Ariel had been casually taking in the surroundings when she suddenly stopped, staring at a hitching post a few feet in front of her. Her mouth fell open in horror. She looked at Constance, unable to speak.
Lucien started moving toward Ariel and Patrick quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Lucien, let Constance explain this to her. She's had enough time to gain Ariel's trust. I understand you are feeling your mate's anguish, but if you barge over there you know it will only distress her further. She may even blame you for the situation. Give Constance a chance, Lucien. Have faith in her ability to talk Ariel through this."
Lucien remained with Patrick and focused his enhanced hearing on the women's conversation, ready to comfort his mate if she needed him. Ariel remained still, staring in horror and confusion.
"Calm down, Ariel. That is Mike?" Constance asked. Ariel nodded.
Mike's head was still shaved with the exception of a now longer shock of black hair wrapped at the base for about an inch from his scalp with a piece of leather. It held the lock out like a four inch tail and it swayed against the back of his head like a tail.
Mike's eyes were focused straight ahead. He had a bit in his mouth with a rubber ring wedged behind his teeth holding his jaws open. She could see his tongue moving restlessly in his mouth as drool ran down his chin and chest. The bit had small straps of leather and reigns hooked through strong leather loops at each side of his mouth. The small straps passed through the nipple rings on the corresponding sides, then passed down the sides of his half erect penis and were knotted to his testicle ring. There was another strap attached to the ring at the back of the bit gag. This trailed down his back and was also attached to his sack ring, effectively keeping his head up and immobile.
The reigns lay loose over his shoulders hanging just below the red welted cheeks of his ass. His forearms were bound together behind him with thick leather cuffs. Ariel realized he couldn't speak, he couldn't even move his head without causing himself great pain. The leather straps straddling his cock would lightly saw against his shaft keeping him aroused when he walked. The fading marks across his ass were evidence of a recent whipping. "Oh, my God!" Ariel breathed.
Ariel didn't know when Constance had taken hold of her arm to gently massage her wrist. "Calm down, Ariel. He's okay. He's much too valuable for them to ruin him. He is being trained in obedience and patience."
"Constance, he doesn't deserve this brutality. I don't understand." Ariel was crying quietly. She realized she didn't want Mike to know she had seen him so humiliated.
"Walk with me Ariel. I knew you needed to see him, but now I want you to listen to what I say to you." Constance led Ariel back to the trees in a secluded area close to the Clan's. "Many years ago, it was my older brother the Indians received from the Clan. He started out as a dog and worked himself up to horse just as Mike has done. He was actually rewarded for some task to have achieved this."
"There are several stages they go through to become 'one with the people'. Eventually, when the Indians decide they are ready, they are made a member of the Tribe. My brother ended up with a pretty Indian wife and something I never had, children. He spent his remaining years in captivity very happy, Ariel. As a matter of fact, Wind Seeker is my great, great, great, oh, hell, I don't remember but I'm sure he'd be glad to tell you just how 'great' he is, nephew. They haven't had to cut Mike's knee tendons so he hasn't tried to escape. He's adjusting to his situation just like you are," Constance finished and looked closely at Ariel for her reaction.
"I can't bear to think of him suffering while I'm so happy with Lucien." Ariel sighed.
"I'm sure Wind Seeker is guiding him. The lessons and discipline are hard, Ariel. Mike has it within him to want to succeed. He has a goal and a purpose. The Indians reward and punish just as our Clansmen do. It's only their methods that are different. Within a few years you'll see he's Indian, proud and with a family to care for. I promise you, Ariel." Constance gave her a hug. "Come on. Rumor has it Hannah brought a barrel of some potent apple wine."
As the women drifted off to join the celebration, Lucien relaxed. "You planned for this?" he questioned Patrick.
"Wind Seeker told me he noticed your change around Ariel and suspected she was your mate. Her distress as Mike was being led away concerned him. We recruited Constance as she had been close to Ariel's situation and she was more than happy to be of service." Patrick looked pleased.
