By end of the dinner, Katie had gulped down three glasses of wine and she felt herself float. She looked at Alexander and felt a soft smile on her lips. Her cousin was okay and she was having dinner with Lord Alexander.
She felt happy. She wondered how long it had been since she had last felt like this.
Everything felt so unreal. Months ago she wouldn’t have believed it if someone said that she would be having a moonlight dinner with the Valerian Lord. Unlike most of the times where his hair would be combed back neatly, now it was disheveled due to the breeze.
Martin knocked at the door with Daisy following him so that they could clear the table. Daisy was the first to go out of the room while the old butler gave the daily reports of the mansion and the letters that had come for the day.
Alexander finished speaking to Martin and dismissed him; he then turned around to see Katie’s eyes close, her head resting on the table.
“Katie?” he called out her name.
“Mm,” she hummed, her eyes hardly open.
“Low tolerance to wine. I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he murmured before picking her up in his arms and walking towards the bed to lay her down carefully. She breathed in and out softly.
“Sleeping so defenselessly, don’t you know what dangers lurks around you?” he spoke, pushing the strands of her hair away from her face.
Looking at the time he remembered he had elsewhere to go. Giving a quick glance at the person on the bed he closed the door to his room.
One afternoon, Katie was back to working in the mansion and humming a song as she cut the vegetables. Soon she would be able to meet her cousin, she could do nothing but count days though she wasn’t exactly sure which day he was going to arrive.
“Someone looks to be in a good mood,” Dorthy commented, peeling the potatoes at the other side of the room.
“So finally Katie got banged,” Matilda commented with a dull tome making the girls’ eyes go wide.
“Mati! Don’t put it so crudely!” Dorthy said fanning her face with her hand and then turned to Katie, “Did you?” she asked beaming a little
“We didn’t!” Katie shouted with a flabbergasted look on her face.
“How boring. I thought they would have done it at least more than twice knowing Lord Alexander’s reputation,” Matilda said.
“Really,” Katie replied queasily, staring at the vegetables she had just cut.
“May be he’s just using her,” Cynthia said in a matter-of-fact tone and then lowered her voice, “No offense but like Matilda pointed out our Lord has a high drive when it comes to sexual activity.”
“Both of you are so crude,” Dorthy accused them, “We all know vampires have a higher sex drive compared to us humans. So it shouldn’t come as a shock. No offense Cynthia but we all know he got on with you like twice which was three years ago but that was that. If you have eyes you would know that the Lord has a soft corner for Katie.”
“It wouldn’t matter if you don’t have experience,” huffed Cynthia rolling her eyes, “The Lord prefers women with experience, someone who knows what to do rather than stay like a dead log. She needs experience.”
“How would you know if she is a dead log. Katie can b-”
“Please stop!” Katie shouted halting both the girls’ conversation. She felt her cheeks aflame with the row they were having, “I’m grateful that you girls are worried about me but I think we should work now before Mrs. Hicks comes here to see no work done.”
And on queue Mrs. Hicks entered the kitchen bombarding them with the items they had to prepare for lunch.
As Katie continued to work, her previous happy mood had been replaced with a thoughtful one. She knew how vampires lived their lives, especially the ones that belonged to the higher society. Power, sex, death. That was what it was all about.
Thinking back on the past few days, she realized that Lord Alexander had kissed her only once on the mouth when they had got back from the theater. Not once had he touched her like that after that night. Not to forget what happened two days ago. She had heard how woman bled during their first time and it was probably a dirty thing; she bit her lip, now worried. Was that why the Lord preferred women with experience?
Of course she wasn’t going to give her first time to any random man but having a little education on what to do and what not to do would be helpful.
The next day, Katie and Cynthia went to town to buy few supplies for the mansion. Katie who had been curious decided to ask Cynthia about her experience with men. Cynthia taught Katie what men liked and didn’t like, what they enjoyed. Katie felt that the woman was good at heart – she made her aware of the how’s and when’s for certain acts that she didn’t know had even existed.
They made a quick stop at a place where Cynthia bought two large containers that contained a liquid which helped in removing unnecessary body hair. It was sold in the black market which only a few could get hands on as it was made by witchcraft. Katie was in awe to know things like these were real.
Once they were done with buying things for the mansion Katie reluctantly tagged along with the woman to a local bath which was separated for different genders so that she could show how to make use of the liquid they had bought not long ago. Once they were out, Katie felt as if a layer of her skin was taken out. It felt different.
And then they went to meet a friend of Cynthia’s.
“This is Javier,” Cynthia introduced the man, “And this is Katie.”
