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A Tail Like No Other: Book Four

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Life is not easy for a carnivorous rabbit. I would know. I am one—

Vesper, the white, hunting-challenged carnivorous bunny. I’ve
always been completely unappreciated by my warren because of

my inability to hunt. Finding a mate was next to impossible. Until
now. The wait was worth it, because I’ve met Count Vlad Dracula.

A vampire. My mate.

Suddenly, sucking is very appealing. As is every other form of
intercourse my libidinous bunny mind can come up with. But Vlad

has other ideas. He wants to woo me properly, to introduce me to
the lifestyle of a vampire’s mate. Despite my lustful instincts, I’ve

respected his decision. Being thrust into a vampire family is
strange, especially when fur-obsessed sisters are involved. Sadly,

Vlad’s plan backfires when a mysterious witch attacks us.

Now, it’s up to Vlad to rescue me from her clutches. I only hope

he will do so before the damn bitch slaughters my fur with her
abusive petting.

Note: This book is written in first-person point of view.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Fantasy, Shape-
shifter, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 45,592 words

UNDEAD HAVE BUNNIES, TOO

A Tail Like No Other: Book Four

Scarlet Hyacinth

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MANLOVE

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UNDEAD HAVE BUNNIES, TOO
Copyright © 2013 by Scarlet Hyacinth
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-756-4

First E-book Publication: November 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley
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UNDEAD HAVE BUNNIES,

TOO

A Tail Like No Other: Book Four

SCARLET HYACINTH

Prologue

Merlinia has always been my home. It might not be perfect, but

everything I’ve ever loved is here. I grew up here, in a large warren
with more siblings than I could count. I can’t say it’s been very easy,
but even so, I found cherished friends in Merlinia, ones who helped
me through my confusion and the most difficult times in my life.
Therefore, it came as no surprise to me that Merlinia also provided me
with my mate.

My friends Dineiro and Larue found theirs the same day. Unlike

me, they had some significant problems in getting accustomed to their
new relationships, something quite natural, given the fact that
Dineiro’s mate was a dragon slayer, and Larue’s was one hundred
times his size.

For my part, I fell for Vlad at first sight. He was everything I’d

ever wanted, even with the little problem of his diet. His family could
be overwhelming, but once I got used to the fur-combing and
perfuming, I actually began to like them.

You’re probably wondering now why in the world I’m even

telling this story. No, it’s not just because I want to draw attention to
myself. I’m a bunny, for crying out loud. My kind isn’t inclined to do

Scarlet Hyacinth

that sort of thing, and I would prefer to just hide in my warren, or
better yet, in Vlad’s castle.

But things don’t work like that, not in Merlinia, and not anywhere

else. And honestly, I’m not a coward. I can protect my mate if the
need arises. Well, at least I try. Really, a carnivorous rabbit can be
more dangerous than some people expect. Yes, we are lethal, lethal
creatures. Be warned, you should never cross me—I can turn on you
at any time. What? You don’t look like you believe me. Sigh…I
suppose I can’t blame you. I’m not very fierce, am I?

If only I’d been stronger…But no, I’m getting ahead of myself.

There’s so much more to this tale than I can say in a couple of lines.
Let’s start from the very beginning, from that night that changed my
life and my destiny.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Chapter One:

In Which Petting Is Not Allowed and Bitingly

Discouraged

A few months before

“Let me go!” I struggled in the grip of the mysterious creature that

held me. “Release me this instant.”

It was probably a bad thing to suggest, given that we were

currently flying high up in the sky, in the middle of a storm more
powerful than anything I’d ever seen. If this being—this spirit
hunter—freed me, I would likely fall to my death.

Nevertheless, my instincts demanded that I attack my kidnapper,

and I did exactly that, biting down on the fleshiest part of the
creature’s body that I could reach. It seemed to be a clawed arm,
although it was too dark to distinguish any actual details.

However, as I attempted to bury my fangs in the creature’s flesh, I

found with much dismay that my captor’s flesh was far more resilient
than I’d expected. I released a gasp of pain, having almost broken my
fangs in my zeal to free myself.

There was a light chuckle from the being holding me, but it didn’t

actually say anything. It was perhaps fortunate, because my anger,
fear, and humiliation were already enough without having my foe
taunting me as well.

I didn’t know how long the flight lasted, but by the end, I was

pretty thankful for my fur, because up here, it was pretty cold. Most
importantly, I was very, very pissed, and already plotting my revenge.
Messing with a carnivorous bunny was definitely not a good idea.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Surprisingly, I soon found myself in the courtyard of a large,

ominous-looking castle. The creature holding me flew inside through
a large window and dropped me on a couch situated in the huge,
darkened foyer. In spite of my dizziness, I nonetheless caught a
glimpse of what seemed to be a gargoyle just before the figure flew
out the window again. Well, that explained a lot.

Of course, knowing the spirit hunter was a gargoyle didn’t really

help me, because I still had no idea where I was. Tentatively sniffing
the air, I leapt off the couch and set about to explore my new
environment. Perhaps I could find a way out and somehow, go look
for my friends.

I didn’t get too far, though, and my tentative attempt came to a

grinding halt when a voice made me freeze in my tracks. “Oh, aren’t
you just darling?”

I looked up, only to find a tall, dark-haired woman standing in

front of me. I had no idea where she had come from. She seemed to
have appeared out of nowhere, which startled me greatly. My shape-
shifter senses should have registered her approach.

Even more disturbingly, she wiggled her fingers at me and

continued to baby-talk. “Such a precious thing you are. So gorgeous.
Don’t worry. You don’t need to be afraid. I’m your friend.”

She reached for me, and I guessed she probably meant to pet me.

Taking advantage of her rash actions, I waited until the last possible
moment. Then, when she was within the perfect distance, I struck. I
buried my fangs in her hand, biting her with all the anger and
frustration that had gathered up due to my unfortunate situation. No. I
refused to be petted. Petting was off limits. Goddess, what did these
people think, that because I was a bunny, I had a permanent “pet me”
sign pasted on? Did they not know that our fur was quite sensitive to
the touch? Did they have no concept of personal boundaries? Sheesh.

The woman let out a loud cry and pulled her hand back so

abruptly that I didn’t even release her. I ended up stubbornly hanging
onto her, my fangs still embedded into her flesh. The situation would

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

have probably grown even more difficult, but a tall, muscular man
walked into the room, his gaze zeroing in on me and my foe. Behind
him, three other girls followed.

“What in the world are you doing, Monica?” the man asked.
The woman released a small, breathless chuckle. “I seem to have

upset our guest.”

She didn’t seem to be angry that I had attacked her. Meanwhile,

the other three females gathered around us, making soft cooing
noises. “Oh, isn’t he adorable?”

“Poor thing, his fur looks a little ragged.”
“It must be because of the storm. We could wash him a bit. I’m

sure those new oils would make him just glow.”

Since I was still holding onto the first woman’s hand with my

fangs, I could only let out a muffled, distressed whimper.

The man sighed heavily and walked to our side. Slowly, he took

me in his arms and said, “Come on now. Let go. It’s safe.”

There was just something about his voice that felt truthful, but I

was still a little wary. After all, how could I not be? I’d been
kidnapped and thrust into a lair of abusive females who seemed intent
on attacking me with more violence than I could ever muster.

Nevertheless, the man was less likely to make any attempts to

make my fur glow with bathing oils, so I did let go. Even as I did so,
the wound on my victim’s hand already started to close. She was
pouting, though, and throwing the man a disgruntled look. “Come on,
Vlad. Don’t be like that. We mean well.”

“I’m sure you do,” Vlad replied calmly. “But the gargoyles didn’t

bring him here for you.”

That was the only warning I got before the mysterious Vlad buried

his hand in my fur. A shiver coursed through me, and not an entirely
unpleasant one. My instinctual reaction was to cuddle closer to his
chest, but then, I realized what I was doing. Just as Vlad tightened his
hold on me, I bit him. Hard. He yelped as my fangs struck his nipple.
I hadn’t really intended to do that, but somehow, I actually managed

Scarlet Hyacinth

to draw blood.

He hissed in pain and something more, a feeling my nose

identified as arousal. At the same time, though, I must have surprised
him through my attack, because he dropped me.

I fell onto the floor on four paws and instinctively took off

running. Vlad cursed and started to follow me. As we abandoned the
foyer, I heard the four women burst into laughter, their tinkling
giggles reminding me of the sound of bells as they echoed against the
walls of the castle.

Vlad was laughing, too, but his dark chuckles were more like a

sensual threat than anything else. I kind of wanted to get caught, but I
didn’t slow down. That strange feeling confused me. I didn’t know
any of these people. I didn’t understand why I’d been brought here. I
was worried for my friends who had been trapped in the storm with
me. Right then and there, there were so many thoughts and emotions
coursing through me that I couldn’t even differentiate between them.

Finally, I burst outside into a large garden. It was quiet now,

impossibly so after the intense storm. The Merlinian night settled over
the castle like a thick veil, but the light of the moon did drift through
the clouds, giving me a glimpse of what lay ahead of me. The
ornamental bushes and the strange statues looked threatening in the
dark, and for a few moments, I froze in apprehension. It probably
wasn’t safe out there. The Goddess only knew what could be hiding in
this place. But even so, I refused to be such a scaredy-rabbit. I would
not back down. This could be the only way I had to find my friends
again.

As I ran through the garden, though, it became obvious that my

escape wouldn’t be so easy. The place was simply labyrinthine, and
even if my shifter senses were pretty advanced, I was largely a
creature of daylight.

Before I knew it, I was lost amidst the odd shrubbery, leaping

wildly around the statues that seemed to fix me with peculiarly alive
eyes. My heart raced, and I was seriously beginning to panic. For the

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

nth time that day, I cursed my blasted luck. How was it that I’d ended
up such a disaster at everything my people were generally good at?

I was snapped out of my trance of self-pity when a dark shadow

appeared in front of me. Really, I was getting tired of all these dark
shadows. It was like one of those silly stories Larue once told me
while trying to scare me. Of course, this particular story held
something unexpected, and a treacherous part of me welcomed Vlad’s
arrival.

He arched a brow at me, a slight motion I could only detect in the

darkness because he was so close. His eyes were so black that I found
myself unable to move, falling in those unfathomable pools. As our
gazes met and locked, I half-unwillingly shifted into my secondary
form—my human one.

For a few moments, I almost thought it had been magic from his

part that had urged it. However, Vlad’s eyes widened, and I gathered
he hadn’t expected this development. And as I sat there, kneeling in
front of Vlad, I realized one very important thing. I had no clue how I
had even missed it to begin with. Vlad was my mate. No wonder my
instincts had pushed me into changing shapes. I very rarely used this
form. It was designed specifically for the chance that I might find a
mate of a different species, so it made sense that the shift would be
triggered now.

Vlad’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed convulsively. He

didn’t reach for me, his expression carefully neutral. Distantly, I
wondered if he didn’t find me pleasing. Given my luck so far, it
wouldn’t be surprising. Anger and hurt roaring through me, I
struggled to my feet.

Sadly, I still wasn’t used to this shape, so I staggered and fell

forward. At that, Vlad finally reacted and caught me before I could hit
the ground. This had the aftereffect that I ended up in his arms,
enveloped by his scent, feeling every hard muscle in his body, and
most importantly, coming in contact with his very telling and
promising erection. I kind of wanted to laugh at my own anxiety. He

Scarlet Hyacinth

wanted me. Of course he did. The aroma of his arousal was so clear to
me now that I wondered how I had missed it to begin with.

Grinning from ear to ear, I wrapped my arms around his neck and

ground my body against his. “Mate,” I murmured in his ear, “claim
me.”

He released a low groan, his hold on me tightening. “I…Fuck…”
I took that as an agreement to my tentative plan. Truth be told, I

had no idea what I was supposed to do from here. I’d never actually
coupled with anyone. Members of my species had a very strong
sexuality, but we truly opened ourselves to that part of us only when
we found our intended mates. Therefore, I could only follow my
instincts and trust that they would guide me in the right direction.

I stared at Vlad’s mouth, so very close to mine. I desperately

wanted to kiss him. In fact, I wanted to do so much more, but a kiss
was a pretty good beginning in my book. Following that thought, I
pressed my lips to his. That was where my brilliant plan ended. I had
a pretty good clue on what was supposed to happen, but like in
countless other things, I was clumsy at it, too.

Fortunately, for once, I didn’t have to worry about that. Vlad took

over, and I melted in his arms as his tongue licked over the seam of
my lips. Obediently, I granted him entrance, moaning as the slick
muscle invaded my mouth. Whatever seduction I might have intended
to put into practice was nothing compared to the way he ravished me,
tasting me again and again, taking no prisoners. His hands roamed my
naked body, tracing my sides, squeezing my buttocks.

It was all getting pretty promising, which was why, when he

suddenly pulled away from me, I was left jarred and confused. “No,”
Vlad said, his voice full of gravel. “We can’t do this.”

For a few seconds, I just stared at him, my mind still hazy with

lust. “Why?” I finally managed to ask.

“Because…there’s a process to these things.” He cleared his

throat and turned away from my naked body. “Please, understand.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

My heart clenched at the gesture of rejection. “But don’t you want

me?”

Was it because I had bitten him earlier? Surely he couldn’t still be

upset about that. After all, how was I supposed to react when I was
thrust in such an unfamiliar situation? He couldn’t possibly blame me
for my wariness. Right? Perhaps he didn’t like my secondary form.
Unlike Vlad, I was pretty small in my human form—which made
sense given my true nature. My ears were much tinier, but my fur had
preserved its white color when it had turned to chin-length hair.
Compared to Vlad’s dark good looks, I felt pretty inadequate.

At my uncertain inquiry, Vlad quickly looked at me again. “No! I

mean…It’s not that. But you must realize that we don’t even know
each other. What you feel right now is largely caused by pheromones.
Goddess, we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves.”

“I’m Vesper,” I told him in response. “I’m a carnivorous white

rabbit, and I’m your mate.”

“I am Count Vlad Dracula,” he answered, “and you know you are

missing the point. Yes, you are my mate, but I most certainly am not
one of your species. I am a vampire.”

I blinked in surprise. A vampire? Like the ones in Necro Valley?

He looked nothing like my idea of the undead. In fact, he was warm
to the touch, and I could distinctly hear his heart beating.

“I promise I will explain everything,” Vlad said, “but first, would

you do me the favor of shifting back into your other form? I can’t
think when you’re naked.”

I had a feeling Vlad didn’t usually lose his composure and his

ability to concentrate, and admitted to it even more rarely. Also, I
grudgingly agreed that what he said made sense. Yes, my instincts
had identified him as my other half, but I still had no real knowledge
of him, of his likes and dislikes. Goddess, I didn’t even have a clue
where we were and how he had brought me here.

The thought reminded me of Dini and Larue, and my previous

concern for them returned with a vengeance. Respecting his decision,

Scarlet Hyacinth

I shifted into my bunny form and glanced up at him. “Vlad, what
happened? Where are my friends?”

“I’m not sure right now,” he replied as he picked me up. “I’m

afraid that I don’t control the spirit hunters. They decided on their
own that I needed a mate. I imagine they must have done something
similar with your friends. But we can find out soon.”

Petting my fur, he started walking back toward the castle. This

time, I didn’t bite him. In Vlad’s case, I could make an exception to
the no-petting rule.

Sadly, as we were about to enter the building, the four women

from before manifested in front of us. “Vlad, you’re keeping him all
to yourself,” one of them protested.

My senses started to warn me of imminent danger, but I didn’t get

the chance to hide underneath Vlad’s jacket. Another of the women
snatched me from his arms. I struggled and tried to bite her, but she’d
been ready for it and managed to avoid my fangs.

“We’ll just take him for a bit,” she told Vlad. “After all, if he’s

going to be a part of the family, we have to get acquainted.”

“Get acquainted?” I repeated in disbelief. “I don’t want—”
“Oh, he speaks even in this form,” the first woman said,

interrupting me. “So cute. By the way, we’re Vlad’s sisters. I’m
Monica, and these are Catherine, Veronica, and Mina.”

Each of the women waved at me as their sister introduced them. In

my heart, I’d kind of guessed the relationship between them and Vlad,
since the five of them looked a lot alike. Not to mention that I was
used to big families, having lived in a large warren for my entire life.
However, that didn’t mean I wanted to fall into the clutches of these
ruthless females.

“Vlad, help me!” I begged my mate.
Glowering at his sisters, he reached for me, obviously intending to

demand my release. Before he could free me, though, my captor,
Veronica, pulled back from him, and one of her sisters leaned closer

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

to me. “Don’t worry,” Catherine whispered. “We won’t hurt you. In
fact, we’ll tell you everything you want to know about Vlad.”

At that, I instantly perked up. “All right,” I said, settling down in

Veronica’s embrace.

Vlad shot me a concerned look. “Vesper?”
“Oh, stop worrying,” Monica said, her wide smile exposing

strikingly sharp fangs. “We’re merely welcoming him.”

Giggling, the four women entered the castle, with Veronica still

carrying me and Vlad trailing after us. I had the distinct feeling that I
had been hoodwinked, but at this point, there was no turning back.
Even so, in that moment, I thought that, as long as I could be with
Vlad, I could handle any sort of abuse from his sisters. Or so I hoped.
Gulp.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Two:

In Which There Are Familial Obligations and

Sneaky, Green Hoods

Present day

Vlad’s castle had always been dark, but somehow not gloomy. In

fact, more often than not, as soon as we stepped inside, it was filled
with the sound of bright laughter and cheerful voices.

Today was no different, at least not with regard to the cheer. The

darkness had been cast away by the first rays of morning light, and at
this hour, Vlad and his sisters should have retreated to sleep.
However, we had different plans for the day.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Mina

inquired as we all gathered in the foyer.

Vlad shook his head. “It’s fine. I know daylight harms your

makeup.”

The four women snickered at his comment, while I burrowed into

Vlad’s embrace, enjoying the way he petted my fur. As a rule, I was
pretty skittish and disliked that sort of thing, but I’d gotten used to it
during my stay in Vlad’s castle. I still didn’t appreciate it when it
came from Vlad’s sisters, but from him, it felt great. If I’d been a cat,
I would have purred.

Veronica cooed at me. “Oh, look at that. He’s sleepy.”
I sniffed her in mild interest as she approached Vlad and me. I

wasn’t exactly sleepy, more like…moody, for several reasons, first of
which being the exact reason why we were going out today.

“Leave him alone, Veronica,” Vlad chastised my female attacker.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“He’s stressed.”

“Well, of course he is,” Mina said. “But that just makes us want to

spoil him more.”

“You can’t begrudge us that, brother?” Catherine asked. I could

actually hear the pout in her voice, but I ignored it.

“No, he wouldn’t, but I most likely will,” I argued.
Predictably, they didn’t heed my warning. Veronica and Monica

leaned in closer to pet me. A different time, I might have bitten them,
but as much as I despised having my fur perfumed, I kind of liked
Vlad’s family. They reminded me of my warren, but at the same time,
they were closer to Vlad than I’d ever been to my parents and
siblings. Or, maybe, to a certain extent, their affection made me recall
my dear friends, Dini and Larue.

Through their friendship, Dini and Larue had supported me all my

life. Now that we’d parted ways, it wasn’t easy for me to not be
around them as much as before. But while Veronica, Monica, Mina,
and Catherine couldn’t fill that gap Dini and Larue left behind, they
nevertheless helped a lot.

And of course, there was Vlad, my count Vlad Dracula. Before

meeting him, I had begun to lose hope that I’d ever find a mate, but
apparently, I’d been very wrong. I couldn’t wait to spend more time
with Vlad, to get to know him better, to learn from everything he
knew. But for the moment, I had to set that aside. Today, Vlad had
agreed to come to my warren to meet my parents. I didn’t look
forward to it in the slightest.

We said our good-byes to Vlad’s sisters and left the large castle.

At this point, I was used to the process of traveling between the two
realms of Merlinia. I couldn’t exactly use magic to return to my
warren, since my abilities largely rotated around my shape-shifting
and my connection with nature. Vlad, however, was very skilled in
the arcane arts, and no sooner had we stepped out of the castle gates
than we ended up in the Laughing Forest.

The Laughing Forest was, naturally, named this way because its

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trees often tended to find humor in the lives of the rest of its
inhabitants. Even as Vlad started to walk toward my warren, its
giggles reached my ears, making me twitch slightly. I couldn’t say I
was nervous, but I didn’t exactly feel at ease either.

“Are you sure your parents want to meet me?” Vlad asked. “I

don’t want to frighten them.”

If I’d been in my human form, I would have shrugged. As it was, I

buried myself deeper in his embrace. As a rule, his body wasn’t as
warm as mine, but he’d been careful to feed before we had left, so
right now, he felt pretty hot to the touch. Well, Vlad was always hot,
but in a different sense.

“Eh…We don’t frighten that easily,” I replied. “Besides, they

refuse to believe I met a count and that he’s interested in me. It’s not
like there’s any other way to convince them.”

Truth be told, a part of me was reluctant to go to my warren with

Vlad. My parents always found some sort of fault in me, mostly
because I’d never been as good at hunting as my siblings. Therefore,
none of the members of my warren had ever considered me as a
potential mate.

It had been a little lonely, but it wasn’t like I’d fallen for any of

them. All this time, I had been waiting for Vlad, without even
knowing it. Sadly, I was still waiting, because Vlad hadn’t actually
claimed me yet. As a bunny, I had a very healthy libido, one which I
hadn’t been able to really satisfy until meeting Vlad. We hadn’t taken
things too far, because, as it turned out, Vlad was kind of old-
fashioned and wanted me to take my time before I jumped into
anything with him. I supposed I could understand that decision, taking
into account that when we’d first met, I hadn’t really been all that
happy about my new circumstances. That didn’t mean it didn’t
frustrate me. Adding that to my imminent meeting with my
parents…It was only by some sort of miracle that my heat period
hadn’t started already, because once that happened, things would only
get worse. But in any case, even now, I wasn’t a very happy bunny.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“Don’t worry about it,” Vlad said, as if guessing my thoughts.

“No matter what happens, you’ll always have me.”

His words held so much heart that I would have never imagined

he didn’t have a pulse, well, not always. Because yes, that was the
main problem with Vlad. He hailed from Necro Valley, the land of
the undead. I didn’t mind, because I could see past that. As a rule, it
didn’t even matter, because when he fed regularly, he seemed like any
other Merlinian. Nonetheless, I knew his undead nature was a sore
spot for him, and I could only hope my family wouldn’t be rude to
him because of it. After all, like Mina often said, undead had feelings,
too.

“Let’s just go back,” I suggested. “I have nothing to prove to

them, and there’s no reason why I should expose you to their attitude
in the first place.”

Vlad just pet his fur calmly. “Please, my sweet. I’ve lived for too

long to be too concerned about what everyone else thinks of me. To
be true, since I found you, I’m feeling quite generous, so they could
easily say whatever they like. I would not mind it in the slightest.
Besides, they’re still your family.”

“I guess,” I mused. “I suppose that, like you said, I’m a bit

moody.”

“Do you want to stop a bit before we meet them?” Vlad inquired,

as always mindful of my comfort and wishes. “The past few days
have been pretty stressful.”

I couldn’t say he was right or wrong in any particular way. It was

just that, recently, something seemed off about Vlad’s lands. It had all
started a little while back, when an earthquake had shaken the entire
area. Even here, in the Laughing Forest, I could feel the residual
magic energy of that event. I’d eventually learned that it had come
from a fight of human prince Medwin with Lord Rumpel Stiltskin—
and hadn’t that been a surprise? I just hoped it wouldn’t have any
other effects we weren’t ready for.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I told Vlad. “I—”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Before I could finish the phrase, the ground started to shake. Vlad

tensed, his hold on me tightening. My fur bristled as magical energy
gathered all around them, like a peculiar wind that made the tree
leaves rustle. “This isn’t safe,” Vlad said. “We have to return to the
castle.”

I dug myself deeper into Vlad’s embrace, wary of these

unexpected developments. My warren would be safe, but we were out
in the open. We should have never left Vlad’s home knowing the
instability of the Merlinian realms. “Yes,” I told my mate. “Yes,
quickly.”

Vlad didn’t get the chance to use his magic and transport us back

to his lands. Out of nowhere, an arrow swished toward us, striking
Vlad straight in the shoulder. I released a startled yelp, distress and
panic exploding through me. Vlad hissed and hugged me closer,
protecting me in his arms as he summoned his magic. The bolt that
had pierced his flesh slid out, but whoever had attacked us wasn’t
done, not by a long shot. Several other arrows flew our way. Vlad
managed to dodge this time, expertly evading the projectiles. I could
feel our foe hidden in the bushes, and Vlad must have sensed him or
her as well, because he directed several bolts of magic that way.

That might have actually helped, except all of the sudden, the

ground beneath our feet opened up. Vlad managed to maintain his
balance by levitating, but our opponent took advantage of the
situation and struck once more. When the arrow hit Vlad, he lost hold
of me. I tried to get my grip on him back, even shifting into my
human form in an attempt to reach out to him. It didn’t work. If
anything, it just made me fall faster—and fall I did, right through the
sudden abyss in front of us.

The world went black, and for a few dreadful moments, I thought

that I would die. I had never been afraid of death. When you were a
bunny—albeit a carnivorous one—you were used to the idea, because
a lot of species preyed on us. Yes, bunnies could get frightened, but in
many ways, we’d learned to suppress those fears.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

However, the terror that passed through me now had very little to

do with my potential demise. Rather, it was the knowledge of the
separation between me and Vlad that scared me, and the attack itself,
the realization that I had left Vlad to face our mysterious opponent
alone. Even as this thought passed through my mind, the strange
darkness vanished, and I emerged in what seemed to be a forest.

I actually dared to hope that, by some miracle, I’d managed to

evade falling after all. Of course, I was mistaken, because when I got
up, Vlad was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, the trees were nothing
like the ones in the Laughing Forest. More importantly, there was a
house in front of me, and a discreet sniff in that direction suggested it
was made out of gingerbread.

Now, I might not have known a lot about other lands, but Larue

had told me many stories, and he’d once spoken of a witch that lived
in a gingerbread home. In my book, that was pretty bad, so I needed
to get out of here at once.

Before I could do exactly that, the figure of a dark-haired woman

appeared in front of me. She shot me a cold smile. “Well, well…It
looks like my agent did a good job. Welcome to Grimoire, Vesper. I
trust you’ll have a very unpleasant stay.”

* * * *

Vesper was gone. I still couldn’t believe my eyes. One moment,

he’d been right there, in my arms, a warm, fuzzy ball of white fur so
familiar to me by now it almost hurt. And then, the ground had
opened up and swallowed him whole. The knowledge that I’d lost
him refused to process. But no, it couldn’t be. I would have known it
if Vesper had been killed. There was something more going on here,
and it had a lot to do with the fools who’d dared to attack me.

Normal arrows could do nothing to me, but these particular

projectiles had been enchanted, which was how I knew witches had to
be involved. I’d had enough of them already. Feeding my powers off

Scarlet Hyacinth

my anger and hurt, I burst through the greenery and threw another
spell at my opponent. I caught a glimpse of a man wearing a dark
green hood before he slipped away, just out of my reach. But I’d
caught his scent now, and no one, no one escaped one of my kind
when we were in a rage.

