Just wanted to let everyone know I've been transferring Something New onto this site, so it's available here on Watt if folks want to read it. There are a few references in Scarred to ppl in SN, such as Elder Keisha Bowen, though this one stands on its own.
Also, if any of you have name suggestions for Something New, I'd love to hear them via PM or comments. I want to change the title, but have been coming up totally blank.
Anywho - here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
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Slowly rising from the depths of sleep, Lucienne's mind gradually registered the sunlight that shouldn't be streaming in her bedroom and the presence of a hand across her stomach. Suddenly the memories of last night came crashing back, sending shocks of pleasure racing through her body. She opened her eyes and turned to see a gloriously nude, sleeping Michael on the bed next to her.
Damn I want him. If only I didn't have to pee so bad... Speaking of which, I'd better find a bathroom, she thought to herself while looking around the bedroom. Just as gorgeous as the rest of his house, she sighed, taking in the huge windows overlooking the lake. The gray on gray tones of the walls and floors made the clean, masculine lines of his dark furniture pop even more strongly, and emphasized the floor to ceiling windows. She also noticed this room had a warmer feel, less formal than the rest of the house, and if her need wasn't so urgent, she'd probably spend some time looking over the artwork on his walls.
A moment later she located the bathroom door cleverly hidden by the architecture of the wall. And just in time too, she thought with relief. I was about ten seconds from the cross-legged-gonna-wet-myself dance, and how stupid would that look when I'm buck ass naked. She giggled at the mental picture that called up while looking over the massive en suite with awe.
The gray theme from the bedroom continued in here, but contrasted in white instead of dark colors. The whole thing showed Michael's refined hand, and she eyed the huge walk-in shower and massive jetted tub with appreciation.
She moved to one of the sinks, liking the rectangular undermount since it looked cool, gave more counter-space than other sinks, and put the emphasis on the beautiful granite which had swirls and subtle sparkle making it look like a slice of space was captured within.
She shook her head and laughed. "I'm such a sucker for bathrooms and kitchens," she said softly to herself and then shifted gears.
I wonder if he's got spare toothbrushes, she thought, torn between wanting to get rid of morning breath and respecting his privacy. Screw it, she thought, we're supposed to be bonded and all, I think I can do a quick search for toothbrushes. It's not like I intend to examine what he's got in here.
Putting thought to action she started opening drawers, letting out a sigh of relief when she found a new toothbrush and toothpaste in the second one she checked. A few minutes later she emerged, and almost smacked into Michael who was standing right outside the door.
He caught her and smiled, his hands sliding down her back to cup her bare rear end and press her against his growing hardness. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself fall into his golden eyes, noticing his face looked a bit different.
Ah, no makeup, his scars are more prominent, she realized smiling with happiness at his willingness to fully expose himself. "Good morning," she said.
"Good morning," he replied his liquid silver voice sending shivers through her body. "Care to join me for a shower?" he asked, heat entering his gaze.
Desire pooled in her core, and she kissed him. "Yes," she said, softly, smiling at him and then tilting her head in when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Don't you need to use the bathroom first, though?"
He chuckled, lightly pecking her lips. "I woke earlier and then rejoined you," he replied.
"Oh," she said, blushing slightly, though she didn't really know why.
He growled and picked her up with no effort. Lucienne was surprised by another wave of desire crashing through her and kissed him again. Being so tall she'd never really felt dainty. In fact, growing up, she'd always felt a little clumsy in spite of all her martial training, and had put a lot of effort to figuring out how to move without bumping into people or knocking them over. With Michael I feel... delicate, and not in a weak way, just... I think I feel like I can relax, that I won't accidentally emasculate him with my size, and I think he would make me feel the same way if he were shorter than me too, she thought to herself, smiling as he walked them into the large open shower before gently setting her down.
He trapped her body between himself and the wall, the cold tile making her gasp and arch towards him while her rosy peaks quickly hardened. He smiled with appreciation and Lucienne realized he'd done that deliberately. He leaned in and captured her lips in a searing kiss while working the shower controls, and moments later warm water was cascading from multiple shower heads. She realized that even though the water heated faster than normal, there had been an initial blast of cold, but he'd used his body to shield her till it warmed.
