"You took my bite so well, I knew you would."
The angel's eyes opened gracefully. They had a deep ruby glow with tints of amber.
Just like the Beast's.
Lord Garfield was still holding Raven in front of the moon-stained window. Three minutes passed since the bite, and she was finally awake.
Raven adjusted to reality for a moment. Her blood was buzzing, her vision was hazy, and her heart was pounding.
Then, she uttered, "That's it? Where's my magic powers?"
Lord Garfield chuckled, amused, "It'll take a while for you to turn over. I'm just glad you're awake. That means that you're the one to cure me from this wretched curse. Angel," He clears the nest of violet hair from the frame of her face.
He drags his finger to her lips, and separates them with his threaded finger. The details of his fingers felt rough against her tender mouth.
"Open your mouth," She does as he commands. He slides a finger in, puts the pad against her newly grown fang. "Bite."
Raven bites down and the sudden need for blood suffused through her body.
His carmine blood met her tongue, and he felt her shudder. Everything felt numb to her except the blood under her skin, and him.
Lord Garfield whispered faintly, "Your body's changing slowly, but surely," He strokes his finger on the surface of her teeth. "Aren't your little fangs cute? Can't wait to feel them bite me tonight."
"Fangs?" Raven touched her canines and shrieked, seeing that it was true. She shoved Lord Garfield away suddenly and walked to the nearest mirror.
She saw the sharp fangs protruding, and she saw the deep violet of her eyes faded into pools of scarlet and gold. Raven traced her hand over the healing bite mark in the slope of her neck, right into the word feel tattooed on her neck.
Raven abruptly grabbed Lord Garfield, who was standing right behind her, by his coat.
Raven, voice strung with anger, demanded, "Change me back!"
This was all too real for Raven, all too quickly. It was in that moment, she felt like she made a permanent decision on quick lust. Maybe, deep down, she thought that this was like one of the folklore stories she immersed herself in.
But it wasn't.
This was reality.
Lord Garfield frowned, "Now, just why would I want to do that, Angel?"
"Because you're making me a monster!"
Lord Garfield's eyes were lidded as he talked to Raven. His tone was possessive, "You told me you wanted me."
Raven husked, "Well, now I want you to change me back to a human."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Angel. The deal is sealed," Lord Garfield lifted Raven's face to his. Raven kept her eyes cast to the side.
"Look at me," He commanded, and she couldn't help but do what he instructed.
"I don't think you understand how special you are to me. You're someone I've waited three centuries for. I know this is all hard for you to grasp, but I promise that it'll come to you. Besides, I'll be right here with you."
Raven's gaze was cold and her words were hard, "You're selfish."
"I am," Lord Garfield smirked shamelessly. His hand moved to Raven's throat, and he choked her there. "And you're lucky like hell that you're the woman I'm selfish about."
He grasped tighter on her throat and opened his mouth against her flesh.
Raven's face trembled in fear, and her body dewed lightly with sweat. Her breaths were hitched and his lust for blood was downloading painfully into her body.
Lord Garfield didn't bite down, as much as he craved to.
The Beast kissed the Angel's neck darkly. "Denial's always the first step. We'll be going upstairs, we have a long night ahead of us."
Lord Garfield's lair (past the ghoulish hallway of fresh wood and the opulent staircase of red velvet flooring) was relatively dark, besides the warm, crackling light of the black currant and wine scented candles sitting on the wooden table in the corner.
The walls were draped in rich, ruby, velvet curtains that were thick enough to absorb any trace of daylight. The floors were black carpet. There were gargoyles and other mystic statues lined throughout the room, along with grim paintings on the walls.
Raven eyed an art of a vampire holding a woman's body, and Lord Garfield took note of her interest.
"We're gonna recreate that, by the way." The vampire added brusquely.
"You're so full of yourself, you'd think human men were enough, but I guess any male species are just as entitled." Raven huffed defiantly.
Lord Garfield taunted, "You were saying something?"
"No." Raven rasped, and continued to gaze throughout the room, the ticking grandfather clock, the uniquely framed mirrors, the scintillating chandelier, the bed with the base of it being the bottom of an actual coffin.
The bed was adorned in ebony and scarlet silk linen and rose petals, with the matching silk as a canopy overhead.
Then she drifted to the bookshelf, with grand curiosity. She grazed her fingers over spines of Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, H.P. Lovecraft, Daphne Du Maurier, Anne Rice, and so on. Classics of mostly twentieth century authors, who penned stories of horror. Raven was slightly impressed by the collection.
She takes out Macbeth by Shakespeare, and runs the pages under her thumb.
Lord Garfield was busy selecting items from closets and drawers, and assembling other sorts.
"I gather you like to read, Angel."
"I do. I always carry a book with me everywhere I go," she traced her delicate finger on the face of the vanilla-hinted page.
"You look like the type."
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Raven shot the vampire an irritated look.
