Chapter 3: Death, Of An Innocent

I walked along the streets as dusk overtook the daylight and shadows grew longer. My thoughts go back to where it all began. The island and the woman I so deeply loved, Flower Of The Moon.

Had it really been almost a hundred years?

Had so much, and yet so little changed?

There were troops in town this evening, their bright red coats muted by the dying light.

I tried to ignore them as I made my way toward the inn, but it was not to be, a group of soldiers was approaching. They had had too much ale and were in the process of bullying their way along.

I wrapped my cloak about me and bowed my head as they passed, when the largest shouldered me aside, I scurried to the side, never taking my eyes from them.

I watched these bullies as they made their way to the local brothel and went inside.

I waited for these stalwarts for a half hour before they came out, the madam behind them screaming in anger and fear, her eyes streaming tears.

I approached the brothel and took the madams eyes into mine, "What has happened in here?" I interrogated her mentally and mentally she responded...

"The bastards! They killed her!! A child, a virgin. and they killed her!"

"Show me!" I ordered and the trembling madam led me to the room.

She was a young girl, a child really, no more than 12, perhaps 13 years old. She lay there, a small, fragile object, broken like a china doll.

They had beaten her, savagely beaten her. There were bruises and welts, scratches and cuts all over her body. Her arms and legs spread at obscene angles, impossible lest her bones had been broken.

I dipped the tip of my finger in a spot of her blood and tasted it. She had died a virgin.

"The soldiers tried to take her all at once, she refused, this is the result." The madam said... trying, it seemed, to shift the blame to this poor child. But it was she herself that bore the blame.

"And who brought the soldiers to her room?" I asked, my eyes holding hers, my mind squeezing hers.

"I did," she sobbed.

I seized the woman and buried my fangs in her throat. This was prey that was of no value to the world and would not be missed. The warm blood filled me, quieting the burning in my veins as I drank deeply of her life fluid as well as her life force, which was weak and thin.

When she had given all to me, and her heart ceased to beat, I tore out her throat and cast her on the bed next to the child, the death of whom, she had just paid for.

There would be some dead soldiers as well by the rising of the sun.

I started out of the room when I was confronted by two of the girls that worked there.

"The soldiers killed her didn't they Sir?" the younger of the two asked.

"Shh, it doesn't matter child," the older admonished her. "She's free of this place now, that's what matters."

Then the older one looked at me again. "I know you! You're the one what killed Mr. Jacob in that duel!"

I could not let them tell anyone they had seen me here, yet I didn't want to kill them...

"You will do exactly as I bid you," I locked their eyes with mine... assuming control over their minds...

"Take us to your room," I ordered the older of the two.

She lead us to a small room that held a battered dresser, a large rumpled bed with soiled linen, a chair and a tarnished mirror.

The women wore nothing more than the flimsiest of wrappers, so undressing took no time.

"I want to watch you pleasure each other." I said evenly, as I took a seat.

The women smiled at one another, they had been down this road before.

As they undressed I had the chance to inspect their bodies. They were quite pretty, especially for prostitutes.

The younger was the more voluptuous of the two. Her breasts were large and heavy, firm but by no means high. Her waist was in proportion to her breasts and hips and her legs were straight and strong. Like her older companion, she was dark of hair and eyes, and unlike her friend, darker of skin. Not a black, but more a Creole. Her pretty face was young, but not innocent. This girl had been here some time and had seen and done much for one of her few years.

The older of the two was slim, her breasts, also large, were firm and the long nipples pointed up. Her belly was flat and hard, flaring into smoothly rounded hips then continuing down to become long, well turned legs. When I looked at her face I saw a vision of courage. This woman, like so many of her profession, had been sold into this life in order to pay off family debts. But she had survived. She had never lost her will to escape. For this reason I found myself drawn to her, but I put that aside, for the time being.

"Get on the bed, both of you," I instructed them. "I want to see you pleasure each other, then yourselves."

