Just a Sip
"What is it?" Lyona frowns gently at me as I try my best to hold back my laugh.
"You won't believe it." I grin at her.
"Do you have some special condition that makes your blood unique?" She tries to guess the reason behind my reaction. "It would honestly not be that surprising. You are very charismatic for a Human and it's not often that one attracts the attention of other races. Not to mention convincing them to work in a brothel."
"You can say that." I chuckle. "And while it certainly plays a small role in our quick development, this condition isn't congenital but acquired. I was just lucky enough to approach the other races with a slightly different worldview. I'm glad to see that it's slowly being spread throughout the kingdom too. We never expected to see the results so soon."
"Wait…" The beautiful Vampire lady strokes her chin. "You are behind the recent changes in legislations related to slavery and general treatment of demi-humans and monsterfolk?"
"Well, the King and Queen are, to be perfectly accurate. But yeah, I did have some indirect influence on that topic." I nod softly. "They've been supporting my endeavours for a long time. I could not wish for a better backer after arriving in this place the way I did."
"Are you a noble, then? I did not hear of House Carter in the capital and our family is quite long-lived as you can imagine." Lyona ponders briefly, examining my face with her wise eyes. "Elise hasn't mentioned anything about your status either. She did make you sound like someone extremely important, but I assumed she's just found a really good boss."
"Not a noble. Though, I'm fairly sure the Queen will rectify that as soon as she can." Shaking my head as the petite nymphomaniac appears in my mind, I chuckle lightly. "You get a certain level of influence when you are one of the Heroes."
"You are a Hero?!" The white-haired girl gasps quietly. "I've heard about and seen the Hero Party a few times in the city and during various official events, but I've never noticed you amongst them."
"It's a long story." I smile at her warmly. "We split up even before leaving the castle after our adaptation period. My Class ended up as something incomparably weak to theirs so I decided to stay behind and start a business instead. Well, it turned out that we've all been mistaken about it."
"I see. That's why the Heroes visit your brothel that often. They come to reunite with you. I thought they were a very open group considering that they are otherworlders." Lyona responds with a delicate smile too. "Your blood must be special because you are one too. I've never gotten close to them enough to catch a good whiff. It explains everything. Also, please don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I won't tell a soul without your explicit permission."
I laugh at her openly and she raises her brows at my small outburst. "That's not it. My secret is much bigger. While it's true that they are High Humans, I started as a normal Human for some reason. I wasn't really supposed to get summoned alongside them. But, you can say that I'm no longer Human due to certain circumstances involving our benevolent Goddess."
Watching Lyona attentively, I bring up my status window, limiting it just to the section with general information, and make it visible to her. She focuses on the pink rectangle right away and her eyes widen in a flash as she quickly stumbles on my race. Her mouth hangs open with a cute oval as she takes the new information with a bit of shock.
"This… This… Impossible…" Her ruby eyes jump to mine and she shivers lightly. "You are a Primordial?"
"In flesh and blood." I chuckle at her, shrugging a little.
She swallows heavily and her whole body trembles. Noticing it early, I cross the distance separating us and catch her before her legs give in, resting the lithe Vampire on my chest. Lyona lets out an adorable gasp as she ends up with her cheek pressed to my skin. I catch her taking a deep breath and shivering once more, for a different reason entirely.
Uh oh.
"My Lord…" she whispers softly.
"Nothing of that." I delicately squeeze her waist. "I don't need you to worship me or anything. Let's just try to remain where we stood before our secrets came out of the shadows. Do you think you can do that?"
After a silent moment, she nods in agreement and uses my body to correct herself. She still stays fairly close to me, resting her dainty fingers on my muscles, but manages to stand by herself now, looking up into my eyes with a plethora of thoughts and emotions swirling in her crimson irises.
"Would it be easier on you if you grabbed a taste?" I snicker at her somewhat absent expression.
"What?" She blinks a few times before actually focusing on me, a rosy blush colouring her pale cheeks. "Oh. Ummm… I think so? I've never really drunk Primordial blood. But if it works like any other, it will definitely be easier for me to control myself after satisfying the… hunger."
