Master of Ecstasy

by Nina Bangs

  "Why do you have to stand on the wall to do whatever you're going to do?" Her words were swept away on the wind.

  "Be still. I must find a worthy fear, and I canna concentrate with ye blathering." He would not tell her that he stood on the wall so she could not see his face.

  "Sheesh, what a grouch. And I don't blather."

  He smiled at her outraged mumbling behind him, the slide of his lips over his fangs reminding him of what he now was and why she must not see his face while he did this.

  Darach stood perfectly still, sliding in and out of the many minds below him. He was hardly aware when the first man saw him and pointed. He cared nothing for the superstitious fears of demons and harbingers of death that flooded their minds. He looked for a deeper terror, one strong enough to become a true physical presence.

  The fearful murmurs rose to him, swirled around him. Where was the one fear he searched for?

  A man's shout drew Darach's attention to him. "Dinna stop now," the man cried. "We are almost past the gate. The one who stands on the wall above ye might well be the same one who killed your friends and relatives. When I carve out his heart and hold it high for all to see, ye'll know that he was only a man."

  Darach smiled as he gazed down upon the blusterer. The innkeeper. The man who felt that women should stay at home. Mayhap the innkeeper would soon wish that he, too, had remained at home, because Darach had found the fear for which he searched.

  Closing his eyes, he called five hundred years of power to him, centered it in his mind's eye, and made the man's fear flesh and blood. And as the unspeakable power that only he could wield coursed through him, Darach placed his hand over his heart. His heart. Always the bridge between what he now was and what he had once been. What Blythe still was. He forced thoughts of Blythe aside as the full force of his power shuddered through him.

  He opened his eyes at the mob's shouts of alarm and Blythe's gasp behind him.

  The wind had fallen strangely quiet, and within the unnatural dusk, mist moved in from the sea, twining around men, trees, and rocks like ghostly fingers. The shouts of the mob echoed strangely, then even those died.

  "There's something coming through the mist. What is it?" Blythe's hushed whisper sounded expectant rather than frightened.

  "The innkeeper's greatest fear." When she saw what was about to happen, would she, too, fear him? He must have already frightened her with his loss of control when she'd woken him. He did not want her fear, and he would not look beyond that realization.

  Silently he listened as battle cries drifted over the loch, distant at first but growing louder as whatever was approaching through the mist drew ever nearer. Then he heard the first sound of a vessel, the quiet swish of a bow cutting through the water, the muted splash of oars. He could hear others behind the first.

  The people below seemed frozen with terror, as well they might. The innkeeper's fear had not been a harmless one.

  Suddenly the mist parted, and Darach saw what had sailed into the loch from the sea.

  "Viking longships." Blythe's voice held more awe than fear, and he prayed it would remain so.

  The quiet broke with a vengeance. Shouting their dismay at the disaster descending on them, the Highlanders splashed through the water in a frantic attempt to reach the mainland. Once on shore, they scattered in all directions, desperately fleeing from the Northmen now pouring from their boats. Because of the mist, Darach knew that the Highlanders could not see that there were only three boats, but from the bloodcurdling shouts of the warriors, he doubted it mattered overmuch.

  "Black Varin! 'Tis Black Varin come to slay us!" The innkeeper's terror-filled wail rose above the general chaos.

  "Black Varin?" Blythe was now leaning over the wall in an attempt to see all that was happening.

  Darach did not look down at her. "Methinks the innkeeper's imagination has doomed him." He riveted his attention on the figure who was splashing ashore to pursue the innkeeper.

  "Who is that?" Her voice was breathless, disbelieving.

  Darach exhaled deeply." 'Tis supposed to be me, but legends grow beyond all reason as time passes." He shook his head. "Black Varin would scare even me."

  "No kidding." Her two words held sincere agreement.

  Darach narrowed his gaze on the creature dragged from the innkeeper's soul. And creature it truly was.

  "He must be almost eight feet tall." Strange, but she still did not seem afraid. "And would you look at all that wild black hair and that bushy black beard."

