Chapter 10

Jacob

“No, death is the only option for this vermin!” Jacob clapped his hand down on the table and glared at the alien couple next to him. He would not have recognized himself a month ago, strong, charismatic, and decisive. Some were even whispering that he was a hard man, ruthless, but necessarily so. “I’m not going to allow them to come back a year from now and start this all over again! Have you paid attention to what has been happening in the world? If we don’t annihilate the whole bunch of them, they’ll come back. Sure, there might be another faction that forms later but we’ll deal with that then. For now, we deal with the Mungons. All of them!”

“As you wish, majesty.” The alien couple moved as one, making a placating gesture. “You are right of course. We have been too diplomatic I suppose. As the king it is your place to judge. If you find them lacking they will be dealt with.”

The couple had come to him to ask him to try diplomacy once more. Jacob had left the current government intact but had retained the final say. He wanted to know the will of his people, and he knew it now. It was death for all adult Mungons.

“Is there a world we could send them to, perhaps?” Jacob asked, a moment of weakness making him ask the question.

“Not one that they could not eventually escape. It might take them hundreds of years but they would make their way back to our world.” The couple, still so pale it made Jacob squint, touched their fingertips together, hands tapping together, as the creatures thought. “No, you are right, Jacob. There is nowhere we could send these beings without them causing death where they go, and eventually coming back to us.”

So far, no children had been found in the enclaves, mainly because, as they knew now from questioning prisoners, the Mungons didn’t have children, they made them. Children were vulnerable, weak, and could go either way when it came to personality so the Mungons turned adults instead, refusing for the most part to reproduce naturally. The knowledge saved Jacob’s heart and brain some distress but still, people were dying, and it didn’t sit easily on his shoulders. He had a moment of hope when he’d asked about another planet but now he knew he had to continue making the hard decisions that burdened him greatly.

A month had passed and the Mungons were being flushed from their enclaves, and Jacob hated all of the death, he hated the monster he considered himself to be now, but he was a leader. He had to protect his people and the unsuspecting mortal world that had no idea of the battle raging to save them. If it required mountains of death, so be it. He sighed as the room emptied, and Sabrina came to him, her hand joining his as she perched on the arm of the chair.

“It’s not easy, I know, but you’re doing well, Jacob. Throughout the world the Mungons are being hunted down, at the will of the people, not just at your direction. Don’t shoulder all the guilt for what we all do, what’s been done.” Her words soothed him but they didn’t take away the burden of being a death-dealer.

“I’ll be fine. How are you today?” He had softened to her over the last few weeks, his need for her burning hotly still, but his emotions became entangled with hers and they faced the knowledge they were mated with acceptance. He knew his soul had chosen her but there was still something in him that was cold towards her, an anger that he thought would never leave him. Sighing once more, he waited for her answer.

“I’m fine, as usual. I’d like to get you into bed again, but I know you’re busy.” She soothed a hand down his face, leaning into his body. A vampire needing comfort, Jacob almost snorted, but held it back as he brushed a hand over hers.

“It’s been a long month. I’ve had to cloak our activities from the non-magicals, answer calls from all over the world and try to ensure we’re not all murdered in our sleep. There’s been little time. I’m sorry.” He looked up at her with apology, his heart melting just a little as he looked at her.

She filled his head all the time and Jacob didn’t know if that was their connection or the fact that his soul yearned for her. They were never far apart, but they’d had little time for sex or love. She was so innocent looking, and knowing that what she’d done had been done for a reason made it better but still, there was a part of him that wanted to throttle her still. Or fuck her into the middle of next week.

“Perhaps later? I will steal away for an hour, shall I?” He kissed her, his lips brushing hers and she gasped in surprise at the sudden peace offering he gave her.

“Of course.” She leaned into his lips once more, brushing a hand over his chest. His heart thumped and his hands went to her hip, pulling her towards him.

“Or now?” He looked up into her eyes, smiling a teasing smile.

She smiled back and was about to give a sultry response when a throat cleared behind them.

“Uh, sorry, Jacob. I’m back from the raid in Texas,” Cade said, bashful.

“Later,” Jacob promised as she stood and looked at Cade. He hadn’t made her officially his consort but she stayed at his side just the same.

