Primeval fic: Bathed By Blood (3/16)
Title: Bathed By Blood (3/16)
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~4470 (of a total ~47955)
Characters: James Lester, Tom Ryan and a cast of RPs, OCs and OHs.
Pairing: James Lester/Tom Ryan
Rating: 18
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N 1: Part of my AU Bloodverse series. Continues from Part 2 and continues in Part 4.
A/N 2: Contains details of historical fact, several individuals in the fic are based on real historical people.
A/N 3: Thanks go to Fred for the beta. Cheers, m'dear.
Warnings: Dark!fic, bloodplay, blood and gore in general (graphic descriptions), angst, hurt/comfort.
What a day. My carriage had been delayed by an accident between two delivery carts. Once at my club not only had Sir Charles been uncharacteristically late arriving, but he'd had very little new to tell me about either the case or Abberline. What I had learned merely reinforced my opinion of the man. A man who I would prefer on my side rather than dead in the gutter, for not only would it caused much less inconvenience, but a man such as Abberline would be a valuable asset if correctly cultivated.
The heavens had opened as I had left my club and I was rather wet by the time I had gained my seat. At least I had been inside then, unlike poor Charlie who had been exposed to the weather. I had instructed Hattie to make him a warm toddy for the chill once we had reached my home.
****
I poured myself a glass of my special wine and sipped from it as my bath was run. I would enjoy a good soak as I let my mind wonder over my new task. It would also chase away the chill I felt in my bones, even if it was more the ghost of a memory than fact.
I groaned as I slowly lowered myself into the hot water, feeling the dirt and grime and phantom-cold wash away. I allowed my head to rest against the edge and just relaxed in the water. It felt so good.
It felt even better when my lover's hands began to knead my shoulders before drifting over my chest. I gasped as they brushed my nipples and I felt Ryan nuzzle my neck. I moaned and lifted my hips as his hand wrapped around me and as his mouth sucked at my neck, if I had still been mortal I would have worn his mark for days. I thrust into his tight grip as he drove me to completion, gasping as I came and slumped bonelessly against the bath. I did not resist when Ryan manhandled me out of the bath, drying me roughly before settling me on the silk sheets. I smiled as he climbed in beside me, his cock hard and nudging at my hip.
I pulled Ryan down for a kiss as I considered my options. I felt relaxed and knew I could easily take him without any preparation, but we had not yet talked about the pleasures of pain during sex and I would not force Ryan into participating without his full agreement. Instead I opened my legs and grasped Ryan's hips as I directed him where I wanted him. The feel of his slicked fingers opening me, slipping without resistance inside me, was wonderful and my cock began to firm. “Now, Ryan!”
Ryan's fingers twisted and turned for a few moments longer before he was satisfied and replaced them with his cock, stretching me wide and filling me completely. Rocking in and out of me, sending sparks of pleasure along my nerves to explode in my brain. I clenched around him and heard his answering grunt as he speeded up, soon sending me over the edge into bliss. I could feel him thrusting to his own completion as I came back down, before he groaned again and spurted in me.
As we lay entwined and contented in the pleasurable after glow of our activities, Ryan asked, “Did Sir Charles have anything of interest to say, my sire?”
“Nothing of great importance.” I sighed. “Tomorrow morning we will go through the police reports. I want your opinion on who could have committed such a crime.” When Ryan nodded, I pulled him against me and kissed his neck. “Sleep, Ryan. Tomorrow we begin our hunt for this murderer.”
“Sire,” Ryan mumbled in agreement against my shoulder as he snuggled against me.
****
I read the police reports dispassionately and pursed my lips in thought. The injuries could have been the work of a madman... they could also have been the work of a vampire covering his tracks. The knife wounds to the neck would have hidden any puncture marks left behind on her death. One thing was clear, whoever the murderer was - man or vampire - he was bloody handed and hated women. What else could explain the savage mutilation of the abdomen? I did hope she had been dead by that point, I remembered far too well the pain and terror of having my abdomen ripped open by a blade. Feeling my life and my innards slip from that wound, the stink of fear and shit, the terror of knowing I would die and I could do nothing to prevent it.
“Sire?”
Ryan asked as he looked up from the coroner's report, his expression one of muted horror. As I looked upon his face I found myself wondering when I had become immune to the horror of death. Looking back over the file, I knew I would once have been as horrified as Ryan on reading them... had the long centuries of... what had Abberline called it?... undeath withered my heart and soul that such images no longer move me? I hoped not, for madness lay that way. Madness and delusions of godhood. Such vampires did not last long. The Council had huntsmen to destroy them before they could bring destruction on us all. I wondered if that was why we turned mortals. To surround ourselves with young blood that still saw as the mortals did. Was that the real reason I had finally chosen to turn a mortal? My thoughts scattered when Ryan cleared his throat and repeated himself. I knew I would torment myself with such thoughts another time, but for now I had a mystery to solve.
“Who could be responsible for such...” Ryan shook his head.
