Chapter 15: Past Lovers

*VICKY* 200 years ago… As the moonlight shone through the window into my bedroom, I awoke to find myself next to Jacob, shrouded in the warmth of his skin. I had never felt more at home. For more than a month, the two of us had been glued together, immersed in the erotic pleasures of the harem. I still attended council meetings and make executive decisions, but in my time away, I left all the government affairs to Baden. I cared about the throne and my people—it was the reason I usurped it. But once Jacob was found, it was as if everything else didn't matter anymore. The politics, the wars…nothing else mattered but the man lying beside me, entirely healthy and alive. As my mate, his physical fitness had improved tremendously, especially in bed. We could even make love for one night and two days without stopping. I couldn't fathom anything more perfect. I trailed my fingers up and down his arm, gently waking him. He roused and stretched, his eyes fluttering open from a restful sleep. "Good morning," he said with a small smile. "How did you sleep?" "Better with you," I mustered, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Jacob chuckled. "You say that every day." "Because it's true." At this, Jacob rolled his eyes and fell back onto his pillow, letting the softness of my fingers lull him back into a sleep-like trance. "I'm wondering…" I continued softly. "Now that we're bonded…how long do you think you'll truly love me until you start despising me?" Jacob laughed and rolled over, leaning close to me. "Till the seas go dry and rocks crumble baby," he whispered. As he spoke, he licked my ear. My heart began to race again. The smell of the Blood Perfume on his body mixed with his body fragrance, stimulating my every nerve. He moved down from my ear and started to kiss my neck. I groaned against his touch as he removed my clothing for the third time in under twelve hours. Quickly, my snow-white and ample breasts were exposed under his touch. He bent down and sucked crazily at them, the numbing pain invading my brain. I soon found myself moaning. "Whatever you do…" I said breathlessly. "Don't…stop…" My voice seemed to hit him hard and Jacob's attack intensified. He ran his tongue over every inch of my skin until he made his way to my groin. His soft lips and wet tongue teased my g-spot in a frenzy. That was what fascinated me most about him; he always knew exactly where to go. I clamped my long legs viciously around his back and grabbed a hold of the sheets. Each cry I made only drove him crazier, and he started going faster and faster before stopping entirely. The bright moonlight outlined his well-defined face like a sculpture as he looked up at me, and he grinned, licking his lips. "Feeling good, baby?" His words were like magnets that attracted every cell in my body. I greedily grabbed the back of his head and pushed him back down, prompting a small laugh from him. I twisted my waist hard and pressed him under me. I was not inferior to him in terms of sex skills, but the more he continued, the closer I got. My moans were growing more intense, and he knew exactly what to do. Jacob stopped and rushed himself up to my lips, continuing to satisfy me with his fingers. I clashed my tongue together with his, pulling him as close as humanly possible while groaning deeply with each breath. Jacob broke the interaction and turned his neck to me, revealing the glorious skin before me. I bit his neck lightly, and traces of bright red blood flowed into my mouth. The blood of a mate was the most erotic flavor ever to exist, and the combination of blood and sex almost made me fall over the edge. Looking at the man under me, I stroked him with both hands, from top to bottom, wishing I could give him everything I had. He let out a moan of pleasure as I stopped and began stroking him while he continued maneuvering his fingers in ways I didn't know possible. Our bodies intertwined like snakes, touching each other. I wished a painter would have recorded this magnificent scene. Suddenly, he picked me up and shoved himself into me without warning. It was as if a hot iron had suddenly pierced my skin. I felt pain at first, but then it was replaced by pleasure. "Fuck!" I cried out. "Jacob—fuck!" My lascivious cries pierced the early morning sky. Underneath the sunlight, our entwined bodies were as flawless as oil paintings. Jacob's body undulated crazily as we connected. I was immersed in this erotic pleasure. Then, he flipped me over, placing my hips high against him. He lined himself up and, once again, pressed into me, making me scream in utter ecstasy. There was another violent round of pumping until I climaxed, shuddering with the weight of the orgasm knocking me off my knees. My eyes fell closed in complete comfort and happiness. My mind was clear and all I felt was utter…pain? I opened my eyes and found Jacob straddling me. I thought at first, that he was playing a trick on me, or continuing to reach his pleasure. But then a sharp pain shot through me, followed by a mouthful of blood. Sticking out of my chest, right where my heart was, was a blessed silver dagger. I could still feel the holy power of the dagger restricting the beating of my heart. My eyes were wide in fear and betrayal. "Jacob…?" "Ah, my beloved Victoria," he began with a sinister smile. "The honored and mighty Blood Queen…if you thought about more than yourself for once, you would have asked me enough about myself to truly know where I come from." He showed me the silver badge on the handle of the dagger. I recognized it at a glance. It was the badge of the Silver Hunters of the Holy Cross Order. These people were humanoid weapons specially developed by the church to target Kindred. I struggled with all my might to squeeze out of his grasp, but each twist pushed pain through my body. Jacob held down my wrists and put his knees in their place, their bones driving into my flesh and adding more pain. He reached up and tore off his disguise to reveal his original appearance. There was a long thin scar on his cheek that extended all the way to his neck. His eyes were naturally different. This face was very recognizable. I immediately remembered it. "R-Rupert!" I cried out with a cough; blood sputtered from my lips. "Surprised huh? Crazy what some witch magic can do. And if I'm being honest, I didn't really see this coming, either." I couldn't believe what was happening. Regardless of my wounds, my rage caused more pain. "I should have killed you long ago..." Jacob let out a wild laugh as he climbed off me and pulled the dagger out of my body. Blood spurted high into the air. It was clear. As I laid there, bleeding out, I knew exactly why he was there. It was to take revenge on me. I had sucked the blood of his wife dry. Now we seemed to have swapped roles, with him being the hunter and I the game. I had been hunting too much. Maybe this was what I deserved. On the dagger, the blood of my heart gradually solidified like a beautiful ruby. Jacob stared at the stones in fascination. "This is it. I finally got it!" My eyes widened. The Blood Stones. As long as my mate consumed these stones, they could naturally remove their soul binding with me and obtain true eternal life. J Jacob swallowed the stone in one gulp. The Blood Perfume on his body was instantly gone. At that moment, something seemed to have been sucked out of my soul. Although this injury wasn't enough to kill me, the backlash of the destruction contract would slowly devour my life. Even now, I still didn't understand how our connection formed if it was entirely fake on his end. Perhaps love had somehow disabled my senses. He held the remaining gemstone and dangled it in front of my eyes before swallowing it too. "Today, I have to thank you properly for getting what I want, baby. Without you, I'm not sure I could've fulfilled my dreams. I owe you one…" He put on his clothes and looked over at me, as I remained in the same spot, blood spilling over onto the sheets. "...if you make it that is." He grinned and closed the door behind him. The last thing I remember hearing was Jacob's triumphant laughter echo throughout the castle before everything changed to black.