Disclaimer See Part 1
Feedback: This is my first try and not being a native English speaker, it's so much more challenging. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, so feel free to drop a line or two at steinwillard80@gmail.com .
PART FOUR
Chapter 6
Inger sat up in bed when her bedroom door opened softly and closed with a soft click. The buzzing in the air gave away the identity of her visitor. She leaned over to flick on the light, but Paloma's voice stopped her hand mid-air.
“No…, don't, please.” She felt a weight settling on the bed. “I don't want to see the fear in your eyes when you look at me. It makes…it makes me feel like the monster I am.”
There was a deafening silence in the room after Paloma had spoken. Inger reached for her chest to rub the spot over her heart. Her heart ached at the sadness she'd heard in Paloma's voice and the waves of loneliness coming off her. Sitting up slowly, she gently groped in the darkness until she found Paloma's hand. It was trembling slightly and she slowly lifted it to her lips. She heard Paloma gasp when her warm lips touched the cool skin of her palm.
“Don't ever say that. You are not a monster,” she said gently. “And I do not fear you because you are a vampire.” She recalled the intense longing she had seen in Paloma's eyes earlier tonight. She gently tucked on the hand and she felt Paloma's resistance. “I'm…I'm sure you know why I fear you?” She once again pulled on Paloma's hand. Her intention was clear and she wished the light was on so she could see Paloma's eyes. She felt the vampire carefully trying to pull away from her and she tightened her hold.
“Do you know what you are asking of me?” She could hear the dread in Paloma's voice.
“Yes.” She tucked on the hand again. “Let me hold you until for a while.” There was complete silence for a few seconds and she gave a sigh of relief when she felt Paloma budge. “Let me help you keep the loneliness away, even if it's just for a few hours.”
She felt Paloma's hand starting to tremble again and she pulled her closer still. For the first time ever she saw beyond the powerful creature that Paloma was and sensed the hope at what she was offering. She gently stroked Paloma's back, all the while talking softly to her. Gently coaxing the Vampire into her arms like one would a frightened animal.
“Come lie next to me and let me hold you.”
Paloma slowly lay back and encircling her waist with strong arms, Inger pulled her tightly against her warm body, spooning her. After a while, she felt Paloma's shaking worsen and she gently turned her over to face her. Paloma was crying! Humbled, that this strong woman was allowing her to see her in this state, Inger pulled her closer again and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Hush now.” She gently rocked the vampire in her arms until the shaking stopped and she was lying quietly in her arms. She didn't loosen her hold, but held her tighter still. She could feel the sadness of the vampire pounding through her and she pulled her even tighter still, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. “I got you now. It's going to be okay.”
^^^^^^
Paloma didn't feel ashamed for having given in to a moment of weakness. No one has ever seen her in this state, except for Inger. And still she didn't feel embarrassed. It all just felt right.
This was her woman, and she was going to do everything in her power to claim her as such. With her face buried in her neck, Paloma heard the warm blood rushing though Inger's veins, but she was quickly distracted by the soft feminine scent of the young woman. She smelled of hope and for the first time in 2 000 years, she'd found peace. Her demons vanquished by the soft, gentle touch of a 20 year old human girl. Maybe one day she will tell her about Lucia. If she wants to claim Inger, she will have to be honest with her too.
Inger's hand continued to caress her back gently and Paloma had to fight the urge to purr her satisfaction. If her enemies should see her like this, her reputation would definitely be severely dented. The hand suddenly stopped and Paloma stiffened. Oh, no… What now? Did she say it out loud?
“I want to see your face, Paloma. Is it okay if I switch on the lamp now?”
Scared that Inger will see the shadows in her eyes, Paloma wanted to say ‘no', but she found herself saying ‘yes' instead.