  Darach watched as the innkeeper desperately tried to flee from the ax-wielding giant. The innkeeper was overweight and not used to running. Darach could almost hear the man's labored breathing as he stumbled away from the castle. The massive Viking gained on him with each long stride. They soon disappeared into the darkness.

  "What will happen to all those people?" For the first time, Blythe sounded worried as she watched the other Northmen, shouting bloodthirsty oaths in their own tongue, pursue their prey until all were out of sight. "Will the Vikings kill them?"

  " 'Twill depend on what happens to the innkeeper."

  "I don't understand." She still peered into the darkness.

  "Ye dinna need to understand. Trust me to do what must be done."

  "You're pretty arrogant, aren't you, vampire?" She still didn't look at him.

  "All vampires are arrogant. 'Tis part of our vampire oath." He was teasing her, and it amazed him that it gave him pleasure.

  "Oh, please." Blythe shifted her gaze back to him. "Did you see Black Varin? The eye patch, the scars, the broken nose, the missing front teeth? And what was he chanting with each swing of his ax?"

  "Kill, kill, kill."

  She shook her head. "You sure have improved with age, Viking."

  Darach remained staring across at the mainland as his features returned to their human form. When the change was complete, he flung back the hood, leaped from the wall, and guided Blythe back to their room.

  Before going into the room, Blythe ordered some food to be brought up to her. No way did she want to eat with the others. Ganymede would be asking questions about Darach, Sparkle would be offering helpful hints for a fulfilling sex life, Clara would be sharpening her wooden stake, and Sandy would be all excited about her newest underwear revelation, probably invisible briefs with built-in pheromones.

  Textron? He'd be bugging her about her progress making Darach happy. How did you bring happiness to someone who had just visited disaster on so many? How did he live with the responsibility, the guilt? Okay, so she was laying some of her own baggage on him. Happy. You… are… happy.

  "Did what ye saw today make ye fear me, Blythe?" Darach sat cross-legged beside her on the floor in front of the hearth as she ate. He gazed into the fire, his dark hair a shining curtain around his face, his eyes gleaming in the firelight.

  She studied her last bite of burnt whatever before answering. "No. I was in awe of your power, but not afraid." She looked up at him and smiled. "Now, the you that climbed out of that boat? He was a different story. If you hadn't been next to me, I would've been running and screaming like everyone else."

  What did that say about her feelings for Darach? Blythe pushed aside a tangle of emotions to reach what she truly believed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I trust you to keep me safe from danger."

  "But who will keep ye safe from me?" His thoughts seemed turned inward, his question for himself alone.

  Blythe shrugged and tried to smile. His question made her uneasy. "A hero will appear." She'd meant her answer to be flip and funny. It fell flat. She hadn't believed in heroes for a long time.

  Darach didn't seem to think it was funny either. He turned to study her. "Why did ye fear the Northman so much? Was it only his fierceness, or mayhap his ugliness?"

  Blythe thought about that. "Anyone who runs around yelling 'kill, kill' is one scary dude. And I guess it's natural to fear what you don't know or understand. Okay, so the ugly part had a little to
do with it."

  Something about her answer bothered him. She could sense it even through the slashing grin he offered her. "Ye dinna know or understand me."

  "Hah, and whose fault is that?" She thought about the fear factor. If he were going to scare her witless, it should've happened today when he woke up. But even that didn't upset her too much. Was it the "all's well that end's well" philosophy? She didn't know.

  His glance shifted to the arrow slit. Night had truly fallen. "Ye tried to touch my emotions today."

  She sighed. "Yeah, it's part of my job. Remember?

  But even out on that wall, I felt nothing from you. I might know and understand you a little more if you'd let me in."

  His gaze returned to her, and his smile held secrets she couldn't even guess at. "I did not guard my feelings out on the wall."

  Blythe frowned. "Then why couldn't I feel any of your emotions?"

  He rose in one lithe motion and stretched. "Because I felt none. When I use my power, I do so because I must. I dinna allow myself to feel."