Lord Garfield replied, rather wisely, "There's a certain aura about women like you. Always engaged with a novel or prose. Reserved and often mercurial, but by God, there's so much more than what's shown to the surface."
Raven, still perusing through her favorite Shakespearan work, "I won't tell you if you're right or wrong."
"You don't need to say anything, I'll find out for myself."
Raven closed the book shut, "Do you always have to have something smart to say when I talk to you?"
She gasped, realizing Lord Garfield was standing right in front of her. His smile was captivating, and his eyes, bewitching.
He raised his hand to her cheek, "Yes, because I know it frustrates you."
Raven attempted to push Lord Garfield's hand away, but he caught it.
He warned, "Don't make me get rough with you too soon, Angel," His voice grew firmer, "You've been testing me since you got here. I'm trying to make this as easy as possible for you."
"Whatever," Raven snatched her hand back stubbornly.
"Come here," Lord Garfield gently moves Raven to the bed, which was speckled with velvety rose petals.
"Lay down."
Raven opposed, "On a coffin. You want me to lay down on a coffin? You're out of your mind. If you even have one."
Lord Garfield sighed, resting his head in his hand.
"Is there a dead body underneath there?"
"Please, have some faith in me," Lord Garfield said.
"Is there, or not?"
"There's no dead bodies in my place, Angel. The coffin bed is simply a practice of my race."
"Is it clean?"
"Raven," And it was when he stated her name so impatiently, yet enticingly, she got out of her head quite instantly.
Lord Garfield quietly gestured his hand toward the bed once more, and Raven finally obeyed.
Lord Garfield removed his coat, top layers, and shoes smoothly.
"Lay on your stomach," Lord Garfield ordered, and Raven hesitantly did as she was told.
"May I remove your clothes?"
Raven consented in a mild tone, "Yes, you can."
Lord Garfield, with grace and gentleness, removes Raven's choker, fishnets, tights, and dress. As he does so, he observes the unevenness in Raven's breath and the tremble of her body.
"Calm down, Angel," He lightly presses his hand on her lower back, and kisses the back of her neck.
"There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Okay," she said calmly, "I'm still learning to trust you, that's all."
"That's okay, take your time. Just feel through it with me," Lord Garfield inquired, holding two glass jars, "Rosemary and Sage. What would you prefer?"
Raven answered, "Both."
Lord Garfield beamed softly, pouring a mix of both oils into his coarse palms, "You like experiences in full, don't you, Angel?"
"I guess you could say that."
"Mhm," He puts a small vessel of spices and herbs in proximity to Raven's face, so she could breathe in the aroma.
Lord Garfield rubs his hands together, and crawls steadily onto the mattress, "Take a deep breath. Nice and slow," he says, and she does; closing her eyes.
Lord Garfield lathered the oils on Raven's shoulders, then his touch expanded as he spread the aroma on the length of her arms. "Your skin. It's so, so, beautiful. It's like starlight." the vampire spoke mindlessly.
Lord Garfield compressed firm kneads on Raven's with the back of his knuckles, the sides of his hands, and the face of thereof.
Raven made a soft noise of delight, which made the hairs on Lord Garfield's neck prickle.
Lord Garfield knew he would disturb Raven, but he said it anyway, "You just made such a pretty sound, Angel."
"Can you shut up." Raven bit her lip in annoyance, and Lord Garfield just chuckled in amusement.
He continued his touch on her upper body, "Sage stimulates and balances the mind and emotions. It helps with feeling grounded and cleansed. Rosemary is for increased concentration, memory, and relieving anxiety."
Raven's voice was between a moan and a whisper, "I know. I'm into herbs and spices, just as much as I am with books."
"I see. Do you have a favorite scent?"
Lord Garfield included radiant kisses in his massage. Down the spine that bound the body of a plethora of dark and hidden mysteries. He ran his hands across the shape of Raven's body, and infused sequences of languid kisses and subtle bites on any expanse of skin available.
Lord Garfield was watching his angel unravel right in his hands, so miracously. Her tender flinches as he rolled his hands over and through her body, and the pale noises of desire that bled from her lips.
Lord Garfield knew very well that Raven was sensual, full of depth and had a lot to unpack. But, he loved that he could undo his own good time.
"Lavender. Sometimes french vanilla. But lavender was always my favorite. Very occasionally I like something apple-oriented. Do you have a favorite scent?"
"Black currant and red wine, like the candle I have lit now. Cinnamon. Clove, too. Very rarely sweet citrus."
"Interesting," Raven breathed deeply as Lord Garfield intimately lined her lower figure with his touch.
He caressed the landscape of her back. Her back had a raven etched in the dermal area, and two dermal piercings as well. All of this was turning his eyes dreamy and hastening his pulse. He was feeling rampant, and although this woman showed signs of being flustered, she still remained calm. He wondered how she did it.
He held her just like that, hands on her lower back, and his mouth right near her ear.
