Shadow Mist Part 3
"Everything will be all right."
The breathy words seeped into Heero's mind in a muddled mingling of sounds, each syllable incoherent yet keenly felt as disjointed vibrations ricocheting inside his head.
Creeping like a stealthy fog, shadows veiled his perspicacity and without warning his senses were undone.
He couldn't think.
Unable to speak, his voice refused to utter any objections.
Most disconcerting of all, held spellbound by Duo's touch, he couldn't move.
Tactile sensations ran hot and cold at the same time. Fingertips burned his skin then lips froze the aroused nerve endings to incapacitate him further.
Fire and ice.
Pleasure and pain.
Heero should have easily manipulated the situation. His responses should have been automatic.
He'd always been able to detach emotions from carnal lust. He was an expert skilled in the art of illusion who could make anyone believe they were the center of his universe, at least for as long as it took to get the job done.
Heero Yuy told his dates what they wanted to hear; transported them to the brink of climax then push them over the edge without thinking or feeling. Fast release with no strings attached was his job and he was damn good at it.
But transfixed by Duo's odd violet orbs darken to ebony in the limited light, Heero was well beyond comprehending that the tide had turned.
The professional was no longer in charge, even so a question struggled through the curtain of desire shrouding his mind. "Where in the hell did Duo find this sudden strength?"
An hour ago the Duo could hardly walk now he commanded every part of Heero's being with absolute authority. It didn't make sense but then nothing had since Heero first beheld the perplexing young man.
Even more curious Duo was holding his sway without a single kiss. There had been no meeting of lips or tangling of tongues. It was as though he was deliberately avoiding the kiss as if it might suck away his strength or divulge the source of his sorcery.
Heero's arms rose automatically to let Duo tug his shirt over his head. Again those sultry fingertips caressed his bare chest leaving fiery tracks in their wake. Over and over Duo's hands roamed, threatening to ignite the smoldering trials into a full blown blaze.
Breaths were ragged as they fought to keep up with the frenzied pace. Lungs seized, the lack of oxygen causing dimness to slip over his sight.
Duo's mouth joined the skillfully employed agents of touch. Moist lips suckled over taut nipples, a darting tongue lapped at sweat-dampened flesh tasting the secreted salt and the sensual essence of his enslaved lover.
Heero's mind was so preoccupied with puzzlement he failed to notice being divested of his pants. Not until his growing erection was displayed for scrutiny did he discover he was lost and could do nothing to save himself from the fierce onslaught ravishing his body.
By a different trick Duo had removed his own clothing. Now his nude body straddled Heero's legs and his extremely aroused manhood throbbed impatiently against Heero's genitals.
"What are you doing to me?"
As fingers fondled Heero's rigid manhood, Duo leaned closer and declared with a guttural growl. "Only what you want me to do."
"What I want?"
Something unnatural was manifested in the effortless domination as Duo tunneled his hand around his paramour's extremely sensitive penis and began a series of steady strokes, gliding from base to tip and rubbing his thumb over the head's dewy slit.
"You were destined to be with me from the beginning." Duo proclaimed increasing his stroking to a fever pitch.
Heero's hands clawed up fistfuls of damp sheets as he writhed under the focused assault. The last of his cognizance was rapidly eroding still he knew there'd be no hope of redemption if his threadbare sanity frayed beyond reclamation. "I don't---understand---from the---beginning-"
The rambling sentences broke off abruptly when Duo's hand clamped down to coerce him towards a climactic conclusion.
Trembling from need but fighting to maintain what little control he had, Heero resisted the strong and painful urge to come. As long as he endured Duo could not complete his claim.
Gritting his teeth Heero used all his mental power to block the coursing flood tingling through his groin, yet an inexplicable craving prodded him to seek out the corporal release of both seed and soul.
Closing his eyes he sought one merciful moment free from Duo's all encompassing influence, but even the absence of optical rule did nothing to stem the burning tide as an orgasmic quiver overwhelmed his thrashing body.
Duo clamped down harder; Heero's eyes flew open. "Oh God." he cried in choked gasps when the pure terror of helplessness took hold.
A sinister smile curved up Duo's mouth as he licked his lips in anticipation. "God has nothing to do with this." he declared with a slow swipe of his tongue down Heero's engorged length.
"Yield," Duo ordered, never lessening the persistence manipulations, "Let me free you from your misery."
Terror-widened cobalt eyes locked with midnight orbs glimmering with scarlet sparks then, immobilized by Duo's captivating gaze, Heero surrendered the last of his willpower.
