Helaine
I bit my lip as I stood, savoring the odd metallic taste of him that still lingered as I watched him fiddle with the old record player—it looked antique, but kept in great condition.
He seemed almost frozen when the music started to play, and my heart ached. “We can listen to something else,” I offered.
I didn’t know how close he’d been with the band—he couldn’t have been much older than me, so they would have already gone missing well before he was born, but it really seemed to affect him nonetheless.
“No,” he sighed, running his hands through his hair as he took a moment to catch his breath, before turning back to face me. “No, I need to hear it.”
Before I could say anything else, he closed the distance between us, and pulled me close so he could kiss me again, weaving a hand into my hair.
I clung to him, trying to keep up, damn near breathless by the time he finally let me go.
I wanted more.
“I want you to strip,” he breathed against my lips, still holding my head in his hands. “Can you do that for me?”
I nodded—clothes felt restrictive at this point anyway.
I watched him walk to the couch, where he sat comfortably, his thighs spread wide as he relaxed.
My teeth sank into my bottom lip—I didn’t know why I was feeling shy right now, after all, he was the one who wanted to fuck me so bad he offered to pay me for it, and he was eyeing me so eagerly he may as well have been a starving dog staring down a juicy steak.
My chest fluttered with desire, and I tried to lose myself in the music as my hips swayed and my shirt came up over my head, but something about the familiar music only made me focus on him more.
I knew I needed to keep some professionalism about this, if there even was a professional way to show a man my whole pussy and then some—the last thing I needed was to catch feelings for a guy who had already told me point blank that he was emotionally unavailable, not to mention the kind of guy who pays for sex.
Pays me for sex.
I didn’t feel quite sexy as I struggled to kick my boots off, but he didn’t seem to mind, his hungry eyes never leaving me.
I recovered my confidence though by slowly pushing my ripped up jeans down my hips—I’d worn the black lace today—it was the only matching underwear set that I had, and he seemed to appreciate it when I stood in nothing but my bra and panties.
“You look good in lace.” His voice was just shy of a growl at this point, and I felt equal parts proud and dirty as he palmed himself through his jeans at the sight of me. “It’d be a shame to have to rip it off of you.”
I could take a hint.
He groaned when I unhooked my bra, and I took the liberty to tease him as I slowly slid it down my shoulders, before finally dropping it to the floor.
He let out a dark chuckle. “Just like that.” He grinned. “I like that.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, cupping my breasts in my hands and biting my lip as I squeezed them.
“Yeah,” he hissed.
“Good.” I grinned at him, before turning my back to him.
I swayed my hips to the music before bending over, giving him a good show of my ass as I slid my panties down my thighs, letting them drop to the floor.
Before I even had a chance to stand fully, Evan was behind me, and I could feel his erection through his pants when he pressed his hips to mine.
I let out a whimper as his hand wove into my hair, and he pulled me up so that my back was flush against his chest, his lips at my ear.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked, wriggling my ass against him.
I gasped as his teeth scraped against my earlobe, and I could feel him grinning against my skin. “Be a good girl, and find out.”
I could have cried when he walked away from me.
I was ready to be fucked, and I was ready to be fucked now, but by the way he talked about lasting the whole night, I had my suspicions that he wasn’t in any rush.
He didn’t go far, returning with a length of red rope. “It’s silk,” he told me, ghosting his fingertips along my wrists. “It’s softer against your skin.”
“How considerate.” I smirked at him.
He winked. “I try.”
It took all of my willpower to hold still as he wound the rope around my skin—I’d never been tied up before, but it was obvious that Evan knew exactly what he was doing.
“Is this comfortable?” He asked, kneeling in front of me as he tightened the rope around my ribs.
“Yes,” I lied.
It was too tight, and I felt constricted, but I was high on this, and I was eager to get to the main event.
He stood, taking my jaw in his hand and giving me a stern look. “Are you lying to me?” He inhaled sharply through his nose, before nodding my head for me. “Yes, you are, I can tell.”
“It’s a little tight,” I confessed, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth.
