Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above.
Sensing the Vampire approaching outside her inner sanctum, Madison gave one last swipe of her tongue to the bite in the smooth, warm flesh and raised her head from the human's thigh. What is it, Robin?
"I'm sorry, Mistress," Robin said from the hall outside Madison's boudoir. "A phone call."
The aide-in-training was a youngling, recently risen, and not yet able to telepath her thoughts consistently. She had barely matured enough to remain aware during daylight hours, even deep in the protected caverns of Madison's lair. Sighing, Madison turned away from the naked human stretched out on his back in the center of her bed. Her eyes met Shane's lust-laced gaze across his chest, and she smiled. "Go ahead, darling. I won't be long."
Her senechal exhaled, her small tight breasts streaked with crimson from the toying bites she'd scattered across the human's abdomen, her sensuous mouth compressed. "I await your pleasure."
Madison ran her carnelian-tipped nail along Shane's jaw. She'd let her enforcer fuck her after Shane returned from the lab where the humans were studying captive Weres, but she hadn't let her feed. She'd discovered centuries past that the way to secure the fealty of her followers was to bestow favors—and pleasure—at unexpected moments. "I do love how loyal you are. You're still hungry even after having that young Were, aren't you darling?"
"I hunger for you."
"Do you." Shane was the oldest of her line, a powerful Vampire in her own right who could easily head a Clan—or lead a rebellion—but she continued to serve as Madison's second. Madison kissed Shane and loosed her erotic spell, letting her thrall wash over Shane and the blood servant. Shane shuddered. The human writhed, his erection straining between his thighs. "Feed. Your pleasure will be mine."
Snarling, Shane gripped the human's head and bared his throat. She lowered her mouth, plunging her incisors into his neck. She groaned and swallowed. He whimpered in ecstasy. Madison stroked Shane's back, letting her fingers linger on her rhythmically thrusting ass, absorbing the tendrils of Shane's orgasm, the shared release flowing through her consciousness, augmenting her hunger. When the vicarious pleasure had honed her need to a razor's edge, she turned to the door. "Come."
The iron-banded, arched oak door swung open on soundless hinges and Robin glided into the room. Pale skin, mahogany hair, deep green eyes—she was beautiful, intelligent, and submissive without being fragile. She'd been a blood servant since she'd been twenty, had accepted Madison's bond at twenty-five, and had petitioned to be turned immediately. Madison had agreed to turn her as soon as the blood union was complete. Robin's body was still temptingly fresh, bearing the last vestiges of her fading mortality in the softness of her lush breasts and gently curving hips, but her control was fragile. The scent of blood and lust that soaked the air enveloped her, and her eyes shimmered with scarlet flames. Her nipples probed her sheer white silk shirt like ice picks. She dipped her head, incisors gleaming and leather-covered thighs trembling. Her need was ambrosia on Madison's tongue. "Mistress. There is a call from someone on your priority list. A Dr. Schecter."
"Really," Madison murmured, slowly massaging the human's cock. When he climaxed, the flood of adrenaline in his blood would spike Shane's pleasure. "Did she state her business?"
"Personal."
Madison laughed. No doubt. Jenny Schecter had called her just the night before, seeking assistance for one of her experiments. She'd been vague, but Shane had reported in detail. Dr. Schecter was involved in some very secret and very illegal experimentation on Weres, and that knowledge was power. Now Schecter was calling again, and the thought of having the doctor in her debt sent a frisson of satisfaction through Madison's blood. After so many lifetimes, the lure of blood had taken second place to the thrill of power. She enjoyed feeding, but enjoyed feeding off the submission of others even more. She leaned over and kissed the host, the stimulants in her mouth adding to the ones Shane injected into his blood. He cried out hoarsely, his cock arcing violently. She let him go as he came, stroking Shane's midnight hair and running her thumb along the sharp blade of Shane's cheek. "You'd better stop soon, darling. He's close to depleted."
Shane groaned, an agonized gasp of need, but she pulled away, her flat red eyes blind with bloodlust, a trickle of scarlet coursing from the corner of her mouth.
Madison kissed away the blood trail and pushed Shane onto her back. She kissed her throat and then her breasts, sliding her hand between Shane's legs. "I have to take a call, darling." She slipped her fingers into her, a deep hard thrust of ownership, and Shane orgasmed in her hand. "Rest now. We'll feed together when I return."
