Chapter 1: The meeting
The room was filled with the sounds of heavy breath and moans as she road him. He looked so cute under her, like an angel. Duchess smiled and rolled her hips, bringing her lover even closer to the edge. She lead her nails down his torso, scratching his skin, marking her way down with red lines. His back arched and his mouth opened to call her name. The moment she waited for. She quickly leaned forward and brought her lips over his, sucking in his very soul. His body convulse slightly, as his spirit left his body, and once this was done, she leaned back and licked her lips, satisfied.
Oh, he was not dead, no. She had only made him into her perfect slave. It would take him a couple of years to die; it usually took them around ten years to whither. Somehow, the younger they were, the quicker it happened. Now, he lived only to serve her, and she was the air he breathed. And would continue to be so, unless she ordered otherwise.
Duchess got up and ordered a bath, and Anton obeyed immediately.
Later, relaxed and dressed up, she decided to reward herself by visiting the L'Oiseau Rare, the Rare Bird. It seemed that the place was now very popular. What caught her utmost attention, though, was the male singer.
His person was covered in a mystery, and she loved mysteries…
~~00~~
The audience was filled with people, and as always, Francoeur was giddy to start the performance. He always felt so alive on the stage, and Lucille was there too…
...Lucille…
He looked at the empty place next to him. She should have been there already. Where was she?
~~00~~
Lucille knew she was running late, and it was all Raoul's fault. Ugh! That man! Just because she loved him didn't mean that he could occupy all of her time! Yes, his inventions were… interesting, but she also had a job! And now, as if to make things worse, she ran into aunt Carlotta, whom was looking for her.
"Lucille…!"
"Yes, yes, auntie. I'm sorry. I'll be there in a second." She tried to pass the older woman by and rush onto the scene, but the older woman grabbed her wrists.
"Wait. There's some very rich woman in the lounge. She came here especially for Monsieur Francoeur. Tell him, to, you know, smile to her at the end of the act, okay? She might donate…" Carlotta added the last part in a sing-song tone.
Lucille smiled politely. "I will auntie, but I need to get to the stage now."
"Okay, go. Go!" the blond woman waved her hand, sending the singer away.
Lucille quickly found her place next to Francoeur and sent him a reassuring smile, when she spotted his worried look.
"Everything is fine. At the end of the show, we need to smile to the person in the lounge, okay?"
The flea nodded and the curtain opened. The performance started. The duet once again succeeded. The whole cabaret was dancing, and the positive vibe could be felt even outside the building. At the end, as always, Lucille and Francoeur were both tired, but felt accomplished. They both felt that they could go even longer, but knew that was not exactly the truth. So they bowed and, as promised, smiled to the mysterious woman, whom they couldn't see very well, in the dim lighting, which tonight seemed dimmer than usual. After they exited the stage, Carlotta caught them.
"Oh, she was sooooo happy!" the small woman squealed with excitement. "You were both fantastic, as always, and she said to reserve the lounge every Saturday! And she'll be making donation! Said you are soo worth investing in!" she almost jumped around them.
Francoeur and Lucille watched her with polite, but tired smiles.
"Then tell her our thanks, auntie. And promise that we would always be happy to sing for her." Lucille said, and tried to once again escape her aunt.
"Oh, but you can't go just yet! I promised her she could meet you, now that the show is all finished," Carlotta stopped the duo and hauled them to the Duchess
The lodge was kept a little bit darker than usual. Only after a few seconds of allowing their eyes to adjust could they spot the woman sitting in a cushioned armchair. Behind her stood two men. The one on her left was a handsome, young boy, while the older man on her right, looked… withered. Francoeur remembered a movie he once watched with Emile and Raul, it was about something called a mummy. The flea couldn't help but make a connection between the way both the dried out dead body in bandages and the man on the right looked alike. They were just as dry, and just as lifeless. The woman in the chair, on the other hand, looked very alive. And since he was making comparisons anyway, Francoeur immediately thought of a spider, when he saw her.
She was like the complete opposite of Lucille. While the singer was the icon of purity to him, the Duchess had an aura of something evil around her. Her skin was tanned, her long, heavy, black hair framed her face in delicate curls, her black eyes stared hungrily at them, and just to add to the image, her dress, in similar style to the white dress Lucille wore, was jet black. She could be in her early twenties, both Francour and Lucille assumed.
"I really enjoyed your show." She said to them without any introductions.
Lucille once again called for her best smile and replied, "Yes, well. We are very happy for you, and grateful for the donation you'll be making to our cabaret, Mademoiselle…"
"Call me Duchess. Just Duchess," The brunette said. "Please sit down. You must be tired."
If you're so concerned about us, why don't you just say your goodbye? Lucille thought angrily, but instead accepted the offer. So did Francoeur.
"And you, Monsieur Francoeur. I might admit I was completely captivated by your performance. You are a very talented man." Duchess stretched her hand to him and he reluctantly accepted it, not really sure what should he do with it. Luckily for him, Duchess immediately retracted her hand, and continued, "I'll be coming here more often. Now, I believe we all should call it a night." She stood up gracefully, and the duet followed, "Goodnight to you Monsieur, Mademoiselle." Duchess nodded slightly to the two of them and departed.
"Good night to you, too," Lucille answered with a slight nod. Francoeur simply waved his hand.
~~00~~
During her ride home, Duchess was deep in thought. Puzzled, really. That man, Francoeur ( if she could call him like that at all!), he was something else. She could not sense any magical influence on him, still.
When she tried to reach his mind at first, she was shocked that no matter how hard she tried, he was far away from her reach. How was that possible? Even men who showed no interest in women were like open books, to her. What was wrong with him? And that was why she had invited them to meet her. That touch of his hand had told her almost everything, and it had taken her a lot of will power to keep her cool and not to faint from the mental exhaustion. He was a flea. A flea!
Sighing deeply, Duchess massaged her temples. It was just a little bit to much… but then again… it was even more intriguing. So she had gathered the little power she had left to read his emotions. That was easy, but once again she had to control herself. He had somehow sensed the danger she was, yes, and she knew that some animals could do that. But what had surprised her more was the devotion and… love. The love Francour felt for the young woman next to him. Unfortunately, she had not had enough power left to read Lucille. Women were always harder for her to read, they were more immune to her abilities. So Duchess just bid her goodbye and fled the cabaret, before she could faint.
"Anton?"
"Yes, Mistress?"
"When we get home, don't wake me up. Just carry be to my bedroom and let me sleep."
"Yes, Mistress."
"And don't forget to get me out of this dress, I don't want it to get wrinkled."
"Yes, Mistress."
Because the POV in this story is divided by multiple characters I've added some separators so you'd be informed of the change ;] I hope it helps.
And yes, the M rating is caused mostly by Duchess, but there shall be some Francille moments ;]
So please be nice and consider the fact that I do update quicker if there's some response to my writing. I have few chapter pre-written, but.. you know. reviews make me happy! So clicky, clicky on that fancy-shmancy button below. ;D