I loved the way he touched me, like I was his to do with as he pleased—bought and paid for.
He loosened the rope a little, and smiled when I took an easy breath. “I need you comfortable in these ropes,” he explained, leaning in like he was going to kiss me, but stopping short just as I began to part my lips, whispering, “so I can have my fun.”
He laughed when I whimpered, but I just couldn’t help myself.
Every touch was like fire, and I was fairly sure that I’d never wanted anything the way I wanted him, especially the way he made me feel so gorgeous with nothing but a length of pretty red rope.
“Come here,” he ordered, hooking a finger under the rope that accentuated my breasts as he led me toward the coffin. “Lay down on your stomach, if you please.”
I struggled to move a bit in the ropes, so he helped me down. The wood was cool against my skin, and he laughed when I gasped.
“Good girl.” I didn’t need to see him to know that he was grinning. “Relax your body, I’m going to tie your arms and legs behind your back.”
“Yes, sir,” I purred.
I had meant to mock him, to make a joke about the BDSM scene we were preparing, but I found that I liked the words a whole lot more than I would have expected.
I never really saw myself as the submissive type, but here, as he bound me in rope, I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be.
“I’ll ask you again.” He tugged at the knot he’d made above my back, and I hummed at the subtle pull of the ropes. “Are you comfortable?”
“Very.” This time it was the truth, and by the way he hummed, he seemed to approve.
“Good.”
I wasn’t sure what he was doing as he paced around the coffin. I could only see so far, lying face down and unable to move.
I shivered when cold metal brushed against my skin as he slid it under the ropes, and I was confused until suddenly I gasped as I was hoisted off of the coffin.
I could see more the higher I was raised, and I saw him cranking a lever, locking it when I was about eye level with his waist.
“You look confused,” he mused, openly drinking in the sight of me, bound and naked, suspended from the ceiling.
He took me by the chin, and gently turned me so that I could get a glimpse of the rig anchored into the ceiling. “I didn’t notice that before.”
“You do remember that you have a safeword, don’t you.” His face was only inches from mine.
I wanted him to kiss me, but I was powerless to reach him, instead I licked my lips. “I remember.”
He stepped just a little closer, but not quite close enough. “Do you want to use it?”
“Fuck no.”
HelaineHe held my jaw in his hand as he pulled me into a deep and hungry kiss that made me whine as he pulled away.His husky laughter resonated through my ears, and I could tell by the tension in his voice that he was every bit as turned on as I was in this moment.He stalked out of my line of sight, and I was left staring down at the coffin. From my vantage point, I could see all of the gorgeous details carved into the black stained wood—hundreds if not thousands of small skulls and bats were hidden among the intricate brambles of roses.Evan had said he worked in many different mediums, and I wondered if he’d carved it himself.My line of thinking was cut off by the sudden
HelaineI let out a pathetic little whimper when I felt the sting of the first cut, but I also heard the sharp rasp to his breath. It was like he was struggling to control himself, and however much the blade stung, it was worth it to hear him so thoroughly wrecked.I didn’t hold back my cries as he continued to slice my skin in what felt as though he was probably cutting intricate patterns into my flesh, and it seemed to spur him on.I had gone dumb with pleasure—more than anything physical, I was getting off on the fact that he had made me his canvas.I let out a loud wail when I came, my pussy clenching helplessly around nothing, and soon after I was startled by the metallic clatter of the knife hitting
Helaine“I don’t know, I think the villain’s motivations were a little passé.”“Passé? Come on, it was a vampire flick from the 80s. What motivation does he need beyond ‘Mmm lemme at that blood’?”“Helaine, you’re into gothic lit, right? Help me out here.”“Hmm, what?” I startled, looking dazed as my friends waited for an answer. “Sorry, I was . . . I was focused on the movie.”Lie.It was a total, complete, bald faced lie.Ever since my friends and I pooled our money together for a projector, movie night in the abandoned underpass had been my absolute favorite thing to do, especially in October, where we met once a week for a horror movie on Saturday as opposed to once a month like the rest of the year.It helped to make up for the fact that outdoor movie nights tended to be a no-go through most of winter.By all accounts, I should have been absolutely engrossed in this cheesy old vampire movie, but it was hard to focus when Evan spent the entire time sitting across the underpass sta
