Surrogate for a Vampire : Soddenfeld & Leoquin: For a Vampire, #2

By Nina R. Schluntz

Traumatized by his former human wife, Coraline, vampire Lord Leoquin never leaves his estate, usually never his home office. His former controlling bride has infiltrated the estate through their human doctor. So, Leoquin does the one thing he knows will break her control over him, he turns him into a vampire.

However, Doctor Soddenfeld has a history with Leoquin, and he is determined to break the walls Coraline created so he can finally be with the vampire he's idolized.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nina R. Schluntz
• Release date: Dec 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798224577767

Nina R. Schluntz

Nina Schluntz is a native to rural Nebraska. In her youth, she often wrote short stories to entertain her friends. Those ideas evolved into the novels she creates today. Her husband continues to ensure her stories maintain a touch of realism as she delves into the science fiction and fantasy realm. Their three cats are always willing to stay up late to provide inspiration, whether it is a howl from the stray born in the backyard or an encouraging bite from the so called "calming kitten." You can find Nina on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter and her blog

Book preview

Surrogate

for a

Vampire

Story 2

Soddenfeld & Leoquin

Nina R Schluntz

This is a work of fiction. The characters depicted in this story are completely fictitious, and any similarities to actual events, locations or people, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher, except for the brief quotations in reviews.

Surrogate of a Vampire: Soddenfeld & Leoquin (Story 2)

Copyright © 2022 Nina R Schluntz

All rights reserved

Originally issued as a 3-book compilation called Surrogate of a Vampire

Cover Artwork by John Molinero

Surrogate for a Vampire

Story 2-Soddenfeld & Leoquin

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER BOOKS BY NINA R SCHLUNTZ

Story 2-Soddenfeld & Leoquin

CHAPTER 1

L

eoquin didn’t sleep in a coffin neatly arranged in a room like the others. He had one bolted to the floor, in a crawlspace, under his desk, and it was stuffed with so many weighed blankets it took him a good ten minutes to crawl out of it just to begin the process of unlocking the seven spin dial padlocks, three on the inside of the coffin, four on the door to the crawlspace. He eased the door up, then crawled out. Anyone watching would think he’d slept in a huddled ball under his desk. In fact, he was pretty sure that’s what most of the staff thought he did.

He dragged one of the blankets with him as he crossed the room and unlocked the bolts in place to his office door, opening his little part of the world back up to the…well, the small part of the household he was willing to share it with.

A groan came from the couch on the far side of the office. He’d nearly forgotten he had a guest. He clicked on the lights, and the groan turned into a sharp outcry, then an onslaught of profuse cussing. The chain cuffing the man to the exposed support beam in the wall jangled as he tugged on it.

Stop trying to free yourself, Leoquin ordered. I just fixed your arm, and I’d prefer you not break it again. Also, no more cussing, my ears do not appreciate it.

Dr. Soddenfeld growled at him, baring his fangs and illuminating his eyes, a trick that most turned vampires took weeks to learn.

Be good and I’ll feed you, Leoquin said, even though he was not yet ready to open the door and actually retrieve their blood allotments.

You should have killed me, Soddenfeld said, his speech a bit slurred since he was trying to speak with his fangs extended.

Good doctors are hard to come by. He put his hand on the doorknob. He could do this. He could open the door. The glasses were right outside. And now that you’re feeling a bit better, you can answer my questions about Coraline since it seems you have kept in touch.

I’m not telling you sh-sh-sh… His mouth tried to form words that wouldn’t come. Ffff, what the ffff. He clacked his jaw shut and glowered.

I turned you, Leoquin reminded him. If I tell you to claw your eyes out or stop breathing, you will. That’s how this works.

I’m starting to see why Coraline treated you like sh… He clenched his jaw again. Like dog doo.

Careful, or I’ll forbid you from using the letter d. It will be entertaining to see you attempt to communicate without it. He used the distraction of envisioning Soddenfeld trying to speak while lacking part of the alphabet to empower him to give the door a yank. Standing on the other side was his youngest sister, Tequina, in full judgment mode. He nearly shut the door out of pure reflex. Instead, when her arm moved to shove him and the door, he deftly dodged, his eyes glancing at the blood just outside the door and beyond his reach.

It’s true? You turned him? Tequina barged in, her nostrils flaring along with a few veins in her neck.

Object any louder, and I’ll—

What? The sharp word came too close to the shrill tone Coraline often used, and he cowered from an imaginary hand that stung his cheek. He flopped to the floor, the desire to eat today gone. Maybe, tomorrow he’d have better luck.

Tequina’s expression softened slightly. At least let him out. You can’t keep him chained in here. Did you even put him in a coffin?

