Darkness In The Flames Read online

  My Lady Vampire Anthology

  Book One - Adrian

  Sahara Kelly

  Copyright 2015 Sahara Kelly

  Cover art copyright 2015 Sahara Kelly

  Acknowledgements

  Nobody writes in a vacuum. There are always friends, conversations, ideas that take root in the mind. One such idea came from the photograph of a beautiful Slovenian spa and the reminiscences of a wickedly charming friend who visits there on a regular basis. It cried out for silks, lace and sensual European intrigue while begging for the crunch of carriage wheels on gravel and the rhythmic thud of horses’ hooves. It demanded moonlit nights and couples who disobeyed convention to lose themselves in darkened forests while exploring the heights of passion—or the depths of depravity. Thus the seed for this saga was planted. Grazie!

  (The books in this anthology were originally published elsewhere as “Flame of Shadows”, “By Shadows Bound” and “Shadows of Thérèse”. They have been slightly revised and re-edited for this edition.)

  Author’s Notes

  The word “Chyne”, used frequently in these tales, is more commonly spelled as “chine” today, and describes a steep sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. Its origin comes from “Cinan”, the Saxon word for gap or yawn. Chine is mostly used in central Southern England, especially the Isle of Wight, where there are nineteen chines, amongst which are the tourist resorts of Blackgang Chine and Shanklin Chine. In the past, they were much appreciated by smugglers and pirates for the shelter and concealment they offered on dark and stormy nights. Sadly, most chines are being constantly eroded, and many are now little more than small gullies leading to the ocean.

  “Rogaška”—where some of the activity in this story takes place—is real, although I have taken a slight liberty with its timeline. A quite incredibly beautiful estate in present-day Slovenia, it gained renown for its healing waters during the medieval period. Converted into a proper health resort and hotel in 1803, it became one of the most fashionable and popular in Europe, helped along by the development of a more convenient railway system between Vienna and Trieste during the mid-1800’s. Its popularity fluctuated with the conflicts in Europe, but today it remains an attractive vacation destination, offering a variety of healthy spa treatments along with relaxing massages and many leisure activities. It also boasts a world-renowned glassware factory producing beautiful lead crystal, much of which is exported to the United States.

  Prologue

  An estate somewhere in Mid-Europe - late 1700s…

  Her hair flamed in the candlelight, a flicker of red that shone brighter than the jewels around the necks of the other women. Each time he glanced into the massive ballroom, the flash of color caught his eye.

  Other men were attracted too—moths to the flame. She danced with anyone who asked, heedless of protocol, ignoring the occasional frowning stare tossed her way by a wallflower.

  She was elegant and lithe, her body beckoning the unwary to capture her, hold her close for a brief instant of time.

  In an unusual fit of whimsy, he thought that she could have been a moonbeam in her creamy silk gown, had it not been for the slash of brilliance coiled atop her head. She was attending in the entourage of some minor Margrave, an overly obsequious lesser functionary whose sole purpose in life was to bolster the importance of Count Rogas, their host for this event.

  The Count himself had performed his one duty dance with his wife, then retired to the card room, leaving the assembled throng to the music, the dancing and the flirting—an inevitable part of any such soiree.

  Given that Rogaška was a huge and opulent near-palace, there were plenty of people left to enjoy themselves, and the Count’s absence was barely noted. Certainly not by her. Nor the several hundred other guests as they whirled through the dance, watched by the man standing in shadow outside a huge open window.

  In spite of the crowds, his gaze inevitably found her. Thérèse Osmocescu. The beautiful red-headed Thérèse. And when her gaze collided with his, he nearly lost his breath. He’d expected a green glitter to shine from beneath her eyelids.

  He was wrong.

  She neared him, coming ever closer, and he fought to suck air into his starving lungs, choking down the bolt of lust that speared him as she fixed him with her gaze.

