The steady flow of warm water came to an abrupt halt when Kit turned the taps. She stood for a moment in the sudden silence of the bathroom, watching droplets of water drip from her tangled mass of dark hair. Even though she had washed most of the blood and filth off her skin, she could not cleanse her mind of the gruesome images of battle. At least she was alive – for that much she should be grateful.
Stepping out of the shower, Kit carefully wrapped a towel around her body. The few cuts and scrapes she had received still burned a little, but the shower had done its job of cleaning out her wounds. All she wanted now was to have a peaceful night's rest.
Kit changed into a pair of black shorts and an oversized white T-shirt before exiting the bathroom and walking into her room.
She stopped short when she noticed the figure seated on her bed, her breath catching in her throat. The ancient vampire regarded her surprised face with a smirk before he greeted her, his deep, rich voice bouncing off the stone walls.
"Good evening, Katherine."
"Why do you do that?" she asked, quickly regaining control of herself.
"Do what?" he asked innocently, his grin widening, showing off his elongated incisors.
"Call me Katherine. Everyone else just calls me Kit," she replied, trying hard to avoid looking at his mouth, though his crimson eyes were almost just as dangerous to look at.
"It is your name, isn't it?"
"Well yes, but – " She paused when his gaze met hers from over the top of his glasses, completely forgetting the point she was trying to make; he seemed in no way inclined to remind her.
Alucard rose from her bed and took a few steps closer to her, his tall frame towering over her much smaller one. She swallowed nervously, then realized he had come to her.
"Why are you here?"
He did not reply immediately, but began slowly walking in a circle around her.
"You know, in the beginning you puzzled me," he started.
"Oh?"
"When I asked you once if you were afraid of me, you replied by saying of course you were afraid of me, after all, humans are my food source. Your answer was logical and expected, but for some reason I did not believe you. Then when I watched you on the mission today, fighting off those ghouls, I realized you are not afraid of me because of the threat I pose to your life; you are afraid of me because you know you desire me."
Kit was caught off guard by his statement, but quickly restrained herself from showing her surprise.
"That's ridiculous. Why on earth would you think that?"
Alucard stopped in front of her. He had removed his glasses now, and he stared directly at her with an insane grin on his face.
"As I said before, I watched you fight today, and I saw in your eyes a look of malice and pure ecstasy. You were thrilled by the hunt, weren't you? You have a darker side to your soul which you keep hidden from others. Your pathetic human conscious makes you fear what they would think of you. But it is that exact darkness which involuntarily draws you to me – a creature of darkness. You are excited by what I am, and it is that which frightens you." He paused, waiting to see if she would try to deny his accusations, but when she continued to say nothing, he leaned closer, bringing his hand up to her face.
"You cannot hide it from me," he whispered as he continued to reach out to touch her. He stopped, however, when he saw her eyes dart down to his raised hand. Reading the look on her face, Alucard could not help but chuckle.
"You are so easy to read, Katherine. Your curiosity burns in your eyes. You want to know what it would feel like to have my skin against yours, correct?"
Without waiting for her reply, Alucard removed the glove on his raised right hand before finally cupping her cheek.
His hand was cold against her skin, but in spite of this, Kit felt as though a spark of electricity had flown from his fingers into her body, causing her body to go haywire – blood rushed to her face, her heart rate increased, and every one of her nerve endings buzzed in pure delight. She tried to keep her breathing even and not give herself away, but it was futile; Alucard's eyes were staring at her neck. His fingers travelled down from her face to her neck, touching the area where her pulse jumped erratically, tracing over the faint purple bruises left behind from the ghoul attack. His grin turned to a scowl when he thought of what would have happened had that soldier not reached her in time. It was not long, however, before her scent drove all thoughts of death from his mind.
Kit's thoughts were spinning out of control; her mind was forcing her to notice the hunger in his flaming red eyes, reminding her of the danger, but her body was still wallowing in the delightful after effects of his touch, and as a result she found herself unable to move. If he wanted to, he could take her right there and she would not be able to do anything about it.