Inger had to lean over her to reach the switch and the action brought her breasts close to her face. The soft, heady fragrance of Inger enveloped her made a slow heat pulse to life in her lower region and she swallowed hard. With her enhanced sight she could see the soft globes dangling just within reach of her lips. All it took for her was just to lift her head a fraction and she'd be able to brush them with her lips. Just then the light flicked on and Paloma looked up into Inger's electric blue eyes.
She felt a warm glow settle in her heart at the genuine worry she saw in Inger's eyes. It was far cry from the genuine fear she'd seen in Inger's blue eyes earlier. She hopes never to see that look in her eyes again.
Inger touched her fingertip to the dried red streaks on her cheeks and Paloma quickly closed her eyes to hide the fearful expression in her own eyes. Will Inger be spooked by the blood tears and eventually decide that she was in actual fact a monster who had no business being in her bed.
“You are not a monster.” The words spoken so softly, let Paloma's eyes flew open. Inger was staring down at her with a kind look in her eyes. “You are a spectacular woman. A legend. History books are filled with your accomplishments. Don't ever think of yourself as a monster again.” Inger bent her head and Paloma felt her heart skip a beat when she felt Inger's lips gently brushed hers. Inger lifted her head almost immediately and stared into her eyes.
Paloma felt Inger's pulse speed up and her blue eyes starting to smolder. This time the kiss lasted longer and more passionate. Inger cradled head in both hands as she explored Paloma's mouth with deep, open-mouthed kisses. Not wanting to scare her off and interrupt this magical moment, Paloma just lay there, allowing Inger taste her at her own pace. Inger lifted her head and Paloma heartbeat increased at the look of pure desire in the blue eyes.
“You see now….” She murmured softly. “…you are not a monster. Instead I turned out to be the big bad wolf for seducing you.”
Paloma didn't answer; instead she reached out and traced Inger's lips with her fingertip.
“You are the most beautiful woman I know, Inger.” The silver eyes moved up from the lips to Inger's eyes. “I adore your kisses. Please give me one more before I have to leave your bed for the long solitary hours of dreamless sleep.”
Inger smiled. It was almost impossible to believe that this gentle, timid creature begging for a kiss was the same one who'd almost forcefully touched her earlier tonight. She studied the nervous silver eyes before planting a trail of small kisses everywhere on Paloma's face until she reached her mouth. This time Paloma didn't remain motionless. Her hand moved up to where Inger's full breasts were brushing against her chest. Breaking the kiss, she caught a hardened nipple between her fingertips and gently rolled it to Inger's delight.
“Oh…yessss…” With that soft murmur, Inger crushed Paloma's restraint and her hand dived under the covers. She heard Inger gasp when she touched her gently between her legs. She captured Inger lips in a deep kiss. “I will stop if you want me to, cara .” She pulled away, their lips barely touching and looked deep into Inger's eyes. “Do you want me to continue?”
Without a word, Inger rolled onto her back. The invitation was obvious. Paloma felt her love for this young woman fill her chest threatening to rupture her overflowing heart. She gently wrapped her arms around Inger and squeezed her gently. I love you. I love you. I love you, she chanted quietly.
After almost 500 years of acute loneliness, Paloma had trouble trying not to rush Inger as she quickly flicked open the buttons on Inger's silk pajama top. When the material fell away, two beautiful rounded breasts with big dark nipples were exposed to her hungry gaze. Groaning her appreciation, Paloma stared at the rich bounty for a few moments before latching onto a dark nipple. At the same time her hand slipped into the pajama pants. She smiled inwardly when she found Inger already wet down there. She gently circled Inger's throbbing clitoris with her fingertip, all the while sucking gently on her nipple.
^^^^^^^^^^^
Inger felt like she was going to explode with pleasure. She never doubted for a minute that Paloma would be a great lover, but experiencing it first hand left her breathless. She gasped when she felt Paloma pinching her nub making her feverishly jerk her hips up and down.