"I have a new favorite scent, actually," Lord Garfield nibbled Raven's ear, biting his fangs down delicately on flesh. His scent was on her, already marking her as his. "Your arousal," He tongue-kissed her neck one more time, and she whimpered. "You're getting there. You're getting there."
Raven writhed slightly as Lord Garfield eased away, and resumed his intense, sensual massages.
Lord Garfield asked Raven, "Tell me: What's your favorite part about being human?"
Raven murmured sarcastically, "Having a broken sleep schedule, being drained by society and its stupid standards, having multiple mental health diagnoses, loving myself one day, loathing myself for the rest of the month. Let's see, what else…"
Lord Garfield scoffed, not really surprised, "Not the ideal experience, is what I'm hearing?"
"Not in the slightest," Raven laughed, and her laugh was merely magical. "I mean there's nice things. Like trying new hairstyles, getting tattoos and piercings. Well, I like to experiment with my body," She laughed again, "It's bad at times, but not always. There's things like bowls of pasta and fresh fruit to taste. Star-gazing, freshly-washed sheets, reading new books. Experiencing unexpected love…"
Silence was the voice for a moment.
"I think those are a few good things about being human. Always being an element of change and being so intricate and rare. I think the hardest part is dealing with emotions and other people."
Lord Garfield's breath quickens as he smooths his hands on the crest and dip of Raven's behind with one hand, and the underside of her stomach with another. He dragged his textured touch up, down, and then right between Raven's thighs.
"Oh," Lord Garfield was losing focus a bit now, but he held on, "I'm glad you've had those things to keep you sane as a human. The same is for vampires, too. We have our own peculiar likes and habits that keep us happy."
Raven remarked, "Biting people, blood-sucking…"
"Well… yeah," He could feel the protest in Raven's body language, "But that's not all. Everything about being a vampire comes down to emotion. That's the similarity between vampires and humans. Emotions are the core. Except for vampires, we may feel more intensely. More ruthlessly, perhaps."
Lord Garfield sighed in pleasure, rubbing a few more contours in Raven's figure. Up her spine. Horizontal on the face of her arms. Firmly into her neck. Slowly on her hair. Down the sacred half, again.
"Open your legs a bit for me," he grunted, pulling down his threaded finger over a cluster of nerves.
Lord Garfield sank his teeth into the substance of one cheek of alabaster arse, while gripping tightly on the other. He looked up, seeing a small arch form in her back. Rich blood streamed from the round flesh.
Raven held down a beg, but the words she wanted to say came out as a desperate whimper.
A glint of light flickered through his pupils as he let the blood run between the thighs, so his dominance could settle in her. Next, he licks the blood clean, with a gradual, tense swipe of his tongue. Her blood was savorable, and the more he lusted, the more he pleased.
He created more space with his rough hands, getting enough access to her inner thighs. Lord Garfield slowly tongue-kissed there, licked, breathed, bit down on one thigh, dragged his nails against the other. His keen canines pierced the angelic flesh one more time. He sucked. Then he bit down again. After that, there was a red-hot, aggressive slap on her ass.
And then Raven cried out, "Lord Garfield!"
Raven's body tensed again as she knew she gave herself away.
" 'Gar' is easier on your tongue," Lord Garfield growled, the hunger was making him impatient.
"Please, Gar, do something, I need…" Raven didn't want to yield to him, but that was the game of the vampire.
Everything was to take or be taken. And even the most strong-willed and reticent people like Raven couldn't escape fate. Raven's faith in vampires was being assured, and the presence of such a proprietal, raw creature was more than enough to make her rigid composure crack.
Lord Garfield stated tersely, "There's a list of things for me to do for you, so, be specific."
Afterward, he sparsely sucked closer to the sweet magic between her legs, but far enough to make her ache for more.
Lord Garfield took pleasure in torturing her this way. Like a predator with his prey. Not giving her what she wanted, or needed, the easy way.
Rachel whined, arching again. Her hands splayed, fingers intertwining in the sheets, "Gar, oh, God, please."
"Come on, sweet girl. If you tell me what you need, I just might give it to you. Unless, you want me to keep chipping away at you, of course. I have no problem teasing you all night, 'til you confess." He told her sweetly, with a contrast of a rough, feral tone.
Another lewd, demanding nip, even closer to her revered ravine.
That's all he ever wanted, to know that she needed him.
And then it was there.
Urgent, but expected.
Her imperfect, dulcet plea.
"I need you."
hi bbrae babes happy fall ! (when it's september, it's fall in my head.) i decided to just let the inspiration spill on this one. i hope you enjoy. i'm on a slight hiatus, slow updates may be the thing for the next couple of months as i deal with personal matters. but, i will try to finish this story for halloween, or having it going during the season, at least. i am always grateful for your love and support. i'm actually very excited to write this, i just wish that time and mental capacities were more forgiving
see u soon.