by Auriane Bell
Still having time at his disposal before he could turn off the water, Adrijan used the convenient option to fetch Mairin’s used blanket and put it on the horse’s back. Meanwhile the tray had filled up. “Take care of yourself, my boy.” Adrijan said and patted the stallion’s neck. On the one hand he was sincerely hoping the horse wouldn’t have to stay here for long and on the other he was envious of Nebel about the chance of getting some rest. Before Walther would call him again he decided to text him, saying that he had thought to have noticed the approach of one of the search parties and that he had panicked and continued his way to the cottage. He made sure to send him the coordinates of the current rendezvous point of the immortal’s agents as well and hoped he would take the bait. Now it was time to take care of the girl.
“Adrijan? Are you there?”
At the moment she was more scared of being left alone than of having to face the alleged priest. Her limbs hurt and felt as if they were made of lead.
“I’m here, just a moment!” The soft voice was coming from somewhere behind her and made her feel relieved.
“Here, swallow that.”
Adrijan bent down to her and put a pill into her hand before helping her to sit up. Once it was in her mouth he handed her a small bottle of water. Thanks to the fluid she was somehow able to force down whatever it was he had given to her.
“I’m not going to regret this, right?” she almost didn’t recognise her own voice.
“If it were my intention to hurt you I would’ve already done so. Don’t forget that the only thing standing between you and me is a little bit of air and about seven hundred grams of downs surrounded by some cloth. You should accept me as your ally for now.”
Mairin attempted a nod.
“Rest while I’m trying to find something for you to wear. I’ll stay close so just call me if you need something.”
“Thanks.”
Mairin closed her eyes and listened to the noise Adrijan’s search caused. Every now and then things he had said came to her mind, things she wanted to ask him about, but every time she thought she knew what it was it slipped away. Wrapped up in the light but warm blanket she finally gave in and dozed off.
Never had a bride been this much work. Adrijan sighed and swallowed two of the pills. Maybe it would help to reduce the pain that had gotten noticeably worse over the past hour. When he had forced his arm back into the sleeve of his coat he had noticed the blood stain on the bandage and had decided to ignore it. If everything went well he would be at the immortal’s humble home as he had called it in less than two hours. Adrijan had to admit that searching for clothes hadn’t helped his condition. Besides a considerable amount of items he didn’t want to remember in detail, the only somewhat useable clothes he had found were a wine-red silken pyjama and a warm down coat. Clearly that wasn’t the best choice for riding a motorcycle but it was preferable to wearing a torn dress. With a bit of luck he would at least be able to find two motorcycle helmets in the garage. Still, the most difficult part would be to convince the girl to change into the clothes he had found. If the medicine hadn’t worked wonders she would most likely need his help. Another sigh escaped him. He wished Viv was here to handle the situation. Under his influence women gave up their clothes all too easily. Adrijan emptied his bottle of water before he went over to the bed. Good Lord, was this day never going to end?
At first she had thought that she was still dreaming and having to admit that she wasn’t, Mairin desperately tried to convince herself that she was delirious with fever. Due to Adrijan’s request she had automatically hidden further under the blanket – a reaction that had earned her a frustrated sigh. Obviously the situation was as unpleasant for him as it was for her. Even though – and much to her regret – her temperature had gone down enough for her brain to function almost normally, her body was still afflicted by the illness. Mairin sighed as she realised that the best option was to try not to make the task that was lying before them even more difficult.
“So… to get to the immortal’s house we’re going to use a special kind of vehicle, a ‘metal mule’ as you called it?”
“That’s right.”
“And there is no side-saddle?” Mairin disliked hearing her own hoarse voice.
“Mm.”
“And these-“ Mairin barely managed to lift the clothes he had handed her. “You want me to wear these?”
“Correct.”
Despite having told herself to trust the alleged priest she ended up wavering. What he had asked of her was more than difficult, but if their pursuers were anything like the lovely acquaintance she had made not long ago in her room there was no time to lose.
“Help me then,” she requested quietly but determined and tried in vain to push away the blanket. Adrijan stared at her unbelievingly for a moment before he cleared his throat and mumbled an apology. It was apparent that he had not foreseen this kind of reaction. Promptly he knelt down on the bed to help her sit up. With his arm supporting her back Mairin managed to move into a position she was able to stay in on her own, even though it took some effort and caused her head to spin again.
She was glad that against her expectations he had let her keep the blanket. The gentle pressure of Adrijan’s hands against her arms made her turn her body to the side. Then it vanished and she could feel his touch again as he removed a few loose strands of hair from her back. Mairin quivered. Was he already about to undo her dress? She squeezed her eyes together, preparing herself for his touch. The last thing she wanted was to flinch the moment she felt his fingers on the fabric.
“Ready?” Apparently he was able to sense her tension. The fact that his voice didn’t sound as confident as before, strangely helped her to relax a little. Mairin nodded and caused some of the strands of hair to slip back over her shoulder.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she mumbled shyly.
“It’s alright.”