“I do not know. I have seen the savagery man can commit on man. This killer could be a madman who thinks he is a vampire. He could have read Stoker's book and imagine himself one of us.” I sighed. “Or he could be one of us, using the savage nature of these injuries to disguise his feeding. Although there are subtler ways.” I sighed, knowing I could not dismiss the possibility as insanity could strike down a vampire. “The worse case, he could know about our kind and be attempting to start another Witch-hunt.” I shuddered as I recalled that hell when madness had seemed to grip the humans when the supernatural was mentioned. I remembered only too well the horror as humanity had turned upon the supernatural beings that co-existed, and yes, all too often preyed upon them. But blood-lust had gripped humanity and they had turned on each other, innocent souls tortured and killed in gruesome ways merely on the evidence on one person's poisonous words against another. As that evil had swept the land, the oldest of each Bloodline had set up the Council to hide the presence of the supernatural from mortal eyes, well, at least those mortals the Council had little use for. The Council had made a place for vampires within the highest echelons of mortal power. So far it had worked, but between Stoker's book and this bloody-handed killer... I feared those dark days might return. Whoever was behind this murder, I had to find him and bring him to justice - although whether by the hangman's noose or the Council's edict remained to be seen. I shuddered as I recalled witnessing the demise of a vampire, it had not been quick or easy and I knew it had been as much to punish the guilty as a warning to others not to overstep the bounds of our existence.
“Sire?” Ryan pulled me out of my musings and against his firm chest, and wrapped his arms around me. “What ails you?”
I sighed softly. Ryan had never witnessed those days of madness. “I was remembering the horror of only a few centuries ago, when witch hunters tore across this country destroying whole families in their wake. So many innocents.” I decided not to mention the judgement of the Council, I had no wish to give voice to what I had witnessed.
Ryan snorted dismissively. “This is Victorian England, my love, the Heart of the British Empire. We are above such things.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten the atrocities committed during the recent Afghanistan War? No, Ryan, civilisation is but a veneer over the savage heart of humanity. A thin veneer at that. Murders and other sins are committed on the streets of London every night, nay, every day.”
“The lower class...” Ryan began but I cut him off with a shake of my head.
“Not only them. In every club in London the landed rich and wealthy cavort with whores and gamble and indulge behind closed doors. Secure in the knowledge that such activities are secret and will never be reported. Never believed and never investigated by the police.” At Ryan's disbelieving expression I kissed him gently on the lips. “We ourselves depend upon the same, my love. Many would consider our relationship immoral, a sin blackening our immortal souls.”
Ryan looked as if he wished to disagree with me, but instead sighed. “I know, my sire.” He shook his head ruefully, “How anyone can think our love is sinful, just because we are both men.”
“It is what the church teaches, my love. Were you not taught the same?”
“I was and I believed. I was most tormented by my feelings of desire for another man, my sire. I tried to find women attractive. I went with whores with my brothers-in-arms, but it was their fine forms that aroused my interest every time.”
I could not help my curiosity. “And your first time with a man?”
Ryan smiled at the memory. “I was young and drunk, we had been engaged in horse-play and the next we knew we were kissing and touching. It went no further than that for we had no knowledge of how two men committed sodomy.”
“And the next morning?”
“We both denied anything had happened. Too scared to admit we found the other attractive and fearful of society's reaction to our aberrant behaviour.”
I nodded, I remembered my own first experiences with a man - or, I suppose, I should say with a vampire - I too had been raised with the firm belief two men should not lie together. It had been a wonderful surprise to discover how good it felt and I had never understood why it was held in such disdain.
“But soon I encountered a man with more experience in Greek love. He was attentive and gentle and the feel of him inside me was exquisite.” Ryan's face was transformed by the memory; it had obviously been a wonderful time for my lover. Ryan shook his head and I wondered at the thought that had intruded in his memories and was not surprised when he changed the conversation. “You were saying, my sire.”
I paused for a moment to remember what we had been discussing. “Oh yes, human nature. It has always been the way that people will hide their illegal activities if they can. When I was alive, the nobles could legally do whatever they wished to their tenants and the poor. Today, money will still buy you power and influence and the hearts and souls of men who are greedy or just starving. On every street in the East End, prostitutes sell themselves for the price of a cup of gin to anyone who will pay.” I caressed Ryan's face. “I do not say this to shatter your illusions, but to warn you to be careful who you trust. Everyone has a price, my love.”
“Did you buy the loyalty of Becker's family?” Ryan asked impudently, a smile flickering around his lips.
I smiled fondly at him before answering him, “No, not really. The first Becker to serve me, one Roger Becker, approached me. He came to me for protection, for himself and his family.” I shook my head ruefully. “It was a shock to have a mortal approach me, telling me he knew what I was. I will admit I was curious how he knew as I had been most cautious to conceal my true nature.” I paused as I remembered my confusion and fear at being revealed as a vampire, especially in the midst of the witch-hunting hysteria that had held the country in its grip.
“How did he know?”
“Witch-blooded, my love.”
“Becker?” Ryan could not keep the shock from his voice.