Snarling, my vision red with fury, I chased the man through the

forest. He was fast, I had to give him that, but I was determined, and
also watchful. I could tell that he planned to lead me into a trap, and if
I had to guess, I would say he had accomplices somewhere around
me. Just as he veered around a tree, a few steps away from me, I
caught sight of the trigger of the enchantment. Even without
examining it closely, I could tell it was an elaborate spell that must
have been set hours before Vesper and I had even gotten here.

I had two choices. I could stop pursuing the hooded man, in which

case he would probably escape in the forest. I still had a chance to
track down his accomplices, but they were carefully cloaked, and my
senses hadn’t managed to identify their location just yet. Therefore, if
I avoided the spell, I could easily lose the only clue I had to Vesper’s
location. I couldn’t allow that. My bunny was missing somewhere,
and I would have preferred taking a trip to the most arid wastelands in
Avalon than to be without him. As such, even if I spotted the
enchantment, there was, in reality, only one course of action for me.
Without hesitation, I stepped right into the trap.

Instantly, the binding magic closed around me. I froze, the threads

of the spell tightening around me and keeping me rooted in place. In
spite of this having been a deliberate ploy, I couldn’t help a howl of
frustration. I wanted to be free to tear apart the men who’d dared to
separate me and Vesper. But pure anger wouldn’t help me. Using my
own abilities, I focused on the spell, doing my best to figure out how
to break it. I had faith that I would be able to do so, because
otherwise, I would have never stepped into it in the first place.

Just like I had hoped, the hooded man returned when he saw me

trapped. “It seems that you’re not as clever as I was told,” he said.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“What did you do to Vesper?” I growled, struggling, but failing to

free myself. Or so I wanted to make it seem. It wouldn’t do to point
out that I wasn’t as harmless as he thought.

To my surprise, the man sighed. “Look, it’s nothing personal. I

have a job to do and a message to deliver. Here’s the deal. You’ll get
your mate back if you get a man named Rapunzel to Grimoire. A map
will be delivered to you once you acquire Rapunzel.”

Several other men gathered around us, all carrying crossbows.

“You ready to go, Rob?” one of them asked.

The first man nodded. “Yeah. Let’s hope it’ll be enough.”
He turned on his heel, obviously intending to leave me there. At

this point, I completely snapped. With a thought, I finally unraveled
the threads of the spell and reached for my enemy. Before anyone
could even move a muscle, I picked him up, holding him into the air
with ease. Unable to control my impulses, I squeezed his windpipe
until my would-be captor started to turn blue. Meanwhile, using my
mental powers, I froze all the other members of his party.

“You idiots,” I growled. “Do you know who you’re talking to? I

am Count Vlad Dracula. I was born before your ancestors even dirtied
Avalon lands with their footsteps. Did you really think that you could
attack me and my mate and get away with it?”

For a few moments, I actually waited for an answer, before I

realized most of them had their vocal cords immobilized by me.
Similarly, the famous Rob—who seemed to be their leader—couldn’t
speak for obvious reasons. With a disgusted grunt, I dropped him to
the ground. He wheezed and coughed as he tried to draw his breath. I
watched him impassively until he seemed to regain the ability to talk.
“Now,” I said, “try again. Who are you and what have you done with
Vesper? Who sent you? How is Rapunzel in any way connected to
this?”

“I’ve told you what I can,” the man answered huskily, his hood

falling back as he looked up. “Like I said, I’m only the middle man
here.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Perhaps he was telling the truth, or perhaps he was lying. Either

way, I’d gone beyond caring. My fury at his response had gone
beyond the limits a mortal could understand. It was now an icy anger,
the same one that made Necro Valley one of the most feared lands in
the whole of Avalon.

I’d long ago left the bloodthirsty ways of my people behind. I’d

been happy with my sisters in Merlinia outside such an existence. But
my predatory instincts returned in full force at the realization that he
was denying me the truth on my mate. “I see,” I replied, smiling
coolly. I saw his gaze fall on my fangs, but to his credit, he didn’t
wince or shy away. Well, I had a cure for his courage. “Well, I tried to
ask you nicely. I’m afraid that I’ve run out of patience, and you’ve
run out of time.”

Grabbing his arm once more, I pulled him closer to me and buried

my fangs in his throat. Blood exploded in my mouth, and within it, I
sought the answers to all of my questions. Images drifted into my
brain, the man’s memories flashing in my mind’s eye in a wild
kaleidoscope.

I saw two boys, one older, more arrogant and authoritative, the

other shier, sweeter. Their parents had been of a powerful witch line,
one of the strongest houses in Grimoire, but an unexpected fire had
killed the couple, leaving the two brothers orphans. From the very
beginning, the older brother was protective of his sibling, and that
didn’t change even when they grew up into young men. Robert Hood,
or Robin, as his friends called him, cared about his younger brother
deeply, and that very same youth was now trapped by a very powerful
witch. I couldn’t distinguish too much information about my true foe.
Even now, I could tell that she was watching me and she had expected
me to sneak a peek into Robin’s mind. She was ready for me, and she
had kidnapped Vesper to force me in a position I could not escape. I
could, however, figure out the spot where I was supposed to meet
with the witch. She had deliberately kept anything of importance from
Robin, so at this point, continuing to scan his mind would only open

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

me up to a possible attack from her.

Finally, I released my hold on Robin’s throat. The man clutched

his still-bleeding neck, but didn’t seem to be particularly afraid.
Likely, he was used to vampires, since my kind often had dealings
with people from Grimoire. “It’s not Red’s fault, for any of it,” Robin
said. “He’s only ever wanted to help people. That blasted witch has
him now, and I’d do anything to keep him safe. Do you understand
me, undead? Anything. So if you want to stand in my way, go ahead
and kill me now, because otherwise I’ll make you regret it.”

“I could kill you if you insist, but I have don’t time for your

stupidity,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “But don’t worry. You’ll get a
taste of vampire revenge.”

Focusing my abilities, I gathered my strength and willed all of us

back to my castle. It wasn’t an easy feat to accomplish. As a rule,
keeping a group of Grimoire witches frozen was pretty demanding.
Transporting them to the other side of Merlinia while still forcing
them into motionlessness would have been an impossible feat for
other vampires. Fortunately, I hadn’t been bragging when I’d told
Robin I was powerful, and, after a few moments of concentration, I
transported us into the courtyard of my home.

My four sisters emerged from inside, obviously realizing

something was wrong. “What happened?” Mina asked, her voice
laden with concern. “Where’s Perry? Who are these people?”

“We were ambushed,” I replied tightly. “Vesper is missing, and if

I want him back, I have to get Rapunzel Stiltskin.”

I had the distinctive feeling that I was missing several pieces of

the puzzle. It seemed clear that whatever had happened during Prince
Medwin’s fight with Rumpel Stiltskin had unleashed something. I
couldn’t be sure what it was though. The evil I had felt when I’d
looked into Robin’s mind seemed different from anything I had ever
encountered.

“Veronica, would you look over our records? See if you find any

mentioning of a witch that may have had dealings with Rumpel

Scarlet Hyacinth

Stiltskin.”

I distantly remembered an ancient story about a very powerful

witch who had lived in Grimoire before Rumpel Stiltskin had come to
Merlinia. I had no idea why I was thinking about that now—for all I
knew, this could be a different person entirely—but I was fairly
certain it had been connected to the warlock. Of course, even with my
vampire memory, I couldn’t recall any details, if I had ever even
known them.

My sister nodded and ran inside, already heading toward our

library. Meanwhile, Monica and Catherine glowered at the still frozen
men. “I take it these guys were the ones who participated in the attack
on you,” Monica said. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them.”

I finally dropped the spell and allowed Mina to take over. Truth be

told, my impulses still told me to lunge at Robin and tear his throat
out. Everything inside me ached at the knowledge of what they had
done, of the danger Vesper was in. What good was the power I had if
I hadn’t been able to rescue Vesper? I had failed him. For all my
bravado, I was a terrible mate.

All this time, I had refused to claim him like I knew he wanted,

going on the basis that he didn’t fully understand what it meant to be
with a vampire. If only I’d done it…If only I had mated him, I would
know where he was, how he felt. At the very least, I would be able to
reassure him, to tell him he was loved and that I would come to rescue
him. But now…Now nothing was like it should have been.

Catherine’s hand landed on my shoulder. “It’s all right, Vlad,” she

said, hugging me. “We’ll find him.”

I knew she was only trying to help, but she couldn’t possibly

understand. It wasn’t all right, and it would never be until I had
Vesper by my side again. As such, I broke away from my sister. “Yes,
we will,” I told her. “Be very careful and watch these guys. I don’t
trust them.”

“Oh, we’ll watch them.” Mina’s dark expression promised harsh

times for my attackers. “Don’t you worry about that.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Satisfied that they would be under close supervision, I stepped out

of the castle courtyard. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to wait for
any answers my sisters would find. I needed to do my own searching,
and I knew exactly where to start.

I was pretty sure Rapunzel had gone to Arthuria, having followed

Prince Medwin there. I could make my way to the borders between
Arthuria and Merlinia with relative ease, but from that point on, I had
a problem. Even if finding Camelot wouldn’t be exactly hard, I didn’t
have time to waste on trekking Arthuria.

I had never tried something like this before, since I generally

didn’t rely on magic other than my own. Nonetheless, this was a time
that called for desperate measures. As soon as I was outside, I took a
deep breath and said, “The Rainbow Brick Road.”

Having lived in Merlinia for centuries now, I was used to its

peculiarities, one of it being the strange Rainbow Brick Road, also
known as the Path of Fate. I had never been able to figure out its
nature, and my sisters and I had actually started to make bets as to
what had made it appear. Generally, we knew better than to test its
fickle nature, but now, I needed help. For whatever reason, it seemed
fond of my mate, and in some respects, it had even guided Vesper to
me. I could only hope that it would help me this time around as well.

Mercifully, I was in luck. A flash of light filled my vision, and the

world tilted, a clear sign of a translocation spell. The next thing I
knew, I found myself in an unfamiliar meadow. In front of me, a
small waterfall flowed into a beautiful pond, and it was in that pool
that I spotted Rapunzel Stiltskin, together with his mate, Medwin.

I’d obviously interrupted them, but even so, my concern for

Vesper surpassed any embarrassment I, or anyone else, might have
felt. “I need your help,” I said without preamble. “Vesper is missing.”

For a few moments, the couple just stared at me. “Missing?”

Prince Medwin finally repeated. “What do you mean? What
happened?”

A part of me wanted to punch him. This was wholly his

Scarlet Hyacinth

responsibility, because he’d been the one to attack Rumpel Stiltskin,
and in the process, had unbalanced Merlinia. Nevertheless, I couldn’t
truly blame him for what he had done. He had merely wanted to be
with his mate, just like I did. I understood that need all too well.

Taking a deep breath, I proceeded to explain. “We were headed

for a meeting with Vesper’s family, when we were ambushed. I
eventually managed to defeat our attackers, but during the battle, a
spell opened a rift in the ground, and Vesper fell through.”

“Oh no…” Rapunzel gasped, paling. “You don’t think…”
“He’s not dead,” I answered between gritted teeth. It was getting

harder and harder to maintain my façade of serenity, even if I knew
that Rapunzel and Medwin weren’t truly to blame for this disaster.
Vampires weren’t known for their patient, compassionate natures, and
without Vesper, I could easily lose it.

“Of course he isn’t,” Rapunzel told me. “I…I think that I would

know.” He frowned slightly, as if focusing. “It was a spell.” He
gripped his temples, grimacing. “A witch took him.”

I had no idea how he even knew that, but I didn’t get the chance to

ask. “It was my mother,” a sudden voice said by my side.

I turned, not extremely surprised when I saw Rumpel Stiltskin

there. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in our problems, Count
Dracula,” the warlock said. “It is a very old tale, one I truly never
wanted to resurrect. In hindsight, I suppose it was unavoidable.”

“I don’t have time for cryptic riddles,” I told Stiltskin. “What

exactly happened?”

Before anyone could answer, the foliage behind us stirred.

Medwin’s brothers, Kirril and Leonard emerged in the clearing,
followed by Vesper’s good friend, Dineiro. “What’s going on?”
Dineiro asked without preamble. “I just had this sudden feeling that
something wasn’t right.”

“Vesper was kidnapped,” Rapunzel explained.
Dineiro’s eyes widened, and Kirril wrapped an arm around his

shoulders, shushing him. “H–how…?” the dragon stammered, his

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

eyes filled with tears.

“Perhaps you should get dressed, son,” Rumpel Stiltskin

suggested to Rapunzel. “This is not a conversation you want to have
in the nude.”

The blond seemed to have forgotten about modesty until his father

had mentioned it. His face blazed red, and he hid behind his mate. I
sighed in frustration, annoyed that they were even dwelling on such
formalities when Vesper was in danger. Nevertheless, I understood
the importance a social mores better than anyone. My people were
very keen on certain behavior, on what was acceptable or not in a
public setting. For that reason, I turned my back to the naked couple,
and watched as everyone else did the same.

It was perhaps a good thing that Medwin’s brothers had shown up

now, because I suspected I would need all the help I could get.
Indeed, that guess was confirmed mere moments later. Once Rapunzel
and his mate finished getting dressed, we all gathered together in the
center of the clearing and Rumpel Stiltskin started to explain.

“It all started centuries ago, when my mother, a very powerful

witch cursed the kingdom of the dryads. As some of you might know,
it was once part of Merlinia, before it fell under this enchantment.
This fierce curse could only be broken by a man from the witch’s line,
born on a certain day. Many years later, on that exact day, my sister
gave birth to Rapunzel.”

So Rapunzel wasn’t really Rumpel Stiltskin’s son. I had suspected

that for a while now, but I’d never been able to be one hundred
percent certain.

“At that time, my mother attempted to kill him, but we succeeded

in stopping her. We bound her with a powerful spell that was
connected to the curse she herself cast on the dryads.”

“So, now, she’s free?” Medwin asked. “If so, what does she want

with Rapunzel?”

“She can’t be completely free. Due to…certain changes with

regard to my sister and my own battle with you, some of that spell

Scarlet Hyacinth

cracked. For her to actually regain the full extent of her abilities, she
needs Rapunzel to break the original curse.”

“Wait a minute,” Leonard interrupted. “If your mother was so

powerful, why is there even a way to break this curse? And why is it
so specific? What happened to your sister? And if you beat her once,
why can’t you just do so again?”

“It’s…complicated.” Rumpel Stiltskin released a heavy sigh.

“First of all, you’d have to understand the nature of magic. It’s
like…a fire, fed by a limited amount of fuel. Some mages are more
powerful than others, and some spells are more demanding than
others, consuming more fuel. For example, if my mother had cursed
one lone man, there might not have been a way to break it at all. But
because she cursed a kingdom, that tiny chance appeared.”

That didn’t answer any of the other questions, but I was out of

time and out of patience. “All right. So then, we have to meet up with
your mother so I can get Vesper back.”

“It’s too risky,” Medwin protested. “Rapunzel is going to have a

child.”

I glowered at the Arthurian prince, anger swelling darkly inside of

him. “I don’t care. I want Vesper, and if you stand in my way, you
will regret it.”

Rumpel Stiltskin got between me and Medwin before the situation

could escalate. “You need to calm down, Count Dracula. This is the
exact reason why you and Vesper were targeted. She knew that you
would do anything and go against anyone to save Vesper. Vampires
are just like that.”

Yes, we were, and for once, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. I

would have probably said or done something they wouldn’t have
liked too much, but Rapunzel suddenly spoke out, “I will come. To
tell you the truth, it was cruel of me to only dwell on my own
happiness when the people from that kingdom are all cursed. We have
to do this.”

Medwin pulled Rapunzel aside and glanced straight at his mate.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

They must have argued through their mental bond, something which I
honestly considered an unnecessary delay. There was no real choice
in the matter.

“What about the Fairy Godfather?” Dineiro suggested while

Rapunzel and Medwin were still engaged in their silent debate. “Can’t
he help?”

Rumpel Stiltskin shook his head. “My brother is taking care of

Anelah. Like I said before, she’s not feeling well.”

At last, comprehension dawned. “Anelah is your sister.

Rapunzel’s mother.” I rubbed my eyes tiredly. “Goddess, how did you
people manage to involve Vesper in this drama?”

Medwin’s brothers seemed even more surprised than me.

“Anelah?” Leonard’s eyes were wide as he spoke. “But…She…”

“I’m sorry for not telling you, brother,” Medwin said, turning

toward Leonard. “With everything that happened, I just didn’t find the
right moment.”

“Can we please focus on what’s important here?” I demanded.

“Vesper is in trouble because of you people. Granted, I have my own
share of the blame, for not being able to protect him, but I have every
intention to fix that. Rapunzel is coming with me, Prince Medwin,
whether you like it or not.”

Medwin glowered at me again, but before we could start arguing

once more, Rapunzel intervened. “Like I said, I will join you. But,
Count Dracula, you have to consider an issue. What guarantee do we
have that the witch will free Vesper if we fulfill her demands?”

“We can’t trust her,” Rumpel Stiltskin said. “I’m not sure it is

even wise to break the curse to begin with.”

“Perhaps you should,” Dineiro said softly. “After all, if you are

correct in what you’re saying, those poor people have been trapped
long enough.”

He had a point there. They all did. I couldn’t rely on the fact that

the witch would keep her word. That would be just plain folly. For the
moment, I had to control my temper and remember these people were

Scarlet Hyacinth

my allies. I needed to channel my aggression at the people who
deserved it, this blasted witch. Besides, as much as I blamed him for
this disaster, I couldn’t expect and didn’t even want Rapunzel to
sacrifice himself.

“Very well then,” I said, forcing myself to calm down. “We need

a plan. Lord Stiltskin, you sealed this witch once. Can’t you do it
again?”

“At the time, I had my brother’s help and that of our fathers,”

Rumpel Stiltskin replied darkly.

I had a feeling that was a story he didn’t really want to get into,

but I didn’t have time for tact. “Your fathers?” I repeated inquiringly.
“Can they assist us again?”

“Our power is limited now,” another voice suddenly said. I looked

around, only to realize it was coming from the Rainbow Brick Road.

I stared in the direction of the slightly glowing path. Everyone

else seemed just as confused. With a heavy sigh, Rumpel Stiltskin
explained, “Our fathers were killed in the battle with our mother, but
we managed to salvage their consciousnesses and transform it into the
entity you know as the Rainbow Brick Road.”

Rapunzel gasped, and Dineiro released a sound of distress. “It’s

not so bad,” the path rushed to assure them. “In fact, we’ve found it to
be quite interesting—although it is an existence you cannot fully
comprehend.”

The truth was I could intellectually grasp what they meant, but the

implications would always elude me. Still, I had to hope that the
Rainbow Brick Road would be able to help us in some way. Time was
running out, and my need to see Vesper increased more and more
with every passing second.

“But you still have power,” he argued, “and you can give us a clue

on the witch.”

The air began to stir slightly, making my hair stand up on ends. I

couldn’t say I was entirely surprised when a pixie-looking man and a
brunette woman appeared in front of us. I might not have gotten too

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

involved with the entire conflict between Medwin and his former
fiancée, but I liked to be informed, and I could easily identify the two
new arrivals as being the Fairy Godfather and Anelah.

Rapunzel paled slightly. Perhaps he didn’t like having to face this

part of his past. The Arthurian brothers—Medwin included—glared,
and Medwin took a threatening step forward. “What are you doing
here?”

“You’re not wanted here, witch,” Leonard added. “Go back to

whence you came.”

I found myself having to jump to Anelah’s defense, strictly

because I didn’t want any further delays to my quest to rescue Vesper.
“Enough of this,” I said. “I gather they came to help, because
otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered us. Right?”

As I said this, I narrowed my eyes at Anelah. I was on the edge

already, and if anyone tried to get in my way or deceive me, they
wouldn’t like the truths that would be revealed about my nature.

For her part, Anelah looked a little pale, so much so that I might

have actually mistaken her for one of the undead if I didn’t know any
better. She leaned heavily against her brother’s shoulder, but didn’t
look at me, instead staring at Rapunzel. The young blond fidgeted
under her scrutiny, and the silence stretched for far longer than I’d
have liked. I was seriously getting the urge to start forcing some
minds open, when she suddenly said, “We could enlist the help of
Rapunzel’s real father. I never told him about Rapunzel’s existence,
but I think that if he knew, he would help us.”

“My real father?” Rapunzel asked softly, now looking directly at

Anelah. His fingers clenched around Medwin’s arm, so tightly his
knuckles went white.

“What game are you playing here, Anelah?” Medwin inquired. “I

won’t allow you to hurt Rapunzel.”

“It isn’t a game,” the Fairy Godfather replied. “I believe Rumpel

explained that Anelah’s evil largely stemmed from the spell that
bound our mother in the first place. It started to unravel when Anelah

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first saw Rapunzel, at her wedding with Medwin. The magic I used on
her also contributed to chipping it away. It was really unavoidable,
from the moment I agreed to help Victor Frankenstein.”

“I don’t expect you to trust me,” Anelah said, her voice now a

little steadier, “but I am telling you the truth. Right now, our mother’s
spirit is the only thing that is free, so her power is limited. We have
some time to prepare. The elves could help us.”

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you ask for their assistance back

then?” Kirril asked. “Why did you stand against her on your own?”

“It’s complicated,” Anelah answered. “At the time, Rapunzel’s

father was in a tricky political position. He couldn’t afford getting
entangled with a child out of wedlock, let alone one of a different
race. I was worried about what he would do, so I trusted my brothers
and our fathers to handle it.” Softer, she added, “I underestimated
her.”

“No one blames you for that,” the Rainbow Brick Road shushed

her.

Finally, I snapped. “As touching as this is, can we please focus on

the matter at hand? What elf are we going to see, and why is it
complicated?”

“Because Rapunzel’s father is one of the current light elf elders,”

Anelah answered. “We haven’t spoken in centuries. Even so, I know
him well, and he won’t abandon us.”

“Very well then.” I stalked to Anelah’s side and grabbed her arm.

If this was the elf elders, I knew how to find them. “Wait here,” I told
everyone else. “We’ll only be a minute.”

Anelah opened her mouth, perhaps intending to protest, but I

didn’t give her the chance. My magic couldn’t transport me to my
Vesper’s location, but a simple translocation spell could carry me and
anyone else I wanted to bring along to the largest elven city Álfheimr.

Álfheimr was the most important light elf citadel in the whole of

Merlinia, and also the residence of the elders. From Álfheimr, the
elders monitored the other elven cities. Although each town was

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

largely independent, they all responded to the elders, which was why
the elven leaders were considered to be among the most important
Merlinian figures.

Having lived in Merlinia for centuries now, I knew how to get in

and out of Álfheimr without too much trouble. The citadel must have
changed a little since I’d been there last, but elves tended to be
consistent with regard to most things, so I had no worries on whether
I’d be able to orient myself or end up somewhere else entirely.

Still, I had to be careful, because the undead weren’t exactly the

most popular species in the world. We had a pretty bad rep, which
wasn’t wholly undeserved. It was for that reason that, upon casting
the translocation spell, I chose a safer location for me and Anelah to
land in.

As it turned out, I’d underestimated the passage of time. Then

again, as a vampire, I was liable to do that, since, as the years passed,
they began to lose their meaning. Therefore, it came as a sort of shock
when Anelah and I ended up in the branches of a large tree.

In hindsight, I should have probably expected it. When had I taken

my sisters sightseeing in Álfheimr? A hundred years ago? Maybe
more. Just the same, I managed to keep any branches for piercing our
limbs. It would have been kind of off putting if that happened. After
all, I might have been undead, but no one liked sharp objects
protruding from their flesh. Also, I suspected Anelah wouldn’t have
liked it too much either, since she already seemed quite weak.

Still, we had a measure of luck, in that the usually numerous elf

sentries didn’t spot us. The tree I’d taken us in was located at the very
edge of Álfheimr, in one of the residential neighborhoods. It served as
a support for a large structure, likely a private home, built in the
traditional elf style. From my standpoint on a large branch, I actually
got a good glimpse of several soldiers watching the area. However, I
kept my calm and stared out into the distance, picking another spot to
take us.

One second later, we were on the roof of the residence of the elf

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elders. Anelah looked a little green, and even I knew that I was
stretching the limits of my abilities. Translocation spells were actually
quite complex, and using this sort of enchantment repeatedly in quick
succession was pretty risky. But at this point, my brain was solely
focused on coming up with a plan to rescue my gorgeous Vesper. Any
risk was worth it.

“Who are we looking for?” I asked Anelah. “Which of the

elders?”

“Reluvethel Dawnhorn,” Anelah replied a little breathlessly. It

could have been because she was wary to see her old lover again, or
she hadn’t completely recovered from what ailed her. Either way, I
decided that I couldn’t afford her getting sick on me. She was still a
lady—a witch, yes, but nevertheless, a lady. Therefore, I took her in
my arms and willed us inside.

I actually knew Lord Dawnhorn well. He was one of the younger

elders, and the only elf whom I’d notified about my presence in
Álfheimr. We weren’t exactly friends, but we were civil to each other,
as he didn’t reject the undead like others of his kind did. Distantly, I
wondered why it hadn’t occurred to me that he was Rapunzel’s father.
Now that I thought about it, they looked a lot alike.

In the end, it was all pretty fortunate, because my prior

acquaintance with Reluvethel told me where I was most likely to find
him. If he hadn’t changed his habits since then, of course. For the
second time, I wished I’d had the time to do some scouting, but
Vesper was waiting. I couldn’t afford any delays.

It was this trail of thought that led me to Reluvethel’s private

garden. I’d only been here once before, but I’d liked the feel of it, so I
still remembered it pretty well. Mercifully, our luck held. Just as I
transported us into the garden, I spotted a blond man crouched over a
group of black rose bushes.

Even if our arrival had been quiet, he sensed us. He instantly

tensed and turned toward us, obviously ready for an attack. His hand
was already going to his waist, where his elven blade was sheathed.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Three:

In Which There Are Little Red Hoods and

Bunnies in Heat

It was humiliating. I had no other words for my current situation,

well, other than frightening. But of course, that was to be expected.
No one liked being kept in a cage, let alone a shape-shifter.

I nudged the bars of my cage with my paw, wondering if I could

find any method to free myself. It didn’t seem likely. The witch who
had kidnapped me seemed to be prepared for anything. My abilities
couldn’t even scratch her, which was how I’d ended up trapped in a
tiny cage, in my shifted form.

The thing was so small that it felt cramped even when I was in my

bunny shape. If I made any attempt to change forms, I would likely
hurt myself. Badly. To top it off, the witch seemed to know about my
dislike toward random petting, because she passed her hand through
my fur every time she got the chance. Cold shivers passed over my
spine whenever this happened, and as much as I might have tried to
protest, my efforts were futile. Because while the witch appeared to
have substance when she touched me, my fangs went straight through
her when I attempted to bite her.

But my worst problem right now was my concern for Vlad. From

what little the witch had told me, the whole purpose of her kidnapping
me had been to get Vlad to do something. Therefore, I gathered my
mate must be all right. Nevertheless, not knowing for sure that he was
safe, not having him by my side, fearing what the witch would do to
him—it was all a little too much for my bunny soul. And I could do
absolutely nothing about it, just wait in this cage, chewing my paws

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

and wishing I could, at the very least, see past the gingerbread
windows. Since I’d been stashed in the cottage, the smell of all the
sweets was getting pretty nauseating. If the witch wasn’t careful,
she’d ended up having to clean rabbit puke off the floor.

