Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Here you go. I’ll get the kudos out later today. ENJOY!


Laur: yes, a little Kanye was blaring there.

Ayachan:
Q:How old is Chesterton?
A: I didn’t go back and find the exact reference, but Chesterson is about 53 years old. Huruka is in her mid 30’s.

ATOI:
Q: Skell – is he more emotional or logical, rash or wise?
A: I hope this helps. Skell sees things in black & white. It’s either good or not. If it’s not, he feels it’s his duty to fix it. Which can be scary. The brotherhood sees the world in shades of grey. Sex prefers to find the good and enjoyable, so when he does fall to the darker emotions, it’s a hell of a fall. X is the more logical and problem solver of the crew. Az falls to the darker grays, but not so diligent to correcting the wrongs of the world.

K: We have had a nice little dialogue over in RANTS and in the Forum section. Check it out.

Shiden: Would liam and hades be on speaking terms after this? Read on.

Sesshomarunaraku:
Q:Why was Claudius only Lord Emperor and not Blood Emperor?
A: Claudius cannot phoenix, so he is just a normal royal blue blood vampire, therefore he would just be Lord.

Steph291:
Q: Where the hell was Riot when Sex was attacked at Edna’s?
A: oops, a plot bunny got away. Riot actually was knocked out. He is the foot that Sex spies at the counter. He was just fortunate enough not to have been killed.

Thanks again for the R&R, Loyal & True, New & Old, yadda, yadda, yadda. I love your comments and points of views : Duelriel; Rosemary; Spirit; Mihara; Laur; fleur; Marin Liliz; AsyenMari; Dark Avenger; romanticfae; ayachan (x2); ATOI (x2); k; Rosei; siden; sesshomarunaraku (x5); steph291 (Welcome)(x2)

Chapter 169: A little touch of Skell

Hatred.

I knew hatred. It was a familiar buddy, a pal of mine if I was honest with myself. In the time it takes to blink, hatred filled my Second’s eyes in a bright crimson flame, then it faded, forced back down to the depths of that dark dark heart.. I thought he was going to defy me. I had his blood offering in me but his age negated that boost. I had the blood of the original vampire in me, but again, I was only five…no this body was ten years old. If that jet hadn’t knocked both of us out of the sky, I doubted we could have won against Claudius. I had little faith that I could win against Hades unless I blasted him apart.

I was going to need a piano after this.

Hades took up position behind Liam and dropped the coils.

“Paul, keep count please.”

My brothers were silent. They knew they should have done this but they truly were good Vampires. They didn’t like inflicting pain on others. Well, Azrael did, but he did it in the confines of his job. Wait. That makes it should like I’m a sadist. I am doing this to those two in because of my role. Never put off to tomorrow what needs to be done today.

“Hades…” I let my voice ring out with warning.

He swung his arm back and forth, the whip swept the floor then his arm snapped out. Liam tensed and bowed his head forward as a bloody line crossed his back. I had been beaten with batons, with riding crops and anything else the guards could get a hold of but it was Azrael’s experience of his time on the stone of punishment that let me know what agony Liam suffered through. I also had access to the conflict he had as he whipped his Puppy bloody. Father knew this sensation too.

Hades was such a bitch.

“One.”

The whip cracked again. This time Liam gasped through clenched teeth. The whip left a parallel strip beside the other.

“Two.”

Liam began screaming on the fourth strike. Marcus has passed out on the seventh strike but then, he was beaten by the Inquisitors and he had almost non-existent essence. Blood was pouring down Liam’s back down into his leather pants, bloody trails slipped off the sides of his chest onto the stone. Another blood offering was made to the rock.

“Hold.” Hades was sweating and his finely composed face had crumbled as his Ancient lover began to cry out in distress. I walked over to Liam and crouched in front of the stone. His grey eyes were unfocused and his face was pale yet red at the same time. “Doctor.”

While the doctor was called in from the waiting room, I leaned forward pressing my mouth up against his ear. “I know you can hear me, Pradeduschka. William cannot help you. Keep this pain from him if you can.”