"How does this work exactly?" I raise a curious brow at her. "I only know bits that might not be true since they come from stories made up by my people. You already corrected me about how your people come to be. Our tales consider vampirism a disease."
"How awful…" Lyona grimaces softly before meeting my gaze once more. "There are various ways to consume blood. The freshest and most delicious comes straight from one's arteries. You could either cut your wrist and let the Vampire press their lips to the wound, or allow them to use their fangs to pierce into the vessel."
Taking one hand off my chest, she moves it to her enticing lips and uses a finger to uncover one of her sharp fangs. I have to admit, seeing such a ferocious spike on a sweet little lady like her awakens a thing or two in me. I feel very aroused and quite anxious at the same time. She emanates an aura of a deadly predator and the sweetest prey just begging to be cuddled and pampered at the same time.
"Damn, that's hot…" I chuckle wryly, trying not to stare at her teeth all the time.
"You aren't recoiling." She comments with a slightly awkward smile due to the finger between her plump lips. "Before you ask, our people are a thing of legend, a secret society as I've mentioned before. Humans or even other races often listen to exaggerated tales of our… conquests and hunts. The common reaction to seeing our fangs is usually… less favourable."
"We might not know each other that well yet, but I would have been sure you've listened to enough of Elise's blabbering and heard things about my business from the noble ladies paying us a visit now and then to understand what kind of person I am." I wink at her, deepening that lovely flush on her face.
"That's true. I apologise." She glances away.
"It's alright." I give her mesmerising hair a few pats. "Would you like to take a sip, then?"
"Is that truly fine?" she asks a bit anxiously.
"Are there some social or interpersonal rules this kind of arrangement has to follow?" I ask her back, wondering if perhaps this whole thing isn't more intimate than I can imagine.
"Nothing too serious." Lyona shakes her head. "I'm just… a bit overwhelmed. To be given the chance to taste the blood of someone this important… I don't know if I'm worthy enough."
"You are clearly struggling right now and there are still at least a few hours of taking care of your guests ahead of you." I smirk at her knowingly. "And, if you want, you can consider this a job benefit. Since you are clearly quite rich, I'll allow your payments to be taken in blood instead of gold. What do you think?"
Her bright eyes widen briefly at my words before a determined and confident glint takes over. Lyona nods firmly, takes a step back, and makes a respectful curtsy in front of me.
"I will perform my duties to my utmost ability, Lord Carter. If you truly decide to honour me with such an invaluable arrangement, I shall follow your wishes to the end of my time. I vow on my blood and the blood of my ancestors to devote myself to your cause," she recites a quite serious oath but I don't stop her in case it would be offensive to reject it.
"I hear you." Nodding politely, I reach out to place my hand on her shoulder, but she takes it midway and brings it to her lips to place a kiss on its back.
Afterwards, she straightens up and takes a deep breath. "It's my first time taking a blood oath. I don't think anyone has made use of it in decades. My mother would faint if she learned of this."
"Did I get you into trouble with your family?" I ponder out loud.
"Not in the slightest, Maste—ekhm, Lord Carter." She blushes again after correcting herself. "If they learned who it is that I pledged my support to, my parents would be thrilled. But, I don't intend to reveal your secrets to them and they might not be too happy about me dedicating myself to a normal Human."
I sigh softly. "You know you didn't have to do that, right?"
"Yes." She nods a little timidly. "But I felt that it was only proper. The blood of a Primordial is considered the rarest of elixirs. To be perfectly honest, many would use the oath to bind themselves to one with their intentions not being so virtuous. They would give anything to receive it as often as they can. I promise though that it was not my goal to make you feel obliged to share it with me. I only wanted to offer something of equal value. And no, my work as your representative and receptionist doesn't come even close to the value of your blood."
"It's alright. I'm a fairly good judge of character and I can tell that you are a good person." I smile at her gently. "Well, then. I should not make you wait so much after such a show of respect, huh?"