Coraline had chained Leoquin to that wall for more time than he dared admit. It was how he knew Soddenfeld would be just fine attached to that beam.

He knows things. Things we need to know, Leoquin said softly, wishing he had the courage to add that he wouldn’t have to do these things if she did her job and protected the house from spies. Did you find Roxanne?

No. We are resuming the search today.

Dr. Soddenfeld, do you know where Roxanne is?

Yes. He smacked his uncuffed hand over his mouth as soon as the word escaped.

Care to judge my actions again? Leoquin asked his sister, taking a brief moment of pleasure in being right.

Tequina sighed, a long exhausted one. I thought Coraline had forbidden you from turning vampires?

He didn’t know the right way to respond. Had he at some point used that as an excuse for why he couldn’t turn someone? Or was it simply an assumption spread from gossip?

Did I fudge up your diary entry? Leoquin asked. This is why such documents should be made in pencil.

She rubbed her forehead and groaned. Do you want to ask him to tell you where she is so I can direct the hunting party?

You mean, do your job for you? Is that truly how you’re asking me for a favor?

Is this really what you’re like? Soddenfeld asked. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you… He stopped talking, as if aware of the glares upon him. Sorry, you’ve always been locked up in this room. I’ve only seen you when you’re irate, and I have to sedate you. I didn’t know you could be…almost funny.

Oh my, is he a perv? Did you turn a pervert? Tequina asked.

Oh stop, he is not a perv. He is my new slave doctor, who is saving your impeccable employment record. Tell my sister where she can find Roxanne’s little refuge.

Bruce’s parents. Their ranch. She’ll be there, he said.

Look at that, so cooperative. He’s an ally of the Dairi, self-proclaimed, Leoquin said. They tell him all their secrets, including my wife.

A true asset, Tequina said, until your unstable mind drives him insane.

I don’t need him alive for long.

What? Soddenfeld thrashed a bit on the couch, then cringed, his nerves reacting to the earlier command that he stop trying to free himself.

I got you what you needed. Go and fetch Roxanne, or at least see if you can confirm his information. He avoided looking at Soddenfeld, not wanting to admit to him that the next time Leoquin spiraled and needed to be sedated, Soddenfeld would be right there with him, probably babbling a bit and needing his own weighted blanket for comfort. In fact…he collected a spare one draped on a wooden chest and placed it within Soddenfeld’s reach, just in case. I’ll be back shortly. I need to check on Quentin.

You’re going to leave him alone? Tequina asked.

He’s not going anywhere. He wasn’t about to defend himself to her. Female vampires couldn’t turn humans. She wouldn’t understand the bond, the process, bleh. It made him bored to even ponder explaining it to her.

He realized he had left the room and was now standing in the hall. Huh. He glanced back to see two sealed glasses of blood sitting on a table near the office entrance. They always left his food sealed, so it would still be fresh when he got around to eating it if he ever did.

He’d left without feeding Soddenfeld. He would do it when he returned. Probably. Unless he forgot. He closed his eyes, hugged the blanket tighter, and walked forward. The less he thought about what he was doing, the easier it was to do it. Down the steps, through the foyer, to the clinic. He’d no idea if anyone spoke to him in route. It concerned him little since he knew they’d all stopped expecting common decorum from him long ago.

He shuffled past the orderlies that bustled about the hall, doing mostly blood-related work involving donations and preservation, since Jack was currently the only patient. He reached the room he knew his brother was in, not because someone had told him but because Jack gave off enough pheromones that he was detectable no matter where he was. It was how he’d known Jack was in the basement yesterday. Leoquin was so constantly aware of Jack’s presence that he’d sensed the shift when things had turned awry, and he’d been attacked.

He turned the knob on the door and pushed. The door didn’t open more than an inch before he tensed, his hand recoiling. The door did not understand his objection and drifted open a bit more, giving him an unwelcome view.

He should have sensed this. How had he not? Or had he and he’d proceeded anyway? Had some part of him wanted to see this? Or was this Coraline tweaking around in his head and putting him in this situation. No, he was giving her far too much credit. How would she know this was happening? She couldn’t. He repeated that to himself. Convincing himself she wasn’t omniscient was comforting, but also upsetting because it meant he was doing this of his free will.

His eyes were transfixed on Quentin and Jack as their bodies moved together as one. He’d seen claimings before, watched the breeding when a Dairi succumbed to their heat, in addition to experiencing it himself, but this was something else entirely. Jack was not in heat, but he had enticed Leoquin’s brother to behave as if he were. And judging by the sounds, it was appealing for both parties.

Quentin, who hadn’t even wanted to claim the Dairi, was now the one in there experiencing the ecstasy of being with Jack.