* * * *
The celebration lasted three days. Patrick and Lucien decided to keep the Clans separated. They had spent too many long years establishing their individual settlements and they'd still need the captives from the flatlands on either side of the mountain. Justin with Shawna and Nicholas with Christal would move to Patrick's settlement after the Spring Celebration. That would give both Clans a doctor.
The women were upset at the impending separation when Christal announced to the Clansmen stubbornly, "You arrogant Vampires. Is this like a suffering fetish or what? It's a one day ride to the other side of the valley. Has it never occurred to you to run a mail route? You wait six months to see each other and discuss all your oh-so-important Vampire stuff when you could be sending someone back and forth every week. How the hell did you guys survive three centuries like this?" she demanded. Then, looking sheepishly at Nicholas, she said "Oh, shit. Just asking, sir."
The Clansmen looked at each other bewildered. Actually, it never had occurred to them. They didn't need to contact Patrick other than at the bi-annual celebrations and the settlers from the opposing Clans didn't really know each other. Now that Christal had brought it up, ideas of trade were forming. Nicholas gave Christal a hug and stated proudly, "That's a wonderful idea. You're in charge of planning it."
CHAPTER 18
THE TURNING
The Clan returned to the settlement after the Harvest Celebration. Life returned to a predictable routine with added attention to storing supplies for winter.
A few weeks later, as Lucien held Ariel after a passionate tryst, he told her it was time for her conversion. The ritual was planned for the following night. Ariel again questioned him about it, and once again he evaded answering her.
"I think it must be primarily a metabolic change," Shawna suggested as the nervous women got together the next afternoon.
"All Nathan will say, in between boob lunges, is 'Everything will be fine. I'll be with you'," Teri added.
"That's about all Lucien tells me," Ariel replied.
All of a sudden, Paula burst out in tears. "Paula, what's the matter?" Christal tried to console the sobbing girl. "Paula, honey, what's wrong?"
Paula looked up at her friends and wailed, "My hair is all going to fall out! Damon says my nails are gonna' get all brittle and chip, and ... and..." her voice was hitching in misery, "I'm going to be bald." she wailed.
"That bastard!" Christal exploded. "Paula, that simply isn't true."
"How do you know?" Paula sobbed. "None of us knows what's going to happen."
"The only one who's ending up with chipped nails is me from ripping Damon's damn hair out!" Christal stormed toward the main hall where the Vampires were discussing 'Vamp stuff', as the women called it.
Christal burst through the door with Ariel on her heels. The Clansmen looked up in surprise at the approaching women, noting the furious expression on Christal's face. Christal gave Nicholas a warning, 'you better not interfere' glower and bellowed, "Damon, how could you do that to her? Do you have any idea how upset she is? You bastard…"
"Christal, slow down. What are you talking about?" Nicholas interrupted her tirade.
"That bastard," Christal indicated Damon with a shaking finger, "told Paula the conversion is going to leave her bald! She's so upset we can't even talk to her."
The Vampires stared for a moment at Christal's angry expression, then burst out laughing. Justin almost fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard. "It's not funny! You know how important her looks are to her. Why would you say that to her?"
It took several moments for the Vampires to control their outburst as they mentally pictured their bald mates. As soon as they settled down, one would start laughing and the affect would ripple down the table again, and each time they started Christal got more pissed off.
"Lucien, please. Paula really is upset. She's crying her eyes out," Ariel begged him to understand this was serious.
Holding back another laughing fit, Lucien looked at Damon. "Well?" he said, still fighting off the hilarity of the suggestion.
Damon squirmed uncomfortably. "She asked me if she'd look different. All I said was I'd love her if her nails were chipped and she couldn't claw me anymore. I'd love her even if her lovely golden hair fell to the floor. I didn't say that's what would happen. I was just trying to tell her I'd love her no matter what she looked like," Damon explained. "Oh, crap, where is she?"
Damon found Paula and calmed her down, assuring her she would look 'essentially' the same. Her sobs quieted to little sniffs and she lightly punched him in the chest. "That was really mean, Damon. You really upset me."
"I'm sorry, princess. I was only trying to tell you I care for what's inside you. Your beautiful packaging is a lovely bonus." Damon hugged her until she was no longer distressed.
