Imogen bounced onto the bed next to her. âI canât believe you were objectifying me,â she teased. âIs that all I am to you, Laudna? Some blood and a hot ass?âÂ
Laudna picked up the book, primly raised it between them. She was not quick enough to hide the uptick of her lips. âAnd here I thought you liked it when I objectified you. You certainly like to offer yourself up.â
-
A concluding story in a Vampire Laudna AU. In which there is love, but there is also hurt.
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ok so. idk what happened here but itâs gay & bloody. enjoy!
//
the chatter blurred around her. she couldnât bring herself to care, to pay attention. she was bored. sheâs been bored for what feels like centuries, every second of her life a year and every year a fucking boring one. gods. what she wouldnât give for something interesting to happen at one of these events. what she wouldnât give forâ
âpresenting her honourable lord temult.â
her.
laudnaâs eyes caught on her hair first. it was practically loose around her shouldersâshe hadnât bothered to braid it, even, and everyone gasped and tittered like the little fucking fools they were and bent their heads together, idiot birds, to chatter about decorum and whatever else inane thing that stirred the puddles of their mind but laudna, oh, she couldnât turn away. her hair, you see. it lay in lazy curls across the bare skin of her shoulders and it entranced her.
was it true that it could be blamed on decorum? on the difference of culture? in a group somewhere to her right, laudna could hear one of her ladyâs needling laughsâpoison tippedâand a snide comment on marquet, what passed for a lady there. laudna would deal with her. she would eat her alive and relish it. later.
the other optionâmore dangerous. this lord, this temult, had arranged herself on purpose. to tease from anyone who glanced her way the thought, the fervent desire, to see her in their bed the next morning. to see the sun kiss those sun-kissed shoulders, to count her freckles, to see the natural tousle of her curls against shoulders, bedsheets. did she smell of lavender? or was the likeness in colour alone?
laudna had to know.
her entourage squealedâidiotsâwhen she stirred.
âmy lady,â aurelia gasped, eyes prey wide. her hand flung to her chest in shock; laudna let her eyes dip to the red line of her necklace, the red line of her gown. the pale line of her throat. of the three, her throat and the rabbit-quick pulse bounding just beneath the skin, was the more enchanting. âyou startled me!â
laudna arched a brow. she turned away, searching for the lord in her hallâthe way was filled with dancing bodies, musicians, ivory-clad wait staff but every now and again she caught a glimpse of purple hair. she tracked her through the hall. temultâs path was slow and winding, as if she had all the time in the world.
did she know she ought to greet her host? that it was the first and only vital task of the evening? hunger licked behind her teeth, over the bonerasp of her jaw.
âtell me,â she purred, curling a hand around aureliaâs wrist, âwhat do you know of my guest?â
âyourâŚguest?â
the girl didnât know who laudna meant. fool! another one for the pile. she knew well the slice of laudnaâs displeasure and rushed to make herself useful, pressing up onto her toes in soft useless slippers. temult was wearing boots. she hadnât more than glanced at her outfitâattention caught in the net of her hair, the gleam of her eyesâbut she had seen that.
âyou mean the newcomer! yes? the - lord temult?â aurelia leapt on the flicker of her interest, breadcrumb of a lure, and bobbed her head. âyes! i know of her! she hasnât been here longâis staying in the city.â
âthe city? she is not a guest of one of my court?â
âno, my lady.â
laudna stroked a pale thumb across aureliaâs wrist, her winsome pulse. âgood. what else?â
âi- i- oh, my lady, sheâs frightfully dull. she never goes out and never invites anyone in. she has a small staff, no more than five, and they wonât say a word. ignatius thinks sheâs some kind of charlatanââ
âignatius is an idiot,â laudna scolded.
âyes, my lady. it is as you say.â
a pout touched laudnaâs lips. âi donât ever want to hear his name again,â she said. behind her, pate scribbled down the decree. âand if he insists on coming to my parties, he must wear a mask. a different one each time.â the pen nib scratched against the paper, and he murmured under his breath that it was done.
aurelia trembled so sweetly. when laudna finally let her go, she would flutter off and let everyone knowâher whims were final, fantastic. thereâs nothing fair at all about our fair lady.
laudna shivered in delight. it had been so very long since sheâd played with the birds; she felt like a cat, stretching after a nice long nap. how had this temult done this to her? she feltâŚawake. alert.