Helaine“Evan,” I whimpered against his lips, but he only kissed me again, holding me tight against him.His teeth scraped across my bottom lip, and I could feel his fangs, darkly sensual as he bit me ever so gently, careful not to draw blood.Not yet.Once the blood was flowing, it would become an exercise of restraint for Evan, and we both knew that wouldn’t be wise in public. Some how, that lurking danger only made it all the sweeter.I loved it. My whole body—my whole being cried out for more.But I couldn’t shake the lingering fear that someone would see us, as out in the open as we were.What would my friends think?Del and Roman didn’t seem too fazed by the way Evan put his arm around me back under the bridge, but there’s a pretty big difference between some harmless flirting and the naked truth that he’s paying me for sex.More than sex, he was an undead creature paying to drink my blood.I wanted to relax and enjoy the emotional foreplay of the long walk back to his apartment
HelaineWhipping around to look behind me, my lips parted in surprise at the large wheel, padded with gorgeously detailed leather.My fingers ran over the intricate patterns embossed into it, skulls and roses similar to the details on Evan’s coffin rendered in detail that must have taken years to achieve on a scale this large. Deep in concentration, my tongue slid along the seam of my lips in appreciation.“Do you like it?” His hands trailed up my hips, his touch feather-light, as he pressed himself against me, telling me that he’s been just as eager for this day to come as I have. “I didn’t build the wheel, but the leatherwork is all mine.”“You made this?” Craning my neck to look back at him, I couldn’t hide how impressed I was. “It must have taken—”“Years, yeah.” He chuckled, his breath tickling the back of my neck. “Time isn’t an issue for me.”The chill of his hand grazing my skin as his fingers carded into the back of my hair made me gasp. He turned my head toward the center of
EvanI could feel Helaine’s eyes linger on me as I moved toward the makeshift kitchen, where I’d already prepared her snack. Leaning against the fridge, I took in a deep breath, regaining my composure.My willpower and self-control was something I took pride in, a skill I’d honed over decades of living with my condition. I needed to always be in control of myself, or I could lose everything all over again.Helaine was just a human, but something about her drew me in from the first time I saw her, four years ago when she started taking classes at the art college where I spend my time.I made a deal with myself that I wouldn’t interfere with her life unless she came to me first, but she never did. When she said that she was in danger of losing her apartment, I knew that if I didn’t do something to stop it, there was a chance she’d have to leave the city, and then she’d be out of my life for good.It probably would have been better for her in the long run, but I couldn’t stop myself. I d
HelaineThe look in Evan’s eyes as he knelt between my thighs burned through me. There was a hunger in him that went deeper than his hunger for blood. His lips pressed against the soft skin of my inner thigh, trailing higher as he leaned in.“Look at you,” he sighed, ghosting his nose along my flesh, sending a shiver through me. “You’re incredible like this.”His breath was like a cool breeze, not warmed by natural life like a normal man. The not-yet-familiar sensations caused me to gasp and squirm, and he grabbed my thighs in response, holding me in place as he dragged his tongue through my pussy, tasting me.He hummed as he dipped his tongue inside of me, coaxing out a whimper of pleasure as I buried my fingers in his hair.“Evan,” I moaned, bucking my hips up against his face when his nose brushed against my clit.He didn’t answer me, his tongue too busy moving to flick my sensitive bud as he squeezed my thighs harder.Hard enough to bruise, I hoped. I almost mourned the subtle sli
Helaine“Good girl,” Evan purred, running his fangs along my sensitive skin before pressing a sensuous kiss to the back of my neck.His kisses trailed further down my spine as he crawled off of me, and when he stood, he almost seemed like a gentleman when he offered me his hand.My legs felt like jelly when I tried to stand, but he held me while I swayed on my feet.“Careful now.” The corner of his lips tugged into a smug smirk as he pulled me against him, my body flush with his. “We wouldn’t want you getting hurt before we reach the main event now, would we?”Shaking my head, I clung to him, regaining control over my legs. “No.”“No, what?” His thumb and forefinger captured my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes, bathing in their soft red glow.“No, Sir,” I affirmed, and he rewarded me by drawing me into a kiss.His lips moved skillfully against mine, his free hand carding through the back of my hair to hold me closer.Evan kissed me like he needed me, like he was a starving man,
