Page 23 of From Russia With Blood

Soft snores reach my ears as I force myself from her side. I have so much work to do, and the longer I stay, the more likely it is I’ll lose that anger that I so desperately need to fuel this revenge mission. Everything bad drains out of me when I’m with her. It would be good for my soul in the long run, but right now, I need it to stay dark and hardened.

Chapter 8

Luka

Cum drips down the screen, obscuring the tender scene in front of me. Probably for the best. Jackson showed such promise when he ravaged Katrina but then ruined it with those last few minutes. Disgusted, I shove away from the monitor and wipe my dick down before tucking it back into my pants.

Humans. Was I ever that pathetic? Switching back to the main ship feed, I watch Jackson exit her room and rest his head against her door. The action stirs up a hint of an emotion in my gut, one that should have been long dead. One did not become prominent in their family without cutting out all last vestiges of emotion.

Yet, here I am, envious of a mortal’s depths of feelings. Fuck that shit. Shaking my head, I dispel any trace of feelings from my brain. I don’t do nice. I don’t do tender, and it’s high time Katrina learns that. Opening the drawer to my side, I pull out a thin blade, turning it back and forth in the monitor’s light to look at the edge.

Jackson pulls away, and I watch his trek through the ship. By now, all the bottles should be tainted and put back exactly where he put them. If not, the coffins will be put to good use sooner than I anticipated. I switch over to his room, scanning the small space to make sure it looks untouched.

The one bottle of water he had earlier did its job, but not enough. Hopefully, this new batch will give me the results that I want and then some. A smirk lifts my lips as I run the tip of my finger along a vial containing a potent mix of drugs along with amphetamines. At the time, I thought it was stupid to turn and enslave scientists, but more and more, I see their use.

Not only are the drugs I sell a much better quality than my competition, but the medical perks are also out of this world. With just a little bit of a medicinal push from me, Jackson will no longer be a threat. I should feel enraged at the audacity he’s shown by coming on board my ship to take me out, but instead, I feel an odd sort of life flowing through me that I haven’t felt in centuries.

Is this what I’ve been missing? A nemesis? It seems so pitiful that a human can give me such a rush, but here we are. Then there’s Katrina - a woman I can’t wait to break. I knew based on her form that she’d be a fun one, but after seeing her reactions to Jackson...my cock stirs again as I replay her screams and moans in my head.

Soon I’ll have her down in the dungeon to play with for myself, but for now, I just want a small taste, something to tide me over until I drain her dry. My tongue slips out to wet my lips. I can almost imagine the tang of her blood as it slides down my throat. What are the odds that she’d be an AB negative?

Closing my eyes, I imagine her blood sliding down my throat, coating my tongue. All blood types have the same undertone, but the actual flavor is unique to the person. AB negative seems to meld the best. Other blood types tend to be either the perfect pairing or at complete odds. AB negative, though…everything tastes good with AB negative.

It’s able to pick up on the subtle hints of fear and arousal, morphing the entire meal into a symphony of flavors. I’d never had a pet with AB negative blood before, so it will be interesting to see how her flavors change over time.

Jackson opens his door, breaking my focus away from my musings. He paces back and forth, not coming close to his stash of water bottles. I need to see if he takes the bait and drinks the water. If not, I’ll have to go to Plan B. After several passes, he turns and goes to his bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.

Switching back to Katrina, I stare at her unmoving form, checking to see that she’s actually breathing and not just deathly still from the drug. Her breasts rise in small increments, but she’s still alive. Irritation crawls up my spine as I switch back to Jackson. He’s a wrinkle in my plans I’d rather not have, but it’s too late to kick him off.

I’m just glad I knew about him coming in time to fully prepare the ship for his arrival. Imagine if we just ran into each other and things weren’t planned out in exquisite detail. Now that would have been a missed opportunity. Smiling, I shake my head and lean back in my chair. Even before our unfortunate run-in a year or so back, I knew what type of man he was. He was relentless in his pursuit of me and my illicit dealings.

