***
The moon was high in a cloudless sky when Junius finally left the feast. He’d pleaded fatigue from their travels, but in reality he wanted to be alone and away from the proximity of other men. The long days in the wilderness had been a pleasure in many ways. He’d grown accustomed to the wide open spaces and vast views of the mountains. Now to be confined to barracks was limiting and making him feel uneasy, but he’d have to get used to it, if he was to go back to Syria or serve as a member of the guard.
He walked to the gateway and gave the password to the men on duty. They nodded and let him through into the settlement beyond the walls. For a moment he hesitated, undecided where to go, but then he caught sight of the land beyond the houses, so he walked down the main street of the vicus to the countryside outside.
In comparison to others settlements the one here was quite small, but the smells and sounds were the same all across the Empire. Once he would have been tempted and most certainly would have gone to one of the many taverns and possibly found Marius and joined him for a drink and then maybe he’d have spent the night with a willing young woman. But not now, tonight he wanted peace and tranquillity. As he walked past the brothels, where the women stood around outside calling to him, and the drinking dens, which were filled with laughter and merriment, he wandered if he ever would be tempted by them again.
The buildings of the vicus sprawled all the way to the river, so he turned right and made his way along the riverbank to the countryside. There was a low mist rising from the water, sending its tendrils out into the dark forest on either bank. In the moonlight, it seemed to glow with an unearthly luminescence and he found his footsteps leading him to the dark trees away from the water.
Once in the woods the atmosphere changed again, and the night became still as if the world was holding its breath. He tried to be as quiet as possible, but no matter how hard he tried, his feet snapped twigs and rustled leaves, disrupting the nocturnal silence.
The moonlight’s silver beams illuminated the way for him. There wasn’t a path; he was simply following his feet and going wherever chance took him. Soon the ground began to slope and peering up he made out a ridge in the distance. Curious, he decided to make his way towards it, for no other reason other than that it would give him a view and was well away from any tracks.
With an effort he attained the level ground. Two weeks in the saddle had certainly hardened his backside but it meant that he was out of practice and obviously needed to do more physical exercise. From the plateau he could see the forest spread out below him to the very river itself. He’d actually walked quite a distance. Above him the slope continued but at a much sharper incline. This was the ideal place for contemplation. For a moment he was quiet, breathing in the tranquillity and savouring being alone.
But something wasn’t quite right; his soldier sense, which had kept him alive through so many battles, was warning him that someone or something was out there. Junius glanced around, taking in the darkened wood only partiality lit by the moonlight. He could see nothing untoward, but everything was telling him to leave.
His instincts had served him well in the past, so without another thought, he scrambled back down the slope. Thankfully his nailed military footwear known as caligae gave him grip despite the incline. Once on level land he slowed down, aware of the need to be calm and careful, so as not to look as if he was prey for any creature out here.
Ahead of him, he could see the swirling mist creeping up from the river and the odd flashes of moonlight on the water. Then he stopped in his tracks, his heart thumping in his chest.
A hooded figure was emerging from the fog and gliding towards him. Junius knew of only one creature that could move in such a fluid motion. Suddenly it all fell into place; they should have known what was happening and recognized the signs, which were so obvious when you were looking for it.
The figure stopped a few metres from him and removed the hood and instantly his fear dissolved into something much more pleasurable.
She smiled, the black of her eyes reflecting the moonlight so that they seemed to glow with an inner light, creating a stunning contrast to the perfection of her pale skin.
“Marcus Junius Silanus, we’ve been expecting you. We have felt you coming closer to us and have looked forward to being reunited with you again.” She spoke fluent Latin, but with the accent of the locals and he realised that she was young, only recently made Kin.
He was confused. Why they would welcome him after what he’d done?
“But I killed her.”
The woman tilted her head, as if listening to the voices of the others of her kind. Then she spoke again. “That was not your fault. She came too late. We had urged her to go to you earlier, but she refused. The blame is not with you. Isher–Dan welcomes you and greets you as the saviour of the Kin.”
As she said this she came closer, gliding towards him and instead of running, he stayed and stared, transfixed, until she was close enough to touch him.
“But I caused the death of hundreds of your kind. And it was all in vain. You tried to save me and you couldn’t. It’s my fault.”
“You taught us how to fight. You made us strong. And told us about Rome. You are our general.”
He should run, he told himself as she reached up and delicately put her hand onto his chest so he could feel her marble coolness through his tunic. He ought to reach out and stake her as he’d done a few months before, but he didn’t have anything with him, only his short knife which wouldn’t hurt her. And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to harm her. She was perfection. Finally he could feel something stir inside himself, which had been still for so long.
He’d made himself like this because he dared not lose control, but with her there was nothing to fear, he could surrender to his desire and no one would be hurt. He’d been alone for so long, struggling to deal with what had happened and trying to make sense of his life and how he’d changed. It would be so easy to step back and submerge himself in their oneness again and be free of all the worries.
“You are kin, Marcus Junius Silanus. We are still inside you.” Her hand was resting against his thumping heart and he could smell the sweetness of her breath. She smiled again as if reading his thoughts. Desire flashed through him, tearing and ripping down the walls and barriers he’d built up since he’d walked away from them in Parthia, and he heard himself gasp as he recognised the deep yearning within.
She moved closer and reached up to cup his face, and without thinking Junius lowered his head. He paused for a moment then pulled her into his arms and kissed her, allowing his deepest desires to take over. She wrapped herself around his body and pressed herself against him. Conscious only of each other, they sank down onto the floor of the forest, where she moved on top of him so that she was straddling his body. Junius lay back watching as she leant forward, then threw her head back so that her hair fell over her shoulders. He knew it was wrong, but he didn’t care, this was what he wanted. He’d denied himself for too long and now the anticipation was growing inside like a flood wave about to break. He gasped when he saw her teeth emerging from her rosy red lips. She smiled, then lowered herself to his neck and he felt the sharp pleasure of penetration, and moaned with desire, as the much missed sensations swept through his body, taking over his mind and focusing himself to the moment and his desire. Together they created their own rhythm, both intent on each other and the pleasure they were giving and receiving. Junius gripped her tightly letting go of all his inhibitions and surrendering himself to the growing desire consuming his body. He groaned as the sensations rushed through him, sensations he had no wish to control, and she continued to cling on, whilst still pulling greedily at his neck. Junius moaned with pleasure, and stared out into the dark forest, not seeing the world, but only feeling the effects in his body.
He lost all awareness of time, until finally sated she sat up, and grinned down at him. He knew what was coming next, he could already taste it. His heart be
at faster in anticipation, as he watched her carefully bite into her wrist then hold it across his mouth. He didn’t need to be told twice, eagerly his lips sought the wound and he sucked at the black ichor that ran in her veins. Somewhere he heard himself moan in pleasure as the liquid scorched his tongue and burned his throat on its way down into his gut, where it instantly set a fire going, which soon spread to every nerve and sinew of his body. Hungrily he reached up and held her wrist closer to his mouth.
The tiny spark of consciousness, which had resisted and kept hold of sanity, now made one final effort to regain control. But immediately it was pushed down, and finally extinguished. As it faltered and died, he heard them for the first time. They were there already in his mind welcoming him back to them, he could feel the oneness and eagerly he surrendered and became a part of the conscious mind of the Kin.
Like the last night of Becoming, she let him have as much as he wanted, and when she finally moved her wrist away, he reached up and tore her dress apart to reveal the marble perfection of her pale skin. Confident and in control now, he pushed her down onto the floor, and explored her cool body with his lips and hands, savouring the familiar smooth chill that had haunted his dreams since Parthia.