by P. Mattern
Charley, still emanating the ire left over from his ruined date had to force himself to bite his tongue and nod. Cass was right, he had a tongue like a filleting knife, and what he really wanted to say was”Well ,mother, that’s a nice platitude but we’re not the Bloody Effin’ Brady Bunch!” He didn’t want to hurt his mother’s feeling however so he changed the subject.
“Any cookies left over?”
Mitzi smiled her best smile, the lovely gracious gentle one full of Southern charm.
“Of course we do! I made snickerdoodles today! Have as many as you want.”
Charley began to relax a bit. As she turned away to retrieve the cookies his mom’s expression changed to reflect her keen disappointment. She had planned to take advantage of their being together without anyone else around (a rarity lately) ,to tell Charley that she was pregnant.
But today, it seemed, was NOT the right day.
***************************************
Daniel was whistling while he worked. Although he’d gotten very little actual rest the night before he felt he had connected with Fressenda in an intimate and exquisitely tender way.
This was unusual for him. Generally he saw himself as a ‘wham,bam,thank you ma’am’ kind of guy. Fress seemed to bring qualities out of him that he’d never been aware of, and as a consequence had gone totally unrecognized. He felt differently about her than his previous girlfriends. His’game’ had gone out the window. His only desire was to make her happy, and of course he looked forward to the physical part, but suddenly he felt willing to pace himself for her sake.
He rustled the sheaf of papers on his desk ,mostly actuarial tables, and tried to concentrate. Then smiled widely as he remembered the feel of Fress nestled in his arms. Being in proximity to her made him wish he was an angel instead of a vampire so that he could enfold her in his wings.
Now that was what he wanted to be. Her dark angel. Her male energy for eternity. Her protector.
He felt a vibration in his pants pocket and reached for his cell. As if she were thinking about him at the exact same time she had texted,”All day thoughts of you. TY for last night.” Smiling to himself he texted back,”Mind a little company tonight? I have a great bottle of wine I’d love to share.”
He was sure the response would be positive, and it was.
“Yes. I can’t wait to see you.” She had texted back.
The clock on the wall of his office,an inexpensive replica of Big Ben in London,seemed to linger on each minute as he waded through several piles of paper,trying to concentrate. He felt like a schoolboy clock watching until he could break free of his constrictive environment and play.
At last he reached the golden hour-hurriedly he rearranged papers back in order, signed a few forms and answered a couple last minute emails, scooped up his briefcase and headed out the office door that had a brass plate reading,”D.Burns,Esq.” on the wall beside it.
Although he was still in office attire, replete with an expensive suit and a Jerry Garcia tie,he couldn’t do anything other than drive straight to Fress’s cottage. It was as if he were drawn there, as if a beeline straight to her place were the only path available.
Impossibly, she was waiting in the open doorway as he pulled up. The early spring late afternoon sun made her look as though she were surrounded by a golden angelic glow ,and lit the raindrops in the trees that were still dripping from a brief shower earlier so that they sparkled like crystal prisms ,each encasing their own tiny rainbow.
He stepped outside his convertible, walking quickly toward her, finally almost breaking into a run as she began to smile widely at the sight of him. When he at last reached the doorway he wordlessly pulled her rosy petulant lips toward his with a quickness. Every cell in his body was on high alert, yearning to access her luscious mouth.
They stood there, in the doorway, as the outside world faded away, kissing passionately.
Fress finally disengaged, not wanting to freak out the neighbors ,and silently pulled Daniel inside into the warmth and ambiance of the cottage. Their hunger for each other enveloped them as they stood together, and surrounded them with a palpable cloying atmosphere.
Once inside Fress and Daniel stood toe to toe just gazing into each other’s eyes. Silently Fressenda made a decision and slipped her hand into Daniel’s. He wordlessly followed her up the stairs into her room.
