Darkness In The Flames Read Online Free Page B

always—awoke, a cry trembling in the back of his throat. He was erect and throbbing and—as always—unfulfilled.
    How he kept his sanity was a mystery to him at moments like this. He sobbed for breath and gulped in air, wishing just for once he could either come and relieve his desires, or sleep without dreaming.
    He’d tried masturbation after the first dreams began, but within seconds of waking his cock would soften, leaving the ache of unrelieved arousal behind. The only thing that could harden him to the point of orgasm other than the dreams was the act of feeding. Then he could bring himself to climax and release his pent-up yearnings. He would not fuck his prey. He dared not.
    Adrian wished he knew if this was customary for his kind. He had nobody to ask. He’d been forced to find his way blindly for the past ten years, doing his best not to kill and yet driven by forces he did not understand to prolong his own existence.
    He hated rendering his victims unconscious, taking as little of their blood as he could, and then fleeing the site of his “crime”—never knowing if he’d gone too far and killed by mistake. It was a terribly sordid life, a subculture he’d been compelled to live in, and one that he abhorred.
    Looking around him now, he realized it was the first time he’d awoken in a proper suite of rooms in more years than he could remember.
    He had certainly found a welcome at St. Chesswell. And possibly a friend in Sir Sidney. Maybe there was still a miracle left in the world with his name on it. And maybe it was time to go and find out.
     
    *~*~*~*
     
    “That will be all, Cheverly. We will have a tea tray later. Nothing else.”
    Sidney ignored the frown on his butler’s face. He was dismissing the entire concept of dinner and offending not only Cheverly but probably his kitchen staff as well. He didn’t care. This night was important, too important to be concerned about mundane issues such as food.
    “I take it that meals are unnecessary?” Sidney glanced across at the man leaning casually against the mantelpiece, to see him nod his head in agreement.
    “Very well. Please be seated and we shall talk.” He waited. “I’ll get a crick in my neck if you don’t sit down. Stop looking so nervous, Adrian. There is much to discuss and some of it might be to your liking.”
    With a shrug, Adrian sat in the matching chair and crossed his long legs. The clothes Sidney had obtained were a good enough fit, clinging to long muscular thighs and revealing the strength of the body they covered. Adrian was a very good-looking man indeed.
    His black basilisk eyes remained fixed on Sidney’s face, and Sidney was in no doubt that Adrian needed to talk—and to listen. There was still pain and suffering in those dark depths, but perhaps there was a flicker of hope too. Or maybe Sidney was just reading his own wishes into Adrian’s gaze.
    He marshaled his thoughts. “You have been in this condition for ten years now, am I correct?”
    “Yes.” A short word of agreement, clipped and precise.
    Good . “And you were… made …if I may use that expression, by a woman?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then we shall assume that she was an experienced vampire. One who knew how much of your blood to take, and how much to leave.”
    Adrian shook his head. “That is an unwarranted assumption. I remain convinced to this day that had she not been interrupted, she would have killed me. After I had…after we had…” Adrian’s voice faltered.
    “Come along, man. These are facts we must discuss. I am no prurient busybody. I am a scientist. Tell me as much as you can—use whatever words you must—but tell me.”
    Adrian looked away. “If you must have it all, then so be it.” He swallowed. “After we had fucked and I had spent my seed within her, she did not break away. She did not release me, but continued to feed, to drain me. I became lightheaded, my vision blurred and I thought I would vomit. That’s when I heard