Perhaps the witch anticipated this problem, or maybe she had

some other evil plan, because a little while after my capture, she
appeared in the cottage again, this time dragging a young man along. I
couldn’t distinguish too much of his features, because he wore a cloak
with a red hood that obscured both his face and concealed most of his
body.

“Here,” she said. “Keep each other company. I tire of your

whining.”

She waved a hand, and chains of a substance that looked a lot like

candy floss emerged from the walls. They wrapped themselves
around the young man’s wrists and ankles, immobilizing him.
“Please,” he said, “cease this. We’ve never done anything to you.
Why are you harming us? Where is my brother?”

The evil woman laughed. “Right now, I’ll have to guess that he’s

been turned into a vampire snack. Ask the rabbit. He’ll tell you all
about it.”

With a final chuckle, she left the cottage, abandoning us there.

The young man looked toward me. He pushed his red hood back and
fixed me with wide black eyes. “Who are you? Do you know what
happened to Robin? What’s all this about a vampire?”

I had no clue what he was talking about, but I didn’t appreciate

the tone he used when speaking about vampires either. “I don’t know
anything about any Robin, but the vampire is my mate, and he will
find and save me. And when that happens, the witch will regret
having ever been born.”

I said that last part a bit louder, although I really couldn’t expect

my captor to be intimidated by it. Indeed, there was no reaction from
the witch. She didn’t come inside the cottage again, although even if
she had, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything to her anyway.

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However, the other captive seemed interested in my words. “Is

that why she kidnapped you, to spite your mate?” he asked.

“I don’t really know,” I admitted. “She wants him to do something

for her. I just don’t understand anything anymore. Here we were, just
walking peacefully, when we’re suddenly attacked by a shower of
arrows. Why is this happening?”

The stranger went a little pale. “Oh…Oh.”
If I’d been in my second form, I would have frowned. As it was, I

merely pinned him with a suspicious look. “What is it?”

He glanced away from me, fidgeting and wincing when the

motion caused the strange chains to tighten around him. “The truth is,
my brother, Robin…He and his friends are very good with archery.
They focus their magic on things like that.”

I couldn’t help a sound of outrage. “It was him? He attacked us?”
“I don’t know,” the other man replied earnestly, “but if he did, he

must have been forced into it. It’s why the witch kidnapped me, to use
Robin.”

I remembered what the witch had said about having an agent.

While I could empathize with the young man’s plight, I still resented
his brother. I might have been able to understand the attack on me, but
what I could not forgive was the fact that he had harmed Vlad.

“Do you think your mate would hurt Robin?” the other captive

asked, oblivious to my thoughts.

“Well, as you can imagine, he’s not exactly happy right now,” I

replied bitingly. “What did you expect, that they would embrace like
old friends?”

The stranger released a soft gasp of distress. “But…it’s not his

fault.”

“It’s not our fault either, now is it?” I snapped back.
The other captive released a small gasp. I couldn’t say that it made

me feel guilty, but it did remind me that he wasn’t the enemy here. I
was tired, cranky, and outraged. I felt worried for Vlad and I missed
him like crazy. And okay, I wasn’t predisposed to being nice to

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

people who’d had anything at all to do with my separation from my
mate. However, taking it out on this man wouldn’t help me. If
anything, it would just make things worse. In fact, our best bet in this
situation was to stick together. While I trusted my mate would come
to my rescue, it would be dangerous for him. If I could, I would have
to try to get out this predicament on my own, and this stranger might
prove to be an ally.

“Look, Vlad will probably be furious, but he’s unlikely to kill

your brother,” I said. “He’ll probably be looking into a method to free
me. As long as your brother doesn’t stand in his way, Vlad will likely
not pay too much attention to him.”

“Do you really think so?” the young man asked, his lower lip

trembling.

“He might be a vampire, but he’s a good man.” Of course, he was

also fiercely protective of me, which I very much enjoyed. Also, even
if Vlad dismissed this Robin person as irrelevant, he could always ask
his sisters to handle him. It actually seemed very likely that he would
do so, but I decided not to share that little fact with my new
acquaintance. “I’m Vesper,” I added instead. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Red,” he said.
“Red?” I repeated in disbelief.
The young man fully dropped his hood, revealing a mane of bright

red curls. “Well, it’s actually Blaze,” he said, “but no one calls me
that. It’s Red, or Little Red.”

“I see,” I answered dubiously. “Well, I suppose you could call me

Perry.”

I didn’t actually want to allow that, because I only allowed my

friends to use the nickname, but Red looked as afraid as I felt, and
really, what was the harm? “So, Red, do you have any idea on who
this witch is and what she wants?”

“I’m not really sure,” my new friend answered. “She’s not any

Grimoirian I know, which is saying a lot, because I know almost

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everyone. Also, it’s very strange, but…she doesn’t seem completely
here.”

“I noticed that, too,” I answered. “Do you think there’s any

chance that we could give her the slip?”

“Don’t even dream of it,” the witch’s voice rang out of nowhere.

“You’ll find that I can be very unpleasant if you upset me.”

I shared a look with Red and sighed. I supposed I wasn’t exactly

surprised that she was watching, but it still galled me that I’d even
suggested my idea out loud when she could hear.

Well, for the moment, it seemed clear that I had no way out. I

slumped down in my cage, setting my head on my front paws. How I
wished I had my bond with Vlad now…Vlad. My gorgeous vampire. I
wanted to touch him all over, to kneel in front of him and suck his
dick over and over. Better yet, I wanted to lay back, spread my legs,
and expose my nether parts to my mate. I was so hot, and I
desperately needed to touch and be touched.

I would have very much tried to find some relief, but the space I

had at my disposal was quite cramped. I could only whimper
helplessly as I rubbed against the bottom of the cage. My body felt
heavy, and even my fur seemed to sizzle with my sudden arousal.

My eyes snapped open as I realized something very important.

Shit. What a terrible time to be in heat…Not only did I not have my
mate by my side, but I was also in the horrible situation of being in an
enemy’s clutches.

I curled in a tight ball, doing my best to hide the waves of heat

now coursing through me. Sadly, I must have been unsuccessful,
because Red inquired, “Perry? Are you all right?”

I didn’t reply, because if I would have, I might have let out a very

undignified noise. Sadly, the witch was more perceptive than I had
believed, because she appeared right in front of my cage.

“Aw,” she said, leaning close to the bars, “looks like you have a

little problem. How sad. That vampire of yours doesn’t seem to care
for you as much as I thought if he left you like this.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

She was giving voice to my worst fears, and it riled me up enough

that I shot back, “It’s not true. Vlad loves me. You’ll see.”

“Well, I suppose we’ll find out,” the witch said with a smirk. And

naturally, because she was evil, she passed a hand through my fur.
Yes, I’d known it! A clear sign of wickedness was not respecting the
“no petting” rule—especially when the pet-ee was in heat.

In the end, I resigned myself to not being able to prevent the fur

abuse, so I just lay there, waiting. Mercifully, my passive aggressive
attitude worked, and soon, she lost interest. Grimacing, she pulled
away from the cage. “It looks like I should be getting ready,” she
mused. “You’d better hope your mate complied with what I
demanded. Otherwise, you might never get out of here.”

As she finally departed, I shared a look with Red, wondering

exactly where the damn witch was going. My fellow captive had no
reply for me, and I fell back into the cage, trembling as waves of heat
continued to flow over me.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Four:

In Which the Witch Which Is a Bitch Is in a

Pinch and the Heat Strikes Again

Light elves were apparently as fond of family as I remembered.

As soon as Anelah explained the situation to Reluvethel, the elf elder
agreed to come with us without much fuss. He was angry with Anelah
for not being told about Rapunzel’s existence, but he didn’t dwell on
it too long, obviously realizing we needed to make haste.

Holding onto them both, I willed us back into the grove in

Arthuria. It had taken us more than the minute I had promised, but
nonetheless, it had gone smoothly enough. I couldn’t ask for more.

The moment we ended up in the clearing, Reluvethel pulled away

from me, already zeroing in on Rapunzel. Now that they were
standing next to each other, I could see the similarities between them
even more.

“You’re Rapunzel?” The elf elder stared at the blond young man

with wide eyes. His shock was all the more telling, since, like my
kind, elves were very keen on protocol. Reluvethel had paid no heed
to it whatsoever. “How could I not know about you?”

“It’s a long story,” Rapunzel answered. “I wasn’t aware of my

parentage either, until recently.”

Taking into account the situation, they were liable to fall into

long-winded explanations and possibly more tearful reunion stories. I
could empathize with that, but I had no patience for it. And so, I took
it upon myself to make all the introductions. “Elder Dawnhorn, meet
Rapunzel’s mate, Prince Medwin of Arthuria, and his brothers, Prince
Leonard and Prince Kirril. Young Dineiro here is a Prince Kirril’s

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

dragon mate, and a good friend of my Vesper. Everyone, this is Elder
Reluvethel Dawnhorn.”

At my intervention, Reluvethel seemed to snap out of his shock.

“It is an honor to meet you all,” he said, now sounding completely
formal. “I was notified of your problem, and it would be my greatest
pleasure to assist you.”

“Then you can help us come up with a spell to bind her?”

Rapunzel asked, hope trickling in his voice.

Reluvethel nodded. “Don’t worry, child. I won’t let her take you.”
I would have been pretty convinced of our success had the magic

users—myself excluded—not gathered in the center of the grove and
started a peculiar brainstorming session. “What rhymes with witch?”
Rumpel Stiltskin asked at one point.

“What?” I stared at him, almost thinking I’d heard wrong. “Now

is not the time for poetry.”

“It’s not poetry,” Anelah answered, arching a brow. “We’re

making a spell, or rather an incantation.”

Oh. I supposed I should have known they’d do that. Grimoirian

magic often required words to be channeled, especially when the spell
to be cast was very powerful. “Itch?” I suggested. “Bitch? Pinch?”
Well, pinch didn’t really rhyme, but maybe it was good enough.

“Keep going,” the elf elder said. “We have to wrap this up

quickly. What rhymes with be?”

“Tree?” Rapunzel suggested. “Me? Sea? Bee? Knee?”
“Key?” Kirril offered. “Pee?”
I gave the Arthurian prince an ugly look. “Now is not the time for

making jokes.”

“It’s all right,” the Fairy Godfather told me. “Every idea helps.”
I didn’t know if that was the case or not, but incantations weren’t

my specialty, so we could only throw suggestions around while the
magic users came up with a binding spell. Finally, after what seemed
like forever, Rumpel Stiltskin released a victorious sound and

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revealed the results of their hard work, a parchment with the
incantation. “All right. Here it is.”

I snatched the scroll to read the spell. Sadly, as I took in the words

on the paper, I couldn’t say I was precisely impressed.

History forgot this soulless witch
In vines and briars she was lost
Chained and trapped at great cost
But, Goddess, we are in a pinch
She is back to steal our life
She brings lovers so much strife.
Free us from the blasted bitch
Cast her out into the sea
Bury her in much debris
As is my will, so mote it be.

“That sounds a little…strange,” I said. “Debris?” Surely they

could come up with something better than that.

“Yes…Well, if you have any better ideas, I’m open to them,” the

elf said. “I haven’t written incantations in forever, and we don’t have
much time at our disposal.”

“Excuse me, but I have a question,” Leonard intervened. “Aren’t

you supposed to be using her name in this ceremony?”

“Absolutely not,” Anelah, the Fairy God Father, Rumpel Stiltskin,

Reluvethel, and I said at the same time.

The Arthurian prince blinked in surprise at our decisive attitude. It

seemed that we wouldn’t get this show on the road without a million
interruptions, so I rushed to explain, “Names are actually very
powerful in the magical world. Usually, they work as a trigger to
summon a certain creature or boost its abilities.”

“It is true that this is a double-edged sword, in that an incantation

would be made potent by the use of this name,” Anelah continued,

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“but it is far too risky. Our last sealing spell used it, and it didn’t go
over well.”

I refrained from pointing out that, to a certain extent, the previous

enchantment had succeeded. However, they’d paid a great price for it.
Anelah had lost her soul, and seemed to just now getting back. Their
fathers were dead, having become pure consciousness. I could only
hope that this time, the battle would go better.

“All right then,” I said. “If we’re all ready…”
There were nods all around. Dineiro hugged Kirril and they shared

a brief kiss. The dragon would stay here in Arthuria, because it was
too dangerous for him to join us. However, the three Arthurian
princes had all decided to come. From what I knew, Arthurians were
supposed to be quite resilient to magic. I hoped that would be enough.

We gathered together in a circle and I focused my magic on

everyone that was supposed to come with me. I’d taken the location
of our supposed meeting spot from Robin’s mind, but I didn’t direct
us there, since I didn’t want the witch to notice I had backup. It was
unlikely she would believe that I had come alone, but the elf elder
was our secret weapon. He needed to remain out of sight no matter
what.

Using the memories I’d stolen from Robin and hoping they were

at least half-accurate, I took us in a house, the one Robin shared with
his brother. It was the destination that had been clearest in his mind,
so it was safer for me to come here.

The place was clean and quaint, a cottage that smelled like herbs

and freshly baked cookies. Distantly, I thought that my mate might
have actually liked it here, but that idea only made me more aware of
my task.

“Let’s go,” I told Rapunzel and Medwin.
The two men nodded and followed me out of the cottage.

Together, we made our way down a dirt road that I knew should have
been a little busier. It was quiet, too quiet, and my senses screamed at
me, telling me that I was being watched. I hoped that the witch hadn’t

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thought to keep an eye on Robin’s cottage also, because otherwise, we
could be in trouble.

She was waiting for us at a crossroads, where the dirt road veered

off into a larger path that headed toward Merlinia. I was pretty sure
that the dryad kingdom must have been close to the border between
Merlinia and Grimoire, which made me wonder exactly how far the
witch’s power extended if she was truly bound to its curse.

“Well, well,” she said with a wide smile. “If it isn’t Count

Dracula. I see you’ve fulfilled my task, although you also brought a
friend. I’m disappointed in you.”

“No, you aren’t,” I replied without missing a beat. “You can’t

have thought that Prince Medwin would allow Rapunzel to come see
you on his own?”

“Well, no,” the witch admitted, “but you’re a vampire. They don’t

actually have to agree to anything, now do they?”

She shook her head and glanced toward Rapunzel. “My

daughter’s spawn. Do you know what a mess you created simply
through your existence?”

Rapunzel winced, but held his ground. “I haven’t really been told

all the details,” he replied. “Anyway, I came here to break that famous
curse. That’s what you wanted, right? So free Vesper.”

The witch chuckled and waved a hand. A small cage appeared in

front of us, and in it was a tiny white rabbit. My mate. “Vlad,” he
cried out, his voice small and pained. “Be careful.”

“You don’t really think it’ll be that easy?” the witch asked.

“Come to me, Rapunzel. You and I will take a little trip. Once we are
gone, the vampire can have his rabbit.”

“Over my dead body,” Medwin snapped at her, retrieving his

sword.

“That can be arranged,” the witch answered, not seeming put out

in the slightest. The air around her started to blur as she gathered her
magic. The ground shook and a ball of energy formed in front of her.
Rapunzel cried out as she launched it straight in Medwin’s direction.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

I’d actually been ready for it, and got in the way, quickly casting a

spell to block hers. I grunted as her power struck me, but I withstood
it far better than Medwin would have.

The witch growled at me. “Stay out of it, vampire,” she said.

“You’ve already fulfilled your role.”

As she spoke, the cage holding Vesper started to float. It opened

and my mate got pulled from inside by an invisible force. He released
a choked sound as that same power seemed to cut off his breathing.
“It would be very easy for me to squash this creature,” the witch
threatened. “Now, get out of the way.”

What could I do? I complied. Even if I was powerful, my magic

wouldn’t reach her in time to save Vesper if she decided to hurt him. I
stepped aside, abandoning Rapunzel and Medwin to their fate.

The witch smirked. She started to whisper something under her

breath, although even with my advanced hearing I couldn’t
distinguish what she’d said. Of course, the incantation itself seemed
irrelevant, because I found out what it meant mere moments later.

A strange whirlpool appeared right in front of us, seemingly

sucking out all the air around it. A powerful wind began to blow,
threatening to send the three of us flying back. Oddly enough, the
witch’s hair wasn’t even ruffled, although Vesper’s fur was all over
the place and he’d started to make agitated noises.

Rapunzel was now beginning to be pulled forward toward the odd

portal. Medwin held onto him, trying to steady him, and Rapunzel’s
hair clung to nearby vegetation in an attempt to anchor its owner.

The spell was very powerful, far more than even I had expected.

However, Rumpel Stiltskin used this opportunity to make his
appearance. He emerged out of nowhere, stepping in front of
Rapunzel to block the witch’s view of him. The Fairy Godfather was
with him. “Nothing has changed, Mother,” Rumpel Stiltskin said.
“We won’t let you harm him.”

“You might have corrupted Anelah, but we’re still here for

Rapunzel and we always will be,” the Fairy Godfather added.

Scarlet Hyacinth

“As I thought,” the witch commented with a sneer, “you simply

couldn’t keep yourself from trying to deceive me. Remember, Count,
that this was your choice.”

Without further ado, she tossed my poor mate straight into the

whirlpool of energy. A thousand different things happened at the
same time. I leapt forward, intending to follow my mate into the
portal. Before I could achieve my goal, the witch cast a bolt of magic
straight at me. I narrowly dodged it, but she was still in my way,
keeping me from my goal.

I lunged at her, fangs ready to be sunk in her flesh. Sadly, I’d

forgotten one very important thing. Like Anelah had said, the witch
didn’t have a physical body, so I couldn’t attack her, at least not like
this. In the blink of an eye, I adapted my plan and sent a bolt of
psychic energy her way.

She had expected this, however, and she cast a counter spell of her

own. As our powers clashed, we became locked in a mental battle that
appeared to take her by surprise. She was definitely strong, but I had
experience in psychic combat and the advantage of despair on my
side.

Even if my goal was to push past her so that I could reach Vesper,

the end result was that both of us were immobilized. As this
happened, Anelah, Leonard, Kirril, and Reluvethel also appeared and
created a circle around us. Everyone else joined them, and they all
began to chant the incantation.

I might have deemed the spell strange and maybe a little

ridiculous, but as it turned out, it worked. Or at least, it started to
work. After the first two lines, the witch’s power began to grow. She
writhed and snarled, and her attack on me intensified. My vision
began to grow red and my fangs emerged as I could no longer keep
my true nature in check. A million memories flashed through my
mind, recollections of my old life in my former homeland, and my
new Merlinian existence. There were images of my sisters, of our
parents and our coven, and most importantly, of Vesper. The

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

occasional alien memory strayed into my brain, probably coming
from the witch.

Yes, the spell was working, but it also made her very angry. In the

end, I could no longer fight that. My hold on her snapped, and I found
myself flying through the air like a toy discarded by its puppeteer.

In an unexpected development, the witch seemed to have lost

control of her power, too, because instead of being pushed back, my
body was slung forward. In fact, the whirlpool of magic appeared to
grow more and more as she became angrier, and when I stopped being
able to hold my own against her, it sucked me in.

That was actually a good thing for me, although to be true, I had

no idea where it would take me. For the millionth time, I wished I had
claimed Vesper, because if we’d had our bond, this problem would
have never existed.

I thought of Vesper, of his lovely white fur and his gorgeous, so

very expressive black eyes. I thought of the beauty of his human
form, of all that silken skin that had felt so soft when I’d touched it. I
remembered the way he melted in my arms when I kissed him, the
arousing moans he made.

I half dreaded what would happen when I emerged on the other

side of the portal, but as it turned out, I should have trusted the natural
connection between Vesper and me more. When the whirlpool of
magic spat me out on what seemed to be a field of grass, the first
thing I caught sight of was a cute white rabbit fidgeting in agitation as
he leapt away from a now broken cage.

“Vlad!” he cried out as soon as he saw me.
Mere moments later, I had an armful of white bunny crawling all

over me, sniffing my hair and occasionally biting down on my flesh.
“You’re really here,” he said, panting. “I knew you’d come. I can’t
believe it.”

Those latter statements kind of contradicted each other, and for

the first time, I realized something was truly not right with my bunny.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Had the witch hurt him, maybe cast some sort of peculiar spell?
Goddess, if she had, she was going to regret it.

The thought reminded me that the battle hadn’t been over when

I’d been thrust into the portal, but I couldn’t focus on that now. Even
as I registered the whirlpool of magic dissipating behind me, I could
only think of my mate and the pain he seemed to be in.

“Vesper? What’s wrong, my sweet?”
Vesper tensed but didn’t stop rubbing against me. It was in that

moment that I realized something very important. The scent of his
arousal filled the air, heady and thick. I had no idea how I’d missed it
the first time, but I could only blame it on the fact that I’d been so
very worried for him.

My mate had once confessed to me that his kind had very healthy

libidos. Of course, he’d also assured me that he understood my
reasons for taking my time, and that he agreed with me. He’d laughed
under his breath and admitted that, should he enter his heat period, he
would stop being so reasonable.

I’d felt quite guilty that I was putting Vesper under such strain,

even if I’d done it for a good reason—to protect him and get him
accustomed to life as a vampire’s mate. I had foolishly thought that
there was still time until I had to worry about him being in heat. Yet
again, I’d been wrong.

“Sweet, are you in heat?” I asked him.
I already knew the answer, but for some reason, it still jarred me

when he nodded. It was so impossibly cute to see since he remained
in his rabbit form. “I’m sorry, Vlad,” he answered, his large ears
slumping dejectedly. His whiskers trembled as he stared at me. “I
know this is hardly the time for something like that. We have to go
back to help, don’t we? Or did you defeat the witch?”

The hopeful tone in which he said that last phrase made me very

tempted to say “yes.” After all, I had Vesper back. I’d done what I’d
come here for. From this point on, I didn’t particularly care about
what happened.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Only, I did, and I couldn’t lie to my mate about it. My people

were generally dismissive of everyone else outside their own
covens—which in my case included my sister and Vesper. However,
Vesper had taught me to truly care. Countless times, I had seen his
genuine happiness upon learning that his friends were safe or had
found mates. I had seen him rejoice at the news that Dineiro would
have a baby, or when the curse on Larue’s mate had been broken.
He’d even been happy for Rapunzel and Medwin, although they
hardly knew each other.

Therefore, I had to tell Vesper the truth. “We were still fighting

her when I got shoved into the portal,” I replied, softly petting his fur
in the hopes that it would calm him down. “We asked Rapunzel’s real
father to help us with an incantation that would seal the witch again.
But she is very powerful, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure what
happened after I ended up here.”

“Take us back,” Vesper said, his small body trembling in my

arms. “You can do it, right?”

I nodded. Even if the portal was gone, I could still use my own

magic to transport us back to Grimoire. I had yet to figure out where
we were right now, but that was not so important.

Holding tightly onto my mate, I closed my eyes and focused on

returning us to my previous location. My magic wound around us,
ready to carry us back to Grimoire as I’d commanded it to. However,
in a peculiar and startling development, nothing happened. My spell
sizzled and died, my powers recoiling back inside me in a confused
lump.

“Vlad?” my mate inquired. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not really sure,” I admitted. “I can’t take us back.”
Frowning, I got up and looked around my current environment.

The vegetation wasn’t much different from Merlinia or Grimoire, at
least, not on first glance. But then, I realized something almost
ridiculously obvious. Here, the sun was hidden behind heavy clouds,
so thick that no rays got through. All of the plants were species I

Scarlet Hyacinth

recognized as nocturnal, flowering only after dusk. In the distance, an
ominous-looking swamp glowed with a distinctly malevolent greenish
light. Fuck. We were in Necro Valley.

“We need to get out of here,” I said. “This is dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” my mate repeated. “Why? Where are we?”
“We’re in my homeland, Necro Valley,” I explained, already

starting to walk away in the direction opposite to the swamp. I didn’t
want to scare him, though, so I refrained from saying that here,
someone like him would be prey.

“So is there something here that would harm me? Would other

vampires disagree to me mating you?”

That hadn’t even occurred to me. More likely, other vampires

were liable to pick this chance to get even with me for leaving Necro
Valley. I wasn’t sure if my sire had ever forgiven me for leaving, but I
wasn’t holding my breath—so to speak.

Besides, Necro Valley wasn’t only home to the undead, but

countless other undead creatures, some nastier than others. A bunny—
however carnivorous he might be—would be a delicious treat for
many of them.

“That’s not it,” I said. “I’m not very popular with my people since

I left Necro Valley, and I don’t want that to have an effect on you.”

Tentatively, I tested my magic once again, this time to see if I

could fly. Much to my relief, I levitated above ground without too
much difficulty. However, I decided not to actually use this method of
travel. One would have thought that during the day, Necro Valley
wasn’t as dangerous as at night, but paradoxically, that wasn’t the
case. These hours were critical in that only the strongest predators
came out. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, especially not
here and so close to the Nameless Swamp.

Thankfully, in spite of having been gone for so long, I still knew

my way around Necro Valley. Therefore, I could orient myself with
ease. Using my supernatural speed and stealth—which I mercifully
maintained—I ran through the quiet forest.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“Where are we going?” my mate asked.
“As far away from the Nameless Swamp as possible,” I replied. I

needed to find shelter for my mate so that we had a safe place to stay
in while my magic was keeping me here. After that, I could go feed,
and hopefully, that would fix whatever my fight with the witch had
broken.

“The Nameless Swamp? That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Yes, well, my people might be fierce, but contrary to popular

belief, they’re not very original,” I said. “Or rather, we tend to get
bored of everything we pick quickly. That swamp is so old that it had
a thousand other names. The Graveyard, the Undying Swamp, The
Ruthless Bog, the Marshlands of Horror, and so on and so forth.
Eventually, we got bored of all of them and it became like that, the
Nameless Swamp.”

The explanation drew a small breathless giggle from my mate.

Strikingly enough, in spite of the less than ideal circumstances, I
found my body heating up in response to the sound. I mentally
groaned. I guessed it wasn’t all that surprising. My instinctive
knowledge of the connection between us flared now that he was with
me again. The only thing keeping me in check was the fact that he
remained in his shifted form, but in spite of it, my body felt a little
feverish, obviously responding to his heat period.

It was all a little crazy, but then, I was crazy about him. I only

hoped that my mate would remain in his bunny form until I could find
a safe place for us to stay, because if he changed shapes, all bets were
off.

I was greatly relieved when I finally caught sight of a small,

rundown house. Hidden amongst the trees, it was difficult to spot for
someone who didn’t already know about its existence. I’d actually
feared that it might have been destroyed during the past centuries, but
apparently, the wards its previous occupant had created remained in
place. Thank the Goddess.

Scarlet Hyacinth

I pushed past the vegetation covering the crumbling door and

stepped inside the house. Naturally, the structure was in complete
disrepair. Humidity had rotted all of the furniture, and all sorts of
critters crawled on the floor. Not to mention that it literally smelled
like something had died in there. In all likelihood, that was exactly
what had happened.

My mate didn’t seem very upset about it, though. If anything, he

appeared to be excited. “A hunting ground? For me? Thank you,
Vlad!”