One rougher stroke and the deed was done.
A mournful whimper trembled through Heero's throat, his last pitiful plea before the spillway unleash its fury. With a gut-wrenching shudder he came hard, milky seed surging over Duo's hand and both of their stomachs.
The forceful gush pumped, spewing more fluid and sending him into a downward spiral that culminated in a fusion of ecstasy and madness.
Heero lay limply. Residual aftershocks continued to pulse but he could no longer feel their affects. Breaths came in shallow puffs and not an inch of his flushed skin was dry.
Content to share the afterglow, with a satisfied sigh Duo released his conquest's softening member.
Strangely Duo wasn't winded at all. Breathing was steady. His creamy skin displayed no rosy blush that should have been produced by the strenuous activity nor was his manhood engorged.
By deliberate degrees, Duo leaned forward to capture his lover's slightly parted lips. Finally with the hunger of a predator feasting on his prey he delivered a searing kiss.
All Heero could do was moan, too feeble to react as Duo's hand cupped under his chin and straightened his neck.
A hot tongue flicked over twin silver earrings. Lips slithered down Heero's throat. "I have waited so long mia amore." Duo murmured softly in stark contrast to his former aggressive behavior.
Duo's mouth closed over the distended skin. Strong suction raised a swollen welt and he was rewarded with another low groan from his totally compliant quarry.
Faces inches apart, Duo hissed huskily, "Always meant to be mine." and with that claiming pronouncement the bedroom was enveloped in dank mist.
Through the murky vapors billowing like ominous clouds, Heero glimpsed ebony wings, webbed flesh rather than feathers, unfurl from Duo's back then in an equally brief instant the wings disappeared.
Was Heero witnessing some eerie transmogrification or had his senses merely slipped beyond rational understanding to plunge into the abyss of insanity?
Spreading his lips wider Duo centered his teeth with practiced precision. "Mine." was repeated before two extended canine incisors bit down producing a soft pop as they broke through sweet flesh.
Heero jerked. Wide eyes fixed in a panicked stare of utter disbelief, his entire body bowed off the bed.
Duo tightened the bite to persuade the puncture holes to discharge their bloody gift then drank slowly. There was no need to hurry for Heero was held in perfect submission under his spell.
*********
Since arriving in the city a fortnight ago, Duo hoped during his nightly prowling of avenues and alleys he'd encounter an individual with extraordinary intelligence and breeding.
Night after night he attended posh parities, stalked the elite of high society, yet there was neither female nor male worthy of his time or attention.
Even after three centuries these piteous creatures offered irrefutable proof that the inherently haughty nature of man hadn't evolved over the preceding decades.
Before this night, he had not destroyed one innocent person since there'd been a surplus of prey among gang members, thugs and dope dealers slinking among the midnight traces.
These peddlers of pain had satisfied his taste for blood, provided necessary nourishment but not one had filled the hallow vacancy in his stagnant heart.
However now, with he and Heero enshrouded in darkness, Duo's intension was not to feed but to kill, for only in death could the alluring human be eternally joined to him.
Duo desired a companion with the grace and talent to become his equal and longed for a lover to rest with him by day, hunt with him by night and share his cursed life that evermore shunned the sun.
*********
~1808~
Dominic Martinelli was of noble Italian birth; a Tuscan aristocrat of high standing.
Few people measured up to Dominic's superior standards, but in his own way, he was just as haughty and shallow as the common populace he deemed unfit. Alas that identical arrogance predestined his downfall.
Like the present humans, Dominic thought himself better than the vineyard worker's daughter who offered herself as payment for her father's debts. But was he better? By demanding sexual favors he lowered his station and for that moral descent he paid the ultimate price.
Little did he realize when he intimated the girl of sixteen to pleasure him in a stable she was actually the whoring bride of the undead.
At dawn Dominic woke with a raw ache in his throat and sickening pain racking his entire body. Five nights the devil's concubine returned to his crude straw bed in a horse stall and fed until she leached out the last of his life.
Bite after bite, Dominic was turned, robbed of light and soul, before the Queen of the Damned vanished leaving him alone in a terrifying world with no clue of how to survive.
*********
~1908~
Dominic, christened Duo by the band of vampires who sheltered the frightened fledgling, did survive and grow stronger. Employing cunning taught by his elders and the magic metamorphosis imparted by the Dark Kiss he rose to become Master of a mighty coven.
