Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
"Final Hours"
by Troy A. Stanton
(Author's note: This fanfic follows the events of the original story"Winds of Change" (written by me) and also incorporates a few elements
from the story "Drawing Blood" by Catherine B. Krusberg. I have her
permission to make use of her work as a source of material, so anything
"new" you see in here about D's past with Doris that didn't happen in
the movie is most likely her original plot material.)
WARNING: This story contains adult content, please do not read beyond
this point if you are easily offended by such things.
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((Day 5 - Eastern Forest))
To say they slept was neither truth nor falsehood. Their minds never gotthe chance to descend into the depths of slumber needed for dreams to form,
seeming to be caught in that most ethereal of conscious states where the mind
was disconnected from the body.... or at least thought it was.
Crossing the barrier back and forth into at least partial consciousness
was a highly erotic experience for them both, becoming instinctively aware of
the feelings their bodies continued to undergo as they remained intimately
connected. Neither could fully remember the waves of bliss that seemed to come
and go like short-lived tides, ebbing and flowing almost rhythmically before
coming to a climax after several cycles. The resulting euphoria almost drove
them into a state of full consciousness before they were slowly lured back down
into that ephemeral realm of dreamless sleep and sleepless dreams.
Time in this state literally had no meaning, its passage unable to make a
memorable impression on something that was unable to even recognize its own
condition, let alone something that required a conscious thought. It seemed
that an eternity passed before D's mind finally drifted up towards the surface
of that ebbing and flowing sea, achieving consciousness at a slow pace until he
was fully aware once again....
....And wondering just what the hell happened.
The air in the cocoon was dangerously warm but not suffocatingly so, the
combined heat of their bodies keeping them feeling nice and snug despite the
drop in the outside temperature. It took him a moment to realize that he was
actually still inside her, not fully aroused but still able to feel the very
subtle motions caused by their breathing.
He paused to listen to her, not a difficult task in the slightest given
the fact that her head was still on his shoulder. Her breathing was slow and
even, meaning that it was likely she was still asleep. How she could sleep
with him still buried inside her was beyond him, but then again he had fallen
asleep as well.... right?
A quick search of his memories produced only fuzz, not able to remember if
he had actually fallen asleep or not. He thought about it for a few moments
before dismissing it as inconsequential, as he could feel the stiffness in his
joints from remaining motionless for too long. So apparently he had fallen
asleep at one point or another, despite their most unusual position....
He could feel his manhood start to react even as he thought about it, the
flesh firming up as more blood was directed towards it. His eyes parted a few
moments later as the ache registered, warning him that his anatomy had been
abused for the second night in a row and fairly hard at that. That hadn't
happened to him in a very long time, not since....
No, he thought with a mental shake of his head. Let the past stay in the
past for once in his life. All that mattered now was the present, that he had
Galen in his arms, in his heart, and hopefully in his life again.
He had to suddenly bite the tip of his tongue to keep himself from moaning
aloud as she suddenly squeezed him, sending a most delightful sensation racing
up and down his spine. Whether the gesture had been instinctive or conscious
wasn't known at the time, but it was very pleasurable regardless.
A very soft moan in his ear told him that she was indeed waking up, her
body gripping him once again as her hips gently rocked forward. The moan that
followed was distinctly louder than before, changing pitch to indicate that she
was very much enjoying the feeling.
"Morning," he said very softly in her ear, letting his lips brush across
the delicate shell as he spoke. He was answered with a very soft buzzing-purr,
giving him the impression that a very happy bee was trying to land on him.
((Not yet it's not,)) she murmured softly in her insectoid voice. ((D, how
are you feeling?))
He paused for a moment to listen to his body, making note of a higher than
usual instances of sore joints and stiff muscles. The worst was probably his
backside, feeling like it was three-quarters asleep and knowing that there was
no way would be able to walk straight until he worked the kinks out. "Fairly
well for sleeping in a tree," he finally said calmly.
((And this?)) she whispered as she clenched her internal muscles.
"Careful," he said very quietly. "I think I'm.... a little overworked."
He could almost physically feel his pupils dilating as she started to rock her
hips back and forth, just enough to produce an extremely warm feeling of liquid
friction.
((Sure about that?)) she murmured huskily in his ear. ((I think you still
have a little left in you....))
"Galen...." he breathed.
((Humor me, D,)) she replied. ((You simply can't imagine how good it feels
to wake up to you like this.... oh, god, D, this is incredible....))
D said nothing as he held still, squeezing her shoulders gently as she
continued to rock back and forth in a slow and gentle motion. He ignored the
dull ache rising up from his groin muscles, focusing instead on the velvety
sensation of being inside her. He estimated that only a minute or two had
passed before she shuddered hard, feeling her muscles clamp down around him in
a spasm of pure pleasure.
His eyebrows nearly leapt off of his forehead as his own orgasm seemed to
come out of nowhere, ripping through his being in an instant and releasing yet
another part of his life-energy into her. The orgasm was a weak one, at least
compared to the ones he had experienced in the past, but he wasn't about to
argue in the slightest as his senses briefly began to reel.
An explosive breath of air was released into his ear a moment later as she
exhaled sharply, her body still shivering strongly with the aftershocks of her
orgasm. She twisted her head to the side to try to kiss him, only able to move
part-way because of the cocoon shell surrounding her.
He did his best to accommodate her, leaning and twisting around in the
tight confines until their lips finally met. The light brushing immediately
gave way to a deep kiss as she hugged him, her breath still heaving fairly hard
in her lungs as she tried to calm down.
A cool waft of air surrounded them as the cocoon started to fall free, the
top covering slowly drawing back to expose their heads and his arms. The heavy
scent of wet forest registered on their senses a few seconds later, the trees
and ground still flush with moisture from the thunderstorm.
Given enough space to move now, they quickly settled in for a proper kiss
that continued long after her cape returned to normal and settled back into its
usual position over her back. The chill of the pre-dawn air flowing over their
naked bodies was a rather icy shock, causing them to both shiver lightly. The
shiver promptly made them both moan softly as their still-joined hips rubbed
against one another, further assaulting over-stimulated nerves and adding more
tingles of pleasure.
((Now this is definitely a way to wake up,)) Galen buzzed softly once the
kiss was broken. She tilted her head back to look at him, her facial features
clearly formed into an insectoid shape.
