The man didn’t acknowledge or deny. “He was not allowed to harm you.”
Marina placed a hand on my shoulder. “I told you that you’re safe at the Square.”
Two
FINN DE MORISCO
Everythingwas bright. Too bright. Swirls of neon color smeared into sparkling flickers, only to erupt into pulsating surges once more. Even the leaves on the trees were glistening pastels, the edges of each individual leaf so sharply defined they could have been carved of stone. I flew through them, each tree detonating into colorful confetti as I weaved through the branches. The leaves’ erotic caresses lingered on my naked body. Sometimes the tree would burst into flames as I exited its boughs, at other times dissipating into iridescent steam or shrinking in on itself until it returned to its humble seed buried deep in the ground.
I couldn’t remember such happiness. Every thought that flickered through my head brought joy. The concern of my three sisters, the echoes of their worries over my heartbreak, put me in hysterics of laughter. Images of Brett slipping out of the truck as he left me combined with the vampire’s teeth sinking into his neck deep in the forest. Peace overtook my body. Everything had happened just as it was supposed to. Brett needed to leave. Rodrigo was supposed to die. The gashes in the man’s throat as he shared his blood smiled at me in unadulterated ecstasy.
As I dove into the dirt, the earth seeped into my pores. Roots of flowers and trees entered my veins and rushed through my circulatory system. Every pounding beat of my heart hurried their journey through my body. Rich decay of dead flora and rotting carcasses nourished my soul as their nutrients infused my skin and sank into my organs. I’d never been alive before. Every other experience to this point had me encased in a body that was dying all around me. This, this was… there were no words. Every cell in my being was singing, glowing, multiplying. Every heartbeat a rebirth. Every vision a wonder. Every breath an orgasm.
For hours, maybe weeks, I wandered through the trees. At times I soared up to the heavens only to plunge back into the rich loam. For the vast majority, however, I simply wandered from tree to tree, sitting for decades nestled among the writhing roots, mesmerized by all the magic around me. Each bird a new planet, every flower petal a different star, each insect an entire universe unto itself.
From time to time, from the corner of my eye, a blur of hate would flicker just out of reach. A rotting face stared at me from between the confetti leaves. A blood-rusted blade jutted from the twisted roots. Sinister laughter whispered behind my ear. A flash of claws strained for my face. Each image inspired a rush of terror, the delicious flavor of fear only intensifying the dazzling beauty around me.
Yellow eyes, bright as the moon, stared into mine. I felt no fear from these eyes. They had grown out of the trees, the brown-and-green striations entwining roots and leafed branches within the eyes’ golden glow.
I watched as my toffee-hued fingers reached out to touch the pale chest below those eyes. The soft groan as my skin made contact flowed toward my ears, entering and traveling like smooth hot whisky through my body. In response, I felt myself harden, a delicious ache beginning to throb. The bright moons glanced down at my physical reply. Another groan and I could feel slickness traveling down the length of me.
Long, willowy fingers traced my chest, swirled over my stomach, and curled around my hips, giving a slight pull until I felt my body gradually laid down into the silken blades of grass swathing my back.
Another groan sang out as warmth enveloped me, a steady rhythm pulsating over the shaft of my cock. I felt myself lengthen, traveling deep inside the cavernous warmth. I watched the shoulders ripple with the rhythm of my penetration. They seemed to sparkle, stars freckled over their muscled expanse. My fingers curled into the sleek russet locks, feeling them wind around my knuckles, stroking my palms as they increased the cadence to match my hastening thrusts. The explosion rocked me, my back arching deeper into the earth. Each torrent that flowed into the body caused it to glow, with every ejaculation growing brighter and brighter, until I had to look away.
Again and again my cock was taken. Each climax caused the world to tremble.
Coolbreeze rustled my hair, moving the strands across my forehead. It traveled over the skin of my stomach, dipping between my thighs to cascade down my legs. With a hint of coolness, my body felt like it was drinking from a mountain-fresh stream. I stretched, my elbow and knee joints popping in luxurious satisfaction.
“’Bout time you woke up, my sleeping beauty.”
My eyes sprang open, and I sat up quickly enough that the earth tilted on its axis.
“Whoa, there. It’s okay. Take it slow.” I felt gentle pressure on my chest. “Lie back down for a moment. Let everything return to normal. Get centered again.”
I let myself be ushered back to the ground, not that I really had a choice. It was either be led or go crashing over. As my head touched the grass, a face came into view. The tilting of the world around it caused me to shut my eyes with a groan.
Fingers brushed the hair from my eyes. “Breathe, just breathe. You know how it goes. Everything will settle down in a few more minutes.” More fingers, this time nowhere near my face. “Maybe I could distract you once more. You know, to ease you back into reality…”
Brushing the fingers aside caused a slight plummet of nausea. “Who are you?”
A soft, masculine chuckle. “Man, if I had a dime for every time a hot man had asked me that…” The hand returned to brushing through my hair, a motion that actually was beginning to soothe my senses. “Let’s save the formal introductions until you’re able to at least have your eyes open.”
“Fine.” Giving in to the caress, I focused on breathing and trying to make the Tilt-A-Whirl cease and desist. Gradually, a slideshow began to flash behind my eyes. The Square. The gorgeous giant. His throat being ripped open. Huge, hairy claws. His blood in and on me.
“Man. Again, take it easy. Whatever you’re thinking about in that pretty little head isn’t gonna make your recovery time any quicker. Your blood is pounding like mad.”
“You can sense my blood? You’re a vampire?” Maybe it could be him. I’ve been looking all this time, and then he finds me.
“Out in the daytime? Not hardly, and I’m for sure not a Royal, the sadistic motherfuckers. Don’t have to be a vampire to see you’re freaking yourself out in there.”
When I shoved the gory pictures from my mind, the colorful visions of my dream rushed in. The healing of the earth as it came into my body.
“Youawake again, man?” This time the fingers were on my chest. “It’s been a couple of hours. I bet you’re more ready to face the world.”
“Huh?”
“You fell back asleep. Perfect thing to do.”
