Caramel: Book 3 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Okay…I’ve got a crashed computer. I’m lucky enough to have access to a laptop and I’m luckier still to have had my stories on a jump drive. However, I do believe, I have lost all my AMVs…wah. Damn it. It sucks big time trying to type on the tiny little keyboard. I’m used to those natural curve keyboards…not as much strain on the wrists. But, I shall march forward…onward and upwards.

WARNING: HOLY CRAP THIS SHOCKED THE HELL OUT OF ME. SEX IS IN DISTRESS…RAPE/ANGST


GENERALITIES

The Ring!
Sex did not lose X’s ring. Azrael did it again. Well actually, Claudia pulled it off his finger at the bachelor auction then everything went to hell in a handbasket. Hmm, that would be three strikes against Az for losing/removing love tokens.

“Top Dog”
Haley is now literally the topping dog now that Sex has got the lycan orgy fest rolling. Any dominating can now be done by Haley as he is the official proxy for Lord Alpha. Although Haley is a pup, he is Zsigmond and that ranks higher than anything other than Pack Head.

“Britta doesn’t know about the Imperials?”
To be covered next chappie

“You are so evil”
Yes, yes I am. Bwah hahahahaha

“Carnage vs. Claudius”
I mentioned this back in the other books. I can’t find the exact quote, but at the time Claudius is more the game face than Carnage. He really wasn’t in touch with his emotions – he believed he didn’t have any. He referred to himself as a bezerker more than a psychopath. When he went on assigns, he dropped the Claudius face and did his work. Now that little Sexy is in his life, Carnage is the game face. Hope that helps.

Meadows-peak: I like your analogy of Sex being a torch in an ocean of liquor when he comes to people he doesn’t like. I might use that somewhere, with your permission of course.

Newmoon: go with the flow. If you can pull it back to part of your original plot good stuff. You never know what you might get if you let your fingers run away with you. Look at what you’re reading here. I didn’t plan this out. (I think you can tell—warts and all)


Thanks again for the reviews, ever present Loyal and true. Rosemary; Spirit; k; ciar (welcome); Jenna t.; mihara; meadows-peak;newmoon; bambigirl; SODA; a.taste.of.insanity and Laur


Chapter 111: When a heart beats…

The silence behind me was like screaming into a void. I reached up and traced a raindrop as it slid down the glass of my office window. There was still nothing behind me but heavy breathing. I thought the weather was apropos for my mood. Sunshine would just be so wrong.

“You don’t want me to repeat myself, Mr. Anderson.”

“Ping Saitou was on the list.”

“Were the five male lycans on the list? I only have one name from them…Vladimir. Can you show me his name?”

“No Lord Emperor.”

“Mr. Von Drachenfeld, will do, Mr. Anderson. Do you understand how uneasy I am to wake up and find my bed surrounded by Lycan, only two of which I know.”

“There was a new man on the desk…”

“No, no nononono. You are Head of Security. It doesn’t matter if Gumby was on the desk, if he is not competent enough to read a list and bar entry to those not on it…it is your fault.”

“Yes, sir.”

“New rules, Mr. Anderson. Write this down. No one. Absolutely no one is allowed up into my personal quarters after office hours without my expressed permission. If that means, that you have to run up seventy flights of stairs to tell me that Marcus Von Drachenfeld is standing in the lobby because you cannot reach me by telephone, that is what you will do. Another rule. Claudius Von Drachenfeld’s penthouse is off limits to everyone. Cleaners will be escorted by the Loyal and will remain under observation the entire time that they are there.”

“I am sorry Lor….Mr. Von Drachenfeld.”

“You disappointed me, Mr. Anderson. I have looked into you.” I heard a sharp intake of breath. “Your loyalties lay with Hades. I am the usurper in your eyes but you mean you me no specific harm.”

“I…I…”

“Ssssh, I will give you one more chance. I shouldn’t…but you understand what will happen to you if you disappoint me again. They are not called Loyal for nothing. If your blood is found to be tainted, weak of character…your entire bloodline will be removed from the gene pool.”

The silence this time was heavy.

“Are we communicating clearly, Mr. Anderson?”

“I understand, Mr. Von Drachenfeld. I will not disappoint you again.”