He leapt out of my arms and started chasing the small animals

around the room. Apparently, his heat period also amplified his
hunting instincts. Who knew? And most importantly, why in the
world did I find it so endearing? Why in the world did I feel like, in
that moment, I fell in love with him a little more? It was a mystery,
one that I deeply pondered as I stood there, watching him, feeling
strangely happy and carefree. We might have unexpectedly ended up
in my homeland, but the important thing was that we were together.
Magic or no magic, I would protect Vesper, and his right to chase
rodents in a time-forgotten crumbling house. He was too adorable for
anything different.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Chapter Five:

In Which the Bunny’s Wait Is Over and an

Unexpected Arrival Is Overweight

From a very young age, a carnivorous rabbit was taught that he

had two very important duties to accomplish in life, to hunt and to
breed. Those two things were often connected, as a good hunter was
more likely to find a mate who would eventually provide offspring
and perpetuate the species.

I’d never been very remarkable at hunting. Due to our size, we

were only supposed to go after large prey in groups, but whenever I
joined, I ended up accidentally ruining the hunt by making an
unnecessary noise and alerting our prey.

Now was no different, as my success in my task was limited at

best. I felt a little frustrated, because my instincts screamed at me to
provide my mate with sustenance. I could tell he wasn’t himself, and I
wanted to help. My hunting ground was right here, in front of me.
However, the only kill I could make was a small gray mouse without
too much meat on it. I almost felt bad for even slaying it, because I
wasn’t really hungry and Vlad wouldn’t want it.

Nevertheless, I grabbed it in my mouth and dejectedly carried it to

my mate. As I placed my small token of appreciation down, Vlad
released a small chuckle. My beast whined, taking his chuckle as a
proof of rejection.

Obviously noticing this, my mate ignored the dead mouse and

picked me up instead. “You’re so adorable,” he said as he hugged me.

“I am not,” I argued. “I am a predator. I’m supposed to be able to

provide for you, for my mate.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

In spite of my protests, his hand in my fur felt really good. It was

a wonder how he managed to circumvent all of my previous quirks.
Now, enjoying his petting had actually become among my favorite
activities.

“I’ll tell you a little secret, my sweet,” Vlad whispered. “I’m a

vampire. I don’t require you to hunt for me. My favorite prey is right
here.”

As he spoke, his fingers trailed over my spine. Finally, I

surrendered to the inevitable and changed into my second form, the
human one that existed specifically for the purpose of mating with
people outside our species. Vlad seemed to be very appreciative of
my decision, because he released a low groan.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said. “I have no idea how I even resisted

you until now.”

“Does that mean that you won’t resist me any longer?” I inquired,

rubbing my naked body against his.

I almost didn’t dare to hope that it would be so, because I knew all

too well how much it meant to Vlad for us to do things right. As it
turned out, I needn’t have worried because my mate had run out of
patience, too.

“I’m sorry, my sweet,” he said. “I should have claimed you in a

better place, like you deserve. But I can’t wait any longer.”

“And I don’t want you to wait,” I replied.
Vlad took me into his arms and carried me outside. He found a

spot on the grass and placed me down. “This place can be used as
shelter,” he explained, “but anything else is out of the question.”

I didn’t particularly care about details on our current location, but

I still let out an inquiring noise. “Oh?”

“This house used to belong to a famous necromancer,” Vlad said

as he crawled on top of me and peppered my face with kisses. “One
day, he raised a female zombie who was so beautiful he couldn’t help
but fall in love with her.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“That’s kind of romantic, in a strange, twisted way,” I said. As he

nibbled on my throat, I moaned, releasing a breathless plea. “Yes,
oh…More, Vlad.”

Vlad hummed thoughtfully and brushed his lips over mine. “Yes,

romantic. Sadly, the female zombie only had interest in eating brains
and not so much in making love, and she broke his heart. He’s been
missing ever since. But why am I even telling you this?”

I laughed lightly. “I have no idea. Kiss me, Vlad. Touch me.”
My mate proceeded to do exactly that. This time, when our

mouths came in contact, the butterfly-light pecks from before melted
into a devouring, soul-consuming kiss. He thrust his tongue into my
wet cavern, claiming me just like I had dreamed from the day we had
met. I wrapped my arms around his neck, grinding against him, my
dick throbbing painfully as it nudged his own clothed cock.

It was painful to have a barrier between our bodies, no matter how

flimsy it was. The material of his clothing scratched my oversensitive
skin, and I clawed at it, wishing that my fingernails were at least as
sharp as my fangs. Mercifully, I didn’t have to take the matter in my
own paws, because Vlad handled it. He briefly broke our kiss, which
pained me deeply. However, it was all for a good cause, and I didn’t
even get the chance to protest, because in the blink of an eye, Vlad
shed his clothing.

In spite of all of the time we’d spent together, I’d never actually

seen Vlad naked. It was likely the only reason why it had taken me
this long to go into heat in the first place, because if I’d set eyes on his
nudity, that would have quickly changed.

As it was, his kisses had enflamed me so much that I almost came

just upon getting a glimpse of his naked form. My mouth went dry,
and my head started to spin. I didn’t even know what to touch first. I
craved to trace the lines of his six-pack with my tongue, to mouth the
coppery disks of his nipples and map every inch of him with my
fingers and my lips. I wanted to kneel in front of him and suck his
magnificent prick deep, to sample the flavor of his pre-cum, which I

Scarlet Hyacinth

already knew would be delicious. A month ago, I might not have
dared to make those dreams reality, since I still suffered from an acute
lack of experience. But now, my heat and my unbearable desire for
him short-circuited my rational side, leaving behind only pure, molten
desire.

The moment he discarded his clothing, I pounced and crushed our

mouths together once again. If he was surprised, he didn’t show it,
instead taking over the kiss with natural ease. His hand snaked
between our bodies, gripping my cock in a nearly ruthless hold. I
gasped as he rubbed his thumb over the leaking tip, the sound muffled
by our lip-lock. I was already impossibly close to coming, and he’d
only just started to touch me. Writhing in his embrace, I wordlessly
tried to convey my need for him, hoping that it would make him give
me some relief.

As it seemed, my mate had other plans. He bit down on my lower

lip, and I tasted blood as his fangs broke the skin. The action was a
warning and a promise, a reminder of who was really in charge. It
excited me more than I’d thought was possible, and I’d have
undoubtedly found my peak if he hadn’t suddenly pushed me away.

“No, you don’t, my sweet,” he said. “Not just yet. I want to taste

your pleasure.”

As he spoke, he squeezed the base of my dick, an unforgiving

touch that pushed my orgasm back, while oddly adding to my
pleasure. I didn’t know if it was the physical compulsion, or merely
the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes that bound me to this
sexual torment, but there I lingered, on the edge, unable to climax, a
slave to his will.

“That’s it,” he purred in my ear, almost sounding like a large

feline. He pinned my hands above my head with one strong fist.
“Submit to me. You are mine. Isn’t that right, Vesper?”

His eyes glowed red as he spoke, and there was something

hypnotic in it. Was this what he had meant when he’d said I didn’t
understand what it would be like to mate a vampire? Perhaps. Some

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

people might have thought it scary, but not me. To me, those crimson
orbs looked beautiful, like twin suns threatening to burn me whole, to
brand me as forever belonging to Vlad.

“Yours,” I said, somewhat marveling at the fact that I was even

able to speak. “Yours forever.”

Vlad released a low growl, which I could translate as a sign or

arousal and possessiveness. My nostrils were invaded by the scent of
his desire for me. I needed to touch him more than I did my next
breath, but I was held captive by his gaze. He didn’t even necessarily
have to maintain his hold on my arms, because I couldn’t have fought
him if I’d wanted to.

Obviously realizing my complete and utter surrender, Vlad

released my wrists. “Good,” he said. “Now, my sweet, you absolutely
mustn’t come until I tell you to.”

I whimpered, but nodded. Vlad shot me a satisfied smirk, and

crawled down my body. Without giving me a single word of warning,
he took my cock in his mouth.

Pleasure exploded through me as wet heat engulfed my engorged

dick. I had thought that I knew what ecstasy meant, but I’d been a
fool, because up until this moment, I’d never truly understood the
extent of it. Now, my whole sense of self focused on the bliss that my
mate offered, on the maddening suction that tortured me in such a
beautiful way. He had told me not to come, and I wanted to keep my
promise toward him, but it was just so hard—no pun intended. He
licked my cock from the base to the tip, then suckled the head,
exploring the tiny hole in the glans. He teased me with tiny flicks of
his tongue, mapped my balls with his talented fingers and that sinful
mouth, and just as I thought I was going to lose my mind, he once
again started his previous ruthless pace. I was lost in it, lost in him,
hanging onto sanity by a very thin thread.

And then, Vlad did something completely unexpected. Sucking

my prick all the way into his throat, he swallowed around the head
and bit down. His fangs pierced the sensitive flesh of my cock. It

Scarlet Hyacinth

should have hurt, and, to a certain extent, maybe it did, but my body
seemed hardwired to translate that pain into pleasure. The rapture that
exploded over me was simply indescribable. I tried to hold myself in
check, not wanting to fail my mate, but I had no hope of withstanding
the onslaught of ecstasy that assaulted me. Crying out Vlad’s name, I
came, filling his mouth with my spunk.

For a few moments, I wasn’t aware of anything except the bliss

that Vlad had coaxed out of me. I might have actually blacked out,
except Vlad decided he wasn’t done. Even as he released my dick
from his mouth, he licked it clean, making renewed heat flow through
me. And when he finally lifted his gaze, he grinned almost evilly. “I
didn’t tell you to come.”

I refrained from pointing out that he couldn’t have said anything,

because he’d had his mouth full of cock. I very much suspected that
whatever I said wouldn’t make a difference. Besides, I didn’t think I
could speak. My orgasm had only made the overpowering heat worse.
My senses felt both muddled and a million times more focused. I
couldn’t register any of my surroundings, but I saw Vlad clearer than
ever before, marveled in the ways different shades of red danced with
utter blackness in his eyes. I drank in the sight of his gorgeous body
that almost seemed sculpted out of the purest marble, aching to touch
him, to hold onto his hair and test its softness. But he was the one in
charge of this, and I was completely at his mercy. I had already come
without being allowed to, and moving again would be a terrible idea.

“What punishment do you think you deserve?” Vlad asked me

almost idly. As he spoke, he gripped my dick and jacked it slowly.
“Tell me, my sweet.”

I let out a tortured noise, but couldn’t really focus on what he’d

asked me. “V–Vlad,” I stammered instead. “Please.”

Vlad’s eyes flashed with that same bright heat. “Please, what, my

sweet? Tell me. I want to hear it.”

“Claim me,” I begged. “Fuck me. Please.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Those few words must have taken me years to say, or so it seemed

to me. At this point, my blood was boiling in my veins, my dick
already just as hard as it had been before, or maybe even harder. My
nipples tightened into sensitive peaks, and when Vlad flicked a thumb
over one of them, tiny explosions of pleasure rocketed through me.
My channel clenched around empty air, practically begging to be
filled. If Vlad didn’t do something soon, I’d surely lose my mind.

Thankfully, my mate took mercy on me, on us both. He flipped

me on all fours and wordlessly guided me to remain in that position. I
did my best to obey, even if I wasn’t sure my arms would hold me.
Perhaps my eagerness to please him helped, because I didn’t fall on
my face like I had feared I would. Of course, being forced to look
away from Vlad’s handsome face might have had something to do
with it, because it filled me with a whole new breed of frustration.
Vlad’s hands kneaded my ass cheeks, and I pushed back against his
touch. His palms were cool, but that was all right, because that chill
was also a part of him, an evidence of his undead nature. It was also a
little startling, because it meant he needed to feed. I might have
actually felt a little concerned, except by now, I understood that, as
his mate, this was my task. I had certainly enjoyed it when he’d bitten
my shaft, and I was certain that with him, everything else would be
just as pleasurable. Hadn’t he said I was his prey? Well, I had
absolutely no complaints in that regard.

“I think that I know exactly what punishment you deserve,” Vlad

said as he parted my ass cheeks.

And then, my mate’s tongue licked over my crease, and my mind

simply melted. I groaned, clenching my fists around the blades of
grass. I would have never thought I would enjoy something like this,
but I did. Miraculously, the fact that Vlad had forbidden me to come
just added to the cocktail of maddening sensations. My sense of self
dissolved with Vlad’s will, and it was so utterly beautiful and freeing
that I couldn’t have described it even if I’d been able to speak.

Scarlet Hyacinth

As it was, I could only lay there and withstand his sensual assault.

He stabbed his slick muscle into my anus, and the taboo touch awoke
nerve endings I hadn’t even known existed. Each and every part of
me, from the tips of my hair to my toenails, was alight with bliss. It
felt so good, better than I’d ever imagined something could possibly
feel. And yet…it was not enough.

Vlad’s caresses, as maddeningly pleasurable as they were, simply

teased me with the promise of what I truly wanted, and he knew it,
damn him. He knew how much I needed him, and he was exploiting
that knowledge perfectly. He stabbed his tongue in and out of me over
and over, using it like a little cock to stretch me. I pushed back against
him, trying to fuck his face. For a while, he allowed it, but then, his
hands tightened around my hips, holding me in place. I released a soft
whine, trembling with arousal and need, clawing at the ground, biting
my own lips because I couldn’t bite him. I tasted blood in my mouth,
and I heard a low growl come from Vlad. I could only guess the
coppery scent excited him, and that guess was confirmed when Vlad
lifted his head, abandoning his previous ministrations on my sex-
starved body.

Before I could even attempt to protest, he said, “I have to take you

now, my sweet. I can’t wait any longer.”

I might have pointed out that I’d long ago gotten over any

possible need to wait, except I was so immensely overcome by what
he was doing that a part of me wondered if I could actually handle it.
But that brief thought dissipated like it had never been when I felt
something thick nudge against my opening. Goddess, yes, I would
finally get what I’d wanted for so long.

For all his words, Vlad didn’t rush. When he pushed inside me, he

did so slowly, almost excruciatingly so. I actually felt the head of his
dick pop in, past the circle of guardian muscle, breaching my virgin
body. It was an unfamiliar sensation. I’d touched myself there, but it
had never been like this, so amazing. But even though this was my
first time with my mate—or with anyone for that matter—it seemed

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

so right, like coming home without even knowing I’d been away. He
went slowly, perhaps in an attempt to allow me to get accustomed to
the sensations. The end result was, however, that I experienced each
and every second of his invasion to the fullest. And when he was
finally balls-deep inside me, I felt so full of him, in every possible
sense. I couldn’t even remember my own name anymore, just that I
belonged to him.

He stilled inside me, his hands still clenched around my hips,

holding me in place. I guessed that this was also for my benefit, since,
with his girth, he could have easily hurt me if he hadn’t been careful.
In fact, if I’d been able to think clearly, I would have accepted that
and admitted that his entrance did burn a little. But for me, that slight
pain just made everything better, more real. I wanted him to move, to
pound me like there was no tomorrow. My instincts flared inside me
wilder than ever before, and if I could have, I would have started
fucking myself on his prick mindless of any harm that came to me.

But Vlad would have none of that, so I did my best to breathe

through it, to relax my body. I tried to remind myself that this wasn’t
only about my own needs, but Vlad’s as well. And it might have
actually worked, except he snarled in my ear, his voice so low it
seemed to come from the bowels of the earth. “Mmm, that’s it,” he
said. “You’re so tight around me, Vesper. You’re squeezing me so
perfectly. Give yourself to me, just like that.”

The words washed over me like a wave of sensation, the

possessiveness and need in his tone a palpable caress that made me
keen in distressed pleasure. For some reason, it also made me tighten
my ass around his dick. That finally snapped the control that had kept
his desire for me in check.

With a snarl, Vlad pulled out of me and thrust back inside, so hard

I’d have been propelled forward on the grass if not for his hold on me.
In the process, he struck a spot inside me that made stars burst in my
vision. My reality blurred around the edges, and I tried to get a better
grip on the grass, to somehow use it as leverage and push back against

Scarlet Hyacinth

him. For once, Vlad allowed me a measure of freedom, no longer
trying to keep me from impaling myself on his cock.

We fell into a perfect rhythm, a dance as old as time that bonded

us in the most intimate way that could ever exist between two people.
The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled my ears, combining
with my keening cries and his grunts to create a symphony of pure
carnality. Every time he thrust inside me, he struck my special spot,
driving me higher and higher on the peak of pleasure.

I didn’t know how long it lasted. It could have been an eternity, or

merely a few moments. Time became meaningless, as did the
limitations between us. He drove his dick deeper and deeper inside
me, until I had no notion of where he ended and I began. I was so
close to coming I could almost taste it, feel it burning in my testes,
sizzling all over my skin. I craved it, oh, how I craved it, but I still
couldn’t go over the edge. His touch enthralled me. His kisses
drugged me. But the way he was fucking me had me his willing slave,
and until he allowed me my climax, I could not orgasm, not for a
second time.

Thankfully, I had been blessed with a mate who desired me as

much as I desired him. He growled in my ear, and for some reason,
the sound echoed deeply within me, resonating with my instincts and
a subconscious understanding. Without really knowing why, I tilted
my head, offering myself to him.

As Vlad thrust inside me one last time, he embedded his fangs in

my flesh. Pain and pleasure exploded over me, more powerful than
ever before. I had known that our mating would involve him feeding
on me, especially after what he’d done earlier, but I had still not
expected to feel like this. Every motion of his mouth as he sucked my
blood seemed directly connected to my dick. He didn’t speak, but
nevertheless, I felt this bite as the permission I had been waiting for.
With a choked cry, I came once again.

My mind shut down under the onslaught of sensation of emotion,

and I was propelled in a world where only the two of us existed. His

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

emotions flashed through me, combining with my own, until I could
no longer distinguish the difference between them. His orgasm swept
over me in an unexpected echo of mine. I might have actually felt
frightened at the intensity of it, but my mate was right there by my
side. And when I felt the connection between us click into place, his
mental voice drifted into my mind. “Vesper.”

He said nothing else, but it wasn’t necessary. His heart was mine,

and the other way around. Our souls were entwined, and in that single
word he had said, I heard worshipful love, desire, and nearly heart-
wrenching relief. There was also a dash of guilt, which I hastened to
soothe through my own love for him.

It was that love that guided us to a feeling of deep contentment

that surpassed even the physical pleasure I’d been thrust into. It went
so far that I could almost feel the taste of my own blood in my mouth,
and I experienced Vlad’s ecstasy at sampling its flavor. I truly would
have liked for it to last forever, but all too soon, Vlad released his
hold on my neck and retreated from my body.

I would have actually felt a little bereft, but our bond was in place,

protecting me. When we collapsed together on the grass, Vlad held
me close, protectiveness and affection written in every line of his
body. We lay there, panting in each other’s embrace. I had known that
sex would be explosive between the two of us, but it had been more
than that. It had been making love, a culmination of all the time we’d
spent together up until this point. Even if my heat still bubbled under
the surface, right now I felt so sated—physically and emotionally—
that I never wanted to move.

Vlad patted my hair, gently, almost in awe. “I don’t know how

someone like you can love someone like me,” he said quietly, “but I’ll
do my best to deserve it.”

I slapped his chest weakly. “You know it’s not like that.”
He and I had long ago surpassed the notion of deserving each

other. We simply fit together, body and soul, and the buildup of our
relationship only solidified my belief in it. Even if we’d first coupled

Scarlet Hyacinth

today, we’d shared many intimate moments throughout these past
weeks. We’d laughed, talked, and cuddled. We had learned each
other’s likes and dislikes, our good points and bad points. Our mental
bond came as a natural progression of how much we had grown as a
couple. And because we’d shared all that, I also knew that his body
still felt too cool to the touch. Vlad had truly pulled back too soon,
clinging onto the bite only for as long as it took for it to bind us.

“You didn’t feed enough,” I told him with a frown, this time out

loud. He had drunk some of my blood during our bonding, but it
hadn’t been sufficient to give him sustenance.

Vlad released me from his embrace and opened his mouth,

obviously intending to reply. However, before he could do so, he
tensed and looked away, past my shoulder. I would have been hurt,
except I also felt the reason for his change in demeanor.

When I turned and followed Vlad’s gaze, I couldn’t help but gape.

A large dark-haired man approached, scanning us both with shrewd
eyes. He was, for lack of a better description, really fat. The color of
his skin—pale like marble—suggested a possible vampiric nature, but
I hadn’t known fat vampires existed. Granted, I wasn’t acquainted
with too many members of Vlad’s species, but for some reason, his
appearance struck me as odd. It certainly didn’t help that, in spite of
his size, he made absolutely no noise while moving around.

“Well, well,” the new arrival said. “If it isn’t Count Vlad. When I

heard that you’d returned, I almost couldn’t believe my ears. I just
had to come see for myself.”

“Pygmalion? Is that you?”
The man, Pygmalion, chortled slightly. “It’s been a while, Vlad.”
Frowning, Vlad got up and positioned himself in front of me,

shielding me from sight. The other man just laughed. “I see your life’s
been interesting after you left Necro Valley.”

“It has,” Vlad confirmed without giving him any further

explanations. “Whatever happened to Galatea?”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Pygmalion just sighed heavily. “Oh, you deliver low blows, Vlad.

Fortunately, I’ve had the time to grow accustomed to her betrayal. But
never mind me. Won’t you introduce me to your lovely and
perceptive companion?”

Perceptive? He was probably referring to my comment about Vlad

not having fed enough. Still, I didn’t like his tone. It seemed accusing.
Even if I had expected some reluctance from Vlad’s people, I refused
to allow anyone to insult our mating, or my loyalty toward Vlad. I
also wouldn’t cower behind my mate. I might not be as strong as
Vlad, but that didn’t mean I was a scaredy-rabbit.

“No one thinks that,” Vlad whispered through our bond. “But my

kind is dangerous. Just stay behind me, all right?”

Vlad’s protectiveness just made Pygmalion more interested in my

person. “Come now,” he said. “Don’t be shy. I won’t harm you.
We’re all friends here.”

My mate released a heavy sigh. “Pygmalion, let’s not play games.

Why did you return here? Did my father send you?”

The other man—who I now knew was the necromancer Vlad had

been talking about earlier—grinned ferally. “Don’t underestimate me.
I can always tell when someone bypasses my wards. You would know
that if you hadn’t left. But that’s really beside the point, don’t you
agree? Who is this outsider?”

The poison in his voice was undeniable now, and I refused to back

down. I stepped in front of Vlad and straightened my back. “I’m
Vlad’s mate. I’d love to say it’s a pleasure, but I’ve never been a good
liar.”

The vampire’s beady eyes seemed lost in his fat face as he

chortled. “Oh-hooo…He has guts. I see why he caught your eye,
Vlad.” His eyes scanned me from head to toe, and I became distinctly
aware that I was still naked, with Vlad’s cooling spunk dribbling
down my leg. It didn’t embarrass me, but I did grasp the fact that
Vlad didn’t want anyone seeing me like that. I would have shifted,
except I suspected that might possibly worsen the situation.

Scarlet Hyacinth

As if guessing my thoughts, Pygmalion arched a brow and added,

“Don’t worry, little shifter. I can tell what you are. I can hear it in
your heartbeat and smell it in your blood.”

Finally, Vlad snapped. Much to my surprise, he crossed the

distance between himself and the other man and cuffed Pygmalion
across the head. “Would you stop it already? I know you like to
imitate Father, but that whole ominous ‘I can read your mind’ thing
gets old quickly. Grow up already.”

Pygmalion’s almost cruel expression melted into a pout. “Why do

you have to be so mean, cousin?”

I blinked in surprise. Wait…Cousin? This guy and Vlad were

nothing alike, not to mention that Vlad’s attitude toward him hadn’t
been exactly friendly. Then again, my mate had warned me before
that the members of his family might not be welcoming. Still, given
that Pygmalion was Vlad’s blood, I had to tone down on the hostility.

“He’s just very protective of me,” I explained. “Perhaps we

should start this over?”

Pygmalion gave me an assessing look and nodded. “My name is

Pygmalion Dracula,” he said.

“I’m Vesper,” I replied. “I’ve heard a lot about your people. I

know that we are very different, but I hope that you will welcome me
here as Vlad’s mate.”

“Oh, it’s not me you have to worry about,” Pygmalion replied

dismissively. “For my part, Vlad can mate a swamp squid. I don’t
particularly care.”

“Speaking of caring,” Vlad interrupted him, “what in the name of

the Goddess happened to you? You’re all…bloated.”

I glared at my tactless mate. “Vlad, that’s rude,” I snapped at him

through our bond.

“It’s also true,” Vlad replied. “I have to know if he’s sick. He

doesn’t smell diseased, but it’s my responsibility to ask.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

The other vampire’s face flamed. In fact, he blushed so brightly

that he no longer looked like a vampire at all. “Don’t judge me!” he
cried. “You wouldn’t understand. Comfort food…helps.”

“Comfort food,” my mate repeated. “Oh…You’ve been eating.”
I had known vampires could eat, but Vlad and his sisters very

rarely did so. “We don’t digest regular food well,” Vlad explained
through our connection. “We need to get our sustenance directly from
blood. If we have normal meals, most of it will transform into fat and
won’t really help us.”

As Vlad spoke to me, Pygmalion’s shoulders slumped, as if he

was ashamed. I kind of felt bad for him. I could understand the urge
to nibble on something when in moments of emotional turmoil. Of
course, I’d been lucky in that I hadn’t suffered from Vlad’s
abandonment, but before I’d met him, I’d had my own periods of
depression. If not for Dini and Larue—and all right, the fact that I
sucked at hunting—I would have grown pretty fat indeed.

“It’s okay,” I told Pygmalion. “There’s nothing wrong with a little

extra weight.”

Pygmalion’s eyes widened at my words. “Do you really think

that?”

I had a feeling that I had to tread lightly. “Really,” I answered

nevertheless. “As long as it doesn’t make you unhealthy, of course.”

“Oh, I’m perfectly all right,” Pygmalion said. Moving far too

quickly for a man his size, he suddenly attached himself to my side
and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Your mate is charming,
Vlad. Won’t you share him?”

Before I could even utter one word of protest, Vlad snatched me

from his cousin’s arms. “I don’t think so. Don’t touch him if you want
to keep your arms and your fangs.”

“Okay,” Pygmalion answered, not sounding put out in the

slightest, “but you really must take him to see your father. He strongly
insisted on it.”

“I think not,” Vlad grumbled. “We’re busy.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Stop being a child,” a somewhat familiar voice said from behind

us. This time, when I turned around, I was unsurprised to see yet
another vampire, one who looked very much like my mate. “Your
mother missed you, and I’ll be damned if I’ll withstand her nagging
because of your stubbornness. You’ve been away for the coven for so
long. Why did you even come here if not to visit us? Besides, I want
an explanation as to why you mated a rabbit.”

Distantly, I wondered how they could tell what I was so easily,

but I supposed that they might be able to scent it in my blood. Still, it
was a little hard to be afraid of this guy—Vlad’s father if I had to
guess—when he himself had admitted he dreaded the reaction of his
wife to a possible rejection from Vlad’s part. It reminded me a little of
the dynamics in my own warren. Females of my species were actually
very aggressive, so I could empathize with this man’s difficulties.
Besides, if Vlad’s mother was anything like his sisters…well, I
actually didn’t look forward to meeting her at all.

Vlad winced, and an image of a dark-haired female vampire

flashed through my mind’s eye. She seemed like an older version of
Mina, and the thought of going through the painful process of fur
abuse for the millionth time didn’t appeal in the slightest. Alas, it
would seem that we wouldn’t have much choice.