  Her eyes were blacker than midnight, her irises indistinct from her pupils. They were so unexpected, so unusual, that for a moment or two he almost drowned in their shadowed depths. The massive ballroom splintered into a million shards of light, paling and shimmering next to those deeply disturbing eyes that pierced him to his groin and beyond.

  His cock hardened as she walked towards him, not a word yet spoken between them. His skin heated then dewed with sweat and he swore he could detect her scent—even hear the swish of her gown against her thighs. She was a moving symphony of sexuality, a softly swaying invitation to sin.

  And at this moment he wanted to fuck her more than anything else in the world.

  Jadranko Czaplinek ran his tongue over lips that were suddenly dry and stared as the object of his obsession drew nearer, a slight, teasing smile playing around the lush curves of her mouth.

  She was definitely headed his way, and his mind struggled to absorb that fact. He was nothing—a minor landowner looking for a sponsor. No more than that. His presence at this function was a fluke, her interest in him astonishing.

  When she held out her hand toward him, his heart nearly stuttered to a halt. But he took it nonetheless and drew her through the window onto the stone balcony. Surprisingly cool, her fingers lay across his palm—a kiss of chilled flesh against his heated skin. He shivered involuntarily and gazed uncertainly at her as she drew closer still, folding her hand around his. “I’m…”

  “Ssshh.” One icy finger touched his lips, silencing him. “No words.”

  He smiled at the slight accent that threaded through her speech. It was charming, appealing and heightened her sensuality.

  Her hair caught a stray flicker of light, burning like an ember when exposed to a draft. There was a fire burning in her eyes as well, and Jadranko could only follow where she led. Now he was her captive, trailing the moonlit silk of her gown as she made her way through formal gardens, past hedges and fountains, and into the less well-tended section of the estate.

  As if by instinct her feet found the path, and she sped to her goal—the small bandstand that sat deserted now in a clearing within the forest. Stepping inside, she released his hand and turned, leaning against one white painted column.

  “I want you.” She spoke and the words flew to him on a breath that grazed his cheek with cool sweetness.

  He swallowed. “Me?”

  “Yes, you. Jadranko Czaplinek.” She smiled as she carefully wrapped her tongue around the complicated syllables. “See? I know your name. You were watching me. I could feel your eyes on me.” Her laugh was light and carefree. “A woman always knows when a man is…interested in her. She can tell what he wants.”

  “She can?” Jadranko found he was panting, though they had not exerted themselves. Not yet, anyway.

  “Oh yes.” She raised her chin. “You want me, Jadranko. You want this.”

  His lungs seized as she grasped handfuls of her silken skirts and slowly raised them higher and higher until he could clearly see the bright red curls that shielded her pussy. Catching the dim moonlight, they burned as hotly as his blood.

  “You want this, don’t you?” She purred out the question, parting her thighs very slightly to emphasize her statement.

  Jadranko nodded. “Yes.” His cock was pressing harshly against his trousers. He wanted her all right. He had done so ever since he first set eyes on her.

&
nbsp; “Then take it, Jadranko. On your knees and worship me first. With your mouth. I like that.” She settled herself more comfortably, gown held high, thighs and hips a white gleam in the shadows.

  More than willing, Jadranko dropped to his knees before her, letting his hands slide over the pure shining skin of her legs. He eased them apart to reveal moist and swollen flesh. Her scent teased his nostrils and the little sigh of pleasure she gave was music to his ears.

  He bent to her and sank his mouth into her pussy.

  This was truly a miracle of unheard-of proportions, and Jadranko obeyed the urging of his desires, feasting on the cool body of Thérèse Osmocescu until she was heaving with arousal against his face.

  He was in heaven.

  *~*~*~*

  Thérèse smiled as hot lips sucked ferociously at her cold pussy. Her senses were aroused, her juices flowed and a delightful lassitude spread through her body. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, relishing in the sensations this energetic young man was producing.