She nibbles on her bottom lip as her eyes roam over my exposed front and I chuckle to myself. Glancing down at her, I consider how to approach this. I could cut myself without a problem. I could also let her sink her teeth into my wrist. That sounds quite alluring too.
Or, I could go with something a bit more traditional…
Looking to the side, I smirk to myself. Lyona offers me her hand as I reach out and I bring us closer to the stone balustrade. She observes me curiously and with some faint confusion as I put her between me and the short fancy fence.
"May I?" I place my hands on her petite waist and she nods pensively.
With one quick pull, I bring her up onto the balustrade and sit Lyona on its edge. It ends around my waist so she doesn't tower over me that much with her relatively small frame. Her palms rest on my shoulders as she stares down at me with a faint smile. Then, as I pull her closer, her eyes dart to my fully exposed shoulders and she finally catches on.
"You would… allow me to drink straight from your neck?" She swallows delicately.
I chuckle and wink at her. "All yours for the taking. Don't be shy now. Just promise not to drain me dry."
"I would never!" She hastily shakes her head and licks her lips afterwards, locked on my smooth skin. "Alright… I'll begin… Please, let me know if I make you uncomfortable at any moment…"
She checks my eyes one last time and leans forward. I tilt my head to the side to give her better access to my neck and support Lyona with my hands on her soft thighs. Her body presses into mine a bit, as much as it can with her a tiny bit hunched forward due to the faint height difference.
Soon, I feel her lips touch my skin as she places a delicate kiss on it. Her tongue lightly flicks over my flesh, covering it with some of her warm saliva, before she opens her mouth and two sharp points graze my neck. With a faint prickling sensation, she sinks her Vampire fangs into me, followed by a deep, shuddering sigh.
"Oh, Goddess…" A muffled whisper makes it out of her attached mouth.
Lyona's fingernails dig into my chest as she takes the first sip. It's an incredible sensation when I can feel the light suction drawing on my blood. It's neither too strong nor too weak. She knows exactly how much pressure to use to achieve her goal without disrupting the flow of blood through my system. It's almost like she lets the blood itself dictate how quickly it comes to her.
A sweet moan reaches my ears as she finishes the first swig. Her breathing hitches a little and Lyona has to wait a moment before she can make another draw. Suddenly, her legs spread a little and I watch her calves capture my waist, pulling me closer. Her hands wander to my back too, doing the same. She embraces me lovingly but firmly, clearly intending not to let me escape. I can feel her fingernails as they drag themselves down my spine while she relishes the taste of my blood.
I hug her more too and she takes another sip. A small chuckle escapes my lips as she trembles from what I consider to be ecstasy. She definitely isn't aware of just how much her slender limbs are squeezing me. If I were any normal Human, I would have quite some trouble breathing or keeping my ribs from getting crushed. But, that's what I get for treating a Vampire girl to what can only be considered the ultra-rare and never before seen in the current age delicacy.
At the same time, I can't really complain too much. The current white lolita dress Lyona is wearing doesn't belong to the thickest category. She isn't big, but her feminine charms clearly make themselves apparent through the material, and I swear her hard nipples even manage to push through it. As expected, this is slowly turning into something more erotic than it possibly should have been.
As if that wasn't enough, her legs pull me in so strong that our waists are pretty much glued together. While her girly parts are definitely positioned a bit above my side of things, the heat that emanates from her core makes itself quite apparent over my lower abdomen. I have a feeling that if not for the multiple folds of her dress, I would be experiencing some fragrant wetness at the same time.
Another shuddering moan graces my ears as Lyona wraps up the second helping. She sighs blissfully into my neck, exploring my back with her palms. I move my fingers up her spine and over her own neck, causing her to shiver once more as I thread them into her long hair, scratching her scalp.
"So… Delicious…" she murmurs breathily. "One more?"
"Go ahead." I chuckle amusingly. "I can take it. Trust me, I will stop you if I have to, so just enjoy yourself."
