Lover of the Night.

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail watched him undress. His body was sleek and slender and she gasped at his magnificently rampant arousal. Holding out her arms, she looked at him with unabashed longing. Gods he was beautiful.

Darius moved toward her slowly. Slipping between her welcoming thighs. His powerful fullness entered and filled her in one possessive thrust that left her breathless. Gail groaned lustfully and lifted her hips from the mattress, arching to take him further.

He sheathed himself inside her, rocking Gail's body with each pumping caress of his manhood. She revelled at each hot glide, accepting all he could give her and giving more in return.

Flesh to flesh, Gail cried out in her passion. Urging him. Encouraging him. They moved together in a measured, insistent rhythm; Darius delving deeper with each possessive thrust as Gail matched his fluid movements with voluptuous abandon.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius Von Tilla:

Even though he need not breath, Darius found that he was breathless in Gail's sweet embrace. He rested his head upon Gails breast as he felt the fluid rush of seed pass through him a second time. The sensation frightened him some what. The passions of this amasing woman had seemingly posessed his body, making him capable of things he aught not be capable. She did not only make him feel emotionally alive, it seemed as though she could bring him back to physical life. He was caught between extacy and terror at this realization.

After this sweet release, he felt the bitterness of undeath retake him, and he began to unreasoningly sob against Gail's breast. How could any mortal, any woman for that matter render him so weak as this? He asked himself how he had been completely undone by this woman, a venus though she was, as he relinquished himself to the warring emotions within himself.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail arched and cried Darius' name, bringing him with her as she began the longest, hottest release of her life. She convulsed around him in a chain of spasms, milking him of his hot seed as it spilled into her in a fiery culmination of their love-making.

Her fingers weaving love knots in his hair, they lay together. Hearts pounding. Gasping in completion. Darius buried his face in her breasts, heaving. She didn't realize at first that he was crying. Concerned and overwhelmed with her love for this man she knew yet hardly knew, Gail drew his face up to hers.

Caressing his cheek, she pulled him closer. "Oh, Love... " she murmured against his mouth as their lips brushed.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius Von Tilla:

Darius drank the passion from Gail's lips as though it were blood. Darius rose up over Gail, looking into her eyes as he did. His lips parted as though he were about to speak. Instead, a smile crossed his lips and he caressed Gail's cheek lightly with the back of his hand.

He got up then, still naked, Gail's sweet scent still clinging to him as he took up some paint and a brush, and began to paint her. Though their love making had ended, the way Darius looked at her made Gail feel as though he were still caressing her body. Caressing her body with his eyes alone.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Her body was flushed and covered with a thin sheen of sweat that made her skin appear to shimmer in the afterglow of their love-making. Gail didn't try to disguise her desire as she lay back. How could she? As her yearning grew, so did his. As if they were feeding on each other. Mirror images. Each one a reflection of the other.

And so the hours passed. Each brushstroke that Darius made on the canvas seemed a caress of her body. He painted her with fine pigments and a sable brush, she painted him with her eyes.

Gail memorized every sleek line of Darius' body. Every muscle. Every movement that he made. The way he stood. His face. The intentness of his concentration on the portrait. The torture of her longing was bittersweet, yet she endured it knowing that soon enough he would be in her arms again.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius Von Tilla:

More than an hour passed, seeming only the blink of an eye to Darius, himself. He found, upon looking at the canvas, that he had painted her, his venus in a manner that caused him to draw a breath, and heat his blood. Looking over toward her, Darius's eyes expressing his adoration and passion for her, more so than any words ever could.

Leaving the canvas, paint and brush behind, he came to her again. Came to posess and be posessed by her. The heat of her passion and her blood was a siren song he could not ignore, an itch within his heart, no one but she could reach, and quell.

He kissed her ardently, passionately, knowing, from the sweet smell of her that it had set her aflame. He was engulfed by her heat, reacting to the lush embrace of her body with a wonton moan. Letting Gail's blood set the tempo of their love making, Darius comitted spirit, his entire beaing to the beat of their passions.

He had to leave her far too soon, but by then, his soul was so entertwined with her own, that an eternity of laying in her arms would be far too short. Before he left her, He kissed her one last time, using his blood granted gifts to lull her into the sweetest of slumbers.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail woke before dawn. Stretching languorously, she sensed Darius' absence without having to look. It was a singular sensation, akin to the feeling she had when he withdrew from her after love-making. An emptiness after fulfillment. Loath to spend a moment without her love, she decided to go in search.