As they stood in front of her bed,a virginal symphony of white-on-white with a white goosedown coverlet,white sheets and eyelet pillow cases,Daniel turned her to look at him again. His look clearly said,”We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
By way of an answer Fress slipped off her shoes and pulled her v-necked sweater off over her head, letting it fall to the hardwood floor. Daniel could see that she was wearing an innocent looking white camisole underneath.Her breasts although full, were so firm that no bra was necessary. Her cheeks were flushed as she continued to remove her clothing :next she shimmied out of her skirt ,and removed her stockings one at a time, letting them also fall to the floor. Daniel could hardly breathe-in his mind he was witnessing the most quietly provocative and sensual striptease he’d ever seen.
When she was down to a simple pair of white schoolgirl panties and her camisole,she drew the coverlet back and clambered up on the bed ,giving him a fine glimpse of her derriere before she settled back onto the overstuffed white pillows. She continued to meet his gaze, neither pulling him to her or pushing him away.
Daniel was aware of his heavy rapid breathing and a pulse that began to pound in his temple. At that moment Fress, still staring him in the eyes, moved her thighs apart, offering him an unobstructed view of the deep v of her pristine white schoolgirl panties at their apex .
His restraint evaporated in that instant, and he flew to her, his only thought to please her with all the corporate features at his disposal. First his mouth and his barbell pierced tongue, which he used to introduce new sensations to her most sensitive, sacred, and secret parts. Her moaning drove him crazy-he felt as though he was not only experiencing his own pleasure but somehow she was enabling him to also feel the pleasurable and exquisite sensations that he was bestowing upon HER. In his mind she was a vampire goddess ,and he wanted to suspend time and engage in hour upon hour of teasing her, exploring her, and ultimately pleasing her.
When he finally consummated their lovemaking it was the single most pleasurable moment of his life. And as they both lay spent in a cloud of white upon white bedding afterwards he felt a new desire spring from the core of his being.
He knew in that instant that he wanted Fressenda to make him a twice-bitten, and he was determined not to take ‘no’ for an answer. He craved her venom because he was falling in love with her, and he desired to have some part of her inside him…permanently.
Adrastos,Lord Earl of Faquier Hall,a fortresslike castle carved from a mountain in Motuo County,China,Tibetan Autonomous Region,sat up in his bed before he was even fully awake.
And realized in a delighted instant that his condition was improving.
Adrastos was recovering from having soul sucked into his being a neurological storm from Charley Rabbit, an upstart twice-bitten challenger who had attempted to defeat him in battle. When Charley had started seizuring during their sword play,he had been immensely pleased. Adrastos had seen Charley’s incapacity as a gift that would hand him the victory in the struggle. Forbidden to kill an incapacitated individual, Adrastos’ plan had been to swallow Charley’s soul using his third level Magick skills. It had seemed a perfect and fortuitous opportunity.
As it turned out ,he couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Instead, Adrastos the Unyielding, also known as Adrastos Animavorous(“soulsucker”) had inhaled into himself an incapacitating neurological maelstrom that had resulted in his corporeal body being bedridden for months.
Well ,that was Third Level Magick for you, he reflected ruefully. Often referred to as a double headed viper ,it could be tricky and unmanageable and would
turn on you in an instant if you overlooked a single detail…and this time it had turned on Adrastos himself.
To add insult to injury, when Adrastos’ brother Patreaus had attempted to intervene on his behalf and kill Charley after Charley’s seizures subsided ,Charley had used Third Level Magick against both the brothers ,loosing two poisonous flying snakes with a paralyzing venom so powerful that it could incapacitate even thrice-bitten vampires.
Today was the first day that Adrastos had been able to sit up on his own in bed. Because he was a cogent dark wizard as well as a thrice-bitten vampire, he was able to leave his body, though only in a vaporous form, and see to the business of running the castle. Through his ghost persona he had been able to discipline employees, give orders and enjoy an occasional dalliance with one of the anatomically correct ‘wet nurses’ that roamed the castle and provided fresh blood for the vampires that resided there. But his ghost persona was tethered to his inert and temporarily useless body ,and he only dared to separate himself from it for a few hours at a time.
