“I did ask her. She knows we are to be together, she knows what I am.” James mumbled.
“You didn’t ask her for her consent to complete the ritual. What if she chooses not to? Without her you will die or turn to the other side. For frick sake, she may turn to the other side anyway. Not asking could be perceived as being turned against her will. What the hell were you thinking?!” Mathius screamed as he walked over to Linda to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi darling, welcome home. He wasn’t thinking, or should I say the wrong head was doing the thinking.” Linda chuckled as she hugged Mathius. “Valerie is a strong girl and I am sure this will turn out okay in the end.”
As Linda spoke James could see Mathius physically calming down. Thank the gods for that.
“Valerie is sleeping right now; when she wakes up I will tell her.” James said. “I am going to go take a shower and let you guys have some privacy.”
Mathius had been gone for a few days, hunting the vampires who took Valerie. James knew that the couple would need some privacy to make up for lost time. As immortals, once blooded they were very sexual creatures, needing to feel the bond of body and soul frequently with their mates to keep them grounded. Neither one of them responded to him as he left the room, they were too busy locked in an embrace that would surely lead them to their bedroom. Just in case they didn’t make it that far James made a mental note to avoid the kitchen for at least an hour.
He climbed the stairs slowly, listening to Valerie’s breathing, letting it wash over him and calm him. James hoped that a shower would clear his head enough to let him figure out how to break it to Valerie when she woke.
Valerie woke up in a daze but feeling elated. As she stretched she felt soreness in her body that told her James wasn’t a dream. The love making had been wild and tender all at the same time. She smiled to herself as she recalled the places his mouth had explored. Her breast throbbed where he had tasted her. Who would have thought she had saved her virginity all this time to give it a vampire. A sexy vampire, but a vampire none the less. She climbed out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. She wanted the warm water on her body to wash away the soreness in her limbs. Before she could grab the knob to open the door it swung open and James was standing there in a towel. Valerie blushed realizing she was naked and he was clad in only a towel that hung low on hips. She watched as his bulge in the front grew at the sight of her.
“Well hi there.” She said sheepishly.
“Hi yourself. How are you feeling?” James asked. The bulge told her he was happy to see her, but his eyes looked worried.
“I’m okay, a bit sore, but okay. I was just going to get in the shower.”
“It is all yours. There should be plenty of hot water. When you’re done would you mind going for a walk with me?” James asked in a strained voice. His brow was furrowed with worry lines.
“Of course.” Valerie responded before a thought came to her. “Wait a walk? Its daylight out. Won’t you burn or something?”
James laughed. “Not all myths are true. No I won’t burn. I rather enjoy the sunlight.”
“Well then great, give me ten minutes, unless you want to join me?”
Valerie had no way of knowing how hard it was for James to resist the temptation. He wanted to see her with water pouring over her body, he wanted to wash every inch of her and claim her again, but he wouldn’t. Not until she knew.
“I need to get dressed; I will meet you back here in a bit.” James replied before walking right by her without a kiss or tender touch. Valerie was concerned that she had done something wrong. She didn’t understand how he could act like she wasn’t standing stark naked in front of him. Embarrassment swept over her as she realized he had turned down her offer without the least bit of an explanation. Was the lovemaking that bad? It had been wonderful for her. More than wonderful, it had been pure ecstasy.
When Valerie was all showered and dressed she found James waiting for her as promised, He gently took her hand in his and without a word led her downstairs. She knew something was deeply troubling him and had a feeling it had to do with her.
chapter five
Behind Mathius and Linda’s house were wooded trails that offered the privacy and serenity James wanted. He was still holding Valerie’s hand but couldn’t quite find the words to begin the conversation. He could tell Valerie was getting antsy because she had sighed a few times and glanced at him in anticipation.
Sighing again, loud enough to make a point Valerie spoke first, “Okay, something is up and you need to spill the beans. I mean it can’t possibly be any more shocking or unbelievable then you being a vampire.”
“Immortal.” James corrected.
“Okay, touchy much? Immortal.”
James was listening to the robins and the blue jays playfully calling to one another in the trees. The day was warm and the breeze smelled like fresh cut grass. He wished he could freeze time and that Valerie could just exist in that moment with him for eternity, but unfortunately manipulating time was something not even Mathius had mastered.
James took a deep breath and began. “Valerie I need to know if you consent to being my blood mate. Not my girlfriend, not my wife, my blood mate. There are no divorces, you could never leave me. You would live for eternity at my side.”
Valerie had already thought about this and although she was scared out of her wits she knew that during their lovemaking she had already bound herself to him.
“Yes James. I consent. I am also assuming that by being with you for eternity I must be changed.”
“Changed. That is one way of putting it. To be changed Valerie, I will need you to participate in the blood mate ritual with me. That is what I need you to consent to. Without your consent if we attempt it you could end up a vampire like the ones that took you. Deranged and evil to the core. They will never have the opportunity to have their soul and beating heart back.”
