by Cassie Black
"Nonetheless, I would really prefer that you leave," I told him in a measured tone, trying to keep the tremor from my voice. I was desperately afraid of him, but I was damned if I was going to let him see it.
"I'm not going anywhere until I have helped you shower," he told me stubbornly.
"Fine," I said reluctantly and turned around, figuring if I let him wash my back he'd leave sooner. I sensed as he stepped closer, and then he ran the soap over my skin working up a lather, and using his hands to spread the foam in ever widening circles across my back and shoulders.
I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't really enjoyable. I may even have groaned a little. He must have taken that as encouragement, because next thing his hands were soaping my breasts and stomach.
"What are you doing?" I demanded indignantly, accidentally stepping backwards into his hard body, and gasping as his erection poked me in the back.
"Washing you. I doubt you can bend over much - you look very stiff." Ha, the irony!
"I can reach those areas just fine, thanks," I told him crossly.
"Hush," he said, and started soaping my feet, making me lift each one so he could clean underneath. His soapy hands started moving up my legs, and damn if my evil traitorous body didn't start to tingle where just minutes before it had ached.
"I'm making it all feel better," he whispered in my ear as I leaned with my hands against the wall and tried to ignore the way his hands were massaging my thighs and buttocks. He was clearly a genius, and my aches and pains seemed to dissipate under his soothing fingers. He shampooed my hair and massaged my scalp while the jets of hot water rinsed all the soap and shampoo away. The water stopped, and I turned to him in surprise, my eyes slightly glazed, my face flushed. He took my hand and led me out of the shower cubicle, and then he dried me from top to toe with gentle thoroughness, wrapped me in a clean towel and carried me back to the bedroom.
The bed was freshly made, and there was a tray on it with what appeared to be some sort of omelette. It smelled heavenly. Atticus put me down, and I stumbled slightly on my still rubbery legs and winced as the pain returned.
"Poor Millie," he murmured in my ear. "I'll leave you to eat in peace."
I walked slowly to the bed, and when I turned to look again, he was gone. I sighed with relief. If I never saw those two again, it would still be too damn soon.
IX
I spent the next two days trying to adapt to being imprisoned. It wasn't easy. Annie and Steph were my only visitors and they kept the door of the bedroom locked, apart from when they let me out to use the bathroom. The lack of windows was getting to me, so I requested some sort of way to tell the time. I was expecting a clock, but they brought me a television, which was much better, and helped to alleviate the boredom. It also made me feel as if the rest of the world hadn't become a crazy nightmare. Nope. It was only my world that had done that.
Atticus and Julius had abducted me on a Tuesday night, and it was now Saturday midday. I should have been hanging out with my parents today, listening with half an ear as my father foretold all sorts of highly improbable scenarios. They must have been half mad with worry by now, not having heard from me since Tuesday. I usually phoned at least every other day. I asked Annie for a way to contact my parents and let them know that I was still alive. She smiled at me and told me that the boys had taken care of all that. I had apparently been whisked away by a secret boyfriend for a surprise holiday. The alleged boyfriend had visited them on Monday and told them about it, and they had been warned not to say anything to me, or it would spoil the surprise. Ha! I bet they were just so excited by the idea that I had an actual boyfriend, that they swallowed the story whole. If only they knew, I thought bitterly.
I wondered if they had told Maddie. They knew she was staying with me, and I hoped they'd contacted her. She was no fool, and I didn't think she'd fall for that cover story as easily as my parents had. I needed to get out of here. Maddie would be worried.
I asked Annie a few times when they would be letting me go, and she just looked at me and said, "That depends."