"Indeed," he murmured softly, carefully trying to stretch his arms. He
winced as they protested sharply at being forced to move, the muscles extremely
stiff at the moment. A few careful flexes restored active circulation to them,
slowly lessening the stiffness and pain with each pulse of his heart.
He looked up as she suddenly tensed, seeing a glimmer of pain and horror
pass over her face for a cosmic instant. The feeling passed as quickly as it
had come, leaving behind a somber and almost saddened look on her face. She
looked up at him and sighed quietly, leaning forward to gently rest her head on
his shoulder.
((It's starting,)) she murmured.
He frowned and cast a glance towards the treeline. They weren't facing
due east but would still be exposed to the full brunt of the sun once it rose
above the horizon. The sky was already tinted soft shades of red and orange as
dawn approached, reflecting off a number of light gray clouds that still dotted
the morning air.
"I'm here, Galen," he said quietly to her, carefully bringing his arm up
to caress her face. "I'm right here and I'm not going to leave your side."
She looked up at him and smiled wanly, leaning forward to kiss him before
adjusting her weight. She made a slight face as her hips slid back, removing
him from within her and sending a minor cascade of fluids down to the ground.
((Yeech,)) she muttered, her cheeks suddenly blooming into crimson radiance. She
glanced up at him and blushed even harder, embarrassed at seeing just how much
of a mess had been made by remaining physically joined during the night.
She suddenly tensed again, the soft contours of her face twisting into a
grimace of pain. The feeling seemed to disappear after a few moments, leaving
her quietly panting for breath as she gingerly cuddled up against him. She
sighed after a few seconds and looked up at him, knowing that she needed to
explain things to him sooner rather than later.
((This happens once a year,)) she said in a very soft tone. ((It's fairly
cyclical in nature, although it doesn't always happen at the same time from
year to year. I know when it approaches because I hardly bleed at all when it
is time for my period. Shortly after that, my back.... changes.))
He said nothing as he listened to her quiet explanation, reaching up to
gently stroke her hair. The gesture seemed to soothe her, a soft buzz drifting
up from her throat after a few seconds of tender comfort and affection.
((The cramps are mild and easily ignored if I sleep attached to a tree at
night,)) she whispered. ((The marks on my back continue to swell up until the
rest of my body is ready, like it is now. Then at the moment of ovulation,
when my body releases an egg to try to start a new life, the swellings split
open to release.... to release my wings.))
D wasn't sure which statement shocked him more, the part about the marks
on her back becoming wings or the part where she was at her most fertile right
now. And after having spent the past two nights making love to her, releasing
his seed into her most sacred of gardens....
"Wings?" he murmured softly, trying extremely hard to focus on the more
immediate problem at hand. The very real possibility that he had just gotten
her pregnant, or would in very short order, could be put off for a day or two
as there were no absolute guarantees. Assuming, of course, that they both
would live long enough for that to be a worthwhile concern....
((D.... they're beautiful,)) she whimpered softly, pressing her face into
his shoulder. ((Oh, they're so lovely to look at.... and I can't protect them
from the sun,)) she said, starting to cry again. ((They are too delicate, the
light of the sun destroys them, burns them.... burns me....))
He just held her gently, absently brushing his lips against the softness
of her shoulder. It made sense to him in a way, that if her wings were solely
a product of her Barbaroi heritage that they would also dominate her human side
in terms of constitution and resiliency. But that would also work against her,
as the strength of her one-quarter Barbaroi blood would yield to the power and
influences of her one-half vampire blood....
And burn up when exposed to the light of the sun. The rest of her would
be protected by the other half of her combined blood, but without that human
element to offset the violently fatal allergy....
He looked down at her as she shuddered hard, a protracted full-body shiver
accompanied by a very low-pitched moan. It wasn't caused by the soul-tingle of
the rising sun, but rather by the changes her body was undergoing in his very
arms. The spasm finally passed and she slumped against him, her chest heaving
from whatever pain or discomfort it had inflicted on her.
"Galen...." he started to say.
((Just hold me,)) she whispered, the buzzing tone in her voice making it
extremely difficult for him to make out her words. ((They should be ready to
emerge in a few minutes. Just.... just.... AH!))
Her cape suddenly began to move, rolling up in on itself from the bottom
edge until it was neatly coiled around her shoulders like a shawl. He glanced
down as she pressed herself even tighter against him, his eyes widening as he
saw how large the swellings on her back had gotten. They seemed to ripple just
slightly as she tensed yet again, her whole body shaking hard as her breath was
audibly constricted in her throat.
He felt slightly nauseated as she suddenly relaxed and slumped against
him, panting with exertion. Not that he was sickened by the sight of her back,
but instead by the feelings of utter helplessness. Something was hurting her,
soon to feel like it would literally kill her, and there wasn't a damned thing
he could do about it. A physical threat he could deal with as a hunter, and he
could probably even deal with most alchemical threats given the lessons he had
learned during his travels. But a genetic threat.... that was something well
beyond his control, and he didn't like it one bit.
His eyes closed of their own accord as she lifted her head up to kiss him,
their lips softly blending together in the gentle kisses that they have been
sharing for what felt like forever now. It didn't matter that it had only been
a little over forty-eight hours since that first exploratory kiss back in the
burrow, their souls recognized their respective mates when they encountered one
another. Even if it took their minds a little longer to figure it out....
The kiss was abruptly broken with a sharp gasp, her body lurching against
his in a hard spasm. She quickly buried her face in his shoulder, the air in
her throat rattling hard as she struggled to breathe. The skin of her upper
body began to darken as her Barbaroi blood started to assert itself, further
hardening the angular lines of her insectoid features.
"Galen!" he called out as she suddenly arched her back, her mouth open in
a silent scream. The frequency of her primal cry began to drop after a few
seconds, finally reaching the point where he could hear it as an extremely raw
buzzing noise that made the marrow in his bones resonate.
A faint tearing sound was heard a few moments later, accompanied by the
feel of a dangerously hot liquid dripping down his legs. The fierce monotone
buzz quickly increased in volume, seeming to fall silent as the frequency once
again became too high for him to audibly hear it.