“…why…”

“I will do what my brothers can’t. Do you think Xavier could do this? Azrael has suffered through this once, I wouldn’t ask him to do it again. Sex…he has depths and darkness that he hasn’t explored yet but he has just gotten on an even keel with Claudius.” I backed away as the doctor came and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his left bicep. I glanced back and saw Hades on his knees with Riot’s gun pointed at the base of his skull.

“Lord, his heartbeat is erratic and his blood pressure is dropping. If you continue, he will die.”

“Paul, what is the count?”

“Six, Lord Emperor.”

I rose to my feet and stared across Liam’s bloody hide. The scent of pineapple and the spice of cayenne filled the room. “William is at his limit. Four strikes remain. Ten were dictated. Continue.”

Hades stared at me horrified. “No…”

“You are defying me?”

“I offer myself for the final strikes. Don’t kill him.”

“Is there precedent, Paul?”

“There is, Lord Emperor. However it is conditional on the vote of the assembled Rank.”

Hades found out just how loved he was by the top fifteen. None of them opposed his request. Apparently, the little bastard had tried something with all the males at one time or another. Now we see what a little touch of hemlock can do. Riot stepped back after taking the blood soaked whip from Hade’s grasp.

Another pair of Loyal came and untied Liam’s wrist from the mooring rings. They took his arms and pulled him off the stone and dragged him off to the side and forced him to his knees. He swayed and the Loyal ended up holding him upright. Pain was leaking out of his shield. The fact that he still had a shield at all was impressive. The force of Liam’s will just could not be contained within that fragile Red Vampire frame.

“Bound or Free.”

“Free.” Hades stripped off his shirt and left it piled on the floor. I arched an eyebrow. Tough little cookie of an ass. Hades walked up to the stone and laid on it. He curled his hands around the rings on either side and prepared himself for the worst..

Armor held out his hand for the whip. “You cannot.” My hand tightened briefly then I handed it over.

“Make it quick. Xavier is getting upset with the pain.”

“I understand what you are doing, Skell. I do not agree with it, but I do understand.” Armor whispered back.

“The count resumes at seven. Begin, Cipher.”

A ripple of muscles across his shoulders was the only outward sign of alarm. Armor snapped that whip with precision and skill. Hades groaned and huffed but his voice never broke out into a cry. At the count of ten, Hades back looked like the beginning of a tic tac toe game. He shivered and needed help sitting upright. He swayed sideways but crawled over to Liam’s side.

“The letter of the punishment has been fulfilled.” Paul looked positively green. Armor didn’t look that great either. I scanned the room. The upper echelon was a little disconcerted. Good.

I walked up to the stone of punishment and laid my palm in the fresh blood pooling there. “I call these two family. However, what they did, the open plotting against the Lord Emperor, can not be ignored. In my absence, I have learned that the chain of command must be respected. If it cannot be respected it will be enforced. If I can spill the blood of my family, do not doubt that I can spill the blood of those who oppose me.

“The House of Assassins is a proud and noble. One of it’s jobs is to protect the Vampire Nation. We have an old and ancient enemy who have stirred back to life. As we bask in the sun, protected by this ensorcelled glass, our brethren are crouching in misery and fear. Orel Wessel are preying on our unwanted, on our forgotten, our orphans. I have been told that fledglings are abandoned to the streets because of some flaw in the birthing process. Those fledglings I had met while in the tender mercies of Wessel, their own flaw is that they trusted their makers to protect them and show them how to be vampires. For the most part, those Coven fledglings were just used sexually. There is a problem within the Nation. It has been growing for a while if every fifty years there has to be a cull of the Covens. Their only crime is surviving. They have two enemies, The House and Orel Wessel. I am removing one from them now. From this point forward, the House of Assassins does not indulge in Blood genocide.”

I could feel the Ranked shift and grow uneasy.

“That is exactly what it is. Wholesale slaughter of a group of Bloods who have fallen to the Covens in a desperate attempt to survive in a world they were invited to. They took the Covenant but had the door of acceptance slammed in their faces. To top it off, instead of assisting our fellow Blood brothers and sisters, we descend like a plague of locust every fifty years and wipe out everything they have built.”

