by Ashe Barker
Whatever, this woman was bloody trespassing and he wasn't having that. Ged valued his privacy. More than a little irritated, he stepped off the crumbling edge of the tower. He dropped the twenty or so feet to the ground, landing lightly on the balls of his feet, then set off down to the lake to sort the matter out.
As he got closer, intending to drag the woman to her feet then order her off his property, Ged could see that his unexpected intruder was not moving. Indeed, she showed no signs of life at all.
"Shit!" He broke into a run.
The woman lay face down in the damp grass, unmoving. As he crouched beside her he realised two things. The first was that she was alive. He could hear her heartbeat, faint, but it was there. Just. The second thing he took in at first glance, her clothes were dripping wet.
Christ, had she fallen in the lake? Ged stood and gazed around him for any signs of others nearby. If she had somehow ended up in the lake she couldn't have got out of the water alone, surely? Had she been attacked? Had someone dumped her here on his doorstep, like some sacrificial virgin from a bygone, more superstitious age? He saw no one, though the glint of metal caught his eye. There was something lying in the grass a few feet from them. Ged looked closer. It was a candlestick, just a single candelabrum, made of some sort of alloy he guessed.
A soft moan by his feet stirred his sense of urgency. If the human female was going to survive this experience, he needed to get her out of this biting wind and warmed up. Fast.
"Miss, can you hear me?" He crouched beside her again and laid his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered, and moaned softly.
"Miss, can you tell me your name? How did you get here?"
There was more incoherent muttering from the barely conscious female, but nothing he could make sense of. She seemed familiar, though he couldn't quite place her. Maybe he'd caught sight of her on one of his infrequent forays into the nearby village. He had made no real attempt to get to know his neighbours, though he was aware of some considerable interest among the locals in the barmy sod who'd bought the old castle and actually moved in there. Perhaps she was just a curious villager, a snooper who had met with some sort of mishap.
Her hair was matted, as though she'd just risen from her bed, and it was caught back into a long plait. Women in the twenty-first century rarely allowed their hair to grow so long, but this woman's tresses reached her waist, and the colour was a glorious dark red. Surely he'd have remembered that if he'd met her previously.
His hands gentle, he ran them down her ribs and spine, carrying out a quick, cursory check for injuries. He had had some human medical training, though that was over a century ago and he certainly did not consider himself any sort of physician. He could, however, detect the heat given off from the site of a serious injury such as a fracture or bad sprain, and if he had discovered anything of the sort he would not have moved her. Finding nothing to alarm him unduly he took hold of her by the shoulders and rolled her onto her back.
"Holy fuck!" He breathed the curse as he gazed down into delicate, perfect features he had not seen for over five centuries. "Jane?"
It couldn't be. Jane had perished half a millenium ago. His wife had disappeared from his castle in the night. Her body was never found despite weeks of searching. There was no way this woman could be his Janey, but Christ, she looked exactly like her. A descendant, perhaps?
No, Jane had had no children. There were relatives, but none who inhabited these parts as far as he knew, though he had sort of lost touch for a while.
The woman's eyelids fluttered, her lips parted as though she was about to speak. Ged leaned in.
"Miss, you've had an accident. You fell in the lake but you're safe now."
Well, more or less. The presence of a horny vampire would only count as a problem if he was in a bad mood, or hungry. Thanks to the lovely Suzette and a fridge full of blood he was neither at the moment. "I'm going to take you inside where it's warm, then I'll call you an ambulance."
"What? Why are you..." Her voice was breathy, the merest whisper. Had he been blessed with less sensitive hearing Ged might not have caught her words at all.
"You're safe now. I'll take care of you." Well, he'd see her safely into the keeping of others who would. That amounted to much the same thing in Ged's estimation. He gathered her into his arms and stood up. As an afterthought he turned and retrieved the candelabrum too.
The woman was slender and light, it required little enough of his vampire strength or stamina to carry her up the grass banking in the direction of his home.
"Sir? My lord?"
What? Ged halted in his tracks, even turned to look behind him. The voice was so clear, and so achingly familiar. When he could finally do no other he inclined his face to gaze into the smoky grey eyes of the woman in his arms.
"What did you call me?"
"My lord? I apologise, I did not mean to cause you such nuisance."
"Do you know me?"
She frowned up at him, blinking in confusion. "Of course I do, my lord. You are Gerard, Earl of Roseworth. My husband."
*****
What. The. Fuck? It was all Ged could do to complete the short distance to his home. He elbowed the door open and bundled the shivering woman inside, then dumped her without ceremony onto his sofa. His mind was in overdrive as he assessed the possibilities.
She was a witch. She had to be, though he could detect none of the usual low level hum given off by magical beings. He wasn't personally acquainted with that many witches, but those he did know all gave off that same tell tale signature vibration. Some even glowed ever so slightly. He knew that many had the ability to alter their features to resemble another, though he had never encountered one who could mimic a voice so perfectly too. And mannerisms. This little female had looked right at him, her expression one of nervousness and hope. Janey invariably wore such a look.