HelaineWind whipped my face as Valek flew through the air, but I could hardly feel it.I hardly even remembered being taken from my childhood home. Everything after my body had erupted with that dark blast of energy felt unreal, like everything around me melted away in the inferno of the pain that racked my body.But in whatever conscious part of my mind that still struggled to hold on, I knew that Evan was still at my father’s house, left so far behind that there was no way he’d ever find me.What would he do? What would Frank do?Valek had frozen Evan and cast him off as easily as if she were flicking away an ant that had crawled onto her deathly pale skin. The only thin assurance I had that he was even alive was that in some strange way, I could feel him.Maybe it was like Lilith said—his damned soul was bound to me. I would feel it if he’d been killed.I hoped.There was precious little I could feel in this moment other than the searing torture my body was enduring.But he had to
Evan“Helaine . . . ” I could hardly hear my own voice in this moment, like my head was in a fish bowl, and my mouth had gone impossibly dry. I pawed weakly at Helaine, trying to pull her toward the door. “We need to leave. Now.”My whole body felt like there was ice in my veins when I saw her—Valek, the Mistress of Blood, with her cold, black eyes fixed squarely on the woman I loved.“Helaine,” I urged.She yanked her arm out of my grip, looking back at me with desperate eyes, still clouded with inky black tears as she protested, “I can’t let her kill my dad!”“He tried to kill you!” I pleaded, reaching for her again, but it was useless.Evan after all he’d put her through, Helaine still saw the man as her father. She was like a scared little girl right now, and I couldn’t blame her.She wasn’t the only one who felt small—helpless.It was impossible not to feel that way when an ancient horror beyond mortal comprehension made herself known.Frank Fairgrieve made a pathetic effort to p
HelaineFrank’s brow furrowed as he openly stared at me, the shotgun clattering to the gravel below as it fell from his hand. No doubt, I was the last person he expected to see rolling up to his house tonight.“Helaine . . . ” His voice was barely above a whisper as his head shook slowly, side to side, like he knew this wasn’t just a social call.Like he knew all his lies would catch up to him eventually.Evan followed, climbing out of the driver’s seat and eyeing my father dangerously over the el camino’s hood.“Who’s he?” Dad asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he gestured toward Evan.“Never mind who I am,” Evan spat without an ounce of hesitation, his eyes never leaving my dad as though if he stared hard enough his gaze would pierce through him. “Your business is with her, not me.”In some cases, I supposed that Evan’s gaze could do just that to a person’s mind, but he wasn’t using his ability now. He wouldn’t meddle like that when he knew how badly I needed this.“I think yo
HelaineEvan’s hand was on my thigh as the el camino rolled through the woodland road, the headlights illuminating the eyes of a fat raccoon as it crossed in front of us.“We’re close,” I told him, taking his hand and squeezing it tight as we drove further down this lonely road.Just on the other side of these trees would be my hometown of Primrose New York. Even though I came home every year for the holidays, I never looked forward to coming back.“It’s alright,” Evan offered from the driver’s seat, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. One thing that was comforting about riding with a vampire was that he really didn’t even need the headlights, so he was worlds safer driving at night than the average man. “We’ll get the answers you need, and we can leave whenever you want.”That was one of the things I loved most about this man. He always gave me a choice, even when I felt as though my life was spiraling completely out of control.Even though we’d come this far, even after everythi