“Orel Wessel has been waging a secret war against us for centuries. Their weapons are targeted for our Blood line. How did they develop them? The lost ones. They grab the lost ones off the street and turn them into guinea pigs; experiments who suffer worse that what we do to our enemies. I have worn their dog collar. It is not a pleasant thing. It isn’t meant to be. As long as Orel Wessel exists, no one is safe. Be it Ranked, Loyal, Red or Blue Line. Their mission is to see the end of the Vampire Nation. Their goal is to remove the leadership. They want us to tear each other apart. That, my Ranked will never do.”

“Orel Wessel wants a war. I am willing to give it to them, just not the war that they expect. The House of Assassins was created to protect the Vampire Nation. The Nation, not just the thirteen Houses. Our children are the target of the predator. That has to stop. Prepare yourselves. When we mobilize, it will be quick and it will be hard.”

Everyone dropped down into reverence pose. Even though they were both in agony, Hades and Liam followed suit. “Clear the room, Paul. Armor, you can stay. No leave Hades and William.”

Riot hovered around the door. “You can stay, Tommy. You’re family.”

You would think I just gave him the winning lottery ticket by the smile on his face.

I knelt in front of our great grandfathers. I reached out and held both of them by the back of the head. “Pradeduschka, Prababka.” Even though his agony, I heard Liam snicker. “Don’t do this again. If you feel motivated for our health and wellbeing talk to us. Have an intervention. Invite us out for blood. Don’t blindside us. Don’t use Father’s love and concern for us as a weapon. If not for both of you, I would not exist. So…this incident is now behind me. If you want to carry it forward, I will step up and protect my brothers.”

“Skell…” Hades breath was harsh. “You are a fucking asshole.”

“I am what I am. Don’t take it out on my brothers. Are we good, Prababka?”

His hand reached out and caught my suit jacket. “Heal Liam. If you want suffering, I’ll do it.”

“I said, we’re good.” I stepped back and let Xavier take over.

“Riot get about five blood packs. Armor go to my office and get some towels.” I caught Liam and gently lowered him face first to the floor. William’s body was going into shock. I ripped my wrist open and pushed it against his fangs. “Drink you hurt little lamb.”

I hadn’t tried this before but then again, I have never felt this strong. While Liam drank from my wrist I concentrated on the tip of my finger until it glowed with Healing Light. William’s body jumped and twitched as I tried to close and heal the whip cuts. Hades groaned and moaned but he laid himself across the tall man’s hips. His hand came out and stroked his Ancient lover’s side. Half way through healing his back, he pulled his mouth off my wrist.

“I can bear it now.”

“Shut up.” Hades hissed back to him. “Lord Emperor…”

Armor tucked towels around Liam’s body and he knelt beside me, ripped open a blood back and worked the red liquid into the scars fading them to a dull silver, rubbing at them with his thumb until the flesh was pink again. I gestured for Riot to take Hades place and then dragged the little honeybee off until he was flat on the ground. I sat on his hips. The irony of the situation was not lost on me. I closed his wounds as quickly as I could. Armor was still working on Liam who was twitching and groaning. Riot ended up sitting on Liam’s ass to keep him down. Riot tossed me a blood pack.

“I’ll heal.”

I fanged two puncture holes in the pack and began to massage it into his flesh. He shivered…and it weren’t from the cold. “Can’t you control yourself?”

“I am controlling myself.” I brushed his flesh with my thumb and was surprised to find it regenerating quicker. There was no flaw in his skin at all. “Stop touching me…I’ll heal without scars.”

Liam groaned as Armor worked a lash that had extended down to the top of his leathers. That groan had nothing to do with the wiping. Armor shoved his hands away and stood up with a look of disgust on his face. He pulled a towel out from the Liam’s side and wiped his hands clean. “Wait, you’re not done yet.”

“Your Honeybee can take care of the rest.”

“Well we know who’s here. No sense of humor.”

Liam reached back and shooed Riot off his hips. “Now you…how did I miss you?”

Riot scrambled off his hips and moved out of touching distance.

“For God’s sake, Liam, you just got cut to ribbons.” I felt Hades tense beneath me.

“I’d survived worse.”

“I didn’t whip you hard enough.” Hades rolled onto his side. That was as close as a groin to groin that I wanted to get. Armor lifted me off of the little blonde teenager and pulled me back against him.

“You whipped me plenty.”

I blinked at them. Armor almost died. I was wrecked. Here they were, the Ancients of our Race and they were arguing over inappropriate intent. I felt a wave of anguish shed off of Liam. What the hell was that?