The women began kissing at once, their mouths joined as their hands explored each other... touching, feeling and caressing one another's breasts, thighs, pussies.

Their breathing became more rapid as their passions built. This was not a mere mechanical performance, these women had been doing this together for some time. They shared feelings for one another.

The older one began sucking the breasts of her young lover, kissing and licking her large nipples until they grew firm and stood away from her aureole, proud and erect.

The younger one began to moan softly as she felt the older woman's mouth moving down her rounded belly to find her lush patch of dark curls.

She gasped as her pussy felt the contact. I could hear the wet sucking sounds that the older woman's mouth made as she drew her lovers pouting lips into her mouth.

There was a rustle of bedclothes as the women changed position. Now they were laying together, their heads between the others legs. Two mouths loving two pussies, wetly, passionately.

Moans of pleasure emanated from the creaking bed as the women continued to lick and suck each other. A gasp, a groan, a word of affection, interspersed with the wet sounds of their mouths upon each other.

I could feel myself becoming hard as I sat there watching this erotic performance, but I knew it would serve me no purpose to join them. I merely watched as each woman brought the other to orgasm.

Theirs were demonstrative orgasms, filled with moaning and tossing about in the grip of their passion. After some moments of orgasmic bliss, they rolled away from one another and lay there, catching their breath and regaining their composure.

The older one sat up and looked at me, "Would you like me to take care of you Sir?" She asked, her eyes fixed upon the bulge in my breeches.

"Perhaps another time. I would like to watch your pleasure yourselves now while I pleasure myself." I unfastened my breeches and freed my erect cock.

Both women eyed it with professional interest as I began to slowly stroke it up and down.

"Now I want to see how you pleasure yourselves."

The younger one sat on the edge of the bed, legs apart, and ran her hands over her large breasts, cupping them, kneading the warm flesh, then lifting first one, then the other, to her lips to suck and lick her own nipples.

The older one knelt on the bed, facing me, and caressed her breasts. Too small for her to bring them to her lips, she contented herself with manually stimulating them, her thumbs teasing her nipples to erection before one hand ran down her flat belly and her fingers buried themselves in her now soaking pussy.

The younger one had changed positions and was now on her side, one leg raised. She had taken a candle and had inserted it in her pussy - while her finger probed her ass - moving slowly in and out as she guided the candlestick with her other hand. Her mouth was open and she was breathing rapidly again, her body beginning to sweat. In and out she moved, the candle and her hand in alternating rhythm, as one went in, the other was drawn out. She would soon be ready to climax.

The older woman was content to use her fingers, two in her soaking, hot, pussy, her thumb in her clutching asshole.

As I watched, I continued to stroke my hard cock, slowly, up and down the hard shaft as my balls churned but refused to fill.

I looked to the bed once again, the younger one had her eyes closed as she imagined herself in the arms of some dream lover. The older woman's eyes were fixed upon my cock. As my hand moved up and down, her fingers moved in and out. I could see she was imagining that it was I that was fucking her and not herself.

I moved to the bed and knelt behind the women, I picked up the stroking of my cock again as I bid them not to stop. The wet sounds that came from their sopping pussies told me that they had no intention of stopping.

I placed my lips on the younger ones throat, I could feel how close she was. I reached over and caressed her full, heavy, breasts urging her to cum.

She responded as I had expected, her orgasm was powerful as her blood began to course through her veins, hot, rich, blood. Blood being borne along by a tide of passion.

My fangs went painlessly into her throat, piercing her jugular vein.

The blood that flowed was hot, clean, rich. Full of the life that this woman lived with such gusto. The sensation of my lips on her neck drove her to a higher level of passion as she came in torrents, her heart pumping her blood faster and faster through her into my mouth. Just before the point of no return, I withdrew my fangs and let her lay back on the bed.