However after a century he grew weary of his leadership demands and gave into wanderlust. He traversed the globe, gazed at Mount Olympus at sunset, sailed the seas with pirates and walked the Great Wall of China. He feasted with kings and sultans and drank in boorish taverns with the salt of the earth.
Many men and women sought out his company. Many lovers, vampiric and human, vied to be his mate but not one captured his heart.
Years merged. Past fused with present and the future came around full circle.
*********
~2008~
In a modern American city far from his home in Italy, still haunted by horrid memories of family disownment and exile among caves and crypts, Duo found Heero Yuy, the one person compatible in both strength and spirit.
With stealthy stalking Duo studied the young man. With deception of the senses, he observed Heero's sexual prowess in the games of enticement so effortlessly accomplished.
Duo was amazed how easily the charming male altered his body language, his entire countenance to fit his date's idea of a perfect lover. He became entranced as Heero made each customer believe someone truly loved them.
One can only imagine Duo's surprise when on that fateful night the object of his fascination engaged in the same art of seduction Duo had used on the devious girl who crafted his ruin.
How ironic. How fitting as the midnight hour was born that a prostitute would prove to be his salvation.
How fitting indeed.
*********
A vampire is not cold or lifeless. No, a fervent fire burns in his spirit with such intensity that countless ages cannot cool the flames.
If one is lucky enough to find that person whose heart can withstand the clarifying refinement without being consumed then neither the angels in heaven with their petitions for sparing a soul nor the archangel of hell who rules the dark recess of Sheol can stand in the way of their claiming.
Duo continued to suckle while the body beneath him gradually dissolved into a shell of flesh and bones.
"It won't be long my love. Soon the icy pain will be replaced by passionate pleasure." he promised, sensing the turning was almost complete.
Withdrawing his blood-drenched fangs Duo used the sharp point of a fingernail to slice across his chest. Keeping time with Heero's fading heartbeat crimson droplets discharged from the cut.
Carefully Duo lifted Heero's head and centered his mouth over the scarlet offering. "Drink," he coaxed, "we will be forever joined."
Heero could feel his life slipping away and knew he had but seconds to be rescued from the everlasting midnight rapidly overtaking him.
Like a babe at his mother's breast, he latched onto the congealing liquid and with instincts borne of survival he drank with abandon.
Just as Heero's heart thumped out its last beat, Duo kissed his blood-laced lips to share their first taste as eternal partners. A steady hiss of air expelled the last breath, a single throb echoed in Heero's chest and he was gone.
Duo smiled lovingly at his mate. He knew before sunrise Heero would awake from his regenerative voyage and dawn would usher in a new existence.
*********
At the midpoint between life and death, Heero had clear recollections of numerous reincarnations.
Green meadows and dense forests ringed by towering snow-capped mountain. Spires of a grand castle silhouetted against a crystal blue sky.
Familiar faces around a great table. Ruby wine imbibed by a gray stone fireplace and the rough texture of fur as his fingers raked through the shaggy coat of an elkhound.
Warmth.
A woman, naked and sated, cradled in his embrace beneath a large bed's silken canopy. He could not recall her name but her presence was keenly felt.
War.
Crossbows. The clang of swords.
Corpses of men and horses littering the battlefield.
More visions.
Soldiers, muddy uniforms and bloody faces, scrambling into trenches. Cannon balls gouging out the earth and men screaming in anguish.
Thick clouds of dust, the sulfur scent of gunpowder, the stench of death.
So much destruction.
Heero collapsed on the blood soaked ground, closed his eyes as pain tore through his battered body then drifted away into a soundless, sightless void.
Cold.
Dirty streets.
Heero was a thin figure wandering through the city's unforgiving callousness. Young and alone. Afraid, hungry and hopeless.
Huddled in a doorway, rain pelting the cracked concrete steps, an older male propositioned him to trade money for sex. He accepted. At least for that night he'd be able to eat.
The images continued, fluttering like hallucinatory butterflies across his mind as if he was watching an age-faded theater reel complete with jerky film and scratchy sound.
Life after life was presented for his consideration, but the scenes were detached, somehow removed from reality. They were a part of him yet disconnected as if they were not truly his.
*********
"Heero." The calling urged him back to the one moment in time that really mattered.
Safe in Duo's arms, "Wake." was whispered with surprising tenderness.
"Wake now." Duo commanded with more volume to help his lover find his way.
