned as his tongue slid over the raw wound again. Every nerve in her body felt almost as raw, and her legs and stomach were burning with tension.

Emil fell into a bloodlust, unable to stop himself from drawing blood from the wound. He tightened his arms around her body, his thrusts now a flurry of erratic pops.

Amber screamed when Emil began to drink from her, and the feeling of tension shot up her spine, folding her back in an arch while her hands dropped to clutch at the covers. Her scream subsided, and then her voice rose into a sobbing cry as her body fought against an invisible barrier, one that was stretched to the breaking point. Her breath hitched, and she sobbed again as her tunnel clenched around Emil’s cock.

Emil’s growl rose into a loud groan, and he stiffened, his closed eyes scrunching together more tightly. The strength melted from his limbs, and he rested on his forearms. He was panting through his nose before he raised his head and pulled his mouth away from her collarbone. His breath shuddered out of him in heaving gasps.

Amber released Vicky’s hand and wiped her damp hair out of her face. Her voice soft and ragged, she whispered, “How bad is it?”

Vicky offered her a thin smile. “It looks like a movie bite. You’ll be fine with a few gauze pads.” She let go of a nervous laugh then, because the alternative was to burst into tears. “You really took a big risk, Amber.”

Emil pulled away from Amber with an exaggerated slowness, then rolled onto his back. He stared at the ceiling with a dazed expression, his hands laying limply at his sides.

Amber couldn’t resist teasing him. “Can vampires smoke? Because you look like you could use a cigarette.”

He rolled his head to the side to smile at her with genuine awe. “Did Vicky tell you what to do?”

“Nope, but Claudia did.” Amber’s lips split into a grin when recognition dawned on Vicky and Emil at the same time. “I know I said I didn’t want to be a snack, but I might let her take a sip to pay her back for the help.”

Vicky laughed and shook her head. “Okay, now I’m jealous. Everyone else is getting free samples, but I’m not.”

Amber snorted and said, “You’ve had more than a sample.”

Vicky faked a pout at having her bluff called, and she folded her arms over her chest. “I’m still jealous. I had to watch all of that, and now both of you are drained while I’m still primed up with nothing to do about it.”

Emil laughed and moved his arm to lay a hand on her thigh. “Who said I was drained?”

***

Claudia listened at the door, satisfied that the nightlong orgy was finally over. She balanced the serving tray on one hand and opened the door, a laugh rising from her lips when she beheld the jumbled pile of limbs and tattered bed clothes in the middle of the exposed mattress.

Laying a hand over her chest, Claudia asked, “Sweet Satan, did anyone survive?”

“I did.” Emil playfully raised his hand and then began extricating himself from the pile to take one of the glasses of blood from the tray. Vicky was up next, and she sat beside Emil, smiling gratefully as she reached for a glass.

However, Amber was so exhausted that she had to crawl weakly to rest against the headboard. Her eyes were glazed as if she was heavily drugged, and her skin glistened with sweat.

“I hope you didn’t bring blood for me,” Amber said in a rasping, dry voice.

Her vocal chords felt rough after many hours of moaning and screaming. She had two other wounds on her shoulders, one for both of the times Emil pulled her back down to trade places with Vicky.

He’d drunk less from her on their second and third coupling, but Amber was still woozy from blood loss. When combined with the euphoria of multiple orgasms, it wasn’t as bad as Amber had been expecting from Claudia’s description of vampire sex.

Claudia leaned over, lowering the tray to show Amber the glass of milk. “No, Charles went to the store. He picked up some other food for you too, but I thought you might need something to drink after the ordeal you’ve just been through.”

Amber moaned around a mouthful of milk, shaking her head before she swallowed and said, “Not the right word for it.”

“Gauntlet,” Vicky offered.

“It...” Amber looked up and rejected a few words before she shook her head. “It was an experience, to be sure.”

Claudia’s laughter was a happy, musical sound that made it even harder to forget that she was drinking the equivalent of two people per day. She asked, “What do you think, Emil? Can we keep them?”

“Oh, yes,” Emil agreed readily. His laugh sounded breathy and exhausted. “I didn’t think I’d care for Amber, but she grew on me quickly.”

“I think that may be the other way around, and you grew in her quickly.” Claudia sat down close to Amber and patted her glowing cheek, enjoying the heat still radiating off of Amber’s body. “You know, it might not take on the first try.”

Amber nodded, then stifled a yawn. “I guessed that already, but it’s okay. Part of getting pregnant is the practice, right?”

Emil laughed, his eyes filled with amazement as he watched Amber drain the glass of milk. “Does nothing get under your skin?”

“Yeah, you did by a few centimeters,” Amber said.

Emil laughed again, and there was a note of admiration instead of the derision she’d come to expect from him. “I think you could drink blood now without freaking out.”

Amber made a face, but it vanished under a thoughtful expression. “Yeah, I might as well try it now.”

She held out her hand and took Emil’s glass, finding only a small sip was left in the bottom. She tipped the glass back, but once the blood was in her mouth, she couldn’t swallow. The contrast of flavors between the film of milk left in her mouth and the half-mouthful of blood quickly merged into one foul taste, and the glass dipped to her lap.

Amber’s gaze flicked from Emil to Vicky, and then to Claudia, and all of the vampires were quietly snickering at her perturbed expression.

Emil’s soft laughter ended in an amused sigh. “I’d tell you to swallow it, but that sounds dirty for some reason.”

Amber swallowed, and then she made a disgusted face. “Ugh, I think I’d prefer semen.”

Vicky laughed wickedly. “No, Amber, the baby can’t live on blow jobs alone.”