Tyra's POV.
"It's okay, it's me, it's just me" Eric tells me after I wake up in a blind panic. He'd started to stroke my stomach as I slept, and when the feeling woke me I suddenly didn't remember I was home, my sleepy sense confusing the coolness of Eric with the coldness of the basement and thinking I was still there with Brendan beckoning once more. This all leads me up to now, gasping for breath that I steadily regain, resting my folded arms on my knees and my head down on them while Eric strokes my back. I then wince as my side and thigh burn in pain again, lying back down carefully.
"I could fucking kill him for making me feel like this, especially around you" I tell him, my throat tight with a sob I refuse to let out. I will cry no more tears for that man and what he did.
"You can finish off what's left once I'm done. That is if I can compose my rage not to just tear him limb from limb" he replies, his voice bitter and cold.
"I'd like that, believe me I'd like that" I tell him, turning away and sniffing heavily. I won't cry, I won't cry.
"I can't pretend I know what you're going through right now, although I can pick up on it of course. But I know someone who will. I'll be back soon my beauty" he tells me, giving me a kiss (and a proper one too, now my lip has healed thanks to his blood) and leaving. Ten seconds later and Pam walks through the door.
"Hello Terry Waite" she says with a smile, referencing perhaps one of the world's most famous hostages. My predicament wasn't half as bad as his though. He was held prisoner for over a thousand days. I think my heart would have died without Eric for that long.
"Hello gorgeous" I tell her, smiling as she sits down and then leans in and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek. She then takes a proper look at me and looks sad, shaking her head.
"The motherfucker" she whispers, her fangs popping out as her anger rises.
"Do I really look that bad? Eric has kept me out of the way of the mirrors so far, and I was slapped around a few more times since I last looked into one" I ask her.
"You're eye is very black, and you're bruised heavily down this side of your face, and on your forehead here on the other side where the cut near your eyebrow is. But other than that no, you don't look that bad. Just like you but very tired, and very distressed. I don't blame you one bit either, when you have happen what happened to you it doesn't matter how strong you are, it knocks you for six. I know because it happened to me" she says, shocking me with what she reveals at the end.
"What? When?" I exclaim quietly and then ask her.
"A long, long time ago, when I was still a human woman, when I was a whore to be precise" she tells me, her eyes never leaving mine. Just looking into them, suddenly I can tell she knows exactly what I'm going through. She then gets onto the bed properly, and puts her arm around my shoulders. I rest my head against her shoulder as she begins to tell me the story.
"The year was 1871, and I was working as a prostitute in Tallahassee, where I originally come from as you know" she begins, while I watch her close her eyes and remember back to that time, and that place. "I right in the middle of the city, sharing a house with six other working girls. We all looked after each other, all looked out for each other. You had to back then; our profession was just so dangerous. It still is in certain parts of the world I suppose. I knew of girls who ended up having a razor to their throats after a job rather than a fistful of coins. It was so much easier for an unscrupulous punter to kill the whore he'd just had sex with rather than pay her. Murderers were rarely caught because it was so easy back then to get away with it" she begins, while I nod and look up at her whenever she turns to look at me.
"I made good money for a working girl; I could charge more because I was no bargain basement whore. I'm a pretty woman so I expected a better payout. And even though as you know men are not my preference I was talented, I could excite them quickly and thoroughly. I also carried a knife with me in my garter belt at all times, and I had to use it in threat on a few occasions too. Like I said, prostitution is dangerous. Anyway, one night I was walking my usual area just ten minutes from my home when I was approached by two men. They told me they'd pay me extra if one could have sex with me and the other watch, then swap over. Of course I didn't agree and began to walk away when suddenly I was grabbed from behind and dragged into an alleyway between the buildings. Then, everything just happened so fast" she says, her voice becoming a little faint as I nod.