Not bothering to dress, Gail stepped out of the room and into the corridor. The mahogany balustrade reflected the dim lights that hung on the wall as she turned. Why hadn't she noticed the portraits on the walls before?

Gail stood before one before moving on to the next and the next. Why hadn't she noticed? The woman was the same in each, though her features were not clear but she knew who it was. With a lover. Pregnant. With children. On and on and on. Like a pictorial biography.

Gail's heart was pounding as she ran. She needed to know. She needed to see. She turned in circles as she ran, spinning to look on all sides of her as hands reached out of the portraits to grab her. Slow her. Pull at her. Tug at her.

Look! Look here! Look at me! Look at... And suddenly they had her. She struggled to free herself. They wouldn't let go! They...

Gail screamed and bolted upright, her body drenched in sweat and shaking like a leaf.

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot Richards:

Elliot had been in the room, tidying things up while Gail slept. Darius, his master, was sleeping a death like sleep, down below, in his private chambers. He had been instructed to be there when Gail awoke to see to her every need. Elliot came to her side quickly, kneeling down to take her shaking hand as she awoke with a start. "Miss. Westrick, are you alright? Miss Westrick, it was just a dream." He said soothingly.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Bathed in sweat and shaking, it took a minute for Gail to recall where she was and to realize that it had all been a night terror. Elliot's voice soothed her back into the 'now' but she couldn't shake the feeling that there had been something very real about her dream. As if it were some sort of foretelling, or a 'knowing'.

The portraits were so vividly etched in her mind that Gail didn't have to close her eyes to see them. She knew there was something significant about what they portrayed. But what?

She needed Darius. He would know what this all meant. At least some part of her said he would.

"Elliot. Where is Darius, please? I must see him right now."

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot Richards:

"I'm sorry, Miss Westrick, but Master Darius is not here. My lord, but you're shaking like a leaf..." Elliot gave Gail a concerned look as he draped her blanket over her shoulders. "I will make you some hot tea, to warm you up Miss Westrick." He stood and turned to head toward the kitchen.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"NO!" Gail shouted toward Elliot's retreating back. She flushed in embarrassment as he turned around, looking askance.

"Miss?"

"I... I just don't want to be alone. Please, may I come down with you?"

Elliot considered her request. Master Darius would not think it seemly for his guest to be entertained in the kitchen. On the other hand, he would most assuredly be displeased to know that he had left Miss Westrick alone when she was this upset. Nodding curtly, he indicated that he would wait while she put some clothing on.

Gail was already a step ahead of him, having found Darius' silk shirt draped on the chair beside the bed. She slipped it on and buttoned it, inhaling his aroma. Feeling her body stir, Gail smiled to herself. Even the scent of him was arousing.

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot Richards:

Once they got to the kitchen door, Elliot turned toward Gail. "One moment Miss, the kitchen is a slight mess at the moment, allow me to clean it up for you."

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Gail looked around the kitchen. If this was a mess, she hated to think what Elliot considered clean. The sink held a plate and utensils and a teacup and saucer sat on the counter.

Maybe he just needed to busy himself. After all, this was his domain and she guessed that no other person ever ventured here. Still shivering, Gail laid her hand on his arm.

"Let me at least make the tea, Elliot. I need to do something. When did you say Darius would be back?" Gail needed him. Needed him more than she could ever recall needing anyone in her life before.

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot rushed over to the tea cup, it would not due for Gail to notice that it had not been tea in the cup, but rather, blood, a single cup of Darius's blood, the sweet vitae that sustained Elliot, and made him what he was. It had become an addiction over the years, and it would seem at this particular moment, he had been very careless. His voice quavered as he quickly turned the hot water on and filled the cup, only to repeatedly pour it out, his hands shook as he washed it. "Darius will be with you again at the break of evening, Miss Westrick. I assure you." Elliot was NOT acting normal. Of that Gail was quite sure.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Picking up the tea kettle, Gail started to walk over to where Elliot stood at the sink. He was rinsing the tea cup that had been on the counter, over and over. Almost like someone with OCD. "Let me just fill this, okay?"

He started when she spoke, grabbing the kettle and urging her to sit back down. Which she did. It almost seemed the safest thing to do right now.

"Elliot" she began slowly, not wanting to offend him any further. "I'm really not trying to take over your kitchen or your place in Darius' life. I leave for home tomorrow. And though I would hope that he invites me back, I don't want you to ever feel that I am a threat to your position here."