Now that his ex-partner’s blood is presumably on my hands, he’s become rabid, nearly feral in his quest to take me down. The fact that my prey has also caught his eye is both ironic and a complete nuisance. After this trip, he will know once and for all to never get in between me and my next meal again. His ex-partner was collateral damage, this time, Katrina will be the final nail in his coffin.

Jackson paces once more, water from the shower glistening on his body. I’ve had my fair share of men, and though all research says he doesn’t swing that way, the anticipation of breaking him in just as well as I do Katrina has me hardening even more. Turning, he pauses, looking right into the camera.

I know he can’t see it or even know it’s there. There’s something so titillating about being so close to him and yet have him be completely oblivious. Sliding my finger down the screen, I trail down the curve of his cheek. He really is such an intriguing specimen, but I know he’ll never accept me as anything other than his enemy without some extra nudging on my end.

With a sigh, he reaches forward and grabs a bottle. Leaning towards the screen, I steeple my fingers together and rest my chin on the tips as I watch him go through this routine of turning the bottle upside down, shaking it, then peering at the seal. Nothing seems to be amiss as he pops the top and takes a swig. I really must applaud my scientists.

Sitting back, I peer at the screen, waiting for all hell to break loose for him. It doesn’t take long. Within a matter of minutes, he’s back to pacing, this time frantically gesturing with hands. Jackson walks to the door, poised as if he’s about to open it, then seems to decide differently and heads to the shower.

The pacing continues with bouts of staring at the mirror and swiping at phantom objects. Smiling, I lean in to switch back over, wanting to make sure Katrina is ready for me, when Jackson’s fingers fly over the buttons of his shirt. He struggles to open it for a few moments before gripping the edges and ripping it from his body.

His pants are soon to follow, and in no time, Jackson’s standing there naked with a raging hard-on. With what I can only assume is a roar, he grips his cock, stroking it in hard, angry jerks. Precum pearls at his head, and I stifle the urge to lick my lips. Soon, he’ll be desperate for me to pleasure him, but that’s a long way off.

I was assured of a strong reaction from the scientists, but I didn’t realize their drug would be so effective. Pulling out my phone, I fire a message off to Dimitri, ordering him to give the scientists double rations and to have them make a test run of the drug for some of our VIP clients. My cock throbs in my pants as Jackson continues to beat his meat, his muscles bunched in furious concentration.

What is he fantasizing about, I wonder? Is it Katrina? His dead ex-partner? Me? My fangs descend, making my gums ache and pulse along with the throbbing in my shaft. The glint in Jackson’s eyes as he fights against his burgeoning release is just perfection. Fuck the clients. I need to have a batch made up for the submissives.

How much more would someone pay me to get their hands on someone so desperate to get off yet hating themselves at the same time? What would their blood taste like? Closing my eyes, I conjure the tastes of both arousal and fear, intermingling them in my mind. Add just the right dash of self-loathing and insanity, and you have a cocktail fit for the gods.

Reluctantly, I pull away from the screen. As hyped up as he is now, there’s no way I can approach him. Jackson is not at all in his right mind and liable to harm himself while trying to kill me. But I could send him a little party favor. “Molodoy.” A soft grinding sound pricks my ears as she rises from her coffin.

“You summoned, Master?” Her eyes flit over to the screen, widening as she looks at Jackson. Already he’s hardening back up, and the confusion on his face is priceless.

“You look hungry, my child. Go. Tell me how good his blood tastes.” Giggling, she lifts her lips in a silent snarl, showing off the sharpened glint of her fangs. “Only a little. I need him at his best tomorrow. I want to see if my little pet can handle him at his worst.”

Her smile falters as she looks between Jackson and me. I’m sure in her frail mind she thought we’d be together forever, but I never promised a happy ending. That’s just not my job. This isn’t Hollywood, where the brooding, angsty vampire gets the girl then suddenly turns into a sappy shell of a man. I was transformed into a monster, and that’s never going to change.