Yuri smiled down at the ladies. Jaden had done his best and it was a rather good job, considering all the distractions. Littleslut, Myya and Ruby were bound in such a way to display their attributes, leaving them open for anything Yuri might want to do...but his heart wasn't in it.

He was hungry, yet he was always hungry. To live with his own demon, he needed a constant supply of emotions from which to feed upon and savor. The thirst for blood was ever present, as well. Yet he wanted his tigress and she had once again, rejected him.

He had been a shadow in her mind throughout her forest adventure, now she was tempting Elizabeth and it was ... wrong. There was something very wrong. He looked at Ruby, her eyes were closed, taking in his distress, feeling for Jade as he was doing.

Then he felt nothing from Jade. A doorway slammed down so hard between their minds that it rocked his senses. His demon flared in anger that she would dare do such a thing. His eyes changed from their normal brown to a flaming red. Fangs extended on their own and his hands turned into claws.

How dare she? He raged inside and the rage filled the room, causing the helpless slaves to whimper in fear, causing Jaden to back away from the angry vampire before him.

Calmly, Ruby broke her bonds, the rope wasn't designed to hold a halfling. She stood and shook the rope from her body, before walking towards Yuri. When she tried put a hand up to touch his face, he grabbed her wrist. His hand was more animal than human, the claws long, fingernails sharp.

"Don't!" he growled, not wanting to be distracted.

"The big bad wolf needs to settle down," Ruby said softly. "Jade needs to do this alone."

"You and I both know that she's not alone."

His other hand shot out to grab Ruby by the throat. The violence in the air was growing, swirling, unseen, but deadly. Jaden swiftly moved to aid his mistress, but was caught in Yuri's grasp as quickly as Ruby had been captured. Yuri held them with a claw at each throat.

Jaden struggled, gripping Yuri's wrist with both of his hands, kicking forward and aiming for Yuri's knees. If Yuri had been a normal man, the move would have worked.

"Be still, pet," Yuri hissed at Jaden.

Jaden's eyes grew wider with surprise. Yuri wasn't really hurting him, just holding him in place. Sensing the struggle within Yuri, Jaden forced himself to take deep breaths, to put his hands at his sides in surrender.

"That's better, boy. Much better."

"Th-thank you...sir," Jaden stuttered, finding his voice.

Ruby put her hand to Yuri's cheek, this time, he rubbed his face into her palm, like a cat wanting to be pet.

"It will be all right, Yuri," Ruby cooed. "No harm has been done. Let Elizabeth take care of your little tigress as you asked. She will call you if she needs you."

Yuri shook his head, "She can't call out to us. Jade has seen to that."

"Then you must trust them both."

"It's..." he trailed off. Jaden could see a red tear forming in Yuri's eye, but Yuri quickly blinked it away.

"It's hard. I know," Ruby said. "It's always hard to trust that someone will do the right thing. You love them both, let them be. Trust them to call you if they need you, or be ready to sooth them and forgive them if they don't."

He nodded and his hands shifted from holding Ruby and Jaden's throats to resting gently on the napes of their necks. Pulling Jaden closer to him, he looked into Jaden's eyes, "Can you forgive me, pet? Can you forgive me for scaring you?"

Jaden nodded, the adrenaline was making him shake now more than the earlier fright that Yuri would hurt Ruby. Yuri pulled Jaden closer still, lowering his head to capture the taste of Jaden's emotions. Releasing Ruby, he swept the young man into his arms, holding him like a tender lover.

Jaden melted into Yuri's touch, the taste and scent of him familiar, soothing. Tongues dueled, danced and Jaden ground his body into Yuri's. Maybe it was the earlier bite, that was causing Jaden to act this way. No, he knew better, he wanted Yuri. A part of him wanted to be taken by him and another part shied away at the intensity of what could be.

Taking liberties, Yuri reached between them to hold Jaden's stiff erection. He turned his head to whisper in Jaden's ear, "Just the way your mistress likes you to be. Just the way I like...you...to..be...for me." The last words were choked, husky and Jaden felt Yuri's lust wash over him.

* To be continued *

(C) 2005 Ruby Bloodstone All Rights Reserved. As are the writings in my other posts in the new Lord Mobius's Dungeon.