I moved to the older woman and knelt behind her. She reached back and took my rigid cock in her hand and began stroking it as her fingers moved in and out of her own body. My lips grazed her throat. She too was at the point of orgasm. I reached around her and cupped her breasts, pulling her back toward me I felt her warm skin on me. Her breasts heaving as the nipples grew harder and her hands moved faster, stroking my hard cock as she pumped her fingers in and out of her own pussy and asshole.

As she came, her grip upon my cock grew tighter. When my fangs slid into her vein, the grip became tighter still. Her blood was as rich as the younger ones, perhaps richer, it flowed quickly and was sweet and hot, pushed along by her, considerable, passion and sweetened by her apparent attraction to me. As I felt her life force approaching I withdrew, letting her lay back on he bed.

I looked down at the two women and made a quick decision. I entered their minds and found that the younger was called Antoinette, the older Samantha.

"Antoinette - hear and obey me." I instructed her sleeping mind, "when you awaken you will recall nothing of me or this time we have spent. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Samantha - hear and obey me." I entered her mind now, "when you awaken you will remember only that you must come to me when I call. You will not recall my face, or anything that has gone between us. Do you understand? You are to come to me when I summon you."

"Yes. I understand. I will come to you when you summon me."

"Now sleep, and forget," I pressed my fingers to the temples of each sleeping woman and left the room.

I made one more stop before leaving, the room of the madam. In there I found the 'deeds' to all of the girls as well as a small chest of gold pieces. I helped myself to a large portion of the gold then made a small fire of the 'deeds.' At least no proof remained that would convince an honest magistrate, and there was enough gold left for the girls to use to corrupt the other kind.

These tasks done, I left the brothel and headed toward my rendezvous with the Army of The Crown.

Retribution

It was approaching curfew as I reached the inn where these soldiers were quartered. They had seized the inn when they arrived and, so far, the innkeeper had seen little if any payment.

I approached around the back of the inn, assuming the aspect of a beggar for the time being. I slipped in through the rear door and immediately seized the mind of the innkeeper who had been in the kitchen.

"I am here to help you. Do you understand?"

The innkeeper nodded.

"Have you any family here in the inn tonight?"

"None Sir. There's just me... and the soldiers."

He said the word with no small measure of disgust.

"In this purse is enough gold to get you and your family away from here. Go to your home and gather your family and head north."

I pressed the purse into his hands.

"When you wake, you will not remember me, or our talk. You will go to your family and you will all leave this town, tonight." I looked hard into his eyes "Do you understand?"

"Yes milord. I understand."

"Now go."

The terrified man clutched the purse and ran from the rear of the inn.

I peered into the common room. There were a few soldiers in there, in varied states of intoxication, but none of the ones I had seen earlier at the brothel.

One by one I entered the sodden minds of the drunken men. One by one they passed into a deep sleep.

I slipped upstairs to the sleeping rooms, loud snoring came from both sides of the hall. Quietly I stole into the first room. I was lucky, asleep on pallets were six of the seven soldiers I sought. On a bed next to the wall lay the seventh, the biggest of the group, and the worst bully. I looked about the room and found a bayonet on one of the belts. I removed the long knife and tested the edge, sharp enough I judged as I slipped from the room.

In all there were four sleeping rooms, the others held four men each. Starting at the other end of the hall I went into each room and quickly slit the throat of every man there. One by one I drank their flowing blood leaving only empty hulls behind. I did this until I returned to the room where my prey slept. As I reentered the room I assumed the aspect of the young girl they had killed. Though I had only tasted her blood, I was still able to take on her appearance. To add to the theater, I also allowed myself to assume the posture she would have had were she standing. The addition of the blood was a mere fact of having fed so well.

I slit the throats of the six on the floor and drained them before approaching the bully as he lay on he bed.

"Awake Soldier... awake and look at me."

The man stirred then opened his eyes. When he saw me he sat bolt upright in bed, fear flashed in his eyes, to be replaced by stark terror as he recognized my appearance.