Elliot stood with his back to her, not saying a word. He'd filled the kettle and placed it on the stove, but the water was still running. Somehow she knew he was still rinsing the cup. OCD. It had to be.

Gail sighed and shivered as a shadow of her dream tiptoed through her subconscious. Someone walking on my grave, her mother used to say, and for some reason this seemed to be not so far from the truth. Hurry sundown she prayed, trying very hard to smile as Elliot poured her tea.

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot Richards:

Turning around, Elliot checked the kettle once more as he sat the cup on a towl to dry. He came over to Gail then. "Oh, of course, I know that, you missunderstand. I do appreciate the help, its just that... Well..." Elliot looked past her toward the kettle, desperately hoping that the water would boil so he could go attend to it rather than formulate some sort of reason why he did not want her to see the blood filled mug.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Maybe not for the first time, but at least on a conscious level, Gail began to wonder what she had gotten herself into. The quaintness of Elliot's behavior was beginning to pall and she was seeing it in an almost disturbing light. And there was, of course, Darius.

There was a certain undefined perfection in the way they seemed to fit together -- both intellectually and sexually. If she believed in such a thing, Gail would have said that they had been destined to meet, and be together. But she was too much of a pragmatist for that. Even so...

Gail finished her tea, their silence hanging like a weight between herself and Elliot. Something just wasn't 'right' and she fought to shrug off the feeling of foreboding that was threatening to overcome her. Darius. He had all the answers to the unspoken questions in her mind. She was certain of it. But would he answer them?

Taking the last sip, Gail thanked Elliot and rose to leave the kitchen. Somehow she knew that he had been waiting for her departure from the moment she had intruded in his kitchen.

"I think I'll go upstairs and bathe and then perhaps find something to read in the library to occupy my time until... " The words Your Master caught in her throat, but Gail knew that was exactly what Darius Von Tilla was to Elliot Richards. His Master. She'd puzzle that out later.

"Until Darius returns." And that was another thing -- where did he go every day? "See you later, Elliot. And thanks again for the tea." Gail could feel his eyes boring into her back as she left the kitchen and headed upstairs for the safety of her own room.

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot Richards/Darius:

After Gail had left, Richards let out a releived sigh, seeming to deflate from the tension he'd felt. He saw the hem of his masters black bed robes on the periphery of his vision. Darius did not need to speak a word, his mere presence was warning enough at this hour for Elliot to understand he had nearly fouled everything up with the woman.

Leaving the kitchen, just as silently as he had entered, Darius followed Gail's path upstairs. He shadowed her as she made a bath ready for herself, never noticing his presence as she did. It wasn't until she had removed her cloths, sunk into the steaming warm water, and enjoyed it for a few minutes that he entered, making himself known. "Ah, my dear Gail, I could not think of anything more beautiful to come upon..." He said smoothly as he came to her side, kneeling. He dipped a finger into the water, running it lightly between her breasts.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

The sound of Darius' voice entered Gail's consciousness without startling her -- as if she was dreaming the words he spoke. She smiled and opened her eyes, feeling his fingertip glide over the valley between her breasts.

"I didn't expect you so... early" she murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers in greeting.

A low soft moan escaped Gail's lips as Darius leaned forward to cup her breast. Nestled in the vee between his legs as he perched on the edge of the tub, she turned her face and kissed his exposed inner thigh. It wasn't where she wanted her mouth to be -- nor his -- judging by the feel of something that was trying to raise up from its hidden position beneath his robe.

Unable to resist, Gail turned slightly to view the intruder whose impatience pressed so urgently against the clothes that covered it. She smiled up at her lover and licked her lips as her fingertip traced the length of the magnificent erection humbly and unpretentiously revealed before her.

There was something extra exciting about touching an uncircumsized penis -- kind of like opening a present that was especially for her. Gail's fingers closed around him as she slowly pulled back the cowl that covered its head and her lips drew close to kiss him. Lightly at first. A greeting before her tongue slipped between her lips to taste the glistening tear of joy that filled its eye.

Looking up at the Darius who held her so completely in his thrall, Gail forgot the things that were bothering her just a short while before as she kissed the length of his staff, wanting only to worship that rigid part of him that she somehow knew was for her alone.

His fingers tangled in her hair while her mouth travelled his length, finally opening and sliding downward to engulf this symbol of virile masculinity.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"Ah but Gail, you're a flame that burns so bright that I could feel you from an eternity away... I'm but a moth drawn to you, your heat guides me in." Darius spoke, his words flowing from his tongue like liquid silk. He leaned in to kiss her damp lips briefly.

