Orhn laid in bed, ready to spend his time easily and lustfully.
* * * *
Three days later, going on the night of the fourth, the moon was high in the clouds. The weather was calm but the wind was not. Moans could be heard all over town as the breeze carried the sounds of the second floor rooms through into the windows of the neighbors. Orhn had exhausted his female companion. She had to retire to strict bed rest after her tryst with him. Orhn was never one to feed from his entertainment, and he didn't over the days they were together. He had become slightly weakened. Orhn needed to drink some blood. Yugo was neglecting Orhn and he knew it. Three days was far too much to spend without a single correspondence. Orhn, sitting in the inn's bed, alone and tired, decided he had enough. Orhn required blood and he had a chip on his shoulder from the abandonment Yugo had put him through earlier that week. Orhn wanted to pick a fight.
Orhn made his way downstairs without a shirt. Once there the atmosphere seemed almost alien. Without the scene of the fights, the room was dull, and uneventful. Most of the bar recognized Orhn's face immediately. The women snickered, scolding him for holding up one of their prettiest girls for three days. The men cheered his name as he passed by, knowing from all the sinful sounds exactly what he must have done to her in all that time. They shook his hand as he passed by. Orhn appeared worn, and exhausted from the encounter.
Orhn came up to the bar. “Have you seen my friend, Yugo?”
The short, muscular bartender responded with a light, smile. “He's still up stairs. At the other end of the hall on the same side as you.” He smiled wide. “It would seem he has more stamina than you.” The bartender went back to pouring a drink for another customer.
“He hasn't come down at all?” Orhn pressed.
“No.” The bartender said with a chuckle. “Not once.”
Orhn nodded with disgust. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Orhn left the bar, looking for any sort of trouble he could get into. It was freshly dark and there had to be someone that wanted to pick on someone that was flaunting his money as much as Orhn was. It was only natural he would eventually find a common thug. Orhn wondered outside and so he did, seven in fact. Dressed in torn and tattered clothes, the men varied in height and shape, but were all consistently foul looking. They reeked of liquor and filth. The tallest one of them stared at Orhn as if he had a grudge. His face worn and half bearded, he smiled with several missing teeth in his lineup. The other men in his gang resembled him in tooth, but were adorned in different claws. They each had a separate common weapon. Including a beer stein, a knife, a broken piece of glass, bare fists, a short cutlass, a sap, and a rusted chain.
Orhn said to himself. “Perfect.” As he turned away from the bar.
As they followed, Orhn was reveling in the feast that was prompting him. Truly, anyone watching would say that the group of men attacked him. That they had it coming and he was only defending himself. It wasn't any cause to him that these men couldn't fight as well. Orhn thought to himself as the men carefully approached and surrounded him. Orhn led them to a large tree that provided ample shade for what was about to take place.
One of the brave men spoke first. “What's a man like you doing out and about this part of town?” Said the scruffy looking man that held the short cutlass in his hand. “Whatever it is, everything you own is ours now. We'll be taking everything. Strip.”
Orhn had a sudden, penetrating urge to follow their command. Something inside him wanted to see their faces as he, a naked man, tore into them one by one. He wished to swim in their blood and shower in their mistake of approaching him. It had been too long since Orhn and Yugo had fed off a couple of nomadic merchants. Orhn was hungry and it was his prerogative to enjoy his meal.
“Okay. Just don't hurt me.” Orhn said shyly, inviting them to do simply that. He removed his shoes and slipped off his pants.
“Fine, we won't kill you.” The spokesperson of the group answered.
“That's not what I said.” Orhn gently raised his voice. Standing tall, naked against the well armed men.
“I know it's not. But we're going to do whatever the hell we want with you now that you said that much.” The gruff man walked close to Orhn. “We're going to have fun with you.”
Orhn, standing there, naked, head to toe, without even socks to shelter him, smiled brightly. With one small gesture, he had breathed a new light into the situation. The bullies stepped back, not understanding why someone in his position would dare smirk at such a predicament. Orhn knew the one thing they did not, he knew that during the night, a vampire was king and no man or woman less the fear of death overcome them with insanity attempt to challenge that. Orhn smiled because he was about to enjoy murdering them all.
