The sun had nearly reached the midday mark when Eva finally opened her eyes the next day. She might not have done so even then if it weren't for the feel of a hand that kept brushing across her hip, then her stomach. What really got her attention was when it moved to cup her breast and squeezed slightly. She groaned as she rolled away from the playful touch and tried to stretch, only to be pulled back against a hard chest.
Adrian kissed her neck before he spoke. His voice rumbled against her back. "I would say good morning, but that has come and gone."
Eva groaned again at the very mixed signals she was getting from her body. On one hand, the feel of Adrian's body against hers was already making her feel absolutely gooey thinking about what he had done to her the night before. On the other, those same thoughts were a vivid reminder as to why she was sore as hell. She hadn't even known she could be sore in some of those places.
She held that thought as she turned in his arms. She gave him a baleful look. "Don't start with me. It's not my fault you kept me up until dawn."
His grin turned slightly feral as he pushed her back. "Oh, really? You didn't seem to want to stop me."
Eva could already feel her blood heating as his hand was tracing circles on her side. She briefly wondered about her own sanity when she considered seeing if the soreness would work itself out. Unfortunately, she had a feeling she needed at least a little bit of a break first. Although, she did kind of regret it as his hand slipped down to her hip.
She shoved those thoughts aside as she pushed against his chest and gave him a half-smile. "No, I can't say that I wanted to stop at all. I'm not even going to try and claim that I want your hands to stop what they're doing right now. Unfortunately, I need them to."
Adrian froze, and his hand pulled back. He leaned away from her slightly as he gave her a worried look. "I did see the bruises I left, and I apologize. I will try to remember to curb my strength better."
Eva was stunned for a moment. This was more like the Adrian that she had come to know. Still, she had a feeling the way he was with her the night before had not been just because he was drunk. She had seen enough in her life to know that if anything, alcohol usually showed the side that people kept hidden, not something they weren't at all. Plus, she doubted the alcohol had that much of an effect on him for long.
She grabbed the hand he had taken from her hip and put it right back where it was before she smirked at him. "You've given me worse bruises during training. I can handle those just fine. I'm not scared of you, and I don't want you to feel like you need to hold back. I don't want you to."
His hand gave an involuntary squeeze, and he pulled her a little closer as she continued speaking. "However, it's going to take me a little getting used to those kinds of activities. It's the rest of my body that's sore as hell. I just need a few hours, and maybe a hot bath to recuperate."
He didn't say anything for several seconds. Instead, his hand ghosted up to the spot on her neck where he had bitten her. He traced the tiny marks with one finger before he caught her eyes once more. "You aren't afraid of me at all?"
Eva sighed. She had wondered once she had time to calm how he was going to react to that. It wasn't like he openly embraced his vampiric half. He didn't necessarily avoid it either, but this was probably not something he made a habit of. She gave him a smile as she shook her head. "No. Not even after last night. You said it yourself. Did I smell scared?"
Her face flushed bright red at the reminder of how blunt he had been, but she didn't see any reason to pretend around him. He had seen and felt parts of her that no one else had before. She doubted there was much reason for her to be shy around him anymore. Not that her blushing didn't still have a mind of its own.
He finally smirked at the sight of her pink cheeks. He brushed his knuckle across one before he spoke again. "If you trust me, will you allow me to help?"
She gave him a curious look. "Help? What do you mean?"
His smirk widened. "With your pain. I can help ease it." When she gave him a dubious look, he chuckled. "I will admit that I have an ulterior motive, but I promise that it will also help."
She laughed at his honesty but still nodded. "I suppose it can't hurt to try."
As soon as her agreement passed her lips, he leaned down to capture them in a gentle kiss. It was not long before she was swept up in it. His free hand had not been idle. It gently brushed up her side in lazy strokes that became longer with each pass. When he finally reached her breast, he paused long enough for his thumb to barely brush against the side of her nipple before he continued on. Nothing substantial, or harsh.