  He had been a good choice. An outsider, not part of a large circle or group of guests at the ball. Unlikely to be missed by anyone, certainly not until she was long gone from this place.

  She felt a tingle, a tensing within her sheath, and reached for his head, pulling his mouth away. “More, Jadranko. I need your cock now.”

  How biddable he was—how ready to fuck her. Within seconds his cock was freed from his imprisoning trousers, a hard and aroused length, swollen purple at the enlarged head. Just right to give her pleasure as they fucked.

  “Mmm.” Thérèse smiled once more as he stepped between her legs and slid his arousal through her juices. So that he would be in no doubt of her intention, she lifted one leg, allowing the inside of her thigh to brush upward over his now-naked hip. Trousers in a wrinkled puddle around his feet, Jadranko groaned as he sought the entrance to her sex, his cock rooting hungrily through her flesh.

  “Lift me, my strong Jadranko. Lift me so you can fuck me deeply. Be with me in the flames.”

  Willingly his hands cradled her buttocks and without hesitation he took her slight weight, raising her to exactly the right height. Her breasts grazed his coat, the roughness of the simple fabric abrading her sensitive nipples through the fine silk. It was but another step in her arousal.

  This was what she craved, needed with a desire so fierce it nearly choked her. She had desired it at regular intervals for nearly a hundred years now.

  And when it came from a handsome young man like Jadranko, so much the better. Her last time, several months ago, had been with a not-so-handsome partner. The smell of the stables had been all over him and had clung to her nostrils ever since. She’d had a hard time getting the taste of him out of her mouth.

  But this one? He was perfect.

  With one supremely accomplished thrust he took her, sinking his cock deeply inside her body. She could feel the heat from each ridge and valley along its hard length. It warmed her, filled her, drove her wild with desire, lust—and hunger.

  Risking a glance at his face, Thérèse saw his eyes close and his lips part as he began to pound into her, seeking his own release but managing skillfully to encourage hers as well.

  Oh yes. He was good.

  She let herself go, enjoying the feel of him fucking her, and the knowledge of what was yet to come. She ignored the hard wooden column against her spine, and barely felt the night air against her buttocks. It was all about her inner sensations and her need—to orgasm.

  To survive.

  He was close, very close to his peak now, as was she. Sweat beaded up on his forehead and she licked it—her first taste of him. Sweet yet salty, he was as richly satisfying on her tongue as he was between her thighs.

  His muscles tensed and his lips grimaced as his orgasm began.

  It was time.

  Thérèse released the darkness within her, fighting back a shriek of delight as her fangs emerged.

  Jadranko exploded in her dark heat with a groan of pleasure, hammering his hips against her and driving her wild as his groin abraded hers with each stroke.

  She soared high—higher—until she reached her peak and shattered into a million pieces.

  The scream broke free and she cried out—just as she sank her fangs into Jadranko’s neck and bit him.

  His blood pulsed into her waiting mouth and down her throat, filling her with heat and passion and desire. Her muscles spasmed as her lips sucked, a rhythmic counterpoint that finally quenched her thirst.

  He staggered, his softening cock slipping free of her body, and she slid to the floor, standing once more in front of him. And still she drank. The sweetness of his blood was nectar to her starving soul and she wondered if she’d ever get her fill of him. Sadly she knew he would die long before such a thirst could be sated, but it would be enough—enough until the next time.

  Suddenly a blast of sound disturbed her.

  People—there were people coming toward the bandstand through the woods. People laughing, chattering, carrying lanterns—they’d see…

  Thérèse ripped her fangs from Jadranko’s neck and let him fall in a heap. There was no time to ensure his death. No time to conceal his remains for the wolves or animals to devour.

  No time.

  Flushed with her feast and angry at her carelessness, Thérèse Osmocescu fled the small building, returning to the ball from another part of the gardens. She stayed only long enough to gather her cloak and make her farewells. The gentlemen were sorry to see her leave, admiring the bloom of color in her cheeks, but she would not be denied. An emergency, she’d said. The servants would see her safely home.