"You're DEAD!" he gasped "You can't be here!"

"You're right. I AM dead. But I AM here. I have come to take my revenge on you as I have done on your comrades." My voice seemed to mimic the girls, higher pitched and feminine.

"It's a dream, a nightmare." He cowered to the wall shaking his head to clear it.

"That innkeeper gave me bad beef!" he exclaimed, then looked about him at his friends, their bodies drained and heads lying at strange angles.

With a sudden move I grabbed him by the head and dragged his throat to my waiting fangs. With no concern for pain I ripped his throat open and drank him dry, quickly, completely. Before casting him aside a twist of my hands snapped his neck.

I had fed and fed well this night, but I still had work to do. I went downstairs and gathered some lamps and oil and went back to the sleeping floor. I sprinkled the oil about, making sure to soak the stairs as well as the uniforms of the sleeping soldiers then went back down and repeated the process in the common room.

As I left I regained my own aspect and lit the lamp, then I summoned the wings of the night. Dawn was not far away, but I would still have plenty of time to complete my work.

As I stepped into the mist, I cast the lamp into the inn. It burst and flames quickly spread everywhere. Like the runners of some fast growing vine, the flames spread over the floor, up the banister of the stairs, to the sleeping floor, host only to the sleep of death tonight. The posts caught fire, then the rafters. Flames consumed the inn above and below. As the fire began to ignite the uniforms of the sleeping soldiers, I released their minds so they too, could enjoy the warm fire.

By the time I stepped from the mist I could hear the bells of the fire brigade and the glow of the conflagration red in the predawn sky.

This night I would sleep in the study, as I drifted off a face appeared to my minds eye. It was that of the young virgin, she had a peaceful look on her face as she mouthed the words I heard deep in my mind.

"Thank you." I heard in my mind, and I knew I had done what had to be done, and this innocent could now rest.

My mind relaxed, I slept, to awaken with the departure of the sun.

The Summoning

As night follows the day, I arose from my sleep surrounded by books. I looked about me and recalled the events of the night before. I also recalled the vision of the young girl, so young, so innocent, so violently killed.

I looked at my clothes, stained with the blood of the night's activity and was about to go upstairs to change when Bess entered the room.

"I was worried about you, My Love. You didn't return at dawn." She came into my arms and held me.

"I was down here last night, to allow you and Edward the room to yourselves."

"But I needed you last night. I wanted to make love to you as well."

She began to undress me as she pushed me back into the large leather chair.

"Let me pleasure you, My Brother, " she knelt between my legs and opened my breeches.

Her touch was soft on my growing cock as she caressed and gently stroked it.

"I can see you want me as well, My Love." She purred as she lowered her mouth to the swollen head of my, now, erect cock.

Her breath, warm and moist, whispered over my prick as her lips sealed themselves over the small slit and she took me into her mouth with maddeningly slow and deliberate movement of her mouth.

I could feel her lips caressing my shaft as it passed into her hot, sucking mouth, her tongue pressing along the large vein, then swirling around, just beneath the head.

After what seemed an eternity the head of my cock passed into her tight throat and she began moving her head, up and down.

Waves of pleasure rolled through my body as Bess' expert mouth and gentle fingers worked their magic on me.

I could feel orgasm swelling up in my belly, building and boiling as my balls began to fill.

Bess took them in her soft hand and tenderly fondled them, all the while caressing my rigid cock with her wet tongue and sucking mouth.

She buried her nose in my pubic hair, then slowly drew back until only the head remained trapped in her mouth, then drove my straining cock deep into her mouth, lodging the throbbing head in her throat.

I gripped her head and held her there as my balls emptied themselves into my engorged shaft. Hot semen surged upward to flood Bess' hungry, sucking mouth and pour down her eagerly waiting throat.