  "To avoid guilt?"

  "What do ye know of guilt, Blythe?" His gaze sharpened.

  "Nothing." Fine, so she was a hypocrite. She wanted him to expose all his deepest emotions, but she had no intention of reciprocating.

  His glance said he didn't believe her. Taking his sword from where he had propped it in the corner, he strode toward the door.

  "Wait. What about Black Varin? What will happen to him? Are we safe from him?" She still wasn't clear on the scope of Darach's powers.

  "Black Varin lives. He will murder and pillage just as the innkeeper feared he would." He reached for the latch. "I must destroy him and his men."

  Blythe's heart pounded out her sudden fear for him. "Take me along. I can help." Had those stupid words come from her mouth? "I have the Freeze-frame. It will even the odds a little." Dumber and dumber.

  Darach's smile said he thought her offer was pretty stupid, too. "Ye doubt that I can do this alone?" He shook his head. "Ye dinna know me if ye think that."

  Blythe narrowed her gaze on him. Well, hell. It was okay for her to think her offer was dumb, but it really ticked her off that he thought her help had no value. She knew her logic was flawed, but she didn't care.

  "You see, that's the problem, Varin-the-real. I can never know you if you won't let me into your life. And I have to know you so that I can do my job. I think I'll just tag along on your search-and-destroy mission to get rid of Varin-the-fake." She held her hand up as he opened his mouth to blast her. "Hey, just ignore me. I won't say a thing." Well, hardly a thing.

  "Ye canna come. 'Twill be too dangerous." He glowered at her.

  "You're beautiful when you're angry." That should stoke his fire. "And how can it be dangerous when you just said you could take care of the situation with one hand tied behind your back?"

  "I didna say that." He bit on his bottom lip as he thought about his next words. "A warrior canna be beautiful. 'Tis unmanly."

  Blythe grinned at him. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

  Now that he'd expressed his opinion on the concept of male beauty, Darach dismissed her. "Ye must stay here." He yanked open the door.

  "Make me." Maybe throwing a direct challenge at him wasn't too smart. She knew darn well that he could make her. So she rushed into speech before he could consider all his options. "I'll follow you. I can't make you ha… Oops. Forgot I couldn't mention the H word. I can't do my job if I'm never with you. Besides, I'm safer with you than I would be staying here. What if Varin-the-fake comes back here while you're gone? Sure, you can protect this room, but I'd be pretty traumatized if he murdered everyone in the castle."

  Darach frowned. "What does 'traumatized' mean? And Ganymede would take care of his own." He didn't sound too certain, though.

  Blythe went in for the kill. "If I were traumatized, I'd be so upset that I couldn't function normally. I'd become seriously depressed. I might even turn off my emotions to protect myself." Like you. "And I wouldn't count on Ganymede for anything. The only thing he's looking out for is his own skin." Maybe she wasn't being fair to Ganymede, but she'd say whatever was necessary to convince Darach.

  She watched Darach's eyes and knew the exact moment he made his decision. "Ye may come. Mayhap ye need to see all that I am. But I dinna wish to answer questions."

  "Hey, mum's the word." Sort of. She passed up her shawl in favor of the warmer cloak. No one could convince her that this was spring. Then she grabbed her Freeze-frame before she could think any deep thoughts about the consequences of dumb decisions.

  Once outside, she clasped her cloak more closely around herself. It was so… dark. The clouds had cleared away, but even the moon's light didn't do much to push back the darkness. Would she ever get used to not seeing artificial lights from buildings and sky vehicles? You don't have to get used to the dark. You're only here for two weeks. Something about that thought disturbed her, so she pushed it aside.

  "Do you have superhuman strength?" Inane questions were a great way to push back the darkness.

  "Aye." He was peering at the ground as though he could really see something there.

  "How about superhuman speed?"

  "No. If I did, I would surely use it now to escape your endless blather." He sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth.

  "You know, I'm really starting to hate that word 'blather.'" She followed along behind as he walked away from the castle. His gaze was still fixed on the ground. "What're you doing?"

