She realized soon into her escapades that the vampire could very possibly know what she was doing in her bedroom most nights. She knew of the ability to hear through walls and sense individual humans and monsters alike through the stone. The first time he melted into the hallway to interrupt her discussion with her gentleman, Walter; Integra nearly clutched her palm to her chest out of shock. She hadn't known vampire to be so able with their shadows. Strong yes, one expected strength from such a creature, but the facility to forgo doors in preference to bending one's own matter—well she had never heard of such a thing.
So, when she began playing at night before sleep (and sometimes with the intention to help her find sleep after a particularly difficult day) a few years after the first incident with Alucard's blatent disregard for solid barriers, it took her a few days to realize he could know. The man could know when she was doing it, and how it affected her. He could she knew. But, she also thought he must have the self-respect not to listen. Not to notice so much. She told herself this to save herself from the terrible embarrassment. All the same, she quit the activities before bed and reserved them for the times when Alucard was out or when she knew he would be sleeping heavily.
As the heiress became older, Integra gradually began her nightly ritual again. She simply needed the release most nights. She needed the small moments of softness in the dark, which directly contrasted with her day's work normally. She also needed to feel feminine. The woman had never felt the need to wear the skirts she did when she was a child, nor refrain from smoking or sharing a drink with Walter from time to time. She insisted on the title of "Sir" rather than "Madam" when knighted, knowing that in the eyes of her colleagues and those of the Iscariot Organization the attention to her sex would automatically make her different, if not lower than her peers. She would never allow for a physical attribute to dissolve her family name.
But, Integra did not hate that she was a woman. In fact it was another small aspect that the corner of her mind had stowed away for pride. And although she never felt the need to make herself up, wear lady's dress, or act feminine, she still felt she needed the moments when she felt for herself what she was physically and how that should affect her. There was a great pleasure in being a woman alone.
So, she resumed her almost nightly games, aware that Alucard could possibly hear, but choosing to believe be probably wouldn't. Whether it was for boredom at the act, or respect for her, she didn't care. He'd never brought it up, and she never said a word. As far as him listening in, she was sure he didn't.
That, however, was before tonight. The vampire count had made sexual remarks to her in the past, it was nothing alarming. He began slowly with his teasing when she was around fourteen, if she recalled correctly. She could not remember her age, perhaps, be she remembered the incident well.
He had come out of the shadows, just as he always did, as she was eating alone. The long mahogany table stood between where he appeared, and where she sat balancing the soup spoon on her ring finger. She had begun wearing men's suits already, and her jacket was draped over the back of her chair, exposing the skin of her collar bone down to her sternum through the buttoned down dress shirt. At about the same time she had switched to men's outerwear, she needed to also switch to women's sized innerwear. This showed slightly below the uppermost hooked button.
The red eyes bore into her and the figure began to move closer ever so slowly. He was not walking, the girl realized, he was floating toward her without moving his legs at all. She suddenly became very frightened. Was he going to attack her of all people? Why? She clutched the bottom of the chair she sat on rigidly.
The towering shadow was before her, from the hips down invisible beneath the table. He was standing in the middle of polished wood, the way a human might stand in the middle of a glassy surfaced pond. It was actually quite elegant the way his pelvis glided through the material. She found herself biting her lip, a trait she would latter demonstrate during severe mêlées.
The shadow before her spoke. "That was a brave thing you did today, Master."
Oh, the ghoul with the gun. She remembered, but she could not respond.
"Don't you think it was brave?" He pitched the voice up just a little too much at the end of the question.
She shook her head. "Of course you would have done better."
He chuckled darkly. "Indeed I would have, but you did a perfectly fine job yourself."
He leaned down then until his face was level with hers. He was close enough Integra could smell his breath, which was odd. She had always expected that if one came in close enough proximity to the ancient vampire they would realize that he smelled of death. Or earth at the very least. He did not smell of either. His breath, although coppery-sweet in scent, was not foul. His skin did not give any trace of rotting flesh or old blood. She was relieved.
His breath caught her hair, "Are you looking for a reward tonight? Do I maybe get rewarded by you for my efforts?"
She sat stunned. He had the decency to leave before the blush could form on her face. He did not exude the same courtesy with his laughter as he melted into the far wall.
Alucard had been gone for quite a while, and although Integra had been like Pavlov's dog waiting to get to her own personal tasks as soon as he was safely out of the building, she had no time for such affairs. The time away from the master vampire proved to be too hectic to her sleep schedule to allow for such pleasantries. So when the demon returned with the police girl the previous night and all was calm and well within the Hellsing mansion, she had retired to her bed chamber and changed into a nightgown. The heiress did not dress for sleep the way she would dress for work. Her gown was a soft cotton floor length frock with a sweetheart neckline, much like all her nightclothes. She laid herself into her bed, slipping between the sheets as she sighed.
It was a cold night, so Integra scooped the comforter up to her chin and worked beneath the throws. Although her body was liquid in the soft warmth, her brain was alert from the cool air against her flush cheeks. Everything felt heightened. It was as if someone had slipped her a sensitivity drug. Even the slight fog before her lips seemed to turn a soft color from time to time. It wasn't unsettling to see such color at the situation. The woman had more than on occasion seen brilliant colors as she peaked and came within herself. Sounds faded, but colors heightened. Always it was like this, but never had her breath changed colors and at this early into the proceedings.
She realized with only the slightest embarrassment than she had yet to touch herself. She laughed lightly into the dimly illuminated room at herself. It was only the gown rubbing against her tight chest that had brought her to seeing color so soon. I must not put myself off for so long. It's unhealthy. She laughed.
