Up at the house, Kelik was introduced to the entire team. They sat and talked all throughout the evening. They avoided talking about any classified information they had been privy to when working at Fort Crass for the time being, preferring to blow off steam by discussing lighter subjects. Kelik even spun a few tales about some of the ‘stranger’ things Eliza did as a child, much to that woman’s chagrin. A few hours before sunset, Eliza offered to show Kelik to his room.
[[ Now that we’re alone,]] the older vampire said when they were alone, [[ maybe you’d like to explain why you wanted to talk to me. I know it isn’t about those jewels everyone is looking for. You and that pompous ass Valar were better suited to that sort of assignment than I ever could be. Is this about your . . . how to the humans put it . . . sexual orientation? ]] Eliza blushed and Kelik smiled. [[ Yes, I’ve heard about that. You know that we official types love to gossip, and the story of your kiss on the docks has already spread to most of the Terrans remaining on Earth. I can’t say I’m too surprised. You always followed your own path, and you never showed much interest in being courted. ]]
[[ It’s not just that, ]] Eliza replied. [[ I know what my preference for women will mean for me and my family, assuming we can ever find our way back to Terra. I’m not ashamed of who I am. ]]
[[ Nor should you be. Our people need to open their eyes and scrutinize some of our more antiquated traditions. ]]
[[ But it isn’t about that. ]] Eliza blushed. [[ I met someone. She and I have . . . been together. And something very strange happened when . . . ]]
[[ I’m sure it did, ]] Kelik said with a dirty grin. [[ But unless my memory is failing, isn’t that the good part? ]]
[[ Stop that! ]] Eliza said, blushing furiously. [[ Something strange happened when . . . when I bit her. ]]
Kelik’s face grew serious suddenly. [[ You bit her? Can I assume this wasn’t a ‘feeding’ type of bite? ]]
[[ No sir. It wasn’t. ]] Eliza pointed to a spot on her neck that corresponded with where she had bit Veronica.
[[ Oh dear, ]] Eliza’s mentor said, sitting down in a recliner while he formulated what he wanted to tell her in his mind.
[[ I always heard that it was a bit of a rush, ]] said the embarrassed young woman.
[[ It is, ]] Kelik responded. [[ It causes an adrenaline rush followed by a state of euphoria. I’ve actually talked with some human scientists about possible causes for it, but it hasn’t been widely studied. Vampires have never questioned it. ]] He looked Eliza over carefully. [[ You care about this woman, don’t you? Don’t even bother to answer. I can see it on your face. But if you already knew what to expect, then why . . .]]
[[ Because it wasn’t what I expected, ]] Eliza said nervously. [[ It . . . it was unlike anything I could ever imagine! ]] She went on to tell him about the unexpected side-effects of her and Veronica coupling, including the distortions of perception and time, as well as the sounds and memories the two women had shared. By the time she was done, Kelik’s eyes were as wide open as they could be.
[[ Oh . . . kay! That’s new. ]]
[[ So you’ve never heard of anything like this? ]] Eliza asked.
[[ I’ve heard of something LIKE this, yes, but nothing that extreme. Sometimes, couples that are very close link when they bite one another. ]]
This wasn’t a new concept for Eliza. When two vampires were together for some amount of time and participated in more intimate embraces, they sometimes began to get a particularly well-honed sense of what the other was feeling. [[ But I always thought linking was much more general? ]]
[[ It is. What you are describing seems to be a hyper-developed version of the linking process. ]]
[[ But I hardly knew her when we first coupled. How . . . ]]
Kelik interrupted. [[ Sometimes, the blood knows. ]] Kelik saw a confused look on his young friend’s face. [[ Humans and vampires, while similar, are different species. Humans are very analytical in a lot of ways. For them, the blood is simply the building block of life; a blueprint for their beings. Vampires are magical creatures. And like humans, our blood contains the essence of who we are. If you drank of this woman and her blood mixed with yours, it is possible that it ‘recognized’ it somehow, identifying it as belonging to a kindred spirit. This isn’t necessarily the same as love, mind you. It simply means that your blood realized that her blood belonged to someone with a soul that is compatible with your own. Love still has to be worked at, but the potential for love is much greater for two people with a strong link. ]]
[[ I . . . I do love her, ]] Eliza admitted. [[ And I believe she loves me. That’s why it is so hard for me when she’s away. And now I’m having these dreams . . . these dreams that are always about her. And the dreams are so real. ]]
[[ I wish I could be of more help. Strong links are rare. Links between members of the same gender are almost unheard of, and linking between different species is completely unprecedented. Eliza, ]] he said with a grin, [[ you finally got to do something no one else has done. Congratulations! ]]
Eliza put her head in her hands. [[ But how . . . I mean, the magic is gone from this world again. ]]
[[ Remember, we have some magic in our blood. Not enough to cast spells mind you, but linking doesn’t count as a spell. It’s a natural reaction, albeit rare, in our people. ]] He sighed. [[ Maybe we could continue this in the evening? I’m very tired and it’s almost time for the sun to rise. And I’d like to discuss some other ‘recent happenings’ if you don’t mind. As fascinating as your love life is . . .]]
