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Lady Serera teased Aunt Elianora about staying to watch, infuriating the vampiress. It was a brief reminder that, despite how those two got along, fairies and vampires don’t normally tolerate one another’s presence well. Of course, Elianora, being not only a highly educated, scientific sort of vampire, but also one of the people who raised me, has more tolerance than most. It seems that allowing a fairy to watch was too much though.
Of course, Serera wasn’t serious, and only relished her success at teasing Elianora for a few moments before apologizing. She returned to Langram with the vampiress only barely mollified.
The staff of Pendor House have long known about my vampire side. They are accustomed to courtesans coming in to feed me, but I don’t know what reason Carson gave them for why six women had to be brought in this time, or whether he gave them any explanation at all. I trusted Carson and the house steward to handle staff morale, and didn’t ask any questions. If the maids started acting strangely toward me, I would just have to deal with it.
Terese continued to stand in for Genette as she and the housemaids dressed me for dinner. When they wanted to go all-out though, I begged Elianora to stop them. I couldn’t possibly remain standing for that long. So she stepped in and gave a basic explanation of my condition, and they let me stay in a chemise and house robe. I was just having a modest meal in my room with Mireia and Elianora.
I made it clear to Terese and the others that I wanted no masseuses or other interruptions until morning. I only wanted them to let my ‘visitors’ in and then close the door. I barely noticed the door closing as they left, though, because I was staring in surprise at the woman with auburn hair and jade green eyes leading the newcomers.
“Miss Dana?” I exclaimed.
The first woman I ever paid to feed on was dressed this time in a very ordinary middle-class visiting dress, as were her companions. Of course, I didn’t expect her to be dressed for the salon or the theater, as she had done at the Velvet Retreat, but… well, yeah, I guess I didn’t know what I expected. In retrospect, this was perfectly sensible attire for a discreet house call.
She beamed at me as she faced me and curtseyed.
“Good Evening, My Lady!”
The other five quickly organized themselves and did likewise in unison. I returned it graciously.
“I didn’t expect to see girls from the Velvet Retreat. It’s a pleasant surprise.”
The courtesan’s chin tipped upward slightly as she stated, “We are official purveyors to the crown, My Lady. Naturally, a royal request would come to us.”
My brain boggled for a moment. I asked, “Are you serious? They granted a royal purveyor license to a brothel?”
She smiled sweetly. “It’s important to have a legal relationship, My Lady. They can’t have a whore letting herself get pregnant and demand royal support. Being a royal purveyor makes it clear that the engagement was of a business nature and precludes claims of paternal responsibility.”
It had never occurred to me before that legal prostitution could lead to an arrangement like that. Besides, knowing Owen, it was the advisors who insisted on it, not him. If a girl became pregnant, he would have taken responsibility regardless of any ‘business nature’.
Dana’s mischievous eyes flicked toward Elianora and Mireia, and I anticipated a low-key lewd comment about an imagined orgy. Before it came, I hastened to state, “I am in need of medical treatment, and these two are here in that capacity!”
A playful laugh bubbled up, and she replied, “The good doctor already explained the circumstances to me, My Lady. Although needing blood from six women seems a bit excessive…”
“At Her Ladyship’s pneuma density, replacing a pint of her blood would require one and a half of yours, Miss Dana,” Elianora declared. “And she lost more than sixty percent of her blood, a quantity which would kill a mortal. Fortunately, with her physique she can tolerate that much and only be incapacitated, but even now, she has yet to recover her missing plasma, much less her blood solids. To replenish it entirely, she would need nearly eight pints of mortal blood.”
Dana paled a little, as did some of the other girls. I don’t know if they actually understood about ‘plasma’ or ‘blood solids’, but they certainly understood that eight pints was an entire gallon of blood.
“So much?” one of the other girls asked, slightly fearful.
“Hence, I prescribed for her to feed on six women,” Elianora stated, frowning slightly. “She doesn’t need the whole eight pints, fortunately. Each of you can give her a pint without suffering ill effects, giving her about eighty percent of what she lacks. That is sufficient for her to heal the rest naturally. Come along everyone. Mireia, My Lady is looking lightheaded again. Support her, please.”
Elianora had been treating Mireia like any other medical staff. I realized now that she was somewhat treating the prostitutes in a similar manner. She strode into my bedroom as if she were leading a hospital entourage into an examination room.
I hadn’t realized that my head was starting to spin a little, so it was a good thing Elianora had prompted Mireia to take my arm.
It also might have been the shock.
I lost more than sixty percent of my blood?
Even this English Lit major understands that such an extreme amount is probably fatal for humans. Or maybe a transfusion could save the victim in time, but this world has no transfusions.
As Mireia brought me to my bed, Dana asked, “Isn’t a pint a lot more than a vampire normally takes?”
“It is,” Elianora confirmed while casting her Dark magic diagnostic spell on me. “If I weren’t here to apply a certain special measure, you would certainly fall into blood bondage from feeding a vampire that much. My role is to keep you out of danger. At worst, you will become slightly dehydrated.”
With me now laying down to recover again, Elianora turned to the girls and stated, “One of you needs to help me prepare, first. The others should get the patient out of her clothing.”
The other girls gleefully closed in on me as Dana approached Elianora. “How do I help you prepare?”
Elianora smiled, then caressed Dana’s hair with her fingers while stroking her cheek with her thumb. “I’m a vampire. How do you suppose I need to prepare?”