“Easy, my love, I don't want this to end too quickly,” Paloma whispered around a hard nipple. She smoothly pushed two fingers deep inside her, making her jerk upright. The sliding motion started off slowly, but escalated steadily the louder she became. Inger heard a gasping sound and was pleasantly surprised to find that it came from Paloma.
The silver eyes held hers captive while she was stroking her deeply. They watched each other become wild with pleasure before their lips met in a hungry kiss.
Inger suddenly wrenched her mouth away, ending the kiss. “I can't wait any longer, Paloma.”
“Then show me how much you have enjoyed my touch,” Paloma whispered huskily.
She felt her body starting to shake as she sensed a big heat wave rushing from the deepest recess of her body, roaring towards the throbbing place between her quivering legs.
“I'm coming, baby. I'm coming……”
Her whole body shook violently as the pressure that have been building for the past few seconds gave way to tiny flames of pleasure which swam through her bloodstream, teasing her nerve endings and blistering her body from the inside out. Then everything went black.
When after a few minutes she opened her eyes again, the first things she saw were velvety silver eyes looking down at her. Licking her dry lips, Inger lifted a hand to touch Paloma, but she was so exhausted that her hand fell back.
That was the longest and most powerful orgasm she had ever had, Inger thought. She wondered what the health implications were if she had more than one of these every night - forever.
Paloma pulled her into her arms, kissing her cheek. “Sleep, cara . If you wish I can visit you again tomorrow night.”
Opening her eyes slowly, Inger nodded.
“Yes.”
Smiling, Paloma tucked her in and reached for the light switch. Dawn was but a few minutes away and she could already feel the sleep paralysis coming over her. She was just about to turn and leave the room when Inger spoke.
“One last kiss,” she gasped, still out of breath from her powerful orgasm.
This time she held out her arms and Paloma moved into them. They shared a soft, gentle kiss before Paloma loosened Inger's grip around her neck and tucked her in again. Inger purred softly and hugged the pillow tightly making Paloma take one last look at young lover before dashing for the door. The sun was almost up and she needed to find a good resting place if she was to be well-rested for tonight's adventure with her woman.
*****************
Tahlia felt her fangs slip out, but she bit down hard to them retract them. She slowly walked over to the crude wooden table in the corner of the room and picked up a piece of cloth to wipe her face. Without turning she spoke.
“I am not usually one to give in to violence easily, but I need to warn you that if you ever spit in my face or at any other parts of my person again, you will live to regret it.” Dropping the cloth and walked over to the man who was chained to a wall. “We have countless ways to make vermin like you talk and we will not hesitate to employ such methods. But first we want to give you the option of volunteering the information we need. What we will do in turn for you is to let you go free – but a few terms and condition will apply.”
She came to stand in front of the man again. This time she moved out of the way fast enough before the ball of spit could touch her. With a deep unearthly growl Tahlia's hand shot out and clamped around the man's throat. She tightened her hold, lifting him off the floor, straining the thick chains holding him prisoner.
“Don't, Tahlia. That is what he is counting on,” Jonas said coolly from behind her and after a moment's hesitation, Tahlia loosened her grip and took a quick step back. Her eyes burned with rage before they slowly faded to their customary black depths.
“Yes, you're right.”
Paloma stepped out of the shadows and the captive's eyes filled with hatred.
“ You will not get anything from me,” he spat out and Paloma nodded.
“If you say so.” Her voice was calm. She stepped closer to the man and grabbed his head between her two hands. “Let me give you an idea of the kind people we are and then we'll see if you still don't want to talk to us.” Her eyes began to glow a deep-red as she filled the man's mind with battle scenes from their past.
At first the captive showed no emotion at the violent scenes which were flashing through his mind, but after a few minutes beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. A little while later, his body became tense and he began to shake slightly as he tried to close his eyes to the scenes of death and carnage, but the scenes didn't leave his mind. Spittle ran down the corners of his mouth and then his eyes rolled back as he passed out.
