Chapter 13
From Here to Eternity
And then…nothing happened.
“What’s going on?” I asked curiously, looking into Emrys’ eyes. He was inches from my face, leaning his head on one hand, gazing at me with a small grin.
“If you don’t get on with it, I may have to force myself on you!” I said low voiced.
Was that silky-smooth voice mine, and did I really just say those words?
“I want to savor the moment.” His grin grew wider, revealing his sharp teeth. “The only other time I had this privilege was under altogether different circumstances. There were no romantic interests whatsoever, you see; an act of changing a human to Raven, and nothing more.”
“Yes? Go on,” I whispered, touching his soft whiskers.
“This is completely the opposite: so intimate, so beautiful.” He touched my face with the back of his hand sending tiny electrical surges through me. “And, so erotic. I want to take my time.” He kissed my neck softly, then pulled back to study me. “I want to taste you, not just take you in,” he said, licking his lips. “Do you understand?”
“I think so,” I said, feeling breathless.
His rich, dark hair fell into my face as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. I inhaled a deep, slow breath - taking in his delicious scent and then, let out a sigh.
“Yes?” he asked, smiling again.
“I know that scent. It lingered after you left the pub. I noticed it when I first met you earlier this evening, but I didn’t put it together until now. It reminds me of something spicy-sweet, and earthy, – a luxurious smoky scent, like rich, aromatic pipe tobacco. What is it?” I asked, sniffing again.
“I have a perfumer,” he said in a light tone, “that blends my cologne for me using only the finest essential oils. This combination happens to be....” he paused to kiss my cheek, “black raspberry...” and then the other cheek, “black currant....” then he kissed my mouth, and said, “sweet black licorice....” His lips went to my neck, lingered a bit and then added, “And patchouli. Do you enjoy it?” Before I could answer he kissed my lips again.
When we came up for air I grabbed a large handful of his hair and put it under my nose. “Oh, yes. It becomes you.” It permeated his skin and lingered on his hair.
Our kisses were deeper now, exploring. My tongue flicked over his teeth, catching on the razor sharp point. I pulled away, surprised. But he drew me back, kissing heavier, accidentally grazing my lower lip with the needle-like tip. Copper. Tangy. Could I ever really desire this taste? He drew my lip into his mouth, and with a gentle suction he sampled a few drops, and licking the lingering driblets, he moaned. I had no idea if it was me, or the small taste of my blood that caused him such ecstasy.
“Both,” he breathed, whispery, still kissing.
Wrapping his arms around my back, he gave my zipper a tug.
“We don’t want to mess up your beautiful dress now, do we?” he asked, his eyes ablaze.
Tensing up at the new direction he had taken, I wondered if he had changed his mind about the rules. He didn’t answer this question in my mind. Instead he pulled me to my side and finished unzipping the dress. Then he pulled my arms out of the sleeves leaving my top half nearly bare, save for my thin black slip.
He kissed the hollow in my throat and then moved lower between my breasts, using his mouth - soft and tender; teasing me with his tongue. His heavenly smelling hair draped down brushing over me, tickling my freshly exposed skin as he reached farther down, pulling the dress completely off and tossing it to a nearby chair. When he turned back to me, I wasn’t sure if he moved in slow motion on purpose, or if it was just my perception of things, but the whole experience seemed to be taking much longer than I had expected it to take.
“As I just said, sweet Elizabeth, I want to take it slow and enjoy every moment.” His voice was velvet. “I want you to remember this as a fulfilling, gentle experience. I am not the fiend that your movies and books have portrayed me, and I want you to know this first hand.”
Of course I had been more exposed than this when swimming or sun bathing, but the way he looked at me made me much more self-conscious; completely aware of how much he enjoyed the view. His eyes explored my body, moving slow, taking it all in. I trembled, anticipating his touch, longing for it, ready to surrender. Finally, I could wait no longer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close.
“Your love, Elizabeth,” he whispered into my ear as he held me tight, “your love shall be the blood that courses through my veins.”
And as his lips trailed up and down my arms, neck, and face with such a sweet tenderness, it became impossible to imagine him ever being able to hurt me. When he observed the goose bumps on my arms he pulled his cape over me, and again, I wondered why he was still in his costume.
“I left my clothes back in the dressing room,” he said, answering my questioning thoughts. “I did not want to leave you even for a moment once you asked me to turn you. This cape is attached to the shirt and vest.” He paused for a moment as a sultry look crossed over his face. “However, I could take it off, if you wish...”
That comment made me wonder about his past, but I tried desperately not to think about it, not even sure if I wanted to know that part of his life. But I had to deal with the question he had just put forth. Did I want him to remove any of his clothes?
It was undeniable - I already desired him in more ways than imaginable and I wasn’t sure if I trusted myself if we were to lie together skin to skin. My slip was skimpy, barely there at all, and he reacted at once to my silent concerns. “Do not worry. I will change later while you rest.”
Emrys eased me over onto my stomach and began to rub my back, kneading the rigid muscles in my shoulders and neck. Now and then he’d bend to kiss me and his hair would fall forward tickling me each time he moved. I could only assume that he hoped to get me relaxed before the big event would begin. It actually worked for a short while, as I found it much easier to relax when I wasn’t looking at him. He gave a fantastic massage; his touch was warm and strong. Muscles that had been knotted like an old tree trunk, slowly loosened, however, the steady flow of currents from his hands, his lips, and even his hair, kept me in a heightened state of alertness. Had it been anyone else touching me, sleep would have been easy.
