Sarah Jamet
ROSE
Eleanor slept in my arms. I’d put her in one of Phoenix’s old dresses and wrapped her up tightly in two blankets so she wouldn’t feel the cold.
I tucked her against my body, shielding her from the crazy wind. The night sky was still dark, but I could smell dawn approaching.
I was in Fairbanks, Alaska, the closest human city to the cathedral. I had found myself some dinner, a tasty old man who had been easy to attract with a baby in my arms and a small wink.
He had followed me immediately.
After fully feeding, holding Eleanor in my arms was easier. The city streets were empty, the wind howled through the alleyways, and the roads were piled with dirty snow.
I walked down the middle of the street, keeping my eyes on Eleanor.
As I turned toward the road home, I smelled her before I saw her. Elizabeth was leaning against the door of a hair salon.
Unlike me, she hadn’t bothered to dress like a human to come into town. She wore a long white dress that flowed down to her knees, with no sleeves and a gaping neckline.
I stopped in the middle of the street, staring at my mother-in-law. She detached herself from the wall elegantly. As she moved closer, I smelled the human blood in her. She’d just fed.
She stopped in front of me. Even though I’d known her for so long, over seven hundred years, she never ceased to impress me.
The way she moved with extreme elegance, her understanding of the world, and her expressions, she was utterly flawless.
She looked as if she was in her early thirties in human years. Her ivory skin was perfect. Her long thick chaotic red hair, the same hair my daughter Phoenix had inherited, was kept in a loose braid that hung down to her waist.
She was slightly shorter than me but when I stared into her electric-blue eyes, I felt her power and domination over me.
“Rose,” she breathed.
“Elizabeth. You fed.”
“Young man, handsome, a bit too smoked. I think he was drunk too. I didn’t give him time to speak, though. You too?” she replied smoothly. I nodded once.
“And how is my beloved new granddaughter?” She continued leaning over Eleanor and brushed her delicate small finger over Eleanor’s soft cheek. Her eyes flashed bright red.
“She’s sleeping,” I pointed out the obvious.
“She has very soft skin.”
“I know.”
“And a powerful heartbeat. Her blood smells lovely.” Elizabeth drew back, smiling pleasantly as my eyes narrowed slightly.
“She is a strong child,” I agreed.
“Not strong enough, though. Is she?” Elizabeth chuckled, the light icy wind making her white dress float around her legs. “Do you love her, Rose? Do you feel protective of her? Is that it?”
She cocked her head to one side. “She smells so sweet. It’s a shame she’s so small; there’s not much blood in there. Maybe I should wait,” she mused.
“You will not touch her,” I replied roughly. Elizabeth ignored me.
“Yes, I will wait until there’s more to drink. She is abnormally sweet,” Elizabeth said, gazing at Eleanor. She moved her eyes up to meet mine.
“Stay away from her, Elizabeth,” I warned.
“Oh, I will, for now. I’m leaving anyway. My husband wants me to join him in Japan. We’re getting married again. He needs a new marriage certificate to buy a house.
“And I love Japan, so we’ll be having another honeymoon.”
“How nice for you,” I said, not hiding the sarcasm in my voice. Elizabeth didn’t pay it any attention. She smiled at me.
“I like this child. She doesn’t cry much. I haven’t heard her cry all night. Unfortunately, you know that means she’s going to wake up while you are sleeping. Annoying.
“Maybe I’ll let her inherit my earrings. Some diamonds would look lovely in those earlobes. Don’t worry, Rose. I’ll behave myself and be a wonderful grandmother,” she said, laughing lightly.
“If only I didn’t know you, I would believe you.”
“Shame, I’m telling the truth. I like this human. She’s special. If she didn’t smell so delicious, I’d let her live,” Elizabeth sighed sadly.
“I won’t let you touch her,” I growled.
“You’ll get over it, honey. In two hundred years, you’ll have forgotten her. But I’ll give her a few years to get bigger. It would be a waste to drink her now—my lovely granddaughter.
“But it’s for the best, Rose. Humans can hurt us more than you expect,” she said, cocking her head to one side and smiling at me.
The wind howled down the streets, picking up Elizabeth’s small summer dress and making it swirl around her thighs. She pushed her thick hair out of her eyes.
“It’s almost dawn,” she murmured.
“Stay out, and you’ll see how lovely and warm the sun is,” I hissed at her, turning on my heels and starting in the other direction. Elizabeth appeared in front of me, smiling pleasantly.
“Oh, trust me, I know. I’ve tried that,” she laughed. “Oh, and Rose, don’t put my granddaughter up for adoption because I’ll give in and drink her much faster than if you were there protecting her.”
“This is just for fun for you. A big game that you’re playing.”
“Of course, it is. I haven’t had so much fun in centuries! Maybe I should invite my husband to play.
Although, he’s really into his business. He’s always been a bit of a businessman, but he’s liking this millennium a lot. There’s a lot of money,” she shrugged.
“Then he can meet you in hell,” I growled, stepping around her.
“Your human will die, Rose. I swear it to you, this is going to be a fun hunt. Make sure you keep her alive for when I return!” I heard her shrill laughter echo behind me.
I broke into a sprint, flying through the city streets, her laughter following me.
“Sleep well, granddaughter. Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” she called out as I left town and headed up into the mountains, taking a long route in order not to meet up with her again.
When I got back to the cathedral, I could smell her downstairs. I walked through the main cathedral hall swiftly. The sun was starting to rise. I could smell it.
I drifted downstairs and took a tight turn left. When I entered our family’s living room, the twins were sitting on the sofa, both reading. Aric was sucking on a canteen of blood.