Spasm after rapturous spasm racked my body as my pulsating cock sent more and more of my scalding cum poring into her, and she swallowed every drop until she had milked me dry.

Bess released my softening prick and sat back on her heels, delicately licking her lips so that none of my cum would be lost.

"Have you asked him yet?" Edward's thoughts intruded on the moment.

"Asked me what?" I looked at Bess' face.

"Come in Edward," she called and the young man walked into the study.

"What is it you wanted my sister to ask me?" I looked steadily at him.

"I have so many questions Thomas. Many were answered as I slept, but that too raises questions." He looked frightened, "I am so confused, there are so many thoughts invading my mind. I think I'm going mad."

I leaned back and chuckled... "Welcome to the realm of the undead Edward. We all have much to learn." I sat forward, my face took on a serious expression, "You're not going mad, Edward. What invades your mind are the thoughts of the rest of our kind. In time you will acquire the ability to push these other thoughts into the back of your mind. Then selecting only those which you want to receive. It takes time, I know."

Bess, too was curious now, "Is that how I learn so much while I sleep?"

"Exactly," I confirmed. "The minds of all our ancestors and kinsmen are feeding you information every second. It is difficult to isolate a mind, or group of minds while you're resting, but it can be done. You will learn the lore of our kind in this way. You will learn what endangers us, as well as what we thrive upon. Most importantly, you will learn what we are and what we are not."

"What are we, Thomas?" Bess asked, leaning on Edward.

"Let me first tell you what we are not." I looked at my enraptured students and went on "We are not evil creatures, no more than the wolf, or eagle, or any other predatory animal is evil. But neither are we mortal, not anymore. We are neither living nor dead, hence the term undead has been given us, probably by the Christian world to identify us as some sort of ghostly minions of Hell."

They were both still spellbound, so I went on. "We are a tribe of immortal creatures, warriors. Our line traces back further than recorded time knows, and it grows night after night."

"Thomas?" Edward interrupted with a question, "You say we're immortal, yet we can be killed, is that correct?"

"Yes Edward - we can be killed." Briefly the image of Flower Of The Moon passed before my eyes, then was gone. "But it isn't easy. Sunlight is our greatest danger, to be caught in the rays of the sun for more than a few seconds, is death, final, absolute, eternal death." I paused for effect then, "Fire is another danger to us. Once ignited our bodies will burn quickly, again with death being the result." I struggled with the next statement, the image of Flowers head, laying severed from her loving body was a difficult one to handle, "Beheading. If an enemy, or prey has a long sword, or ax, beware. Should they succeed in striking your head from your body, a slow and very painful death will result."

We all sat in silence as we shared the vision of that day, so long ago, when I lost Flower.

Bess came to stand beside me, her hand on my shoulder. "You have kept that from me for so long, My Love."

"It is still painful, but you both needed to know, be made aware that we CAN be destroyed."

"Sir?" Edward had another question, "There are many legends and wives tales about va - our kind, the Cross, wooden stakes, reflections, shadows, garlic and wolfsbane."

I was able to smile, Edward was bright, he was asking the right questions, those that had to do with survival.

"Edward, Bess, we survive BECAUSE of the legends, the myths, the wives tales. The Cross is a symbol that I, for one, dislike, but those reasons are my own. Since we are NOT intrinsically evil, it has no ill effect. The wooden stake?" I chuckled, "They'd be in for a surprise should they try and pierce my breast with one."

"As for reflections and shadows, these are things of the light. We are creatures of the dark, thus shadows and reflections are not a part of our world. Be wary of this fact, both of you. In public avoid places with many, or any, mirrors. In time you will be able to create the illusion of a shadow, but for the time avoid such places as shadows or mirrors are present. Remember, people don't believe we exist, but they still fear us. Such is the mortal mind, shallow and easily confused. Concealment and disguise are our best defense, and the disbelief of mortals is our best disguise."