Her insides melted all over again, and more wetness gathered between her thighs. Her need skyrocketed and desperation to feel him inside her flooded her, overwhelming everything else. "I want you now," she told him, her voice rough with desire for him while she wrapped a leg around his waist, rubbing her dripping core against his steel length.
His eyes burned and his fangs descended before he quickly plunged into her wet heat, making her moan in pleasure and arch back against the wall. He stroked into her fast and hard, and she clutched at him, feeling herself getting close.
"Bite me," she moaned against his ear, and feeling his hesitation, "Michael, bite me. I want to feel you. Don't hold back."
He growled and his eyes turned solid gold with no white or pupil. His lips brushed her neck, choosing his spot and teasing her with soft scrapes of his teeth before he simultaneously thrust hard and sank his fangs into her.
His teeth were sharp. So sharp she wouldn't have realized he'd drawn blood had she not already known what he was doing. That was about all her mind had a chance to register before the pleasure crashed over her in waves, and she came with a scream. Her walls clamped down on him while he pulsed inside her, her nails scratching at his back, while he softly suckled her neck.
Her blood not only tasted incredible, it invigorated and filled him with power in a way he'd never felt before. He thrust hard against her, biting his tongue and using his blood to heal the small wound in her neck. Kissing her now unmarred skin, he worked his way up and captured her lips, claiming her mouth and swallowing her cries of pleasure until both of them sank down to the floor, momentarily spent.
Recovering quickly, he withdrew from her and rose to his feet, lifting her up and setting her down to sit against him on a built-in bench, warm water cascading over them both. Neither of them spoke, both still wrapped in the bliss of their joining. He turned and grabbed a bottle of shampoo from a nearby ledge, and began washing her hair. His fingers massaged her scalp, making her body relax and her eyes roll back in pleasure. Damn that feels good, she thought while slowly melting into a puddle.
Eventually he finished and rose briefly to get a washcloth. Soaping it thoroughly, he began to wash her body softly and sweetly. Lucienne relaxed against him, amazed how every touch, even against her more intimate bits, let her know this wasn't about desire, passion or sex. As incredible as all that was, this was about something deeper, and she rather suspected that though neither of them were ready to say the words yet, they both felt the same.
When he finished she kissed him softly as a 'thank you,' not wanting to shatter the moment with words and took the washcloth from his hand. Slowly and tenderly she returned the favor. Willing her feelings for him into every touch and doing her best to show the same care he'd lavished on her. Happiness welled up in her when she saw his eyes close and his face relax, inordinately pleased that she'd been able to give him a moment of peace. After all, there's a lot on his shoulders. Somehow I doubt he gets a peaceful moment very often, she thought to herself.
Finishing his body she slipped behind him to wash his hair and did her best to mimic how he'd massaged her scalp. She knew she'd succeeded when his face filled with pleasure, and a hand drifted down to touch her thigh in a possessive gesture. She smiled and when the shampoo was rinsed out, she let her hands dip down to his neck and shoulders, following the contours of the underlying muscle, and slowly working out any tightness or knots that she found.
He groaned softly and turned towards her, capturing her lips again before turning the water off and lifting her in his arms. Stepping out of the shower he set her feet down on a cushioned bathroom rug and wrapped her in a warm, fluffy towel before grabbing one for himself.
She smiled and grabbed another, smaller towel from the heated rack to use on her hair, grateful that she didn't need much styling. He escorted her back into the bedroom, treating her as if they were dressed in their finest and entering a grand ballroom rather than naked and wrapped in towels. He guided her to a modern looking fireplace and bent down to press a button, turning the flames on.
He lifted her again and sat on a large chair in front of the fire, settling her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. Both of them stared into the flames for several minutes, their flickering dance stilling the mind.
He shifted slightly and sighed against her before finally speaking, his liquid voice wrapping around her to hold her as sweetly as his arms. "Lucienne, words do not adequately describe how I feel about last night and this morning. To merely call it the best moment of my life seems as inadequate as calling the Pantheon a simple temple."
Her heart raced at his words, and she placed her hands over his arms to keep him against her while she turned slightly to better see his face. His gold eyes were trained on her, emotion bright within, and his face more open than she'd ever seen. Her own feelings rose within her. "I feel the same way," she told him softly, not having any more words than he did to express the depth of what she felt.