I smiled and caressed his face. “How do you think Hattie and her ancestors brew their ointment? The knowledge of treating sunburn might be widespread, but not when it comes to the patient being a vampire” I smiled when Ryan grimaced at the mention of sunburn. “Yes, she is a Becker and a witch, which brings me back to my story.” I quirked an eyebrow at Ryan until he paid suitable attention to me. “Roger Becker swore his and his family's loyalty to me if I could stop the local witch hunter. The bastard was going through the villages picking on the unpopular and making money from the souls of the innocents he sentenced to death, and Roger feared for his family's safety for they had long been rumoured to have powers beyond the ken of man.”
“Did you stop him?” Ryan prompted, leaning forward in his curiosity.
“Not directly. I informed Becker that the accusation of witch could easily be pointed at any individual...” I left the sentence hanging with a smile.
Ryan laughed. “He accused the witch hunter of being a witch?”
I nodded. “The witch hunter denied it, of course, but he had no answer to the evidence discovered in his belongings and on his person. He swore he had never seen them before, that it was witchcraft. The locals agreed with him... unfortunately for him.”
Ryan laughed. “You dominated him?”
I shrugged. “It seemed the perfect solution to the problem. He might have turned his attention to me.”
Ryan shook his head. “No, my sire. You could have left the villagers to their fate if you wanted to. Helping them put you at risk. The witch hunter could have been one of the few immune to our powers.”
True, but I had not gone to that meeting unprepared. I had taken along suitable protection in case, just in case the man had been a true witch hunter and not a greedy fraud. “I was careful. Becker kept his word and came to me soon afterwards to pledge himself and his family to me. They have served me well these past centuries.”
I stared at the report for a moment longer before sighing softly. I knew I would have to see the area for myself. Even though all traces would have been obliterated in the days since the murder, I might get some hint as to whether the killer was mortal or not. “I must see this for myself, Ryan.”
“Let me come with you, sire.”
I looked up at Ryan and smiled, I felt him lean into my hand as I caressed his face. “No. You are not yet strong enough to withstand the sun. I...” Ryan's fingers on my lips cut off my words and I quirked an eyebrow at him, curious over why he was overstepping himself.
“Please, sire.” Ryan ducked his head in humility. “I would feel better if I could be beside you. Protecting you.” When I did not reply, he dropped his gaze completely and bared his neck to me. “I apologise, my sire, and await your judgement.”
I considered Ryan as he waited for his punishment. He knew he had broken a rule when he had stopped me speaking, but I knew he merely wanted to protect me. He seemed to have forgotten I was centuries old and I had grown stronger with those long years, I would have little problem if any ruffian dared to assault me, but I could not fault Ryan's loyalty.
I caressed his face softly before trailing my hand around to the back of his neck. I took a firm grip and dragged Ryan in for a kiss. I took his lovely lower lip between my teeth and sucked on it. I heard his moan and dropped my hands down to grope his arse. I finally pulled free and smiled, he looked ruffled and aroused and I knew what I would do as I felt the spark of my own arousal. “How can I punish you for caring about my safety?” I licked my lips slowly, enjoying both the taste of Ryan and his reaction to my actions. “I want you. Here. Now.”
“Take me, sire.”
“Oh, I will.” I muttered as I watched Ryan strip and bend over my desk. I quirked an eyebrow as I realised he had not bothered to wear his underwear today. “Forgot your drawers today, Ryan?”
“No, sire.” Ryan turned his head and grinned cheekily at me. “I love the feel of your silk ones against my bare skin as you take me.”
I smiled as it appeared that I had discovered a secret desire of my lover, although it made sense as he had always revelled in the feel of my silk sheets against his skin. Well, I saw no reason to disappoint him as I trailed my hand over one perfect globe. I smirked as a wonderful idea came to me and I pressed firmly on Ryan's lower back so he would hold that position. I stepped back to pull my boots off before undoing my trousers and sliding them off, carefully folding and placing them over the back of a nearby chair, my waistcoat and shirt followed as I had no wish to crease them. Clad only in my silk drawers I growled in appreciation when I turned back to view Ryan, his naked arse beckoned to me and I felt my cock grow in my drawers.
I stepped close to Ryan and rubbed my silk-encased erection against his bare buttocks. It felt wonderful, the cool silk caressing my heated flesh as I moved and I quite understood what Ryan enjoyed about the experience. I assumed Ryan was enjoying it as much as I was as I heard his needy moans. I became lost in the sensation, feeling the silk slide across my skin as my cock nudged against Ryan's crack.
A frustrated moan from Ryan drew my attention back to him and I stopped breathing as I took in the sight of him. His naked arse bared for my pleasure. Mine and his. I needed him. “I will take you now.”
“Please, sire.” Ryan's words were quiet but I could hear the need in them.
I pulled open one of the desk drawers and flicked a hidden catch before reaching inside the concealed drawer for the oil I had placed within. I unstopped it, pouring a little onto my hand before coating my index finger with it. “Hold yourself open.” I gasped at the eagerness Ryan showed, his large hands reaching back and gently separating his buttocks, exposing his sweet centre to my view. I groaned softly as my cock twitched and hardened and seemed to stretch for his entrance, eager to be buried within his heat. I took a firm hold on my arousal as I began to prepare Ryan, for as much as I wanted to just take him now, hard and fast until he screamed, he had not agreed to such an act. I would not force it upon him, no matter how much I believed he would enjoy such activity.