Mairin heard him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. The faint waft of air on the back of her neck made her shiver. Adrijan’s fingers were quickly wandering down her back now, skilfully unbuttoning the bodice. It reminded her of how she had changed the clothes of her favourite doll on her seventh birthday: in haste, keen on changing the beloved toy into the pink frilly dress her mother had sewn, yet always handling Rozha with the utmost care. She was astonished that despite the awkwardness he had displayed at first, Adrijan didn’t have any difficulties with undoing her clothes.
“Have you… done this before?” she asked reluctantly. Mairin scolded herself an idiot. What kind of question was that? Seconds that felt to her like hours passed in silence and when she thought he had decided to ignore the impertinent inquiry he finally answered.
“No… but it’s not exactly rocke-… science.”
His grumpy voice confirmed her impression that she had brought up a touchy subject. Maybe he really was a priest – one that didn’t only claim to practise celibacy. Against her curiosity she decided that this time she would pull herself together and avoid putting her nose into other people’s business. Admittedly she had no idea how she could have been so daring to ask in the first place and gladly blamed the fever for her behaviour.
“Do you want to keep that on?” Mairin felt a gentle tug at her torn undergarments. The thought of being without them didn’t make her feel more comfortable but the option of wearing the constant reminder of what had occurred to her almost made her want to tear the thin fabric off her body.
“No... if you could just...”
Never before in her life had she been confronted by such a ridiculous amount of unpleasant choices on the same day.
“Hm.”
Mairin didn’t like that sound. Was he displeased with what she had asked of him?
“Hm?” she asked nervously. A moment passed without a reply; then he hesitantly explained his thoughts.
“The material is quite thin; if I rip it in the back you should be able to stay more or less covered while removing it. Agreed?”
&
nbsp; Mairin silently nodded and before she could prepare herself for what was coming it was already over. The way Adrijan and the attacker had torn apart her undergarments with ease she was seriously considering a change to more protective attire.
Adrijan’s touch felt cold as ice on her feverish body. His fingers quickly slid away the straps of her undergarments, first over her shoulder, then down her arm to her wrist, causing her to shiver again.
“I’m sorry, almost done,” Adrijan mumbled, drew the straps under her palms and removed the piece of clothes completely by pulling it away past her neck. Mairin could hear a scarcely audible noise when the light garment landed on the floor.
“Can you manage to lift your right hand?”
With only one arm to support herself, her body dangerously started to shake, but her weakness didn’t remain unnoticed. The vibrations of the mattress were proof of Adrijan’s movement. In an instant he had breached the little distance there had still been between them and thereby forced her to use his chest as a back rest. Reluctantly Mairin acknowledged to herself that it was a lot easier for her to remain sitting upright like that, but Adrijan didn’t seem to be satisfied yet and even held her raised arm. The material of the sleeve that was touching her skin was soft, silk maybe, but her current condition made it impossible for her to cherish it. Due to her fever Mairin’s body was hot, yet she felt cold and the thin layer of sweat on her skin made her yearn for a warm bath. Without any further comment Adrijan helped her into the second sleeve. Mairin wished he’d talk to her to keep her mind off what was going on. The more she thought about it, the less she liked it and the more difficult it became to endure. After all she was almost completely naked under the blanket.
“Won’t you button it up?”
For one moment she was confused about what he was talking about, until she noticed that it was the only thing left to do with the top part. Even so she hesitated.
“My eyes are shut tight. Go ahead.”
It was scary how he seemed to know exactly what was going on in her head. Like expected the blanket slipped down and revealed her chest when she did as he had suggested.
“Done.”
“Perfect, now lie down again for the rest.”
Carefully he helped her to lower her body, took off her shoes and pulled away her dress. Mairin was worried about how he would proceed, but he even managed to put on her trousers without much more than pushing the blanket further up bit by bit, constantly trying to keep her covered as much as possible. It took Mairin’s last strength – both of body and mind – to assist him and when they were finally done she felt utterly exhausted as well as tremendously relieved.
It hadn’t been the right time for feeling awkward about undressing a girl. He still kept calling her that in his mind – a girl, even though he was supposed to know better by now: She was a young woman.
Adrijan went back to the cupboards. Mairin was too weak. He couldn’t possibly rely on her own strength to keep her on the motorcycle. Again he went through the stored items, looking for something like a rope or a belt he could use. Adrijan was hoping that she had not noticed how difficult changing her clothes had been for him. Her question had just been the tip of the iceberg. The whole process had stirred up too many bad memories. Memories about his past, the women he had seen suffer, and memories of Magdala. Magdala… she was his guardian angel and had been his saviour, still was his saviour.
In his mind he went through the prayer he had heard her repeat over and over again.
“Hilf, Maria, es ist Zeit…”
It helped him to collect his thoughts and to calm down until he stumbled upon the items he had chosen to forget. At once he dismissed every thought of her. He disapprovingly shook his head and already wanted to close the cupboard when his eyes were caught by something he could use: a roll of bondage tape. Clearly he would have preferred something different but considering the circumstances it wasn’t difficult to make a decision. The few remaining objections were instantly dismissed by the pain in his arm. Before confronting Mairin with the good news he would prepare the last bit of their flight. Adrijan put the tape on the bed and went back to the garage where Nebel was resting peacefully. It didn’t take long until he had discovered a shelf with two motorcycle helmets.
