Maiden and the Monster

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Nay, m’lady, I know his lordship is not an easy man to be around. But I believe ‘twas a miracle that sent you here—a true miracle.” Haldana rubbed the grainy paste onto her hand and lifted it to Eden’s nose only to rub it into the injured skin. “You were sent to tame the monster, so to speak.”

  Eden winced at Haldana’s administrations and then frowned as she recognized the servant’s discarded vial. It was the exact same type as the one that held her “maiden” blood.

  “Haldana? May I ask you something? In confidence?”

  “Yea, m’lady.” Haldana wiped her fingers on her apron and loaded her herbs back into her basket. She wiggled her finger at her mistress with pride. “I’m not one of these chattering Saxon girls. They don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. Always gossiping they are. Did you hear this? Did you hear that? ‘Tis utter nonsense if you be asking me.”

  “Did you give my husband something afore he came to me last night?” Eden probed, purposefully ignoring the older woman’s comment about Saxon women. “A healing draught of some sort?”

  Haldana laughed. “Nay, m’lady, ‘tis mostly natural what happened but mayhap yer husband should be the one to better explain it to you.”

  Eden nodded, not completely understanding but pretending to.

  “Although fourteen times in a single eve? That is not most natural at least in my experience and all that blood—mayhap his lordship saved himself too long. Mayhap that is why you were hard-pressed to endure…”

  Haldana gave the duchess a guilty blush and snapped her mouth shut. Eden swallowed in embarrassment and darted her eyes away.

  Clearing her throat, the servant busied herself needlessly with her basket. “But ‘tis naught to concern yerself with, m’lady. I’m not all that experienced in the ways of noblemen.”

  Eden forced a blush as the older woman suggestively wiggled her eyebrows. She sighed in relief, realizing Haldana knew nothing of the blood’s origin. Then clearing her throat, she tried to excuse her curiosity by weakly saying, “I just wondered. I have never seen aught like it.”

  Haldana lowered her voice as she leaned forward in confidence. “His lordship’s member is meant to do that, m’lady.”

  Eden’s blush turned real and she couldn’t help from asking, “Do what?”

  “Methinks the duke best explain the rest. Ask him to go slower. Sometimes men go too fast fer the woman,” answered Haldana with a motherly sigh. She gave Eden a gentle pat on the back of her hair. “But, they be men and it cannot be helped.”

  “Methinks he’ll explain naught to me.” Eden pouted, moving to stand. Haldana finished placing her herbs in her basket. Reaching over, Eden began picking the herbs up one by one to carefully study them as they talked.

  Haldana chuckled but said nothing. She unnecessarily straightened the slightly rumpled coverlet on the bed.

  “What happened to the duke? He won’t tell me. How was he scarred?” Eden asked, careful to keep her tone light. She knew that Haldana was loyal to her husband. “Methinks if I knew that then I could be a better wife to him. Mayhap, I could understand him.”

  Haldana smiled and shook her head. She reached to take an herb from her mistress’ hand and placed it back in the basket. “‘Tis not my place to say, m’lady.”

  “But,” Eden tried to protest. She let her mouth hang open for a moment before resigning herself to the servant’s interruption.

  “Nay, m’lady,” Haldana broke in as she held up her hand. “Now, if you are done in here, I’ll direct the girls to move yer personal items to yer new chamber.”

  “Wait,” Eden rushed, unwilling to end the conversation. She picked up a piece of chamomile from the basket. “Do you know a lot about herbs?”

  “Yea,” Haldana admitted warily. The servant seemed afraid her new mistress was going to keep pressing her about his lordship.

  “If for some reason I was to disappoint the duke and not readily produce an heir for him, would there be something I could take to help the process along?” Eden tried to act nonchalant as she placed the chamomile back into the basket. She focused her eyes carefully away from the older woman. “Like a draught to get with child.”

  Haldana smiled at the question as she gave the young girl a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about such. Yer young and healthy. Methinks you should breed fine. Besides, there is no hurry fer that kind of thing. Get to know the duke. Concern yerself with that and when the time is right the other will happen.”

  “So there is nothing,” Eden concluded.