This female was an impostor, she had to be. But how did she come to know so accurately what his long-dead wife had looked like? Even he would have struggled to bring her features so vividly to mind. Ged intended to find out.
He stood over the woman, glaring down at her. She peered up at him, her face quivering in a nervous smile. As he furrowed his brow, pondering what he might need to actually do to her in order to get at the truth, the female's teeth actually chattered.
Shit. She was no good to him with a dose of double pneumonia.
"Wait there. I'll get you a dry blanket or something." He strode across the room towards the open staircase which led to the upper floor, pausing only to call over his shoulder. "Twenty three centigrade." His voice-controlled air-conditioning revved into overdrive to raise the temperature within his pod. He hadn't the slightest notion what was happening here, but witch or not he was not about to allow the girl to freeze to death in his care. Imagine trying to explain that to the human authorities.
When he returned clutching a duvet he'd dragged from the spare bed, the wench was huddling in the corner of his sofa. Her eyes were wide, she was plainly terrified. She gazed around her, then her eyes snapped back to him as he clattered back down the timber staircase.
"What manner of place is this, my lord? Why have you brought me here?"
"It's... it's where I live." Ged chose his words with care. Every instinct he possessed was on red alert, screaming at him to proceed with the utmost caution.
"But, your home is at Roseworth. You are lord there. This is... this is..." She stopped, clearly at a loss for any vocabulary to describe her current surroundings.
Ged shook his head, determined not to get caught up in this charade. As he held out the quilt to her he made a quick foray into her mind to search for evidence of deliberate deceit. He found none. On the face of it at least, this odd little female actually believed herself to be his wife.
Ged decided to play for time. "We can talk later. For now, you need to get out of those wet clothes and wrap yourself in this. Can you manage or do you need me to help?"
She gnawed on her lower lip
, a mannerism he remembered had always irked him. It had made it appear as though she feared him, and never failed to leave him feeling like a clod.
Christ, but this fucking witch was good.
"Might you summon a maidservant, if you please?"
Ged let out an exasperated sigh. "No, I might not. There are no maidservants here, just you and me." His response was perhaps less sympathetic than the occasion called for. Despite his irritation at her presence here he regretted his sharp tone the instant it was out, especially as the wench drew away from him, her brow furrowing.
"I see. Then if you could just—"
"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Ged reached for her and with two deft tugs untied the loops securing her flimsy robe. He slid the fabric over her shoulders and the woman made no attempt to resist his efforts as he removed it from her. He grasped the hem of her linen shift and pulled that up. "Lift up your arms, Jane," he instructed.
She did so, obedient as a lamb. As he pulled the garment from her chilled body Ged realised he had used her name without thinking, and that she had answered to it. Then he caught sight of her naked body, and he forgot to breathe.
Jesus! Fucking holy hell! A bolt of pure lust shot straight to his cock. He was hard in seconds, but that was not the worst of it. With advancing age, Ged had mastered many of the skills required by a vampire who preferred to hide in plain sight. He usually managed to control his fangs with no bother at all, but not in unguarded moments such as this. His upper lip curled back as his razor-like canines shot from his jaw, and it was all he could manage not to snarl.
The diminutive female on his couch watched in horror as his features altered. She opened her mouth, he supposed to scream though no sound emerged. Instead, she collapsed into a dead faint.
Shit. Ged's reflexes were as sharp as the next vampire so he managed to catch her before she rolled onto the floor. He arranged her safely on the sofa and pulled the duvet over her, tucking in the edges with care. At least now she was safely covered and he could concentrate on getting his own physical responses back under control.
For long moments Ged stood over the still from. The little witch’s breathing was steady, her colour better and improving with every minute that passed and she was out of the cold. There was a reasonable chance he might not require that ambulance after all. He was relieved, and not just out of concern for the unknown female's health. His instincts told him he should keep this woman's presence here a secret, at least until it was clear who and what she was and exactly what he might be dealing with.
*****
"You're a witch, right?"
Ged levelled the bald statement at the woman the moment she showed signs of coming around. She opened her eyes slowly, then just peered at him, shivering.
He continued, his tone cold and unyielding. "You know what I am, and I'm sure you know what I'm capable of. I'd have no qualms about hurting you if I needed to. You really don't want to aggravate me."
"My lord—"
"Cut that out. It won't work. You look like her. And you sound like her too. You're good, I'll grant you that. But we both know this..." he gestured at her face, her hair, her slender body which looked so much like that of his dead wife, "... all of this is some sort of magic. Your little tricks are impressive but if you think I'm going to pay you to go away you're wrong. It'd be a lot easier to just wring your neck."
"You... you want me to leave, my lord?" Her features took on a look he could only describe as tragic. Another quick delve into her head revealed what appeared to be genuine shock and grief.
"I do. Of course I do. There's nothing for you here."
"But, where should I go? I am your wife."
"We both know you're not my wife. Jane's been dead for centuries."
"Are you mad?" Her voice was low, barely a whisper.
"Yeah, I'm fucking mad. Furious in fact." He leaned over her and deliberately softened his tone. "You have five seconds, little witch, that's all, before things start to go very badly for you and your bloody masquerade."