“I need to speak with Adrian, I’ll be in our chamber later.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later, then.”

* * *

Sabrina

Sabrina moved through the halls, heading for her room. She met Adrian there and they sat in a pair of chairs. Sabrina sighed and looked at the man across from her. Her consort for hundreds of years, now her best friend and always would be, even if their romantic relationship was all but dead.

“I think he’s coming around.” She finally spoke, hope in her voice. A strong, stony woman in public, but with Adrian she could reveal the vulnerability she had only shown otherwise to Jacob during his transformation.

“Shall I unpack the bags then?” Adrian’s voice sounded bored but Sabrina knew better.

He was just as curious to see what would happen next as she was. He just didn’t have the added burden of loving the man she knew hated her. She could feel the burning ember of his hatred deep inside, though he tried to hide it from her. The fire was burning out over time. As her love grew, the fire dimmed.

“At least he really was the dragon shifter. That’s a blessing.” Adrian gave voice to a thought he’d had doubts about. “I’m glad you didn’t listen to me when I doubted your plan.”

“As am I. I’d heard rumors but didn’t know for sure until that night in the alley. I saw him and he was magnificent!” Her voice and eyes burned with a fascination and admiration Adrian had never seen from her before. He knew she was remembering the night she’d seen him in the alley, when he’d flown into the air, becoming the most magnificent dragon she’d ever seen.

“Ah, you’re in love!” Adrian’s tone changed to teasing and his mouth quirked into a devilish smile. “My little princess, in love again!”

There was no rancor in his voice, no jealousy, just affection.

Sabrina giggled and covered her mouth, her eyes going round. “Holy hell, I just giggled!”

“Well, my dear, even Scarlett O’Hara let out the occasional giggle.” They’d been to the premier of the movie starring said heroine in Atlanta on the day of its release and it had been a favorite ever since.

“You’re quite right, she did!” Sabrina’s voice, tinged with a slight accent but not that most people would notice, was broken up with giggling again.

“So he is coming tonight?” Adrian’s left eyebrow quirked, wondering if he could join them. That Jacob was a rather handsome fellow.

“Yes, but you can’t come. I think I’d like him on my own for tonight.” Her own eyebrow quirked as she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Like that is it? You are in love!” Adrian gave her a catty grin but then took her hand. “I think, my darling, that you have to give him time. I’ve watched the Alexanders and they’re a broody lot. Every single one of them, but they love passionately, deeply, and fiercely. Give Jacob time, he will come around.”

“Oh, stop patting my hand!” Sabrina stood up, feeling foolish as tears sprang to her eyes. “This is so silly! But I can’t help it. He’s just so…amazing!”

“Right now he needs someone to lean on, pet. Give him that, give him what he needs. He’s making decisions that will haunt him for the rest of his life. He has to make those decisions but they aren’t easy ones to make. What he’s doing is right in the eyes of all of us in the magical world, he’s destroying those that would destroy us, but that is a hard choice to make.”

“I know. I do. I can only try.” Sabrina had waited over the weeks, waited for him to thaw, to come to her for sex, for any sign that he wasn’t going to hate her forever. She’d stood at his side, waited for him to offer some affection, but he’d been too busy. Now he was coming and her stomach knotted.

As a vampire, she didn’t need to go through the preparations human women had to make, but she needed to dress, needed to set the ambiance, needed to make sure he found her desirable.

She’d given Jacob a new life, given the world hope, and had won his coldness for her efforts. She understood, but he’d shown a sign of thawing and now she was going to take it and run with it.

“Yes, unpack the bags, I need something else to wear. And the candlesticks we brought, I want those out and lit. Oh, there is so much to do, don’t just sit there, move Adrian!”

They both laughed as she prodded him out of his chair, running around the room. It might be alright for her after all.

* * *

Jacob

“Look, I’ve done nothing but pace around offices, stare at maps, make plans, and sit on that fucking throne for a month now. You’re all going to give me an hour to take a shower, sit down with a glass of wine and spend a few minutes on my own, do you understand? Do you?” Jacob looked around the room angrily, thumping his hand on the arm as someone came to him, asking about wall hangings. “I don’t give two fucks if there are velvet Elvis paintings on the fucking walls or Renoir, I just don’t give a fuck. Decide for yourselves, it’s your room, I just work here!”