It should have been me.

The thought hit Leoquin hard. The jealousy and rage that he was trapped in an abusive cycle with Coraline, making him unable to move on and find someone else because she was still alive. He’d had to insist his brother claim Jack, when from the moment he’d seen him through the window, he’d known Jack should have been his. His groin ached as his body reacted with arousal to the scene before him. He couldn’t even recall the last time he’d wanted someone or gotten stimulated. It was always Coraline this and Coraline that. She was his everything.

Until Jack.

Now, he wanted to kill Coraline and his own brother, if that’s what it took to claim Jack as his own. His perverse view was cut short as someone pulled the door shut. His eyes darted to the flannel-dressed man before him, the stethoscope around his neck the only indicator of his identity.

Leoquin wasn’t so far gone down the rabbit hole of insanity to know that watching your brother fuck another man was extremely wrong, the undeniable perversity emphasized by the aching erection he now had. Even a fit of sudden Tourette Syndrome was unlikely to save him from this.

Quite a barbaric scene, wouldn’t you agree? the new doctor said. I got an eyeful as well when I went to check on them. You’d think they’d lock the door.

You must be Dr. Nelson, Leoquin said, deciding to pretend none of this had happened and pray no one ever told the occupants in that room about any of this. Our sister estate across the orchard speaks highly of you. Lord May Chester said you birthed two of his sons, and the Dairi survived both times. Cesarean in both cases, he even mentioned you brag that you’ve delivered more cesarean vampire births than any other in this territory and the next.

That is a lot of praise. He itched at the back of his neck. Jack is my first male Dairi, though. I can’t promise anything, but—

My brother could keep an elephant alive when half its body is consumed by malignant cancer. Your harder challenge will be enduring the hormonal shifts that have wracked this entire estate since Jack’s arrival.

Dominant Dairi can be challenging. And did you say, brother? I thought Lord Quentin only had one brother.

He does. Leoquin waited for that bit to sink in on its own. The man stood up straighter, his entire demeanor shifting.

You’re Lord Leoquin. I had-I had no idea.

He couldn’t be angry at the man. He knew rumors of his condition ran rampant and did not paint him in good color. Stories of who he was before Coraline still floated around too. He wondered which stories warranted the look of awe he was receiving.

How is Dr. Soddenfeld?

Adjusting. He made another internal reminder to feed him.

I can check on him as well. I understand Jack broke his arm.

That won’t be needed.

But I should. Doctors aren’t the best at being doctored, but— The door opened, thankfully saving Leoquin from this terrible conversation but also forcing a confrontation with the man he’d moments ago been peeping on.

I thought I heard you out here, Quentin said. He was composed, not even a drop of sweat on his body from the exertion of what’d he been doing. His clothing was in place and tidy as ever, but the scent of Jack and his pheromones were all over him. You left your office.

Leoquin hated how happy Quentin sounded about it. Hated that his brother celebrated every small victory Leoquin had, meanwhile, he was standing here, debating how to murder Quentin in a manner that wouldn’t be off-putting to Jack.

This had to be Coraline’s influence. I do not want to kill my brother.

I wanted to check on…things. He couldn’t bring himself to say he wanted to check on Jack. He feared if he said the name, it would come out filled with lust and give away his impure desires.

I can come by your office and give you updates, Quentin said. The good news is, Jack wants to carry the child to term, as best he can. He’s still referring to it as a parasite, so there’s more progress to be made.

It is a parasite, Jack snapped, shoving the door open. He’d dressed, but unlike Quentin, his body glistened with sweat. He smelled of sex, semen, and all the things Coraline had perverted Leoquin to associate with pain. His stomach lurched, and he was grateful he hadn’t eaten. And I owe you a thank you. He pushed Quentin aside, so nothing was between them. I don’t know how you managed to overcome your fears and go underground to save me. He cast an accusatory glare at Quentin. But I appreciate it. I’m going to repay you by fulfilling my promise. Coraline is as good as dead.

Before he could react to the impact those words had on him, which was a confusing swirl on its own, Jack got the insane idea to hug him. He had enough blankets and layers that there was little worry of Jack feeling the erection that stubbornly refused to go away, but the action brought Jack’s neck dangerously near Leoquin’s mouth. The temptation to bite him was only slightly overshadowed by the joy of smelling and bathing in the dominance of Jack, a pool he wished he could live in.

The embrace was short-lived, and Jack stepped back, still staying far too close. If there’s anything you need in the meantime, let me know.

There is something, Leoquin said, his chest tightening as anxiety crept upon him. There will be funerals tonight for Gretta, her child, and Lily. I would like to attend, and if you would escort me, I think I will be able to tolerate it.

"Walk you to a