After he finished, I rolled over and took him into my arms, finding the same electrical force on my front side. It was surprising how relaxed I felt; the strange unearthly feelings didn’t seem to bother me any longer.
Our kisses grew more passionate, and at one point I thought about tearing his costume off myself and tossing away my supposed unwavering plan to remain chaste until marriage. I knew with every fiber of my being that we’d be together forever. What difference did a few hours and a little ceremony make? I had almost convinced myself to give in, and when he moved on top of me I believed it was only moments away. He seemed quite interested in going along with the idea in my mind, and as he positioned himself firmly in place, pressing his body down on me, I thought surely this was it. Our lips were still locked together as he took my hands and held them above my head. He then pressed more of his weight down - pushing me harder into the bed. My hands were now in a vice grip as he held them tight and I began to get the first inkling of being helplessly trapped.
I realized then that he had been working at getting me immobilized. Not ready for what I had been so eager to do - that would have to wait. It was now clear; I had mistaken his intentions. Oh, he was excited, to be sure, but not in the sense another man would have been. He wasn’t necessarily trying to arouse me at all. This was his way to prepare me to give myself to him in a completely different way and I now understood what was really about to happen.
As much as I knew I wanted this, a deep surging sense of fear crept over me; fear of the unknown, fear of pain, fear of death itself. It didn’t help when c
laustrophobia set in as he continued to restrain my arms above my head. He repositioned his legs and body in such a way as to keep me pinned, trapped; utterly and completely helpless.
My heart hammered - at first only in my chest. It then radiated its thunderous banging up into my head. The incredible speed and loud pounding of my heartbeats became deafening in my ears, and at the same time promised to burst through my chest wall in an explosion of searing pain. My panicked breathing came faster, spasmodic; a frantic panting. Air pumped in and out of my lungs, rapid-fire, making me dizzy. I tried to take deeper breaths, but found it impossible to get enough oxygen; the air had turned to thick molasses - suffocating and hot. My ragged breaths came loud and raspy; as though I was screaming.
Emrys gazed at me then, and sudden waves of ecstasy washed over me along with an acute awareness of what he experienced at that exact moment: He savored his supreme sense of dominance while keeping me restrained - powerless and at his mercy. He urgently hungered for my blood. And, he was quite noticeably aroused.
He stared at me, face to face, and I watched in awe as his eyes began to change. A dark red ring begin to encircle his pupils, and then the entire iris changed colors - first from deep black to brown, and then finally to red. He became a predator, focused and intense just before leaping for its prey. He appeared famished, and until that moment I never realized one could emit such a look. He licked his lips in a slow and deliberate motion, as though he could taste me already, his tongue pausing the shortest miniscule of a second on each sharp tooth. Closing his crimson red eyes, he eased my head to the left with his free hand, exposing my neck. Ripples of adrenaline coursed through my veins as I lay pinned down; no escape possible - my throat so vulnerable now, clearly defenseless and open to his attack. A low growl came from deep within his chest and a shiver washed over him, the electricity surging between us at its maximum voltage. He moved his head down, unhurried, but with determined intent. His hair fell forward draping across my face, and he took a long deep breath, inhaling my scent. Then, in one quick movement, he pierced my skin with his fangs. It was intense and sharp - but exquisite. The initial pain instantly changed to pleasure as Emrys began to emit murmurs of ecstasy - for now he had savored his first mouthful of my very essence.
He started out slow at first: sucking and swallowing. The hold he had on my upraised arms relaxed a bit, though not nearly enough to be free of his grasp. Amazingly, it never occurred to me to even try pulling away. Each moan grew deeper and louder as he quickened his drinking. And now, my heart pounded even more fiercely than before, drumming in my head – echoing, an angry, banging sledgehammer. My entire body pulsed with its rhythm. The thumping hammered so hard, so fast, that it was maddening.
They had all been right, the initial pain was minimal. Like getting your ears pierced, lasting only a moment or two. I felt more bothered by my own fears and the fact that I could barely control the strange noises coming from my voice, and the increasing sensation of having to escape. Yet somehow at the same time, I basked in the heightened awareness of the extreme pleasure that I freely gave to him, and more than that, according to all he had told me, this fresh, pure life force he took from me now would bond us in ways unknown to humans and fill him with more strength and power than ever. My mind went back and forth as I reeled between light-headed euphoria and the need to escape, from dizziness to claustrophobia. This vacillation would have been enough to drive me insane if the feeding continued much longer.
Finally, as my heart started to slow with the steady rhythm of his drinking, I became aware of a new sound that seemed to be localized in my right ear: a disgusting gurgling sound, followed by his swallowing. Gurgle and swallow, gurgle and swallow - like the sound of a straw when a thick liquid has almost emptied but for the bottom of the glass. These sickening sounds of the blood leaving my body were horrific and repulsive. A moment later nausea welled up and then the sweating started. All of a sudden I had the feeling that my throat had closed up and I started to choke. I was suffocating. Fearing what was next, coldness gripped me - my hands and feet grew numb, and I began to twitch and tremble as an icy emptiness enveloped me. A dreadful weakness followed - my body heaved upwards, and I knew my life had begun to ebb away. My heartbeat slowed. The thumping grew dimmer and slower still. And then I heard no sounds at all, no more gurgling noise, no breathing sounds. I felt no pain, fear or angst. A deep, restful, and unforgettable serenity washed over me. My entire being relaxed as though I was floating - no longer a prisoner of this world. One last thing entered my mind, and that was the face of my Emrys as he lovingly caressed my cheek. And then my body and my mind became tranquil, void of all thought and care. Everything went absolutely and completely black.