Slowly, she touched her fingertips to her hip and shifted her gown up.
She gasped, swearing she could hear something…off.
Sitting up in bed, Integra held the covers to her collar and glanced around. Of course she saw nothing. Turing her head toward the door, she called out "Walter?"
She frowned at the lack of answer. If it had simply been her gentleman walking to the kitchen, he would have informed her so. She lifted her lip slightly and exposed just the hint of teeth in irritation.
"Seras? Alucard?" She blinked as she felt she heard something from the adjoining room.
The tall woman swung her feet out from under the covers with a slight regretful groan. It was cold, and the floor was cold. She did not enjoy this.
"Vampire, answer me if you hear." She stood and walked to the wall in question. There was no one, yet she starred at the barrier for a moment longer.
The cold was creeping up her night skirt, and she felt something…else with it.
Suddenly, very cold and very impatient, Integra bolted from where she stood and flew back into the bed. It was enraging; she could feel herself tingling with hasty need to continue what she began. Throwing the covers over her, she barely allowed them to lie down before she was pulling at her gown, shoving it up and out of the way, kicking out with her heels to release the fabric from under her bottom. She had her hand there within seconds and hissed painfully as she felt her finger, ice cold from the air outside the covers, connect with her clitoris. Then, thoughts of the vampire let in. Images of his pointed smile assaulted her, his strong neck, his hands grasping at her gown, and worst of all descriptions; his hair tangling with her contrasting locks against the pillows beneath her.
She panted heavily. She had never envisioned him before. Of course with his propagating teases and gestures, she had always thought of him as sexual. She had never allowed it to enter her fantasies before, but tonight she could not resist the thoughts her brain spewed forth. Everything was pale and red and dark. Everything was sharp teeth with very able tongue.
She gasped as she arched up at the simple thought of his tongue. The first time she saw him in motion, he was using that long muscle to hungrily lap up her blood. She was sure he knew how to use that tongue.
"I couldn't…" she mumbled to herself, trying to block out pictures of his hips and pelvis.
She reached down and made room for her other hand, spreading her legs wider. Sliding in slowly, she imagined that tongue—that damned tongue—indulging in a different taste of her. Licking her, flattening the textured surface against her. She groaned and rolled onto her knees, breathing heavily into her pillow. Muffled sounds escaped her as she quickened her pace and she realized she was doing something very rare for her—she was crying out loudly.
She bit into the fabric and mouthed a word silently. She began pumping with her hips against her own hand and gulping back vocals much higher than her normal speaking tone. He was behind her, she was certain of it. Her own digits could never feel this intense, this good. He must have come in the room while she was distracted. She had no idea why, but she was sure he had involved himself. She didn't care. She was so close, so close, and the idea of him actually there behind her, pushed her over the edge.
She cried out, lifting her mouth from the pillow, calling out the word she had restrained herself from voicing before. She fell over on her side and closed her eyes as she gasped her way back to normal breathing. She opened her eyes slowly. Alucard wasn't there. He was never there, which was so obvious to her now. It had been her imagination and hormones making her insane, not the creature in her basement. In the last moments before she fell completely out of the waking world, Integra felt a small smile form across her cheeks.
The next evening she sat at her desk smoking. Leaning back in her chair with her legs crossed, she thought on the plans for the new menace in Cardiff. The doctor was a part of an associate organization yes, but it was technically Hellsing's jurisdiction to deal with the dead, not theirs. He hadn't caused any problems yet, and seemed a completely different breed of undead from the harmful vampires and ghouls, but Dr. Harper would still need to be investigated soon.
The shadows against the wall to her left rippled slightly and she watched calmly as Alucard emerged. He bowed to her and replaced his hat as he stepped closer to her desk. His stance was at ease, with his gloved hands in his pockets and a slight smirk across his features. He waited for her to speak first. Integra obliged him.
She removed her vice from between her lips and balanced the cigar between her forefinger and middle. She glanced up at him over her lenses and smiled. "You look like the cat who caught the canary. Want to enlighten me?"
He smiled wide and chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders.
The mirth was infectious. "What's got you so coy, Alucard? Can't you tell me?"
He removed his glasses and reveled his vermillion orbs. He looked at her, expression unflinching for quite some time before he rested his weight on one leg and said:
"That was an enticing show I witnessed last night."
She nearly dropped her smoke as her smile wavered. She blinked and tried to regain her composure. "You saw that did you? I thought you might have popped into the next room."
He nodded languidly. He bent, moving in to close the distance between their faces. He seemed to look at her slowly and breathe her in for just a moment as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he almost looked as if he had the faintest of blush under his eyes. Almost.
"I found myself simply panting when you called out my name." He inhaled again and retreated back to his standing position.
Integra uncrossed her legs. "You…" She chose carefully. Knowing the count, he would probably consider seduction an art form. "You sculpted my thoughts last night, didn't you?"
She watched as his hair seemed to grow longer before her, ever so slowly. As if she were watching an elegant strip tease, she felt her cheeks grow slightly warm.
He's smile widened. "I helped."
Quickly: "How much?"
"Honestly? Just a little. Just the start. No more than that."
She sat still for a moment, then she leaned forward to snuff out her cigar. She sat back with slow care. "Why? Another tease?"
"Why indeed." He licked his lips and she shivered at the reminder. He waved off whatever else he was going to say and retreated back into the wall, disappearing before she could react.
The heiress closed her eyes and breathed. She suddenly realized her hand was fisted between her legs and she removed it. She leaned forward with both palms supporting her on the desk.
"Oh God."