Alucard felt his throat begin to burn; the warmth of her skin as the blood flowed hotly beneath it, the wild, frantic beat of her heart – all of these fuelling his hunger. His entire body wanted her, longed to claim her as his own, yearned for her to be one with him for eternity. He did not lust after her body as human males did – though he had to admit she would make a breath-taking queen of the night. No, he wanted so much more than that. He wanted to be closer to her than even the most intimate of unions; he wanted to feel her inside of him, beneath his skin, as close to his still, lifeless heart as possible.
Kit's fear and uncertainty must have showed plainly on her face, because as soon as Alucard's eyes locked with hers, his hand fell away and the moment was over. She almost protested, sorry for the experience to have ended so abruptly. However, now that her body no longer tingled with pleasure, she regained her senses and realized how foolish she was being. Turning away from him, she wrapped her arms tightly around her body, afraid that if she looked at him again she would not be able to utter the words she was about to:
"Please leave."
Silence followed her request, and she began to suspect he had melted away as usual, but suddenly a strong hand grabbed one of hers firmly and pulled, causing her body to spin around like a ballerina's. Kit felt her body start to fall, but Alucard's hands were suddenly there, cradling her upper body so that she was forced to look up at him. She felt the heat rising in her skin once more, but Alucard seemed to not be paying attention this time. Slowly he lowered his mouth to her neck, his lips brushing along the length of it in a teasing manner before stopping at her ear.
"I'll say it again, as a warning: I am a creature of darkness. Be careful of tempting me."
He lifted her back into an upright position, twirling her out of his arms before releasing her completely. When she stopped and turned back, he was gone. Kit released her breath, having only just realized she had been holding it. She could sense he was really gone, as his imposing presence no longer filled the room.
Running a shaky hand through her damp locks, Kit turned and headed back into the bathroom, feeling in need of a cold shower this time.
****
That evening as Kit lay in her bed, she allowed her mind to wander to forbidden places. It was not long before she started to drift slowly closer to sleep, and she found herself remembering the tingle his touch had caused on her neck and arms. With a guilty start she realized she was breathing slightly faster and her face was flushed.
Mortified, she rolled over and tried to sleep, to banish the memories of him, his touch and her need. Alucard was not the only one who longed for something unattainable, she realized; how could she, a mere human, dare to love, and yes to lust, after an immortal.
As she finally fell asleep, her subconscious, always more active on the edge of sleep, told her there was a presence on the room. Before she could fully awaken, she felt rough hands grabbing hold of her. She gave one startled cry, of both anger and outrage, before a blow to her forehead caused her to lose her grip on reality.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, she was vaguely aware that she was being moved, but before she could open her eyes to see where she was being taken, the darkness would drag her back down. When she finally started surfacing from her dark nightmares, she found herself staring up at a grey ceiling. Glancing sideways, she saw she was in a storeroom used for supplies. She knew the storerooms were on the first floor, near the very back of the castle and far from any of the other rooms.
Before she could further contemplate the situation, she sensed a presence near her. Looking up she saw one of the soldiers from the Wild Geese leering down at her. She recognized him as the soldier who had approached her a while back, asking her to go out with him.
"Not so high and mighty now are you girl?" he snarled. "I'll fix you good tonight, walking around looking so delicious but not giving a man a glance."
Her head was throbbing, and while she tried to back away, her movements seemed sluggish. The soldier easily stopped her, and he roughly tore her T-shirt off her, leaving her breasts exposed. She tried to roll away, adrenaline finally kicking in and allowing her to move more quickly, but he grabbed her hair and pulled her back. She screamed in pain, feeling a few hairs being ripped out by the roots from his fierce grip. He pinned her down, his face coming close enough for her to smell the strong stench of alcohol on his breath. He looked at her, and she could see the burning lust in his eyes, causing her blood to run cold.
"Now you gonna get it girl!" he growled.
As he leaned forward, hand outstretched to fondle her breasts, a red clad arm appeared from behind him and grabbed his chin. He had one split second to look surprised before his entire head was wrung in a 180 degree arc.
"Not so tough now are you boy?" smirked Alucard, looking at the lifeless corpse on the floor.