[[ Oh hush, ]] she said, feeling like a child again around this sage of a man. [[ Would you like something else to drink? ]]
[[ I don’t think so, but thank you. ]]
Eliza stood up and left the guest bedroom, closing the door behind her. She dropped by Wyrm’s station and told him to activate all the alarms and defenses the compound possessed. She didn’t expect any problems since no one knew that Kelik was there, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Then she went back to her own room, locked the door and crawled into her own bed. If she was hoping for undisturbed rest, then she was out of luck. As soon as her head hit her pillow and her eyes closed, the dreaming began again.
———————- ——————–
In her dream, she found herself at the base of a set of stairs. But they weren’t the stairs of a building. She was outside somewhere, in what appeared to be ruins of some variety. They looked like something out of a fantasy movie. The stairs were made of white marble, and they led up through a hanging garden of lush green foliage to a white stone platform. Eliza looked at herself. She was wearing a black leather corset with a long trail of black satin fabric emanating from the area at the small of her back, but that was all. Her busts were available for all the world to see. There was warm breeze blowing which felt so real. And although the sun was out, it didn’t bother her eyes like she knew it should. It felt so warm on her pale skin.
She found herself walking up the stairs. When she reached the platform, she saw that it was surrounded by marble columns that were engulfed in grape-bearing vines. And in the center of the platform was a waist-high altar made of some smooth, black stone. Lying on the altar was Veronica. The blonde beauty was lying on her back with her arms and legs outstretched, and each of her limbs was chained to one corner of the slab. She was wearing a white blindfold and gauzy white robe that was tied with a single thread at her ample breasts. She, quite obviously, was wearing nothing underneath.
Eliza approached the altar, staring in awe at the human woman’s beauty. Her soft blonde hair cascaded in a fan shape on the stone beneath her, and her slightly parted lips were painted ruby-red. Eliza placed one fingernail on the woman’s skin and slowly traced it up the leg, abdomen and then one breast of this lovely creature. And her touch seemed to light a fire under Veronica’s skin, and the human woman gasped with each new body part Eliza’s hand touched. She didn’t see who was touching her, but she knew just the same. She knew that touch quite well. She strained against the chains that bound her, but they held fast.
Eliza’s hands reached out and untied Veronica’s robe and pushed it aside, revealing a heaving bosom. She slid onto the table and lay next to her captive lover. She cupped one glorious mound with her hand, then dipped her head so she could suckle at the nipple. In her dream, Eliza heard Veronica moan. It was a sweet sound, as if the woman’s pleasure had fermented and turned into a fine wine, and that pleasure came trickling out of Veronica’s mouth. Eliza sucked on one breast, then the other. She found herself straddling her lover, allowing her to move between those heavy globes more rapidly. Then she sat up and looked down at her lover.
‘No,’ Eliza’s dream-self thought. ‘She’s more than my lover. She has made herself an offering to me . . to my hunger . . . to my lust.’ She grabbed Veronica’s erect nipples and pulled on them, and Veronica’s mouth spread in an exquisite smile. ‘So you like that?’ Eliza thought again, tugging on the nipples again. ‘Yes, you most certainly do.’ Eliza continued to torment Veronica’s chest with one hand. The other hand found itself embedded between her lover’s thighs. Veronica seemed especially wet, and the vampire’s fingers slid in the human’s warm sex with relative ease. She had three fingers in the box, all of which curled forward and started to slide in and out. Veronica strained to capture more of those fingers inside her, but Eliza’s body and those chains held her still. She would only be able to take what Eliza decided to give her. The vampire was in complete control. For Eliza, this was paradise. She was bringing pleasure to someone who wouldn’t leave her, even in her dreams. And shortly after her thumb started rubbing against Veronica’s clit, the human woman began to cum.