HelaineEvan’s eyes lingered on me as I pulled his old shirt over my head. The material was thicker than I was used to, but that made sense considering it was a man’s shirt from the eighties, not the flimsy tissue that passed for fabric nowadays.The jeans were a little tight on my hips, but at least they were clean and dry, instead of spattered with someone else’s blood.But . . . there was more than just old clothes in the back of the el camino, and I had the distinct impression that he didn’t want to look at it when he had me pick our clothes.I wasn’t the only one with a past, and that was never a secret. But the more my mind lingered on what I saw in the truck-bed the more I wondered exactly what happened, and why he didn’t want to talk about it.“You look good in my clothes.” He hooked a finger through one of the belt loops on my borrowed jeans and used it to pull me close so he could press a kiss to my freshly washed hair. “I’ll have to let you raid my closet when we get back t
EvanHelaine clung to me with tears streaming down her face and I was suddenly very aware of the blood drying on my hand as I smoothed down her hair.We were a mess, inside and out.No one took their first kill well. Taking another human life wasn’t supposed to be easy, but there were more layers of it for her.Through that one brutal action, it was like the darkness in her was roused from sleep. I saw it in her eyes, and there was no way I could pretend that I didn’t.“It’s going to be alright,” I murmured into her hair, but the words felt hollow even as I said them.How could I even begin to define “alright” for her right now?Whatever happened, whatever path she chose, I knew that I’d follow her. I’d take a thousand lives if it meant getting to twine mine with hers. It wasn’t as though spilling blood was new to me.Lilith called me Helaine’s champion, and she wasn’t wrong.But that wasn’t what Helaine needed to hear right now and as she clung to me, trembling as sobs wracking her s
Helaine“I’ll handle it,” he whispered in my ear, as he slid out of me, stuffing his still-hard cock back into his jeans. “Let me do the talking.”My stomach felt like it had tied itself in knots, remembering the last time those words came out of his mouth.Of course, that wasn’t fair of me.He was in a vulnerable place that night. He’d just been shown evidence that after all these years of nothingness and hunger, he was getting his soul back. I couldn’t begrudge his need for answers.Not when we were currently sticking our necks out to hunt down my dad for any information he had about me.Evan could never have imagined that summoning Lilith would have caused the trouble it did. As far as Evan knew before I took that photo of him, I was perfectly human.And it wasn’t as though living in ignorance would have changed the terrible truth that I was literal the spawn of satan.At least I found out while there still might be time to do something about it.The way he strode toward the absolu
HelaineThe man let out a gurgle as I pulled the rope more tightly around his neck, and I didn’t let go until his body fell completely limp. His face hit the floor hard with a terrible thwack as his nose broke against the ground.My breathing was labored as I stood over him, amidst the carnage. I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing, what I’d just done.But he would have killed Evan if he had the chance, and I couldn’t let that happen. He was the only one I had who could ever understand what I was going through, and I . . . I cared for him.Deeply.My hands trembled and my head ached as the world seemed to spin around me.I killed a man today. I took a life. A soul.“Helaine, you should’ve stayed in the room,” Evan scolded me, but I could see the gratitude in his eyes as he approached, holding me in his arms. “They wouldn’t have even hesitated to kill you.”“Which is why we killed them,” I retorted, clinging to Evan as I stared down at the still-warm corpse of the man I strangled
EvanThe look of pure concern in her eyes stabbed into me like a knife to the chest. The wound closed as I dragged my thumb across my hand, but she had already seen.The damage had been done.“I never meant for you to see me like this.” I gazed at her with pleading eyes, quietly begging her to understand.Before now, she’d seen me as a domineering presence—always careful, and always in control, but by the very nature of the vampiric curse, there was an inherent weakness.One that made me look and feel truly pathetic.“What—what’s happening?” She asked with a furrowed brow as she extended a gentle hand to touch me, only for me to flinch away. “Evan?”“I should have known this would happen, sleeping away from my coffin.” Shaking my head, I moved as far away from her as I could in the bath, water sloshing around us. “But I haven’t needed nearly as much blood since I met you, so I thought I’d manage until you recovered enough.”“Your coffin? What does that have to do with—”“Sleeping in a