Instead, I gently inserted one oiled finger inside him, feeling it slide into his heated body even as his muscles contracted to keep me out. I pulled out slowly before pressing back inside, out and in, until Ryan whimpered for more. I smiled as I pushed my finger back inside and twisted it, catching his sweet spot and smiled when Ryan swore and bucked back against me. His moan was like music to my ears and I quickly pressed a second finger inside him, stretching him slightly faster than I would have normally but we both needed this. He cursed again as I added the third and opened him fully. It was such an intense sight watching my fingers disappear inside him, knowing that soon they would be replaced by my aching cock.
I continued preparing him for a moment longer before I drew out my heavy, already-leaking cock from my silk drawers and smoothed my oil-coated palm over myself. I heard Ryan curse once more as my fingers left him bereft for an instant before I slid inside him. He opened so easily as I buried myself to the hilt inside his welcoming heat. I grinned at his sigh as I pressed close and I knew he could feel the silk, cool against his buttocks. I could feel his muscles clench and relax around me, seemingly attempting to take me even deeper inside. It was exquisite torture as I held myself still inside him, ignoring Ryan's encouragement to move, to take him.
“Sire,” Ryan cried out. “Please. I need... umph.”
I did not give Ryan a chance to finish, instead pulling out and driving back inside, impaling him as I took him hard and fast. My fingers gripped his hips bruisingly tight as I hammered into him, hitting his sweet spot over and over again. Ryan's fingers scrabbled for purchase on my desk as he sought to shove back against me. I gave him no respite, thrusting over and over again into his firm arse until I rammed in one final time and erupted inside him.
I came back to find Ryan mewing desperately for relief, his erect cock weeping but out of reach with me pinning him face-down to the desk. I laughed and nipped at his neck, licking the sweaty skin before letting me teeth graze his skin, the heady taste of arousal and blood sent a shiver of desire and need down my back as I took hold of his cock and straightened as I pulled him against me. Ryan bucked, not knowing whether to thrust into my hand or fuck himself on my half-hard member. He came with a strangled scream, his come shooting over my desk and, I hoped, over nothing of importance.
As Ryan's knees buckled I removed my mouth and licked the gaze, watching as it instantly closed as if I had never inflicted it. I easily lifted and manhandled Ryan until I could sit on the chair with Ryan straddling my lap, my cock still buried inside him as I enjoyed the post-orgasmic shocks running through his body. It was a lovely sensation and I could feel my cock firm inside him. I knew Ryan could too as he groaned, muttered something about 'was I not too old to be this randy' and then proceeded to contradict himself as he rode me. He gripped the arms of the chair for support as he lifted up and I felt my cock almost slip free before he pressed back downwards until his arse was against my groin. Over and over as he made sure to slip and slide against my silk-covered groin. He didn't move fast, just slowly taking us upwards to bliss as I stroked and teased his cock, matching him stroke for stroke. It was a slow climb to ecstasy as we rocked together and came. This orgasm was softer than the previous one, spreading through my body like a warm bath rather than crashing down like a storm surge.
I kissed Ryan's neck as I wrapped my arms around him, my fingers trailing through the come coating his stomach. “Ryan?”
“That felt wonderful, sire.” Ryan squirmed on my lap and I slipped from him as he wiggled enough to kiss me on the lips, and, I was sure, to luxuriate in the feel of silk against his skin. I cursed as his actions had my cock twitch with renewed interest and heard Ryan's laugh as he felt me firm against his arse. “Can I come with you tonight?”
I blinked, wondering why he was asking me that as I had not stopped his orgasm... and then I remembered I was supposed to be investigating a murder not engaging in more sexual shenanigans with Ryan, no matter how tempting that thought was. I sighed. “I must admit your methods of persuasion are interesting.”
“Sire?” Ryan asked as he purposely wiggled on my lap and I had to bite back a hiss of pleasure.
“Fine. You may come.” When Ryan looked pleased with himself, I added, “Since you look like the cat who has had the cream, maybe you'd better.” I quirked an eyebrow at him until realisation dawned on his face and he scrambled to his feet. Not for long, of course, for he quickly dropped to kneel between my spread thighs. I felt his hands run up and down my silk-clad thighs and looked down to see the contented smile on his face. “Enjoying yourself, Ryan?”
Ryan didn't answer, he merely kept fondling my silk drawers as he leaned forwards and took me in his mouth to lick and suck and tease me. I felt one of his hands slide up my thigh to grasp me most intimately between my legs, rolling my balls within the silken material. My hips rose seeking more of Ryan's hot mouth and I felt his large hands press down, trying to keep me still. If he had been mortal still, I would have been gagging him by now with my cock jammed all the way down his throat. The feel of him swallowing around me was ecstatic before he let me slip from his mouth. He grasped my cock and stroked it firmly as he teased my tip, his tongue darting into the slit before he nibbled down the shaft. I groaned as I felt my orgasm coil in my stomach. “Ryan, please.” I could feel him smile against my skin as he took me in his mouth again, sucking and swallowing around me until I gasped and jerked and came.