As he got up to go back to the hall, she said, "I still get to live forever, though. Right? I mean that part was true. I'll stay like this forever, sir?" Her big blue eyes looked into his smile.
"Yes, princess. I will be able to spoil you forever." Damon kissed her lightly and seeing she was satisfied, he walked back to join his friends.
"As unlikely as it seems," Lucien told the Clansmen, "our women have made a distressing leap of misunderstanding. Perhaps we should have explained."
"Explained what? Hey, honey, you're going to drink my blood, feel like your insides are being ripped out of your pores for six hours and love me in the morning? By the way, daylight is a no, no for the next few decades. Oh, that would have been sweet." Nicholas could imagine Christal's reaction.
Dinner was a quiet, nervous affair for the whole settlement. Everyone at the long tables was distractedly pushing their food around their plates, not eating or saying much. They all knew through gossip, tonight was the big night. They overheard the Vamps talking and knew that not everyone made it through the change. Lucien had Mason discretely build a cell to contain any of the Vampires whose mate did not survive. He prayed it would not be used.
As they walked home, Lucien looked down at his fragile little mate and begged for reassurance he was doing the right thing. He would trade her immortality for fifty mortal years, if he knew the answer.
When Lucien and Ariel walked into the house, he lit the fire. Sitting on the table in the vase was a fresh flower arrangement. Ariel appreciated Heather's quiet support. Ariel followed Lucien into the bedroom and they quietly undressed.
Lucien lay on the bed and pulled her down onto his warm chest. Ariel could sense his distress. "It's alright, Lucien. I trust you," she said quietly.
He ran his fingers lightly down her side, than up over her belly and her breasts. "I've waited my whole life for you, Ariel. I've wanted so badly to hold you through all the lonely nights I've existed."
"I love you too, Lucien," she whispered as she trailed her fingertips through the hair on his chest.
"The conversion is a mating with the Vampire, Ariel. You may not even know I'm still with you. The blood and pain make him impossible to restrain." Lucien sounded desperate.
"I've been with him before, Lucien. He and I, we have a sort of understanding. He won't hurt me," Ariel remembered her claiming.
"He will, Ariel. He has to," Lucien said sadly.
"I know he likes to feel me in pain. I don't like it, but I know. I know he likes me scared. The more terrified I am, the more it arouses him. But, Lucien, he also wants me to desire him. He won't let me be destroyed. He'll give me back to you to heal when he's satisfied," Ariel whispered with conviction. "Lucien, I've always known, I think, that it wouldn't be you in charge of this. In a way, it's a kind of a gift he's giving you for allowing him to share your experiences. He wants both of you to be happy. It will be alright, Lucien."
"You will come back to me, Ariel," he demanded.
"You are mine, Lucien, as much as I'm yours. I belong to you." She pushed off his chest and kissed him passionately. Lucien rested his hands on her waist while he enjoyed the wet warmth of her mouth. Her tongue was coaxing his arousal with rhythmic strokes. Ariel thought it ironic she would be leading this seduction. She wanted it over with and began searching for the Vampire waiting just beneath the surface of her lover's passion.
She pulled back and murmured, "You're afraid for me, aren't you?"
Lucien's pride didn't want to let him admit it, but he knew he had to answer her. "I wish there was some other way. You're so delicate, little one. I'm distraught with the thought of losing you. I can't be alone again. I can't bear the thought of looking into your eyes tomorrow and seeing fear and hate."
"As Christal would say, 'Don't be so arrogant, Vampire'. I've been captured, tortured, ripped away from my life, and yet, I love you and I've survived. This won't kill me. It won't make me hate you. Fear you? Our Vampire loves that. You know you can't keep him restrained anymore and the longer you try, the harder this will be. Let him go, Lucien. Wait for me on the other side, my love." Ariel gave Lucien another deep kiss. Sometime before she had released his mouth, she sensed he was gone.