At no point in his regrettable current condition was he able to accomplish his one burning desire-to leave the castle and avenge himself.
Having practiced patience over the course of many centuries he had used his ‘down time’ at Faquier Hall to ponder what his next move should entail. The issues that he entertained over those long bedridden hours ran the gamut.
One central consideration was whether he would kill Charley Rabbit at the first opportunity afforded him.
The answer was quick in coming-of COURSE he would.
His other primary consideration was whether he should attempt to recover his stollen property: one Parmitsvia Elaine Rabbit, his Declared Woman and Mistress of Faquier Hall.
She had, from the start, been a lot of trouble.
In his mind she was as stubborn as she was beautiful. Nearly a complete replica, although she had lighter hair and eyes ,of the direct ancestor of hers that he had loved centuries ago. Unfotunately a twist of fate had ended the original Parmitsvia’s life before Adrastos was able to ‘turn’ her into a vampire.
The current Parmitsvia ,or ‘Mitzi’ as she referred to herself, was as tiny waisted as her ancestor had been, with voluptuous hips and a prominent mound of venus. A perfect breeder. He had hoped that their abundant honeymoon activities would assure that his seed would find purchase in that vessel of lush fertility.
Suddenly he sat up straighter as he contemplated a novel thought.
Maybe it had. Perhaps even now her belly was swollen with his offspring.
Adrastos reached for a huge, elaborate chamber bell cut from the veins of crystal ore that ran throughout the mountain, and also through the castle itself. It’s piercingly high clear tones rang in echoes throughout his chamber and out into the hallways beyond.
As soon as a frightened servant appeared, his eyes round with surprise at seeing Adrastos sitting up on his own, Adrastos barked at him with supreme authority in his voice.
“Call First Seer Maung to my chambers at once. I need to consult with him immediately.”
Mitzi and Cass had taken a break from some early gardening chores, raking the remainder of the late brown and curled fall leaves that had been buried in the snow during the winter and planning the garden. For some reason this year Mitzi had it in her mind she wanted white roses, and she wanted the couple to plant them together.
Cass hated any sort of yard work, but his love for Mitzi and her enthusiasm made the task fairly enjoyable. In his mind he continued to be amazed at the things he was willing to do for love.
Mitzi began showing signs of fatigue after a couple of hours and Cass insisted they go in for a rest. She was beginning to show a little, and whenever she turned or moved so that her baby bump was visible, he got an excited charge of pleasure from surreptitiously viewing it. Even though she still had occasional bouts of nausea and seemed to tire more easily, her body had never excited him more.
Now she lay beside him in the huge four poster bed they shared ,snuggled up against him. With an idle hand he traced the outline of her expanding belly, finally allowing his hand to rest on the top of it.”I can feel the baby .”he said.”I can tell exactly where it is in you too, Vivi…it’s like a vibration it gives off, sort of a heat energy as well. It’s amazing.”
Mitzi turned her attention from her abdomen to Cass’s face and was surprised to see that his eyes seemed to be moist. She reached up and tenderly caressed his cheek.
“I love you so much.” She said quietly.
They kissed in silence for a few minutes, contemplating with reverence how blessed they were.
Before they had time to explore their feelings-and each other-to any greater extent they heard an urgent sounding knock on the front door. Cass looked annoyed.
“I’ll get it.” He said reassuringly to Mitzi. “You just rest…both of you.” He finished with a wink as he hoisted himself off the bed and padded down the stairs in his sock clad feet.
Cass was completely flummoxed to see Celeste and Ariel on the other side of the doorway.
“Hey you two !” he said, hugging them delightedly as he ushered them in and helped them with their jackets ,”How’s it going?”
“Sorry to just drop in without a head’s up.” Celeste said. Her startling icy blue eyes looked at him seriously from under the brim of the baseball cap perched on her head.”But I’m getting some really strong information lately, and Ariel is picking up on some odd communication traffic between here and Motuo County recently..something emanating a weak signal, like a locator device. So we’re concerned that you and Mitzi are being tracked somehow.”
