CHAPTER 244: GIVE OR TAKE

That snapped Roxanne out of her kiss-wanting trance as she blinked a few times unsure if she had heard correctly. But of course she had. She had impeccable hearing after all.

"Weak?" She said, "No, my Lord, I would never—"

"No, no. You would," Caius said gently teasing her with a light touch of his lips to hers before he pulled away.

And then he smiled as he began to say,

"I can tell. You seek to be above the rest. It’s not a bad wish to have. The problem you had though, was that the position of leader was already occupied by Kerwin. Hell, it was probably the gift of Vampirism he had granted you that roused these ambitions in you. After all, you now had eternity stretched in front of you and advantages your human self never had. Advantages only ever truly matched by your kind.

But Kerwin had the position of Leader locked down. You could never defeat him. And you didn’t really want to anyway. You’re not a fighter. Even your goals of domination lie more in the use of your feminine wiles than physical or magical superiority."

"My Lord—" Roxxane said and Caius placed a finger on her lips.

"Shhh," he cautioned, "Let me finish. Hmm?"

Caius waited until Roxanne nodded to show she understood him.

And then he continued,

"What’s the point of fighting anyway. All you need is to control the leader and you’re essentially the leader yourself. All decisions will be made with your input and he’ll be your puppet— doomed to be the front man to face the brunt of the consequences of those decisions. Should there be any, of course.

There was a problem with your plan though. Lorton, your partner could never be that leader, much as you have him under your thumb.

It’s not even because Kerwin is his creator just as he is yours but because Lorton is a fucking disappointment. Well, to you anyway. I’m sure you believe you can take him yourself in a fight if need be so what would be the point of manipulating him in secret if you could just seize power for yourself from him?

Back to Kerwin; Your relation to him is not the reason you didn’t approach him. That was never a problem. If anything, it was an incentive. Keep it in the family and all that.

The problem, and the most significant block to your ambitions, lies in Kerwin’s total lack of interest in romantic/sexual partners. He would reject your advances and remain focused on the goal he has long forsaken almost all canal desires for: Advancement to the Twelfth Circle."

Caius paused here, trailing his finger down from Roxanne’s lips to grab one of her breasts, flexing his fingers around it to get a thrill coursing through Roxanne’s body. But Caius hadn’t really done this to get her excited. It was to emphasize his next couple of points as he continued talking,

"You never thought you’d get the chance. You have no interest in betraying your family and coven—not that you even could—but you wanted power. The one who held that power was just not who you could cajole to comply with your wishes.

And then, along came I.

Not only did I arrive and display power that eluded even Kerwin, but I also came with a sexy woman by my side. A woman I soon confirmed to be my lover. Your first inkling of my obvious existing interest in the fairer sex.

And you thought to yourself then that unlike Kerwin—strong Kerwin who was resistant to you—I was more malleable. You could use my obvious horniness to your advantage.

Am I wrong?"

Roxanne swallowed once and then quickly regained her confidence. Her rubbing of Caius’s bulge stopped but she didn’t take her hand off his crotch.

"Nothing you’ve said points to weakness, My Lord. It points to the fact that I could tell, from the moment I laid eyes on you, that we had a connection."

"And this would be after I made it impossible for you to say a word or take an action?" Caius asked with a little laugh remembering how when he had first arrived at the Leopold council hall, he had been so focused on Kerwin only.

It was only after that business was sorted that he noticed Roxanne or really anyone else. He had felt all their emotions though and they had all hated him then. Including Roxanne. A connection from the moment she laid her eyes on him was a fucking lie.

"I regret to inform you, Roxanne, I am not weak or especially susceptible to your feminine wiles," Caius said and his eyes turned Vampire red.

His claws appeared and he dragged the back of his index finger across the front of Roxanne’s shirt, ripping it in two. Her underwear was revealed and it met the same fate, letting her breasts tumble free. Well, ’tumble’ is not exactly accurate. Her breasts remained perky as they were, only bouncing a bit after no longer being so tightly held.

"My Lord—?" Roxanne said with a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

This was sort of what she had been after. Maybe not to have it go this far so fast and maybe tease Caius a bit more and get him in the palm of her hands but eventually, this was the goal. Only, the fact that he was doing this after making claims of his lack of weakness, was concerning.

"It’s almost insulting that you think so little of me," Caius said as he stroked the back of his index finger against one of her breasts,

"I’m not to be manipulated.

Allegra’s manuscript is not for you or any other member of the coven. It is for me and me alone.

Am I clear?"

Caius raised his eyes to hers then to nail Roxanne, waiting for her to respond to his question.

She did so by nodding and then speaking with the best smile she could manage which still looked very ravishing.

"Crystal clear, My Lord."

Caius smiled then and he pressed his lips to hers. It was light at first and thinking it would be the teasing stroke that Caius had been delivering for a while, Roxanne didn’t move. It was futile to try and make it intense anyway.

And that was exactly what Caius had intended.

After taking away her initiative by shutting down the idea of manipulating him, he now seized control of their exchange. The kiss was happening because he wanted it. The pace was as he directed it. And the burden of a need for more would fall on Roxanne’s shoulders rather than his in a complete reversion of seduction.

That said, once Caius pressed his lips against hers even harder, Roxanne snapped out of whatever stupor she was in. One of her arms went around his neck, securing the continuation of the kiss while she rubbed her hand against his crotch a bit more.

Just when Roxanne felt she might have gone too far too quickly with the arm she was using to secure the kiss, Caius wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. His other hand was palming one of her breasts. Rubbing against her nipple and drawing mewling moans from Roxanne’s lips. Sounds that were stifled by the kiss.

And then, Caius began to pull away. Roxanne followed and Caius allowed her. It worked better for his plan of fostering a need within her. He let the kiss last a few more seconds before he finally urged for a complete separation.

He grabbed both sides of Roxanne’s jacket and pulled them close to fasten the buttons.

"I apologize for the torn shirt and underwear," he said.

"You don’t have to," Roxanne said a bit breathless.

The kiss had left her in quite a state. Why was she feeling like she was just kissed for the first time in her centuries of living? And why did such an exaggeration sound just right to describe her feelings at the moment?

"It’s common courtesy," Caius said, "Ulterior motives notwithstanding, I’d rather not leave you naked."

"I apologize, My Lord," Roxanne said, "I wasn’t thinking—"

Caius laughed and waved her off,

"I told you I like your ambition. It was pointed the wrong way today but it can be directed better next time," he said with a smile and then let out a sigh,

"You should head back now.

I assume the rest of the Council would raise their brows at your absence. How long since it been since you’ve last taken a trip to the surface like this?"

Roxanne gave it some thought and she smiled wistfully.

"Three centuries," she said then,

"Give or take a few decades."