Chapter 41 – My Exotic Butterfly
Awareness came to me slowly. My head was pounding. I groaned; exhausted by the effort it took to open my eyes. My throat burned with thirst. Where the hell was I?
And then I remembered – Professor Silver!
I violently thrashed to get up and was stunned to find my arms and legs were chained tightly, restraining me to a bed. My writhing caused the thin sheet that covered me, to slip down, exposing one of my breasts. I held perfectly still as a new horror dawned on me – I was naked.
"Oh good, you are awake," Professor Silver murmured as he tugged the sheet back in place, covering me.
Fury rolled through me; my eyes blazed crimson as I hissed, "What did you do to me, you sick son of a bitch? Is that what you brought me here for; to get me naked and chained to your bed?!"
His expression was unfazed as he replied, "Certainly not. I have no concern in using you for my own sexual gratification. I have no need to force a woman to be with me, and that type of behavior is beneath me. Taking you was a spur of the moment decision – a golden opportunity – so I did not have time to gather appropriate clothing. Quite frankly, you are vampire now, so I did not suspect you would care."
So many things about his response caused my head to spin. "So kidnapping and torture are perfectly okay, but you draw the line at violating my body sexually? And you assumed there could be any part of this process that I would not care about?" I snapped sarcastically. "Well, I do care… About all of it! I do not want to be chained to your bed – for any reason – and I do not want to be naked!"
"If you agree to work with me, I may be able to rectify your situation somewhat to make you more comfortable."
I narrowed my eyes at him, and then looked around for the first time. We were in some sort of cabin. I suspected I would find woods outside because I could smell pine from the trees. And it would make sense that he would want this place to be isolated from the general population. "Where are we?"
"Montana. I keep labs in various cities and countries around the world, so that I have all of the necessary tools on hand whenever needed." He nodded behind him, toward the wall of high-tech lab equipment, computers and weapons.
I inhaled sharply and decided to try to keep him talking for as long as possible. "How did you break free from Myrnin's compulsion?"
"I can't be compelled," he responded simply.
"You can't be compelled…" I repeated him quietly. Myrnin had worked alongside of him for years, on multiple projects, but he had obviously not known the professor was immune to compulsion. It didn't make sense. I asked, "Are you that powerful?"
"No, I am that smart," he smirked expectantly, like he was waiting for some sort of affirmation from me.
I planned to give him something, but it definitely wasn't accolades, I seethed; imagining ten different ways to tear his creepy green eyes out of his skull. But if I wanted to overpower him, I needed to know what I was up against. With great effort, I choked down the stream of obscenities that kept climbing up my throat, and feigned professional curiosity instead. "How did you accomplish that?"
I knew it wouldn't take much prodding to get him talking. He obviously enjoyed his topic, and shockingly assumed I would find any sort of value, just because I had an interest in science. Maybe if I were not the lab rat, I would.
As expected, his expression lifted as he rattled on, "I have spent centuries perfecting concoctions, created from thousands of elements, found all over the globe. Making myself impervious to compulsion had been a long time goal. I found it quite necessary, given the company I kept." He raised an eyebrow at me knowingly, making an obvious reference to Myrnin and Gwion. "It burns like hell going down, but I have gotten used to it over the years."
"But if you were not compelled, why didn't you just tell Gwion that we knew he was behind the poisoning?" I remembered the look on Gwion's face at the party; I was certain he hadn't known before that moment; that we were on to him.
"Yet again, my exotic butterfly, I have no loyalty to Gwion's agenda. I agreed to assist him because, in that moment, his desires aligned with mine. They no longer do."
It still didn't make sense to me and I pressed, "If your work was finished, then why stick around?"
"Because my work was not finished; I wanted you," he leered at me again in fierce anticipation.
I forced my body not to reveal the violent shudders that rocked through me, at his words. A new realization hit me and I breathed, "It was you; you sent that vampire to my room… Why the hell did you care about me?" I hadn't been an all-powerful vampire at the time of my abduction-attempt. I hadn't even been dating Myrnin.
"You undervalue yourself. The minute it was revealed to me, that you had worked with Myrnin for two years – and survived – I knew how special you were. The monster inside of him is strong and certainly never overpowered or outwitted by a mere human."
I knew I should play it cool, but couldn't help the venom in my tone as I replied, "If I conquered the monster inside of him when I was still a mere human, what makes you think I won't kick your ass, now that I am a vampire with Myrnin, Amelie's and my own power running through me?"
His lips curled up; his smile of complete confidence unnerved me. He obviously knew something that I didn't, for him to be so confident. "Vampires are visceral creatures, always reliant on brute force or mind games. They lack finesse," he stopped speaking, as if that answered my question.
"And you think you have finesse? Because you sure as fuck don't have clarity," I retorted, tired of his non-answers.
His smile never faltered as he explained, "Every great vampire can be brought down by the right combination of chemicals. All it took to kill Amelie was one sip of tainted blood. Her powers were useless; exactly as yours are now."