All around us, reality blurred, until the strange forest and the

crumbling hut vanished. The scenery melted into the surprising sight
of what I instantly recognized as a castle foyer. Truly, I might have
been taken aback, except I’d grown pretty used to the way Vlad’s
translocation powers worked. This spell, even if it hadn’t been Vlad’s,
was pretty similar. Even the castle we were in reminded me of Vlad’s,
so much so that, for a few moments, I actually thought we’d been
transported back to Merlinia and expected Vlad’s harem to burst
around us any moment now.

However, that was obviously wishful thinking, because it soon

became clear that we were definitely not back home. The four of us
were actually surrounded by over a dozen vampires, all of whom were

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

staring straight at me. Once again, I couldn’t help but remember that I
was still naked and covered in Vlad’s cum. Of course, Vlad was
naked, too, but that didn’t help. I was essentially meeting my in-laws
in the nude, still reeking of sex and blood.

Everyone—including Vlad’s father and cousin—was staring at

me. I didn’t know why, but suddenly, that made me feel
uncomfortable with my current form. Before meeting Vlad, I had
never used it much. And while it had certainly been of a great help for
the mating process, right now, it didn’t seem like the best one to be in.

And so, following my instincts, I shifted into my rabbit form and

leapt into Vlad’s arms. As I did so, I bared my fangs slightly at the
gathering of vampires. Now what?

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Six:

In Which Family Bonds Form a Gordian Knot

Back when I’d left Necro Valley, centuries ago, I had known it

was the only path I could take to ensure my sisters’ well-being. The
coven stifled them, and our parents, while well-meaning, pushed them
all into things that didn’t make them happy. I had never regretted my
decision, and I wished now that I hadn’t been forced to come back
here, especially not with my mate.

I might not have hated it so much, but my powers hadn’t

completely recovered. Vesper had been right in that I hadn’t taken all
the blood I needed from him. I just hadn’t wanted to scare him or
harm him, especially since it had been our first time together. But
now, my family had shown up, and I wasn’t at the top of my game. It
seemed that no matter how hard I tried and how much I wanted to
keep Vesper safe, I was destined to fuck up.

Of course, even if I had recovered the full extent of my abilities, I

would have been no match for my coven. Mercifully, my father didn’t
appear to be inclined to attack us. In fact, he seemed pretty interested
in Vesper’s shifted form.

“Oh,” he said when my mate changed into his rabbit shape. Tilting

his head, he scanned Vesper with interest. “I suppose I can see the
appeal.”

His voice was completely neutral, which didn’t surprise me given

that he had already known about Vesper’s nature. However, he could
still go against me, so I anticipated trouble. My guess was confirmed
moments later when my brother, Abraham, stepped forward,

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

smirking. “Really, brother? A rabbit? I could understand it from our
sisters, but from you? What could you possibly be thinking?”

“Greetings, brother,” I said coldly. “I see you haven’t changed.

Have you found a mate yet?”

Abraham had always had trouble with finding his other half. The

disadvantage of living in Necro Valley was that our circle of potential
mates was quite limited. Few vampires were lucky enough to find
their true mates, which was one of the reasons why Pygmalion had
attempted to make himself one and failed so abysmally. It was
actually kind of sad, and it was a low blow from my part, but I
couldn’t help it, not when he had dared to attack my mate.

My brother’s face fell, which told me that my guess had been

correct. Of course, that didn’t mean he reacted well to it. “And look
who’s talking? You, with a mate who’s incapable of satisfying your
thirst?”

I winced, already knowing that Vesper wouldn’t react well to that.

My guess was confirmed moments later, when Vesper shouted, “Take
that back!”

Abraham snorted. “And what if I won’t? What are you going to

do?”

Before I could stop him, Vesper leapt out of my arms and toward

my brother. Abraham obviously didn’t expect him to actually
attack—something I knew was a big mistake. Indeed, Vesper
launched himself forward and straight at my brother. Abraham wasn’t
wise enough to move back in time, and my mate managed to climb
onto his leg. With a bemused snort, Abraham reached for my mate
and tried to dislodge him. However, my lover seemed to have
expected that. He crawled up Abraham’s thigh and, under my
horrified glance, buried his fangs in my brother’s crotch.

I had experienced the sharpness of those fangs more than once,

and even if he’d rarely meant to hurt me, I knew all too well that they
weren’t as harmless as they might have seemed at first glance.
Therefore, I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when my brother

Scarlet Hyacinth

released an agonized cry. He whirled around, trying to dislodge
Vesper, but my mate stubbornly held on. Trying to rip him away from
the attacked zone would obviously not be a good idea, since it was a
recipe for castration. Of course, if Vesper wasn’t stopped, the end
result could very easily be the same.

My coven seemed completely taken aback by this development.

Normally, their powers would have allowed them to easily remove a
threat such as Vesper, but my mate had moved too quickly, putting
Abraham in a very precarious position, indeed.

“Vlad!” my father shouted. “Do something. Help him!”
For my part, I didn’t particularly care about my brother being

harmed, but Vesper could get hurt as well, which I couldn’t allow.
And okay, I wasn’t very happy that any part of my mate touched the
genitals of another man.

Even as I thought this, Vesper released him and leapt toward me,

an apology shining in his black eyes. “Sorry,” he whispered through
our bond. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

I just grinned at him and picked him up once again. “Probably—

but it was great anyway.”

My mate smugly cuddled close to my chest, while my brother

collapsed to the floor, keening and clutching his crotch. “You little
fuck,” he screeched. “I’ll…”

“Now, now,” a female voice said, interrupting his rant. “Vlad is

finally home after so many years. Let’s welcome him in an
appropriate manner.”

I turned, only to notice my mother descending the winding

staircase of our mansion home, impeccably dressed in an embroidered
evening gown. She hadn’t changed in the slightest in the centuries I’d
been away, or so I thought at first. When our gazes met, I noticed a
sadness in her eyes that hadn’t been there during my earlier years.

“How have you been, son?” she asked, a hint of kindness

softening the tone I remembered as unyieldingly harsh.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“I’ve been well, Mother, and so have my sisters,” I replied

politely. “Recently, I’ve found my mate.”

“Greetings,” Vesper piped up. “It’s an honor to meet you…”
He trailed off, not knowing how to address her. I hadn’t really told

him much about my family beyond my sisters, and we hadn’t really
gotten the chance to communicate through our bond about it. “Your
Majesty,” I provided quickly to help my mate.

“Your Majesty,” my mate repeated out loud.
It was obvious that the meaning of the address didn’t immediately

dawn on him, because the last syllable of the words went high
pitched. “What?” he snarled through our bond, his sharp fangs
digging into my palm. “Your family is royalty and somehow you
forgot to mention it?”

“It’s not important,” I replied with yet another wince. Even to

me, that excuse sounded a little weak. I hadn’t deliberately hidden my
background from Vesper, but neither had I volunteered the
information, which had actually gone against the whole point of
waiting before we mated. “Yes, they’re the king and queen of the
vampires in Necro Valley, but I’m not a prince or anything like that.
My title as a count is granted to me through my birthright, but I have
many other siblings who are more important than me and my sisters.”

Due the lengths of our lives, vampire families were generally

quite complicated. Mina, Catherine, Veronica, Monica, and I shared
both a mother and a father, but our coven abounded with our older
half brothers and sisters who had more preeminent positions, like
Abraham for example. I truly hadn’t thought Vesper and I would ever
have to face such circumstances, which was why I hadn’t bothered to
explain.

Of course, that wasn’t a very convincing reason for my mate, but

he stopped biting me nonetheless. He didn’t leap out of my arms,
which I was grateful for, but he was still obviously uncomfortable
with this new knowledge.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I was just surprised.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Before I could reply, my mother walked to my side and arched a

brow. “It looks like you kept some things from your mate,” she said,
now sounding a little chastising. She snatched Vesper from my arms,
grinning. “It’s all right, young Vesper. Our titles are irrelevant right
now. You can call me Mother, or Charlotte, if you’d rather. You’ve
already met my husband, Harker.”

“I’m honored,” Vesper replied. Much to his credit, he sounded

only slightly fearful.

Mercifully, my mother almost seemed aware of Vesper’s dislike

to be petted. She held him carefully, like she was afraid he would
break. I was grateful for her kindness, but at the same time, wanted to
snatch my mate from her arms.

Likely, my mate might have bitten her anyway, but the fact that

she had royal blood still had him in a barely contained panic. Also, for
all her gentleness, my mother seemed extremely interested in Vesper.
“Tell me about yourself, young shifter,” she said. “How did you and
Vlad meet? What did you think about my daughters?”

The question was carefully phrased, but something in her tone put

me on the edge. It was quite telling that my mother hadn’t earnestly
started to interrogate me on my sisters’ well-being ever since she had
showed up. It suggested that we had been watched during our entire
stay in Merlinia. I honestly couldn’t say that surprised me. In fact, I
would have been shocked if it hadn’t been the case, because all
throughout past centuries, I’d occasionally gotten a feel of being spied
on. But that was just the way my people worked, so I couldn’t even be
offended.

“It’s a pretty long story,” Vesper replied. “Vlad and I met in

Merlinia, through the assistance of some friends of ours. And I’ve
actually grown pretty accustomed to living with him and his sisters.”

At that, Abraham finally recovered and snorted. “As if we’d

believe that. I’m surprised they didn’t turn you into their pet. Or…did
they?”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Vesper bared his fangs at my brother. “I’d only ever be Vlad’s

pet,” he replied. “For everyone else, I can be friend, family, or foe.”

My mother laughed. “Well said, young Vesper. A mate bond,

especially one with a vampire, is unique. I’m very happy to see you
understand Vlad’s nature.”

Horror coursed through me at her words. I didn’t think Vesper’s

defensive comeback was in any way related to our sex life, but my
mother had interpreted it that way. One reason why we took our time
during our engagements was because vampire families tended to be
very candid with regard to sexuality, and that could shock people who
weren’t accustomed to our ways. Our ways were actually quite
complex. When it came to strangers, we were very formal and
avoided any sorts of sexual innuendo. However, once a person
entered our inner circle, all bets were off.

“It’s okay, Vlad,” Vesper told me through our bond. I could feel

his embarrassment upon acknowledging the meaning of my mother’s
comment, but he didn’t show it through a visible reaction. “I can
handle it,” he continued. “After all, what can possibly happen?”

That sort of question practically meant asking for trouble,

especially when my parents were involved. They had a way of
managing to find the most uncomfortable topics possible and using
them to twist people up in knots. Half the time, I wasn’t even sure
whether they even meant it maliciously or not, because they were
hard to read even for me. But my gut told me that if I wanted to avoid
a problem, I needed to get out of there at once.

And so, even if my mate was trying to be encouraging, I walked

up to my mother and retrieved Vesper. “Yes, he does understand,” I
told her. “And now that we dropped by for a visit, we really must go.
We appreciate you welcoming us here, but we’re needed elsewhere.”

It was a little hard to act dignified and self-righteous while still

being nude, but it wasn’t exactly something I could help. If I’d had a
choice, I’d have already cast a spell to take us back to Merlinia, or, at
least, Grimoire, but my magic still hadn’t recovered. Bonding with

Scarlet Hyacinth

Vesper had strengthened me, though, and I had faith that after a little
hunt, I could snap back to my regular strength.

Right now, though, I’d have to walk out of here. I started to do

exactly that, but my father and brother got in the way, blocking my
path. “Why aren’t you using a translocation enchantment to go?” my
brother asked with a smirk. “I can smell the weakness on you.”

“Abraham is right,” my father said. “You need to feed and rest.”
“While I can understand you being taken with your young

shifter,” my mother added, “we couldn’t possibly allow you to leave
if this mating is inappropriate for your habits.”

“But…I thought you believed I respected Vlad’s nature,” Vesper

spluttered.

“Maybe you do,” my mother answered, “but Vlad certainly

doesn’t think so. Otherwise, he would have fed from you correctly.
Don’t you agree?”

That was a low blow, even for my mother. Vesper went positively

rigid. I could sense his distress through our newly formed bond, like a
jagged spike digging right into my heart.

“It’s not like that,” I rushed to assure him, wishing I’d had more

time with him before that Pygmalion had shown up. “I merely…”

I was worried about him and had not wanted to hurt him. I didn’t

trust myself around him. The blood I had drunk from him had tasted
like pure ambrosia, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have
been able to stop myself had I fully let go.

“You’re right,” my mate told my mother. “It looks like he doesn’t

understand that, but maybe the fault is on my side for not taking
things seriously.”

He leapt out of my arms and toward her. “Please, won’t you teach

me? I want to be a good mate for Vlad.”

“Of course,” she replied with a wide smile. My mate’s large ears

twitched when her grin revealed her fangs. Perhaps he realized he was
getting himself in quite a difficult situation, but he still didn’t take
back his words.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

“Thank you,” he said instead. “I will be your most earnest

student.”

“And in the meantime, Vlad and I will get reacquainted a bit,” my

father said, clapping my shoulder. “Isn’t it an excellent idea, son?”

That wouldn’t have been my opinion on this disaster of a

situation. Forget about the fact that the witch was likely still
undefeated and our Merlinian friends were in danger. In spite of all
my efforts and the painstaking, assiduous work I’d put into being the
right man for Vesper, I’d completely fucked up our mating.

As if guessing my thoughts, my father whispered, “Maybe you

need a few hints on a successful mating, too. And there are a few
other things I’d like to discuss with you.”

He was using his mental voice, his words drifting right into my

mind. He hadn’t done that in years—even before I had left—because
the walls of my consciousness were too thick for even his powers to
breach.

My shoulders slumped. It looked like there was no way out of my

childhood home, not until I got some not wholly unwanted lessons.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Seven:

In Which the Best Lessons Are Private Tutoring

“And this is what you call a penile cage.”
I glanced at the contraption, then back at Vlad’s mother,

wondering if she was serious. The thing looked more like a torture
device than something used for erotic play, but she had promised to
give me a few hints of what my mate expected of me. A cage was a
good name for it indeed, because it was basically a lot like a metal
entrapment shaped like a phallus, complete with a weird sort of iron
bands.

I sniffed the item with a degree of apprehension. The faint scent of

spent passion reached my nostrils, but I still wasn’t convinced. The
shape of the cage didn’t seem to be large enough to hold Vlad’s dick.
Had it been something he used on his previous lovers? Was I
expected to wear a similar toy? “Does Vlad like this sort of thing?” I
asked dubiously.

“He most certainly does,” the female vampire replied. “Why,

during his young years, he often used items identical to this one on his
lovers. Of course, he took most of them with him, so this isn’t
actually one of his.”

As she spoke, I leapt back, feeling horrified at having invaded

someone else’s privacy like that. It wasn’t that my people were shy
with regard to sex, but touching someone other than one’s mate was a
big no-no. For me, that rule extended to any kind of interaction with
such peculiar items, as long as they belonged to strangers.

My mate’s mother chuckled. “Don’t be embarrassed. I assure you

it’s perfectly all right to use this for the purpose of our lessons.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

I eyed her carefully, wondering if she was serious or was just

pulling my paw. “Just out of curiosity, Your Majesty, who does this
belong to?”

I got my reply quite quickly, when my mate’s half brother,

Abraham, stalked into the room I was currently investigating.
“Mother, what are you doing here?” he practically screeched. “These
are my private quarters.”

The female vampire waved a hand, dismissing her son’s concerns.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re all family here.”

Some sort of wicked part of me made me nudge the item next to

me with my paw. “That’s right,” I said. “You needn’t be apprehensive
about your size. It might not be as generous as Vlad’s, but you still
have a nice girth.”

In all truthfulness, I had no idea how Abraham would react to the

teasing. I half expected he would explode at me like he had in the
foyer. Indeed, his eyes flashed angrily for a few moments, but then his
lips twisted into a grin.

“I appreciate the compliment,” he said. “I couldn’t hope to

possibly compare to your mate, but perhaps I can lend a hand with
these lessons of yours.”

“That’s a delightful idea,” my new mother-in-law said. “I’m so

glad you’ve decided to be more welcoming toward Vlad’s mate. Isn’t
it a great suggestion, Vesper?”

I spluttered, already anticipating the absolute awkwardness that

would ensue. Already, I was having trouble handling the situation,
what with Vlad’s mother giving me a sexual education on vampire
customs. I felt even less comfortable with the thought of Abraham
doing so, because he obviously hated my guts.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t exactly refuse. “Of course you can,” my

mate whispered in my mind, his voice somehow tinged with panic.
“No one will force you into something you don’t want.”

I mentally snorted. If he had trusted our bond, this never would

have happened in the first place. I didn’t exactly blame him. After all,

Scarlet Hyacinth

compared to the people I’d seen here so far, I was pretty weak and
frail. It was my own fault for not being able to provide Vlad with
what he needed. Even now, I was complaining about having to spend
time with Vlad’s half brother, when he could help me surpass my
problem.

Steeling myself, I nodded at Abraham. “Thank you,” I said. “I

would be much obliged for any assistance you could provide. I want
to be the mate Vlad needs.”

Abraham arched a brow at me, as if surprised. He took a step

forward and picked me up, a little warily. Maybe he’d expected me to
bite him again, but either way, his attitude satisfied me. If I could
strike even a measure of fear within a powerful vampire, I wasn’t so
weak after all.

Vlad’s exasperation and dismay flowed clearly into me. However,

he was currently engaged in a conversation with his father, and he
couldn’t come retrieve me. I simply couldn’t withstand all of those
confused emotions, and I sent waves of comfort through our
connection. “It’s all right, Vlad. This is a good thing. I’ll get used to
your family and your people.”

I had to, if Vlad and I wanted to get out of here. Even if Vlad

wasn’t happy about this, we both had to grit our teeth and take it. Our
friends were relying on us to come back and help them.

Of course, my enthusiasm started to fade when Abraham bowed to

his mother then stalked away from her. “Oh, there’s a lot I have to
teach you,” he told me, chortling.

I could only hang on for the ride as he carried me into yet another

room, this one even stranger than the previous. It was pretty much
bare, at least of any sort of furniture. The walls held various
assortments of chains and whips. There were platforms with all sorts
of boxes, and although I couldn’t tell what they contained, I had a
feeling I wouldn’t necessarily like it.

Abraham pulled a cord I hadn’t originally seen, and one of the

walls parted to reveal a secondary chamber, with a huge bed smack

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

dab in the middle of it. “You should change in your second form,” he
advised me. “I can explain better through a practical demonstration.”

“I’m happy with theory, thank you very much,” I replied quickly,

leaping out of his arms. Suddenly, it felt like a very bad idea to be in a
room full of sex toys with a man who wasn’t my mate.

Vlad’s brother laughed at my panic. “Come now, shifter. I thought

you were oh so willing to learn.”

“I can learn just fine like this,” I said stubbornly. I would have

bitten him, especially since I could feel Vlad’s anger bubbling at the
back of my mind. However, I kept my temper in check,
acknowledging the fact that hostility wouldn’t get me anywhere.

Abraham snorted. “Suit yourself.”
Clinging to my rabbit form, I steeled myself for what was to

come. Abraham proceeded to rummage through every possible box in
sight. He dumped several items on the bed, some of which I couldn’t
even figure out what they were. There were phallic-shaped toys, cages
like the one I’d seen before, gags, and many other things I had never
thought I’d have anything to do with in my life.

And naturally, that was only the beginning, because after that,

Abraham proceeded to explain in excruciating detail what each of the
toys were for. At one point, I could actually see why he had suggested
me changing shapes. It wasn’t that I couldn’t intellectually understand
how the items worked. Of course I did. However, I couldn’t use them
in my bunny form, which made actually remembering them pretty
difficult.

At one point, Abraham actually became exasperated with me. “All

right, young shifter,” he said. “If you won’t change shapes, we’ll have
to use a different strategy. Alphabetically. Repeat after me. Then
you’ll jot it down, and it’ll be far easier to remember.”

The end result was that I’d have to shift anyway. I kind of

regretted that I hadn’t agreed to do so already, but it was too late to
change my mind. Abraham was already starting to drone on names.

“Anal beads.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Ball lock.”
“Butt plugs.”
“Cock harness.”
“Cock ring.”
“Dildo.”
“Docking sleeve.”
“Flogger.”
“Glass massage wand.”
At first, I just stared at him, but when he gave me a dark look, I

began to repeat after him. It was a little embarrassing at first, but then,
I mentally caught a glimpse of my mate watching us. He seemed
aroused at the scene, but also very jealous, a situation which definitely
had potential.

I found myself eyeing the items with interest, my paws twitching

slightly as I wondered which one of the toys would appeal to my
mate. Images flashed through my mind, coming from him. Before I
knew it, I shifted into my second form, without actually intending to.

Since Vlad had fucked me earlier, my heat had subsided a little.

But I realized now that it hadn’t been enough, not nearly enough. In
fact, it seemed to have only whet my appetite. The unexpected arrival
of Vlad’s family might have put that off for a while, but now, my
desire for my true mate was returning with a vengeance. And really,
what was I doing discussing sex toys with Vlad’s brother, when I
could easily test them with my lover?

I would have liked to tell Abraham exactly that, except I couldn’t

speak anymore. Waves of lust flowed over me, cutting off my ability
to form coherent phrases. Dizzy, I fell back on the bed, moaning and
rubbing my body against the silken sheets.

“Oh, dear,” Abraham said, staring at me blankly. Or, I thought he

was looking at me, at least. He could have been swirling around
throwing pixie dust into the air like my friend Larue and I wouldn’t
have noticed. My mind was completely focused on my mate, on the
feelings I myself was bringing out inside him. Because Vlad was not

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

left unmoved by my heat. While I couldn’t say it came at the perfect
time, my extreme arousal certainly had it advantages in that the
potency of it wiped away any possible barriers that might have existed
between Vlad and me.

Vlad might have still been a little apprehensive regarding the true

extent of my ability to handle his vampire nature. I’d had every
intention to take it slow and prove to him that I could be a worthy
mate, that he didn’t have to worry about me every time we came
together. However, such explanations were unnecessary now. Vlad
could see everything in my heart and mind, and during my heat, even
he couldn’t fight it.

Of course, that didn’t change my current circumstances, or my

location. I instinctively wanted to leave this place, because it didn’t
belong to my mate. Vlad was the only one who should be seeing me
and touching me at this time. I was also completely naked and could
do next to nothing to hide my hard dick from my host.

“Well,” Abraham said, “I can see why my brother is even

bothering to teach you how to be an appropriate companion for him.
There is a certain appeal to your charms.”

Not even his assessment of me could snap me out of my trance.

He was, purely and simply, irrelevant. I didn’t even deign his
comment with a reply. Instead, I lay back on the pillows, spreading
my legs and engulfing my hard dick in my fist. As I swept my thumb
over the crown, I shivered in lust, aching for Vlad’s touch, wishing
his strong, talented fingers were the ones holding me. He was making
his way through the residence even now, and I had the distinct urge to
put on a little show for him. I couldn’t even say if it was a conscious
decision or not, because by the time I registered it, I’d started to move
my hand up and down my own dick. Frustrated pleasure exploded
over me at the unsatisfying friction. It wasn’t even something I’d
done for my own benefit, but the motions were drawing additional
lust from me, piling onto the one that had already existed because of
my heat. I sped up the pace of my strokes and pinched my nipple,

Scarlet Hyacinth

groaning at the shot of rapture that zinged through me at the action.
At the other side of my bond with Vlad, my mate stumbled and ran
into a wall in his haste to get to me.

It would have actually been a little funny, and I did feel kind of

smug over the fact that I could get my strong, composed mate to lose
it. Never mind that I myself had foregone any sense of shame, or
reason itself for that matter. I was in heat. Rational thought wasn’t
compatible with the purely sexual being I had become.

I was completely naked, and even if I was aware of Abraham still

being present in the room, I couldn’t have cared less. I was aroused,
my cock dripping with pre-cum, but I made no attempt to hide it.
“Vlad,” I called out to my mate, “come to me. I need you.”

“Vesper.” Vlad’s mental voice was husky as he spoke through our

bond. “You’re mine.”

Naturally, I couldn’t argue against that, because from the very

moment we’d met, I had belonged to him. He knew it as well as I did,
and only his scruples and his concern for me had been holding him
back. I would have hoped to win in a battle against misguided
worries, but Vlad had been more stubborn than I’d expected. Either
way, it didn’t matter anymore, because my heat was too strong now
for even him to withstand. And maybe even Abraham’s presence
helped a little, because it stirred Vlad’s possessiveness.

As if ushered by my thoughts, Vlad suddenly snarled in my mind.

“Shift back. I don’t want anyone else but me to see you that way.”

It was pretty hard for me to do what Vlad had demanded, or at

least it should have been. In truth, it really wasn’t. As if he’d activated
some sort of mechanism inside me, I instantly melted in my rabbit
form.

That didn’t really help my arousal. If anything, it made things

worse. I grabbed the pillows with my paws and started humping them,
need still buzzing hotly through my body. My fur seemed to itch with
it, and I felt my lust for my mate all the way into my whiskers.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

Fortunately, my mate at last burst into the room. “Thank you,

Abraham,” he said tightly. He grabbed me and draped me over his
shoulder a little more abruptly than I myself had expected, like I was
a plush toy that was accidentally alive. I didn’t mind being man—or
rather, bunny-handled. In fact, since it was at my mate’s hands, I
rejoiced in it.

Vlad stalked out of the room, while I futilely tried to keep my heat

in check. It didn’t work, and the proximity to Vlad certainly didn’t
help. If I hadn’t been in bunny form, I’d have jumped him and
swallowed down his cock already. Or preferably, taken it inside my
ass. Yes, that idea definitely had potential.

Seemingly agreeing with me, my mate didn’t even bother to carry

me to his quarters, which, as I gathered from his distant memories,
were a good distance away from our current location.

He just stepped into a random room and dumped me on the bed in

the center of it. “Shift!” he commanded.

The barked order triggered the same immediate response in me. I

melted into my second form and glanced up at him with dazed eyes.
“Vlad,” I said.

Or, at least, I tried to. It came out like a strange cross between a

whine and gasp, and it sounded about ten syllables longer than it
should have been. But that was all right, because Vlad understood
anyway. He understood the language of my body, a body that was
screaming for him.

His dark gaze scrutinized me with an intensity that almost made

me melt into a puddle of shape-shifted fur. I whimpered and panted,
crawling toward him even if my limbs trembled with a weakness born
out of the desire to submit to him. I wanted to reach for Vlad, but at
the same time, I was his willing captive.

Mercifully, Vlad experienced the same urgency I did. He joined

me on the bed, and in a flurry of motion, discarded his clothing.
Truly, if I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have guessed anyone—even a
vampire or a shape-shifter—could move so quickly, but he did. In

Scarlet Hyacinth

mere moments, his garments were reduced to useless scraps. He threw
off his boots, and they hit the wall so hard a painting clattered to the
floor with a resounding bang. Why had his parents given him clothing
in the first place? It had to be some sort of crime to have Vlad
covering that gorgeous body.

And then, he was on me, his hands roaming every inch of skin

within his reach. They were cold now, and yet, they fanned the blaze
of my heat, stimulating my already oversensitized body. I forgot all
about any possible question I might have had—except maybe, “When
is Vlad going to fuck me?”