A second tearing sound reached his ears as she convulsed hard enough to
almost dislodge her hold on the tree. She then remained perfectly still for a
moment before collapsing forward against him, a heavy sigh of relief exiting
her lungs as the tension and pain in her body seemed to melt away. She tried
to whisper something to him, but her voice was simply too distorted for him to
make any sense of.
"Just take it easy," he whispered to her, cradling her head against his
shoulder as he reached down to massage her leg. He had to actively fight his
instincts to wrap her in a hug, knowing that feeling his touch her back was
probably the absolutely last thing she needed right now.
He gave her a deeply worried look as she laughed very quietly to herself,
a sort of buzzing tone that alternated frequencies at a rapid rate. ((Wh....))
she puffed softly, ((Would.... you believe.... that was.... the easy part?))
"Are you alright?" he asked, trying not to imagine just how it could be
any worse. He remained still as she lifted her head up to look at him, her
multi-faceted eyes seeming to ripple slightly like a gently-shaken liquid. It
was like staring into the face of a giant insect, the only traces of her human
form still discernable were the delicate swaths of her eyebrows, the gentle
mane of blue-green hair spilling across her bare shoulders, and the softness of
her pale blue lips. Even so changed by her exertions, even forced into a shape
that was only vestigially human, he still found her to be very beautiful.
((Honestly?)) she said, the expression in her eyes unreadable. ((I've had
better days. But this one hasn't been as bad as others. Not yet, at least,))
she added in a subdued tone.
"Don't think of it," he told her, dipping his head down to kiss her. A
soft buzzing-purr started up a few seconds later, the frequency sending faint
ripples through both their bodies. The tender kiss lasted for a fairly long
time before she tilted her head back, giving him a soft smile before taking a
deep breath.
D blinked hard as he heard a liquid sound, looking over her shoulder to
see an iridescent mass unfolding behind her. It seemed to slowly untwist and
uncurl before fluffing out, twitching gently for a number of moments as they
settled into place.
"Galen...." he breathed in awe as her butterfly-like wings started to dry
out, their surface covered with countless tiny scales that acted as prisms in
the early morning light. Every motion that was made, either from her body or
his, seemed to result in a dazzling kaleidoscope of shimmering colors as the
translucent scales refracted the light in every direction possible. "They're
absolutely beautiful!"
((Thank you,)) she murmured softly, casting a glance over her shoulder at
the newly-formed wings. They weren't very large in terms of her body's size,
perhaps spanning sixteen inches from the tips to where they were anchored on
her lower back. She tried flexing them gently, causing them to waft back and
forth in slow motion. ((You're the only person other than my parents to ever
see them,)) she said softly as she looked back up at him.
She blinked and closed her eyes as D very slowly reached up, brushing his
fingertips across her upper back before carefully touching a fingertip to the
iridescent surface. The gesture drew a soft gasp from her as the wing twitched
away from him in a reflexive motion.
((Careful,)) she whispered softly, laying her head against his shoulder with
a gentle sigh. ((They're extremely fragile and sensitive to the touch.))
"I'm sorry," he murmured as he returned his hands to her upper back, very
gently rubbing her shoulders.
((Don't be,)) she replied, giving him a gentle hug before sighing quietly.
((Just be gentle with them and enjoy them while you can, they won't last long.
I'm.... I'm not looking forward to this, D, I just want to get this over with
as quickly as possible. I'd have you cut them off if I hadn't tried that one
before and almost died from shock.))
"Galen, please," he whispered, feeling a heavy pit forming in his stomach.
"Please don't think about it. I'm right here with you."
((I know,)) she murmured as she lifted her head up to kiss him once again.
((And you have no idea how much it means to me.... how much you mean to me.))
They lost themselves in the gentle depths of the kiss, warmed by not just
the quiet embers of passion both past and future but by the bonds of love that
they shared deep in their hearts as well. They didn't care what the distant
future might have in store for them, or even about what the immediate future
was going to dump in their laps. All that mattered was that they were together
once again, in each other's arms and in each other's hearts.
And then the shiver of the rising sun passed through them both.
Galen's head snapped up, her eyes started to widen with terror as she knew
what was coming next. ((D....)) she whimpered as she clutched him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked quickly, already knowing the answer.
((Just.... just hold me,)) she blurted out, closing her eyes as she felt her
back growing warm. ((Don't let go, don't let me go, just.... hold me!))
D nodded and tightened his grip around her, one arm wrapping around her
upper back as close to her shoulderblades as he dared while the other slid down
to gently grab hold of her backside, trying to provide support for her weight.
He leaned his head against hers as she buried her face in his shoulders, able
to feel the tension increasing in her body with each passing second.
He looked up as the edge of the sun appeared on the horizon, a mere sliver
of radiance that slowly spread as it grew. The forest canopy seemed to blunt
the worst of it at first, but soon the dawning light became intense enough to
slip past the leaves and branches with brilliant rays of orange and yellow.
Her iridescent wings began to sparkle like diamonds as they were exposed
to the sunlight, sending a cascade of gleaming rainbows in all directions. A
strangled cry rose up from her throat an instant later, quickly muffled as she
pressed her lips against his shoulder as hard as she could, the rest of her
body starting to tremble.
D felt his own throat close up as he saw what the light was doing to the
delicate perfection of her wings. The tiny scales began to darken, slowly
turning black as they were first dried out completely and then slowly seared by
the burning radiance. He tightened his grip on her even more as she began to
writhe around in agony, her voice straining hard in her throat as she tried not
to scream.
The battle was lost after a few seconds, her head tipping back as the pain
simply became too much. A scream that was anything but human ripped out from
the depths of her insectoid throat, the frequency high enough to make D's ears
resonate dangerously close to the breaking point. He leaned forward to press
his face against the softness of her neck, reflexively squeezing her with an
almost crushing intensity as his nerves were overloaded by the unholy sound.
He wasn't sure if the frequency scaled up to the point where he couldn't
hear her properly anymore or if his aural nerves simply shut down, but the
intense noise quickly faded away after a few seconds of abuse. He suspected
that the frequency had simply increased, as he was keenly aware of the feeling
of his eardrums still vibrating at a dangerous rate. He didn't care if they
ruptured, as they would fully regenerate within an hour if not sooner. Or at
least they would once the nerve-shattering screams of her pain stopped....