Paloma turned to Jonas and Tahlia. “He will be out for a few minutes and once he regain consciousness the scenes will continue to haunt him. I will stay with him until he talks.”
“Tell me again, why we can not just bite him to get information?” Tahlia asked coolly as she looked at the man with contempt.
“Joan warned us that this group in particular experiments with drugs and other debilitating compounds which could be fatal to our kind.” Paloma walked over to the unconscious man, turning his head from side to side as she studied his neck and face. “Maybe they inject their spies with these drugs knowing that we would first think of biting them to gain information.”
The gate to the dungeon creaked open and Michael followed by Pierre and Juan stepped in.
“I just got some good news from the laboratory. The drug is ready. All we need now is to find someone who will be willing to shadow Inger during the day since she will be a soft target for Mecredi's men.”
A sound came from the side of the room where the slayer was chained. The minute the man opened his eyes and he saw Paloma he quickly closed them, but that didn't stop the relentless sequence of bloody scenes that flashed through his mind. This time it took only two minutes before the man caved in, but just to make sure that he knew they meant business, Paloma didn't cut the stream of carnage immediately.
“I will talk. I will … talk.”
“Good.” Probing his mind quickly, Paloma erased the thoughts she had planted in his head. Jonas and Pierre stepped closer to take over from her and Paloma moved over to stand next to Michael.
“I will do it, but I want the drug to be administered tonight.”
Michael turned to Tahlia who had been standing nearby listening to their conversation, but Tahlia's gaze was on Paloma.
“Are you sure you want to do this? The drug has not been tested on an ancient before. It might have crippling side-effects.”
“Yes, I am completely sure that I want to do this.” The silver eyes were expressionless.
Tahlia stepped closer and pulled Paloma into a bone-crushing embrace. Soon after Paloma had disappeared, she had crisscrossed the globe looking for any trace of her friend. After centuries of searching, she had finally given up hope that Paloma was alive. It had taken a long time afterwards for her to come to terms with the fact that she would never see her friend again. She had risen many centuries later and still had a dull ache in her chest, missing the Paloma. Now here she was again, putting her life on the spell for her daughter.
“I will always be indebted to you for going this.”
The silver eyes warmed considerately, but she didn't say anything.
“We have samples upstairs in the laboratory and Dr. Lorraine Carter will administer the drug. If you're ready you can follow me.”
****************
She felt stupid for having gone through all the trouble and not have Paloma show up. This morning when she woke up, the first thing on her mind was their lovemaking and she knew that they would never be able to go back to how things were between them before last night.
She'd called in sick for class and had stayed at the mansion the whole day, wanting to be close to Paloma who she knew was asleep in one of the underground chambers. After lunch she went shopping with her grandparents. She was walking past one of the boutiques when she'd spied a sexy little black dress. She rarely wore dresses but it was the memory of burning silver eyes, which made her enter the boutique. She wanted to look beautiful for Paloma, especially when she dropped in later tonight.
It was almost 4 am now and still there was no sign of Paloma.
She was just about to change for bed when there was a soft knock on the door.
<It's me. May I come in?>
<Yes, mom.>
Jemima materialized in front of her and took a seat next to her on the bed. Wide blue eyes took in her appearance.
“You look beautiful, Inger. I haven't seen you in a dress in a very long time. I believe the last time was on your prom night.”
She gave Jemima a weak smile. “I just felt like wearing one today. By the way, Grandpa insisted that I buy it.”
She felt Jemima's gaze on her and looked up into pensive blue eyes.
“She will come. If there's one thing I know, it's that Paloma is crazy about you.” She smiled when she saw the shock on Inger's face. “I know that you like her too. Your mother told me and I asked Paloma herself a few days ago.”
Inger sighed.
“Yes, but I doubt if anything will come of it,” Inger said and reached behind to unclasped the string of pearls. She was so stupid for falling for Paloma's sweet words. If she was really as crazy about her as her mother says, she would've been here already. Jemima reached out and stilled her hands.