Before she could think better of it, Kit flung herself into his arms, breathing in ragged gasps as she fought against the tears that burned her eyes. Until Alucard had shown up, she had not realized how frightened she had really been, but now her body trembled uncontrollably and she pressed closer to him, seeking comfort. He tentatively held his arms around her, and she could feel the restrained power in him, the almost primal, raw strength of an immortal. After a moment, she managed to compose herself and stepped back, feeling the lingering regret of his arms as they let her go.
He stood silently, regarding her with his glowing red eyes, and she felt herself blush again. His usual grin split his mouth, and his gaze dropped slowly from her face, eyeing her body up and down, until she hid her face in her hair, and awkwardly covered herself with her hands. Inside she was in turmoil, caught between wanting to flaunt herself and wanting to hide from him, her forbidden love.
Smiling still, he slung his jacket off and wrapped it around her, in a move so fast he was all but invisible to the human eye. Stepping back he asked, "Are you okay, Katherine?"
She looked up at him, noticing for the first time how the charcoal shirt he was wearing outlined the perfectly formed muscles of his pectorals and abdominals.
"Y-yes, I am fine," she replied hesitantly. "And thank you for being here," she added after a moment's hesitation.
His smile broadened, revealing his elongated incisors; "You're welcome…" he whispered.
Kit felt a wave of fatigue wash over her as the effects of the adrenaline rush faded, and her knees started to shake. Not wanting to show any more weakness in front of Alucard, she took a tentative step towards the door, only her knees buckled beneath her weight, and she felt herself stumble. He was there again without her even seeing him move, catching her up in his arms. Looking down at her, all traces of previous humor gone, he shook his head and said, "Be more careful, Katherine. I do not want you hurt."
She just nodded in response, afraid to speak.
Then, as swiftly as thought, they were moving through the passages to her room. Her breath caught in her throat at the sheer speed and smoothness of his gait. Before she could start breathing again, they were in her room and he was gently placing her on her feet by the bed. As he stepped back, she looked up into his crimson eyes and struggled to form coherent thoughts; and yet still, his marked lack of humor startled her. Alucard laughed at everything, at everyone. Why was it different now? What was he thinking?
She sensed a struggle taking place deep within him, but his eyes provided no clues as to what that struggle was.
She was about to thank him again and bid him goodnight when he stepped forward, once again so swiftly she could not follow, and lifted her to his chest, his eyes never leaving hers. Slowly he bent forward and pressed his cold lips to hers; she felt her lips tingle, and then her face and finally her whole body. Heat suffused her body, concentrating in her lower belly, causing her to moan softly against his lips. He gently ran his tongue across her lower lip, asking for entrance. She obliged by opening her mouth and felt him slip his tongue inside, gently caressing her lips and teeth, before slowly brushing along her own tongue.
He tasted of musk, and a faint tang of salt and iron – not unpleasant, but almost overwhelming in intensity. She pressed herself harder against him, gripping his hair to pull herself up. She felt him tense slightly, and then, with irrevocable strength, he pulled her hands away from his head, and lowered her softly to the ground. His coat slipped off her shoulders, leaving her standing breathless and vulnerable before him. She gasped when she saw his eyes, now burning with such intensity, looking at her, in her and through her. Her frantically beating heart thumped against her ribcage, loudly enough for her to hear its ring in her own ears.
Her wide eyes must have betrayed her feelings, because he slowly bent his head down and kissed her neck, just below her right ear, slowly moving down along her neck to the hollow of her throat. Her pulse beat like a drum, and she was breathing in short gasps.
Then his hands came up and gripped her naked hips, cradling her against him. He slowly lifted her up and started kissing down her throat to the valley between her breasts, moving slowly up the slope of the left. She thought she was about to faint as his lips and tongue lightly teased her areola and settled on her nipple, now as hard as a bullet. Just as slowly he moved to her right breast and teased her nipple to hardness.
After a few moments that felt like eternity, he slowly lowered her to the bed, and held himself suspended above her, continuing to stimulate her nipples in turn. She moaned his name, her fingers digging into his thick black hair and her lower back arching as ripples of pleasure raced down her spine. Finally after an eternity of near ecstasy, he moved his attention to her stomach, kissing in light circles around her bellybutton and lower, closer to her black sleeping shorts.
As he hooked his nimble fingers into the top of her shorts and slowly started to tug them down, over her thighs and then her ankles, she knew she was lost.