"Do you recall your words just before... sleep claimed you?" he asked, clearly searching for an elegant way to speak of last night's events.
She looked off into space, searching her memory. Suddenly that moment crystalized and she snapped her eyes back to his. "I said 'mine and yours,'" she replied, feeling an unknown weight of meaning behind the words.
"Yes," he replied, softly nuzzling her neck before continuing. "Do you recall where you first heard those words?" he asked.
"Yeah, they were all I could remember from a dream I had, I guess it's two nights ago now, since it was the night before you came back to my apartment. I knew something was different in that dream, and I was also overloaded somehow," she said, noting the intensity of his gaze. "I woke up that morning with the worst headache and those words echoing in my head. I also know you were in that dream, but that wasn't all that unusual since I'd been dreaming of you every night since you stepped into that bar when I was doing karaoke."
Michael's eyebrow rose in surprise, his mind quickly assessing the information. "That dream was considerably more significant than you realize," he said quietly, gathering his thoughts so he could explain. "When a vampire identifies their Ruach, the primal vampire side of our nature will continually reach for that person in order to bond. Ordinarily the only outcome of this reaching would be for the person to experience unusual dreams and feel a draw towards the vampire in question. In your case, it would seem that you have accepted an early stage of the full Ruach bond. 'Mine and yours'" he explained, his eyes flashing with the phrase, "is a promise that Ruach make to each other. It is a spoken acknowledgement of the bond."
Lucienne's eyes widened in surprise, and she felt like there was something teasing at the edge of her memory, but she couldn't quite grasp it. "So there's already something in place..." she trailed off for a moment putting several things together. "Well that actually explains more than it doesn't. I don't normally rush into things on a first date," she smiled, taking any sting out of her words, "and it would also explain why it seems like I understand you so well, even beyond my normal instincts."
Michael returned her smile and nodded, "It is also a positive sign should you choose to complete the bond. It is rare for initial bondings to occur at all. When they do it typically indicates the full Ruach bond will be exceedingly strong."
She lifted an eyebrow at him and mulled over the information. A small part of her felt a little bit of fear to be so very tightly bonded to another person, even moreso than usual. Most of her, though, felt excitement over the idea, and happiness over the thought that she and Michael would have that kind of depth. She figured the more time she spent with Michael, the more that tiny bit of fear would evaporate, and so shoved it aside for the time being.
"There is more," he continued, breaking her out of her thoughts and bringing her startled eyes back to his again. "Your blood is... unusual," he said, trailing off. "When I drank from you I felt a rush of power far beyond normal feeding. I do not believe this to be due to our bond, either, but rather to something within your heritage. Perhaps the same something that provides you with so much information. I will need to research the matter further, but I wished keep you informed."
She smiled at him and nodded before kissing him again. "Thank you, Michael. It means so much to me that you try to share as much information as you can. Just hearing you and Elijah talk yesterday was incredibly informative, and I would bet money that's not a discussion you usually allow others to hear. It makes me feel respected, like an equal, and that... I just don't even have the words for how important that is to me."
He smiled, pleasure coursing through him that she'd recognized his efforts to include her and was intelligent enough to realize the true level of yesterday's conversation. Learning of the early bond also relaxed him more. He'd been slightly concerned over his willingness to let her know the most sensitive information, even if she was his Ruach. Now he knew he was responding to her accepting a level of the bond, and it warmed him in ways he hadn't felt in centuries.
Michael leaned in and nibbled at her lips, making her moan softly before replying. "You staked a claim as my equal from the first. I simply wish to give you what you rightfully demanded, and have found myself more than pleased that you wish to be my partner and not my underling," he told her with a soft chuckle.
Joy and desire lit her face at his words, and she turned to straddle him, kissing him deeply while her fingers buried themselves in hair. He slipped his hand into her towel, slowly rubbing along her spine while she ground her hips against him, feeling his growing hardness under his towel.
Suddenly he pulled back and his eyes became distant. She knew something was happening, but wasn't sure what, so she simply waited. Eventually his eyes refocused on her and a slight frown crossed his lips.
"My apologies for pulling away," he said. "There is always a guard on duty with mental speaking ability so they may contact me quickly for emergencies. I was just informed that there is an unexpected and important visitor who not only wishes to speak with me, but has asked for you by name. We need to dress."