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~4470 (of a total ~47955)
Characters: James Lester, Tom Ryan and a cast of RPs, OCs and OHs.
Pairing: James Lester/Tom Ryan
Rating: 18
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N 1: Part of my AU Bloodverse series. Continues from Part 2 and continues in Part 4.
A/N 2: Contains details of historical fact, several individuals in the fic are based on real historical people.
A/N 3: Thanks go to Fred for the beta. Cheers, m'dear.
Warnings: Dark!fic, bloodplay, blood and gore in general (graphic descriptions), angst, hurt/comfort.
What a day. My carriage had been delayed by an accident between two delivery carts. Once at my club not only had Sir Charles been uncharacteristically late arriving, but he'd had very little new to tell me about either the case or Abberline. What I had learned merely reinforced my opinion of the man. A man who I would prefer on my side rather than dead in the gutter, for not only would it caused much less inconvenience, but a man such as Abberline would be a valuable asset if correctly cultivated.
The heavens had opened as I had left my club and I was rather wet by the time I had gained my seat. At least I had been inside then, unlike poor Charlie who had been exposed to the weather. I had instructed Hattie to make him a warm toddy for the chill once we had reached my home.
****
I poured myself a glass of my special wine and sipped from it as my bath was run. I would enjoy a good soak as I let my mind wonder over my new task. It would also chase away the chill I felt in my bones, even if it was more the ghost of a memory than fact.
I groaned as I slowly lowered myself into the hot water, feeling the dirt and grime and phantom-cold wash away. I allowed my head to rest against the edge and just relaxed in the water. It felt so good.
It felt even better when my lover's hands began to knead my shoulders before drifting over my chest. I gasped as they brushed my nipples and I felt Ryan nuzzle my neck. I moaned and lifted my hips as his hand wrapped around me and as his mouth sucked at my neck, if I had still been mortal I would have worn his mark for days. I thrust into his tight grip as he drove me to completion, gasping as I came and slumped bonelessly against the bath. I did not resist when Ryan manhandled me out of the bath, drying me roughly before settling me on the silk sheets. I smiled as he climbed in beside me, his cock hard and nudging at my hip.
I pulled Ryan down for a kiss as I considered my options. I felt relaxed and knew I could easily take him without any preparation, but we had not yet talked about the pleasures of pain during sex and I would not force Ryan into participating without his full agreement. Instead I opened my legs and grasped Ryan's hips as I directed him where I wanted him. The feel of his slicked fingers opening me, slipping without resistance inside me, was wonderful and my cock began to firm. “Now, Ryan!”
Ryan's fingers twisted and turned for a few moments longer before he was satisfied and replaced them with his cock, stretching me wide and filling me completely. Rocking in and out of me, sending sparks of pleasure along my nerves to explode in my brain. I clenched around him and heard his answering grunt as he speeded up, soon sending me over the edge into bliss. I could feel him thrusting to his own completion as I came back down, before he groaned again and spurted in me.
As we lay entwined and contented in the pleasurable after glow of our activities, Ryan asked, “Did Sir Charles have anything of interest to say, my sire?”
“Nothing of great importance.” I sighed. “Tomorrow morning we will go through the police reports. I want your opinion on who could have committed such a crime.” When Ryan nodded, I pulled him against me and kissed his neck. “Sleep, Ryan. Tomorrow we begin our hunt for this murderer.”
“Sire,” Ryan mumbled in agreement against my shoulder as he snuggled against me.
****
I read the police reports dispassionately and pursed my lips in thought. The injuries could have been the work of a madman... they could also have been the work of a vampire covering his tracks. The knife wounds to the neck would have hidden any puncture marks left behind on her death. One thing was clear, whoever the murderer was - man or vampire - he was bloody handed and hated women. What else could explain the savage mutilation of the abdomen? I did hope she had been dead by that point, I remembered far too well the pain and terror of having my abdomen ripped open by a blade. Feeling my life and my innards slip from that wound, the stink of fear and shit, the terror of knowing I would die and I could do nothing to prevent it.
“Sire?”
Ryan asked as he looked up from the coroner's report, his expression one of muted horror. As I looked upon his face I found myself wondering when I had become immune to the horror of death. Looking back over the file, I knew I would once have been as horrified as Ryan on reading them... had the long centuries of... what had Abberline called it?... undeath withered my heart and soul that such images no longer move me? I hoped not, for madness lay that way. Madness and delusions of godhood. Such vampires did not last long. The Council had huntsmen to destroy them before they could bring destruction on us all. I wondered if that was why we turned mortals. To surround ourselves with young blood that still saw as the mortals did. Was that the real reason I had finally chosen to turn a mortal? My thoughts scattered when Ryan cleared his throat and repeated himself. I knew I would torment myself with such thoughts another time, but for now I had a mystery to solve.
“Who could be responsible for such...” Ryan shook his head.
