The Dracula Chronicles: For Whom The Bell Tolls Page 23

  He pushed her arms down behind her head and kissed her hard on the mouth. The way her body continued to shake to his movements was a real delight to him. He sensed though that she needed a moment to recover and pulled away from her.

  “You must not stop,” she said, smiling at him with the deepest affection. “I need to feel you inside me. I am not sure what you have done to me, but it is wonderful.”

  He touched her wetness with his fingers and made her jump with delight. When he met her gaze again, he saw the deep longing in her eyes. It touched him to the very core and he knew then he was lost forever, lost in her. He climbed above her again and accepted her invitation when she parted her thighs for him.

  To his delight, she cried out when he filled her inside once more. This time, he pulled her left leg in and placed his right leg over it, using his knee to pin it there. The action brought their pelvises together so that he was pressing against her pubic bone before he had even moved. When he did move against her, it drew a long steady groan from deep in her chest. He withdrew very slowly and eased inside her a second time, drawing another groan from her the same as the first.

  She gave him a look of pure wonder. The feelings he brought out in her were incredible, from her heart and her body. She had no idea what it was he was doing to her, but she wanted it to last forever. No experience in her life until now could match this in any way. Sorrow suddenly threatened to overcome her when she knew this could never last. Her position in the seraglio would never allow it. But she pushed it to the back of her mind at his third gentle thrust. When another deep groan escaped her lips, she closed her eyes and immersed herself in him.

  He moved with slow deliberation. With his every thrust he stuttered and angled the movement. The effect it had on her was incredible, both for her and for him. Each time he pushed against her, her entire body shuddered. Her groans grew in pitch and came from a place even deeper inside her.

  She noticed a change in his breathing and sensed he would soon reach his own climax. To help procure it, she pushed harder against his long slow thrusts. The effect it had was immediate and he, too, began to groan louder than at any time before.

  “Come on, my love,” she whispered in his ear, while wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

  He gripped the backs of her shoulders and increased the speed of his thrusts. At the same time, he did not vary his movement or angle of penetration. Each time they moved against each other, she cried out louder than the time before. In the end she was almost screaming. Still, it heightened his arousal and brought his orgasm ever closer.

  Finally, he could hold it no more and erupted inside her. He jerked against her another three or four more times and gave her all that he had. Those final thrusts took her over the edge and she exploded against him a second time, losing herself completely in the moment. He held her in his arms and nestled his chin against the side of her neck, pressing against her gently until her cries ceased.

  After a few moments, he rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes. Both their chests heaved hard in an attempt to get their breath back. He used a hand to wipe away the layer of sweat that coated his chest and stomach.

  She did the same, removing what he had left across the front of her body. Her hand moved down to her crotch where she felt him trickling from her, it bringing a smile to her face. She was so sensitive that she shuddered again at the slightest touch from her own hand. After a brief pause, she leaned into him and kissed the side of his face before playing with his long hair.

  “No other has ever made me feel what you make me feel,” she said, in a tone so soft and tender.

  He looked at her and smiled, though detecting a touch of sadness in her eyes. “I must confess the same is true of you.”

  She smiled though the sadness was still there. As much as she wanted it, she knew this would not last. “You are a very special man in so many ways,” she said. “Guard your heart, my beautiful Vlad. As strong as you are, guard that precious heart for always.”

  Kodza Hazar had watched them from a secret location high above the seraglio. He had a room with spy holes created especially for this purpose. There had been many occasions where he had visited the seraglio himself. His tastes did not involve penetrative sex and he had never enjoyed time with Ayshe. Despite this, he admired Vlad for the effect he had on this amazing woman. He even envied him a little. For the two hours he had watched them, he could clearly see she had real feelings for the young prince. She had never acted this way before, not even with the sultan. It served to add further to the respect he felt for this remarkable young man. Content with what he had seen, he turned away to attend to other matters.

  Vlad spent a total of three days and three nights with her. In all that time he never as much as glanced at another of the women. Even in their first hour together, she had found her away inside him. She was in his head; in his veins; and in his heart. He had allowed her to occupy a place inside him that would be hers for always.

  When the time came for him to exit the seraglio, he did so with a heavy heart. He had no idea if or when he might see her again. That last kiss between them lasted a very long time. He lingered and looked deep into her eyes and then left.

  ANATOLIA. THE ROYAL PALACE OF SULTAN MURAD II AT ADRIANOPLE.

  DECEMBER 14, 1446. THE LAST HOURS BEFORE DAWN.

  Vlad retired to his rooms on the greatest high of his life. The three days he had spent making love, sleeping with and talking to Ayshe bettered any that had gone before. His chest heaved as he fell onto his cot and thought about her. He remembered it all, every last detail of their time together.

  The strength of the feelings she evoked in him worried him a little. She had truly captured his heart in every way. In their time together, she had unlocked something in him he did not know existed. He thought back to the perfection that was her. The wonder of her body, of her smell and of her taste. For the first time, he knew he was in love and he would have to have her again.

