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The Taste of Him Kelantha
It
vexed me that I had not sensed Juan�s presence in the room, amidst the
swirling dancers and laughing gaiety, but the blood pulsing through my
veins, filling my ears and mouth with its tasteful wonders, obscured
everything beyond my senses, so full was I of pleasure. He came up the
stairwell deftly, removing his gloves, his stance one of preoccupied
arrogance in the supposition that he would be warmly welcomed. Nothing had
changed in my months away from Madrid, nothing save the stoic countenance
of his eyes as they beheld me with the eagerness of a wolf preparing to
devour its prey. In previous years, such a look would have offended and
intimidated me; now I welcomed the opportunity for revenge, the presence
of mind to speak in seductive tones, to glide forth and welcome him, to
remark with feigned sorrow on the absence of his wife, and lead him down
the stairs to the gardens. His
pleasure at so startling me on our last meeting was replaced with infinite
curiosity as he beheld the transformation. Gone was the icy princess
locked in her ivory tower, instead a relentless wanderer. I knew that he
wanted me. It was not impulsive, this desire, but profound, of a depth
that had been suppressed in our long years apart. There were happy hours
with this man, moments in which I had believed him worthy, but now they
flooded through me without invoking my pity. The light was not so
proficient here, the sounds of the ball obscured in the upper quarters. I
knew that somewhere my husband watched and waited, and would slip out
before the dawn to wander the streets. My hand fell against the trellis,
brushing among the soft petals and drawing a prick of blood to the surface
as it connected with a thorn. My
companion took my hand and appraised the mild damage, but I did not allow
him to stifle it with the whiteness of a pressed handkerchief. My eyes
never leaving his, I withdrew it to my lips and deliberately sucked away
the blood. Juan was captivated with the sensuality of that gesture; I
could see him flutter like a moth caught with a pin through its breast,
his voice breaking free with a module of curiosity. �Kelantha,� he
whispered, and it was a whisper I knew well, one that had spoken sweet
things to me in many such archways, when he had attempted to seduce me for
my fortune. I was no longer the innocent child who had believed his lies,
and been devastated with the truth. I
drew apart from him, listening to the soft strains of music overhead, not
moving as his hands reached my bare shoulders and caressed downward,
sliding down the length of my arms. He stood behind me, the scent of blood
discernable as it pulsed in his veins. �I was disconcerted when I
learned of your trip to London,� he said intimately, playing the role I
know knew so well, that of a charming blackguard. �That it came so soon
after our�our disagreement, I naturally assumed that you were vexed with
me. You returned all of my letters.� �I
had no desire to read them.� His
hand was now at the base of my neck, his fingers creeping around my
throat, beneath the volume of hair carefully arranged into a mass of
curls. My head tilted slightly back, enduring his caress as his fingertips
traced lightly the gem tied with a ribbon in the nape of my throat. �Are
you still angry with me?� he questioned softly, his breath hot against
my ear. There was a faint breeze flowing through the gardens, and it
rippled past us. I sensed that my husband was there, watching from high
above, in the arches of the roof, but though my eyes shot heavenward,
toward the magnificent moon as it shone down upon us, I could not see him.
The count took pleasure in such deliberate games, in watching the creature
he had set forth upon the world come into magnificence. I would make it
such a spectacle for him, that he could not help retaliation in a similar
show of strength. I
did not answer Juan, and he took it for a glimmer of promise. The bookish
young woman had returned with the radiance of eternal death upon her face,
a beauty that had been repressed until the count set it forth in glory,
unleashing its devastating intentions upon an unsuspecting world. Juan
desired the beauty that I put forth, not the cunning mind beneath; he
beheld me merely as a toy, yet another trinket to be kept in his breast
pocket and concealed from his wife. His reputation throughout the city was
notorious, but most held his wife in too high of regard to speak of it
publicly. He was a dandy, welcomed at all the finest parties and even
spoken well of by the priests, who feared not to, lest they should lose
his weighty contribution to the church fund. �Why
did you marry him, the count?� A little laugh escaped me, and I stepped forth out of his reach, turning to once again appraise the roof. He was gone, my charming companion of darkness. I could not speak of the reasons why, of the intensity of our relationship, of the bond that had formed between us, of the emotions that he created in me, invoking them with ease and taking no pains to conceal his pleasure in their development, the cruelty and equal amount of compassion. It is thought that a vampire knows nothing beyond the desire for blood, but this is not true. We know much more than mankind, we desire far greater achievements; with us, there is no end but that which an unsteady hand bearing a wooden stake would wield. I could tell none of this to Juan. �He
is greatly respected, well established, has a remarkable library of
medical science, and is excessively wealthy. It was a most beneficial
match.� I
turned and a glimpse of my face was caught in the moonlight, an impish
glimmer to my eyes that lured him like a man drawn to his death. Juan
stepped very near to me, unable to resist the nets that I cast about him.
I could see his heart beating beneath his breast, increasing in pace with
my nearness. �And does he please you?� he questioned. My
lips curved upward, remembering the pleasure of my husband�s arms, his
body moving against mine in the satin sheets. This pathetic mortal could
grant me no such fulfillment, for he knew not how to love a vampire. My
smile tempted him further, and brought a remarkable look to his face, one
of boyish impudence. I had not considered what a game it would be to play,
how simple he would make this for me. �Are you attempting to seduce me,
Monsieur Torres?� I inquired playfully. �Seduction
is a rather a harsh term, would you not agree?� He was enjoying this
banter with me, the appearance of his eyes dancing in the prospect of
verbal foreplay. It would have been all too easy to make it simple for
him, but I desired to see how far he would go. �Have
you forgotten my vigorous religious standards?� �I
have not forgotten them, but nor have you darkened the doors of the church
since your arrival. May I presume that certain of your feelings of
devotion have waned?� He stepped nearer to me, his hand stretching out
to embrace the pillar behind me, encasing my form in the concealment of
his cloak. In younger years, it would have intimidated me, but there was
now no heart to flutter with nervous anticipation, nor palms to sweat with
the intensity of his embrace. �Meet me tomorrow,� he pressed.
�Noon.� My
head turned aside as though conflicted, eyes darting up to meet his as I
replied, �It cannot be noon. My husband will wish to read to me at that
hour. It must be in the evening�sunset, at the monastery. We will not be
seen there.� His
look of satisfaction was positively repulsive as I slipped away from him,
joining the others in the ballroom. I gave my hand to many men that night,
allowing them to guide me around the floor, until the night lost its
pleasure in the presence of so many, and I slipped out into the darkness.
He was waiting for me there, a firm hand that fell about my waist in the
alley and drew me into the city, bathed in moonlight. We hunted together
and returned to the house in the hours before dawn, drawing the draperies
and shutting out the inflaming sun that would soon rise. Anticipation for
what the next night would bring must have shown upon my face, for Dracula
beheld me in silence as I undressed, and then said, �You are pleased.� �And so too will you be,� I vowed, �for my hour of triumph is near.�
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