She left Shane staring at the ornate carved ceiling above the bed and crossed to where Robin quivered in the doorway, her face contorted and her eyes glazed. Robin would have fed with all the other Risen at sunrise, but any Vampire in Madison's presence would be stimulated by her unshielded sexual thrall. And she hadn't bothered to shield herself. Robin pressed her back against the doorjamb as Madison approached, her agonized gaze taking in Madison's nude body.
"You did well to come for me," Madison murmured, pausing inches from her.
"Thank you, Mistress," Robin gasped, her throat working convulsively.
"Kneel."
Robin dropped to her knees and Madison threaded her fingers into the thick dark waves at the base of Robin's neck. She pulled the young Vampire's face to the cleft between her legs. "Drink."
Whimpering, Robin closed her mouth over Madison's sex and sucked frantically. Madison threw her head back, laughing quietly as her orgasm rippled through her like sunlight washing down a mountainside. She had not seen sunlight in a hundred lifetimes, a trade she would make a hundred times over for the power she had now.
Ashley followed the scent of her injured young down the hall and knocked on the closed door. Any other time she would have entered unannounced, but she didn't want to startle them. Lauren answered immediately and stepped outside, partially closing the door.
"Alpha," Lauren said, dipping her head for an instant.
"How are they?"
"Restless. I can't get either of them to eat. They seem to have an aversion to food."
Fury roiled in Ashley's chest. "Why would that be?"
"Chelsea could probably tell you better than—"
"I'm asking you."
Lauren straightened and the fatigue in her eyes dropped away. "The blood tests we've run indicate they've been drugged chronically, probably via their food and water. Their respiratory emissions also show breakdown products of silver. Their entire environment, from the food they ate to the air they breathed, was a prison. My guess is that their wolves will reject anything they haven't killed themselves, and they're too weak to hunt."
Ashley's claws shot out and she threw her head back, struggling to contain a howl of rage. Lauren gasped, white pelt rippling beneath her skin, rising to the call of Ashley's wolf. Ashley leashed her wolf, her jaws aching with the effort of holding her back. "Prepare the food trays and bring them in. They'll eat for me. As soon as they're stronger, I'll take them out to hunt."
Lauren flicked her gaze away, then fleetingly met Ashley's eyes. "Alpha, if I might make a suggestion?"
Ashley's wolf paced in furious circles, demanding retribution. She wanted to track down whoever had ordered her young to be tortured, drag him to the ground by his throat, and tear him limb from limb. She would, before this was over. She growled.
"About the young," Lauren said gently.
A soothing hand brushed over Ashley's wolf and she paused in her incensed stalking. Spencer was the only one who could truly calm her, but Lauren was exceptional among all the Weres in the Pack. She was Omega—neither dominant nor submissive—a peacekeeper, and her presence would settle anyone near her. She was also likely to absorb the rage and pain of others until she risked being battered herself. Ashley ground her teeth, forcing her wolf to heel. "Tell me."
"I know what it's like to distrust everyone, even myself. They're confused. They may fear you."
"I am their Alpha."
"Yes, and probably the only one they will be able to trust, perhaps ever—but until they can, they're dangerous. Especially Alice."
Ashley snarled. "They are mine. I will care for them."
"Alice's shifts are unpredictable, but she's fighting them. I think she was forced to shift in the lab."
"She won't say?"
"She's not talking. Neither of them is."
"They need to." Ashley cupped Lauren's cheek and lifted her chin. The skin beneath her eyes was purplish, her cheeks hollow, her color ashen beneath the summer bronze. "So do you. You're not well." Lauren tried to look away but Ashley held her jaw more firmly. She breathed in, catching the subtle wave of pheromones on her tongue. "You're in heat and suppressing it."
Lauren shuddered. "Please. When you touch me—"
Ashley released her. She was mated and usually mated Weres had no effect on Weres in heat, but her touch would always produce a physical response. She should have sensed Lauren's need instantly. "What are you doing to dampen the call?"
"Nothing prohibited. Just the hormonal blockers the soldiers use when they're posted alone for long periods." Lauren hugged herself, struggling for composure.