  “There are things, like dead rats underneath the bridal bed. A potion mixed with sheep dung and chicken’s blood.” Haldana smirked knowingly when Eden wrinkled her nose in disgust. “M’lady won’t have to resort to such things, just be patient.”

  Eden shuddered, wondering exactly what one would do with such a concoction, for surely it couldn’t be consumed. She couldn’t inquire for Haldana ushered her from the chamber with a gentle shove. Looking about the inky hall in confusion, she heard the chamber door shut behind her. “Wait, Haldana.”

  Turning, she saw Haldana wasn’t with her.

  My new chamber? Where is his lordship putting me now?

  * * * * *

  The bonfires of Luther’s encampment burned brightly against the night sky as the brilliant lights reflected off the many soldiers who camped around them. Their bodies glowed like orange apparitions and they appeared to float restlessly over the field below Lakeshire’s bailey wall. Hundreds of knights wandered about the site, not settling for the night as the eve was still young. Their robust laughter and the loud neighing of their horses filled the air.

  Eden squinted, unable to make out the men’s faces as she gazed over the land surrounding Lakeshire Castle. She’d climbed to the top of the wall to better see the strength of Luther’s and her father’s armies. What she saw made her blood run cold. Their combined strength spread over the countryside like the spotting pockmarks of the plague.

  She imagined that many of the knights she’d grown up around were there awaiting her father’s return. They were loyal and wouldn’t attack in his absence, however Luther’s men were another tale altogether. Eden shivered. The very men who attacked Lynne were most likely below her even now. She prayed Luther would keep them at bay.

  As the night darkened into a deeper blue, she watched several more bonfires alight in the distance, spanning the already impressive army’s force further over the countryside. Fire dotted the land until it disappeared in the distance to mingle with the stars. The orange glow outlined the many tents that were still being erected.

  “By all the saints,” Eden whispered, her hand fluttering to her throat. She took a careless step forward to the side of the wall and heard the laughter of the men in front of her. Her husband’s home was quiet in comparison. Leaning over the black stone, she squinted into the besieging army’s campsite in search of Luther. It was too dark to see any of the men’s faces. Under her breath, she mumbled darkly, “Where are you hiding, you loathsome cur? Mayhap, I could find an arrow—”

  “Those are not the words of a would-be nun.” Vladamir’s laughter broke into her quiet ranting. His accent was low and his words were like a careless whisper drifting on the breeze.

  Eden froze, taking a deep breath. Casually, she turned to Vladamir and let a slight, self-possessed smile form on her lips as she met his gaze. He stood on the ladder, having just climbed up onto the nearly empty wall.

  Waiting for him to come to her, she leaned against the stone. Defiantly, her back faced the surrounding enemy. Her eyes were empty as she stared at him and she pulled the corner of her lip between her teeth. She dared not let her pleasure in seeing him show.

  The duke was breathtakingly handsome. His laughter faded into a slow smile that settled agreeably on his alluring lips. For the first time, Eden noticed that his eyes held a glimmer of humor deep within their depths, but there was a mild approval there also. She felt her cheeks pinken at his attention and
forced the heat from her face as she took a deep, steadying breath.

  Vladamir easily stepped over the last rung of the ladder and moved forward, searching her face. Eden lifted her chin, willing her mouth not to widen the nervous smile on her lips as her breathing deepened slightly. When she didn’t speak, he turned to the camp. Leaning his hands against the wall next to her, he said quietly, “I’m regretful that I allowed your father to strike you. It shouldn’t have happened.”

  Eden nodded her head, unsure what to think of the unexpected apology. “You had no way of knowing he would do that. Me, on the other hand, I should’ve known I tested my boundaries too insolently with him. I knew how my father would react to my defiance.”

  “It happened oft?” Vladamir asked with a disgusted curl to his lips.

  “In the kingdom?” Eden returned with a coy smile. “I should say so. Is it not what is encouraged amongst you men? Could you imagine if you didn’t beat us? The kingdom would be overrun with happy, smiling women.”

  Vladamir gave a soft laugh. One of the bonfires sparked as the soldier threw more wood on it. The floating ashes were quite beautiful in the night breeze as they drifted about, spiraling upwards into the dark heavens. The smell of burning wood filled the air and the corner of Vladamir’s mouth twisted up. “It is a great smell, is it not?”