Liam face stilled. “Cillian, your William needs your help. I sheltered him as best I could but he needs you now.”

Hades moved fast. He wrapped himself around the taller body. “I have you, William…Everything is over now.”

Armor pinned me tightly to his chest as the original owner of that body, William, Billy Envoy Idol keened himself back into the world. He clung to Hades in desperation. That was the agony I had gone through. I couldn’t look away as Hades rocked his clinging partner. Hades stroked the short blonde white hair and whispered some things meant only for Williams ears.

“Little One.” I tilted my head back and looked up at my tall brown vampire. “Although this should not be a joyous occasion, I am glad to have you here with me. I had missed you so much, my Beautiful. This is a private moment for them.”

“I can heal…”

Armor slapped a hand over my mouth, wrapped an arm around my waist and carted me off back toward my office like a sack of struggling potatoes. Okay, the potatoes weren’t struggling that hard. Popcorn kernels are more energetic. I glanced back at the Ancients. I didn’t know that Hades was capable of tenderness. I caught Riot’s eye and he saluted with two fingers to his forehead and a wide grin.

Hmmmmppphhh.

“You will have to speak up Little One. I cannot hear a word you are saying.” Armor made no move to put me back on my feet nor did he move his hand from my mouth. I went limp and he hiked me a little higher against him.

“There you go. Just relax, Little One. I will take care of you.”

I hoped he meant a little horizontal action. Ooof. I got plastered to the wall. Maybe I was about to get vertical. Oh….yeah. Wait a minute…mmhumpp.. ngh….mmmmmm. I got a tongue of apple sweetness in my mouth. My face was cradled in his huge hands and he stepped closer pressing his body hard against my anterior and crushing my posterior against the corridor wall. I sucked on the tongue that rubbed so tantalizing against mine. Sping had sprung. I could feel Armor through this vintage suit…coat was was now laying on the floor. Armor lifted my arm. I thought he was going to pin my arm over head instead he pulled his lips from mine and began lapping at my arm pit.

I squealed. Armor stopped and lifted his head up regarding me with puzzlement. “You are ticklish there?”

I pulled at my arm, “You know I’m ticklish.”

We ended up on the floor squirming and wriggling until both of us were on the verge of flaming out of existence. I was finally pinned and flipped onto my back. The sleeveless turtle neck was laying over there with the jacket. Armor laid on me with his elbows on either side of my head so I couldn’t turn away if I wanted to. “Why are we doing this here? We have a bed in my office.”

Armor lowered his forehead to mine. “Look behind me, what do you see?”

I flicked my eyes past his sableness. “Nothing.”

“What is coming at us?”

I tilted my head up. “Nothing.”

I got lips to my fleshy under chin and he sucked at my skin like I was penny candy. “That is why we are here.”

“Nothing?”

“No winglets. No puppies. No babies. No Ancients. No Loyal. No Lycan. No Seer.” I got alternating sucking kisses and light fanging with each No. “You are mine. Just mine for this moment.” I opened my eyes and looked into his red flame. “Be with me in this moment, Beautiful.”

I worked my hands to the hem of his dress shirt and yanked it out and open. Buttons when pop, plip and roll as they hit the floor. “Okay.” I ducked my head from between his elbows and latched onto Marcus’ nipple shield. Armor wasn’t expecting it and he dropped his full weight on me. I cut my lip on the metal of the shield.

Can you say, blood in the water? Armor rolled over bringing me on top of his wide perfect chest. The scent of cinnamon filled the air. I probed my cut lip with my tongue and that was all she wrote. I was the all-you-can-eat-banquet for a starving man. My big man could eat a lot. I was kissed thoroughly. He sucked my lip into his mouth and ran the tip of his tongue along it; healing me physically and…and…giving me a place to ground myself back in the real world. I would have started crying but I was too damned horny.

Armor’s hands pushed my pants down my hips until they couldn’t go any further because my legs were spread. The world shifted and I was under him again, my back plastered to the cool tile of the floor. Instinctively I arched up as the sensitive small of my back touched it. Armor groaned into my mouth as my lower extremities rubbed against his erection. My pants disappeared. He worked a hand beneath me, spreading wide at the small of my back and he leaned forward pressing me flat. It was the little things like this that endeared him to me.