"Thank you, Masterrrrrrrrrrr…"
A light groan pushes it past my throat as Lyona sinks her fangs a tiny bit deeper into my flesh. I did not expect that sensation to feel so… good. She pulls more blood in, feasting on me just as I instructed her. Slowly but surely, I start noticing the strength and vitality she sucks out of me alongside the scarlet delicacy.
Observing the exchange with my focused mind, trying my best to ignore just how erotic this entire thing feels, I cast Rejuvenate to check if the spell will have any effect on me. Immediately, I feel much lighter and unhurriedly regain the lost blood. Lyona gasps adorably, following that with a quiet, sultry whine. It looks like mixing my magic with my blood altered the taste or experience for her a tiny bit.
She drains me quicker and stronger, taking a sip and releasing an unbearably cute moan after. That combination of alluring actions continues for a good while, until I finally feel her take a massive pull of my blood which lasts for almost half a minute. A massive sigh of pure relief leaves her lips after and no more draining follows.
A slightly itchy sensation tickles my neck as she withdraws her fangs from my flesh and veins. As they plop out completely, something warm caresses the two holes and it doesn't take me long to understand that she is affectionately licking the wounds.
I push more Rejuvenate into that part of my neck but it seems like either her saliva has a healing effect too or she cast some silent spell or ability to mend the evidence of our little fun. Bit by bit, the tiny dots close up and disappear from my skin. Loyna presses a caring kiss into the place and lazily leans back.
"That was… Impossible to describe…" she comments after finding my eyes, her cheeks now so scarlet red they basically glow with heat. "I don't know what to say…"
"Then say nothing." I smile at her warmly, watching her delicious lips work for those shallow breaths. "I enjoyed being in your care too. I don't know much about Vampire drinking habits, but I could tell that you cared for my experience even as much as you were consumed in your own bliss."
Lyona glances down at our joined bodies and graces me with a cute, fleeting giggle. Unfortunately, with her face as flushed as it already is, there's no way for her to blush even more, but I just know she would if she could.
"There were moments when I felt like I was gone," she admits while looking deep into my eyes. "It worried me as I didn't want to show you my unsightly side. But, through your touch, I could feel your support and encouragement. It allowed me to plunge into the depths of my craving without the risk of hurting you. I've never experienced anything like this with any other blood, even the most expensive one."
"I'm glad to hear that." I bring my fingers out of her fragrant hair. "How do you feel now? Will it be a bit easier to rejoin your guests?"
"After this immense heat leaves my body and face, it will." She smiles timidly. "I still feel a tad dizzy and perhaps am in a bit of disbelief that all of it really happened."
Shaking her head lightly, she suddenly loses balance and I hastily grab her lithe waist before she leans too far back and slides off the balcony. Lyona gasps adorably and wraps her arms around my neck too, latching onto me for support. I end up with her pert breasts in front of my face and snort to myself quietly.
Not wanting to keep her in an uncomfortable position, I slowly help her down to the ground and let Lyona continue resting against me. Bit by bit, she gradually recomposes herself and the crimson fades off her cheeks. She proceeds to examine her hands and clench them into fists repeatedly.
"I feel so invigorated now. And powerful. It's like I can punch holes in buildings," she says with awe.
Taking a few quick test swings and jabs, they clearly turn out to be much faster than she anticipated and her knuckles brush over the stone balustrade. Instead of scraping over the rough surface, they blow part of the railing into pieces, sending it hurling down towards the garden behind the mansion.
Lyona yelps in shock and jumps closer to me, staring at the hole in the short stone fence with wide eyes. I laugh openly while shaking my head.
"Well, it looks like you can." I still snicker to myself as she turns her embarrassed gaze to me. "I assume that's not the usual follow-up?"
"No. Are Humans suddenly capable of snapping boards into two after drinking the best wine in the realm?" She shows the tiniest of smirks. "As I said, your blood is like an elixir. It's so potent. And it looks like it gave me a new skill."
"Really? What kind?" I raise a curious brow at her.