"That depends on what?" I wanted to know, but she just smiled again and said the boys would tell me. That's when I asked her why she called the two vampires 'the boys', and she explained that they were her brothers. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Turns out her mother had been chosen by their father a couple of years after she had been born, and she had grown up here with a vampire for a stepfather and two vampire brothers. She'd married at the young age of eighteen, and had Stephanie shortly afterwards. Her husband had turned out to be a complete jerk, and had slapped her around once too often. She had returned home with Stephanie in her arms, and had stayed ever since. Her husband had disappeared off the face of the earth, and she had thanked her stepfather when she had found out about it. He had apparently explained that she was family, and that's what families do. Not my family, but then we weren't a bunch of psychopathic vampires. I kept my thoughts on this subject to myself though, as it seemed as if Annie was genuinely very fond of them, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She and Stephanie were the only people in this hell hole who had helped me in any way, even though they worked for the alleged vampires. I wondered if I'd be able to get them to help me leave.
Stephanie turned out to be a fount of knowledge on all things vampire, and she held forth at length on various subjects. She told me that their fangs only came out in times of hunger, or great lust. I didn't like the way she looked at me sideways at this and giggled, but I pretended not to notice. She also explained in detail that most of the rumours about vampires weren't true. For example vampirism was not a weird type of infection. Vampires had apparently originated when a rogue protein molecule that had hitched a ride on a meteor had been ingested by a human a couple of thousand years ago. The human's body had undergone changes as a result, which rendered them very different. Their underlying humanity meant they were still able to breed with humans, but other than that they were a completely different species. All male. Lucky me, I thought dryly.
I asked her if she knew why they had chosen me, and she looked at me quizzically.
"Of course," she said. "It's because you smell right. They have a superb sense of smell, and they were quite excited when they got a whiff of you a couple of weeks ago. They've been keeping an eye on you ever since. They had to grab you on Tuesday, because they could tell that you were close to ovulating, and that drives them crazy. Plus that's kind of the point."
"Is it?" I gazed at her in horrified fascination, almost afraid of what she was going to say next.
"Sure. You are here to help them make baby vampires. So if they have sex with you when you're ovulating, you're more likely to become pregnant."
I was speechless, bowled over by the matter-of-fact way that she said it. But that was nothing compared to what she told me next.
"It was Atticus' turn this time, but if you are not pregnant this month, then it will be Julius' turn next month. They have a system, see."
"And when will we know if I'm pregnant?" I asked slowly, considering the implications of their system for me. Fear flooded my gut at the idea of having to go through that again.
"Well, there's the usual testing, but Andronicus reckons vampires can smell it very early on, maybe within a few days. I don't think Atticus and Julius have ever smelled a woman in the early stages of pregnancy, but Andronicus has, and he swears he could recognise it anywhere, anytime."
"They've never succeeded in making anyone pregnant?" I could hear my voice becoming higher and higher.
"Nope," Stephanie continued blithely. "Usually it either doesn't take, or they simply hurt them too much. Not on purpose, of course, but just because they're so, well, big. And then there are the spikes. One woman was so desperate to get away she ripped herself open on the spikes and ended up needing a hysterectomy. Atticus really likes you though, so he was probably super-careful."
Jesus, she even knew about the spikes. I sat stunned for a few minut
es, trying to process all the information in a rational manner. No chance of that. There was no way any of this stuff could be processed rationally. I was far more likely to end up blubbering in a corner and wailing about spikes. Actually, under the circumstances, that would probably be a very logical thing to do.
I decided that I really didn't want to hear any more, so I suggested that I might want to sleep, and she took the hint and left. I watched TV for hours, alternately trying to pretend that this predicament I was in didn't exist, and then trying to desperately think my way out of it. I fell asleep eventually from sheer exhaustion, nowhere near closer to a solution.
X
I woke up Sunday morning feeling halfway back to normal, physically at least. The swelling had mostly gone down and my legs felt as if they'd reattached themselves to my pelvis. Steph must have left the bedroom door unlocked when she left last night, so I decided to have a shower first thing and try to get an idea of the layout of the apartment they were keeping me in. Bedroom, shower and bathroom, and that was about it. Then a short passage led to some stairs and a very solid looking metal door beyond that. It looked like it had an electronic security system involving thumb prints. Great. So unless I used somebody else's thumb, I was screwed. Excuse the pun.