Most of her wing surface was blackened now, the very edges curling inward
as they continued to be charred by the light of the rising sun. It was all he
could do to keep his grip on her as she thrashed around like a wild animal, her
hands and feet threatening to be torn free from where they were buried in the
tree-trunk. The crisped edges of her wings continued to shrivel up and break
apart as he continued to watch the hideous and heart-wrenching scene, unable to
tear his eyes away from the ghastly sight.
And then her wings suddenly burst into flames.
It took every ounce of his self-control not to immediately let go of her,
to bring his hands up to try to extinguish the golden flames that were burning
her once-lovely wings away. He could feel the surge in heat against his arm
where he held her shoulders, threatening to burn him as well. The worst part
was the sudden smell, a truly horrid stench of seared organic material that
almost made him throw up.
Galen's screams of utter agony returned with a vengeance, seeming to make
the entire forest shudder from the raw power behind her throat-rending cries.
The claws on her hands ripped free from the trunk, sending a cascade of bark
fragments scattering across them both. She might have fallen back if it hadn't
been for his presence, his arms still wrapped around her body in an extremely
tight embrace.
He didn't know what to do, how he could possibly help her cope with the
excruciating feeling of having her nerves roasted alive. In desperation, he
allowed his conscious mind to step back and turn his subconscious loose, giving
it free rein to act on any impulses that came to him. There was a very brief
hesitation before he finally reacted by instinct alone.
His grip remained firm as he pulled her against him, pressing his mouth to
the soft junction of her throat and letting his vampiric nature assert itself.
He didn't wait for his fangs to finish fully elongating before stabbing them
downward, piercing her skin to open up a vein that was pulsing so rapidly that
he wasn't able to differentiate one beat from the next. Her blood immediately
gushed across his tongue as if vented from a fire-hydrant, briefly frightening
him into thinking that he had missed his intended mark and tapped into her main
artery by mistake.
And then the taste registered on his senses, the taste of unspeakable pain
and relentless agony. It was unlike anything he had even remotely encountered
before, almost literally burning his mouth and throat like acid as he took her
blood. A distant part of his mind told him that perhaps this wasn't the best
of actions given her dangerously overstressed condition, but he didn't relent
as he continued to feed as gently as he could, determined to share in her pain
and maybe even ease it in the process.
He sighed very quietly at the feeling of her fangs clamping down on his
throat in return, burying the sharpened points as deeply as she could. The
pressure of her jaws started to make him dizzy almost immediately as his brain
was forced to try to operate on a reduced oxygen supply. He remained as still
as he could, letting her feed from him as he was feeding from her.
It became obvious a few moments later that it was having an effect on her,
and not just because she wasn't able to scream in his ear anymore. Her body
was still wracked with very hard spasms and she seemed to scarcely be able to
breathe properly, but the acid-sharp taste of her blood started to lessen ever
so slightly. The feeling continued to fade as time ticked past, one agonizing
second after another.
Neither knew how long they remained locked in that position, fangs buried
deep in one another's throats with their blood slowly flowing between them.
The flames on her back eventually died down, having consumed all that was left
of her wings. There was only the faintest traces of ash covering her back when
the last tongue of fire winked out, leaving behind only a small wisp of smoke
and the heavy stench of burnt flesh.
D gently lifted his lips from her throat as she sagged against him, able
to physically feel the worst of the pain draining away from her body as if a
switch had been thrown. She continued to sip his blood for a few more moments
before likewise edging her head back, just enough to extract her fangs. She
immediately rested her head on his shoulder, her breath rasping so hard in her
throat that he feared she might start to asphyxiate.
"Galen?" he murmured softly, very carefully stroking her upper back. He
couldn't see her entire lower back from his angle, but he didn't see any signs
of either her wings or the swellings they had grown in earlier. Whether that
meant they had simply burned away into ash or had been healed already by her
regenerative abilities was beyond him, but at the moment he didn't care. All
that mattered to him was that she wasn't in pain anymore.
"Galen?" he repeated quietly, nuzzling her throat where he had bitten her.
A small bruise was all that remained now, and even that much was very slowly
starting to fade as he watched. "It's over now." He sighed softly and kissed
her neck when she tried to say something to him, her voice completely raw and
quite unintelligible.
"Don't try to talk," he murmured, reaching up to very gently stroke her
hair. He paused as he saw how red the skin of his hand had become, obviously
from being too close to the flames. It didn't bother him, or at least not yet,
so he ignored it and resumed running his fingertips through the soft mane of
blue-green hair at a slow pace.
He closed his eyes as he felt her lips brush against his collarbone, her
hands moving up to re-anchor herself in the trunk. A dull needle of pain shot
through his shoulder a moment later, registering itself as a single tear as it
began to slowly slide down towards his chest.
His hand continued to gently slide through her hair as they gently nuzzled
one another. The tremors persisted in her body for quite some time before they
finally faded to the point where he couldn't feel them. He very slowly brought
his other hand upwards, gliding his fingertips over the smoothness of her very
shapely backside before starting to move higher up. He felt her tense as he
approached the spot where her wings once were, seeming to relax as his light
touch encountered only smooth skin.
She relaxed even further as he let his lips lightly roam across her ear,
very gently exploring every curve and contour with the softest of caresses. He
finally heard a soft sound drifting up from her throat, raw and weakened but
still recognizable as her insectoid hum of pleasure.
"Are you alright?" he murmured softly, parting his lips to let the tip of
his tongue brush against her earlobe.
((I am now,)) she rasped weakly, her voice still audibly straining.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, still quietly afraid that he had.
((No,)) she replied as she hugged him as tightly as she could under the
circumstances. Another tear dripped down to splash his shoulder, producing a
second twinge of pain that was ignored as easily as the first. ((D.... thank
you,)) she whispered.
He said nothing as he very gently stroked the full length of her back, his
fingertips lightly massaging and rubbing whatever muscles they happened to
encounter. Her back seemed to spasm briefly before relaxing, a very soft sigh
flowing from her lips to tickle his ear.
They both nearly leapt off the tree as the all-but-forgotten silken began
to uncurl, slowly lowering itself from her shoulders and stretching out along
her back. It gently flowed over D's hands as if their presence didn't matter,
spreading out until it hung from her shoulders like an ordinary cape.
((Well,)) she murmured very softly, ((I think that's a positive sign that I'm
doing better now. That reminds me, how's your cape holding up?))