Lyona explores her status privately before responding. "I can consume your blood to strengthen myself greatly for a period of time. Also, the more I absorb it in general, the stronger I get overall, and it might result in some changes to my physique."
"Sounds like you can evolve to reach the state of the first Vampires to walk Naharren, most likely." I stroke my chin. "No doubt things were different with Primordial blood being a staple element of your kind's diet back then."
"I've never dreamed of such a possibility." She glances into my eyes with pure amazement in her scarlet irises. "I'm receiving so much more than I should."
"Get used to it." I shrug with a smirk. "I like giving more than receiving. Just ask any of the ladies at my home."
A comfortable silence falls onto us. We both stare into the distance, unbothered by the fact that we are leaning quite heavily into each other. And, that my top is still fully naked, with Lyona's smooth fingers gently trailing all over it.
"So, Elise doesn't know, right?" I ask after a while.
"As I said before, no, she doesn't." Lyona shakes her head. "She is a friend. I didn't want to risk upsetting her by revealing myself. I don't have many peers amongst other races, especially Humans. Does she know about you?"
"Yes. I accepted her as one of my women and she is privy to everything." I nod. "What about the ladies we left behind?"
"They are Vampires too," she explains. "I don't really get along that well with them but it's my duty as the daughter of House Altcroft to foster good relationships with other nobles and Vampire houses. Therefore, I couldn't avoid inviting them. If it were up to me, I would have simply spent my birthday in an inn with Elise, just talking about our work."
"I see. How come my blood doesn't have a similar effect on them?" I wonder out loud.
"Oh, it does." Lyona chuckles quietly. "Didn't you notice how quickly the situation turned from simple curiosity into much more heated and unashamed requests? They demanded you to strip and clearly had no intentions of stopping above the belt. Due to all the alcohol they consumed, they might have not realised what was happening, but instinctually, they desired your blood, showing it by their crass carnal craving."
"Fair enough," I agree. "Will it be safe for us to return to them, then?"
"Definitely," she replies confidently. "I'll take my role as the host seriously from now on. They won't harass you or your mercenaries anymore under my watch. I apologise once more for my actions from earlier in the night."
"Everything's good." I reassure her with a few pats, watching as she becomes the calm and collected Lyona I know from the guild. "While being timid and skittish certainly makes you adorable, I love that confident and cold demeanour of yours even more. Fits the whole Vampire Princess setting rather well."
Some fair rosiness returns to her cheeks as she graces me with a faint smile before nodding in thanks and schooling her expression a little. I dress myself up properly and Lyona offers me her elbow. Acting like the escorting knight which I am supposed to be for this request, I link my arm with hers and we walk out of the balcony together.
We pass by a few servants, both male and female, who seem a bit anxious, so Lyona stops us to talk to them for a moment. She explains that something upset her earlier and I came rushing to comfort her, ignoring even my poor and shameful state of attire to lend her my support. We supposedly talked some in the fresh, evening air and everything is now back to normal. She makes it clear that they shouldn't blame me for anything as all I wanted and did was in good faith.
"Thank you," I whisper to her after we move away.
"It's the least I can do to avoid unsavoury rumours from spreading amongst them. The maids can have a very active imagination. I'll speak to Father about it later. There's no doubt someone reported the sightings to him. I don't want you to be seen as anything other than the hero who rushed after me with respectful worry," she replies with a ladylike smile.
"Considering my reputation as a brothel owner, this might be a stretch." I chuckle quietly, eliciting a soft giggle from the pretty Vampire girl too.
We reach the doors leading to the festive chamber and I hold them open for the star of the evening. Stepping inside, we take a glance over the room. The colourful ladies lay sprawled on the three sofas positioned around the main coffee table while sipping on wine, clearly more than tipsy already.
Yuru, our full-blooded leopard girl, stands next to them with a big metal tray and keeps waving it vertically like a fan, cooling the women down. Ressia takes the spot on the other side, holding bottles of wine and some tasty grapes on hers, currently refilling the girl in yellow's glass.