  His whole body ached as he fell onto his stomach. He felt exhausted and realised also that he had not eaten all day, and was hungry. But then food did not matter so much. What he really needed was sleep. He closed his eyes in the hope he might dream of her.

  “You shall not sleep yet.”

  He rose from the bed with a start when he heard her. “Why are you here?”

  Lucy stood in the centre of the room. She moved towards the bed, her black eyes eating into him.

  The look in her eyes made him nervous. Even worse than that, she seemed to move across the room without the use of her feet. All the wonderful things he had felt on entering his room all but vanished. He could see at once she was not happy with him.

  She stopped just a foot from the bed. Where he sat upright with his legs over the side, she stared right through him. “It is time for us to talk.”

  “I have not seen you in some time. What is it that cannot wait ‘til I have rested? I am tired and I wish to sleep.”

  “I am sure you are,” she said, her voice low and cold. “But then you have been a busy boy of late.”

  “Why does it concern you what I have been doing? I have not seen you in a year or more.”

  She did not answer at once, but continued to stare. It left him in no doubt as to her mood. “What does it matter? I come when I need to and this day is such a day.”

  “Then you are here for your benefit and not for me. Should I be pleased then?”

  “Do not be curt with me. As it stands, I am angry enough with you.”

  He could not understand what was ailing her. “Why would you be angry with me? I have done nothing wrong.”

  “Your liaisons with that woman anger me.”

  “I had an invitation to the seraglio from the Sultan himself.”

  “There are eighty women gathered there. And yet you choose to spend your time with the one he favours the most?”

  “I did not ask for it. She gave herself to me.”

  “Even once could have lost yo
u your head. She is off limits to all men unless he says otherwise.”

  He grew even more bemused at her annoyance with him. “It was safe or she would not have done it. She would not endanger my life or her own. Why are you so vexed with me? Are you jealous because I desire her so?”

  Lucy’s eyes grew ever darker. “Your choice of words does little to impress me. Why would I be jealous of you? You are but a boy.”

  Her words deflated him a little, but he did not show it. “Then why take issue with this?”

  “I have invested much in you. Too much for you to throw it all away.”

  “You do not like it that there is love between she and I.”

  “You were together three days. How can there be love between you? Act like a man, if that is how you wish to be treated.”

  He looked away for a moment and thought of her. Lucy spoke the truth and in his heart, he knew no good could come of it. Ayshe did belong to the sultan after all.

  “Enjoy it for what it was,” she continued. “And then forget about her. If you should take this further, then Murad shall have your head. Do not harbour any illusions that he would not.”

  Vlad breathed in deep and gave her the slightest of nods.

  “There were eyes on you while you were with that woman. Eyes are always looking down into that place. Are you so naïve that you do not realise this?”

  Her words alarmed him, but he could not doubt them. The palace was, and always would be, full of spies. “She touched me like no other has before or shall again,” he said barely above a whisper.

  “Then I am sorry for your pain. The price of loving another is that the time shall come when you must grieve for them. That is the cost of giving your love.”

  “And if I choose not to grieve? What would transpire should I pursue what I feel for her?”

  “Then I shall end her life. She is not worth the loss of that lovely head of yours. If you do have real love for her, then let her go. Should you see her again then I shall take her away for always.”

  Vlad stared hard now into her black eyes. “You would do that to me?”

  “Any manner of union with her puts your life in danger. So yes, I would do that to you. Do you wish to sit on the throne that was your father’s?”

  “You know I desire that, yes.”

  “Then you must let her go. For everything you seek, you shall always have to make sacrifices. She must be the first of the many you shall make.”

  He looked away into space again. The delights he had experienced with Ayshe for so short a time he would not be able to savour again. He knew Lucy was talking sense and that he needed to listen. It was going to be hard, but he would have to do it. Loving Ayshe could bring nothing good for him. He had to let her go, for his own good and for hers too.

  “It is good that you are seeing the sense in my words,” Lucy said after a brief lull in their conversation. “If you love her it shall destroy you. Let it go and move on.”

  He nodded, but did not reply. The grieving period had already begun. Ayshe had got inside him and he knew he would long for and remember her always. He could not have her, but he would not forget her either. She would live on inside his heart no matter where he went or what he did. That place inside his heart he would reserve for her and her alone. For even then he knew he could never feel that way for any other as long as he might live.

  “You have grown into a fine man, Vlad. You are strong inside and out and yet you shall grow even stronger. To rule over a kingdom requires steel on the inside too. Let this experience harden you to that end. Feel the pain and nurture it. Do not run from it. Let it consume you and then lock it away and use it in those times you should most need it. It is the pain we endure that makes us stronger. Never forget that truth, but use it to your advantage. You have so much promise. I have watched so many others over time, but I have seen none quite the same as you.”

  “And what lies ahead for me after this?”