"I think we'd both know if it wasn't," he said quietly, giving her ear a
feather-light kiss before leaning his head back. "You sure you're alright?"
He was answered with a soft sigh and a tight squeeze of her body against
his. ((Ask me later,)) she replied in a subdued tone. ((I still have a.... let's
just call it a sore spot and leave it at that. No, don't stop doing that,)) she
added quickly as he lifted his hands from her back. ((Please, don't stop. Yes,
it still hurts right now, but your touch also feels good. Yes, nice and gentle
like that,)) she whispered as he resumed his attentions.
"And you go through this every year?" he asked softly, trying very hard
not to imagine what it must have been like the first few times.
((Yes,)) she sighed. ((It's rather ironic, really, seeing how I could easily
like the autumn season if it wasn't for that.)) She paused and adjusted her
weight slightly, resetting her claw-like grip on the tree trunk. ((D?))
"Yes?" he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.
((I think we need to get down from here now,)) she said. ((Something tells
me I'm not going to be able to hold this form for much longer, even though I'm
too exhausted to try to consciously switch back. Hold onto me for a moment?))
He paused to think for a moment before he removed his hands from her back.
"You sure?" he said carefully. "We're not that high up from the ground. You
should be able to climb down on your own and I can jump down once you're out of
the way. I don't want to put any more strain your body," he added gently.
She leaned back with a slight frown on her face, the insectoid lines of
her face not so sharply angular anymore. ((Are you sure?)) she countered. ((I
would imagine that you're not used to hanging from a tree like that and that
your muscles would be a little uncooperative. I can support you long enough to
get us both down to the ground, D. Although once your feet are on the ground,
your problems are your own to deal with,)) she added with a hint of humor.
He gave her a look of mild amusement as he considered his options. He was
about to tell her to climb down by herself when he suddenly was reminded of the
fact that his backside was very much asleep right now. He could still make a
concerted effort at jumping down the three-foot distance to the forest floor,
but it was unlikely that any such landing would be graceful even if it should
be successful.
"Very well," he said quietly. He carefully braced himself and wrapped his
arms around her shoulders again, waiting until she was likewise braced before
taking his weight off of his cape. The fabric immediately fluffed out into a
normal shape and form with a quiet snap that was audible to them both. Galen
stared a careful descent a moment later, moving slowly to ensure that she had
a firm purchase on the trunk with each step.
They reached the ground a few seconds later, D letting go of her shoulders
the instant he had his feet beneath him. He almost ended up squarely on his
backside a fraction of a second later as his buttocks all but refused to flex,
feeling more like a pair of rocks than useable muscles.
"There we go," Galen rasped quietly, the insectoid features of her body
seeming to completely melt away within seconds. She blinked and seemed to
stagger briefly, reaching out to grab his arm for support before leaning in to
hold him in a tight hug. "Ow," she whimpered as her back spasmed in protest.
D leaned back against the tree and reached out to her, sliding his hands
around her hips to resume gently massaging her lower back. He paused and held
still as she suddenly pulled away from him, turning around so that her back was
facing him. She then rested her lower body against him, leaning forward at the
waist to give him plenty of room to work with.
"Thank you," she purred gratefully as he started rubbing her back again.
She looked over her shoulder as he made a loud whistling noise, hearing a soft
equine snort in response a few seconds later. The mount soon trotted over to
them, the leather saddle-bags still damp from exposure to last night's rain.
A gentle sigh rose up from her throat as he very gently pushed her away,
leaning over her to kiss the nape of her neck. He quickly headed over to the
horse, seeming to wobble slightly with a fairly stiff gait. The saddle-bag was
opened up and a small jar extracted before it was sealed again, the mount being
given a friendly pat on the flank in thanks.
She watched first with curiosity, then open amusement as the jar lid was
twisted off to reveal a mass of pale cream. The cream was quickly applied to
the upper edges of his backside before the jar was carried over to her, a look
of what might have been faint embarrassment tinting his cheeks. She remained
where she was as he slipped behind her again, reaching out to gently pull her
back against him.
"Cold," she hissed in mild shock as she felt the cream gently applied to
her lower back. She blinked as she felt her skin and muscles start to warm up
almost immediately, a slow and deep sensation of heat seeping into her flesh.
"D, what is that?" she asked as she felt the tightness in her back muscles very
slowly unwind.
"Just a general-purpose cream to relieve muscle pain," he explained as he
continued to massage it into her lower back.
"I might have to steal some of that from you," she purred, feeling most of
the lingering pain melt away beneath his gentle touch.
"I'll show you how to make it later," he replied. He continued to rub the
cream into her skin until his fingertips started to burn, knowing that her skin
was likely feeling the same reaction by now. He screwed the jar shut and went
back over to the mount, exchanging the jar of cream for the underwear that had
been cleaned and dried the day before.
He paused as he felt her approach him, remaining still as her hands slid
around his waist to wrap him in a gentle hug. "D?" she said quietly. "I'm not
sure how to say this and have it truly mean something, but.... thank you."
"You're more than welcome, Galen," he said quietly, reaching down to place
his free hand over hers. "I only hope that you can forgive me for all the pain
I've caused you."
She sighed and rested her cheek against the broad expanse of his back.
"Would you believe me if I said you're forgiven?" she said very softly. "I'm
not sure what I would have done without you holding me like that. D, I.... I
think you just helped me discover how to make that.... tolerable. It still
hurt, of course, probably the worst pain you or I will ever feel in our lives,
but when we were joined like that.... joined in blood.... I could taste your
strength, your resolve. It made me realize that I could draw it from you, that
I could rely on you to help me get through the pain, the agony. I could even
taste the echo of my pain in your blood," she whispered.
She looked up as he gently twisted around to face her, his eyes seeming to
still be haunted with the lingering memory of her pain. "No-one's ever been
able to do that for me, to try to absorb my pain like that," she breathed. "I
know my mother would have done so in an instant if she could, but she wasn't
able to do so. My father might have, but he never considered taking my blood.
And Mikhail.... I couldn't let him see me in that kind of pain, so I kept it
hidden from him. What you did, what that did for me.... I can't put it into
words, D, other than to say thank you."
"I owed you," he replied quietly. "With as much as I have hurt you, I
felt that I deserved to share in it."
"To share in my pain.... or to share in me?" she asked softly, studying
his expression carefully.