Cass blanched a shade whiter than the wall behind him, ”A tracking device? Like something wireless and electronic?”
Ariel shook her head.”In this case, no. More likely something Mitzi inadvertently carried back with her, then set aside and forgot about.” She continued in her musical voice, ”Can you think of anything you’ve seen that originated in Faquier Hall? Any object, no matter how small that would enable them to spy on you?.”
Cass turned around to see Mitzi making her way slowly down the staircase, carefully holding onto the banister, giving a gracious welcoming smile to Celeste and Ariel.
“I thought I heard your voices,” she said, ”How are you both? How was the honeymoon in Seychelles?”
Cass interrupted the exchange.”Mitzi Celeste and Ariel are here because they are concerned for us, concerned that you may have brought something back from the castle that could enable Adrastos to track our location. Can you think of anything that we have here from your…stay in Motuo County?”he finished tersely.
“It could be something very small.” Celeste added.”Even a hairpin, or a ribbon.”
To Cass’s immense surprise Mitzi started to flush and stammer.
“I, well…I came back wearing a dress Adrastos had given me…”she began.
Cass made an unidentifiable sound.”Mitzi”,he said, obviously struggling to keep the volume and tone of his voice under control ,”Don’t you remember my telling you to throw your clothing away after we got back? In case it was enchanted or something?”
Again Mitzi looked flustered. Without meeting his alarmed eyes she responded in a small voice, ”Well it was made of the loveliest material-it seemed like it would be a waste to just throw it away…”
Cass lost it at that point and grabbed both of Mitzi’s upper arms, giving her a slight shake.
“Oh GOD Mitzi what have you DONE? WHERE IS THE DRESS?”
Mitzi was far too startled by Cass’s reaction to respond, but he saw her eyes travel down the hallway to the coat closet at the end of the hall. Dropping her arms, he was there in nanoseconds, tearing open the wooden door and scrambling through the various garments, finally emerging with a green trash bag that had been looped over a hanger.
He turned around to face the trio of women, ripping the trash bag so violently that tiny confetti-like bits of it burst away into the air, then holding up some
thing yellow and white and shimmershining with iridescence.
It was the dress, the one she had been wearing on her last day at Faquier Hall and during her escape. Although it sported a tear across the bodice, it was still lovely.
And apparently dangerous.
Cass immediately was in Mitzi’s face. He was hissing, doubtless in an effort to control his ire.
“WHY Mitzi? Why would you want to keep this damnable artifact from your place of torture?”
The tears that had been standing in Mitzi’s eyes since he first grabbed her spilled over onto her cheeks.
“The material was so unusual-it seemed wrong just to throw it away. I thought that I could make it over into something else…”her voice trailed off at the end so that it was barely audible.
In answer, even though Celeste, sensing what was coming, had put out a staying hand on Cass’s arm, Cass began to violently rip the garment apart. As he did he felt something hard, like a stone, among the yards of material. When he removed it he seemed even more horrified.
It was the emerald ring that Adrastos had given Mitzi during the Declaration Ceremony.it had been tucked into the flocked waistband of the gown, The faceted stone Hugely glinting with a phosphorescent ,poisonous green glow.
“ENCHANTED!”Celeste practically screamed. “Give it to me now-we have to get rid of it!!!NOW CASS!”
Numbly, his gaze fixed in shock, Cass handed it to her and she was immediately gone, leaving an anxious Ariel to deal with the couple. Putting her hand on Cass’s arm to calm him Ariel said quickly,”Cass! Listen to me!! She is new to our world –how could she know? She DIDN’T know, Cass, or she wouldn’t have kept it.”
Mitzi had been backing up the staircase, a shocked look on her face. She had never seen Cass angry, and in particular had never experienced his being angry at HER. His violence had alarmed and frightened her.