“Those are my words.” Orhn said with a chuckle.
Orhn's first move was to jab the man in front of him in the stomach with his own cutlass. Orhn proceeded to take the chain from the man right of him and swing it into the farthest man to his left, breaking both of his ankles on contact. Orhn's body was born for war. He had been raised as a child to kill. This was nothing for him. The sound crackled and echoed into the heavens above. Orhn then drove his right arm through the man whom he had taken the chain from, killing him instantly. The men with the broken glass, the knife, and the sap closed in quickly, but ineffectively. Orhn's right hand grabbed the man's arm holding the broken shard, pulling it towards him. He let it cut into the dead body before him, breaking the arm of the living man in the process. Orhn's left hand snatched the sap from the second thug's hand, shoving it with authority down his own throat, promptly choking him to death. Orhn dropped the two corpses at his feet. Now that he was covered in blood, Orhn was easily absorbing it. Orhn appeared in front of the man wielding the knife and clasped his hand, shutting his grip. Orhn slowly forced the knife into the man's left thigh, letting him watch it go in. Orhn dug it deeper as he bore a path upwards across the man's chest. Orhn made the man understand what was happening as he divided his body in two, knowing that the knife was still in his own hand. Orhn took a moment to breathe and soak in the last few seconds that had transpired. He was a naked man defending himself. Though clothed in blood after killing six men with nothing except their own weapons. Orhn stood before the eyes of the seventh man. He was holding an old heavy antique metal beer stein. Orhn dropped the knife, and the man dropped the stein. He began to run, but didn't scream. Orhn sank his thirsty teeth into his left shoulder from behind. He had closed the twenty foot gap in a flash. He drained the man dry and tore off a piece of his skin to dismiss any thought that vampires were at this most horrific murder scene. A trick he learned from Yugo on their second meeting. Orhn had his fill. His eyes glowed red in the darkness.
“You look good naked, whelp.” A familiar female voice said from directly behind him.
Orhn turned to see Lucretia and Yugo standing together, holding hands. “You were watching? For how long?”
“Since you left the bar.” Yugo stated.
“Since you got naked.” Lucretia said with a smile.
Orhn finished absorbing the remaining blood on his skin. He gathered his pants and shoes. Orhn got dressed quickly while Lucretia watched intently as he put them on one article at a time. “What have you two been doing? It's been three days. I nearly killed the girl I was with. The bar keep told me that you two were 'busy' the entire time. What the hell took so damn long?”
“We were negotiating.” Yugo explained.
“We were fuc-” Lucretia was cut off by a swift jab to her gut by Yugo.
“We were settling our differences, creatively.” Yugo corrected himself.
Lucretia gave Yugo an evil eye and left it at that.
“Talking about what exactly?” Orhn was suspicious of Yugo, as he had learned to be when dealing with him. Yugo was hiding something, it was big, and he didn't want to come out with it right away. Whatever it was it was going to upset Orhn.
“We spent two days coming to a consensus on t
his matter, please accept it as it is. Lucretia is joining us.” Yugo said as he put his arm around Lucretia as if they were a teenage couple.
“Two days? The barkeep told me you didn't stop for the whole three days. Unless you've forgotten how to count, that's impossible.” Orhn was quietly getting angry at Lucretia. “And from what it sounded like, you spent as much time destroying the room as each other.”
“It's perfectly possible, you're just not thinking straight. We had sex for the first day, then we discussed our futures over the next two days.” Lucretia paused. “While, having sex.”
Orhn's face flushed, he was embarrassed.
“As far as the sound and destruction goes, that's simple. If you don't break something, how do you know you fully enjoyed it?” Lucretia's logic was demented.
Orhn didn't know how to answer. He was still thinking about Yugo and Lucretia.
“What's the matter, Orhn? Did I make you blush? You haven't ever talked during sex?” Lucretia was pushing him and she knew it. She was loving it too.