I writhed under Vlad, grinding against him, seeking the friction I

so desperately craved. My leaking dick brushed his, and when the two
shafts kissed, I released an embarrassingly high-pitched noise, as if I
was some sort of bird, not a rabbit. Vlad didn’t seem to mind. He
chuckled darkly and blew a gust of air in my ear, drawing another of
those sounds out of me. “Tell me, Vesper. Who do you belong to?”

Suddenly, I couldn’t move. I could barely even breathe. Even if I

needed him just as much, my body refused to process my desire to rub
against him. I was frozen, and it seemed a miracle that I could even
make my vocal cords work. “You,” I said. “You.”

It was actually kind of shocking that I didn’t stutter at all. In fact,

even if earlier I’d been practically incoherent, my reply sounded clear
and stable. To a certain extent, I couldn’t even understand the reason
behind it. The only thing I knew was that I belonged to him, from the
tips of my hair—or my fur—to that of my tail.

His full lips twisted into a brief smile that made him look even

more mind-meltingly handsome than he already was. It melted into a
frown that, for some reason, aroused me just as much the grin. Then
again, Vlad could just breathe on me, and my cock twitched in
excitement, eager for some action.

“Don’t you know you shouldn’t show that sexy body of yours to

anyone but me?” he asked, his voice so low it almost seemed to come
from the grave. “Your arousal belongs to me, no one else.”

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

I whimpered, wanted to confirm his words again, to scream “yes,”

“yes.” Maybe I did say it, through our bond, but it must not have
satisfied Vlad. He flipped me on all fours, and on instinct, I wiggled
my ass invitingly. My needy hole clenched, aching to be filled by his
dick. Nothing else would satisfy me.

Sadly, Vlad had other ideas. Before I even knew what was going

on, his hand landed on my ass cheek with a resounding thwack. I
yelped, a not entirely dignified noise that only seemed to encourage
my mate. With a low growl, he targeted my other cheek, striking me
just as hard. This time, I hissed lowly, but didn’t try to pull away. I
was rewarded when he smoothed his hands over my burning skin in a
caress that contrasted with his previous touch. But of course, he
wasn’t finished yet. “Listen closely, Vesper,” he said. “The only one
who can give you lessons is me.”

That sounded pretty encouraging to me, since I felt the same. The

only teacher I was interested in was my mate, and our private lessons
had real potential. Just as that thought passed through my mind,
Vlad’s palm struck my bottom again, a little lower than the previous
spot he’d hit. I released a choked plea that might have embarrassed
me had my heat not melted away any capacity I had of feeling shame.
Why would I have been embarrassed, you ask? For a very simple
reason. Even if Vlad was hitting me, the pain he inflicted seemed to
translate into a pleasure like I’d never experienced before. My dick
throbbed between my legs, so much so that I couldn’t help but try to
reach for it. Sadly, Vlad’s touch had my limbs weak and
uncoordinated, and I would have fallen on my face had my mate not
wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me upright. He tsked in my
ear, making me freeze before I could even touch myself. “Mine,” he
said through our connection. “You don’t come until I say so.”

There had always been something impossibly intimate about our

connection, from the very moment we had bonded. It was different
now, deeper, somehow more striking. Vlad had been passionate
during our first time together, but something had changed about him.

Scarlet Hyacinth

He was allowing himself to unbury his true desire, and that was the
strongest aphrodisiac in existence. The fact that he trusted me to be
able to handle it just made me trust him in turn, with everything that I
was.

As he spoke, he licked over the shell of my ear, making renewed

pleasure explode through me. His free hand wrapped around my prick
and squeezed the base of the shaft. At this point, I was practically
reduced to tears, but somehow, I managed to nod. Even if I needed to
come so badly I hurt, I wouldn’t fail my mate by disobeying him.

“Excellent,” Vlad congratulated me. “That’s it, my sweet.

Surrender to me.”

I already had, but he knew that. He flipped me on my back again,

and I was greeted with the sight of my naked mate looming above me.
His eyes were so dark that I was left breathless, falling into those
fathomlessly black pools, losing myself in those depths that held so
much molten desire. I wanted to touch him, but once again, I was
frozen. Even when he released my dick and started to pull away, I
couldn’t do much in terms of protest.

I did manage a small whimper, and Vlad wasn’t left unaffected. In

spite of the less than perfect angle of sight, I could see his cock
twitched at the sound I made. And even if I hadn’t noticed that, I felt
his arousal through our bond. It made me a little drunk, like the time
I’d run away from my warren and accidentally fallen in a bush of love
herb. My friends had eventually found me, and to this day, Larue
teased me mercilessly about it.

But not even those distant memories could distract me from my

mate and what he was doing. Much to my dismay, he seemed to be
picking up his clothes. If he changed his mind now, I’d surely expire
out of frustrated need.

“Sorry,” Vlad told me, this time out loud. “I have no plans to hold

back this time around.”

He threw a glance my way, and he flashed a hint of fang at me. As

I stared in rapt fascination at him, he grabbed some of the scraps of

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

material that were left over from his shirt. Grinning, he wrapped them
around his fists and climbed back onto the bed.

Something in his demeanor was, for lack of a better word,

predatory. I realized it all too well, because I was a predator, too.
Kind of. Really, right now, I’d completely turned into prey, and I
couldn’t wait to be devoured by Vlad.

He crawled on top of me, scanning me from top to bottom while

licking his lips. I would have loved to keep track of what he wanted to
do to me, but there were so many images flashing through his mind
that I couldn’t really tell. Before I could figure it out, he wrapped one
of the scraps around the base of my dick and my testicles. I gasped,
but that only gave Vlad the opening he needed to stuff another piece
of material in my mouth. A third one became a blindfold, and I
wanted to whine at being deprived of the beauty that was Vlad in bed.
However, I also had to admit that no longer being able to use one of
my most reliable senses had more appeal than I’d have expected. And
when Vlad used the rest of the cloth to bind my arms against the
headboard, I was utterly and completely at his mercy. Not that I
hadn’t been so before, but now, it was clearer than ever before.

As I lay there, Vlad released a contented rumble that sounded very

much like he was some sort of large animal, not a vampire. “You look
beautiful, my sweet,” he said, flicking his thumb over my nipple and
rubbing lightly. Just that light touch had me writhing under him.
When I whimpered and arched into his caress, he rewarded me by
changing his target to the spot I wanted to be touched most. His hand
engulfed my prick, jacking me slowly. Pleasure rushed over my spine,
lighting my every nerve ending on fire.

I could have probably come just from that, but Vlad had other

plans. Then again, of course he did. After my brief stint into the world
of sex toys—at the hands of his half brother, no less—my mate
seemed intent on thrusting me into a practical demonstration. Sadly,
that entailed him stopping his ministrations, presumably because he
didn’t have what he needed here.

Scarlet Hyacinth

He said nothing as he abandoned the bed once more, but I got bits

and pieces of information through our mate bond. My heat was
making me more incoherent than I’d have normally been, so his plans
didn’t fully process—which only contributed to my sensual despair.

The wait seemed to take forever. Although my mate couldn’t have

been gone for long, I felt every second of his absence acutely. It made
me even more aware of how much I wanted him, of how empty I felt
without him inside me.

By the time he returned, I was hanging to my sanity by a very thin

thread. I wanted to tear the bindings keeping me immobilized and
hunt him down, but my strongest instinct was to obey him, and it kept
me rooted in the bed.

He was pleased by my choice, though, and that made it all

worthwhile. When he joined me on the bed again, his hand caressed
my thigh seductively, a clear promise of more to come. “You’re doing
very well, my sweet,” he purred.

I couldn’t see him because of the blindfold, but I could imagine

him, remembering how he had looked when he’d watched me, how
much passion I’d noticed in his eyes. It was almost painful that he
kept it from me now, but it was a sweet pain, because it had me
anticipating his touch all the more.

He squeezed my hip and gestured for me to spread my legs. I

instantly complied, hoping that I’d finally get what I wanted most.
Sure, foreplay was nice, but in the end, it was the pure act of
copulation that I craved.

Because of my bindings, I couldn’t support my legs, but I lifted

them nevertheless, exposing my nether regions to my mate. He didn’t
say anything, but he didn’t have to. I could feel his excitement soar,
which only fueled mine. It should have been an impossible feat, given
that I was already on the verge of a total meltdown, but as it turned
out, nothing appeared to be impossible when Vlad was involved.

My lover brushed his fingers over my testicles and then over my

clenching hole. I trembled and clung to the bindings, feeling like any

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

moment now, I would lose my mind out of sheer arousal. He prodded
my opening with his talented digits, rubbing and teasing without
actually sliding them inside me. “Mmm,” he hummed thoughtfully.
“Look at you. Your body is so hungry for me. But then, your people
are very voracious, right?”

Huh? I had no idea what he meant by that. In fact, if he could still

utter words like “voracious,” we were worlds apart in terms of
coherence.

Mercifully, he didn’t seem to actually expect an answer. “You

know, I’m told that in that world Kirril visited, your people enjoy a
different diet,” he said in an almost conversational tone. “One of their
favorite meals is a vegetable—a carrot. Have you ever eaten carrots?”

I hadn’t, because I was strictly a meat-eater. The word itself

sounded familiar, and I could only guess I must have heard it from
Dini once. But what did it matter? We weren’t about to stop having
sex to grab a snack. Right? Even as Vlad spoke, he never ceased
touching me, rubbing his thumb over my anus. Any moment now,
he’d abandon this torture and slide inside me, where he belonged.

When this thought passed through my mind, Vlad stopped teasing.

“Yes,” he said as he supported my legs and held them aloft. “I belong
with you, and you belong to me.”

I noticed the difference in phrasing, and maybe I’d have wondered

about it, but instinctively, I understood it. His dark nature had fully
emerged by now, and was manifesting itself in the desire to own me.
That was more than fine by me, because I just now realized that I
wanted to be owned by a man who could handle me, who could take
my desires in stride and master them, just like Vlad did.

It was then that something thick nudged at my opening. I couldn’t

identify it at first, outside the fact that it wasn’t his dick. And then, an
image slid into my mind, coming through my bond with Vlad. I could
actually see myself, bound to the bed, my legs spread, an orange
vegetable disappearing into my channel as Vlad pushed it in. It was a

Scarlet Hyacinth

carrot. The object he was slowly inserting inside me was a carrot. It
seemed to be slick with some sort of substance, oil perhaps.

I should have been shocked or embarrassed. Well, someone else

might have been, because, as kinks went, this was pretty weird. Or so
I thought. I wasn’t all that well versed in such play just yet. But in the
end, I didn’t really care. The damn carrot filled me up nicely, even if
it couldn’t compare to Vlad’s dick. I found myself moaning and
arching my back, trying to push back against the vegetable.

Vlad controlled my every motion, though, preventing me from

seeking full satisfaction. Even if one of his hands was busy with the
impromptu toy he held, he also managed to grip my hips and keep me
in place. At the same time, he shoved the carrot over and over inside
my clenching channel, expertly drawing out the entire process to
increase my sexual need. For every three strokes, only one of them hit
my special spot, making stars burst behind my eyelids. With the other
two, he deliberately avoided the spongy gland, adding another
ingredient to the cocktail of frustrated pleasure already whirling inside
me.

I was so close to coming now I could almost taste it, but much to

my dismay, Vlad didn’t seem to have any intention to grant me
release anytime soon. In fact, he’d only just begun. That became
apparent when, as I was trying to wrap my head around the bliss he
was already drawing out of me, he suddenly lowered his mouth over
my dick and took it all the way into his throat. I could not see any of
this because of the blindfold, but distantly, I had to guess it wasn’t
exactly easy to do given that he was still fucking me with the carrot
and supporting my legs. Nevertheless, he somehow managed, and was
very successful at it. I couldn’t even process the mechanics of it,
because I was too lost in the rapture to really understand anything
more complex than, “Yes,” “Please,” “More,” and of course,
“Vlad”—and variations of these four concepts. I was particularly
proud when I actually managed to utter, “Yes, Vlad, please!” That
was an amazing effort, in my humble opinion.

Undead Have Bunnies, Too

All the while, he kept thrusting the carrot in and out of me as his

mouth tortured my aching prick. He practically devoured me, grunts
and groans of enjoyment escaping him and sending torturously
delicious vibrations through my dick. With every second that passed,
I seriously thought that it couldn’t get any better, but he proved me
wrong every single time.

I didn’t know how long he kept me soaring on those heights of

unimaginable sensual tension, but finally, he took mercy on me. He
pulled off the bit of material tied at the base of my dick, while still
lavishing the swollen shaft with attention. He shoved the carrot one
more time inside me, straight against my prostate. Through our bond,
a clear command invaded my mind, “Come for me, my sweet!”

Instantly, I found my peak, clinging to the bindings that still held

me immobilized in a desperate attempt to find some sort of anchor. At
the last moment, my mate pulled away. Wet heat splashed over my
chest and even my cheek as my dick spurted its offering. Some of it
must have landed on Vlad, because he groaned. Or maybe it was just
my orgasm causing him the pleasure I could feel within him. Either
way, he was very close to coming, but unlike me, he managed to hold
himself in check. Apparently, he had other plans when it came to
using that monster between his legs.

And I was going to witness them firsthand, through all of my

senses. Vlad removed my blindfold, but I almost didn’t realize it in
the beginning. I was still lost in the throes of my climax, my body
trying to absorb all the pleasure that he had given me while my heat
stubbornly insisted I needed more.

As I convulsed through it all, Vlad pulled out the carrot and

positioned his cock against my opening. My vision cleared just in
time to meet his gaze when he impaled me in one, single smooth
thrust. My flesh yielded to him easily, no, greedily. Even if I’d just
come, I was as hard as a rock again, ablaze with the lust we shared.

I felt so full of him, in every possible way. His hard prick fit

inside me perfectly, completing me, both soothing and feeding my

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heat. That strange emptiness that I hadn’t really wanted to
acknowledge finally started to disappear, replaced by pure rightness
and the certainty of being protected, cherished, needed.

In the end, that was the crux of our relationship. Oh, no doubt

about it, he mastered me in bed, and I loved every second of it. But
he’d been searching for someone who could handle everything he
dished out, and I was that person. In that moment, I could only thank
the Goddess for it, that She had allowed us to meet.

All thoughts of anyone else—the Goddess included—vanished

from my mind as Vlad started to thrust. He was so hot now, branding
me from the inside out with it. Really, it should have been surprising,
since his skin tended to be cool when he didn’t feed enough.

“It’s you,” he whispered through our bond. “You heat me up.”
I would have loved to provide a reply, but this time, he wasn’t

playing around. With every motion of his pelvis, his cock unerringly
brushed my prostate no, struck it. Because my mate had set an almost
punishing pace, fucking me with abandon, claiming everything I was
and would ever be. I had trouble breathing, let alone thinking. But that
was all right. Breathing was highly overrated anyway. Coupling with
one’s mate meant so much more.

For once, my lover was right there with me, just as lost in our

union. A small snarl twisted his lips, like he was angry, or in pain. I
could tell he wanted to get deeper inside me, always deeper. I craved
the same thing, to have him buried to the hilt, to never be separated
from him. It wasn’t just because of my heat either. Like my mate had
said once, that instinct largely depended on pheromones and nothing
else. But in our time together, our relationship had become far more
profound. I had fallen in love with him. And this, what we were doing
right now, was a culmination of that love. Our uncertainties had stood
in our way for a long time, and while they hadn’t separated us, they
could have if we’d let them.

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But now, we had surpassed all that. That knowledge, accompanied

by the nearly brutal sexuality of our coupling, soon brought me on the
edge of yet another orgasm.

There was only one more thing missing, but we were rapidly

approaching that point, the true moment when he would claim me.
Already eager for it, I tilted my head, needing him to take what was
his in this final way, to feed off my blood like I knew he wanted to.

With a low growl, my mate struck. Sharp fangs embedded

themselves in my flesh and white-hot pleasure-pain exploded through
me. At the same time, Vlad’s voice trickled into my mind, much like
it had before. “Come for me, my sweet. Come on my cock.”

His permission propelled me into a dizzying orgasm. I would have

never thought that I could have experienced something better than our
first time together, or the most recent climax he had drawn out of me.
But this…This was completely different. I couldn’t have explained it
to save my life, but the bliss that flowed over me seemed to know no
boundaries. Clearly, it stemmed from one very simple thing.

Vlad didn’t pull away. The suction against my neck continued,

and every pull of his mouth seemed directly connected to my dick.
His dick pulsed inside me, and he shuddered as he came as well,
pumping my channel full of his seed. But even as we tumbled
together into the abyss of rapture, he kept feeding on me, drinking my
blood, feasting on me like he had wanted, like he had needed.

Our connection flared to brilliant life. A million colors exploded

in my visions, while a million flavors assaulted my taste buds. As a
carnivore, I was well acquainted with blood, but tasting it had never
brought me such pleasure. Because I experienced every single
emotion that coursed through Vlad, his thirst for me and the absolute
satisfaction he felt at finally drinking his fill and claiming me at the
same time.

There were no more doubts or fears, no more holding back. I was

completely and utterly Vlad’s. My thoughts and memories belonged

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to him, just like I did—but he repaid me by feeding his own
recollections and feelings into our connection.

It might not have even been a conscious thing, but it didn’t really

matter. There was one thing that came through loud and clear, and a
very conscious choice on his part. “I love you, my Vesper,” he said.

I didn’t miss the fact that, once again, he had claimed me as his.

Impossibly, it made me even happier than I already was. “I love you
too, Vlad,” I murmured back.

Finally, my heat settled down in a pleasurable contentment. He

released his hold on my throat, having drunk enough of my blood. As
he did so, he also slid out of my body and then released me from my
bindings. Now that I had my arms free, I took advantage of it to wrap
them around my lover’s body. He was so warm now, a testament of
our bond, of what I had managed to give him, in spite of everything
his family had said.

He held me close to him, so very close, for the longest time. We

were both just as reluctant to break the peace we had found, even to
clean up the evidence of our spent passion.

Soon, though, I finally realized something was different about

Vlad. I could hear the steady thud-thud of his heart. His skin was
warm under my palm, and it didn’t grow cool as time passed.

“My powers are back,” Vlad said, obviously overhearing the

thought.

I knew what that meant. It was time to abandon the coven. Not

that I enjoyed our brief stay here all that much, but it had guided us to
a better understanding of our relationship, or at the very least, had
helped us along the way. A part of me was reluctant to return to
before. I would have much preferred to remain in this room, with
Vlad, for the rest of eternity.

Still, I couldn’t help but sober when I recalled my friends’

predicament. They had come to rescue me from the witch. I couldn’t
let them down now, not because of my selfishness.

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103

“We’ll go soon,” Vlad promised me. He released me from his

embrace and slid out of the bed. “Close your eyes and get some sleep.
I’ll say our good-byes and get some clothes for us.”

I didn’t really want to be separated from him for even a second,

but something had changed between us during our lovemaking. I
found myself instinctually obeying him. My eyes drifted shut, and I
surrendered to my exhaustion and to restless dreams and desires.

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Chapter Eight:

In Which Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Claiming Vesper had been everything I could have ever wanted

and more. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first time we’d made—well,
no, enjoyment was a small word for what I experienced then. And
still, when I had allowed myself to relax and trust Vesper’s ability to
handle my true needs, it had been so much better.

Even now, the strength of his blood burned through my veins,

mending what the fight with the witch had broken. I felt powerful,
more powerful than ever before, ready to take on the world.

Of course, I didn’t really want to do that. In fact, I would have

much preferred to just retire to my castle with my mate and emerge
out of our quarters only to hunt meals for Vesper. Naturally, I would
be snacking on him. Yes, the thought appealed very much, but I
couldn’t be selfish right now. I had to think about the people we’d left
behind—my sisters, Vesper’s friends and family.

For this reason, I went to the adjoining bath chamber and quickly

cleaned up. After that, I returned to the other room, bringing a wet
washcloth with me. Paying close heed so as not to wake my mate, I
carefully cleaned him up.

Vesper didn’t stir, which allowed me to finish my task with

relative ease. As soon as I was done, I turned away from the bed
before Vesper’s sleeping form could convince me otherwise. I left the
room and headed toward my former quarters. I had been supplied
with clothing, and since I’d torn my previous outfit, I needed another
one. In the process, I hoped to find something for my lovely mate to
wear. Truly, I much preferred him naked, but not in front of anyone

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105

else but me, and definitely not when we had to go hunt down a witch.
Doing such a thing with all of our bits hanging was definitely not a
good idea.

I couldn’t use a translocation spell to move around the house since

it had been quite a while since I’d regularly lived here. Nevertheless, I
reached my quarters with no incident. I planned to quickly get
changed and return to my mate’s side, but strikingly enough, I found
my father waiting for me, studying what seemed to be an old
notebook.

I supposed I should have expected it, since we had been together

before I had left in search of my mate. He hadn’t gotten the chance to
explain much of anything, because I’d been distracted by my mate’s
foray into the world of sex toys. He didn’t seem to be upset with me,
though. When I entered the room, he looked up at me from the
notebook. I recognized it as one of Monica’s, an old sketch pad which
she must have accidentally left behind when we’d gone. She always
had loved to draw, almost as much as she did playing with furry
creatures. I wouldn’t have guessed my parents had kept any of the
things we’d left behind. Perhaps we had been missed after all.

“Well, I guess you don’t need my advice on a successful mating

anymore,” he said as he took in the way I looked. “You figured it out
all by yourself.”

“Thank you, sire,” I replied formally. “Yes, Vesper and I have

solved our differences.”

My father nodded like he understood. “A healthy sex life is

always the key, son. You need to keep your mate satisfied at all times.
Why, I could tell you stories about your mother…She’s actually quite
voracious in bed, you know.”

I lifted my hand to stop his explanation. “I’m grateful for the

offer,” I said, unable to keep the full extent of my horror from my
voice, “but I truly don’t think that will be necessary.”

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Vampires might have had healthy sexual appetites, but really, I

was no longer comfortable discussing such private things with my
parents.

Ignoring my obvious distress, my father continued to speak. “You

know, Vlad, you’ve changed. I remember a time when you would
have torn Abraham’s throat out if he pissed you off. Your mother and
I always knew you hated Necro Valley, but at one point, we thought
that you hated us, too. It was the only reason why we let you and your
sisters go. And I don’t remember you ever looking at anyone like you
do at him.”

I didn’t bother to deny his words. “He’s my mate. I love him.”
My father just smiled, an expression I wasn’t used to seeing on his

face. I’d never really understood him, and probably never would. At
the end of the day, though, we had an agreement, and I couldn’t
afford to linger anyway. Now that I had my powers, Vesper and I
were needed back home.

As if guessing my thoughts, my father asked, “So I take it you’re

leaving soon?”

I nodded. “Everyone is probably concerned, and we have a small

problem with a witch to handle.”

“I see,” my father replied. “Well, about that. Your mother has

decided to go with you when you depart.”

I waited for the shock to flash through me, but it never did.

Instead, all I felt was fatigue. “We’re not coming back, sire,” I warned
him. “I won’t allow you to push my sisters into unions they don’t
desire.”

That had been the reason why we’d left Necro Valley in the first

place. My siblings had been courted by many nobles, and at one point,
my parents had even arranged matrimony for all of them. They had
come to me, sobbing miserably as they explained how much they
loathed the thought of being bound for eternity to men they didn’t
love. On my part, I had never been a particularly romantic person, not
until I’d met Vesper, at least, but I’d wanted my sisters to be happy. I

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107

had made arrangements for us to move to Merlinia. I’d never looked
back.

“Things are different now,” my father told me. “And you don’t get

the right to refuse. We’ve given you and your sisters space, but right
now, you need us. I wouldn’t call your problem with the witch
minor.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head, refusing to tell me more. “Get dressed. You’ll

probably be leaving within the hour.”

I complied, although I wanted to prod further. My father stuck his

fangs in everyone’s business, so he had information I could only
dream of achieving. If he and my mother deemed it necessary for her
to join us…well, the situation was probably quite serious.

As quickly as possible, I found a suit of clothes in my wardrobe

and got dressed. Another outfit was waiting for me, this one obviously
meant for Vesper.

I took it without comment and closed my eyes, using a simple

spell to travel to the room where Vesper slumbered. Seconds later, I
was standing in the center of the chamber that had been the haven for
our spent passions. He lay curled in a small, adorable ball, his white
hair scattered on the pillows. At times like these, he seemed
deceptively harmless, but I knew that his delicate beauty hid quite a
temper. His breath had evened out in sleep, but on occasion, he would
twitch, like he was still alert even now.

Abandoning his clothes on a nearby couch, I climbed into the bed

next to him, and my presence seemed to relax him even more. He
melted into his bunny shape and cuddled close to my side, now a
warm bundle of fur. I was reluctant to wake him, because I knew that
the heat had taken a toll on him, and so had my demands and my
feeding session. But he needed to eat before we left—to replenish the
blood he had lost to me—and then, we had to return to Grimoire.

In spite of that knowledge, I let him sleep for a while longer. It

was only when a knock sounded at the door that I knew our time had

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run out. He instantly stirred, his eyes shooting open at the sudden
sound. It was a testament to how comfortable he had become with me
that he hadn’t woken up when I’d joined him.

“Are we ready to go?” he asked me as he shifted forms once

again.

“Just a minute,” I told him. “I think my mother brought you

something to eat.”

“Your mother?” he repeated, obviously confused. “But…she’s

royalty.”

Yes, she was, and normally, she had servants delivering meals to

guests—if that was needed. However, she undoubtedly wanted to talk
to us about her plan.

Vesper must have gotten the gist of what was going on from my

mind, because his eyes widened. Of course, that could have also been
because he had noticed my obvious erection. Our conversation might
have sounded pretty smooth, but actually, he was wiggling to get
closer to me, and that had a very visible and natural effect on my
body.

He licked his lips, his own libido responding to my arousal. Sadly,

we didn’t have time for a second—or rather, a third—round. Another
knock sounded at the door, reminding me of my mother’s presence.
With a heavy sigh, I brushed a brief kiss over my mate’s sweet lips
then pulled away in an attempt to muster a degree of composure.

Meanwhile, my lover covered himself as much as well as he could

with the sheets. I could only be thankful that I had washed him
beforehand, because it would have been pretty embarrassing to have
him covered in my spunk while my mother was here. Then again,
where would it have gone when he changed shapes? And why was I
even thinking about this now?

“Enter,” I called out.
The door opened and my mother slid into the room, as elegant and

royal-looking as ever despite the fact that she carried a tray laden with
food.

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109

“Hello, children,” she said. “I have a small meal for the young

shifter.”

“Thank you,” Vesper replied softly, sniffing the air as the

appetizing aromas of the meal reached him. “Is that…meat?”

“From what I’ve heard, that is what you eat, correct?” My mother

smiled. “Don’t be so surprised. We might not be able to get
nourishment from this type of food, but we do occasionally have it,
simply for the gastronomic pleasure.”

In other words, it tasted good. I knew that for a fact, because I

highly doubted the standard of cuisine in my parents’ home had
changed in my absence. It was likely the reason why Pygmalion had
grown so fat in the first place.

My mother sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the tray

within Vesper’s reach. “Eat up!”

At first, my mate looked a little wary, but when I smiled and

nodded, he dug in. I knew he’d been worried so as not to offend my
mother with his less than perfect table manners. I’d taught him a few
things about vampire customs, but he was, in the end, a carnivorous
shape-shifter, and I couldn’t expect him to change his ways. I didn’t
even want to. He was perfect, and had been so from the very
beginning.