I sighed heavily and went to run the shower. Annie had so far refused to give me any actual clothes, so I spent all my time in a terrycloth robe. She had a stash of them in one of the cupboards, and I grabbed a fresh one every morning. I was starting to feel like a real slob, though. Who wears a terrycloth robe all day? I showered and brushed my teeth, making a mental note to ask Annie for some floss. Freshly robed up, I walked the few steps back to the bedroom, and received an unpleasant surprise. Julius and Atticus were waiting for me.
I froze in the doorway, suddenly afraid. I had never seen anyone lounging with intent, but these guys pulled it off nicely, expensive clothes and all.
"Come inside, we won't bite," said Julius.
"It's not your teeth I'm scared of," I said dryly, trying to control my frantically beating heart, and to pretend that they didn't scare ten kinds of crap out of me. Julius appeared to find my comment hilarious. Atticus just sat on the edge of the bed and watched me, leaning his elbows on his knees and smiling in amusement.
I stepped into the room, albeit reluctantly. Sometimes you just have to face your demons, even if they came in the guise of a couple of rapacious vampires. Besides, I had nowhere else to go right now that didn't include trying to teleport through a metal door.
Atticus breathed in and his eyes narrowed. Julius stopped laughing.
"She smells different," Atticus said flatly.
"She does indeed, brother." Julius grinned and next thing he had picked me up and deposited me on the bed. I struggled in vain as he undid the robe and they each grabbed a knee and held my legs apart, sniffing deeply. I yelled at them to let me go, infuriated by this latest indignity and terrified of where this was going, but they took no notice of me or my objections. I eventually stopped struggling, realising the futility. Atticus leaned in and inserted a finger deep inside me. I squealed. He smiled at me as he raised it to his nose, and then he licked it.
"Tastes different too."
"Let me go!" I demanded again. Naturally they continued to ignore me.
"We need to call Andronicus and get him out here as soon as possible. If this is what I think it is, then we've finally done it. Do you mind, brother?" Julius asked politely.
"Not at all," Atticus grinned at his brother, and I wondered what they were talking about. I should have known. Julius inserted a finger too, and I felt it wiggle about inside me for a couple of seconds. He held his now moist finger up to his nose and inhaled, his eyes shut.
"Now that's a smell I'm never going to forget," he smirked at me, and then he sucked on it like it was a bloody popsicle. "Delicious!"
I was about to start screaming at them to get out and leave me alone when Julius' eyes went black and his fangs suddenly appeared. I changed my mind and just screamed. Atticus' hand came down over my mouth and I looked up at his face as he leaned over me, and saw his fangs sneaking out from under his lips. My eyes must have reflected my terror, because he turned his head towards Julius and said, "We should go and feed now."
Julius stared hungrily at my exposed flesh for a few long seconds before he allowed Atticus to pull him away. As soon as they had gone I rolled over and burst into tears. I don't think I have ever been so afraid or so relieved at the same time before. I pulled the robe around me as tight as I could and cried and cried until my breath came in convulsive sobs. Annie found me like that when she brought me breakfast a few minutes later. She sat down next to me on the bed and made soothing noises and rubbed my back until the sobs subsided.
"I need a tissue," I mumbled eventually. She dragged one of those small packs out of a pocket and pulled a couple of tissues out and handed them to me wordlessly. I wiped my eyes and blew my nose.
"Have those boys been frightening you?" she asked sympathetically, for all the world as if they were mischievous little tykes playing a prank. I said nothing, hating her.
"Never mind, honey. As soon as Andronicus confirms what they suspect, you will become Atticus' woman, and nobody else will be allowed to touch you."
"I don't want to be Atticus' woman," I pointed out. "He raped me. And he hurt me. Really badly." Stating the obvious.
"He had to, honey. It's the only way. Vampires can't ejaculate unless they're inside a woman, so the only way you can be inseminated is during sex."
"Is that what you call it?" I shuddered.