“So far so good,” he mumbled.
While the garage door was opening Adrijan put the helmets on the machine and pushed it towards the gate. By then it had already dawned but the darkness was still lingering in the forest. The light from inside reached just far enough to show him the beginning of the small road leading away from the bungalow. Cursing the pain in his arm he continued pushing the motorcycle forward until he reached the path.
What would he give if he could just lie down for an hour or two to rest before moving on… Adrijan faintly shook his head. Who was he kidding? If he lay down now the next thing he’d see after opening his eyes would most likely be one of the pursuers holding their gun to his face. Without a doubt they wouldn’t deny themselves the pleasure of waking him for that. Until now he had been in luck by not encountering any of them – and he probably had to thank Vivian for that – but Adrijan was aware that they weren’t safe yet and dreaded the possibility that Walther or one of his co-conspirators might be waiting for him upon his return.
On his way back to the girl Adrijan searched his coat pockets for the small bundle that had fallen out of Mairin’s clothes. He removed it carefully and put the handkerchief into the inside pocket, hoping it wasn’t only holding evidence of one of the girl’s emotional outbursts. In case it was important to her he wanted to make certain that it wasn’t lost in the forest on the way between the immortal’s secret love nest and his home.
Mairin had given in to her fatigue and the fever and was sleeping fitfully. He regretted having to wake her almost as much as being unable to give in to his urge to follow her example.
“Mairin, wake up… we have to leave.”
Adrijan reluctantly touched her arm and shook her gently. Her body was hot and she only managed to mumble a weak reply. Once again it was up to him to set her in motion. Swiftly he drew back the blanket and helped her slip into the down coat. Then he picked up the roll of tape, put one of Mairin’s arms around his shoulders and pulled her up. All that was left was to get her to the vehicle and keep her there on their way to safety.
“I’m sorry… for being such a bother,” the girl whispered.
“Hush. There’s no need for that.”
Together they continued their way through the garage and to the motorcycle. Adrijan nervously looked around, expecting an attacker hidden behind almost every single tree that was surrounding them but either there was nobody around or they were waiting for an even better moment to ambush them.
“Stay here for a moment.”
The girl nodded weakly and hesitantly leant on the motorcycle treating it as if it were a hotplate. Worried that she might drop with exhaustion he tried to keep an eye on her while rushing back to the gate. After inserting the correct code the mechanism was activated and the garage door closed. It would have to suffice to keep Nebel safe until he was picked up by one of the immortal’s staff. He tried to convince himself that there was no point in fretting since none of their pursuers were after the stallion.
Mairin was staggering.
With three big steps he was back at her side supporting her with his healthy arm. He had just enough energy and patience left to explain his plan to her in a few words. In the end a feeling of guilt got the better of him and he added some words that he hoped were reassuring.
“I am aware that this might scare you but I promise I’ll keep you safe. Remember that.”
It was hard to tell if Mairin believed him or not but the frightened and worn out look on her face didn’t change at all. He tried to smile encouragingly and helped her to put on the helmet. It was obvious how much she disliked the situation but Mairin didn’t even protest when he gently forced her to mount the motorcycle and got on in front of her. Adrij
an took a deep breath. Now it was time to make use of the tape. He started at his waist and tossed it back over his shoulder and over her back, grabbed it again and continued the procedure with the other side forming a cross. To make sure the tape wouldn’t easily rip, he repeated the process several times. Even then he was not yet satisfied, reached back for Mairin’s arms and put them around his waist. This time he used the tape to make certain her arms would stay where they were. There was still a bit left on the roll but he didn’t bother trying to cut it and just left it dangling over his thigh. It was high time to get out of there.
The fenced in path provided enough room for a car and the headlight of the motorcycle enabled him to overlook the road yet he didn’t dare to go full speed. So close to his goal he was afraid he might encounter an animal that had managed to find a way past the fence or cause the girl behind him to lose her consciousness again. She wouldn’t be the first bride to respond to modern means of transportation like that. There had been this young girl once, Emilia – or had it been Erika? They had picked her up at his cottage with a limousine and she had fainted when they hadn’t been yet out of the driveway. Adrijan smirked. The immortal made sure there was a lot to get excited about. Sooner or later every one of them, even the ones who were most indifferent about everything, encountered something that took their breaths away. Agnes – another bride – had missed the whole ride from Traumstadt to the immortal’s home by oversleeping but when she had gazed at Vivian through the opened door with her eyes still half closed she had suddenly been wide awake, blushing heavily and she had hit her head on the car top trying to jump to her feet. Of course not all of them had reacted so extreme. And not all of them had accepted Vivian’s offer. Maybe Mairin wouldn’t either and it would turn out that all of this had been for nothing – or almost for nothing. Even if she declined the offer it wouldn’t have been fair to leave her to Walther and his minions after turning her into one of his targets.