"Does it matter which one it is?" he said. "I love you, Galen, and now
that I know I love you I want everything there is about you. Your laughter,
your joy, your smile, your kiss, your touch, your taste.... and yes, your pain
as well. It's all a part of you, the good and the bad, and I'm not going to
turn away from you ever again just because I see something I don't care for."
The tears started to well up in her eyes as she leaned forward to hug him
tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Is.... is that a promise, D?" she
asked in a soft whisper.
He hesitated for a slight moment before nodding. "Yes," he replied in a
quiet tone, his arms reaching up to hold her. "I promise.... my love." He
fell silent as she started to cry again, knowing that nothing more needed to be
said at this point. At least, not from him. But there was still one lingering
concern, however, and that would have to be addressed in the very near future.
He blinked hard as she suddenly pushed herself away from him, her liquid
eyes widening in surprise and shock as she stared at his shoulder. It took him
a moment to figure out what she was looking at, the pair of faint red marks her
falling tears had left where they splashed against his skin.
"D!" she gasped. "What.... what's happening here?" she said, reaching out
to almost but not quite touch the marks.
"Tears burn me," he said simply. "I don't know how or why."
"What?" she demanded, giving him an incredulous look. "You mean all this
time I've been burning you by crying on your shoulder, and you never bothered
to tell me?"
"It's nothing," he said calmly. "A minor skin allergen at worst. Don't
worry about it. We probably should try to get dressed," he added as he held
out the dry underwear to her.
She paused for a moment to cast a reflexive glance down at her nude body,
having all but forgotten about the fact that they were both only wearing their
dark capes. "D.... why didn't you tell me?" she asked as she accepted the pair
of panties and started to slip them on.
"It wasn't important," he replied as he stepped into his own undershorts.
"What was important was bringing you the comfort you needed." He paused for a
moment to fiddle with his waistband before adding, "And if I could share in
your pain in some way, even in such a minor way.... I thought it would bring me
closer to you. And it did."
A gentle silence enveloped them as she moved forward to embrace him once
more. She carefully wiped her tears away before laying her head back down on
his shoulder, basking in the gentle warmth of both his body and his presence.
"Galen?" D asked softly, figuring that now was a good time as any to ask
about his concerns. "I need to ask you about something, about what you said
earlier about.... about the timing of everything."
"You mean with my wings?" she murmured softly without lifting her head up.
"About what finally releases them," he managed to say in a calm tone as a
sudden wave of anxiety swept through him. He remained silent as she reached
out to take his hand, very gently pressing it to her bare breast and squeezing
his palm around her.
"You don't need to worry about that today," she whispered softly, closing
her eyes and trying to relax at his intimate touch. "This took a long time to
figure out and verify, but the same changes in my body that releases the egg
also releases my wings. However, the stress of having my wings.... incinerated
like that.... corrupts me on the inside. Even if both the egg and your seed
inside me survived, there won't be anywhere for it to go. The corrupted lining
will be expelled with my next cycle so my regeneration can repair the damage.
I'm.... I'm not sure I can even have children anymore, not after.... after I've
been so corrupted, so tainted on the inside by the strain, year after year...."
The only reason he didn't consider breathing a sigh of relief was because
of the pain in her voice. The idea of fathering a child was a concept that he
found to be between bothersome and downright frightening, but he knew that was
simply because he feared spreading the taint of his vampiric blood. But Galen
was a woman, intended to be the bearer of life and the future, so of course it
made sense for her to have a different view of things. And if you factored in
the fact that she was the last female of her kind....
He still felt that the world would be better off without his dark blood.
Or hers.
But he loved her, and so he wouldn't.... he couldn't kill her.
He might be able to live with that, to keep her by his side until their
final hours, until the end of their days however it might come to someone who
has an eternal life-span. But to unite themselves in body for a purpose other
than their love for one another, to do so with the intent and hope of creating
a new spark of life....
It was very likely that she would want children of her own one day.
Hers.... and his.
Could he do that? Could he put his entire past aside, to turn his back on
all that he had fought for, sacrificed for in his pursuit of ending the stain
of his dark blood on the world, and instead spread more of it around? To sire
a child that would be every bit as vampiric as he was? One who would suffer a
life filled with the same pain he had suffered through since his own birth?
The immediate answer was no, of course he couldn't do that. Besides, it
sounded like she wouldn't be able to conceive or bear children regardless, not
if she kept having problems with her womb, that most sacred of gardens....
He blinked and looked up as he felt her touch on his face, gently turning
his head to look at her. "D?" she whispered softly, a look of unease filling
her blue-green eyes. "What are you thinking about? Please.... don't try to
hide it from me," she implored as she saw the hesitation in his eyes. "After
all that we've been through together, with all that we will go through together
soon.... please, tell me."
"Galen...." he whispered softly, pausing as his voice sounded surprisingly
dry and raspy. "I.... I'm not sure I want to have children."
"D?" she said in a cautious tone. "I don't recall asking anything like
that. I don't even know if I want to have any of them myself at this point."
She paused for a moment before sighing softly and closing her eyes. "But....
but if I did, I.... I...."
((Excuse me,)) the thing in D's hand suddenly spoke up in a very soft voice.
((Don't mean to interrupt here, but I think you two are getting just a little
ahead of yourselves. I don't suppose either of you has even stopped to figure
out what you're going to do next?))
Both Galen and D exchanged slightly startled and uneasy glances before
looking down at the wrinkled face in D's left hand. "I.... really don't know,"
Galen admitted quietly with a delicate blush. "I mean.... I still want to go
see my mother's grave since we're out here, but after that...."
((D, I don't suppose you've figured anything out either?)) it prodded. ((I
mean, you've had how much time to think now, four days? Five? And don't tell
me you haven't been thinking about it, because we both know you have.))
He remained silent for a number of moment, his right arm moving to slide
around her hip and squeeze her gently. "I don't know," he said simply.
((Well, they do say love is blind,)) it pointed out in an amused tone. ((And
from my perspective, you two are definitely as blind as a pair of Jamaican
fruit bats blundering about in the middle of the day. Why don't you two get
dressed while I explain things to you? Of course, I'm assuming you'll want to
listen to what I have to say, seeing how I think I've got it all figured out
for you,)) it added in a guarded tone.