I trembled on the inside. He was right; Amelie's powers had not kept her from the brink of death, and she knew how to use them. I knew nothing. I had no idea how to conjure the crazy that was flowing through me right now.
He continued in my silence, "Even Gwion; it would probably take more than one dart, but the elixir that brought you down, would affect him the same way."
I looked at him derisively and threatened, "I highly doubt that. I was easy pickings because I lack his experience, but you signed your death warrant when you took me. Gwion won't stop until he has me. You saw the lengths he went through to get Amelie, and he wants me more."
Inside, I desperately hoped my words were true, but I really had no idea if Gwion gave a shit whether I lived or died. He obviously did not care if Amelie died, and was ready to kill her himself, when she was of no value to him anymore.
"Yes, it seems you do attract very dangerous men, including me," he replied wryly. "While Gwion and Myrnin have shared women in the past, Myrnin's reaction at the party clearly indicated he was unwilling to share you. I suspect their disagreement over you, will work in my favor, keeping their attempt to find you divided and uncoordinated."
Myrnin…The thought of him brought excruciating pain to my chest. I recalled the moment right before the explosion. I had agreed to have sex with Gwion – right in front of him! I didn't deserve to have Myrnin lift a finger to find me. My heart broke; maybe I deserved this fate.
I shoved all of the tiny broken pieces of my heart into a tightly locked space of oblivion, out of my consciousness. I could not allow myself to feel anything, if I wanted to defeat Ciro. Instead, I focused intently, trying to activate Amelie's powers. Nothing. What the fuck? Every time I tried to maintain control, power seemed to overcome me in full bloom. But now that I needed it, I couldn't seem to find it. Maybe I needed a catalyst; I suddenly felt very in tuned with my rudimentary knowledge of Marvel comics, and wondered what David Banner would do if he were in my situation. I would love to be a big green monster right about now.
Professor Silver interrupted my mental ramblings when he stood up and murmured with fierce anticipation, "Time to get started."
Adrenaline-filled fear flooded my veins.
The professor quickly adjusted the tubing that was being fed into my arm, and connected two different colored vials of liquid.
The effect was almost immediate as my head began to spin. My stomach lurched and I wondered if it was possible for a vampire to vomit. "What is that?" I asked in a broken whisper.
"Various compounds to test muscle response. I will be drawing blood at various intervals, before taking tissue samples," he responded as he watched all of the gauges and settings, hastily typing his findings into a laptop computer.
My brain moved in slow motion. I had no idea what cocktail of chemicals he had already forced into my body, but I knew one of them kept me physically weak. And I was starting to feel the effects of starvation. I had no idea what day it was, but judging from the searing burn in my throat, more than one day had transpired. "I need blood," I pleaded.
"Unfortunately, blood would strengthen you and we cannot have that," he rejected my request, matter-of-factly.
I cringed violently in withdrawal.
He added a third vial of mystery fluid to my IV. Time seemed to stop, as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I wasn't sure if only minutes had gone by, or it had been days.
Abruptly, I was fully awoken by excruciating pain in my thigh. I screamed and wildly looked down to find Professor Silver neatly cutting a rectangle of tissue, out of my leg, with a scalpel. He held my leg in a vise grip as I thrashed unsuccessfully to get free. I tried to compel the pain, but couldn't think around my agony in such a weakened state.
He finished and released my leg. Within thirty seconds, the wound had healed and I laid there panting from exhaustion. He sliced the sample into sections and quickly tucked them into various microscopes, looking intently at some of them and snapping photos of others, which he uploaded to a large screen next to the computer. He moved from the computer to the screen and back to the samples with lightning fast speed, jotting comments in a notebook and typing briskly on the keyboard. He must have been happy with the results because he murmured, "Very good. I think you are ready to move on."
He approached the bed again and lifted the sheet to unveil my ankle, connecting wiring to a metal band. He then picked up a metal collar from the table, and leaned down to secure it around my neck.
No! No! No!I didn't know what chemicals he planned to test, but I clearly understood his method for decomposition was going to be electricity. The screams of the first vampire we cured, still haunted me. I viciously fought him, writhing and caught his arm with my fangs. My jaw clamped shut and I sucked deeply as his blood exploded into my mouth.
He wrestled his arm free, hissing as the lush skin tore away. Slamming his knee down into my stomach, he used the weight of his body to contain my movements.
I gasped in pain.
He snapped the collar in place and connected the wires to close the circuit. "Hold on… This might hurt a bit," he promised with a vicious smile and angrily held down the switch to allow the electricity freedom through my body.
The enormity of the pain rocked my world. My back arched and I screeched as he relentlessly kept the circuit flowing. It stopped for a second, but before I could even form a rational thought, he flipped multiple switches, added yet another chemical substance into my IV and charged it again.
Once again, my stomach lifted off of the bed, as I howled in pain. After a long moment, he finally released the charge. My body crashed back down onto the bed; the flimsy sheet had fallen away during my struggle, leaving me trembling violently, naked in front of him. Tears streamed down my face as I begged, "No more… Please no more."