Jacob stalked off and heard Cade chuckling behind him. He turned back to his brother, giving him the finger before stalking off. Cade laughed louder and Jacob couldn’t help but grin. Cade was cool with it all now and found the moments when Jacob lost his cool, not a frequent occurrence, amusing. Yeah, alright, perhaps he’d overdone it a little. But he’d not been able to get Sabrina out his mind since she’d left him. He needed to see her, taste her, be inside of her.

He needed her.

Stalking to their chamber, a room he’d rarely visited over the last few weeks, Jacob pushed at the door and strode into the dimly lit room. She’d lit candles on a table, the long tapers making the room glow. A bottle of wine, two empty glasses and a plate of cheese and olives sat on the table.

She’d been waiting for him then.

Closing the door, he finally saw she was in bed, asleep. He knew vampires could sleep, he’d done it himself, but they didn’t need it as much as humans did. They could do it at will, as well. She must have decided to sleep the hours away until he came.

Undressing, he pulled the covers back, and slid between into the luxurious cotton sheets. He was glad she preferred the material over the satin some women thought was romantic. He hated the stuff, but cotton soothed him better than anything else.

He absorbed the feeling for a moment, the first time he’d really been comfortable in weeks. He could lie here forever, he thought, but soon her scent drifted to him and he turned his head to her. Her eyes were open, calmly staring at him.

“Hi,” he said, running a finger down her cheek.

“Hi,” she said, settling into her pillow deeper. “All finished?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be finished, but yeah, I told them to fuck off for an hour.” He gave a small laugh and she smiled at him.

“You’ll have to do that more often. It is good for them to know you have boundaries and needs. You’re not a machine, you know?” She shifted, her smooth leg coming to slide up his thigh before going over his waist. She was naked beneath the mountain of covers.

Jacob ran a hand up her silky skin, stopping when his hand found the roundness of her bottom. He heard her sigh and filed the sound away to memory. He loved that sound from her. His hand went higher, pulling her closer as he did so.

“I’ll try to remember that.” He wanted to kiss her but something made him hold back, a need to explore her further. Shifting, he pulled her on top of him. “Let me look at you.”

She looked down at him, her hair around her shoulders and pooling at her bottom. Her skin, naturally pale, was almost translucent since she’d become a vampire. He loved the way her hips flared out, the way her waist tucked in, and wished he was a painter. He would paint her just like this.

A finger brushed down from her ribs, testing the silkiness of her skin. She shivered and he looked up into her face to see her giggling.

“That tickled.”

“Ah, and is tickling bad?” A very playful tone had found its way to his voice.

“Tickling is right next to all of the other things that will get you burned at the stake.”

“So no tickling?” His fingers brushed at her ribs and she moved, hovering somewhere around the ceiling.

“No tickling.” She gave a wiggle of her eyebrows and slowly came down from the ceiling.

“Oh, that could be useful. What else can we do?” He wanted to know but later, he realized as she settled into his arms, her lips pressing to his.

Jacob closed his eyes as he kissed her, a peaceful feeling settling over his head as his body stirred to life. A throbbing had started in his groin, a pleasant feeling that made him want to twist into her, but she wasn’t positioned for it.

“Open your eyes, Jacob.” She’d stopped kissing him and spoke as she tasted his lips with her tongue. Her hands had gone around his waist and he opened his eyes to see they were floating off of the bed. His eyes went round and he realized he wasn’t going to fall.

“We aren’t going to fall, it’s alright. Just move.” Her lips brushed his as she spoke and he focused on them.

He was amazed at this new ability, but he was more concerned about tasting her again. She still tasted of peaches and he loved it. Dipping his tongue into her mouth he stroked her tongue with his, teasing it to twine with his.

He held her to him, her body on top of his but weightless. His hands went to her bottom, kneading the round globes as she moaned into his mouth. He’d missed her touch, he realized. She began to stroke his back, her nails gliding softly down his skin as she moved to the front and found his nipples. She teased him, scraping a nail gently over one of his nipples. His inhaled breath, sudden and surprised, let her know he liked it.