Valerie stopped abruptly and grasped his other hand. Standing on her toes she leaned up and brushed her lips over his, tracing his jaw with her mouth and leaving little kisses around to his earlobe. James felt himself shiver as his arms encircled her. Her mouth was driving him crazy.
“Kiss me.” Valerie whispered in his ear before planting her lips firmly on his. Their mouths parted in a frenzy of tongues probing, searching, and connecting. Valerie felt him grow hard against her and moaned into his mouth. She felt her own sex grow moist and hot. She wanted this man inside her, needed him. She began stripping off her clothes only breaking the kiss long enough to maneuver a piece of clothing, a button, a zipper. James couldn’t stop himself, seeing her frenzy he quickly stripped the clothes from his body to.
Valerie moved her mouth back down his jaw, hot kisses fluttering over his skin, down his neck and onto his chest. James felt her tongue flick out here and there, making a trail down past his bellybutton. He was ready to explode. When her breath, warm and panting, hit his growing bulge he growled and grabbed the back of her head.
“Yes, oh gods yes!” He moaned as he gently guided her mouth to him. He was lost in a moment of pure ecstasy as she guided her lips over him, tasting him with her tongue, and moaning around him. He couldn’t stand it anymore, he needed her. James leaned down and grasped her around the waist, lifting her up and slowly sliding her onto him.
“James, no, it’s too much like this.” She moaned as she wiggled around trying to accommodate him.
“Relax darling.” He whispered in her ear. “You were meant for me, just hang on and enjoy it.”
As he began to rock her slowly on him Valerie felt herself relax, felt him slide further in with ease. When he realized she was ready he sped up his movements. Bringing her up and down, sliding, and stroking her velvet core. Valerie’s moans grew louder and he knew when she was ready to climax. James began thrusting harder, letting himself get swept away until they were both satisfied and crumpled in a heap of naked flesh and sweat on the ground.
Still panting James began
gathering his clothes as he pulled himself away from Valerie. “Have you read Dante?” He asked.
“Dante? You mean Dante’s Inferno? Yeah, in school I did.” Valerie replied. “Why?”
“Well to put it as bluntly as I can, and to be fair to you, the ritual includes visiting all nine circles of hell.”
Valerie was just pulling her shirt over her head when he made the confession.
“What? Wait, you’re telling me that Dante was actually there and that hell is real?” She asked completely taken aback.
“You believe in immortals without a problem, yet Dante stumps you? Yes all nine circles are there. We must make an oath at the river Styx to the goddess Styx who watches over the river.”
Valerie struggled to remember. “I thought Charon ferried souls on that river.”
“A common misconception. People think that hell is distinct to one religion when in fact it is not. Charon ferries people from the gates and the vestibule across the river Acheron. Styx is a Greek goddess in charge of the River Styx, which quite literally means the river of pain. In fact originally it was called the river of pain, but in her arrogance she wanted it named after her. I guess she got sick of people confusing her with Charon.”
“So immortals have been doing this for like ever, right? That means it can’t be too bad. I mean after all, it’s not like I am dead and being condemned to hell.” Valerie tried to rationalize the situation out loud to make herself feel better.
“As Dante said, do not be afraid; our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift. Make no mistake, I will not lie to you, the trip is not without risks. Above all you must remember not to give into temptation or impulses. The demons there will seek to lead you astray so that they may claim you for their circle. I would never let this happen. They would have to take me first. We will meet the goddess Styx and make out pledge to her and the river before travelling downward to the very bowels of hell where Satan himself resides. He holds a part of my soul, the part that will be transferred to you. It is the price we pay for immortality. Always walking with one foot in the light and one in the darkness. But you, my blood mate, will pull me out of the darkness.”
Valerie could not believe that she was meant for such an important task. The fact that this man needed her to be whole again, to save his soul in the most literal sense, was almost more then she could bear. She felt her heart breaking for him and her love for him welling up inside her. She knew she couldn’t leave him now, not when he needed her so desperately. She needed him as well.
“Of course I will consent. For you my love I will walk through the circles of hell.” She replied as a tear trickled down her cheek.
Part 2
HELL
“Abandon all hope you who enter here”
Dante’s Inferno
CHAPTER SIX
It was a moonless night; the cloud cover was too thick for even the brightest stars to shine through. The air was warm but Valerie couldn’t help but shiver in spite of the layers of clothing she was wearing. Linda had warned her to dress in layers, for the circles of Hell did not have the same weather patterns, and Hell was not all fire and brimstone. Valerie found herself wishing that she had paid more attention to Dante in school. Truth be told, most of what she learned, she learned from crib notes.
James was securing a satchel of gold coins to his belt. Valerie silently chuckled at the sight of him. He looked like he belonged in an Indiana Jones movie.
“Are you ready?” James asked in a whisper.
“Ready as I will ever be.” Valerie responded, trying to sound up beat. She wasn’t sure how anybody could actually be ready for a visit to Hell.
James waved his hand and a door appeared. Valerie gasped. It was a steel door, with wide hinges and a metal plate riveted in the center. There were words on the plate. She took a step forward to be able to read them better in the dark.