"I reached for my knife, but the second man grabbed it and tossed it right out of my reach. Then the man who had pulled me into the alleyway held my arms behind my back while the other one began beating me, punching me in the face and head so hard I thought I was going to pass out. I kicked out and tried to catch him with the heel of my boots but he pulled out a pistol and jammed the barrel into my mouth, and told me if I made another sound he'd blow my head off. And then...then" she stops, her voice shaking a little. "Then they tore my petticoats and under garments away from me, and took it in turns to rape me at gunpoint while they both spat at me, beat me, and called me a filthy, dirty hooker. That wasn't enough for them though, they had to humiliate me further by robbing me of my jewellery, my money and any dignity I had left by tearing all my clothes off and leaving me there naked. I thought they were about to get away with it too, when through my haze as I lay there on the ground I saw something moving so fast I couldn't detect it, and then saw my assailants fall to the ground, both missing their throats entirely. The bodies were then dragged away at speed, again by something I couldn't see because it moved too fast. That something came back for me though. That something was Eric" she tells me. I didn't know a single thing about how Eric and Pam met before now, and I really had no idea that this was the situation they met in. I wouldn't have guessed it if you gave me a hundred years to either.
"You must have been so scared, when you know what's coming, the horror you feel is more real than you ever imagined. No matter how hard you try and block it out" I tell her, taking her hand in mine and feeling her squeeze it.
"Yes, yes I was. I was so scared, but I fought back at first like I know you probably did too. I didn't make it easy for them. So this is why I want you to know, and to never forget its okay to be frightened. It's okay to feel scared and vulnerable over what happened to you because no one will hold it against you, no one, and if they do you send them to me. Brendan is the one who should be feeling the shame, not you sweetheart" she tells me, her voice quivering with emotion as we just sit and hug each other. I never imagined I'd receive this kind of support from Pam, mainly because I never imagined this could have ever happened to her.
"I hate how vulnerable I feel, how even Eric touching my stomach just a moment ago made me nearly leap out of my skin in fright, all because of him and what he did to me. I accept why he did it, but it doesn't take the memory away of when he was actually doing it" I reply, feeling her arm tightening around me protectively.
"I promise you, you shall not feel like this forever. I didn't, and if I'm honest I was not as strong and confident as you are when I was human. Vampirism helped me gain that, but you don't need to resort to that because I know you'll get through this. Boden women are very, very strong so Eric always told me. I see that so clearly in you" she tells me, holding my face in her hands and stroking my tears that have come again with her thumbs. "Shhhhh, no more tears for him now, he doesn't deserve them" she adds, kissing my cheek and settling me again, actually pulling me onto her lap and cradling me like a mother would a child.
"Tell me what happened next, after Eric found you" I ask her after I've taken a few moments to compose myself.
"I remember seeing him standing above me, and thought he was going to do to me what he'd done to them. I remember how well dressed he was, he was so immaculate for one thing. Except for the fact he had blood all over him. He didn't look like the other men of the time though, even though he was dressed like one. There was something different about him. I was scared, but relaxed when he took off his long coat and wrapped me up in it, and then carried me through the back streets to his home. Once there, he had a maid donate me some clothes and draw me a bath, and afterwards when I was all fixed up and feeling a little better he sat me down and told me he'd been watching me for months, thought I was a strong and independent woman, and what he'd been looking for" she explains before continuing again.
"I asked him what he meant, and he told me he was something I would have only heard in stories, a fabled creature of the night. A vampire, and as soon as the words left his lips I was out of the chair and running for the door! But he blocked my way, told me to be seated and that if his intention was to hurt me he would have killed me where he found me, that he wouldn't have saved my life by killing those two men before they would have killed me. He sat me down again and told me that although my career as a prostitute was one he respected, saying 'a woman's body is hers to do with as she pleases' as he put it, that he thought I was better than that. He also said I should never have to go through that kind of pain and fear again, and that in making me a vampire I would never have to. He told me he'd wanted to make a progeny for many, many decades but had never found someone he thought worthy enough. He told me that after observing my no nonsense manner with my punters from afar, how I was always well turned out and many other things he wanted to give me a better life. By giving me eternal life and the power to fight off anyone who put me in that position again" she tells me, while I sit and take it all in.
"The most important thing I'm trying to say though is that Eric made sure that would never happen to me again, and he'll make damn sure of the same with you too. Right now all I can say is, I'd hate to be Brendan"...