âwhat else?â she asked, and dragged her thumb down that pulse again. the sharp point of her nail came to rest wear it was thinnest; with waking came such hunger.
aurelia stammered. âm-my lady, she does nothing. i have nothing more to tell you. she declined every invitation from every house.â
a rush of heat.
every house but mine.
laudnaâs fangs pushed and pressed and slid free from her gums in a gush of blood and lust. with a groan, she lifted aureliaâs wrist to her mouthâspared a moment for the memory of the girlâs mother who had begged her not to feast on her, who hadnât known how very sweet it was to break a promiseâand sunk her teeth into soft soft flesh.
the first touch of blood was glorious. she was so thirstyâhow long had she been waiting there? hunger bubbled in her throat, a laugh, a groan, and she was so so gentle she was a dutiful lady she was a kind lady to pull her teeth from broken skin, there, gentle, no tearing, and laved her tongue across the wound, swept each gush of red into her mouth, suckled at it until aurelia made a noise like she was going to faint. shock and hurt had drained her skin to white, and pleasure returned the pinkest flush to her cheeks. her eyes two dark dark bowls for feasting.
laudna licked her wrist one last time, then her fingers as she let the girl go. an attendant kept her on her feet.
âfood and wine for lady aurelia. medical attention if she should need it.â
the attendant bowed. laudna assumed they dragged her out, or called for another to help but she didnât bother to wait and watch. she turned awayâtemult, where was sheâand felt her veins alight to see her at the edge of the crowd that had stopped to watch her feed.
what was she? witch? warlock? laudna was hungry again. the blood she had drained from that girl curdled to ash on her tongue, tasteless, at a look from this strangerâshe had to speak with her, had to know her, taste her.
âlord temult.â
she stepped forward neatly with a nod. her dress wasâŚfine. three seasons out of fashion, and a coarseness to the fabric that even a humanâwas she?âcould feel. but what did that matter? it was nothing it meant nothing. it was just another skin around the power crackling inside. the lord was a storm, prowling through her dance hall.
âlady brââ
âlaudna,â she interrupted, extending a hand for the lord to kiss. she didnât bow, she didnât curtsey, she sounded as though she barely cared for the honorific. enchanting. laudna wanted to sink her teeth into that neck and drink from her until she begged her, lady lady lady please.
something told her it would be easy.
there was blood on her hand. lord temult didnât flinch. she stepped closer, took her bloody hand. hers was gloved and the realisation resonated, loud, in her chest. a wolf howl, lonely, lonely, calling.
lord temultâs eyes flickered down to the blood and to somewhere behind. lightningâreal lightning!âlicked behind her eyes. gorgeous, gorgeous, phenomenally dangerous. Laudnaâs breath caught; the storm pressed in on all sides like a mighty hand.
was she showing off? it was a funny little game if she was. maybe she wanted laudna to beg for her. my lord? she would say it if this stranger asked. but no, her eyes flickered againâbehind laudna, and who could possibly have captured her lordâs attention? laudna twisted, followed her gaze toâaurelia?
oh.
jealousy.
laudna pressed her hand harder into temultâs hold. shivered when a gloved thumb pinned her in place, helpless little butterfly.
âkiss my hand,â laudna said.
âwhat?â
âyouâre new to this land. you donât know our customs. that much isâŚâ laudna let her eyes trail the bare shoulders. her bare neck. her loose, lovely hair. âobvious.â
irritation was lovely on temultâs face. the mulish set of her chin begged for someone to grasp it, flay it, drain the marrow and defiance out of her. what a pretty thought.
âi am the lady of the castle,â she continued. âyou must kiss my hand.â
temult glanced down at it, blood spattered up to the wrist. her eyelids flutteredâthere, laudna had been right, she knew itâand she bent her head. pressed a branding kiss against her knuckles. heat burned, seared into her skin. when she lifted her head, laudna saw itâthe red lash of a burn, already welting. how bold! how miraculously stupid! how exciting!
âdo you feast on all your ladies?â temult asked, tone burned dry. her eyes dragged across laudnaâs face, lingering on her mouth, her chin.
she wondered how much red she had wasted; sheâd never been particularly neat.
âonly the ones who have pleased me.â
âand what of lordâs?â
ânot yet. but one has recentlyâŚcaught my attention.â
temult smirked. âi thank you for your invitation,â she said. the words tasted rote, quickly learned. âit is most gladly received.â
âi thank you for your attendance. the moon would not be a more welcome guest.â behind her, pate gasped. he scribbled in his book.
temult did not know the formalities. what did words matter to a storm? what did castles matter? they didnât, not at all. but for whatever reason, she had accepted the invitation and kissed laudnaâs hand. and stared hard at the blood flaking her chin as though she wished fiercely it were gone. or that it were her own.