“Good. Give my birthday wishes to your son, Eddie. It’s good that he has a nickname. Edward can be a heavy name to bear for such a little boy.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Send in Hades on your way out, Mr. Anderson.” I leaned forward and rested my forehead on the cool window. My stomach was still sensitive from all that vomiting. The muscles at my sides were sore. I had a headache. I heard Hades, quick pace. I was going to have a bigger one.

“What the hell did you do to Anderson, he’s as white as a ghost and shaking like a teacup poodle?”

I just watched as another rain drop got pulled down by gravity. A force of nature. Nature. Against nature. Unnatural. A vampire was unnatural. It moved opposite of time. A born vampire was natural. A made one…died. Life after death. Is this life? Is this living? Mindfucking to survive. Killing to survive. Bringing death to others so I could live. Death for life.

“Edward?”

So that means I’m death? All I touch dies. Sasha is dead. He’s been dead over three hundred years. Armor’s dead. Hades’ dead. Liam is dead. Billy is dead. Who’s alive? Haley….everybody wants him dead because he cared too much. He couldn’t stand by and watch this travesty. Rogue vampires who hunted werewolves for sport. Not Lycan, not pure bloods – turned humans. Human cursed with the Blood of Lycan who had tried to control their urges by caging themselves. They were dead.

“Sex?”

I blinked and looked out across the gray day, “Hades, did you get a call from my sister last week?”

I heard him stumble to a halt. “What?”

“Simple question, did you get a call from Shayne Westie?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“If I make a mistake, I claim it, Edward. You know that.”

“Eventually you claim it. How many years went by before you admitted to yourself that you raped Claudius? You would never have owned up to it if I hadn’t have made you.”

“Edward…something’s bothering you.”

I leaned my forehead up against the glass. “Who do I have to kill today?”

“Edward…”

“Nothing you can fix, Cillian.”

“You have a lunch meeting with our friend from the opera house.”

“What the hell has he done now?”

“It’s just an update on the progress. He could just email it, but it is always better to have a face to face over a good meal. Especially after the unpleasantness.”

“Unpleasantness – his daughter was basically brain dead.”

“Edward…”

“My chosen name is Sex. Just as your chosen name is Hades. You use mine, I’ll use yours.”

“Sex, I did not receive a call from your sister.” I finally turned away from the window. Hades just stared at me. “What is wrong?”

“After you fucked me raw in the gondola on the ferris wheel, what did you do after I limped away?”

He blinked and looked at me startled and wary. “Sex?”

“Tell me what you did, because I’m bleeding on the inside.”

“What happened?”

“I…raped someone.”

“Claudius?”

“Vladimir. He calls it dominance but it’s rape. What did you do, Hades after you raped me?”

“You don’t need to know, Sex.” Hades returned lowly.

“Tell me.”

“I forgot it.”

“Forgot it….” My headache just turned into a migraine.

“I have lived longer than most, Sex. There are memories that I don’t want to keep. That I shouldn’t keep. You are still so young…”

“So everyone says…maybe there are things I won’t want to remember. Maybe there are some faces I don’t want to haunt me in my dreams. Maybe it would be nice to forget.”

“That is something that you need to figure out on your own. Have you spoken to Claudius about this?”

‘He’s up at the orgy. Nevermind, Hades. Can you get Claudia on the phone for me? When do we have to meet Winfield?”

“12:30 at the Underworld restaurant.”

X knew that place. He gave Armor sapphires there. “Better yet, have him bring his wife and Princess Sarah. Invite Claudia along.” I ran my hand through my hair and turned back toward my bedroom. “I think I’m going to lay down for a bit. I got a headache.”

“Did you eat? Did you take your pills?”

I grimaced as I tried to recall. No and no. “I’ll get a big lunch.”

“Sex, you can’t skip meals or your medication.”

“Hades…can you just make those calls…did William call back?”

“Yes. You own the building. You can’t kick the people out, they bought their floor. You’ll have to buy it.”

“I want the floor just below Von Drachenfeld. We can make that Lycan central. Get them out by Friday at the absolute latest.”

“What if they don’t want to sell.”

“Kill them.”

“Lord Sex!”

“Throw enough money at them, they will take it. Shut the curtains and get out.”