After doing that several times, Eva nearly growled at him. She had been running her hands across his shoulders and arms in lazy circles, but as her body heated, she tried to grab him and deepen the kiss. He pulled back and gently pinned her hands next to her head. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I said I wanted to help. You're going to have to sit back and relax, or I will need to make you."
Eva shivered at the look he was giving her. She could tell he had much better control this morning, but the hunger was still burning in his eyes. "Do you expect me to not touch you at all?"
He leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth before he whispered. "I will allow it as long as you relax. Otherwise, no. You cannot."
She huffed as he leaned back again with a smirk. "You should close your eyes and just feel. I promise you will enjoy this."
Eva wasn't sure what to think of his request. When he ran both hands down her sides while giving her a pointed look, she finally closed her eyes with a sigh. She had said she trusted him after all. She nearly jumped when his voice ghosted over her ear. "Good, now keep them closed."
She whimpered when his mouth then went to rain feather light kisses over her chest while missing the nipples that had already started to harden. She still kept her eyes closed. She was getting ready to beg him to quit ignoring the sensitive tips, despite how sore they had been, when he finally laved his tongue across one tip and then the other. The sudden unexpected action pulled a deep groan from her. It wasn't until he did it again that she realized that it hadn't hurt at all. The soreness in her breasts had all but been replaced by the pleasure that was coursing through her.
The thought that he could do that to the rest of her sent a shiver down her spine and a wave of heat pooled in her core. She knew the moment Adrian picked up on it too. He paused in the kisses he was raining on her stomach, and she felt his lips turn up against her skin. He didn't say anything, however. Instead, he instantly went back to what he had been doing with renewed fervor.
It took everything Eva had to lay back and not try to grab the man that was making his way lower down her body. Everywhere he touched was on fire, and she had long since forgotten why they started. Her soreness was already only a distant thought. Not that it was gone, but it was buried under a landslide of pleasure.
When Adrian gently coaxed her legs open, she didn't hesitate to let him do what he wished. Though, her eyes did shoot open the second she felt his tongue swirl around the bundle of nerves at the top of her entrance. He must have been anticipating her reaction because he didn't stop as he placed a firm hand on her stomach and pressed to keep her from sitting up.
When she tried to grab for his hand, he sat back and gave her a mock glare. "Now, didn't I say to relax?"
She stared up at him with wide eyes. "How am I supposed to do that?"
He took both of her hands and held them above her head. His face was only a hairsbreadth above hers. "Would you rather I restrained you?"
Eva's eyes widened when she realized he meant it. She swallowed a few times while she tried to process that thought. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. When she didn't respond right away, he released her. "Now, if you feel the need to grab something, make it the sheets. The only thing I want to hear is your cries of pleasure."
Eva's face heated again, but she quit trying to stop him. He was a grown man and knew what he was doing. It wasn't like she was opposed to the act, it was just something new for her. She tried to let go of her embarrassment as he slid back down her body, laying kisses as he went.
Adrian did not go right back to what he had been doing. Instead, he planted kisses along the insides of her thighs and across her hips. When he finally felt her relax once again, he slowly trailed his kisses closer to her core. This time, she only jumped slightly when he moved to repeat his action from earlier. As soon as he was assured she was not going to react poorly again, he grew bolder and slid his tongue inside to taste her.
He could not hold back a growl as the taste of her crossed his tongue. It was still just as blinding as it had been the night before. He had no idea how he found the strength to stop from turning his head at that moment and sinking his fangs into her thigh. Her blood sang to him nearly as loudly as her cries were. Instead, his grip on her hips tightened as he focused on drawing out every bit of pleasure he could, every drop of proof that she was coming undone just for him.
He did not relent until he finally felt her trembling lessen. She raised a shaking hand and called out to him with a voice that was hoarse from her passion. "Adrian-"
That was all that she could get out. He kissed her thigh once more with a longing look before he rose to lay beside her while she caught her breath. When she was in control of herself, he pushed her hair off her face and smiled down. "Better now?"
Eva took a deep breath and let it out with a grin. "Well, I certainly don't hurt like I did anymore." At that point, she paused with a frown. There was something not quite right about this situation. She felt her cheeks heat again, but she wasn't going to stay silent. "What about you?"
