Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

DB Chapter 1 - A Love Triangle?

Chapter 1

"PENNY FOR your thoughts," Julian Namura said to Vivienne as the car neared the pier. "Oh, forget it, I know exactly what you're thinking. You're wondering how to break it to your boy that I'm by far the more handsome of the two of us."

Vivienne rolled her eyes. They had only been in the car for a couple of hours, but it seemed like years with Julian's constant blabbering. Julian wasn't completely lying. He was a gorgeous man with a face that could have belonged to Adonis, and a muscular body that his tightly fitted dress shirt could barely contain.

On his head, he had a mop of curly brown hair with shimmering strands of milk-chocolate. He had a way of looking at her with his eyes prominent and his chin tilted down that said he knew exactly how tantalizing he was. In the short time she had known him, Vivienne already knew that Julian Namura was his own biggest fan.

"If you haven't forgotten," Vivienne said with her best fake smile. "I can burn you into a pile of ashes with the snap of my finger."

"Feisty, I like them that way. It makes the blood taste better," Julian said and showed his fangs.

Vivienne turned her attention away from Julian and stared into the nearby sea. There is a saying that an enemy stabs you in the back, but a true friend stabs you in the front. Vivienne felt as though she was about to be stabbed as she faced the prospect of going back to Manna City. As the sun peeped over the horizon, she once again stood at the edge of the Anthias Sea, waiting for the boat that would take her back to Manna City. The boat looked like a floating cage, windowless and stark.

"Is this what vampires travel in?" Vivienne asked. Julian volunteered to answer first. He was the chattiest vampire that she had ever met.

"No, not always. She sent this prison barge, especially for our friend. Hey, Oslen, I think she might be angry at you."

Blake stared mirthlessly as the boat docked at the pier. His eyes seemed to be looking beyond the barge, and in the distance toward the passing clouds.

"What's going to happen when we get off that boat?" Vivienne asked Julian. Somewhere between getting out of the car and entering the pier, one of the Sarastri guards had brought him a new jacket and his glasses. Now, Julian was wearing a black wool jacket with gold buttons and a high, gold-brocaded collar. Vivienne assumed he had reverted to the persona of a man about town in Manna City and was dressing for any passing fans.

"Nothing good," Julian said. He winked at her under his violet-tinted glasses. "For our friend Blake. For you, probably nothing. She has a soft spot for you. Be apologetic, tell her the big bad vampire led you astray. With some luck, she might welcome you back with open arms."

"But he didn't! I kidnapped him," Vivienne snapped. After the trials of Remin, she felt fueled by a new fire. The last thing she wanted was to go crawling back, sniffling and simpering.

"She's not interested in you," Blake corrected. His eyes softened as he gazed upon her scared expression. He immediately reached for Vivienne's hand. "I can sense through my bond with her that she has long forgotten you."

"Bullshit. I can't sense anything," Julian snapped. "I'm bound to Maglania too."

"Perhaps, she's forgotten your existence, too," Blake joked. His eyes drifted back into the distance. Vivienne could make out a boat in the middle of the Anthias sea, with a cornflower-blue banner depicting a serpent. "I think I know now why she summoned me back so urgently."

Julian's eyes went to the same luxurious boat in the distance that Blake was staring at.

"Family trouble?" Julian asked. "You look like you wish you had drowned yourself back in Satan's Hollow."

"Come, Vivienne," Blake said, leading her to the barge. "Soon enough, you'll see how those water-crystal chandeliers in the willows of River Way came into being."

~*~

The boat was bare with steel furniture. It wasn't going to be a long journey from what Vivienne remembered. Crossing the Anthias Sea just took a couple of hours. She wished it would take days. Vivienne found him sitting in a corner, brows furrowed, in deep thought. There was a darkness to his entire demeanor now that she hadn't seen at all while they were in Remin.

Even without locks and chains, Blake was beginning to resemble a prisoner. Vivienne supposed there was no reason to keep him locked up. She had witnessed the fearsome power he possessed. He could transform into a winged beast the height of a house. With the flapping of his wings, he had shielded her from the bullets of a dozen fully armed soldiers. Yet, at the same time, despite that fearsome power, he was enslaved to the wills of two mortal women.

One of those who held his chains was herself, his childhood friend. For a while, she wore a cameo necklace, which served as the chains that bound him to her. That necklace had been recently stolen and brought to Manna City. The other set of chains was held by Maglana Sarastri. Maglania acted through her best friend, Allison, whose body at times hosted the soul of the cruel and vicious princess. Vivienne wondered what the two of them had planned for Blake. She couldn't imagine Allison would completely turn her back on their friendship.

Allison's words echoed in Vivienne's head. We'll never let a boy come between us, would we?

But Blake was no ordinary boy. She had only recently allowed herself to feel anything for him. Her relationship with him had been plagued by distrust and suspicion until the end of their adventure in Satan's Hollow, when she finally felt as though she saw his true colors. He had been her one true love for as long as she could remember. Vivienne didn't want to lose him again. She felt the boat start moving.

He seemed surprised by her boldness but made no move to protest as she lowered herself onto his lap. One by one, she undid the buttons of his black dress shirt. She straddled his legs and continued to kiss his lips. His mouth was warm now. As she thrust her tongue into his mouth, she noticed there were no fangs. He was human for a moment because of her.

Vivienne had never done this before, but then again, this had been a week of many firsts. She ripped his shirt off his broad, muscular shoulders. She had never imagined being the aggressor in this sort of situation. Yet, somehow, it came naturally to her. His body was now hers to do as she liked. She continued to kiss him fiercely on his delicious, delicate mouth. His hand found its way to the small of her back, and he pulled her nearer. Her hands moved slowly down the light hair of his chest, over the three raw marks which marked the wounds he had sustained in the caves, down over his flat-toned stomach.

Vivienne's hands reached down and took hold of his heavy belt buckle. As she struggled to undo it, she wished he hadn't opted for such a subtle design, with the belt made to look like it disappeared into a recessed loop. Clearly, his body was more than ready for what she had in mind. However, Blake stopped her as she finally managed to unbuckle his belt.

"Not here, not like this," he whispered to her, panting with desire. "You can't have wanted it this way." Vivienne backed down. Blake turned away from her and started buttoning his shirt back. His eyes were soft and kind as he reached over and squeezed her hand. "When the time is right."

Blake buttoned his shirt back up and straightened his cuffs. "Believe me, when I say I want you more than anything, but when it happens, it will be in a place befitting us." Blake cupped the back of her head and kissed her on her forehead. "And then we will enjoy what was meant to be ours. That's a promise, my love."

"Fine," Vivienne sighed and straightened up her messy cascade of jet-black hair. She eased herself closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder. Sitting there, with his arms around her, Vivienne felt like she could close her eyes and imagine they were sitting under a willow tree in River Way. How often had she thought back to those times and tried to imagine him beside her? It seemed hardly fair that their moments of peace were so few and far apart.

"I meant what I said back in Remin," Blake whispered back as he stroked her hair. "I'll always be with you. From the beginning, it has always been you, only you."