Dana’s eyes widened in surprise as my aunt closed in on her lips. They were in the middle of a pretty hot kiss as the other girls broke into a giggle fest while robbing me of my chemise.
I have a ludicrously large bed. Mother’s idea of the right size for a bed is probably based upon providing sufficient room for lots of very active sex, so as expected, it is bigger than king-sized. They all were able to climb onto it with me, even with Elianora and Dana occupying part of it.
Elianora broke the kiss and began unlacing Dana’s bodice while telling me, “You mustn’t start feeding under any circumstance until I allow it. Wait for my instructions.”
She returned to making out with Dana. As the two disrobed and explored each other, the others finished stripping me and, upon Elianora’s direction, proceeded to strip each other. I noticed Mireia’s huge eyes watching the scene as she began shrinking back as far out of the way as she could.
It was to no avail. Elianora let go of Dana’s lips to tell Mireia, while languidly stroking Dana’s bare back, “Give My Lady as strong a dose of [Restoration] as you can, Miss Mireia.”
The now nude girls surrounding nude me were giving her teasing come-on looks as she gingerly came closer. One of them stroked her back and she pleaded, “Please don’t,” eliciting more giggles. She held her hand out, but seemed to fear getting too close to my bare chest, so I covered my breast with my hand so she could lay her palm there.
“[Restoration],” she chanted, and the warmth began flowing into me, but it didn’t seem that strong. She was probably too intimidated to go all out.
I told her, “Drop that technique that blocks our bond for a moment and draw the mana harder.”
She blinked, unsure what I meant at first, but then understood, because I had previously explained to her what the bond could do for her mana supply if she allowed it. She pursed her lips, then I felt the bond open up and the Holy mana begin circulating in my pathways.
Her eyes widened as the flow came back to me through her hand. She could feel [Restoration] suddenly increasing, then gushing forth in amounts she had never handled before.
I let out a moan, and the flow immediately stopped.
“Are you okay?” she worried. The bond closed down once again, and she backed away.
I smiled, not wanting to admit that what she heard had been a moan of pleasure. Feeling my own mana coming back in, rather than burning, had felt amazingly good.
I squeezed her arm. “I’m fine. That was enough, thanks.”
After Mireia retreated, the girls began snuggling into me again. I looked over and saw Elianora and Dana now fully entangled on the bed, nude bodies pressed together as they engaged in a deep kiss. The very serious aunt who used to lecture me with the look and manner of a middle-aged woman clearly did nothing to ‘age’ herself below the neckline. The room’s magic lamps were fully illuminating the slender body of a teenager, which she was now pressing passionately against the courtesan’s torso.
Then she released her lips, leaned away and smiled at her partner.
“I’m ready now,” she purred, and I could see the hints of her fangs behind her moving lips. “Sit up and let me get behind you.”
Dana complied, looking curious about what was next. Elianora snuggled up behind her, wrapping her arms around her.
“Tiana, once I bite into her, you should find a spot away from mine and begin feeding. I will embrace her mind while drinking very little blood, which will protect her from you while you feed deeply. You don’t have to worry about being careful, because you can’t bond with her while I’m in the way. Feed until I tell you to stop.”
She brushed Dana’s hair and gave her a reach-around kiss. Dana’s eyes glazed slightly, and I knew my aunt was using some vampire power on her that I didn’t know yet. While massaging Dana’s breast, my aunt slid downward from her lips to her nape and gently bit into her. The courtesan exhaled a long, quivering breath as the tension seemed to melt out of her body.
After a few breaths, Elianora hooked her finger and pointed me toward Dana’s bosom while her fangs remained buried in her neck.
My fangs weren’t quite ready, but if I followed her instructions, I could quickly take care of that. I bent in, pulled Dana’s tip into my mouth and began suckling. My aunt massaged Dana’s other breast while the courtesan began stroking my back, then she reached down to caress my nipple.
Her expert touch did the trick. My fangs easily grew. I sank them into Dana’s flesh and tasted the sweetness flowing into my mouth.
Elianora didn’t have me stop for a long time. I ended up drinking more than I had ever taken from one person, except for the times I had killed demons through feeding. It was unnerving, but Tiana had learned how to feed from this woman as a little girl. Even now, force of habit kept me trusting her and following her directions. I continued feeding, as Dana rose up to a climax, and continued more, even after she did it again.
We don’t literally suck the blood out; we just take it as it flows into our mouth. So that the wound easily heals, vampire fangs are slender, and the bleeding is not rapid. Taking so much with such a slow flow took a very long time. Dana was finishing her third orgasm before Elianora made me stop.
“Wow,” one of the other girls commented softly. Dana herself was too worn out to say anything at all. Elianora stood, easily lifted the exhausted courtesan into a princess carry and brought her over to the couch, gesturing for Mireia to join her. While laying her down there, she told her, “Just keep an eye on her. If she starts shaking or having a seizure, use [Healing] to control it until she stops.”
“Should I heal the bites?” Mireia wondered, looking at the small amounts of blood on her skin.
Elianora bent down, licked up the excess blood from both spots, then told her, “Vampire saliva has healing properties. It shouldn’t be necessary, but it won’t harm anything if you want to do it.”
The nude vampiress returned to the bed and the waiting girls. She stroked the cheek of the next girl while giving her a very vampire-like smile, dominant and seductive, and told her, “Your turn, pretty lady.”
What was this feeling of being the rookie watching the master at work?