  “You favor the smell of bonfires?”

  “Yea,” he answered softly, closing his eyes. “It reminds me of my mother’s people. When I was a child they would have great celebrations out of doors. There would be tremendous fires that would burn all the night.”

  “And what were you celebrating?”

  “Life,” Vladamir stated with a growing frown. He lost himself to thought.

  Eden turned to him. After giving him some time to think, she drew him back to their conversation with a light touch to his sleeve. “You don’t laugh oft. Why?”

  “‘Tis the way things are.” Vladamir sighed.

  “Nay, methinks ‘tis the way you make them.” Eden lifted her chin and stood her ground. “Do you think you’ll ever tell me the secret that haunts you so?”

  “Nay,” Vladamir stated blandly with a straight face. He glanced to her appalled expression and chuckled.

  “You, m’lord, are incorrigible,” she announced. For a moment the soldiers melted away and she imagined her husband as a young boy, so full of hope. She imagined he would’ve been a happy child. Looking away from him with a feminine pout, she fought the charm of his easy manner. When he looked at her, she felt her insides tremble and she weakened toward him. Her defenses crumbled at his lightest of sincere smiles.

  Vladamir pushed away from the wall only to lean over her. Touching her arms tenderly, he ran his strong hands down her shaking limbs. With an obnoxious lift of his brow, he murmured, “Yea, very incorrigible.”

  His gentle fingers moved firmly over hers. Feeling a rough spot by her knuckle, he took her left hand up and brought it into the surrounding moonlight. A blush filled her face as he inspected her finger. On it was a plain silver band, the metal was old and oddly bent into a circle as if no care had been taken in the making of it.

  “M’lord.” Eden licked her lips when she saw his hesitation. “Let me explain.”

  Vladamir turned his expressionless face to her. His mood hadn’t changed and his dark, demon-like eyes glistened in the moonlight as they studied her.

  “Luther noted earlier that I had no ring and when I found this on the ground near the stables, methought to have the blacksmith smooth it out a bit so I could wear it. Only until this matter with the king is settled. If it bothers you I can remove it. I only thought to—I mean no insult. I care not that you—we cannot afford jewels. I don’t need such finery.” Eden tilted her head to better study his downcast eyes and gave him a hopeful look.

  She waited for him to speak, telling by his gaze that he didn’t care about the ring. A part of her felt he liked the idea. He kissed her fingers and lowered her hand back to the wall.

  “M’lord? You’re not angry?”

  “Use my name.” His eyes narrowed languidly and he studied her with a deep intensity. The tips of his fingers grazed softly over her cheek. His gaze bore into her, captivating her with its brilliance.

  “M’lord of Kessen, Duke of Lakeshire.” Suddenly, Eden curtsied out of his embrace. Vladamir grimaced. Whirling past him she smiled and danced backward with a lightened step. When the back of her legs came against the wall, she turned to climb down the ladder. Her heart beat within the walls of her chest, pounding an incisively primal rhythm and she wanted to stay with him forever on the wall, but she had to force herself to leave before he did. If she was to have any chance at getting through to him, she had to put on a tenacious air. It was time he wondered about her mood for a change.

  Realizing she hesitated, Eden felt his hand on her elbow stopping her from touching the ladder. He stepped up next to the back of her body and the heat of his breath fell against the nape of her neck, coursing in shivers to her toes. He stood so close that she couldn’t help but tremble at his radiance.

  His exhalation of breath came over her shoulder with the words, “Methinks ‘tis m’lady that is incorrigible.”

  “Nay, m’lord, I go to dine for the hour is late and the hall is sure to be famished,” Eden answered demurely, forcing herself to be strong against the unfamiliar sensations he awoke within her. In the distance, the bonfires and the shining stars swam around her to join them in the embrace. He caressed the length of her, without having moved from her arms. Instinctively, she leaned her back into him and her eyes fluttered shut.

  Vladamir nuzzled his mouth against her neck. His hair tickled her chin as it blew about in the breeze and he kissed her pulse lightly to test the response in her. Eden gasped. The duke growled, vibrating her flesh, making her so wet and shaky her knees weakened.