  And as her carriage disappeared into the darkness of the forest surrounding Rogaška, something crawled to the densest shadows in the wilderness and sought solitude.

  It had once been Jadranko Czaplinek.

  Now it was a vampire.

  Chapter One

  England, ten years later

  “There’s a storm at sea.” Jacob Trethearne stared out over the ocean as it reflected a shiny sliver of moon from choppy wavelets.

  “Indeed there is.” Sidney Chesswell joined his friend at the edge of the stone parapet. The wind stirred his thin hair and he pushed it away impatiently. “Won’t come this way though. It’s headed east, I’ll be bound.”

  Jacob chuckled. “In the forty-odd years we’ve known each other, Sidney, you’ve never been wrong about such things. I’ll take your word for it. I still should be leaving though, storm or no.”

  Sidney sighed. “I suppose so. I’m glad you had the chance to visit.” He would miss his old friend. St. Chesswell would be quiet once he had gone. Their day together had been a most pleasant break in his routine.

  “You should remarry, Sidney. You’re still young enough to get yourself an heir.” Jacob turned away from the sea. “Do you really want all this—“ he waved his hand around him, “to go to that wastrel second cousin?”

  Sidney smiled patiently and walked to the glass door through which both men had come earlier to smoke their cheroots. “Don’t start that again, Jacob. You know I’ll not remarry. Not in this lifetime.”

  Jacob moved through into the snug parlor and watched as Sidney closed and latched the doors. “She is probably dead, you know.”

  Sidney nodded. “I know.” There was no more to be said.

  Jacob took his leave, promising to visit again soon and as Sidney had expected, his home grew silent once more. He tugged on his greatcoat and moved to the front door, opening it with a heave on the ornate handle.

  “Sir?” Old Cheverly, his butler since he assumed his title, appeared immediately as if awaiting this moment and raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Got to breathe, Cheverly. Got to breathe. It’s stifling in here.”

  “As you wish, sir. I’ll be leaving the latch off for you then, shall I?” With the ease of a long and comfortable association, the butler respectfully passed his employer his hat. He had been with Sidney Chesswell, man an
d boy. He, of all people, knew of Sidney’s need to “breathe”.

  And breathe he did. Heedless of the wind that had picked up considerably, Sir Sidney strode down the narrow path to the Chyne and the stairs that would take him to the beach. His pace was that of a man half his age, and in truth his appearance gave the lie to the records in the local church. Yes, he had been born close to three score years before, in this very parish. Only his white hair would attest to those years, however. The rest of him was in very good shape indeed.

  Except for his heart. That had been irreparably broken the day Josephine left him.

  The memories flooded back at Jacob’s words, swamping his thoughts with remembered images. Josephine laughing, Josephine riding with long black hair flying free in the wind, Josephine naked on their bed—and Josephine crying.

  She’d laughed less and cried more as their life together continued, until finally she’d left, taking Sidney’s heart with her. Mercurial, highly-strung and nervous, her moods changed as rapidly as the skies over St. Chesswell’s Chyne, and it wasn’t long before Sidney knew their marriage was doomed.

  He couldn’t love her enough. Or perhaps he loved her too much. Either way, he couldn’t hold her. One morning—one bitterly cold November morning—he’d awoken to a sense of unease, of knowing something was wrong.

  It was. Josephine had gone.

  He’d never loved another woman since then. And he’d never seen Josephine again.

  Absently, Sidney avoided the rippling waves at the water’s edge as he strode along the beach. The wind was stronger now, forcing him to stop and settle his hat more firmly. His coat flapped freely, lifting like the sails of some landlocked vessel anxious to set sail.

  Casting his memories aside with an oath, he walked on, turning his thoughts to his latest find—a unique and ancient copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. This parchment, alleged to be a copy of the original papyrus, had cost him a small fortune, and Sidney was convinced it would be worth the expense.