  "I'm following the footprints of Black Varin and the innkeeper. The rain has made the earth soft, so I can see them clearly." He moved more quickly around rocks and through small stands of trees.

  When he stopped speaking, the silence closed in on Blythe. A silence so complete that it made her uneasy. Life was never silent in her time. She knew she shouldn't, but she had to break the silence.

  "Okay, since I can't see squat, I'll add superhuman eyesight to your list of powers."

  "Ye may also add superhuman patience."

  She chose to ignore his sarcasm. "I know you have enhanced senses. Can you fly or shape-shift?"

  He kept walking as he stared at the ground, seeing things she couldn't hope to see. "Would ye wish to mate with me as we fly above the earth?" He sounded interested in the concept.

  She didn't intend to answer his question, so she countered with her own question. "Why do you have to turn everything into something sexual?"

  "Because it fashes ye so, and because the thought of being inside ye excites me."

  Give him points for honesty. She wished she had a snappy comeback, but words eluded her.

  "I canna fly now, but 'tis a power I will gain in mayhap a hundred years. The older I grow, the more I will be able to do. And I… change when I take my vampire form."

  This was getting more and more interesting. "So, do you change into a bat?"

  Darach offered her a horrified glance. "Why would I wish to be a bat?"

  He had a point there. "You're right. If I could change shapes, I'd probably want to be a giant woolly pander-cat."

  "Pandercat?" He shook his head and returned his attention to the ground.

  "I'll explain later. How about becoming invisible? Can you do that?" She was almost breathless with excitement over all the info he was giving her. Fine, so she was breathless because he was walking too fast and she was out of shape.

  Without warning, he stopped completely and turned to face her. "I canna become invisible. I dinna need to become invisible."

  He was baiting her, waiting for her to ask the expected question. She absolutely would not ask… she asked, "Why not?"

  His smile was a slow slide of wicked anticipation. "Why would I wish to be invisible when I can do this?"

  She had no time even to question what "this" was before she knew. Suddenly he was gone from in front of her. And at the same time she felt him flow into her.

  It was a slow heat, filling her, touching her i
n an erotic glide, merging yet remaining separate. She could feel the pounding of his heart in counterpoint to hers, the immediate sensitivity of her nipples responding to his male presence, his male hunger. And the pressure of his erection touching her from the inside, an intimate stroking low in her belly, caressing secret places no man's body could ever reach. Deep inside who she was.

  She spread her legs in an attempt to ease the building pressure, compelled by the instinct to take him inside her even though he was already there.

  "Good Lord!" She flung off her cloak in response to the spreading heat.

  "Ye called, mistress?" His voice, his laughter, thrummed through her.

  "Can this make me pregnant?" She felt her orgasm building, her senses wrapping around his arousal, clenching it tightly within her.

  "Aye. 'Twill fill ye with all the possibilities for sensual enjoyment. Ye will give birth to a craving for all the joys the body can give." His voice was thick with desire. "And ye will never again be satisfied completely with what your time can offer." His need burned into her body, his greed for all that was sexual wringing a cry from her.

  Then he began to move, the rhythm of his thrusts quickening, driving her closer and closer to something so huge that it spread across her whole life's horizon. She braced herself against his thrusts as he drove deeper and deeper. There was no limit to how deep, how hard he could plunge. All she knew was that she had to reach…

  Her climax rushed to meet her, and she embraced it, screaming her joy and squeezing every last moment from that mindless pinnacle where only physical sensation dwelled. And as she held her breath to experience the last few glorious tremors, she heard Darach's groan of completion. Then she felt his presence leave her.

  Just like a man. He got what he wanted, then left. Somewhere along the way she'd closed her eyes. She opened them to find herself lying on the ground with Darach beside her. She didn't remember falling.

  Blythe took some small comfort in seeing his shocked expression. This must not have been business as usual for him either. Someone had to break the silence, so it might as well be she. "You were right. Being invisible has its limitations." She had to ask. "How did you do that?" Hmm. Hadn't she asked that question before?