Escaping Exile Read online

  Edmund whoops and tackles me to the floor of our home—the four walls within which we fell in love—but the house is only walls. We will take our love with us. And rum, apparently. Once I’ve collected changes of clothes for us both and a healthy portion of salted pork for Edmund, he grabs two jugs of alcohol and winks. I follow my sailor out into the sun where Michelle stands amidst corpses.

  God, it is carnage out here. I tore these desperate natives limb from limb and barely remember any of it.

  Edmund covers his mouth and nose with his hand. “Holy Christ.”

  “Close your eyes and climb on my back.”

  He does as instructed, and I carry him past the worst of it. The feeding flies hum like an orchestra warming up.

  We walk for a while, Michelle leading the way in her long green gown. Eventually, the thick foliage thins. I see the beach at the same time I see our ship. The smell of tropical flowers and fire floats through the air—and Edmund, of course. I could recognize my beloved’s scent from halfway around the world.

  BY THE TIME the sun begins to set, we are far, far away from the island of my exile. It disappeared as I stood with my arms around Edmund’s shoulders and my nose in his hair. He tried to hide the way his eyes watered, but I kissed his tears until he laughed.

  Now, I stand on deck and watch him. He sits up near the bow, balanced on the back legs of a chair with his feet resting on the rail. He’s already consumed one jug of rum, and he is the picture of contentment as sea breezes ruffle his hair. He scratches at the whiskers on his cheeks, and I can’t wait to have him clean-shaven again. I don’t imagine Edmund would appreciate being called pretty, but God knows he is.

  Michelle appears like an unexpected bit of fog. “And what will you do with him now?”

  “Love him.”

  “But what of England? What of his home?”

  I shrug. “I could live in England. Then again, I doubt Edmund will want to live anywhere but the sea. He’ll want to keep moving.”

  “He’ll age,” she says. “Faster than you might think.”

  “I will find him an Elder.” I look down at her. Michelle is powerful, ancient, and cruel, but she is smaller than me by almost two feet.

  She scoffs. “All the Elders are dead.”

  “They can’t be. I don’t believe it. And if anyone can find something on this huge earth, it’s my Edmund. He’s a naturalist. He hunts curiosities.”

  He takes a sip of rum and runs his hand over his mouth.

  “Does he know of your intentions?”

  I chuckle. “Honestly, my intention only just occurred to me.”

  “And if he doesn’t want to become like us?”

  “Then, I’ll die with him.”

  Her hand touches mine. “My God, you mean it.”

  I step away and smile. “Good night, Michelle. I look forward to catching up in the morning. I’m sure I’ve missed things during my exile. How many Mardi Gras have come and gone?”

  “Four,” she says.

  “Hmm. Well.” I nod to her and turn my back. Although there are several willing blood slaves on board this vampire ship, I focus all my attention on the only human I want—my human. I approach quietly and put my hands on his shoulders. He tilts his head back to look at me, the cheerful haze of rum in his eyes.

  He grins. “Hello.”

  I kiss his nose, which makes him snicker and snort. “Drink much more rum, and you’ll fall overboard. Get a chance to see your elusive shark very close up.”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t let me fall.”

  “No. Come to bed?”

  “Only if that’s an expression for something much more exciting.”

  I pull him up by his biceps and am tempted to throw the lunatic over my shoulder. Instead, I drag him behind me below deck and into the dark, quiet, and rather opulent quarters Michelle must have deemed worthy of two men newly in love. I stumble out of my boots as Edmund now does the dragging. He kisses my neck and walks backward—my bright, barefoot sailor—until his knees hit the bed, big enough for both of us and then some. He falls back and pulls me with him.

  “I will never tire of your weight on me,” he murmurs through rum-soaked kisses. He tastes sweet and spicy all at once.

  I show him I feel the same by pushing the collar of his shirt out of the way and nibbling his collarbones. I shift a bit off his lap to give me space to rub my palm between his legs. His hips buck forward when I tease his hardness. He groans, and I smile against his throat.

  “Carry on that way, and the whole ship will know what we’re doing.”

  “As if they don’t already. Fucking vampires. I bet they can hear the blood pulsing in my cock.”

  I realize he’s right. I not only hear his blood but also feel it. I rub at him through his worn clothes. “I can’t wait to see you in a proper waistcoat and breeches. The moment we disembark, I’ll find the best tailor in New Orleans. You’ll be the most beautiful creature that filthy town has ever seen.”