  “Why do you bind your hair now?” He ran his hand up her arm to undo the strands of her hair. It was bound in a coiffeur at the nape of her neck as was the fashion for married women. Her long locks fell in submissive waves to mingle with his.

  “I-I married.” It was all she could get out.

  “Mm, I wish to dine, m’lady,” Vladamir said, his voice hot. He cupped her scalp and pulled her head to the side to allow him better access to her throat. Hot pants claimed her skin, making her shiver all the way to her toes. Her nipples pebbled against her bodice, begging to be set free.

  She let the thrill of his handling overtake her as his teeth grazed her sensitive flesh. Her eyes flitted closed, concentrating on the hardness of him against her lower back. She was helpless when he touched her and couldn’t find the will to fight him. “Would you dine on flesh?”

  Vladamir chuckled darkly against her skin. “Yea, I would.”

  His hand glided up her waist, cupping a breast in a heated palm. She gasped, arching as he massaged her. Pushing at her nipple through the material, he teased the sensitive tip. He rocked his hips, pressing his hard heat against her with slow thrusts. Her body moved to push back against his, learning his rhythm. It felt nice but she wanted more. Her thighs tightened. She wanted him to touch her there, to move his hand between her legs. The lips on her neck became more aggressive as he kissed her. Eden moaned, reaching behind her head to hold him tight. Slowly, his hand dipped down her stomach, moving to press along her skirt.

  Her body exploded with urgent need as he grabbed between her thighs. His hips pressed her from behind, forcing her to thrust forward into his hand. The material dampened with her cream and still he made her ride his hand. Eden gasped, weakly grabbing at his hair to keep him close. Vladamir pulled at her skirt, eagerly baring her legs. The night breeze hit her and they were surrounded by the sounds of the surrounding army, but the wall was dark and they couldn’t be seen.

  His fingers found her flesh once more, this time touching her naked flesh. Dancing around her sensitive bud, he worked his hand along her wet slit. Eden gasped at the sensation his movement caused. The duke growled
.

  “Ah, yea, like that.” His words were low, whispered hotly to her neck. He breathed as fast as she, rocking his hips harder as he quickened the pace. Then a finger slipped up inside her and she nearly died at the pleasure she felt. Another digit slipped further back to stroke a tender piece of flesh leading to the cleft of her ass. “You’re so hot, so wet. I want to taste your cream. I want to bury my face between your soft thighs. Would you let me dine on you there? Would you let me taste how you come for me?”

  It was too much. Gasping, she tensed as a hard spasm racked her body.

  “That’s it,” he urged, “come for me. Get my fingers nice and wet so I can taste you on them.”

  His words were sinful. Surely she should tell him to stop but she couldn’t. Pleasure poured over her from his hand buried inside her sex. He kept moving his hand, milking her body of each shiver. After, he slipped his hand from her and let her skirt fall back to the ground. Eden watched through heavy lids as he lifted his fingers to his mouth. He licked her cream from them, moaning softly.

  “Mm, delicious,” he whispered, before giving her a wicked grin. “Go see to your table, lady wife.”

  The low tone washed over her like a heated growl as he released her. He stepped past her and descended the ladder first. Eden watched with a grimace of dismay as he leapt down into darkness.

  Damn you, m’lord.

  She rubbed the side of her neck gingerly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t erase the feel of him. Cursing her weakness, she followed him down.

  You were not supposed to rule my defenses so readily. I’ll have to be more careful of you in the future, my dear husband.

  Vladamir hid in the darkness, waiting until he saw Eden walking to the hall. With the soldiers camped outside the wall, the men of Lakeshire were on the highest alert. The duke had given his men orders to keep an eye on Eden when she was alone about the bailey so that nothing would happen to her. However, she wasn’t to know about it.

  One of the knights standing watch along the wall had seen her walking in the bailey and had sent word that his wife might be trying to escape. Vladamir went after her, though he hadn’t been concerned by the report. He was more worried about her standing in harm’s way. Somehow, he knew she wouldn’t leave him. She’d given her word.