Lyona frowns delicately as we approach them. "What are you doing? They are our guards, escorts, even guests, not your personal servants."
"Look who made it back!" The woman in blue giggles to herself. "Did the handsome sir help improve your mood? I'm glad to see he isn't too quick, considering how long you were gone."
"Oh, come on! Why does he have more clothes on than before!" The one in blue groans and hiccups lightly.
My new Vampire friend walks up to Yuru and takes the silver tray away with an apologetic smile, putting it on the side.
"Hey! I was enjoying that!" The girl in green huffs and gets up. "What the hell, Lyona! First you take away the eye candy, then you return with it fully covered, and now you even interrupt our fanning service? You are ruining—"
Lyona's figure suddenly blurs and a powerful breeze hits the complaining noblewoman as she reappears in front of her with a hand around her throat. She stares at the slightly taller woman with a completely calm and impassive expression, showing coldness and indifference I recognize from her guild work.
"I think you are forgetting whose birthday party it is, Ucelle. I will not tolerate any more disrespect towards our escorts and their leader. If you are dissatisfied with my hospitality, you are free to leave at any moment. If you decide to stay and continue causing trouble, I will have to leverage my rights as a host and deal with you accordingly." She speaks firmly and slowly.
Ucelle gazes down at her with wide, panicked eyes as her toes dangle in the air. Before her face can turn purple from the lack of oxygen, Lyona lets go of her and she stumbles back, falling onto the couch while coughing and massaging her throat, fear visible in her fully focused now eyes.
The other guests fall into a fearful silence too as she drags her cold gaze over them and they shrink into themselves a bit. Lyona moves to Ressie and takes her tray too, thanking the wolfgirl for her help quietly. Inviting my girls to join them in turns and enjoy the snack and drinks too, she sits on the empty sofa and directs a polite smile my way.
Sending a quick mental ping back home to check if everything is alright, I decide to stay at her place for a little longer. The rowdy ladies rein themselves in a tad and mostly listen to me and the mercs talk with their host about various things connected to our work and adventures. They do join in from time to time but are clearly more hesitant now, afraid of angering the white-haired lady. Lyona has really shown them who is the boss here and it doesn't look like she does that too often, judging by the still confused and shocked glances they direct her way.
Since everything seems to continue just fine, I excuse myself after a while and choose to head back. Exchanging just a few more words with my girls, I bid farewell to Lyona with a sneaky wink, and bow towards the other ladies. The kind host escorts me to the exit even though I insist that it isn't necessary.
"Thank you for everything again, Mas—Alastair." Lyona clears her throat.
"While I would prefer you to continue calling me Alastair or Al, if it gives you this much trouble, feel free to call me Master when we are amongst our own. It's the oath, right?" I raise a curious brow at her.
"Yes. I'm sorry, it's just everything that's ingrained into us from a young age. The blood oath has mostly been used for Vampires to offer their servitude to the stronger individuals of our race after the disappearance of Primordials. We are taught to respect it greatly. As I told you, it's not common in the current age," she explains further.
"I'm fairly used to being called Master now so it's alright. Just try not to slip up behind the counter and we are good." I wink at her. "I'll see you tomorrow at the headquarters. Don't rush in early. Take proper rest after wrapping up the party."
"I don't think I will sleep tonight after the boost you have given me, Master." She sighs softly while absentmindedly tracing a finger over her pouty lips. "I feel like I could go on for days."
"Since it's your first time, just take it easy. We'll have plenty of time to test the effects of my blood on your body later," I reply.
Her cheeks flush a tiny bit under the moonlight and she nods. Taking one glance away, she turns her miraculously calm and beautiful face my way, quickly steps closer, and leaves a soft peck on the corner of my lips.
"Thanks. I look forward to it. And to working for you. Have a good night, Master." She curtsies respectfully and slowly walks back, disappearing behind the front door.
Shaking my head, I smile to myself and look into the starry sky. There's no day without a surprise, isn't there?