“Why do you say that?”
“She asked to see me tonight but she still hasn't shown up. We … we…”
“I know. You've made love last night,” Jemima said quietly and Inger's eyes widened.
“How…we…” She closed her mouth and a dark red stain crept up her throat.
“When you were younger both Tahlia and I took some of your blood. We knew exactly where you were every minute of the day and it also enabled us to communicate with you mentally. We can feel what you feel at any given moment – fear, pleasure, anger. We usually block out most of it to grant you privacy, but some of the feelings are very strong and cannot be discarded. Last night was one such example. We blocked it, but we knew what was happening.”
Good heavens, both her mothers knew she was having sex last night. They surely experienced the powerful orgasm she had too. This means they must've also felt the butterflies in her stomach whenever Paloma was in the vicinity.
“You needn't feel ashamed at all, my child. What happened between the two of you was an act of love. As strong and powerful as Paloma is, she will not provoke the wrath of your mother for a fling. Tahlia will never allow that.” She gently lifted Inger's chin and looked meaningfully into her eyes. “There is really not much difference between the kind of person your mother is and the person Paloma is. They are honorable, passionate and loyal. Believe me, child, Paloma will show.”
“I hope you're right, mom, because right now I feel like an idiot for dressing up and being stood up.”
Tenderly kissing her brow, Jemima came to her feet.
“Sleep tight, my love. Your mother's just arrived and I'm sure Paloma is not far behind.” She disappeared in cloud of mist.
Inger got up and walked to the bathroom to wipe the make-up from her face and change into her pajamas when the bathroom door opened softly. She heard the faint buzzing and turned away from the mirror. There in the doorway stood Paloma, beautiful, sexy and slightly sheepish-looking. The silver eyes were warm as they moved over her body and Inger felt her anger and disappointment evaporate. They stood looking at each other for a few seconds before Paloma broke the silence.
“I'm sorry for being late, cara .” She brought her hand from behind her back and Inger stared at the single red rose. “We were kept longer than we anticipated, but I rushed over as soon I could.” She held out the rose.
“Thank you. It's very beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you. Nothing compares to you, you know?” Smiling at the poetic words, Inger looked up at Paloma. The silver eyes were serious and looking closer she saw the dark shadows under Paloma's eyes.
“You look tired?”
“It was a very busy night.” The silver eyes slowly traveled over her again, lingering on her long exposed legs and then back to her blue eyes. “You look beautiful. I love the dress.”
They once again just looked at each other and this time Paloma stepped closer and pressed her lips against Inger's. “I've missed you a lot.”
Inger placed her hand against Paloma's cheek. “I missed you too.”
With that declaration in the open, Paloma took Inger in her arms and kissed her gently. When they came up for air, Inger took Paloma's hand and led her to the bedroom.
“You really look exhausted tonight. Let me hold you for a while.”
Arm in arm they left the bathroom. They were but a few feet away from the bed when Paloma's knees buckled suddenly and she crashed to the floor. The sliver eyes were almost white as they lifted to look at her and Inger took a quick step closer.
“Paloma! What's happening, Paloma?” Her voice was laced with panic as she gently stroke over the Vampire's clammy forehead with a trembling hand. Paloma reached out to touch her face, but halfway through the action the silver eyes rolled back in their sockets and the hand dropped limply.
Inger rushed to the door and down the hallway to her parents' bedroom, just as they were getting ready to go to ground.
“Mom, something's wrong with Paloma. She…she just passed out.” Not waiting for a reply, she rushed back to her room only to find both her parents already there. Paloma was lying on the bed, her beautiful face pale and beads of sweat forming on her upper-lip.
“What's happening to her, Mother? Is she injured?”
Tahlia took Inger's hand and led her away from the bed.
“She will be OK soon. She just needs to rest well tonight.”