  “Continue on those things you have been doing. Work on your skills and making your body even stronger. Use your time here to know your enemy. They want you as a friend and shall endow you with every favour to make you a friend. Let that be their weakness. Study them and learn from them for the day you rise up against them.”

  He lowered his head to think about what she had said. When he looked up again she was gone.

  Ayshe retired to her private rooms within the seraglio. She discarded her few clothes on the floor and stepped into her bath. A smile spread across her face at thoughts of Vlad. Never in her life had she met anyone quite like him. It did not matter to her that he was so young. He was the first person in her life to fulfil her every need and desire. And how he had fulfilled them. Now that their short liaison had come to an end, she knew she would have to see him again. The need he had awakened in her made her ache for him.

  She felt quite sore between her legs, but it was a happy feeling all the same. The evidence of him remained there too. They made love so many times she had lost track of it. His stamina was staggering even to her. Every time she had wanted him, he was ready and willing again.

  In her heart, she knew she would not be able to keep him. She was not free to be with, or to choose, whom she wanted. And while she held the sultan’s favour, he would never let her go. But then to lose his favour could prove even worse.

  Therefore she decided she would be with him whenever she could. It might be doomed to not last, but even one more time with him would be precious. She loved him and she knew it. It both scared and excited her. She had never loved any other in all her twenty-seven years. So if she could see him again, then she would make full use of that time.

  One of the girls had left a cup of wine for her on the edge of her bath. She picked it up and took a sip before setting it back down again. Then she closed her eyes and eased down into the warm water until it rose up to her neck. It felt good and would take away most of the aches and pains that resulted from the last three incredible days.

  She closed her eyes and let his image fill her mind. Suddenly something pulled hard on her ankles and pulled her down into the water. She fought with both arms and opened her eyes wide again. The warm water stung them as she choked and fought for breath. She could see nothing but the bubbles of air and a faint light from the candles in the room.

  Whoever it was that had attacked her, was much stronger than she. As hard as she fought, she could not break free. Panic overcame her now in her desperate struggle to reach the surface and get some air into her lungs. The force that held her was so powerful that the pain travelled all the way up her legs.

  A moment later, her legs were free and she broke the surface. Her arms flailed wildly as she tried to get her bearings and keep her head above the water. She choked hard as more of it found its way into her mouth. When she touched her feet against the base of the bath, she felt a little safer again.

  Before she could relax, an invisible force dragged her from the bath and tossed her high into the air. She kicked out with both legs and waved her arms with all her strength as if to try and stave it off. Then she crashed down again and hit the water hard. It broke her fall, but did not prevent her hitting her head hard against the base.

  Again, she sucked in more water before she scrabbled to her feet. She fell forward and managed to reach the side where she had been on entering the bath. Her stomach tightened and she retched hard, bringing up a mixture of bathwater and bile and the wine she had drunk. She endured two more such episodes before her stomach settled again.

  She turned in the bath, every one of her senses alert to the danger there with her. Though the water was warm, she shivered from the shock of the last few moments. She looked all around, but saw no sign of anyone or anything. And then it made itself known to her.

  The top of a head appeared less than six feet in front of her. She tried to scream, but it stuck in her throat. Slowly the head of a woman rose out of the water. She wanted to turn and climb out of the bath, but every muscle in her body fr
oze.

  Ayshe’s olive skin turned a deathly white when she saw her. The woman stood there and did not move. She had long ebony hair stuck to her face and body by the water. Ayshe saw half of each of her eyes, but it was enough. They were as black as the darkest night, no white at all in the orbs. In them, she saw two bottomless pits that offered nothing but dread and the purest of evil.

  In that moment, Ayshe lost control of her bowels. The water around her clouded a dark murky brown. She whimpered as she saw the woman move slowly towards her and released more watery contents from her stomach. The woman wore a long white dress that belonged to the odalisque. Soaked through with the water from the bath, it hid nothing.

  Ayshe caught sight of dark shadows racing about the large room. She heard low growling and spitting and hissing sounds from a number of sources. The room took on a sinister chill and the water turned suddenly cold.

  She mustered all her courage and turned to climb out of the bath. The moment her hands touched on the marble surround, she felt something tighten around her neck. It gripped her so hard it cut off her air supply at once. She grappled at it with both hands, but felt the cold wet restraint tighten further.

  All of a sudden, it pulled her with tremendous force back down into the water. She fought to no avail as it held her there at the bottom. With both hands she reached out desperately, the surface only a few feet away. Her vision clouded and grew darker as she felt her life slipping away. The hold on her throat was so tight that not even the water could pass through. The reality hit her of the inevitability of her fate. She did not know why this was happening to her, but realised she could do nothing about it. This evil entity had intruded on and destroyed the sanctity of her safe abode. She did not doubt that it could end her life at any moment. Despair replaced her fear and she gave up, ready to succumb to death. Her body fell limp as she placed her life in the hands of the fates.