“I do not know. I have seen the savagery man can commit on man. This killer could be a madman who thinks he is a vampire. He could have read Stoker's book and imagine himself one of us.” I sighed. “Or he could be one of us, using the savage nature of these injuries to disguise his feeding. Although there are subtler ways.” I sighed, knowing I could not dismiss the possibility as insanity could strike down a vampire. “The worse case, he could know about our kind and be attempting to start another Witch-hunt.” I shuddered as I recalled that hell when madness had seemed to grip the humans when the supernatural was mentioned. I remembered only too well the horror as humanity had turned upon the supernatural beings that co-existed, and yes, all too often preyed upon them. But blood-lust had gripped humanity and they had turned on each other, innocent souls tortured and killed in gruesome ways merely on the evidence on one person's poisonous words against another. As that evil had swept the land, the oldest of each Bloodline had set up the Council to hide the presence of the supernatural from mortal eyes, well, at least those mortals the Council had little use for. The Council had made a place for vampires within the highest echelons of mortal power. So far it had worked, but between Stoker's book and this bloody-handed killer... I feared those dark days might return. Whoever was behind this murder, I had to find him and bring him to justice - although whether by the hangman's noose or the Council's edict remained to be seen. I shuddered as I recalled witnessing the demise of a vampire, it had not been quick or easy and I knew it had been as much to punish the guilty as a warning to others not to overstep the bounds of our existence.
“Sire?” Ryan pulled me out of my musings and against his firm chest, and wrapped his arms around me. “What ails you?”
I sighed softly. Ryan had never witnessed those days of madness. “I was remembering the horror of only a few centuries ago, when witch hunters tore across this country destroying whole families in their wake. So many innocents.” I decided not to mention the judgement of the Council, I had no wish to give voice to what I had witnessed.
Ryan snorted dismissively. “This is Victorian England, my love, the Heart of the British Empire. We are above such things.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten the atrocities committed during the recent Afghanistan War? No, Ryan, civilisation is but a veneer over the savage heart of humanity. A thin veneer at that. Murders and other sins are committed on the streets of London every night, nay, every day.”
“The lower class...” Ryan began but I cut him off with a shake of my head.
“Not only them. In every club in London the landed rich and wealthy cavort with whores and gamble and indulge behind closed doors. Secure in the knowledge that such activities are secret and will never be reported. Never believed and never investigated by the police.” At Ryan's disbelieving expression I kissed him gently on the lips. “We ourselves depend upon the same, my love. Many would consider our relationship immoral, a sin blackening our immortal souls.”
Ryan looked as if he wished to disagree with me, but instead sighed. “I know, my sire.” He shook his head ruefully, “How anyone can think our love is sinful, just because we are both men.”
“It is what the church teaches, my love. Were you not taught the same?”
“I was and I believed. I was most tormented by my feelings of desire for another man, my sire. I tried to find women attractive. I went with whores with my brothers-in-arms, but it was their fine forms that aroused my interest every time.”
I could not help my curiosity. “And your first time with a man?”
Ryan smiled at the memory. “I was young and drunk, we had been engaged in horse-play and the next we knew we were kissing and touching. It went no further than that for we had no knowledge of how two men committed sodomy.”
“And the next morning?”
“We both denied anything had happened. Too scared to admit we found the other attractive and fearful of society's reaction to our aberrant behaviour.”
I nodded, I remembered my own first experiences with a man - or, I suppose, I should say with a vampire - I too had been raised with the firm belief two men should not lie together. It had been a wonderful surprise to discover how good it felt and I had never understood why it was held in such disdain.
“But soon I encountered a man with more experience in Greek love. He was attentive and gentle and the feel of him inside me was exquisite.” Ryan's face was transformed by the memory; it had obviously been a wonderful time for my lover. Ryan shook his head and I wondered at the thought that had intruded in his memories and was not surprised when he changed the conversation. “You were saying, my sire.”
I paused for a moment to remember what we had been discussing. “Oh yes, human nature. It has always been the way that people will hide their illegal activities if they can. When I was alive, the nobles could legally do whatever they wished to their tenants and the poor. Today, money will still buy you power and influence and the hearts and souls of men who are greedy or just starving. On every street in the East End, prostitutes sell themselves for the price of a cup of gin to anyone who will pay.” I caressed Ryan's face. “I do not say this to shatter your illusions, but to warn you to be careful who you trust. Everyone has a price, my love.”
“Did you buy the loyalty of Becker's family?” Ryan asked impudently, a smile flickering around his lips.
I smiled fondly at him before answering him, “No, not really. The first Becker to serve me, one Roger Becker, approached me. He came to me for protection, for himself and his family.” I shook my head ruefully. “It was a shock to have a mortal approach me, telling me he knew what I was. I will admit I was curious how he knew as I had been most cautious to conceal my true nature.” I paused as I remembered my confusion and fear at being revealed as a vampire, especially in the midst of the witch-hunting hysteria that had held the country in its grip.
“How did he know?”
“Witch-blooded, my love.”
“Becker?” Ryan could not keep the shock from his voice.