Eric's POV.
After leaving Tyra with Pam there is one very urgent thing I have to begin. Moving to the basement I see Poontang coming out from the open door and stop to scratch her head before she continues down to the apartment. She'll be pleasantly surprised to see her owner back there after an evening of killing rats. Before I head inside I gather myself, restraining the anger pulsing through my system. He will suffer before he dies; I have to remain calm enough to keep this goal in mind. Walking over to where the man is chained up, forced to stand with his arms above his head in chains and one around his throat I stand about an inch from his face and just glare at him, watching as he tries to match that glare before punching him clean in the stomach. Not full force of course, or my fist would have exited his back.
"As I'm sure you can work out, you're in a hell of a lot of trouble Brendan. As I'm certain my lady warned you while you were beating the shit out of her and raping her, it's never advisable to piss off a vampire as bad tempered as I am. You see, I could feel every single ounce of torture you put her through, and for that you've granted yourself a lengthy stay here in my basement. Where I will put you through everything dared do to her, and believe me, I do mean everything...and much more" I tell him quietly, before biting into his ear and tearing it off. He screams in pain as his blood begins to gush, trying to fight back with kicks but finding that effort futile when I grab each leg in turn and slowly begin to build the pressure up, until he's screaming at the top of his lungs and begging me to stop.
"Did you stop when she begged you to?" I ask him before cracking his thigh bone in two. More screaming follows.
"I SAID DID YOU STOP WHEN SHE BEGGED YOU TO? ANSWER ME!" I roar at him, millimetres from his face as I hold my hand to his throat tightly.
"NO!" he shouts through his cries of pain.
"You showed her no mercy, now I show you none too. You asked for this" I tell him before kicking him in each of his broken legs, making him howl in agony.
"No, stop, I was forced to do it! Russell would have killed me if I didn't!" He begs.
"Save your begging, and your pathetic lies. You enjoyed every last second of what you put her through, just as I will enjoy every last second of what I intend to put you though. But there's a difference here Brendan, someone came to save Tyra, no one will come and save you from this fate" I snarl at him, before doing exactly what I promised when I said I'd inflict everything he did to her upon him, in short by removing my clothes and tearing off all of his before raping him within an inch of his life while he screams for me to stop.
"Once again, I can wager you didn't bother stopping while you were doing this to her" I tell him into the ear he actually still has intact as I grab a handful of his hair and yank his head back, carrying on, and on, and on. He's in tears by the time I'm finished, hysterical, ashamed, scared tears. I know Tyra would have always been brave enough never to let him see her cry. He's pathetic.
"Just remember, it's your turn to suffer now, and suffer you will. It doesn't end there" I tell him, before then beating him severely, my fists connecting with his face and body and breaking every single bone they meet. I leave him then, in total agony but not enough for his injuries to cause him to die. He can hang there like that for as long as I see fit and feel the fear and the dread of it all happening to him again, just how she felt at his hands. Picking up my clothes I leave the basement quickly and fly back through the apartment and straight into the shower to wash myself off thoroughly and then dress again.
"We've had a chat, and I think it's made her feel a little better" Pam tells me after getting off the bed and walking over to me.
"Thank you. I knew if there was anyone who'd understand what's going on up in her head it'd be you" I tell her, reaching forward and kissing her forehead before she leaves.
"How are you feeling now?" I ask Tyra as I lie down on the bed next to her.
"Better for talking to Pam, much better" she replies.
"I knew you would, it'll all take time before you're one hundred percent mentally and physically better again, time you need to give yourself too so until I say so you're not even leaving this bed unless it's to go to the bathroom. You are under my strictest instructions not to move a muscle while I look after you" I tell her, watching her raise her eyebrows.
"One little kitty, and one bossy boyfriend, oh yeah, I'm home alright" she says with a little laugh before wincing in pain and holding her side.