Looking frantically between the bed where Paloma was lying and Tahlia, Inger shook her head.
“There's something you are not telling me. What happened to Paloma?” Inger was shaking like a leaf now. “Please, tell me what is wrong with her?”
Tahlia pulled her closer.
“Paloma will be OK. Will you watch over her tonight? I will carry her to her underground chamber.” Inger saw the genuine worry in Tahlia's black eyes and Inger looked towards Jemima who was gently brushing a stray tendril from Paloma's forehead. “Promise me you will take care of her and that you will call me when something goes wrong. I will come immediately.” The black eyes became tender and she bent over to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Dawn will be upon us soon. Let's get to work.”
Inger watched as Tahlia tenderly tuck Paloma in. Whereas she had to take the stairs down to the chamber, her parents had just transported to the underground chamber. Dawn was about to break and she could sense it's approach in the sluggish movements of her parents, but she also knew that they will not leave her unless she was comfortable before giving in to their daylight sleep. Tahlia turned to her, her eyes were sunken deep in their sockets, a sign that she was feeling the rays of the sun and needed to go to ground.
“Call me anytime you need me.” Tahlia gently cupped Inger's cheek. “She will be okay, baby.”
“I will, Mother. I promise.”
Nodding, Tahlia took Jemima's hand and they came over to kiss her goodnight. Once they had left, Inger slowly walked over to the bed and looked down on Paloma's face. She's very pale and Inger felt panic rising in her.
She shrieked in surprise when a hand shot out and pulled her closer. The silver eyes cracked open slowly.
“I will be fine. Don't worry too much.” The husky voice was soft. The silver eyes flutter close again and this time Inger went to sit on the bed next to Paloma. She needed to get some sleep, but she will wait a few hours or more to be sure that Paloma was resting comfortably. The chamber was underground so no sunlight will reach down here. It was almost impossible to think that just last night she had been kissing those beautiful lips. Her eyes moved to Paloma's big hands and she shuddered lightly. The things those hands had done to her last night. She flushed. Here she was fantasizing about what they had done last night while Paloma was possibly fighting for her life.
She picked up a cool pale hand and rubbed it between her warm ones. She gently nudged Paloma and was surprised to see the silver eyes opening, before they shut again. It was already dawn and still Paloma was awake. Maybe she should call her mother. But then her mother would also be asleep right now.
<I am monitoring her vitals from where I am. She is doing fine now. You should get some rest too. I will wake you if she needs you.>
With one final look at Paloma's pale face, Inger left her bedside and walked to the stairs which lead to the upper floor and the bedrooms. At the door she turned again. Will Paloma be OK down here alone? Her eyes swept the room. Except for the large bed in the centre of the room, the room was barren and impersonal. She looked back at Paloma's stiff form and a shiver ran down spine. She was practically dead.
As a child she had one day slipped down to her parents' sleeping chamber during the day and found them both lying on their big bed. When she got closer she was scared by the stiffness of their bodies and the fact that there was no movement coming from their chests. She had rushed back up to her room, hiding in her closet, not really knowing what to think. That was when Tahlia's soft and gentle voice caressed her mind, reassuring her, telling her that they had a very late night and was really exhausted. An hour later her parents came to her room and they'd spent a large portion of the night with her, playing games and telling her bedtime stories. She smiled at the memory. She was always loved.
Looking at Paloma lying there alone, made her heart constrict. She was alone. Had been for centuries except for last night when she had lain in her arms. She slowly walked towards the bed and looking down at Paloma, she placed her head on the pillow and curled her body around Paloma's.
“Thank you.” Paloma's voice was soft, but the immense gratitude in the husky voice was unmistakable. With her eyes welling up, she pulled Paloma in her arms and closed her eyes. She was surprised to find herself dozing off almost immediately. Tahlia must have had a hand in it.
<Sleep tight, Mother.>
<You too, my Angel.>