I smiled and caressed his face. “How do you think Hattie and her ancestors brew their ointment? The knowledge of treating sunburn might be widespread, but not when it comes to the patient being a vampire” I smiled when Ryan grimaced at the mention of sunburn. “Yes, she is a Becker and a witch, which brings me back to my story.” I quirked an eyebrow at Ryan until he paid suitable attention to me. “Roger Becker swore his and his family's loyalty to me if I could stop the local witch hunter. The bastard was going through the villages picking on the unpopular and making money from the souls of the innocents he sentenced to death, and Roger feared for his family's safety for they had long been rumoured to have powers beyond the ken of man.”
“Did you stop him?” Ryan prompted, leaning forward in his curiosity.
“Not directly. I informed Becker that the accusation of witch could easily be pointed at any individual...” I left the sentence hanging with a smile.
Ryan laughed. “He accused the witch hunter of being a witch?”
I nodded. “The witch hunter denied it, of course, but he had no answer to the evidence discovered in his belongings and on his person. He swore he had never seen them before, that it was witchcraft. The locals agreed with him... unfortunately for him.”
Ryan laughed. “You dominated him?”
I shrugged. “It seemed the perfect solution to the problem. He might have turned his attention to me.”
Ryan shook his head. “No, my sire. You could have left the villagers to their fate if you wanted to. Helping them put you at risk. The witch hunter could have been one of the few immune to our powers.”
True, but I had not gone to that meeting unprepared. I had taken along suitable protection in case, just in case the man had been a true witch hunter and not a greedy fraud. “I was careful. Becker kept his word and came to me soon afterwards to pledge himself and his family to me. They have served me well these past centuries.”
I stared at the report for a moment longer before sighing softly. I knew I would have to see the area for myself. Even though all traces would have been obliterated in the days since the murder, I might get some hint as to whether the killer was mortal or not. “I must see this for myself, Ryan.”
“Let me come with you, sire.”
I looked up at Ryan and smiled, I felt him lean into my hand as I caressed his face. “No. You are not yet strong enough to withstand the sun. I...” Ryan's fingers on my lips cut off my words and I quirked an eyebrow at him, curious over why he was overstepping himself.
“Please, sire.” Ryan ducked his head in humility. “I would feel better if I could be beside you. Protecting you.” When I did not reply, he dropped his gaze completely and bared his neck to me. “I apologise, my sire, and await your judgement.”
I considered Ryan as he waited for his punishment. He knew he had broken a rule when he had stopped me speaking, but I knew he merely wanted to protect me. He seemed to have forgotten I was centuries old and I had grown stronger with those long years, I would have little problem if any ruffian dared to assault me, but I could not fault Ryan's loyalty.
I caressed his face softly before trailing my hand around to the back of his neck. I took a firm grip and dragged Ryan in for a kiss. I took his lovely lower lip between my teeth and sucked on it. I heard his moan and dropped my hands down to grope his arse. I finally pulled free and smiled, he looked ruffled and aroused and I knew what I would do as I felt the spark of my own arousal. “How can I punish you for caring about my safety?” I licked my lips slowly, enjoying both the taste of Ryan and his reaction to my actions. “I want you. Here. Now.”
“Take me, sire.”
“Oh, I will.” I muttered as I watched Ryan strip and bend over my desk. I quirked an eyebrow as I realised he had not bothered to wear his underwear today. “Forgot your drawers today, Ryan?”
“No, sire.” Ryan turned his head and grinned cheekily at me. “I love the feel of your silk ones against my bare skin as you take me.”
I smiled as it appeared that I had discovered a secret desire of my lover, although it made sense as he had always revelled in the feel of my silk sheets against his skin. Well, I saw no reason to disappoint him as I trailed my hand over one perfect globe. I smirked as a wonderful idea came to me and I pressed firmly on Ryan's lower back so he would hold that position. I stepped back to pull my boots off before undoing my trousers and sliding them off, carefully folding and placing them over the back of a nearby chair, my waistcoat and shirt followed as I had no wish to crease them. Clad only in my silk drawers I growled in appreciation when I turned back to view Ryan, his naked arse beckoned to me and I felt my cock grow in my drawers.
I stepped close to Ryan and rubbed my silk-encased erection against his bare buttocks. It felt wonderful, the cool silk caressing my heated flesh as I moved and I quite understood what Ryan enjoyed about the experience. I assumed Ryan was enjoying it as much as I was as I heard his needy moans. I became lost in the sensation, feeling the silk slide across my skin as my cock nudged against Ryan's crack.
A frustrated moan from Ryan drew my attention back to him and I stopped breathing as I took in the sight of him. His naked arse bared for my pleasure. Mine and his. I needed him. “I will take you now.”
“Please, sire.” Ryan's words were quiet but I could hear the need in them.
I pulled open one of the desk drawers and flicked a hidden catch before reaching inside the concealed drawer for the oil I had placed within. I unstopped it, pouring a little onto my hand before coating my index finger with it. “Hold yourself open.” I gasped at the eagerness Ryan showed, his large hands reaching back and gently separating his buttocks, exposing his sweet centre to my view. I groaned softly as my cock twitched and hardened and seemed to stretch for his entrance, eager to be buried within his heat. I took a firm hold on my arousal as I began to prepare Ryan, for as much as I wanted to just take him now, hard and fast until he screamed, he had not agreed to such an act. I would not force it upon him, no matter how much I believed he would enjoy such activity.