Yugo squinted his eyes towards Lucretia. “You have to get along if we're going to make this union work.” Yugo faced Orhn. “And Orhn, you will be the one to carry Lucretia during the daylight hours.”
“What!?” Orhn forgot himself and shouted. “I knew it!” Orhn's fears had been realized.
Yugo snapped his hand over Orhn's mouth to shut his voice before he could make any more noise. Yugo's other hand was firmly grasped around Orhn's neck, preventing him from moving. Yugo whispered into Orhn's ear. “Never. Not once are you allowed to give away our position while we stand on ground that is littered with ravaged corpses. You may not feel pain. Though I can assure you, there are many other ways I can hurt you. Remember that and never make that mistake again.” Yugo was serious, gravely so. He slowly let go of Orhn's neck.
Lucretia smiled at Orhn. “I've never had my own poll bearer before. This should be exciting. Don't drop me, okay?” Lucretia curtsied to Orhn. She was rubbing it in.
Orhn wanted to take a swing at Lucretia, badly. He wished to tear her face off for that comment. Orhn had deep seeded issues with being accepted. To have Yugo so easily take in this stranger was disheartening to him. Orhn wanted to keep roaming foreign lands with Yugo, mingling and enjoying their eternal lives. Orhn felt his friend slip away when he was with Lucretia, if only a little, it affected Orhn a lot.
“Let's not dwell on this moment Orhn. Try to think of me as your big sister that just happens to be screwing your best friend.” Lucretia's analogy was not comforting.
“We're leaving Orhn, for Ireland.” Yugo sparked Orhn's interest. “You'll need these.” Yugo tossed Orhn his shirt and other belongings from his room.
Orhn put the rest of his clothes on. “Why Ireland?” Orhn muttered. He wanted to know where this was going and why.
“You have a thing for red-heads don't you? They seem rare and special to you, don't they? I thought you'd be happy there.” Lucretia chimed in.
Orhn pealed Yugo's fingers away to free his lips enough to fully speak. “And how do you know that?”
“I told her about you.” Yugo said in a heartfelt tone. “She likes what she's heard too. Lucretia wanted to join us, not replace you Orhn.”
Yugo let up and Orhn stepped back, straightening the slightly ruffled shirt he had just put on.
Lucretia looked down at Orhn's feet. He had forgotten to put his shoes back on. “It may take a while, but I'd like you to think of me as part of your family. The same way you do of Yugo.”
Orhn put his shoes on. And thought about Lucretia's words carefully. Although he remained silent, Orhn walked side by side with Yugo and Lucretia back to the bar.
“It's okay Orhn, we're friends and we always will be.” Yugo reassured Orhn.
* * * *
Forty nine years passed. It was now 1689. Yugo and Lucretia had been together for the majority, having broken their social relationship, they had reduced everything to simple carnal acts. After several decades of fighting with Lucretia, Yugo decided although the sex was inhuman, Lucretia as a person was mentally flawed. This didn't stop her from leaving the party, it only added to the outlandish and creative ways she fed on people. She was using herself as a lure for a gang of lustful drunk men, letting them have their way with her, then killing them for sport. Lucretia had become twisted.
It had been eight years since Lucretia had kissed Yugo, at his request. During that time Orhn had asked many times what type of gift Lucretia possessed. Each question was met with a solid silence from both Yugo and Lucretia on the matter. Despite all the years between Yugo and Orhn, he wasn't allowed to know.
Regardless of separating, Yugo and Lucretia refrained from spending their twilight hours with strangers each night. They were faithful to each other beyond Yugo's insistent dislike of her personality. The same fire that edged Yugo to invite her in had burnt his opinion of other women. Lucretia was a white hot soul in a vampire's body. Yugo's flesh yearned for her even if his mind did not.