Galen glanced over at D before casting a look over his shoulder at the
horse idly grazing off in the distance. "How wet do you think everything will
still be?" she murmured, not looking forward to the notion of having to put the
soggy clothes back on.
"They'll dry out soon enough," D assured her as he let go of her waist to
take hold of her hand. He gave her a gentle squeeze before leading her over to
the mount, opening up the saddle-bags where they had stashed their clothes last
night. "We're listening," D added with a glance at the thing in his hand.
((Glad to hear it,)) it replied dryly. ((The way I see it, the topic of the
two of you staying together is not up for discussion. You're in love with one
another, that much is obvious. And Galen? Whatever you feel inside when you
look at him, hold his hand, kiss him, think of making love to him, all those
feelings are part and parcel of being in love. Feel free to confess the depth
of your feelings to him at your leisure.))
Galen paused as D lifted his head up from the saddle-bags to look at her,
his expression seeming to be one of slight unease. A delicate blush crossed
her face as she moved over to him, brushing her fingertips across his chest as
she leaned in to give him a soft kiss. "D.... I do love you," she whispered,
feeling her whole body tingle suddenly at saying the words. "I love you," she
repeated in an even softer whisper as his lips, his whole body seemed to melt
beneath her touch.
It seemed that a minor eternity passed before their lips separated, the
warmth and taste of the kiss lingering in their minds for far longer. She laid
her head on his shoulder as he gently resumed unpacking their clothes, neither
one truly caring right now about anything other than the depth of their love for
one another.
((You know,)) it spoke up quietly once it was sure it was safe to do so,
((According to some traditions, the two of you are already married now.))
"What?" D said, almost dropping his tunic on the ground in surprise.
((The blood-marriage, remember?)) it pointed out. ((Granted that usually is
only done between a human and a vampire, but there is a precedent for such a
thing to be done between nobles. I can't say I've heard how it goes between
two dunpeals like yourselves, but you two are bound together in blood. I'm a
credible witness to events, right?))
"Well...." Galen said slowly, casting a brief glance at D as her usually
pale complexion became the color of ripe tomatoes. "Be that as it may.... what
does it mean for us?"
((It means you two are inseparable now,)) it explained. ((I mean, yes you
are free to go your own ways like humans are in their bonds of marriage, but I
don't see that happening. You two are bound as one now, which means you will
be staying with one another. And therein lies the solution to D's worries.
((Don't you see, D? All this time you were worried about what Galen might
do if left alone, or rather her vampiric blood. So if you keep her close to
you, you can keep an eye on her right? And it goes both ways. You've always
been worried about letting yourself slip, about losing control and becoming the
darkness that you've hated your entire life. So why not let Galen watch over
you? I'm sure she'll run you through again if you get out of line....))
Both D and Galen froze in mid-motion, ironically in the same position of
hiking their distinctly damp pants up over their presently-dry underwear. A
startled look crossed D's face at the realization, quickly melting into one of
sheer amazement as he turned to look at Galen.
"Well, now there's a thought," she said slowly, absently rebuttoning her
pants and zipping it shut. "D.... would you trust me to do that for you? To
keep you in line, as it says? I'll take that as a yes," she added with a soft
giggle as he simply nodded mutely, still clearly left speechless by the sheer
simplicity of the proposition.
((Hey, guys?)) it spoke up. ((If you're going to do this, you may as well
pull out all the stops and do it right. Why not make it a for-real marriage in
blood and make a formal blood-oath to watch over one another? You know, like
what you did earlier when you started on this little cross-country trip.))
D and Galen looked at one another again, both in the process of buttoning
their shirts. She paused as he came over to her, reaching out to gently caress
the soft swells of her breasts. That led to several moments of tender kisses
and muted whimpers of passion, his hands kneading and massaging her feminine
flesh before easing them into the confines of her blouse. The damp fabric did
very little to conceal the protrusions of her hardened nipples, but neither one
of them was in a mood to care as they continued to kiss with gentle passion.
He glanced down as her hand brushed over his waist, lightly rubbing his
exposed abdomen before reaching further past him to the combat belt slung over
the saddle-bag. She grabbed the hilt of the larger of the two weapons and very
slowly withdrew it, the rigid metal rasping softly as it left the sheath.
She paused to study the blade for a moment, examining the way the stems of
the flowers were delicately intertwined. "Whomever crafted this certainly had
an eye for detail," she murmured softly. "D.... do you think this blade will
suffice? I know it has left its own mark on your past, but.... but I think the
design is appropriate," she said as she looked up at him. "Two different lives
twisted together and forever etched as a single entity...."
D remained quiet as he looked down at the weapon, unable to stop himself
from remembering how it had come into his possession the first time, and how he
thought he had found a way to rid himself of both the blade and the memories
that had haunted him for so long. But her voice had fallen silent when he had
saved that little girl's life, using what he had viewed as the memento mori of
a past failure to prevent a second one. Balance had been restored, and so the
blade was free to hold a new purpose, a new weight on the scales of life....
Life or death.
"Galen," he said slowly, "You do realize that if we make such a pledge to
one another.... I will be honor-bound to kill you should you ever turn against
an innocent. A true innocent," he added, "Not against someone you have a just
and true cause to turn against."
A soft smile crossed her pale blue lips even as the tip of the dagger was
drawn across her palm. "I would expect nothing less of you, D," she said as
she allowed her blood to slowly ooze down the blade. "Should it come to pass
that you turn against an innocent of any race or kind without just cause, then
your life shall be forfeit and I swear by my honor and my blood that I will be
the one to see justice is done. I will then follow you into the realm that
lies beyond the living, for I want nothing to do with a world where you can't
be by my side anymore. If this is a marriage vow, then I not just accept it
but embrace it with all my heart and soul. Until death do we part," she added
in a soft voice.
D's left hand gently wrapped around hers as it held the dagger, slipping
his right hand in-between her bleeding palm and the bloody tip of the blade.
"Then I shall promise you the same," he said quietly as his own blood started
to flow, mingling with hers over the intricate etchings. "Should you ever cast
aside your humanity, I will hunt you as I have hunted the others and cast your
soul into the abyss of oblivion. Then I too will seek the embrace of the void,
for without your love the only meaning my life would have would be to end the
dark plague of vampiric blood once and for all.... including my own. I will
not try to live without you, and I will gladly accept the bonds of your love in
the union of marriage as long you accept mine. Until death do we part."