Before he even cupped Gail's breast, he could sence her heart beat speeding up. The soft giving flesh of it in his palm amased him, though he had felt it before.

The kiss she gave him in return nearly made him shudder, but he kept a tight reign on his inhuman desires. Looking down, beguiled by how he reacted to Gail, Darius was speechless for the first time in hundreds of years. He began to wonder if it was just her blood, her energy that was feeding his carnal reaction to her, or if for the first time ever, in life, even unlife, he had found someone he truly loved.

She drew back the flesh cloaking the head of his cock, her heart fluttering in excitement as she did, surprising Darius mildly that it would. Darius breathed a moan as she closed her soft, wet hand about his cock, the heat eminating from her parted lips was close enough, he could feel it upon his ridged length.

Darius felt his jaw flexing involintarilly as she looked up at him, her hair wetted down and streaming about her face, her eyes showing such desire that Darius could feel it knife through his empty soul. He had the urge to cry out and push her away in fear of what she showed him, but he could not fear it any longer, she had made him feel once before, and he would feel again, no matter what it ment, he would feel again.

Darius tangled his fingers into Gails hair just as her mouth surrounded his cock. He felt the unmistakable thumb of a heart beat then, within his OWN chest, it echoed through him, like a shock wave of electricity, even out along the length of his shaft, felt, obviously by the gentle caress of Gail's tongue.



His fingers tangled in her hair while her mouth travelled his length, finally opening and sliding downward to engulf this symbol of virile masculinity.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Darius' hands traveled down Gail's body to the soft skin under her arms. He pulled her gently upward, knowing that if he left her to continue he would certainly disappoint himself -- and especially her -- by prematurely ending their love-making. At least for the moment.

He locked his lips to hers, taking pleasure in their simple kiss. Their tongues swirled in mock battle even as he struggled to prevent his premature defeat. Darius let his robe fall from his shoulders as he slid down into the softly scented bubbles, taking Gail with him. His face remained nestled between her breasts as she straddled him, lifting herself slightly to guide him toward her entrance.

"Come," she whispered. "Come into the place that is yours alone."

Gail guided him gently, belying her own frantic desire to feel his hardness buried deep within her folds. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she drew him into her steamy depths, lowering herself slowly. Impaling her body on his.

He moaned, feeling her inner walls stretch to accommodate his girth. Resisting the urge to push upward, Darius let her glide down his magnificent length until the sparse thatch of hair that covered her mons was pressed tightly against the tight nest of curls at the base of his cock.

"Ohhh... gods... " she cried out as her muscles tightened around her lover's swollen shaft.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

In her sweet, carnal embrace, Darius felt hundreds of years of loneliness melt away from his heart. It almost hurt to feel, not just her body, but feel the emotions she shared with him. He drew a shaking breath. "Gail..." He whispered, only to gasp in a moan as her drew tight about his length.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

As Darius suckled Gail's nipples which had formed stiff rose-colored peaks against the creamy whiteness of her almost translucent skin, a soft crooning rose from deep within her. She moved against him, her body writhing with desire as, with practiced skill, his fingers sought out her silken folds.

They moved together sinuously, hips gyrating as their passion built. She moaned aloud when his fingers slid over her clitoris, coaxing her aching pearl from its hiding spot. Caressing it. Loving it.

"Darius." Gail whispered his name aloud as if to assure herself that this was not a dream. "Yes," he whispered back as he released her rosy nipple from between his lips and began kissing his way upward until his lips were once again on hers.

Lost in the throes of ecstasy, her fingers travelled over her lover's thighs and around his waist to his back. She pulled them back, running them up his chest and down his arms and back again. Finally down his chest and between them.

She whimpered when his hands slipped out from between her legs and moved to her hips. She could feel his cock throbbing deep within her belly and tightened her hold on it as he gently lifted her.

Darius looked at Gail then. Her eyes were half closed, her lips parted slightly. He wanted to devour her. Possess her very essence. She was close he knew, but he wanted more. Needed more.

"Gail!" he called out. He needed to see the look in her eyes as he took full possession of her. Gail's eyes opened wide in surprise, shock and then delight as Darius pulled her down hard, impaling her on his rampant shaft.

 

[Ravenloft]

Darius:

"You do this to me, Gail, you feed me life, without your touch, I am dead." Darius confessed, his eyes wild with carnal need. "How do you do this to me? I never want you to stop." He groaned as heat and seed flooded into his loins.