Orhn had tested his gift with greater veracity through the years. There had been many situations where he purposely let himself be injured. Orhn had come to accept a philosophy of total physical self abandonment. He was beginning to enjoy the look at other's faces as all their best attempts at harming him were made completely void before his gift. Orhn had regained the same reckless attitude he once had on the battlefield. The difference was that he had obtained perpetual immortality. The depression had been replaced by a fascination to the limits of his own destruction. It was this keen interest in Orhn's gift that Yugo shared as well. Yugo had known Orhn had potential as a vampire before he chose him. Their years together had proven that.
Lucretia had come to reveal a sadistic side that was disturbing to Orhn. She toyed with everyone. Animal, human, vampire, the subject or recipient didn't change how she acted. Lucretia was cruel, mean to those she wished to kill, those she wished to play with. Lucretia derived pleasure from causing emotional pain. Orhn couldn't figure out why. He had labeled her as simply sick in the head and had to leave it at that.
Over the years, as time passed, Orhn and Yugo didn't change much as the styles around them moved forward. Lucretia made her own. If Yugo's fox pelts were eccentric, Lucretia's hundreds of brown lace bands covering the few unexposed pieces of flesh, were unique. Luckily, they would only get her thrown out of the more religious towns. The worn layers of cloth and rags she once wore were gone. She had coiled multiple lace bands onto her frame in an attempt to make combat easier. Lucretia clearly used her sex appeal as a raw weapon. She had nothing to hide except her blood. The cords swayed and shifted with each step in her already seductive walk. With them, she was a lynx in heat.
Yugo stopped caring one day eight years ago, ever since Lucretia began wearing the lace bands and a black cloak as her only clothing. Yugo felt it was a way for her to drive them further apart. Which was exactly what it did. Lucretia made a prostitute of the era look like a timid prude in comparison. She was lust itself, bound in flesh.
The three of them had made their way to the eastern coast of Ireland. The weather was colder than central Europe. A fact that didn't bother Orhn. The cool sensation of his gift canceled any discomfort that Yugo and Lucretia constantly complained about. Orhn spent most of his time in the rain without his shirt. Something that taunted Lucretia. A fact that she used to heckle Orhn about every chance she got. Lucretia would bring attention to his apparent lack of muscle tone. Orhn had become increasingly lean over the larger portion of the century. Not even Yugo gave a suitable reason for it, only that Orhn was still settling into his vampire body. Lucretia constantly compared Orhn to a twig with well hung berries. Orhn didn't enjoy the euphemism.
On an overcast evening in Ireland, Yugo sat at the edge of a long dock. It was early dusk, and there was a thick fog obscuring everything for miles around. The sun was fleeting from the borders of the mist around them. Orhn was swimming freely in the water near Yugo's feet, more than a yard below. Ther
e was enough ambient daylight to clearly allow for anyone still wishing to take an evening stroll. Unless they had need to see more than ten feet in front of them that is. The fog concealed all, it was protecting them and letting Lucretia enjoy herself in a simple self-sadistic act. Lucretia found pleasure in a very particular feeling. Under the waves at the dock, she continually drowned herself.
Lucretia popped up to the surface. “How long was it this time?” She was coughing up water. Her white hair was wet and flat against her skin, she had just revived.
“Orhn was able to make twelve laps between the dock and the buoy. I think that makes a record for you.” Yugo told Lucretia.
The water undulated as it pushed and pulled the lace bands to and from Lucretia's body. Yugo took a moment to stare willfully.
“You're staring again, Yugo.” Orhn spoke up while leisurely swimming.
“I know, and she'll take it out on me later tonight.” Yugo explained with a sigh.
Lucretia dove again.
“Why does she do that again?” Orhn asked.
“You mean consciously fill her lungs, then wait for her heart to stop beating?” Yugo said, not caring as to the reason for Orhn's sudden inquisition.
“Why would anyone want to actually drown? She keeps doing it as if it's fun. Lucretia's sick, she truly is. I mean does she actually die, can we die from drowning?” Orhn pressed it.
“Yes. Our lungs can die, but our blood revives us. It keeps us alive when our parts fail. So she is actually killing herself and she can if she wants to. That's her choice.” Yugo did not seem happy for her recreational habit. It bothered him.
Demon Vampire (The Redgold Series) Page 38