((Then let it be done,)) the thing said quietly, more than willing to ignore
the fact that their blood was starting to seep past their intertwined fingers
to ooze across it. ((Wash the blade if you want, but it has already tasted of
your blood and heard your vows to one another. It will remember for us all.))
The kiss that followed was just as soft and gentle as the others, perhaps
not the deepest one but undeniably the most powerful either of them had ever
experienced in their lives. Time itself seemed to quietly flow around them,
leaving them locked in frozen motion as they savored the soft taste that was
but a single aspect of their love for one another.
The gentle caress of the breeze finally convinced their lips to part. D's
tunic was still open and they were both still in fairly damp clothes, the faint
chills of cooled skin starting to make itself known on their conscious minds.
"I love you, D," Galen whispered as D carefully wiped the mass of crimson
off of the etched dagger. It wasn't done out of malice or a disregard for the
solemnness of the blood-vows, but out of simple practicality.
"And I love you, Galen," D replied quietly, casting a final glance at the
dagger before returning it to the sheath. He doubted he would ever be able to
use it as a weapon again, to taint it with someone or something else's blood
after having been witness to such a union of love and honor. Perhaps he could
find a suitable place to hang it one day, a place where....
"Galen?" he suddenly asked as the realization sank in.
"Yes?" she asked as she tucked her blouse into her pants and reached for
her boots. She paused and looked up at him as his tone registered, suddenly
wondering what was going through his mind to put that particular expression on
his face.
"I just realized something," he said quietly. He turned to look at her,
making a slight gesture towards the weapon. "I thought that we might put that
on a wall one of these nights, in a place we can call a home together.... but
I don't have a home anymore. I haven't had one since I left my father's palace
to start my hunt."
She blinked as she realized what he meant, suddenly reminded of the fact
that she really didn't have a home anymore either now that her father's castle
lie in ruins. Sure, she had her burrow, but that was more of a private retreat
than an actual place to call home. "Well," she said slowly, "I don't exactly
have one either, you know. I guess that means we'll just have to make one."
He looked at her for a moment before nodding in understanding, realizing
that it would probably be quite awhile before they would find a place to settle
down and live. A life on the road was hard at times, but aside from the first
few decades of his life it was all he had known. Changing that would take a
great deal of getting used to.
But then again, he realized, so would having Galen as his bride. It was
enough to make him dizzy just thinking about it. He was married now, in both
blood and in soul. Not that he had the slightest hesitations or the faintest
regrets about it, but it was still.... startling to think about. His life had
just changed in ways he had never thought possible. This was going to take
some getting used to.... okay, it would take a LOT of getting used to.... but
he had her now.
And that was all that mattered.
Except for one relatively minor detail....
"Galen?"
"Yes, D?"
"......What do we do now?"
They both simply looked at one another, realizing that it was a very fair
question and one that truly required an answer. They knew that they would be
together no matter what was decided.... but what exactly the decision would be
was presently a mystery to the both of them.
"I.... don't know," she said quietly. "I suppose we could still go to see
my mother, right? I mean, surely she'd like to meet the man I've fallen in
love with and took as my husband...." she added with a soft purr of amusement,
reaching out to take his hand in hers.
He nodded in understanding. "And then?" he prompted.
"Well...." she said slowly as she looked around to think. She paused as
something clicked in her mind and she turned back to him. "What about your
mother?" she inquired carefully. "Where does she rest?"
D stopped for a moment to think about it. His father had gone to a rather
considerable effort to keep the location of her crypt well-hidden to prevent
further desecration to her body and memory. It was actually a lot closer to
the ruins of the palace than most had suspected, which would put it....
"Far away from here," D replied quietly. "On another continent."
"How long would it take us to travel there?" Galen inquired gently, her
hands reaching out to slowly button his tunic with a soft touch.
"By horse?" he asked, giving her a slightly uncertain look.
"I'm certainly not advocating walking there," she countered with a soft
smile and a playful kiss. "And if it's on another continent, we'd have to go
by sea at some point. How long?"
He thought about it for a moment, knowing that her presence would slow his
usual rate of travel. He finally settled for doubling the estimate for the
land component and leaving the ocean component unchanged. "Several months," he
finally said. "Possibly even a year depending on the weather and the strength
of the ocean currents."
"Well," she said lightly as she untied his cape and slipped it off his
shoulders, "I don't know about you, my love, but I don't have anything else to
do anymore. We can spend our days walking around the planet, for all I care.
Just as long as you're with me," she murmured as she gave him another kiss.
((D?)) the thing spoke up. ((She has a point. I don't know about you, but
there are a few places I wouldn't mind returning to for a little sight-seeing.
Surely you remember that little tavern in that seaport by the desert? They had
the most delicious.... !!!))
Galen chuckled as she wrapped her other hand around D's left hand, gently
making a fist to keep it quiet. "Your point has been made, little one, but I
think you should let us worry about it from now on. D?" she prodded quietly.
"Don't you think your mother would have wanted to meet me if she were still
with us today?"
D said nothing as he reached into a belt-pouch, pulling out the small
locket that he hadn't seen since his mother's death. A simple gesture of his
thumb flipped the lid open, allowing him once again to see the soft lines of
her human beauty. What would you think, Mother? he thought, feeling a gentle
tug on his soul. Would you approve of what I've done with my life? Would you
have opened your heart to Galen as your daughter-in-law, to welcome her with
your love her as you have loved me?
"Yes," D said very quietly, gently closing the locket and looking up at
the unique human-vampire-Barbarois mutant hybrid that was his salvation, his
life, and his love. "Let's go see my mother again."
The rest of their clothes were donned, their weapons untied from the oak
tree where they had rode out the thunderstorm, and the rest of their gear was
neatly repacked in the saddle-bags. He climbed into the saddle first, reaching
down to help her up in front of him. They paused to share a gentle kiss, able
to find a new sort of comfort in what had been all but unknown five days ago.
A lot can happen in five days, D had said. It was a thought that would
bring a gentle smile to their faces whenever it was uttered, always softly in
the other's ear to be followed by a gentle kiss that said far more than any
spoken words could ever do.
And with a simple flick of the reins, they set out together towards the
east, not just into the morning sun still rising on the horizon but into the
changed world that lay before them.
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