She tilted her chin up at him, some shreds of defiance emerging. "You may not harm me. My family—"
"Had better show up right now and take you off my hands, otherwise..." He curled back his lip to reveal the emerging fangs. "Lying little witches tend to get bitten. Unless you'd prefer a whipping?"
Even as he said the words he knew which it would be. He could sink his teeth into her slender neck and drain her dry. That would no doubt be very pleasant, at least for him, but it wouldn't advance his cause much more than that. A dead witch couldn't tell him anything, and Ged was seriously curious now about this beautiful impostor who had invaded his peaceful retreat.
He moved fast, with vampire speed. Ged leaned over her and plucked her, quilt and all, from the sofa. With her in his arms he teleported direct to his upper floor, and into the room so recently vacated by Suzette. The spanking bench remained where he'd left it, in the middle of his playroom.
Ged lowered the witch’s feet to the floor, then stepped away from her.
"Give me the quilt," he commanded.
She shook her head, clutching it to her chin. She glanced from side to side, startled as she took in her new surroundings.
"Give. Me. The. Quilt." He held her gaze, repeating the command in a tone which would invariably send a sub to her knees. This time it had the desired effect and the wench slid it from around her shoulders and passed it to him.
She stood before him, nude, but no longer shivering. Ged's cock leapt to attention and his jaws ached as his fangs forced their way back through his gums. He made no attempt to conceal either reaction from her.
"Bend over the bench." He pointed to the apparatus, the top padded for greater comfort. Leather straps were attached to each leg. As she gaped at him in dawning horror, Ged raised his right hand and a black rattan cane materialised in his grip.
The witch backed away, shaking her head. "How did you do that? We were in another place, and—" She turned and made a dash for the door, which stood open.
Ged slammed it shut with just a thought. From his position across the room he locked it as she wrestled with the handle.
"Please, allow me to leave. I shall go from here as you wished. Just let me go. Please, my lord, do not hurt me." She turned to face him her expression frantic now.
Ged narrowed his eyes, calculating. Why did this witch not simply undo his work? Teleporting was simple enough, she must have encountered it before yet she seemed genuinely bewildered by what he had done. Any witch worth her salt would just port out of here, not waste her time grappling with a locked door. Similarly, closing and locking the door was beginners' telekinetics. Even the most ineffectual novice could do that, let alone a witch able to craft an emulation spell as powerful as the one he suspected was at work here. But his visitor appeared to have no idea. She could have been free in moments, yet she remained transfixed and at his mercy, pleading for her life.
He took a step toward her. She let out a keening cry and slid down the door to curl into a ball. She was shaking, sobbing, and a brief dip into her head told him the rest. She was utterly terrified and fully expecting to die.
And, she was human. He knew it, he was convinced of that fact though he couldn't say why. But that did put a whole new complexion on matters.
"Holy fuck." Ged moved in fast to wrap the quilt back around her and lift her in his arms again. "You're safe. I won't hurt you, you have my word."
She was limp, not even struggling. Too scared to fight, he guessed. Ged closed his eyes intending to port straight into his guest room, but thought better of it and carried the girl there instead. He laid her on the bed then stood back to reassess his options.
A human! Christ, he might have killed her if he'd done as he originally planned. Witches were every bit as resilient as vampire females, he wouldn't have gone easy on her and he had fully intended to cane the truth out of the lying little wench. But now – where did he go from here?
"Get some sleep, " he commanded,
unable to come up with anything else right at that moment. He backed away, closing the door softly as he left.
*****
"Are you hungry?"
The woman had been asleep for two hours, but was starting to show signs of waking up. As her eyelids fluttered upwards, Ged was careful to maintain a discreet distance. He didn't want her panicking again if he could help it, though on reflection, the expression of sheer terror she sent his way as soon as she caught sight of him was no real improvement on her earlier state. The colour so recently restored to her cheeks drained away as she pulled the quilt around her like a shield. As far as Ged could recall, no vampire had ever been effectively repelled by a few square feet of duckdown but he saw no merit in mentioning that.
"When did you last eat?" He worked to modulate his tone, hoping the mundane nature of his request would go some way to reassuring his unexpected guest that he meant her no harm. Well, he thought he didn't, though in fairness, he was probably almost as bewildered as she was.
There was no answer from the woman. She simply tightened her death grip on the duvet and shrank as far back from him as possible.
Ged considered his fridge, empty but for a few bottles of Stella Artois lager and a month's supply of A rhesus negative. Neither seemed appropriate.
"Pizza," he announced. He was sure there was a takeaway menu somewhere around. It had been shoved through his letterbox soon after he took up residence and although he hadn't been able to imagine ever wishing to sample their deep pan Hawaiian he decided to hang onto it in case of just this sort of eventuality. Well, perhaps not exactly this.
He turned on his heel and left her there on the bed while he went back downstairs. He did it the hard way, having decided to give teleporting a miss for a while, just until he was clear what he was dealing with here. Ged rummaged around in the stack of miscellaneous junk he tended to keep in a kitchen drawer and soon found the leaflet. He sprinted back upstairs.