I crawled onto the bed and just laid on top of the blankets. My temples were throbbing. I heard the whine of the curtains closing then everything seemed to get dark…and blessedly quiet.

I hadn’t had one in a year and a half. A vivid dream. A living memory. A feedback loop. Once it started…there was nothing I could do to get out of it. Just like when it happened. I could just scream and fucking endure. Many times, Marcus…no, Armor raped X during that first year. Little brother couldn’t handle it. His absolute terror called to me and dragged me out of the Dark. ‘Eddie’ had turned us into a big man. We were big and heavy and had some strength but size and might was nothing against Armor. He showed us that our size was nothing but an illusion of power. My first stint as savior…I could taste the fear in my mouth. I don’t know what the hell Eddie had told him, but Armor had a rage on. I fought him. He had one cuff buckled on my wrist when I took over.

I punched him. I kicked at him. I was able to turn over and scramble on my knees about five feet before he grabbed an ankle and dragged me toward the playroom. My nails and fingertips were bloody and I grabbed at the floor at anything to get away. I was shocked that I could be picked up with one hand and thrown onto the bed. I bounced once and this brown haired man was on me. I didn’t know Armor was a vampire. I just thought he was on something. Stoned out of his gourd and extraordinarily strong because of it.

He forced my arm up and snapped a chain on the cuff. He took my other arm and easily forced it back to the mattress. “I am going to take you, Beautiful. It would be better for you to relax. You cannot stop me.”

I didn’t know I couldn’t talk. I could hear my voice screaming in my head. He calmly buckled the other cuff on and locked it up to the other chain. My arms were now stretched up and apart. I lay under him, hyperventilating. My body had grown cold. Then his huge hands began to touch me, skimming along my paunchy flesh. “So beautiful…I am your first lover. I will be your last lover. Relax and I will make you feel good, Little One. Fighting me is useless, it will just bring pain to you”

My body stiffened into rigor mortis. “So beautiful…so stubborn. Pain it is.” His hand grabbed the back of my neck and squeezed hard. My mouth opened in a silent scream. He rammed his tongue into my mouth. His body lay between my legs pressing down on my groin. His other hand caught my nipple and twisted. I shivered and ended up pressing into his ministrations. He pulled his tongue back into his mouth and kissed his way up my jaw to my ear. “I have found your weakness, Beautiful.” He kissed his way down my neck across my shoulder finally latching onto my left nipple. He sucked and everything just shutdown. He explored every inch of my body. I cried in absolute mortification when he raised one leg and held it up against all my efforts. His tongue explored my portal. It was dirty…it was deviant. What was worse was I liked it. He knew it too. He knew when he had pushed me beyond my thought limit into pure feeling, pure lust.

My first time out in the light since retreating and instead of saving my little brother, I took his rape and enjoyed it. Armor found my pleasure zones and played me like Marcus’ violin. He tore me up when he entered. I was still little more than a virgin but he kept whispering in my ear, “You are so beautiful, Sigmund Edward Xavier. The line of your neck…the way your eyes turn a darker shade of green. I am lucky to have found such a sexy, wanton creature such as you. Soon…I will not have to chain you down to take pleasure in you. Soon you will come to crave my touch. Soon, you will not be able to live without my touch. Sigmund. Edward. Xavier. Sex. That is what you are. Sex. Pure and beautiful.”

I came to save my little brother and I fucked my way to oblivion. Armor’s possession hurt. It hurt less when I gave in. He rewarded wanton behavior with pleasure and quick release. I threw off the name Edward and took Sex. Eddie didn’t want his kidnapper fucking him at all, but…I took it…and I took it…and I took it. Eddie suffered through the slimming and toning of our frame but the daily rapes, I stepped up for those. I got fucked then I went back to the Dark. Always alone in the dark.

A hand laid on my back and I shuddered. “Little One?”

“Armor…”

“Sex, what is wrong? Hades called me because Father is still upstairs.”

I lay still on the bed. “Fuck me…the way you did when you first took us.”

“What?”

“I need to be punished. I did something horrible…”

“No. I made a promise to Xavier.”

“Then call Marcus…he should be able to do it. I cut his face. He should hate me.”

“Sex…why are you asking for this?”