Instead, I gently inserted one oiled finger inside him, feeling it slide into his heated body even as his muscles contracted to keep me out. I pulled out slowly before pressing back inside, out and in, until Ryan whimpered for more. I smiled as I pushed my finger back inside and twisted it, catching his sweet spot and smiled when Ryan swore and bucked back against me. His moan was like music to my ears and I quickly pressed a second finger inside him, stretching him slightly faster than I would have normally but we both needed this. He cursed again as I added the third and opened him fully. It was such an intense sight watching my fingers disappear inside him, knowing that soon they would be replaced by my aching cock.
I continued preparing him for a moment longer before I drew out my heavy, already-leaking cock from my silk drawers and smoothed my oil-coated palm over myself. I heard Ryan curse once more as my fingers left him bereft for an instant before I slid inside him. He opened so easily as I buried myself to the hilt inside his welcoming heat. I grinned at his sigh as I pressed close and I knew he could feel the silk, cool against his buttocks. I could feel his muscles clench and relax around me, seemingly attempting to take me even deeper inside. It was exquisite torture as I held myself still inside him, ignoring Ryan's encouragement to move, to take him.
“Sire,” Ryan cried out. “Please. I need... umph.”
I did not give Ryan a chance to finish, instead pulling out and driving back inside, impaling him as I took him hard and fast. My fingers gripped his hips bruisingly tight as I hammered into him, hitting his sweet spot over and over again. Ryan's fingers scrabbled for purchase on my desk as he sought to shove back against me. I gave him no respite, thrusting over and over again into his firm arse until I rammed in one final time and erupted inside him.
I came back to find Ryan mewing desperately for relief, his erect cock weeping but out of reach with me pinning him face-down to the desk. I laughed and nipped at his neck, licking the sweaty skin before letting me teeth graze his skin, the heady taste of arousal and blood sent a shiver of desire and need down my back as I took hold of his cock and straightened as I pulled him against me. Ryan bucked, not knowing whether to thrust into my hand or fuck himself on my half-hard member. He came with a strangled scream, his come shooting over my desk and, I hoped, over nothing of importance.
As Ryan's knees buckled I removed my mouth and licked the gaze, watching as it instantly closed as if I had never inflicted it. I easily lifted and manhandled Ryan until I could sit on the chair with Ryan straddling my lap, my cock still buried inside him as I enjoyed the post-orgasmic shocks running through his body. It was a lovely sensation and I could feel my cock firm inside him. I knew Ryan could too as he groaned, muttered something about 'was I not too old to be this randy' and then proceeded to contradict himself as he rode me. He gripped the arms of the chair for support as he lifted up and I felt my cock almost slip free before he pressed back downwards until his arse was against my groin. Over and over as he made sure to slip and slide against my silk-covered groin. He didn't move fast, just slowly taking us upwards to bliss as I stroked and teased his cock, matching him stroke for stroke. It was a slow climb to ecstasy as we rocked together and came. This orgasm was softer than the previous one, spreading through my body like a warm bath rather than crashing down like a storm surge.
I kissed Ryan's neck as I wrapped my arms around him, my fingers trailing through the come coating his stomach. “Ryan?”
“That felt wonderful, sire.” Ryan squirmed on my lap and I slipped from him as he wiggled enough to kiss me on the lips, and, I was sure, to luxuriate in the feel of silk against his skin. I cursed as his actions had my cock twitch with renewed interest and heard Ryan's laugh as he felt me firm against his arse. “Can I come with you tonight?”
I blinked, wondering why he was asking me that as I had not stopped his orgasm... and then I remembered I was supposed to be investigating a murder not engaging in more sexual shenanigans with Ryan, no matter how tempting that thought was. I sighed. “I must admit your methods of persuasion are interesting.”
“Sire?” Ryan asked as he purposely wiggled on my lap and I had to bite back a hiss of pleasure.
“Fine. You may come.” When Ryan looked pleased with himself, I added, “Since you look like the cat who has had the cream, maybe you'd better.” I quirked an eyebrow at him until realisation dawned on his face and he scrambled to his feet. Not for long, of course, for he quickly dropped to kneel between my spread thighs. I felt his hands run up and down my silk-clad thighs and looked down to see the contented smile on his face. “Enjoying yourself, Ryan?”
Ryan didn't answer, he merely kept fondling my silk drawers as he leaned forwards and took me in his mouth to lick and suck and tease me. I felt one of his hands slide up my thigh to grasp me most intimately between my legs, rolling my balls within the silken material. My hips rose seeking more of Ryan's hot mouth and I felt his large hands press down, trying to keep me still. If he had been mortal still, I would have been gagging him by now with my cock jammed all the way down his throat. The feel of him swallowing around me was ecstatic before he let me slip from his mouth. He grasped my cock and stroked it firmly as he teased my tip, his tongue darting into the slit before he nibbled down the shaft. I groaned as I felt my orgasm coil in my stomach. “Ryan, please.” I could feel him smile against my skin as he took me in his mouth again, sucking and swallowing around me until I gasped and jerked and came.