He lifted a brow. "I wasn't in any pain to begin with."
She playfully smacked his arm. "That isn't what I'm talking about."
His smile took on an edge that made him look like the cat that ate the canary. "Oh, that. Well, that can wait. Besides, getting to see, and taste, you falling apart for me was quite the treat."
Eva could feel her ears burning. She had no reference for this. Was this how sexual relationships were supposed to be? The things she had heard from the nurses in her mother's office were nothing like this. She still didn't have a response when he kissed her forehead and chuckled.
"As appealing as staying in bed sounds, we should go clean up. Plus, I am sure you are starving." Eva gave him a nod as she allowed him to pull her to her feet. It wasn't until they were gathering up their clothes that she remembered she would need to retrieve the rest of hers from the study.
The next few days settled back into a pattern for Eva and Adrian, though it was highly modified from what it had been. Neither of them was hesitant to reach out anymore, so sometimes tasks took longer than they used to. Like dinner. It was hard to stay focused when one or both of them were continually reaching out to touch the other when they were unaware. That usually ended up in something boiling over or burnt. At least until they agreed to call a truce until the food was finished.
Their nights were no longer spent in separate beds either. Adrian had gotten rid of the second on that first day. Not that Eva was upset with him for doing so. The only issue they still had was the fact that their physical closeness did not dull his desire for more than her body. If anything, he woke up craving her more than before, every single morning. Eva was just glad he was satisfied to channel that craving into a more pleasurable route.
Not that she objected to him taking her blood. He refrained from doing it often. Honestly, he had only done so twice since their first time together. The second time had been a couple of days later, and he was once again between her thighs. That was an activity she was growing to love. However, he shocked her when he turned during her climax and bit into her thigh while his hands worked to take her over the edge a second time. By the time he released her, she was too thoroughly liquified from back to back orgasms to even think straight, much less care that he had taken a little nip.
Training was also a lot more fun. There was no longer any awkwardness between them, which actually served to improve the sessions significantly. That was where they were currently headed. It had been a little over a week since things had changed between them, and Eva had decided to shake things up a bit. Instead of her usual braid, she had put her hair into a high ponytail. She only needed to see Adrian's eyes once to know how he felt about it.
She turned away to hide her smile as she grabbed the dulled sword she used and headed across the clearing. "So, I know I still don't have the offensive stances down yet, but I think I'm improving on my defense, don't you?"
She couldn't hold in a small 'eep' when his voice was right next to her ear almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "I might have said that before you walked out here with your hair up like that. You do realize that is practically an open invitation to anything with fangs."
She looked over her shoulder at him and couldn't hold in her smirk. "Oh, so what you're saying is that my offensive game is much stronger than I thought?"
His eyes widened as he felt the tip of her blade dig into his ribs. He smirked as he realized she was distracting him on purpose. However, two could play at that game. "Maybe, if you're fast enough. Otherwise, this makes too good a handhold." He moved faster than her eye could follow and grabbed her ponytail about halfway up. He then used it to pull her head to the side while he stepped in closer to her and grabbed her wrist with his other hand.
Eva's blade dropped, though she barely noticed. Adrian growled next to her ear as soon as her heated scent hit him. She was far from scared by his handling of her. "That should not be your reaction when a predator has you in a vulnerable position. From here, I could do anything I wanted."
Despite how turned on she was, Eva's pride was stung by his words. She tried to twist her wrist out of his grasp but didn't make it far. Within a matter of seconds, he spun her around so that he had her arm behind her back. He then grabbed her other hand as well and pinned her chest against a nearby tree. He transferred both hands into one of his so his free hand could go around her throat. She was effectively pinned between him and the tree with no way to move.
"See? Now think of all the evils things that could happen to you."
All of that had happened in the span of a couple of heartbeats, so Eva was already reeling. His words only served to push her off the edge, though not in the way he was intending. Or perhaps it was. When he heard her breath pick up, he growled at her, and his hand moved from her throat to the buttons on her pants. He had them undone in seconds and was already working to push them down with his free hand. The other still held her pinned in place.