“I’ve been bad.” I curled into a fetal position and pulled my arms up to my chest, “Everything hurts right here. It hurts too much. I want it to go away. When you would fuck me, I would forget everything. Make it go away…please. I can’t stand it. I don’t want to feel any more. Don’t let me feel anything.” I started crying.

Armor gathered me up like I was nothing but a plush toy. My head rested against his stomach and my cheek lay on his thigh. One hand brushed through my hair. “Father, you need to come down to Sex’s office now. I understand, what you are witnessing, but there is someone here who needs you more…no, he is not well. I would say that he is in serious distress.” I heard the cell phone snap closed.

“Ssh…your lover is on his way, Sex.”

I didn’t sob, but the tears just kept streaming down my face. I know I was getting Armor’s pants wet. I curled in on myself as much as possible. The hand stroking my hair was giving me some relief.

“I can get Marcus to get rid of that memory if it is causing you so much pain.”

I toyed with it for a second. “No…he just pushes memories into Azrael. He doesn’t need any more drama in his life right now.”

“Neither do you. Sex shouldn’t be punishment. I cannot apologize to you and your brothers about what I did because it would be a hallow gesture. I do not feel sorry for what I did to you. It was a means to an end. We would not be where we are now if I did not enforce discipline. However, I have made Xavier a promise to never do such things to him again. I extend that promise to you, Sex and to Azrael.”

“Azrael would cut your head off if you tried that shit with him.”

“Probably…we never did finish that fight.”

Claudius rounded the corner of the bedroom, his eyes were feverishly bright. “What is wrong?”

Armor pet my head. “Rape does not sit well with your beloved, Father.”

“Rape!”

“Not of him. What he had to do upstairs. We all have had first hand experience with it. Your heart needs your attention. The Corporation, the House and the Pack will have to wait.”

The hand off was flawless. One second I’m propped against Armor, the next I’m sprawled on Sasha. I clung to him like a burr. My crying started all over again.

“Take what time you need, Father. There is only one assign today and it is yours; but you have 24 hours to get it done.”

“What color?”

“Black.”

The death of an entire family. I raised my hand to my face. “I’m okay.”

“No, you are not.”

“…no…no I hurt him.”

“No you did not, Sex. I think you have made a rival for me.”

“What?” I went to sit up but Sasha’s hand pressed hard against my back until I stilled on him again.

“You seem to like bloods of Russian descent.”

“I…never…”

I felt a hand tangle in my hair then Sasha pressed his cheek to the side of my head. “He is a Lycan. I am sorry to say it, your offering, while I quiet enjoyed it, is on the small side for their kind. You did not hurt him. You seem to have hurt yourself more.”

“I won’t do that again. I don’t care if it is the Lycan way, it was horrible.”

“Vladimir does not know I understand him. He called you his Siberian Vampire. Perfectly white and icy.”

“Icy?”

“With your wings you are a vision to behold. When you have your game face on, lubov moya, you are glacial flawlessness. It is not unusual for bloods to cross mate, but Vampires and Lycan are usually not the ones doing it. Vladimir will follow Ping and Haley’s orders, but if he is given the opportunity…or perceives any encouragement, he will challenge me for you.”

My hands tightened on his shirt. “What is it I’m doing that causes this?”

“That makes others want to care for you? Your heart and capacity for caring.”

“Are you so sure? Are you sure they just don’t want to fuck me because Armor made me skinny?”

“They say beauty is only skin deep. They do not see with eyes of the Blood. Beauty is internal and eternal. You place others before yourself. You are a nurturer and a protector. You are evenly balanced. X is a stronger nurturer. Azrael is a stronger protector. You are the mid-point. I cannot fault Vladimir for his desire. But I will not stand aside for him.”

“I don’t want a wolf in my bed. I already got a kitten.”

“Are you all right?”

“I will be.” I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. It was cloves…and only cloves. I guess I was jealous too. “Just hold me, mila moy. I’m still a little weak and more than a little lost and floundering.”

A kiss was pressed to the top of my head. “Look to your right, my Fallen. I will always be at your side.”

I pressed my body hard up against my love, my Sasha, my First…and my first. I could hear his heart beat steadily against my ear. A heart doesn’t beat if you’re dead. I closed my eyes and just listened to the rhythm of life.

* * *