"It will be easier for you once you have given birth. Your tissues will be less tight. And now Atticus knows how to do it without damaging you, you should be fine."
"Fine. Really? I could be pregnant, for God's sake. With a fucking vampire!" My voice rose hysterically. She just wasn't getting it. My whole life had been ripped apart. I was twenty three, possibly pregnant, and get this, that was the better option. If I wasn't pregnant I was going to be brutally violated again next month by a different vampire, and I might not survive that. I remembered Julius' earlier reaction and felt sick.
I lay back down and started crying again. There didn't appear to be any way out of this for me. I had tried so hard to take it all on the chin, so to speak, hoping that something might happen, that they would eventually let me go, but the reality of it all had suddenly caught up with me. There really was no escaping this awful situation. I lay like that for hours, tears welling up in my eyes, until I fell asleep.
XI
When I woke up there appeared to be several people in the room. Annie was removing the untouched food while the two vampires stood at the side of the bed looking down at me. The tall doctor guy stood next to them, smiling widely.
"Definitely pregnant, boys. It's a smell you never forget. Well done!"
I rolled over and shut my eyes tight, trying to block out the madness. Maybe if I lay here quietly they would get bored and go. No such luck.
"We need to mark her now, before any other vamps get a whiff. They'll go crazy trying to get her for themselves. I brought all the equipment, just in case."
That sounded like trouble for me. Oh yes, indeed. Hands reached out and rolled me onto my back. I stared up at those three faces sullenly.
"Thigh first, I think."
Once again the robe was opened and my legs pulled apart. I closed my eyes again, trying to imagine I was anywhere else but here.
"That smells really good," the doctor breathed.
"You should taste it," suggested Julius.
Seriously?
"Do you mind?" the doctor's voice, ever so polite.
"Go ahead," I recognised Atticus' voice. I knew what that meant. I tried to squeeze my thighs together, but the hands were unrelenting. I tensed myself for another finger, but got a tongue instead, licking and probing. Jesus. I opened my eyes.
"You're supposed to be a doctor!" I almost yelled indignantly.
"He's
a vampire first," Julius explained, smirking. "And right now you taste better than the best fresh human blood."
"And once I mark you nobody but Atticus is allowed to touch you," the alleged doctor's head lifted from between my thighs. He licked his lips. "Let alone taste you." He stood up and reached into his bag, pulling out a weird looking machine that looked like a cross between a microscope and a nail gun. He plugged it into a wall socket and switched it on. It started humming ominously.
"Hold tight boys," he said and then he leaned over my left thigh. I felt a stinging sensation and tried to wriggle away but I should have known better. Those hands were like steel bands. I closed my eyes again and tried to ignore the sting as the machine moved over the inside of my thigh, right near where the doctor's goddamn tongue had just been. It stopped eventually, leaving a residual burning pain.
"Left wrist now, and then we're done." I kept my eyes closed as the stinging started over the pulse on the inside of my wrist. I noted sourly how a pair of hands still held my legs apart. It was starting to become the default position for me, I thought bitterly.
Eventually the stinging on the wrist subsided and the humming stopped as the machine was turned off. Cream was applied to both areas with deft fingers, and I was released. I dragged the robe around me, eyes still shut, and rolled over so my back was towards them. Somebody patted me on the butt, and then they left. I sighed with relief.
Annie returned what felt like a few minutes later, carrying another tray. Steph came in behind her carrying a small pile of clothes. She had a huge smile plastered on her face.
"I heard the news," she breathed excitedly, almost jumping up and down in glee.
"Yay," I said flatly. She ignored my less than enthusiastic response, and dropped the clothes on the bedside table with a flourish.
"Jeans, t-shirt, underwear," she listed. "Jumper, socks. I think I remembered everything. Atticus got these for you when he pretended to be your secret boyfriend. Your mum and dad let him pack a few things for your holiday." I said nothing, so she carried on blithely. "A baby vampire. That's so exciting!" she gushed. I could have joyfully stabbed her in the eye right then, but Annie intervened.