"Yes, home where you belong" I tell her kissing her head and watching her fussing the cat. I don't know who looks more pleased to have her home either between me and Poontang. She starts yawning pretty heavily soon after and I let her go back to sleep, taking the cat with me and heading over to the couch where I sit and switch off for a few hours. That zoned out time ends when I hear Tyra grumbling in pain, and turn to see her walking carefully back from the bathroom.
"Like pissing razors" she tells me as I help her back into bed.
"I can imagine. I can help with that too, if you'd be willing to let me touch you that intimately. The touch of my hand on your stomach spooked you enough, I don't want to cause you any further distress" I tell her, watching her smile at me and reach out and stroke my arm.
"It would bring me a lot of relief. It's so painful" she tells me, while I nod and then tear my index finger up on one of my fangs until it's bleeding heavily, then gently and slowly push it into her very sore looking vagina. She shuts her eyes tightly and winces while I let it bleed there until it heals, gently withdrawing it and gashing it again to rub blood over the external tears she has. I think I just decided I'm going to cut Brendan's dick off for this, for seeing up close the extent of what he's done here. Even more so for the news that follows a few moments later when Tyra goes back into the bathroom to fetch something. She comes back with a look on her face that tells me what she went in there to do.
"The reason I needed to pee in the first place was to take the test. I'm pregnant" she replies, sighing heavily and rubbing her hands over her face and through her hair, looking pained, repulsed even at the very idea. After everything that happened to her, and now she has this to endure too. She climbs back onto the bed and curls up next to me; resting her head on my chest and her arm over my stomach.
"I can take a pill to make it go away, it's no big deal. It only would have been if it got time to grow, then I'd need a semi surgical termination of course. I'll be fine, I hate the fact I'm carrying something of his within me, I really fucking hate it. But it'll be gone soon" she says, while I just press my hand into her back and then stroke her shoulders.
"It's a big deal to me, that you were put in this situation, and that this is now the end result" I tell her, frowning deeply. We sit there in silence for a few moments before her cell begins ringing, and I leave her to take the call from her father in privacy.
"How is she now?" Pam asks me when I enter her apartment a few moments later.
"Pregnant" I reply grimly. I'll definitely cut Brendan's dick off for this. As she stated luckily it's nothing that cannot be sorted quickly though, but still, he will be punished further for participating in this. After we spend the day sleeping (Tyra is permanently exhausted understandably and sleeps again easily, because of her injuries and lack of proper rest for the last fortnight) I take her for her appointment with Vivienne. Saying she wanted to spare me the misery she's brought Deborah along with us, so she can get herself some food from the grocery store on the way back. I'm glad she did, she needs help walking and pushing the cart and grocery stores are beyond my level of comfort. Well, I think they are at least. I've never been in one to test the theory. It seems a remarkably quick outing even with the forty minute drive to Monroe and back, and after she's eaten something she sits and reads the leaflet that comes with the tablets she has to take to make the pregnancy go away naturally.
"Basically it's only going to be like a heavy menstruation at this stage, since there's really nothing there yet. It says I might get sick or have an upset stomach, and to expect bad cramps. I took a pill while I was there; I have to take the second one forty eight hours from when I had the first and that's it. It'll be done with" she tells me as we sit together on the bed. She can actually sit up now with being in too much pain internally, so is sat between my legs leaning back on my chest right now.
"I'm glad, the sooner it's gone the sooner things will feel more normal for you I should imagine" I tell her, stroking her hair.
"When it's fathers dead too, then I'll be totally content. I'm just glad it doesn't get to live, that the poor little thing doesn't get to be sold to god knows who if it's female. Glad you got me out of there, I'll never be able to thank you enough for that" she tells me, turning her head and kissing my neck, resting her head there on my shoulder.
"You'd do the same for me if I was taken from you" I tell her, kissing her head.
"I would" she agrees, and I know that to completely true. Forty eight hours and a lot of grumbling about stomach cramps and heavy bleeding later and her very early pregnancy is in the stages of becoming non existent, and things start to feel more normal. Well, except Brendan is still in the basement, but I'm having too much fun torturing him to end that just yet.
Authors note - A huge, HUGE thank you to all for reading, and to those kind enough to leave a regular review. I appreciate your kindness so much :) xx