Ariel felt the hands on her waist turn to claws as he gripped her. She looked into his red eyes and shivered slightly. She couldn't distinguish any of the night blue eyes of Lucien. She stared into the blood red gaze of undiluted desire. The Vampire was angry it had been denied even a moment of this night, his night, with her.
In a fluid motion, he threw her beneath him. He bared his fangs and growled his dissatisfaction. Ariel knew the Vampire would not want a calm façade, so she didn't pretend to hide her fear. She realized Lucien had always been a part of this, until tonight. I'll be alright. You'll come back to me, Lucien. she thought fearfully, looking at the wild beast now pinning her hands over her head.
Ariel tried to squirm out of his grasp and his claws dug painfully deep into her wrists, drawing blood. The scent brought a deep rumble of pleasure from inside the Vampire. He leaned forward and lapped the thick fluid. When he sat back on his haunches and smiled, she saw a small drop of red trailing from the corner of his mouth.
He wanted more. He felt the throbbing of the pulse in her throat with her blood flowing quickly through the vein. He lunged toward the source and his fangs sliced through the skin. Ariel screamed in terror. This was no game. She felt him drawing deep long drags. "Please. You don't want to kill me," she whimpered.
The Vampire stopped sucking for a moment. He resumed with a gentle pull, a slight tugging sensation. Her body responded. Dampness seeped from her core in light contractions matching his feeding pulls. He let go of her wrists, retracted his sharp claws and rested his hand on her shoulder, still pinning her. The other hand started stimulating her sex, fueling her arousal.
He closed the wounds on her neck and moved toward her breast, tightly capturing her nipple between his teeth. She felt his fangs pierce her mound and he rested his head on her chest quietly suckling light pulls of her blood, content. His fingers continued spreading her juices, randomly seeking her channel or stroking her clit. Her hips began an unintentional answer to his manipulation and he sighed, his warm breath breezing across her breast.
They spent long moments this way until one of her small hands started stroking his hair. He nuzzled deeper into her mound. He's enjoying this. The thought confused her. The Vampire was terror and pain, yet, here he was suckling like a babe. Reluctantly, he licked the wound on her mound and rose, kneeling between her thighs.
His engorged cock pointed absently at her entrance. The Vampire studied her sex, spreading her slit with the rings, inhaling deeply. He ran a finger down her gash and stuck it between his lips, sucking n
oisily.
He leaned forward and started sliding his wet tongue down her folds. Her body started writhing, convulsing with his strokes. When it entered her core, her muscles tightened around him. He thrust with delight, pinning her hips with his hands. She tried to delay her orgasm but it crested through her with such power, the Vampire momentarily lost his grip on her.
He sat up and stared at her as the spasm subsided then plunged to the hilt in one powerful stroke. Ariel shrieked at the unexpected impaling thrust her hips forward to match the connection. The Vampire's skin on his cock folded back and the sucking extension reached blindly toward her cream.
Ariel was exhausted when the Vampire was finally sated. He had fed off her and forced her orgasms so many times, she was weak. When he at last erupted deep inside her, she could hardly squeeze him dry. Drowsy, she opened her eyes when she felt his passion released.
The Vampire held his arms out to her. He took hold of her wrists and pulled her slowly up. He hugged her close to his chest, protectively. She saw the claws exude from his hand. The sharp talon gently lifted her chin and she stared into the intense red eyes. "I love you, too." she whispered. He gave her a brief kiss.
He put a hand behind her head and using his claw sliced through the vein on his neck, pushing her toward the dark liquid. Ariel didn't fight him. She experienced a momentary gag as she forced herself to swallow the thick liquid. Slowly, she latched onto his neck, feeding hungrily on his blood.
Epilogue
"I love Spring Song, Lucien." Ariel was stroking the small filly Lucien had surprised her with.
"She reminds me of you, my love." Lucien smiled back, looking at the red horse with the white mane and tail.
Ariel turned to the rider behind her. "Are you ready, Slave-Master?" Dave grinned and nodded.
Ariel looked down at the young men and women setting up their tents then she gazed lovingly at Lucien, a red haze surrounding the gray-blue irises of her eyes.
Ariel's Desire: A Novel of Vampirism and Submission Page 22