Before he could get them past her hips, he slowed and leaned in until he was right next to her ear. His voice was hard, but so low she could barely hear him, even with how close he was. "We are not alone. I'm going to release your hands. As soon as I do, I want you to run back to the castle."
Eva gasped, but he spoke again before she could say anything. "Do not argue."
He didn't give her a chance to say anything. He dropped her hands and was gone so fast she stumbled. She spun to see where he had gone, but all she could see was the swaying of the branches where he had disappeared. Her heart was suddenly in her throat as she turned to do as he told her while she tried to at least get her pants buttoned. She cursed whoever it was up one side and down the other. As terrified as she was, she was way more pissed off.
She didn't stop running until she made it to where her bag was stashed. There wasn't much of her pepper spray left, but it had to be better than nothing. Plus, Adrian had given her a dagger. She didn't think she would need to wear it with him around, but she wasn't going to leave him alone out there. She took her weapons and ran back down.
By the time she made it back to the clearing, she came across a very irritated looking Adrian along with two young Japanese looking people. A boy and a girl. They both stopped and stared at her with shock for a moment before the girl spoke. "We didn't know that you would have a pet."
"Excuse me!?" It took all Eva had not to go slap the girl.
Adrian looked just as angry at the assumption as she felt, and was quick to step in. "Eva is not my pet, she is my companion. She lives here with me."
The two newcomers shared a look before they tried to hide the glance they both made at her neck. Eva felt her face heat as she realized what they were probably looking at, but she squared her shoulders. She was going to damned if some stranger was going to come in and condemn her voluntary choice. It wasn't like Adrian was harming her in any way.
She shoved her dagger into the waistband of her pants and stepped forward with her hand out. "I'm Evangaline Russo." Until she knew more about these two, that was the most they were going to get. She knew she was being a tad rude, but damnit, not only had they barged in on what had promised to be a very fulfilling, ahem, training session, but then they had the nerve to call her a pet?
They both looked at her hand with confusion. Adrian stepped forward and took it in his own as he pulled her next to him. "Eva, please meet Sumi and Taka. They have come from Japan to try and find me it seems."
She glanced at him with curiosity, but the boy, Taka, quickly spoke up. "Yes, we come from the court of the Vampire Cho. We were slaves there, but she was called to fight in Dracula's war. While she was gone, we were able to stage a coup and killed all her guards. We let the slaves go and have come to find the Alucard. We need to learn to fight vampires so that we can go back and kill her."
Eva raised a brow and looked over at Adrian. "The Alucard?"
He gave her an irritated look. "I am 'the' nothing. It's just Alucard. I've already told you that. Why don't we all go back inside and you can tell us more about what brought you here? Then we can discuss the rest."
Eva was at least mollified to see that Adrian looked just as angry about being interrupted as she felt. Although, if these two really had come from a vampire court to learn from him, perhaps she should let it go. It was unlikely that their journey had been an easy one.
Adrian had still not let go of her hand as they walked back, so she tugged on it. "Why don't you take them to the kitchen. I'll go put this stuff up and join you. I should have enough to make lunch for us all."
He gave her hand a squeeze and was about to answer. However, they came in sight of the castle, and both Sumi and Taka gasped. Sumi pointed up at the looming structure. "Dracula's castle!"
Adrian sighed irritably. "No, my castle. Dracula is dead. I killed my father with my own hands."
Both of the newcomers gave him wide-eyed stares at his proclamation. Eva only squeezed his fingers and searched his eyes. When he finally lost the hard look and sighed, she gave him a soft smile. "Let's go. By the time I get enough gathered for two extra people, it will be a late lunch." Adrian gave her a nod, and they led Sumi and Taka up into the castle.
A/N: I don't know about you, but I'd be pissed at them too lol. And so season three has officially started. This will put a bit of a damper on things for a while, unfortunately. However, we still have lots of plans, so look forward to it! Cheers!