“Not afraid of a little pain, then. Good.” He saw she had a rather kittenish look on her face, a look that beguiled him with its sensuality.

“Not at all, princess. Not at all.”

Sabrina scraped the nipple harder, stopping to squeeze it as he hissed once more. Jacob felt the touch go all the way to his dick and wanted more from her. She gave it to him by pinching the tight skin between her fingers before flicking her tongue over it.

“Oh, fuck me.” He groaned the words as she sucked at the silky skin, her tongue darting over it easily.

“I plan to,” she whispered, before going back to his nipple, her hand going down to stroke his abdomen and teasing him as each circling stroke went lower.

He was panting in the air as her teasing attentions went on, his body craving more.

“Fuck, I want to taste you!” He groaned as his mouth sucked at her finger, needing something more, her taste to fill his mouth with. He felt her moving away and opened his eyes to see her body turning, her feet now where her head had been. With a quirked eyebrow he took her meaning, his mouth watering as he pulled her closer, higher.

As her mouth sank down onto him, Jacob moaned, his ass tensing to press him deeper into her hot depths. But he didn’t allow himself to be lost in her until he found her center with his own mouth, his tongue delving between the folds to find the heart of her pleasure. His lips sucked at the tiny bud, making her moan, and his fingers sank into her depths. The two fingers sank as deep as he could press them and her walls tightened around him slickly.

Jacob felt a shiver go down his spine as he tasted her, felt her, and inhaled her scent. She had pulled away as his mouth found her but she started her exploration of him once more, her tentative strokes now a fierce hunger to have him in her mouth. She went down on him, letting him deeply into her throat, and Jacob felt the walls of the tiny passage pressing around his hard length.

The crown of his cock throbbed as he flexed his hips into her, her nails digging into his hips as she held onto him. His head was full of her, the way she felt, tasted, smelled, the way she touched him, and he felt as though he were vibrating, on the edge of exploding. He wanted to be buried balls deep in her pussy, he didn’t want to spill in her throat, he wanted to look into her eyes as he fucked her hard and fast.

“Then that’s what you’ll have, Jacob.” She purred to him as she sucked her way up his dick and took him out of her mouth. Turning once more she sank down onto him, her smooth legs wrapping around his back as her opening split for him, taking him smoothly.

“Fuck! More, more Sabrina!” He wanted it all, every bit of her. But he didn’t know what else she could give him.

Placing a wrist against his lips she spoke to him. “Drink.”

He looked at her uncertainly but did as she instructed. As his fangs came out to pierce her flesh she began to rock on him, moving on his shaft easily, as her red tongue flashed out, licking her bottom lip. He inhaled deeply as he watched her, quickly losing his control as her blood hit his tongue, pleasure exploding in his brain and his dick. He breathed through his nose, his hips thrusting roughly into her, his brain somewhere he couldn’t define, as he drank from her.

They moved together as one. The way he stretched her made him gasp as her tight walls pulsed around him and he growled intensely. Sabrina cried out his name as she began to rock harder, faster. Jacob held her hips, fucking into her as she squeezed around his dick, her pulsing walls driving him on. With a deep moan he felt the first brain-blowing blast of his release, his teeth clamping down on her wrist as he followed her over the edge.

But it didn’t stop there, it didn’t stop at all as she pulled her arm away and settled her hands on his shoulders. Oh no, she somehow began to ride him harder, deeper, and he felt like she was fucking his entire body, not just his dick. Sabrina engulfed him somehow, took all of him, and he could have sworn he was looking down at himself looking up at her.

Jacob felt his control slip and turned with her, found he had managed to put them back on the bed, and that Sabrina was now on her knees. He was still inside of her as he pounded into her from behind, their skin moving together slickly, bodies still joined, and he came again, going even higher than he thought was possible. He heard her beneath him, screaming his name, knowing she was coming as well, but he was her, and she was him, and nothing could tear that apart.

Then the world was black, and he slept, Sabrina curled in his arms, their bodies needing each other even in sleep. He dreamed of her, of a future where she whispered her love to him, and wondered if it could really happen. Could she love him, could he ever love her? Perhaps so, when this was all over.