I smiled a wry smile, "As for garlic and wolfsbane, I for one don't mind either one, though I'd scarcely eat wolfsbane."

I stood up abruptly, "Now go so I may change my clothing for this evenings hunting."

"Why not summon Samantha?" Bess inquired of my mind.

I smiled, "Not a bad idea, My Love, I just might."

Alone in my study once more, I sat back and closed my eyes, I sent my thoughts out, through the shadowed night. "Samantha," I called, "Samantha, come to me..."

Images entered my mind, Samantha and her young friend Antoinette servicing a proper gentleman of the town, their tongues licking up and down his erect shaft as Antoinette stroked and caressed his balls. Interestingly, I was viewing this through Samantha's eyes.

Samantha stopped abruptly and looked around, unsure of what her mind had told her.

"Samantha, remember and come to me - now."

"I hear your command, milord," her mind answered.

I changed into less formal clothes, soft loose breeches and a silk shirt then relaxed and waited for Samantha.

Samantha

In less than an hour there was a knock at the door. Sassy answered it and told me a coachman was outside wanting to be paid.

I went to the door and handed him a gold piece as I saw Samantha stepping down from the coach.

She was wrapped in a velvet cloak, deep wine red,. her slippers matched her cloak.

"A prostitute she may be," I told myself, "but she carries herself like a lady of quality."

She walked gracefully up the walk and as I held the door open for her, she entered.

In the foyer she extended her hand to me, I kissed it, of course.

"Samantha, my dear. Welcome to my home. You look very lovely this evening."

"Thank you Sir, but I'm afraid, I don't, ah," she looked very confused.

"Please, come into my study and have some sherry. Then perhaps I can explain things to you."

She sat in the large chair, and sipped the sherry I had poured for her. I was wondering why she still had her cloak wrapped about her.

I entered her mind, I had to know more about this woman.

What I learned surprised me only a little. She was, in fact, born a lady of quality, and married a man about as wretched as my sister's late spouse. Samantha's family had, of course disowned and disinherited her, leaving the couple to succeed, or fail, on their own. Married no more than five years the couple came south from the northern colonies to seek their fortune here.

Her husband, after selling Samantha to a brothel to pay off his gambling debts, was killed in a dispute over the ownership of a team of horses. She was left alone, without family, and without means. A virtual prisoner in the house, she had persevered, always hoping for some means to escape.

I could have nothing but respect and admiration for this woman.

Still inside her mind I told her some about me, and what I had done that night we met. Then I withdrew from her to allow her to collect herself, and her thoughts.

She sat there, a pensive expression on her face as she considered what she had learned.

"You did a noble and honorable thing that night Thomas. She was no more than a child when she was brought there, her family sold her to that brothel, SOLD her, even as I was sold." Samantha shook her head, there were tears in her dark eyes.

"She's free of that now Samantha, but she had to die to escape. I can offer you an escape in which you would NOT die. Of course, the 'deeds' have been destroyed, so there is no longer any legal hold on you."

"And I thank you for that too Thomas, but where would I go. Freedom is a fine word, but with no other way to survive, I would find myself in a similar place in so short a time."

"Samantha, I have this fine house, my sister and her man live here with me, but I need someone I can speak to, a friend, a lover. I feel a strong attraction to you, physically and spiritually as well. I offer you the hospitality of my home."

Samantha's face colored slightly when she heard my offer. Then she looked up at me.

"What would be expected of me Thomas? Would you require me to share your bed as well?"

"That choice would be entirely yours Samantha, entirely yours."

"You know that the townspeople whisper the most awful things about you, and your sister. They say there are strange goings on here, comings and goings in the middle of the night. They even say that your sister has two lovers here, and that you are one of them."

"They're right. My sister and I have been lovers since my return, and Edward, her young man, also lives with us. Does that shock you?"

"I've been a prostitute for two years Thomas," her smile was warm and honest, "the only thing that shocks me is that you so readily admit it."