âany other customs i should know about?â
laudna smiled. wide. âoh yes. you must stay with me all night. you must dance with me.â
temult rolled her shoulders. they were still holding hands. laudna let the slight move draw her closer; she felt like a feather in those violent winds. she would go anywhere, as far as temult wished. let her be flung into the deepest sea!
âi can manage a dance or two.â
âmarvellous.â more demands cluttered her tongue. she had to follow her to her throne. had to let laudna peel back the skin on her throatâwhat were those scars? gorgeous! a map just for her!âand let her feast, drink. the thought of her, what she would taste like, filled her mind. laudna could think of little else. except,
âyou must tell me your name,â she whispered as temult let herself be pulled out onto the floor. âyou must, you must.â
what was this creature? heat beneath her skin, red in her scars, her veins. white power behind her eyes.
a smile curled her lips. what would they look like, coated in blood? laudna groaned at the thought of her blood on these lips. oh what a creature she could becomeâŚ
âimogen,â she said.
âimogen. imogen, yes. yes.â
âi think itâs about time you showed meâyeah,â she cut herself off with a gasp, as laudna pressed her head to the side, dragged her hand down the column of her throat. âoh gods, yep.â
âyou wanted to be in her place.â
âfuck. the second i saw it happen.â
laudna laughed. dipped her head. âgorgeous. gorgeous creature.â
power, powerful arms curled around her. they were not dancing. they merely stood on the dance floor as the music struck up and glimmering couples spun around them. laudnaâs lords and ladies were good for something. to be pretty. to be obedient. imogen was not those things.
âare you here for long?â laudna whispered.
âonly til the solstice.â
âand then gone.â oh longing, that wolf-toothed howl.
imogen stepped closer still. the warmth of her neck, so close. the thump of her heart. powerful.
laudnaâs teeth pushed from her gums. it hurt so sweetly, a tiny nip they were so sharp and then the hungry press as her fangs dropped andâoh oh power and lightning and the burn of it was right it was good she had never tasted blood before not like this, a curse on every other ugly creature she had drunk from, worthless worthless things they were maggots they were ash they were nothing compared to this, to her. my lord, my lord! how imogen hissed as her fangs sunk in, butter soft and smooth, how her blood rushed and rushed how it filled her mouth like it was begging to be drunk, how imogen begged to be drunk, her words cloying and sweet and starting to slur at the edges, rasped smooth, how she clung to laundaâs shoulders, how she shuddered in her arms, oh what a dance it was.
laudna drank until imogenâs knees buckled. when her girl, her storm, her love sank to the floor laudna followed, the wine red of her gown pouring over imogenâs legs, her practical boots.
âhell of a first kiss,â imogen drawled, as an attendant pressed a cloth into laudnaâs hands and laudna pressed it, in turn, to the side of that perfect neck.
"You know...I lost someone once too, and no one could save him either...no cleric, no doctor..."
Imogen raises her head, a voice she had never heard before whispering in her ear in the dead of night, as she lays beside the body of her fallen friend wrapped in a shroud with Gentle Repose keeping her fresh.
"Delilah."
She doesn't need to ask to know who it is.
"You're running out of time. And you know we both need her."
"You're not laying a hand on her. Not anymore."
"Then you lose her...forever. Is that really what you want, Imogen?"
Imogen looks over at Laudna, knowing their time is running out. Ten days was all they had before they need to bury her and move on...their last twenty-four hours is running out. Would Laudna be mad if she listened to Delilah? What about her friends?
"When no one would help me...I took matters into my own hands, and I brought my husband back myself. Love is a powerful emotion. And you have lots of it, my dear."
Delilah is only using her. She needs Laudna to complete whatever schemes she has. But Imogen is human. She never had anyone care for her as much as Laudna...Laudna, who never flinched or avoided her. Who didn't think of her as different, but beautiful. Laudna, who died for her, who held her during nightmares, who followed her to the edges of the world.
"...Can I answer in the morning?" She asks quietly, her voice shaky.
"Will you have time? Or will your friends dissuade you? Sure, it benefits me...but it also benefits you. You'll have her back. Do you have time to wait for them?"
Imogen swallows and imagines what her friends might say...they'd want her to ignore Delilah. They'd tell her to not trust her. They'd have to bury Laudna if no one showed up...and she knows no one is coming. They all know it. In eight hours she'll be putting Laudna in the ground forever. She'll never see Laudna again.
She will live her life without Laudna.
Her heart breaks all over again.
"Tell me. I want her back. We promised we'd get her back. Help me fix it."
"It's really quite simple...I'll have you back before sunrise...can you trust me for one night?"
Imogen stands, looking at her friends and then to the shroud before quietly stepping away from them all.