Free Resurrection by Ashe Barker Page A

themselves. He was well paid for his efforts on the battlefield and he accumulated wealth. He invested, earned more, reinvested. As medical research advanced, he recognised the potential and poured his money into it. The massive, life-changing breakthrough came early in the twentieth century when human scientists discovered what Ged had long known—that human blood came in different types. Ged knew that, he could taste the differences, but now medicine knew it too. From there, it was a rapid progression to collecting blood for transfusions and storing it for later use. The blood bank was born, and with that Ged and his kind were freed from the necessity to injure and kill in order to survive.
    Ged's wealth, and that of other like-minded vampires he persuaded to invest along with him, funded much of the research. His pharmaceutical foundation, which he named after his birthplace, spearheaded the medical revolution. Human lives were saved, and in return Ged had ready access to all the blood products he needed.
    He could concentrate on living, not merely surviving. At last, immortality was worth having.
    It was a contented vampire, therefore, who strolled the perimeter of his property that first night, remembering the scenes of his earliest years. His life before Lilia had in many ways been a simple existence, but he had been happy enough. He gazed over the lake and remembered learning to fish there. His father's steward had been his mentor and friend, and he recalled the pride with which he bore his first decent trout up the hill to the castle. The cook baked it in pastry and he remembered vividly the succulent taste as he chewed on it. He rarely consumed food nowadays, had no need of it, but perhaps if he could manage to drag another trout like that from these calm waters, he might make an exception.
    Ged turned and made his way back up the hillside toward his new home, detouring to admire once more the fine new structure Sven had designed to house the motor bikes he had shipped from New York and the smart BMW he had purchased as soon as he relocated to the UK. The garage was built of traditional stone, much of it no doubt originally part of the castle itself but which had been scattered across the surrounding landscape as the ruins were raided by locals in search of building materials. The stone had been reclaimed, or at least enough to construct the garage and the stable block which was next door. He had still to acquire a horse, but would deal with that as a matter of priority. Perhaps he might breed horses here—fine horseflesh had been an abiding passion of his.
    He hummed as he made his way back into his comfortable, modern pod. Yes, life was good. Certainly, it was better than the alternative.
     

Chapter Four
    January 2013
     
    "Shall I see you next week, Sir?"
    "Maybe. I'll text you." Ged thought it unlikely, he was no real fan of scening with the same sub more than a few times, and this was Suzette's fourth visit to his castle in as many weeks. She was stunning to look at, responsive, obedient for the most part. He had no real complaints, but his interest was waning and he suspected hers was too. He helped the petite submissive back into her lightweight overcoat which fully concealed her fetish wear underneath. She belted the coat and shrugged.
    Suzette was a realist, he knew. She wasn't about to make a fuss and if either of them ever fancied a re-run, for old times' sake, that would be fine. His companion hardly even winced when he patted her bottom as they exited his home, though he knew she must be sore. The caning he'd administered had been a beauty. They'd both had a good time and her arse was a fine sight, all shades of pink and crimson.
    Suzette was human. Most of his submissives were, although he'd had some pretty spectacular encounters with vampire females and they were his preference. Vampires were hardy. As a Dom he was always careful and sensitive to his subs' needs, but humans were flimsy creatures,