True, I did wish my mate made less moaning sounds as he ate, or

stopped sucking on his own digits quite like that. It made my
arousal—which hadn’t fully faded away in the first place—blaze hot
and bright once more.

My mother gave me a knowing look, but didn’t comment on it.

After a brief pause, during which we both watched Vesper with
amusement—on her side—and desire—on mine—she turned toward
me once again, her expression sobering. “Your father told you about
my decision.”

I nodded. “I admit I don’t fully understand it, but perhaps it is a

good idea.”

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After all, I had fought the witch and knew all too well she could

be very dangerous. I didn’t know if our friends had managed to
control her, but if they hadn’t, a vampire of my mother’s abilities
would come in handy. As possessive as I was as Vesper, I refused to
let arrogance stand in the way of reason.

“Will you be taking any guards?” I asked her.
“Just a few,” my mother replied. “We don’t want to unsettle the

rest of Necro Valley. It would be best if my absence went unnoticed.”

“Why are you worried, Your Majesty?” my mate suddenly asked.

“Do you think the witch is that dangerous?”

It occurred to me that my parents were far older than me and

might have maintained records on the existence of someone like that.
I just had to wonder how they had known who I was worried about in
the first place. I hadn’t mentioned the witch to my father at all before
our most recent meeting, and at that time, he hadn’t seemed surprised.
Similarly, my mother appeared to be quite informed in the matter.
Even if they did have sources in Grimoire and Merlinia, the entire
plan against the witch had happened so quickly and with such secrecy
that I doubted any outsider could have found out.

I didn’t get to inquire into this mystery, because my mother left

the bed. “Yes, she is,” she told Vesper. To both of us, she added, “Get
ready. I’ll make the final arrangements for our departure.”

Without further ado, my mother departed, leaving both my mate

and I quite confused. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s more
going on than we know?” Vesper asked.

“Because it’s probably true,” I replied. There was nothing I’d

have liked more than to take him in my arms again and lose myself in
our passion, but that wasn’t to be. Vesper slid out of the bed and took
the clothes I had placed on the couch. My dick protested as my mate
started to pull on the garments. It throbbed painfully in my pants,
practically screaming at me for losing my chance to bury it inside
Vesper. I could only give it a comforting pat, understanding that yes,

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111

the best place for it was my sweet lover’s body, sadly beyond our
reach right now.

When he was ready, I joined him and took his hand. Together, we

left the room and headed downstairs. The foyer was pretty much
empty now, with the exception of my mother, my father, Abraham,
and a few guards, probably the ones she planned to take along.

“Thank you for your hospitality, sire,” I said, bowing to my father.
“This will always be your home, Vlad,” he replied. “Let’s not lose

contact again, shall we?”

The words sounded like a mere suggestion, but I read the

undertone, and they were anything but. They meant an order, the fact
that my father would not allow another separation like our previous
one. I filed it as an issue to be handled later on. If he didn’t plan on
forcing my sisters into marriage, I had no problems with indulging his
sudden desire to be close to us.

Abraham just smirked at me and my mate, perhaps expecting

Vesper to be embarrassed. However, Vesper just smiled. “I appreciate
your help today,” he said.

“I was richly rewarded for it,” he replied with a suggestive grin as

he raked his gaze up and down my mate’s body.

I wanted to punch him for even daring to make that sort of

comment and insinuation. Even so, my mate admirably kept his
temper. Instead, he said, “Don’t forget what I said. There’s no shame
in a certain size.”

Even as he spoke, he eyed my parents warily, as if he expected

them to get mad because he had mouthed off at Abraham. It didn’t
seem so. They obviously had other, more important concerns. My
mother had already abandoned her elaborate gown in favor of a
hunting outfit with boots and breeches.

“Are we ready to go, Mother?” I asked her.
“Certainly,” she replied. “The sooner we go, the better.”
I agreed, although I still had a lot of questions. A part of me

would have preferred to delay our departure in favor of inquiring into

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what they knew of the witch. It always paid to go into a battle well-
informed. However, I gathered that if my parents had deemed the
knowledge essential, they’d have informed me. More importantly, I
already knew what I was up against since I had fought the witch
before. Wasting more time would be counter-productive.

I gathered the entire group around me, wrapping my arm around

my mate’s shoulder as everyone else carefully kept in contact with
me.

Closing my eyes, I summoned the memory of that meeting place

in Grimoire. It should have been hard to take all of us there, especially
since it wasn’t an area that I knew too well. However, since I’d drunk
my lover’s blood, I felt stronger than ever.

This time, my magic worked, and, in moments, I felt the air

around me shift and change. When I opened my eyes again, I found
myself at the crossroads once more. There was no sign whatsoever of
any of our friends, or of the ritual that we had started and, hopefully,
finished.

“What happened here?” Vesper asked, still looking quite relaxed

in spite of our recent translocation. I felt a bit smug at the knowledge
that I’d caused that look through claiming him. Never mind that I’d
waited so long to do it that I’d almost fucked it all up. Right now, I
couldn’t imagine why I had done so. Vesper was my perfect match,
and even when I’d fed from him, he hadn’t been afraid or disgusted.

But I had to focus and figure out where our friends were. Vesper

sniffed the air, scanning the area for any clue. He shot me a look full
of confusion when he didn’t find anything.

This was very strange indeed. I could detect slight traces of magic,

but they were faint, far weaker than they should have been.

“Let’s look around,” I suggested. “Perhaps we’ll find someone in

Hood’s cottage.”

“Or the witch’s,” my mate said in turn. In his memories, I’d

caught glimpses of a structure built solely out of gingerbread, which I
guessed must have been the old witch’s lair.

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113

Sadly, Vesper didn’t actually know where it was located, so we

headed toward the Hood family home. My mother said nothing, just
humming thoughtfully under her breath. I stopped and arched a brow
at her. “What is that you aren’t telling us, Mother?”

For a few moments, she seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, she

said, “You won’t find anyone in this cottage. Let’s go to your castle,
Vlad.”

My parents had always had the irritating tendency to keep things

from me. They always thought they knew best, and it seemed that
nothing had changed in that regard.

“Mother,” I said between gritted teeth.
When she didn’t immediately answer, I took Vesper’s hand and

dragged him toward the cottage I remembered. It was still here, but
just like my mother had said, it was empty. Unlike before, there were
no sign of it being inhabited, no lingering scents, just silence.

My mother quietly joined us. Exasperated, I finally did what she

had suggested. If I wanted to be perfectly honest, I was worried about
my sisters anyway. Something had clearly happened after the ritual.
But what?

Even with Vesper’s strength, it wasn’t as easy to cast another

complex translocation spell so soon after the first. Even so, I
managed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire group—me and Vesper
included—landed in the courtyard of my home.

It was with great relief that nothing much had changed about my

castle. It had been stupid to even worry about that. After all, the ritual
couldn’t have affected my home. It was in a whole different province,
for crying out loud.

The hour was growing late by now, quickly approaching the time

my sisters would normally awaken. In other words, they were
supposed to be asleep. Perhaps that was the reason why I felt
surprised when the doors to the building opened, and Mina stepped
outside.

Both of us gasped at the same time. “Vlad!” she cried out.

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“Mina!” Vesper and my mother exclaimed.
“Sister!” I said.
We all stared at each other, and I felt like I was in a dream.

Surely, there could be no other explanation for why my sister was
standing in front of me, her abdomen swollen with an obvious
pregnancy. I’d just left them yesterday! What the fuck had happened?

I decided that the only who could answer that question was Mina

herself. “What the fuck happened?” I asked, this time directing the
inquiry at her, not myself.

At my harsh tone, Mina seemed to snap out of her trance. She ran

toward me and threw herself against my chest. “Vlad,” Mina
whispered, tears still flowing down her cheeks. “You’ve been missing
for seven months.”

Monica, Catherine, and Veronica chose this exact moment to

appear as well. They looked tired, thinner than I remembered, and
they gave Vesper and I similar expressions of disbelief. They didn’t
only lavish me with open affection, but also Vesper, who seemed to
have trouble processing the entire thing.

Since they seemed so distraught, though, he actually shifted into

his bunny form. Once my sisters freed him from his now far too large
garments, they started petting him and cooing softly. He endured it,
even if I knew for a fact that it wasn’t his favorite thing in the world.

Meanwhile, Mina stubbornly clung to me in a show of

unrestrained emotion that was really unlike her.

For my part, I forced myself to breathe and calm down, knowing I

needed to keep a clear head. As a vampire, I knew better than anyone
that time was a volatile thing. Certain spells, particularly ones akin to
my translocation one, could disturb its balance. I should have
probably realized earlier the real reasons of me losing my powers.

It hadn’t been due to my confrontation with the witch, at least, not

directly. When I’d been thrust in the portal, something had happened
that had propelled us into the future. Basically, that had left me much
like I might have been without feeding for months. If I had to guess, I

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had actually withstood some of the possible aftereffects. A vampire
who didn’t feed was very dangerous and could turn practically feral
because of his thirst.

A possible backfire of the spell also explained the reasons why I’d

only sensed slight traces of magic at the crossroads. Likely, I could
only feel even those due to the strength of the original ritual. I would
have been inclined to say that time flew when Vesper and I had fun,
but it hadn’t depended on us, not really.

Which brought me to the matter at hand. When my sisters calmed

down a little, I broke the embrace between me and Mina and repeated
my previous question. “What happened?”

“I can answer that,” a sudden, male voice said.
A small redheaded man whom I didn’t recognize appeared from

inside the building, followed by Robert Hood. My hackles rose when
I saw the way Robert stared at my sister. It didn’t take much for me to
understand what had happened in my absence.

Mina winced, obviously noticing I wasn’t very happy with this

new development. “I know you’re disappointed in me, Vlad,” she
said. “But it wasn’t Robin’s fault, for any of it.”

I shook my head. “When we came here, I promised that you

would always be the one to choose your own destiny. I’m not
disappointed.”

I was, however, pissed off with the fucker who’d taken advantage

of my sister in my absence. I felt very tempted to tear his throat out,
and kind of regretted not doing so when he had first attacked me.
Mercifully, my mate’s presence tempered my bloody impulses, and
my mother intervened before the situation could escalate.

“Don’t worry, Mina,” she said. “I’m sure that your brother

understands and accepts your decision.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Mina said softly.
It occurred to me that they weren’t talking like they hadn’t seen

each other in centuries. Had they been in contact during my absence?

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Probably. My sisters must have gone to my parents when Vesper and
I had gone missing.

Vesper cleared his throat, which came out sounding a little strange

because he was still in his rabbit form. “Excuse me…I hate to
interrupt, but you still haven’t explained. Is the witch gone? Are my
friends all right?”

The smaller man—whom Vesper identified as a fellow prisoner

named Red—finally replied, “Most of them came out of it just fine.
But…well, Prince Leonard went missing just like you did. Prince
Kirril went to find him, but he never returned.”

My mate gasped, his mind a whirlwind of concern for his friends.

I had to admit that I was pretty upset, too. “And the witch?
Rapunzel?”

“Lord Rapunzel and Prince Medwin are in Arthuria right now,”

my mother answered, much to my surprise. “Their wedding has been
postponed, as has that of Prince Kirril with his dragon. They regularly
stay in Álfheimr, with Lord Rapunzel’s father, but with Prince Kirril
gone, Prince Medwin has responsibilities that keep him in his
homeland.”

So, she had known about all this. I wasn’t surprised, but it still

irritated me that she had waited up until this point to tell me about it.
Perhaps she herself hadn’t known how to deal with the matter. My
parents hadn’t been the most loving and affectionate ones in the entire
world. I wondered if they had been looking for me and Vesper as well
before we’d shown up in Necro Valley. It was certainly possible.

Either way, it was clear to me that our family and friends needed

us. “Mother, please stay here with Mina,” I said. “She needs your
support through this. Vesper and I will head toward Arthuria.
Hopefully, we’ll find some sort of clue that will help us track down
our missing friends.”

“I’m sure you’ll succeed, son,” my mother answered. “You

always were very persistent and reached whatever goal you set your
mind to.”

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I thanked her and stole my mate from Veronica’s arms. After the

peculiar revelations, I felt reenergized again. Or maybe it was the
desire to soothe Vesper that fueled my sudden need to get to Arthuria.
Either way, for the third time in the past ten minutes, I cast my
translocation spell, with my target being the Arthurian grove where
I’d once met up with Rapunzel and Medwin.

The beautiful clearing was quiet now, but it didn’t take long for

me to notice that we were not alone. Under the large trees, I spotted a
small purplish form, lying on what seemed to be a nest of sorts.
“Dini!” my mate cried out.

Instantly, the dragon in the nest—for he was the purple creature in

question—lifted his head. “Perry?” he asked, his voice weak and
ragged. He started to get up, but his limbs trembled and he couldn’t
quite leave the nest.

I rushed to his side so that he wouldn’t have to make such an

effort in his obviously weak condition. Vesper leapt into the nest and
climbed on top of his friends. “Are you all right, Dini?”

“I’m fine,” Dineiro answered, completely unconvincing. He

looked all around the Kirril, his gaze briefly sliding over me before he
looked away. “Is he with you?”

I would have very much to be able to say yes. Those large purple

eyes fixed me with a pleading look, practically begging me to give
him hope. Sadly, I couldn’t do that, because it would have been even
crueler. “I’m sorry, Dineiro,” I answered. “I haven’t seen him.”

“We didn’t even realize we’d been gone for so long,” Vesper

explained. “We thought that we were only away for one day.”

The light faded out of Dineiro’s eyes and plopped back down on

his nest. He did hold Vesper close, but it was clear that his enthusiasm
to be reunited with his friend was surpassed by his sadness at his
separation from his mate.

“Oh, Dini,” my mate said with a sad sniffle. “I’m sure Kirril will

come back to you.”

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Dineiro released a small whine. “He didn’t want to leave me, but I

promised I could take care of our egg,” he said. “I haven’t been doing
a very good job, have I?”

“Nonsense,” Vesper answered fiercely. “You’re a great parent.

You’re just upset, and that’s understandable given that you’re
nesting.”

Nesting alone—that was real problem, that Kirril couldn’t be here

by Dineiro’s side at this difficult time. It was truly quite strange.
Kirril and Dineiro should have been able to communicate through
their mental link, but as far as I could tell, they hadn’t. I didn’t want
to prod into that, because it would be undoubtedly painful for the
young dragon. In the end, I decided to attempt to distract him.

“Where are Victor and Larue?” I asked. “Did you speak to them?”
“Yes,” Dineiro answered. “They watch over me all the time. It’s

actually very rare for me to be alone, you know.”

As if to confirm his words, the Fairy Godfather suddenly

manifested at the edge of the nest. “You’re never alone,” he said,
petting Dineiro’s purple scales.

Taking advantage of the appearance of the mysterious magic user,

I asked, “What happened with the ritual? Is the witch captured?”

“Sadly, no,” he replied. “Come with me. There’s a lot we need to

discuss.”

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Epilogue:

In Which the Story Repeats Itself

Arthurians weren’t used to magic. That was what I had always

been taught, and meeting Kirril hadn’t changed my opinion. At that
time, the Arthurian hadn’t even known dragon were shape-shifters
and had actually tried to slay my friend. I would have never believed
then that one day, Merlinians would be welcome in the Arthurian
capital of Camelot.

But we were, indeed, welcome. The Fairy Godfather accompanied

us there, and Dini came with us, too, although he was still very upset.
He hadn’t even shifted from his dragon form, but Arthurians didn’t
seem surprised upon seeing him. Apparently, he had a nest in the
Arthurian palace as well, and only on occasion did he take refuge in
the grove, when he sought solitude.

The Arthurian sovereigns, Kirril’s parents, met us at the gate.

They actually looked very enthusiastic that we’d arrived. Although
they must have been disappointed that their sons weren’t with us, they
hid it well. They didn’t even seem to be bothered by the fact that I
was still in rabbit form.

What really surprised me was that they didn’t seem to blame me

for the part I’d played in the disappearance of the two princes.
However, when we entered the palace, I couldn’t help but note
Rapunzel and Medwin’s conspicuous absence.

According to my mother, they were here, but if they hadn’t come

to greet us, they must have had a good reason. Had they gone to see
Rapunzel’s father? Or…was Rapunzel sick? I couldn’t help but
remember that he had been pregnant when we’d left, and the shocks

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he must have gone through this time could have easily harmed the
fetus. Thankfully, dragon pregnancies were pretty hardy, so Dini
didn’t seem to be encountering real problems in that regard, but for all
we knew, it was different for Rapunzel.

Concerned, I decided to ask the queen about it. “Excuse me, Your

Majesty, but where is Rapunzel? Is he all right?”

Queen Sedonia tensed visibly. “He’s in his quarters. You needn’t

worry about him.”

From her tone, I gathered that any extra conversation on the

matter wouldn’t be welcome. Undoubtedly, even if she didn’t resent
me, that was not the case for Rapunzel.

Pointing out that it hadn’t been Rapunzel’s fault probably

wouldn’t help. The only guilty party in this entire debacle was the
witch, and, according to the Fairy Godfather, she had disappeared
after the ritual.

We hadn’t had much time to discuss the details of what had

happened that day. It seemed that after our disappearance, the witch
had somehow managed to use Rapunzel to open the gateway to the
cursed kingdom. A struggle had ensued, and Leonard had managed to
save Rapunzel. However, he’d paid a price for his bravery, as he had
disappeared into the portal, together with the witch. The Fairy
Godfather claimed that the actual curse was still in place, but none of
them knew exactly why that was and how it had happened.

It was believed that both she and Leonard had ended up in the

cursed dryad kingdom, but no one could be sure. Trying to investigate
the matter, the Arthurians had sent many expeditions to find the
crown prince. When the first two groups had been unsuccessful—and
in fact, had failed to return—Kirril had gone himself, taking a
company of men in the direction the Rainbow Brick Road had
indicated. Rumpel Stiltskin and Anelah had gone with him, with the
Fairy Godfather staying behind to watch over Rapunzel and Dini, and
hopefully, attempt to find me and Vlad. In theory, it had been a good

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plan, but it hadn’t worked out that well. Just like the soldiers who’d
left before him, Kirril and all of his companions had disappeared.

“We have to come up with something,” I told my mate through

our bond. In that moment, I really felt thankful that Vlad was now
holding me, because the chill coming from the Arthurian queen could
have turned me into a bunny-shaped icicle. “We can’t let this
situation continue.”

“Agreed,” my mate replied. “Clearly, there must be some sort of

opposing force there. I’ll speak with Mother to arrange something.
Meanwhile, you can stay here with Dineiro.”

I instantly bristled. While I was fine with him being dominant in

bed, I drew the line at him ordering me to separate from him. I
refused to end up like Dini, staring into the horizon while I waited for
my mate to come back to me. Not that I blamed my friend. I
understood why he couldn’t have been able to follow Kirril. After all,
he himself had said that he needed to take care of the egg that would
soon emerge. I, on the other hand, could handle a trip. Sure, the witch
had captured me without too much trouble, but I hadn’t been ready for
her. Now that I was, I could show her, and everyone else, that I was a
true predator and deserved Vlad as a mate.

“Vesper,” my lover tried to argue, “no one doubts that. I just

want you to be safe and out of harm’s way.”

“So do I,” I shot back. “Or do you think I don’t love you as much

as you do me?”

Vlad didn’t get the chance to reply, because the queen led us into

a sitting room and gestured for us to make ourselves at home. Dini
plopped down on a low couch—obviously one he had used before—
and closed his eyes. As he did so, Victor and Larue entered the room,
both looking a little breathless.

It was still somewhat peculiar for me to see Larue in his current,

human-sized form. It seemed particularly strange because he still had
his wings, and when he ran toward us, pixie dust flew all over the
place, just like before. But he was so much bigger than me now, and I

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truly would have shifted into my human form had I not been aware
that my nudity might offended the royal figures present.

“Perry!” Larue cried. “Oh, it’s so good to see you.” His

enthusiasm soon melted into anger, and he glowered at me. “Where in
the world have you been? Do you know how worried we were?”

It seemed that Larue might have changed sizes, but in everything

else, he remained the same. For whatever reason, seeing this was
actually quite comforting for me. “Vlad and I were stuck in a time
warp of sorts. It seemed that when we were thrown into that portal, it
propelled us into the future, or rather, made us miss several months.
We thought we were only gone a day.”

Larue’s eyes widened, while Victor’s gained that look I now

recognized as scientific interest. “How exactly did that work?” he
asked. “Did you experience any sort of discomfort? Do you think the
same thing happened to Leonard?”

“It was probably because of the instability of the portal,” my mate

answered. “We ended up in Necro Valley, my original home. I did
feel some weakness, like I hadn’t fed in a long time. My powers
didn’t work for a while, until I got sustenance. And I don’t know
about Leonard. He wasn’t with us, so it might not have happened for
him.”

The queen and her husband, King Ralph Theodore, looked a little

disappointed at my words. Perhaps they had hoped that their son’s
disappearance could be explained as easily as ours. And it was still
possible. We just couldn’t guarantee it.

“Actually,” the Fairy Godfather said, “I highly doubt that was the

case. My scrying managed to detect his presence, but not Vlad’s or
Vesper’s. He disappeared after you did. I am fairly certain that he is in
the Dryad Kingdom, just like I said.”

“Yes, but all the forces we attempted to send after him didn’t

manage to track him down,” the king said. “Dear gods, there were
even dragons in the expedition with Kirril, and we still received no
news from them.”

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123

Oh, wow. Dragons? I hadn’t known that. Dineiro’s parents must

have wanted to protect Kirril, but had probably failed. That meant that
my friend was now not only without a mate, but also without his
parents. The situation was more serious than I’d expected.

My mate seemed to think the same. “So I take it you have been

trying to regroup since Kirril’s disappearance,” he said.

The king nodded. “There were two other expeditions before

Kirril’s, and we still don’t know what happened to them.”

“Arthurians are pushing for another one,” the queen added, “but

as much as we want this, we have to take into account what’s good for
our people. We can’t keep thrusting them into a situation they’re not
ready for. These witches are a danger we did not expect.”

“Quite understandable,” I said. Even if I could grasp the reason

behind this logic, the implication of the latter phrase bothered me and
made me bristle. It didn’t seem that the royal family hated magic
users per se, but obviously, they hated Rapunzel. Shaking myself, I
suggested, “Perhaps we should have a different approach, a smaller
group that would be able to infiltrate enemy ranks easier.”

At that, Dineiro perked up. “Do you really think you can find Rili,

Perry? He’s out there, I know it. I felt it when he was attacked. I think
it must have been a dryad, because there were live trees…battling, not
like in the Laughing Forest. He was fighting one of their leaders, and
our bond went mute. But I’m sure he’s still alive. He has to be.”

“We will find him, and Prince Leonard,” I promised, hating the

tremor in his voice. The fact that Dini’s connection with Kirril had
faded during a battle with the dryads was important, and as much as I
hated to admit it, quite disheartening. “And we will prove that
Rapunzel had nothing to do with their disappearance.”

The queen’s eyes flashed with anger, and she glared at me.

However, she still held a tight hold over her temper, so she didn’t lash
out at me like she must have wanted. Instead, she coolly stated, “You
misspeak, shifter. We are all very much aware of Lord Stiltskin’s
involvement in the matter.”

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The king nodded. “He deceived us all and drew the witch’s

attention onto our family. He is their blood. If not for Medwin’s
insistence and the child he carries…”

“Stop, please,” a familiar voice said from the doorway. I looked in

that direction, unsurprised when I saw a pale Rapunzel walking
inside. His swollen belly spoke of a very advanced pregnancy. Prince
Medwin supported him, a silent guardian by Rapunzel’s side. The
Arthurian was obviously angry with his parents, but said nothing.
Instead, he wrapped his arm tighter around Rapunzel, supporting him.

Rapunzel shot a brief smile his mate’s way, then turned toward us

once more. “I’m so happy to see you, Count Dracula, Vesper. We
were truly so very worried for you.”

“If you’d been worried, you would have never drawn them, or

anyone else, into your entanglements,” the queen snapped at him.

Medwin opened his mouth, obviously ready to utter a scathing

reply. However, Dini stopped him. “Enough!” he shouted, his voice
no longer tremulous, instead holding that same strength I remembered
in my friend. Unrestrained magic flowed through the room, the
essence of pure love, which was Dini’s affinity. I curled closer to
Vlad, while Sedonia fell into her husband’s arms, crying softly. Victor
embraced Larue, while Rapunzel hid his face in Medwin’s chest.

“This doesn’t help any of us,” Dini said, his voice cracking.

“Leonard and Rili are still missing, and you’re fighting. Rapunzel is
not to blame. No one is except that witch, and whatever aids she has
in the dryad kingdom.” He left the couch, his small claw landing on
Sedonia’s arm. “I know this is hard, Queen Sedonia. I wish I could
have been a better mate and kept Kirril safe. But it’s not too late. We
need to have hope. Vlad and Vesper are here. They’ll help us.”

Much to my surprise, the Arthurian queen embraced my friend

tightly. For a few moments, she just continued to weep quietly, but
after a while, she seemed to recover. “I’m the one who’s sorry,” she
said. “You shouldn’t have to comfort me.”

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125

Wiping her eyes, she broke the embrace between her and Dini.

“You’re right, of course. As resentful as I might be of these
circumstances, we have to get over them for the good of our family.”
She gazed toward me and Vlad. “Can you truly help find my boys?”

“Kirril and Leonard are practically family,” my mate said. “We

will do our best to get them back. Perhaps you’d like to meet up with
my mother. She is visiting with me in Merlinia, and I think she can
give us some input.”

“After all,” I added, “she is the queen of Necro Valley.”
The Arthurian sovereigns couldn’t have known that, but they hid

their surprise well. The king nodded sagely and said, “A meeting
would be an excellent idea. Do invite her to Camelot. She and all of
your people are welcome here.”

It hadn’t been exactly what my mate had in mind, given the

situation with Mina. Not to mention that, as a rule, vampires weren’t
particularly welcome in other territories. It must have been only the
need for assistance that had made them welcome us. In the end, there
had to be some compromise on both sides.

“I’m afraid that she is caring for my sister right now and she

cannot leave my home,” Vlad said. “It would be better if you could
come there.”

“Very well,” Queen Sedonia said. “It will be as you wish it, Count

Dracula. As long as you can help me find my children, I will travel to
the ends of Avalon.”

“I will speak with my father,” Rapunzel offered softly. “Perhaps

he could help.”

Sedonia didn’t acknowledge his words in any way. I wanted to tell

her to snap out of it, but at this point, there was nothing I could do to
fix the relationship between Rapunzel and the Arthurian royal couple.
I desperately hoped that, by the time this was over, they would all
realize who their true enemy was—before it cost us dearly.

* * * *

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My mother and Queen Sedonia were instant friends. They

understood each other well and had a similar approach on politics.
More importantly, they both agreed that the witch was a serious
threat. My mother also admitted that she liked and appreciated
Sedonia’s concern for her children. She also explained that she had
learned of the unrest brewing in what had once been the Dryad
Kingdoms. According to her, this particular witch had been very
powerful, and very unpleasant at one time, and we needed to be very
careful in our dealings with her.

As for Queen Sedonia, she didn’t like Rapunzel’s elf father at all,

but that wasn’t surprising. Reluvethel Dawnhorn seemed to have
become a self-appointed protector of Rapunzel. In spite of Dineiro’s
words and insistence, I knew that Sedonia wouldn’t change her
opinion on the young blond anytime soon.