I couldn’t see Demetrius, but I could hear him in our room. My children looked up at me as I entered.
“Mother.” Venus smiled, setting her book down on her bare knee.
“We were wondering when you were going to get home,” Phoenix added. I smiled at them.
“I’m home now. I went hunting,” I replied, moving through the room.
“With the human,” Venus pointed out, arching her fine pale neck. I nodded and smiled.
“Of course.”
“Mother, I was thinking…,” Aric started. I turned to face him. He was holding his canteen against his thigh. His eyes were on the child in my arms.
“Dangerous,” Venus commented.
“We warned you about that!” Phoenix added. Both girls giggled. Aric ignored his sisters and walked toward me.
“You don’t have to do this, Mother. If you don’t want to kill the child and let her die, then you can give her up for adoption. I’m sure she’ll find a family easily.
“She’s healthy and young. She’ll be raised by humans. Don’t you think that’s better?”
I gave him a sad smile.
“Your mother’s mind is made up, Aric,” Demetrius spoke as he entered the room. He leaned against the door crossing his arms over his chest.
“And once that’s done, it’s not going to change,” he added with the smallest smile.
“Yes,” I agreed. “And the fact that Elizabeth has just sworn to kill Eleanor no matter what, if I raise her, I can protect her.”
Demetrius arched one brow. “From my mother, that could be expected,” he replied smoothly.
“Mother, if it wakes us up,” Venus started.
“We’ll be the ones killing it,” Phoenix finished. They both smiled pleasantly.
“Girls,” I scowled at them. “Time for bed,” they hesitated, “Now!” I hissed. The twins got up slowly, smiling. They hooked elbows and left the room, disappearing into their bedroom.
Aric quickly finished his canteen of blood and headed into his room.
“Let’s get some sleep. It’s been one hell of a night,” I said, brushing past Demetrius. He followed me into our room.
“She’s going to sleep in our room, isn’t she?” I nodded once.
“Yes. Where else would she be safe?” I answered. Demetrius shrugged, looking annoyed. I moved toward the crib and placed Eleanor in it.
I kissed her sleeping forehead, then turned back to my husband. He’d already stripped down to his dark blue boxers and was slipping into our king-size bed.
I pulled my jeans off smoothly, then pulled the gigantic jacket open. I was only wearing my underwear. I snapped my bra off and slid into bed next to Demetrius.
His arm slid around my waist, and he pulled me against his thick, strong chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my face against his chest.
“Thank you for being here for me,” I breathed into his cold, creamy skin. He nuzzled his face into my hair. I felt his cold breath against my scalp as he spoke.
“I’ll always be here for you, my love. Always.”
I smiled and held him tighter.
“No matter what crazy thing I do,” I added, pressing my lips against his cold skin. I felt him chuckle.
“No matter what crazy thing you do,” he replied. “You’d think I’d get used to it.”
I smiled. “Never,” I promised.
“You’ll always surprise me.”
“Of course.”
“Which is why I love you,” he kissed the top of my head.
“I love you too, Demetrius.” His hand slipped from my waist to the small of my back. He pressed my body against his.
His hands moved slowly, meticulously, tracing my collarbone, dropping to skim lightly over my breasts.
He held my gaze as he took one of my nipples into his mouth and sucked softly. I let out a small moan, so soft my family couldn’t hear.
Demetrius was already moving his hands further down. He slipped his fingers under my panties and ripped them off.
I huffed at him, annoyed he’d broken more of my underwear, and he chuckled into my hair.
His fingers slid between my soft, wet folds, and he let out a small appreciative growl. His hands gripped my hips suddenly and flipped me over onto my stomach.
From behind, he slid one hand around my round ass, up my stomach, and grabbed my right breast, kneading it.
His other hand slipped between my legs, and I felt his thumb pressing down on my clit, making small circular movements.
I let out a small gasp, bucking my hips back. He moved against me, his boxers having disappeared, probably not ripped off like mine. I felt his hard cock pressed between my buttocks.
He bent over me, kissing my back. Then, without warning, he pushed inside me. I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from screaming.
He pounded into me every time, hitting just right inside me like he knew I liked, his hand gripping my hips tightly.
My teeth broke through my lip, and suddenly, Demetrius was flipping me over. He rolled off the bed and picked me up. I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him passionately.
He responded, his tongue lapping at the blood on my lip, plunging inside my mouth, dominating our kiss. He had me pinned against the wall, my legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into me.
I felt the heat building in my body, my still heart began to race, and I could hear his too, keeping beat with mine. His eyes were bright red, feverish as he captured my lips in another kiss.
He let out a small growl and dipped his head, leaving burning kisses down my throat and on my chest. I leaned into him, meeting his thrusts, my breath catching each time.
He plunged his teeth into the side of my throat, and I let out a scream before he clapped his hand over my mouth.
He began lapping the blood pouring from my neck, growling with hunger, pounding into me until I could only see stars. I brought my head down and bit him hard on the shoulder.
His blood rushed into my mouth, hot, tangy, and spicy. He let out a growl, kissing my lips feverishly, then moving back to lapping my neck as he thrust us together, his hands kneading my bottom.
His blood filled me with warmth and immediately brought me to orgasm. We came together loudly and collapsed on the bed, a mess of limbs, cum, and blood.
Demetrius had a wide lazy smile plastered on his face as he rolled over and kissed me again.
“Three hundred years later, and you still take my breath away,” he murmured.
I closed my eyes, breathing in his thick, delicious scent and falling into a deep sleep.