"More than you should be taking if I didn't sense your need instantly. Why?"
"I don't seek a mate. You know why."
Ashley sighed and lightly caressed her cheek. "Why haven't you found one of the less dominant Weres to tangle with? They won't attempt a mating unless you offer."
"Hardly fair to them." Lauren smiled wanly.
"That's not true. Tangling with a female in heat is never a hardship." Ashley caught her gaze. "If you don't, the buildup of hormones will weaken you. You know that."
"I'll be all right. I'll do what needs to be done, just not yet."
"Have you talked to your mother about this?"
"No. Please, Alpha. I'll be all right."
"We need you healthy, Lauren. Don't put this off."
"Of course." Lauren colored. "Thank you, Alpha."
"There's nothing to thank me for. You're mine. Don't forget that."
"I never will." Lauren sidled around Ashley and headed down the hall. "I'll be with Chelsea if you need me."
Ashley let her go, eased into the sickroom, and closed the door behind her.
A single shaded bulb in the center of the ceiling cast pale light on the two beds at right angles to each other at the rear of the room. Carmen and Alice, both naked, had kicked off the plain white sheets. Carmen lay curled in a ball, her arms around her middle, her eyes closed, giving no sign of sensing Ashley's entrance. Shock, exhaustion, malnutrition had dulled her protective instincts. Alice sat with her back pressed to the wall and tracked Ashley's movements as she walked toward her, eyes wary and just this side of challenging.
Ashley crouched between the two beds, reaching to touch both young at once. "You are my wolves," she said steadily. "You're home now, and safe. Feel me, feel the Pack." She let her power rise and Carmen whimpered, shifting in her sleep until a slender brown wolf with white-tipped ears and muzzle lay comma'd in the center of the bed, panting softly. Alice fought not to shift, rumbling in her chest. She absorbed Ashley's call, her teeth grinding, claws erupting from her fingertips, a wash of charcoal pelt sliding over her abdomen. She pulled away from Ashley's hand, her breath ragged and uneven.
"Come to me," Ashley murmured and Gray snarled. She was strong, but she couldn't be allowed to defy the call of her Alpha. She needed to reconnect with the Pack. She needed the security of belonging. Ashley held Alice's gaze, staring her down until Alice's gaze slid to the side. Still she did not shift. Ashley unleashed the full force of her call. "You are my wolf. Come to me."
Still struggling to resist, Alice shimmered in midshift, her pelt sliding and receding over her torso, her face morphing and changing back. She'd damage herself if she fought Ashley's call much longer. Ashley grasped her by the neck and pulled her from the bed, forcing her down on her back on the floor. She straddled her and stared into the wild amber eyes. "You will submit to me. I am your Alpha." Alice arched, a plaintive whine breaking from her throat. She shifted and a charcoal wolf shuddered beneath Ashley.
You're safe, my wolf. Ashley sank back on her heels and pulled the wolf into her lap, tucking Alice's head against her shoulder. She ran her fingers down Alice's back, over her muzzle, behind her ears. She rubbed her cheek against Alice's head. You're safe with me. You're strong now, but I need you to be strong in skin. Find your strength, Alice.
The wolf shivered and whined again.
Ashley sat with her back against the bed, holding the wolf in her arms, letting Alice absorb her strength, letting her feel her connection to all the hundreds of hearts beating in the Pack. It's time to come back, Alice. You're safe. Do it now.
The wolf tensed, shimmered, and after a few convulsive seconds, Alice shifted to skin and lay curled up in Ashley's arms, her breasts against Ashley's chest, her cheek on Ashley's shoulder.
"Alpha," Alice moaned, her mouth against Ashley's throat. Heat poured from her skin and pheromones erupted from her pores. She was young, dominant, and aroused.
Ashley lifted her and laid her gently on the bed, stepping back. "Look at me."
Alice focused on Ashley's face, her eyes clearing.
"You're home. You're safe. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, Alpha," Alice murmured, licking her lips.
Ashley nodded, bent over, and brushed her fingers through Alice's hair. "I need you. The Pack needs you. Can you stand strong, my wolf?"
Alice's stomach contracted, her thighs tight as iron bands. She sucked in a breath. "Yes, Alpha."
"Good. First you'll eat, then we'll hunt."