Abandon All Hope You Who Enter Here
“Huh, so it actually says that.” She said. It was one of the few phrases Valerie actually remembered from Dante’s Inferno.
“Of course, Dante tried to stick to the facts, but things do change over time in Hell.”
James reached out and knocked on the door with three solid, sharp blows. The door creaked open. Valerie tried to glimpse what was inside but all she could see was a gray haze. James grabbed her hand in a tight, almost painful grip. His nerves were making her go through the roof.
“Let’s go, the door won’t stay open forever.” James said leading her forward.
As they stepped over the threshold Valerie felt the air change. It was heavy, almost suffocating, and damp. She looked around in awe and fear. Everything was gray. It took her a few minutes to notice shapes in the haze dotting the barren landscape sporadically. She couldn’t quite make out what they were, but they seemed to be almost the same gray as their surroundings.
“This is the vestibule.” James told her, startling her in the eerie silence.
“Are there people here?” Valerie asked.
“Yes come, I will show you.” Still holding her hand James walked her deeper into the gray abyss. As they walked silently further in Valerie noticed the shapes were the people. They were each sitting in a puddle of dingy water, picking at their skin. They were all naked. Sores from the constant picking littered their dirty bodies. None of them spoke, none of them blinked. Valerie let go of James’s hand and crouched down in front of a plump man who was intently focused on his toes. They were bloody, and it must have been painful, but he just kept picking.
“Sir? Sir, doesn’t that hurt?” Valerie tried to get him to stop. He didn’t even look at her, gave no indicator that he even saw her there.
“Mister please stop doing that. It is going to get infected, then you are really going to be in trouble.” Valerie pleaded with him. Still he made no response.
James chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Valerie he is already in trouble. This is Hell after all. He doesn’t know you are here; he can’t see or hear you. These are the people that were ignorant in life; they paid no attention to others, ignored other people’s needs and now they are here.”
Valerie stood up and stared at him. Tears were welling up in her eyes. “They were ignorant? They came to Hell because they were ignorant?”
“Try not to let it get to you. If this circle troubles you I hate to think how the deeper ones will affect you.”
“I just don’t understand. I thought you had to do something wrong to end up here.”
“Valerie listen, let’s say you walked down the same street every day, and every day the same homeless man was there. Would you give him some spare change if you had a pocketful?”
“Of course I would!”
“These people wouldn’t have, not only would they have not given him change, they wouldn’t have even noticed he was there. Now they are condemned to a realm of complete ignorance.” James spoke to her in a soothing voice.
“I guess I understand, it’s just so pitifully sad.”
James went to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Valerie was thankful for his steady and strong arms around her. She needed to feel his love in this desolate place.
“We must get moving.” He whispered, kissing the top of her head. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, let’s go. I don’t want to see this anymore. I just want to get this over with.”
They walked on in silence for a while, Valerie tried hard not to looks at the faces of the condemned. It was all too depressing. She wanted to save them, to wake them up, to do something. It was killing her having to just walk by them and leave them in their puddles.
“James, tell me something happy.” She whispered.
“Something happy? Well that’s an easy one. I love you with all my being and I know that once we get this behind us we will have an infinite number of blissful days ahead of us.”
“What will we do with all that time on our hands?” Valerie asked coyly.
“I am sure we can think of something
.” James smirked at her.
Valerie tried to drift off in her imagination with thoughts of love and lovemaking. They walked on. Valerie couldn’t count how many condemned souls they passed, all sitting in dirty puddles. The scenery didn’t change. It felt like they were in a labyrinth destined to never find the way out. Her daydreams were broken by the sound of water rushing and a whip cracking.
“What is that?” she asked James, feeling frightened again.
“That would be the River Acheron and Charon would be the one cracking whip. Most people do not enter his boat willingly and most don’t have proper payment.”
“We have payment?”
James responded by jiggling the satchel with the coins in it. “Yes we have payment. Even without these I always have payment. Blood from immortals helps strengthen the river. If I didn’t have coins a few pints would do. Personally I don’t care to be weakened from blood loss down here.”
Valerie didn’t get a chance to ask him what he meant. They suddenly found themselves swept up in a crowd of people, naked people, rushing towards the sound of the river. Valerie was shoved violently from behind. She turned her head to see an old man, with flabby wrinkled skin and missing teeth grinning at her.
“Hey there missy, let me borrow some of those clothes would you?” He asked while reaching out to grab her shirt. His hand never made contact. James swept her behind him and grabbed the man by the throat. The man was lifted a few feet off the ground in the immortals vice like grip.
“Don’t touch her; keep your filthy hands to yourself!”
“Sure mister. I didn’t mean no harm. Cross my heart and hope to die.” The man said laughing at James. Valerie knew it was a mistake. She could feel the anger running through James. His muscles quivered beneath his clothes and a low growl escaped his throat. The man was flung violently to the ground before James wrapped an arm around her waist and ushered her forward.
To Hell and Back (Eternally Blooded) Page 3