His eyes glowed with intensity and his lips were curled in a sick satisfied smile as he watched me. I inhaled sharply. I understood then why he did not plan on violating me sexually – because he was getting off on my pain. I looked down, half expecting to see his hand in his pants.
Fury flooded through me, stronger than I had ever felt before. My vision blurred red as Amelie's powers sprang to life and blazed inside of me. It wasn't enough, but I knew the blood I had stolen from his arm had strengthened me.
I wondered what my countenance revealed, because suddenly his expression of pleasure faltered. Power coiled through my body, assaulting my muscles almost painfully as they ached to be freed.
He knew my attack was imminent and quickly reached to electrocute me again, but his hand stopped midway, as I invaded his mind. His eyes were wide in shock, as I forced his wayward hand to grasp a scalpel and slice open his own cheek instead. Blood spurted from the wound, causing my hunger to spike.
Compelling him wasn't enough; I needed to get myself free. I jerked viciously against the restraints, while I kept him carving a path along his lips. The left arm and left leg restraints both gave way to my force and snapped open.
His eyes cut wildly to the IV still flowing in my right arm. I knew he would shoot me with whatever drug stole my strength, as soon as he was able to. I needed to work faster. I used every ounce of strength I had, to maintain the compulsion and physically free myself from the chains.
I jerked all of the IV lines out of my body. My fingers fumbled with the buckle on the strap holding my right hand, as I tried to undo it with one hand. I finally got it free and instantly released the remaining restraint from my leg.
I vaulted to my feet, and snatched the white sheet, tying it securely around my body. Fear shot through me as my legs trembled; I didn't know how long I would have before my strength gave out again.
Suddenly, the Professor stopped carving. The sick smile returned to his face. He knew I was struggling.
I looked around wildly and let out a frustrated growl when I didn't find anything I could use as a wooden dagger. And while there were plenty of sharp objects all around us, I highly doubt any of them were made with silver. And I knew I didn't have the strength required, to crash through his ribs to get to his heart. Suddenly I remembered – we were in the middle of the forest!
I bolted through the door and shot across thick snow toward the trees. All I had to do was break off a single branch. With everything in me, I tried to keep my compulsion over him in place as I ran, but I could feel it slipping.
Suddenly, I was brutally thrown forward as his body impacted with mine. He wrestled me to the ground; he had hundreds of years of fighting experience and my strength was quickly waning.
I laid on my back, panting, as he hovered over me. "I underestimated you," he hissed angrily, breaking my arm to make his point.
I gritted my teeth through the shocking pain and continue to fight him, as I spat sarcastically, "Yeah, I get that a lot."
He suddenly grabbed my bare breast, shocking me. I hesitated in confusion. He smiled cruelly as he breathed, "I can see now why they both wanted to fuck you. I may just have to change my policy on that."
What?! He had said he didn't want that. I wasn't mentally prepared for that kind of assault. I forced my brain to think and took quick inventory of our positions. He was on his hands and knees hovering over me. He may be impervious to my compulsion and stronger than me now, but that probably didn't mean his balls were any less sensitive, I thought, as I drove my knee up between his legs.
His face contorted in pain, but shockingly he didn't release his hold. Instead, he forced my legs apart with his knee and undid his pants as he hissed, "You bitch! When I am done with you out here, I will jerk your skinny ass back inside and find every way imaginable to cause you pain."
I knew he meant it and shuddered intensely.
It is almost impossible to sneak up on a vampire, but in the chaos of the struggle, I never heard their approach. Obviously Professor Silver hadn't either, because his form was suddenly violently removed from mine, and replaced by the warmth and protection of the one man who made every fiber of my being come to life.
Myrnin was growling fiercely as he shielded me with his body. Fear rolled through me; I pushed against his chest and panted, "Ciro…He'll kill you if you stay here…You have to get up."
"Gwion is here…Ciro will not kill me," he promised with a vicious smile.
"Gwion?" I breathed in confusion, "but what about…"
"Shhh… We can talk about that later," he comforted me. I was shocked at his absolute confidence in Gwion for our safety, but I trusted him. I let my head fall to the side, and could see the Professor standing with his back against the building.
Gwion stood about twenty feet away, his body ready. He smiled slowly at Ciro and drawled, "Clearly, you like to play games. Funny thing is, so do I. Let's see how talented you are against someone who enjoys it just as much as you do."
Ciro's body quivered and his glance cut toward the trees, looking to see if he could out run Gwion.
Gwion's smile widened as he shook his head and said, "You won't make that."
Myrnin never took his eyes off of me, but called out to Gwion, "Don't kill him."
"Certainly not, my friend," Gwion assured Myrnin.
The professor's eyes opened wide in fear, as Gwion shifted down and purred, "Shall we play?"
.
Hello friends! I was delayed as I worked through some specifics, but here we are. Unfortunately, we are nearing the end of this story. As promised however, there is a sequel on the horizon. I'm just not quite sure yet what the timing will be on that. As always, I love to hear your feedback and impressions of the story, so please don't be shy...chatter away...
Much love - T