Even so, two days after our return, another expedition was ready

to leave. Dineiro provided us with what little knowledge he had of the
force that had attacked Kirril—one of the mages who could,
apparently, control flora. We got ready for what would undoubtedly
be a difficult confrontation. The Rainbow Brick Road was supposed
to guide us up to the edges of the cursed kingdom, after which we
were on our own.

However, before we could leave, Vesper had one last thing he

needed to do. My mate had no idea what had happened to his warren
during his absence, but he still thought it was his duty to notify them
of his return. After all, they were his family.

This was why, the morning before our departure, we were once

again on our way to the Laughing Forest, Vesper’s home. Just like
that fateful day, I transported us there and headed toward his warren,
on foot, so that we wouldn’t take his family by surprise.

I carried my mate in my arms, as I often did these days. Vesper

had been very shaken by the separation between Dineiro and Kirril, so
he clung to me almost obsessively, and I couldn’t say I minded. In

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fact, I found comfort in feeling his soft white fur under my fingertips,
in caressing his long ears, or even experiencing the slight pain of his
bites.

He didn’t bite me today. In fact, he was pretty sedate, a warm,

quiet ball of fur in my arms. His mind, however, was anything but
quiet. As I advanced, he kept musing on what would be the best way
to get out of our current predicament, to find Kirril and Prince
Leonard and make Queen Sedonia see Rapunzel truly wasn’t to
blame. Since he couldn’t solve the situation by himself, I snapped him
out of his thoughts by saying, “Déjà vu.”

“What?” my mate inquired.
“Déjà vu,” I repeated. “This whole thing began here.”
“I guess it did,” my mate answered. “I wonder what would have

happened if we hadn’t arranged that meeting with my parents.”

“The witch would have found another way to get to us,” I told

him. I didn’t want Vesper to blame himself unnecessarily for
something that had been beyond his control.

“I suppose,” my mate said with a small sigh. He wiggled slightly

in my arms, as if impatient. “I just wish things were different, that’s
all.”

I knew that he still hadn’t gotten over his heat, but we hadn’t

gotten much time to ourselves since we’d returned from our brief stay
in Necro Valley. It was a little hard to focus on each other, when
Vesper remained so aware of his dear friend’s predicament. If I
wanted to be perfectly honest, I was hoping to steal a few moments
together after we met up with Vesper’s parents, but not here.
Definitely not here. I’d learned the hard way that the Laughing Forest,
as harmless as it might have seemed, could hide dangerous secrets.

“It’s not that dangerous,” my mate suddenly said, perking up in

my arms and continuing his fidgeting. A brief whimper escaped him,
and heat rushed through me, coming from our connection. Oh, shit.
Had I triggered one of his heat waves? Talk about bad timing.

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I had about ten seconds during which I thought that before my

mate shifted into his human form. With a naked, horny Vesper now
leaning against my chest, I changed my mind on the spot and decided
that this was very good timing indeed. After all, we were alone. My
lover wanted me, and, Goddess, I wanted him. What else did I need?

My mate whined softly under his breath, rubbing his slender, nude

form against my clothed body. “Vlad…I…”

“Hush,” I silenced him as I hauled him up in my arms. “I know

what you need. Be silent.”

Vesper shut up, which was probably a good thing, because the

small panting sounds he released threatened my control. He’d
submitted so eagerly to me, and I looked forward to showing him a lot
more of what we could do together.

The forest wasn’t the best possible place for it, but Vesper was a

shifter and the Laughing Forest had once been his home. Perhaps it
was fitting that I claim him here, just like I had in Necro Valley.

I walked off the main path and through the trees, ignoring their

knowing chuckles. Truly, perhaps I should have been a little disturbed
at it, but my focus was completely on Vesper, and really, even in my
possessiveness, I couldn’t be jealous of trees.

For his part, Vesper hardly seemed aware of his surroundings. He

kept wiggling in my arms, biting his lip in an obvious attempt to
comply with my command and remain silent. The fact that he trusted
me so much still humbled me, but more than anything, aroused me.
By the time I found a spot adequate for what I had in mind, I was as
hard as a rock. I placed Vesper on the grass in a large clearing. For a
few seconds, I considered supporting him against a tree stump, but
that would have been a little strange here in the Laughing Forest. The
grass would have to do.

My mate didn’t seem to mind. No sooner had I set him down than

he pushed his ass out, wiggling it invitingly. My mouth watered at the
sight, but I refrained from tearing my clothes off and burying my dick

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inside him in one single thrust. Sure, the thought appealed to me a lot,
but Vesper wasn’t the one calling the shots here. I was.

Smirking to myself, I retrieved the flogger I’d strapped to my

waist in an impulse of optimism. Vesper shuddered as I caressed his
spine with the leather. I had given him only a brief taste of the
pleasurable agony a vampire could show his mate, but he was already
itching for more.

Perhaps this was the reason why he broke the one command I had

given him until this point. “Vlad,” he gasped out. “Fuck me.”

The little minx. He knew how much it enflamed me to hear his

pleas, but also realized that I wouldn’t allow his disobedience to go
unpunished. Well, I would hate to disappoint. Of course, I wouldn’t
give in to my clever mate’s taunts either, not as easily as he’d have
liked. “Tsk, tsk. You shouldn’t test me, my sweet. You might not like
what you find.”

Vesper moaned again, and I rewarded him by caressing his ass.

He pushed back into my touch, but I didn’t give him what he
demanded. Instead, I pulled away, already musing over what I would
do. Oh, my mate’s beauty would be so nicely complemented by the
marks left behind by the flogger. It would be pure perfection.

But that would have to wait, because first, I wanted to taste him

all over. With that in mind, I abandoned the flogger on the grass and
flipped him onto his back, drawing a startled yelp out of him. Before
he could say anything else, I brushed my lips over his in the ghost of a
kiss. He wrapped his arms around my neck, grinding against me,
trying to get as much friction as possible. I allowed it, but only for a
little while. After that, I broke our kiss, biting on his lower lip as
warning when he tried to cling to it. Vesper whined softly, his dick
throbbing against my hip, but he didn’t try to control the kiss. I
rewarded him by licking down his collarbone, sucking a light bruise
over his soft skin.

Vesper gasped, clutching the grass in obvious despair. I heard the

blades rip, and it satisfied me with the knowledge that I was feeding

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more sensation into his already oversensitive body. Of course, our
bond already screamed that at me, and also demanded that I get on
with it, but even if the lust rushing off him made me burn for my
mate, I refused to hasten things along.

I licked down his chest, lingering briefly over his nipples. As I

took one of the sensitive buds into my mouth, I reached for the other
one with my fingers and pinched it. My lover released another panting
cry, and I bit down on the bit of flesh I held. I didn’t break the skin
this time around, only giving him a hint of the pain-pleasure he’d
started to crave.

Finally, I released his nipple from my mouth with a wet pop. I

licked down his abdomen, tracing the lines of his muscles with my
tongue. Following my instincts, I wiggled my slick muscle into his
belly button. The times we had made love before, I hadn’t gotten the
chance to explore every inch of his body, and I decided to do so now.
Vesper practically went crazy under me. It seemed I had found
another erogenous spot.

Even if I had told him to be silent, I reveled in the sound of his

cries, all the while counting in my head the times he actually uttered
words. His desire for me was quickly going to my head. I leashed it in
and pooled it into our connection, therefore flooding him with his
own lust.

At last, I abandoned my ministrations on his belly button, and

progressed lower down his body. I bypassed his jutting dick on
purpose, progressing down over his thighs, calves, and reaching his
small feet. He had beautiful feet, my sweet Vesper. Well, that came as
no surprise, since everything about him was beautiful. I couldn’t help
but take his toes in my mouth, fellating them like I would have his
dick.

My efforts almost earned me a kick in the head from my still-

writhing mate. “Vlad,” he begged, “please. Take me.”

I chuckled and gripped his ankles. One look directed his way

stopped him from reaching for my hair and guiding me to his dick or

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pulling me up to kiss him again. “Do you really think you’ll get away
so easily when you’ve disobeyed me so?” I grinned at him, showing
my fangs in a smile I knew was predatory. “Every word you say earns
you another minute before I fuck you. Oh, my sweet, you have to
learn that you can’t try to manipulate me without paying the price.”

It was punishment of the cruelest kind, one which Vesper would

actually fear. Indeed, his eyes widened. He released a soft squeak then
clamped his mouth shut.

I smirked and caressed his side, almost brushing over his dick, but

not quite. I was testing his resolve, and this time, he didn’t disappoint.
He knew that he’d fucked up, and I could see the apology in his eyes.
When my knuckles slightly touched the tip of his cock, copious
amounts of pre-cum leaked from the small hole, but he released no
noise. He bit his lip so hard that the wound I’d left behind opened
again, releasing blood in his mouth and, therefore, allowing me to
taste it through our bond.

Half for his benefit, half for my own—because that delicious

flavor was driving me crazy—I went with a change of policy. To be
more specific, I generously decided to give him a hand—or rather, a
dick—to assist him in his efforts. Pulling away from him, I finally
started removing my clothes. I placed them one on top of another,
forming a small pile nearby. Vesper watched me attentively, still
biting on his lower lip and keeping silent. His eyes, though…Oh, his
deep, dark eyes spoke volumes about how much he wanted me. I’d
have heard it and felt it even without our bond.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I crawled up my mate’s body and

positioned my dick against his mouth. Vesper’s gaze followed me as
if he was hypnotized. His lips parted obediently as I brushed my prick
over them. With a groan, I sank inside his mouth.

The volcanic heat that surrounded me almost swept away my

every defense. Almost, but not quite. I was hanging on to my control
by a very thin thread, barely keeping myself from sliding out of his
mouth and into his tight little ass instead.

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But Vesper’s punishment was just beginning, and I had no

intention of forgetting about it so easily. I fed my dick into his wet
cavern, fucking his mouth ruthlessly, giving him no quarter. He
moaned around my prick, and the vibrations were already threatening
to send me over the edge. Vesper felt it, too, the pleasure that his
suction awoke inside me. That was one of the best things about our
mate bond—and sometimes, the worst. How could I cling to my
resolve when every drop of his desire trickled into me?

When he swallowed convulsively around the head of my cock, I

almost came. I stopped my orgasm just at the right moment and pulled
out of his mouth. Vesper whined at being denied his prize then
snapped his mouth shut, mindful of not disappointing me again.

My heart clenched as I watched him lying there, so beautiful, so

eager, so mine. He might not know it, but he was the real master here.
He’d awoken my dead soul and turned an undead, brooding count into
a living, loving creature. Yes, undead had feelings, too—as my sisters
liked to say—but I’d never actually known the true extent of what
emotions could mean until I’d had a bunny.

Lust and love swirling inside me, I maneuvered him onto his back

again. I retrieved the flogger from the grass and once more, caressed
his back with it. “Ten strokes. Count for me. In your mind. Don’t
speak. Inarticulate noises are allowed.”

Vesper nodded, arching his back beautifully as he anticipated the

first blow. He was all eagerness and submission, and I loved him
more than ever. I wanted to see him marked, branded by my flogger.
But in spite of his desire to please me and the fact that he clearly
craved what I had to offer, he trembled ever so slightly, obviously
nervous.

Breaking the role for a few moments, I kissed his shoulder and

said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m right here, and if you’re ever
uncomfortable or want to stop, I’ll feel it.”

Normally, I’d have asked a lover to pick a safe word before we

started a scene, but Vesper wasn’t just some random submissive who

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came to me for my special brand of pain-pleasure. Our bond allowed
me to know everything he needed, everything he feared, wished, and
hoped for.

In the end, it was all a game, one where I set the rules and guided

my lover through the paces to the height of an orgasm he couldn’t
have reached if he got impatient. He might have thought that he just
wanted to be fucked, right there, on the spot, and his instincts did
demand that. But Vesper was more than his instincts, and his heat
aside, he blossomed in my caresses, in the way I touched him and
explored him. It was why he’d gone against my command to begin
with, even if it might not have been conscious on his part.

He wanted this, and that certainty made me finally strike him. The

first time the flogger hit his flesh, he gasped, not bothering to contain
his cry now that I had given him permission. In his mind, he counted.
“One.”

The bright pain that followed in the flogger’s path surprised him,

so I gave him a few seconds to recover and breathe. He did exactly
that, and once I saw him relax, I let the flogger fall on his back again.

Vesper hissed. “Two.”
The flogger painted red stripes on Vesper’s white skin, coloring it

prettily, making me want to bite down on his tender flesh. It didn’t
break the skin, though. I was far too careful for that to happen. For a
vampire, sex and blood were entwined, but timing was everything,
and I didn’t want to hurt him—well, not in an unpleasant way. The
line between pleasure and pain was so very thin, but I was an expert at
blurring it and showering Vesper with the results.

“Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.” Slowly, my mate counted

as I struck him, even his mental voice breathless and a bit desperate.
On occasion, I paused and caressed his hot skin, but that only made
him more aware of the burning blows of the flogger when I went back
to it. By the count of nine, he was on the edge of orgasm again,
trembling under me. By ten, I myself was very close to coming just
because of his pleasure. But he was still hanging on, miraculously

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keeping himself in check. He might have disobeyed me with regard to
being silent, but his body had been trained to climax only when I
allowed it. And I most certainly wouldn’t allow it until I was inside
him.

As my mate brokenly whispered the “ten” in his mind, I eyed my

handiwork, satisfied with the way his back glowed with the sign of
my ownership. Reaching in front of Vesper, I gripped his dick and
slowly jacked it, slicking up my hand with the generously flowing
pre-cum. Something that I’d grown to learn—even if Vesper hadn’t
told me himself, and might not have even been aware of—was that
during his heat, my mate tended to leak a lot of the translucent liquid.
That worked out well now, because oil wasn’t as convenient and easy
to bring around as a flogger.

The one disadvantage was, of course, that my touch aroused

Vesper a great deal, which in turn made heat flow through my veins. I
forced myself to focus on him, on his pleasure, and not my own, but
that didn’t really help, because at this point, we were far too entwined
to separate between the pleasure we experienced as individuals.

Mercifully, my control held. I gathered his pre-cum in my palm

and used it to slick up my cock. However, even with that, I was not
convinced I wouldn’t hurt him if I just shoved my dick into him. Not
only that, but according to my mental tally, he also had some more
words to account for.

I parted his ass cheeks and thrust my tongue into his nether

opening. Vesper choked, like he couldn’t draw breath or even think
anymore. Allowing his pleasure to flow into me, I used it to feed my
ravenous desire for him while I tongue-fucked him, stabbing my slick
muscle into his clenching hole.

I aimed to prepare him as elaborately as I could, but I’d already

been more patient than I even thought possible. As his pleas echoed in
my mind—he was still obeying my command not to say anything out
loud—I lifted my head and positioned my cock at the entrance to his

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body. Finally, in one single thrust, I buried myself inside my lover’s
tight channel.

Vesper screamed as I hit his prostate, his body convulsing as he

writhed through the pleasure I brought him. A wave of bright rapture
flowed into me through our connection, almost like he’d climaxed
without actually doing so. His mind was an incoherent whirlpool of
desperate need, the sexual tension I’d built up adding onto his heat to
melt his rational thoughts away. I had to admit that I was very close to
that point, too. Gripping his hips, I started to pound in and out of him.
Wild with need, I moved faster and faster, no longer bothering to
tease him and aiming for his prostrate with my every stroke.

The position was good because it allowed me to penetrate him

deeply, but I found that I craved to look into his beautiful eyes. As
soon as that thought crossed my mind, I changed positions, flipping
him around and drawing him into my lap. I was greeted by the sight
of his flushed face and swollen lips, and nearly went mad with my
own lust.

“Come on,” I growled as I impaled him once again. “Fuck

yourself on my dick.”

He proceeded to do exactly that, whimpering and moaning, doing

his best to support himself on my shoulders for more leverage.
Meanwhile, I shoved my dick harder into the sanctuary of his body,
feeling like I would never get enough, which was probably true. He
had become my addiction, one I wouldn’t give up anytime soon.

Sadly, in spite of the intensity of the moment—or better said,

because of it—I couldn’t make it last forever. My fangs ached with
the desire to be sunk in his flesh. The thirst for his blood had been
awakened inside me. When he arched his back and exposed the white
column of his neck to me, I snapped. Without giving him a single
word of warning, I struck. As I buried my fangs in his throat, I
reached out to him through our bond and whispered, “Come.”

A million things happened at the same time. On my urge, Vesper

climaxed, his ass tightening around my dick as he spurted hot jets of

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cum all over my abdomen. His blood flooded my mouth, filled with
endorphins, like a rich wine spiced with an aphrodisiac I couldn’t
resist. The pleasure of feeding from my one true mate while buried in
his body was simply too much. Still clinging to him, I found my peak
as well, filling his hot channel with my spunk.

All the while, our minds and souls reached out for one another.

My thoughts and memories mingled with his, but those conscious
ideas didn’t even matter. Nothing did outside this beautiful moment,
when our bond glowed with the love I had never thought I would be
able to experience, before meeting him.

As we both descended from the high of our shared orgasm, I

released my hold on his throat and licked the wound clean. Vesper
slumped in my arms, still whimpering slightly, sounding completely
exhausted. I chuckled, loving him more with every second that
passed.

I wanted to allow him to rest, because he was always tired after

the heat left his body. Sadly, I couldn’t do it. It might not have been
very smart to stop in the Laughing Forest for the purpose of having
sex, but, sweet Goddess, it had been worth it. However, now that
we’d sort of finished, we had to break apart far sooner than I’d have
liked, because any moment we lingered here was a risk.

As it turned out, my guess was confirmed moments later. I’d just

finished pulling my clothes on when a male voice sounded from my
right. “Villain! Move away from him this instant.”

At least, that was what I guessed it must have said, because the

words had been uttered at a very low volume. Truly, one would have
thought that such a cry would come as a loud shout, but that wasn’t
the case, and I soon found out why.

Two small beings stood at the edge of the grove, pointing bows

equipped with tiny arrows at me. They looked like miniature versions
of people, kind of pixie-sized, except without all the glowing dust.
One of them was obviously male, while the other was female.

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“You beast,” the tiny woman screamed at me. “How dare you

harm him?”

I blinked and eyed them carefully. At this point, I knew better

than to underestimate someone because of his or her size. Those
arrows could be tipped with some sort of poison meant to harm
vampires, or they could have powerful magic. I couldn’t take any
chances or be arrogant, not with Vesper here.

“Stay down, my sweet,” I told my mate through my bond.
He narrowed his eyes at me and said nothing. Hoping he’d

comply anyway, I began to pull away, drawing their attention from
Vesper. The two creatures tensed, obviously ready to shoot their
arrows at me. But before they could so, my mate attacked.

Completely disobeying me—which was something he appeared to

enjoy when we weren’t fucking—he shifted into his rabbit form and
ran toward them. His natural speed allowed him to reach them in
seconds. I had no idea if they even saw him coming, but it didn’t
matter. Before they could do anything about it, he grabbed them in his
mouth, shaking them hard until they dropped all of their weapons.
Really, it was kind of cute, and I couldn’t help but watch the scene
with amusement. In his own way, Vesper was being protective of me.
While it wasn’t in my nature to allow it, it felt nice to know that he
wanted to protect me in the first place.

But I couldn’t lose track of what really mattered, and these

dwarves—whatever the hell they were—could still be dangerous for
my mate. I stalked to their side and arched a brow at Vesper’s
captives. “Who in the world are you, and who sent you?”

I thought and maybe hoped that they would be reluctant to provide

me the explanations I sought, but as it turned out, that wasn’t the case.
“Why, we’re vampire hunters,” the man answered. “We were hired by
the young shifter’s family.”

Vesper was so surprised that he dropped them. “Eh?”

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Both small creatures turned toward my mate. “We’ve come to free

you,” the male said to Vesper. “You needn’t fear him any longer.
Understand? You don’t have to obey him anymore.”

The woman carefully petted Vesper’s paw. She didn’t seem

resentful of Vesper’s attack, or in any way fearful. “Just wait here.
We’ll take care of this. I promise he’ll leave you alone.”

Vesper just stared at him in disbelief, while I rubbed my eyes

tiredly. I had too many problems to worry about vampire hunters on
top of everything. Frustrated with the entire thing, I picked them up
and glared at them. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re lucky
Vesper’s here.” I grinned, displaying a hint of fang. “I think you
might have bitten off more than you can chew.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” the man replied, not looking impressed or

in any way intimidated. I soon found out why. In a surprisingly agile
maneuver, both creatures somehow wiggled out of my hold and leapt
on top of me. The man actually retrieved a small knife, looking oddly
fierce for someone his size. I batted both him and his companion
before he could attack and Vesper lunged at them again.

“Enough!” he said. “I won’t allow you to attack Vlad. He isn’t a

villain or whatever else you might believe. He’s my mate.”

“No, young shifter,” the man argued, shooting Vesper a look of

pity that irritated me terribly. “You’re confused. Vampires have a way
of messing with your mind. He’s not—”

Anger burned in my veins. I waved my hand, immobilizing the

two creatures with a spell and interrupting him before he could finish
the phrase. “Don’t you dare deny my mate bond with Vesper. I’ve
been patient, but you’re crossing the line.”

Oddly enough, I didn’t think my threatening demeanor, or even

my spell, scared them. They seemed to have no concept of self-
preservation. Nonetheless, they looked from Vesper to me, and back,
and seemed to realize the truth.

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139

“You have our apologies, vampire,” the small man said, all trace

of haughtiness gone from his voice. “I assure you that we have only
the deepest respect for mate bonds.”

“They said that you were kept captive for months,” the woman

continued. “Were we misinformed?”

I took Vesper in my arms and caressed his fur while I released the

enchantment on the two creatures. “It’s a long story,” I replied. I
honestly didn’t have the patience to explain everything to them, not to
mention that I didn’t trust them one bit. “We were away due to
circumstances beyond our control.”

“We were actually coming to see my parents, because we have to

go on a journey again,” Vesper explained.

“I don’t think your warren will allow that, young shifter,” the man

answered. “Ah, but where are my manners. I’m Tom Thumb, and this
is my wife, Thumbelina.”

“It’s a pleasure,” I replied just as smoothly. It occurred to me that

their names certainly fit, but I made no comment on that. “My name is
Count Vlad Dracula, and this is my beautiful mate, Vesper. As for
what Vesper’s family will or will not allow…I’m afraid it’s not their
decision to make.”

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Vesper added, “My

friend’s mate, Kirril, is missing. We have to go find him.”

“Oh…Kirril?” Thumbelina perked up, as if enthusiastic. “You

know someone named Kirril?”

Vesper twitched in my arms, obviously startled. “Do you think

they might know something?” he asked through our bond.

“Maybe,” I replied. “We’re not losing anything by inquiring. But

let’s not give too many details away.”

My sweet mate seemed to agree. “Prince Kirril of Arthuria,”

Vesper explained without adding anything else. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” Tom Thumb drawled, “we may or may not have found a

certain wounded man in our travels. He remembers very little, but he

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calls himself Kirril. Still, it was a good distance from Arthuria. I don’t
think it could be the same person. Except…he did mention a Dini…”

“Oh, it must be him,” Vesper said excitedly, his ears perking up.

“He disappeared during an expedition in a distant land, and we were
supposed to travel there now. But if you have any news of him, it
would be very helpful.”

I nodded quietly. The chances of running into two vampire

hunters who knew what had happened to Kirril were disgustingly
slim, but stranger things had happened. Goddess, we’d been relying
on the Rainbow Brick Road to take us to the edge of the cursed
kingdom, and from that point, we’d planned to venture into the
unknown. If anyone could provide us with extra information, I would
be more than grateful.

The two beings shared a look, then turned toward Vesper and me

again. “We’ve wronged you, esteemed vampire,” Tom Thumb said.
“For that, we’ll provide you with assistance in this matter.”

I couldn’t help a frown. “I hope you don’t expect me to trust you

just like that.”

The little man shook his head. “I am told that you can see

memories in blood, correct? Well, you can read mine and see I’m
telling the truth.”

It was brave of him to offer, especially since he seemed to

understand vampires and probably realized I could hurt him, badly.
For a few moments, I considered the possibility of a trap. Vampire
hunters had all sorts of tricks in that regard. However, I’d just fed on
Vesper. My magic and my powers were stronger than ever. I was
confident I could handle anything they threw at me.

“Very well then,” I said as I knelt next to the small man. Vesper

climbed onto my shoulder as I took the small man in the palm of my
hand again and said, “This will only be a second.”

I made a small cut in his palm, making sure I was very careful

because of his small size. A few droplets of blood fell on my fingers. I

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141

gathered them and brought them to my lips. Instantly, a kaleidoscope
of images flashed through my mind.

It should have been far harder to find what I needed, because of

the limited quantity of blood I had to use. In fact, it wasn’t only the
blood itself that vampires used for the purpose of our readings. We
actually bit down on someone’s flesh, then used the blood to force our
way into that person’s mind though our psychic abilities. But
powerful vampires transcended those limitations, and with the boost
of Vesper’s blood, I got my answers. Tom Thumb and Thumbelina
had, indeed, found Kirril.

When I pulled back and placed the little man back on the grass, I

knew where we needed to go. “My sweet, I suspect we’ll have to
delay our visit with your parents,” I told Vesper. “There’s no time to
waste.”

Vesper winced when he saw the information I’d acquired from

Tom Thumb. Kirril was in a serious condition. He needed our help, at
once. While Vesper had to see his parents and reassure them of his
well-being, Kirril could very well be in mortal danger. We had to
handle that first.

“You can come with me to my hollow,” Tom Thumb offered.

“My dear wife will go to young Vesper’s warren and tell them what
happened.”

Vesper nodded. “Let them know I will be home to meet with them

soon. A lot has happened, and my friends need me.”

“I will,” Thumbelina promised.
She hugged her husband then turned away from us, disappearing

into the undergrowth mere seconds later. I literally pocketed Tom
Thumb, stashing him in my coat while my mate curled into my arms.

“You know,” I idly told Vesper through our bond, “by now, I

would have hoped to just be living in the castle with you, enjoying our
mating.”

Vesper released a small sigh. “I suppose that if this was one of

Larue’s fairytales, we might have been doing exactly that. But you

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know, Dini told me that when he went into that other world, he found
out you were a character in a horror story.”

For some reason, the non-sequitur made me smile. “Oh? And

what happened at the end?”

“I have no idea.” I could hear the frown in Vesper’s voice. “Dini

didn’t say.”

I chuckled. “Well, I’m pretty sure that if there was a witch in that

tale, I beat her.”

As we spoke, Tom Thumb watched us curiously, so I finally

sobered and readied myself for what was to come. I pet Vesper’s fur
and focused on the location I’d detected in Tom Thumb’s mind.
Seconds later, when we emerged in Tom Thumb’s hollow, my eyes
fell on Prince Kirril’s figure. I couldn’t help but wonder if, this time
around, I’d be able to beat the witch after all.

THE END

WWW.SCARLETHYACINTH.WEBS.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid

fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and
adventure.

Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into

her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto
romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer

day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her
to GLBT fiction—suggested they start writing a story of their own.
As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story,
but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up
starting to write individually. And so, between working on her
dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started
writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of
wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her
story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

For all titles by Scarlet Hyacinth, please visit