The man named Javier didn’t seem like a friend to Cynthia because they kept talking to each other teasingly.
“Katie, I brought you here so that I can show you some of the moves,” the woman stated making Katie stutter.
“W-what? Show m-me?” That wasn’t something she was looking forward to, Katie thought to herself.
“Oh don’t worry I didn’t mean it that way. We won’t be doing the actual deed,” Katie let out a nervous laugh, “Come Javier.”
And then Katie sat there with her face burning in embarrassment. Cynthia was definitely bold. It wasn’t even ten minutes before she got up from the bed with Javier in it, saying that she had forgotten to pick the parcel and she went out in a hurry, saying she would be back in a few minutes, leaving Katie there.
Katie waited but Cynthia still hadn’t returned.
“I will be leaving. Thank you for your hospitality,” she said going towards the door but the man blocked her way.
“I’m sure she’ll be here in some time,” the man said with a polite smile. It didn’t feel right though.
“That’s alright. I will find her on my way. I forgot to buy something myself,” she said seeing the man’s smile falter.
“I said she will come back. Why don’t we try something until then, you wouldn’t have to wait,” he said as she heard him latch the door behind him.
She had dug her grave. Again.
She had trusted Cynthia, thinking she had a good heart and taking her for her word that she had changed but it was only a lie. Cynthia despised Katie to her very core.
She had only posed to be nice to her so that the girl would play along and fall for the trap she had laid. After Katie would be used, no man would take her back.
“If it is money that you want you can have it all,” Katie said pulling out the coins of silver she had, “Please let me go,” she requested him, feeling her throat go dry.
“It is very rare that I get to see a woman of your status. Well bred. I hear that the Lord has the hots for you. Perhaps I should sample you,” he said pulling her hand and she screamed for help. Taking the nearest object she smashed it on his head making the man drop his smile, “You can scream as much as you want because no one is going to save you. This is the part of the town where no one bothers with anything.”
“Stop please!!” She screamed as the man got on top of her, “Stop!”
But as soon as the man had got on top of her he was thrown to the nearest wall by someone at just the same speed.
Looking around anxiously, Katie found Alexander standing there, furious. When her eyes met his she felt herself gulp with fear. He was angry and it was written all over his face.
His eyes then went back to the man who was sprawled on the floor in pain. Picking up the man effortlessly in one hand he spoke,
“You have quite some nerve trying to take something that does not belong to you,” he spoke in a cold voice as he looked at the man in the eye, “Any last words?” He asked and the man looked at him in horror.
“W-wait p-pl-”
“I don’t think you do,” the Valerian Lord spoke in a clipped tone before jabbing his fingers right at the man’s heart.
The man’s painful screams echoed the room as Alexander’s fingers dug deeper into the flesh.
“Alex please stop!” Katie cried unable to hear the screams anymore.
“Didn’t I tell you that I would discard any man who would try to do anything with you?” he replied, pushing the body aside once the man had stopped struggling and taking a kerchief from his pocket to clean the blood out from his hand.
“B-but-”
“Not another word,” he cut her off with a glare, “I’ll talk to you once we get back to the mansion. Caviar, get this fixed. We’ll be heading back to the mansion,” he ordered while Caviar bowed, not looking up.
She had never seen this side of the Lord and it scared her now.
Reaching the mansion she felt Alexander hold her hand in his as they walked inside the mansion and to his room before he pushed her to the bed.
Alexander look nothing less than a predator with his eyes that had darkened out of anger. She tried sitting up and felt him right next to her in a second. His fingers weaving into the back of her hair before giving it a gentle tug and it made her flinch.
“I thought to ease you to your comfort, to give you time but it seems like that wasn’t needed,” he spoke to her with a gentle voice, “I didn’t know you wanted to relieve your sexual tension.”
“It’s a misunderstanding,” Katie said shaking her head, “I didn’t go there to do anything.”
“Hmm, is that so? Enlighten me why you were near the red street,” he said looking into her eyes that looked confused.
“I…”
“Yes, you?” He prompted her.
“I…” She was too embarrassed to say it. If only she hadn’t gone out today she they wouldn’t have been having this conversation. She felt another tug on her hair to remind her that he was waiting for her to speak, “Cynthia, she was only telling me how-they- I mean couple-”
“So you were worried about your experience,” he murmured letting go of her hair and getting off the bed, “Once I’m done dealing with a certain someone, I will be back. I will give you a thorough experience.”
And Katie felt her heart pound with what she heard next.
“I shall have you tonight. Be prepared.”