Sealing Heero's ashen lips with his mouth Duo blew hard enough to swell his chest. Suddenly Heero thrashed about, arms flinging wildly, fighting off imaginary demons not quite buried.
Duo shored up his embrace; placed a gentle kiss on his lover's scarlet-stained lips. "I promise you won't have to face this rebirth alone or struggle with fear and uncertainty as I had to.
Heero relaxed. Once more he reached out to vanquish the straggling beasts trying to tether him. This time, though, his hands were graceful like an artist or sculptor as they exorcised the remaining devils.
Eyes of cobalt blue now tinged with flecks of fire locked with Duo's primal sight. "Master." Heero deferred to Duo's ownership then, sure of his future, declared without any doubts. "I am yours."
It seemed right to be enfolded in his Sire's arms, to willingly do whatever pleased his Master and accept rewards of love for his loyalty.
In anticipatory excitement Heero spread his legs to remove the last barrier to their consummation. "Love me now and forever." he begged unashamedly.
Duo centered his body, flattened between Heero's toned thighs and savored the sensuous feel of skin on skin.
There would be no lengthy foreplay; they had eternity to explore bodies and bond souls. At that moment when time stopped to delay the sun's rising, their need for copulation was the driving force and pure genital pleasure their guide.
"Now." Heero urged, lifting his hips to grind against Duo's thoroughly aroused manhood.
Without preamble or the preparation once necessary when Heero was human, Duo aligned his enlarged member and drove the head through tight anal muscles.
A grunt was Heero's reply as he gripped Duo's firm buttock to help establish their union.
Fully seated Duo pulled back halfway. "Mine." he growled again confirming his complete possession of Heero's body and soul.
Heero wrapped his legs around Duo's waist accepting all his Master could give him. "Yours." he pledged.
There was no gradual build up of sexual excitement, no easing into the loving. Duo rutted fast and furious not wanting to grant his erotic mate a moment's respite from the carnal lust consuming both of them.
Heero proved he was indeed Duo's equal. He met every pounding thrust with his own fire, a lascivious heat that could only be quenched by his Master's seed.
Wrapping his hand around Heero's swollen manhood, Duo milked the erection to give his lover the gratification he deserved.
The friction building to a fever pitch, Heero issued a primal wail of ecstasy then without any vacillation released his seed.
Duo arched his back, planted his length to the hilt and quivered when the culmination of his lustful desires sent shockwaves coursing through his manhood. As the tremors subsided, he eased out and drifted down beside his sated lover.
Heero Yuy's unconditional love had freed Duo from ages of forlorn misery. With that absolute liberation the single residual spark of his mortal life was resurrected and he was granted a measure of humanity.
Enfolding arms and legs around Heero, Duo nuzzled the puncture marks on his neck. In turn Heero interlaced his fingers and squeezed Duo's hand.
Utilizing his enhanced vision, Heero studied the tattoo on his Master's forearm. "The color, so strange." he commented on the curious markings. "Why a cross?" he wondered as if there should be no secrets between them.
Surprisingly self-conscious Duo glanced at the tattoo then averted his eyes.
"Master?" Heero questioned, newly born empathy sensing the distress his question caused.
Duo rested his head on Heero's shoulder. "My sire gave that to me." he stated his voice barely above a whisper.
"The one that turned you?"
"The girl who feigned innocence, who stole---" a solemn sigh. "She fashioned one final remembrance should I'm ever tempted to disregard her claiming."
"But a cross?" Heero puzzled over the peculiar choice since Duo's vampirism was already a constant reminder of his Sire's dark gift.
"That was my Mistress's cruel scheme. She knew I was religious, she also knew I had compromised my beliefs by committing the sin of lust. By this horrible deed she made certain my fall from grace would never be forgotten."
Heero tilted his head in closer observation. "The scarlet is beautiful."
"The red was not etched in ink but my blood."
Without hesitation Heero kissed the crimson cross made unique by Duo's own life fluid. "You should cherish this holy symbol."
Duo eyes widened. "Cherish this?" he declared with disdain.
"It was created from you. Your Mistress in her misguided folly didn't take away but added. By this divine imprint borne of your blood your soul has been sanctified."
"Evil does not have a soul." Duo countered his mate's devoted appraisal.
Heero locked his fiery sight with his Master's sad violet eyes. "There is good in you despite this hellish curse. From this moment forward you will no longer dwell in darkness for I will be your light." he avowed then sealed the promise with a kiss.
TBC...
Back to Karen, The Huntress's Fanfictions Page