He reached between our pelvi and gathered both our cocks in one hand jerking us simultaneously. He lifted his head pulling my lower lip up and back until it dropped out of his mouth with a resounding suck. I blinked through my passion to focus on him. He continued to stroke us. His thumb came to the top of our members and he rubbed at the weepy slit. “Pretty…oh my Pretty.”

“Holder of my heart.”

“Consent me.” My eyes were glazed. He gathered our natural lubricant, mixing the two together, before pressing his slick digit against my portal. Hmmmmmmm.

“Show me those beautiful blue eyes, my Love.” I could feel his finger moving inside, teasingly dipping deeper and deeper.. I groaned and blinked at him. “I love you, Little One.” He twined his fingers. I opened my legs wide, bringing my legs up around his waist. He hit my prostate. My head arched back. It should have smacked off the tile but his hand shifted from the small of my back now the tile was warm, to cradle my head. His knuckled too the brunt of the hit. He stroked it again.

Ahhhhhhh.

I bit my lip. My cries echoed down this corridor. Ngghhhhh. I panted as Armor positioned himself at my portal. He slowly breeched the gate. My hands dug into his shoulders. My arms were straight and my elbows were locked but I didn’t know if I was pushing him away or trying to prevent myself from squirming away from the overwhelming sensations.

“Beautiful…so beautiful.”

Hmmmm…..ooooooh……Armor had mastered my body that first year. He knew everything to touch. Which order to touch it in. The pressure to use and just when. Just when sensations were getting to get way out of hand, he turned my head with his hand that was tangled in my hair and I got a soft sucking kiss along that pulsing vein. His hips were bopping out a tango rhythm but his mouth was so sweet. I shivered as his fang scraped my flesh. His right hand plucked at my start button. I tightened hard around his cock.

He groaned in my ear. That was such a sexy, erotic sound. He fanged me. He plucked. He thrust. I went fucking insane. I was buffing the floor to a mirror shine with my ass. My world exploded between our bellies. Armor began shafting a little harder, a little stronger and a whole lot faster. His sucking on my neck was too much. I wrapped my body around him. There was that hitch in his breathing and…I gritted my teeth and tensed. Armor buried himself deep and groaned out his orgasm in my ear. Once…twice…thrice… Pretty stopped moving. He was panting hard. He pressed his hands down on the floor, keeping most of his weight off me. A warm tongue lapped my fang marks closed. I closed my eyes as he slipped out of me.

“Little One…”

We stayed like that for a few moments. Finally rational thought began filtering back to my big head. I took a deep breath and drew him down to my chest. I hung onto neck as he laid his ear over my heartbeat. “What the hell got into you, Pretty? I remember a big big lecture followed by a less than enjoyable spanking about rutting like a Coven Fledgling.”

Coven. I now had the means to protect those lost fledglings.

I got a touch to my forehead. “This is why…” Armor rubbed at my furrowed brow. “I was distracting you.”

Huh?

“You are not responsible for what happened back in the Room of Discipline.”

“Well, yeah. That was Skell.”

Armor shifted until he could look into my eyes. “You are not upset with the whippings?”

“William didn’t deserve it, but you can’t separate the house from the termite. I learned that the hard way with you and Marcus.”

Ick…the back of my thighs were cooling with our little tokens of love. My discomfort must have shown on my face because I got the sack of potatoes routine again. “You still surprise me, Xavier. Everyday you do something to surprise me and make me love you more.”

That comment would probably be tear worthy if he wasn’t talking to my ass that was hiked over his shoulder. Then again, I had bongo access to his own naked globes. I let my palms slide over them, tap tap tap.

“Do not start anything, you cannot finish.”

“I’ll finish you, Pretty. I’m finish you so good, you won’t be able to get out of bed.”

So, I was wrong. This time I didn’t give a rat about it. Armor had me pinned to the mattress, his hair was spread across my sweaty chest and his soft breath blew on my push button start. I stroked his hair and closed my eyes. Apple and Cinnamon. Armor and Xavier.

XOXO

Together Forever. Til Death do us part. Ah, Pretty, Death should know better than to come sniffing around here. I’ll kick his ass.


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