  He shakes his head, eyes squeezed shut. “Don’t think about that. Think about right now. Take me apart.”

  I shove both our clothes off. I kneel, and he spreads his long legs out on either side of me. I plant one hand by his head and lean forward to kiss him. I slide my other hand down his shaft, farther, farther, until I press against his hole. His body welcomes me inside even as the muscles of his chest and stomach clench.

  “An…drew…” My name has never sounded so long.

  Unlike the first time we made love, we watch each other as we fuck. When I first press into him, his arms and legs tighten as though they might break my bones. He shoves his face into the crook of my neck.

  “All right?”

  His hair tickles my ear when he nods. “You feel bigger this way. As if you weren’t big enough already.”

  I run a hand over his hip. “Relax.”

  Warm breaths puff against my face, and then he tells me to move. It sounds more order than suggestion. I give him what he wants. Gently. I slide in and out as the ship rocks back and forth. I’m an extension of the sea, and Edmund loves us both.

  The tension in his body soon lessens, replaced by a languid grip and repeated grunts. I don’t know if he’s aware his mouth hangs open—at least, not until I stick my tongue inside. He purrs into my kiss before pulling away long enough to speak.

  “Anytime you want me like this? Anytime, you can have me.”

  I rub our noses together. “God, I love you. There will never be anyone else.”

  He smiles. “What on earth have I done to you?”

  I swivel my hips, and his eyes shut.

  “Have I made you a tame beast?”

  I lick the mouth-shaped bruise on his neck. It feels like I marked him a million years ago. “Tame? Never.” To prove it, I pin his arms above his head and slam my hips forward.

  “Ah! Jesus.”

  “Don’t even try to say you’re not ready for me now. Your body’s begging for it.”

  “Yes.”

  It doesn’t take long for him to come with a shout that Neptune on his throne at the bottom of the sea probably heard. I torture him by not letting myself go. I continue rocking into him, altering angles and speeds, until he begs me to come. He says he can’t take anymore, but I smile to see his cock half-hard again.

  “I think I might be able to get you to come again like this.”

  He shakes his head, at my mercy. “I’ll go blind, I swear.”

  He does come again, and his shout is more pain than pleasure. His whole body shivers after, so I finally take pity on my wrecked darling. My orgasm makes me see stars. I feel every pulse of pleasure all the way to my fingers and toes as I suck his scent into my mouth and say his name like a litany of everything good in the world.

  The only part of him that moves is his chest heaving up and down. “I thought…you said you…weren’t going to kill me.”

  “You’re strong enough to live through Armageddon,” I say as I use a piece of our discarded clothing to cle
an him.

  He twitches when I get near his cock. “Don’t even think about it.”

  I laugh and climb back into bed where my Edmund wraps himself around me like a long, warm piece of rope. I study him. The wound on his forehead is almost just a memory as I run my hands down his healing body.

  “I never expected I’d have you,” I say. “When I first took you back to my house on the island, I considered killing you.”

  “I figured as much.”

  “Then, I considered forcing myself on you. I was so lonely, and you were so lovely.”

  “You did neither of those things.”

  “No.” I rub my chin against his cheek. The dark creature has not stirred in days.

  “To think, I forced both sex and blood on you.”

  I squeeze his shoulders. “You forced nothing.”

  Edmund yawns. “What’s it like in New Orleans?”

  I click my tongue. “Dirty. Stinking. Beautiful. Bewitching.”

  “I’ll have to write my mother,” he mutters.

  “Yes. And I have already planned our next adventure.”

  “Mm.” He’s slipping off to sleep.

  I kiss him before he does, one more taste of his tongue. He’s snoring within minutes since he always snores when he drinks. I close my eyes and do think of the future. I picture the way Edmund will look in silk and crisp cotton. In my mind, I see him tipping his hat to giggling girls on Bourbon Street. But I also see him buried in books, learning the legends. Together, we will find an Elder, and I will love my sailor forever.

  To be continued…

  About the Author

  Sara Dobie Bauer is a bestselling author, model, and mental health / LGBTQ advocate with a creative writing degree from Ohio University. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she lives with her hottie husband and two precious pups in Northeast Ohio, although she’d really like to live in a Tim Burton film. She is author of the paranormal rom-com Bite Somebody series, among other sexy things.

  Email: [email protected]

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraDobieBauer

  Twitter: @SaraDobie

  Website: www.saradobiebauer.com

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  Table of Contents

  A NineStar Press Publication

  Escaping Exile

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  About the Author

  Also Available from NineStar Press