Captive of the Crimson Countess, Chapter 18: Trying To Resist

Midday came, and the countess remained awake. Tristan sat at his desk with his ledger. The countess stood and walked to the window. The black out curtains lay closed against the sunlight. Candles flickered in the darkened room. The countess slid a hand between the curtains and flinched as the daylight hit her hand. 

Tristan watched her in silence. Not writing. Around his ledger sat an army of heavy candles. Tristan held his quill, but did not write. Instead, he watched the countess. 

“She has resisted me four times now. That is impressive and infuriating. I want that tasty morsel in my bed. I should not have made a game of this.”

She continued pacing. Several times she reached for an object on a stand or a shelf. And each time, Tristan flinched. Instead she continued pacing, her hands clenched. A little blood trickled from her palms. 

“Tristan? What have you learned?”

Tristan nodded, and adjusted his glasses. “The caravan master who survived the attack had information. She informed me that Lady Wander has been tracking the Slavers all the way back from Ys.”

The countess waved at Tristan without looking at him. “She has said as much to me. She is a tenacious little thing. Any sign what put her on our scent?”

“No answer on that front, but I suspect that it was the particular class of captive that we buy which led her to us.”

The countess traced a fingernail across a marble bust of herself. Tristan tensed. The countess spoke. “That matches what my little spy has said. Our little hunter is interested in how the slavers ensnare the girls.” 

The countess moved away from the stone bust and Tristan relaxed. “Is she looking for a particular girl then?”

“That would make sense.” The countess paused in her pacing. “It may be something else, I don’t know yet. But that would make sense. I wonder which one? And have I already drained her dry? I hope not. That would make for a wonderful game. Reuniting them, and then tearing them apart once more. Are any of the other girls Yssian?”

“Quite a few are. Nearly half in fact.” Tristan said.

“What about the disobedient one? She has Akhetian blood like our little hunter. Could there be a connection?”

“She hasn’t spoken since the first day,” Tristan said. “She said a little in Agarthan the first day. But her accent was Reynesian.”

The countess paced. Her dress hissed across the floor. She picked up a metal bookend in the shape of a horned viper. Tristan ducked. But the countess didn’t turn around. 

The countess passed the bookend from hand to had. “Yes. I remember. But the accent is fake. I know what a Reynesian accent sounds like. And hers is false. But that tells us nothing. We will need more information then, to narrow things down. What else have you learned?”

Tristan inched back up to a sitting position. “I am waiting on information back from the villages. I hope to have the names of those who gave Lady Wander shelter or information about us. But that is still to come. The Caravan Master did provide the route they took. I suspect that this is the same route that Lady Wander travelled in her pursuit of them. This will let me adjust routes to prevent further surprises.”

“Good. I wish to avoid further attention from House Wander. As much as a fight with Lady Battle Ax would be thrilling, I wish to preserve my immortal life. And that requires a pragmatic approach to risk.”

“Do you have any further orders for me?” Tristan asked. 

“So many mysteries yet to unravel. Most of these girls are open books to me. Only two remain closed. Both hunters.”

“Hunters are trained to resist immortals.” Tristan said. 

“Yes, they are. But I must have made a mistake somewhere. I thought I had hidden myself well. But now, two hunters in a single year. They may be related. They may not be. But either way. Somebody has noticed me, or my network. Or several somebodies.”

“We have been casting further afield for our girls to avoid depleting areas near your own borders.”

“And in doing so we have attracted the attention of House Wander. We may have attracted even more attention. In trying to stay hidden we have exposed ourselves.”

Tristan nodded, but didn’t respond. 

“I tire of this.” The countess said. “Bring me Nadia and another girl. Not here. My chambers.”

“Do you have a preference for the second girl?”

“Dana. The one from Cockayne. With the nose ring. She’s been developing a spine lately. Best to cut that off before it blooms into something dangerous.”  

= = =

Tristan opened the ornate door leading into the countess’s bedchambers. Captain Van Sloan pushed Dana into the room, but allowed Nadia to walk in on her own.

Dana stared at the opulent finery of the room as though it were going to bite her. Nadia pitied the girl. Nadia’s own presence did not bode well for Dana’s chances. 

Nadia put a hand on Dana’s shoulder. Dana whirled to look at Nadia, her eyes wide.

“Dana. You need to be alluring. Focus on your breathing. If you’re going to walk out of this room tonight, you need the countess interested and intrigued. You have to seduce her. You can’t let her panic you, or she’ll drain you dry and cast you aside.”

“I’m going to die tonight,” Dana whispered.

“You aren’t dead yet. Don’t give up. She likes girls. You can distract her from her hunger.”

“I have a husband.” Dana said, a tear trickling down her cheek. “He must believe I’m dead. And now I will be.”

“My little Nadia is so generous with the other girls. So kind.” The countess’s voice rose from behind the burgundy curtain of the massive canopy bed at the end of the room.

“Your Excellency,” Nadia said, and curtsied.

Dana shuddered but managed to curtsy as well. 

“Do you fear I am going to devour little Dana?” 

“I only wish for all us girls to properly serve and please you.” Nadia answered, trying to keep her own fear from showing in her voice.

The countess emerged from behind the curtains. She wore a black shear housecoat lined with fur. The countess wore black lingerie, visible beneath the housecoat, and nothing else. Dana caught her breath. And Nadia realized belatedly that Dana had not been to the countess’s bedchambers yet. She had not felt the countess’s aura as the vampire seduced her prey. Dana’s cheeks grew red and her pupils dilated. Nadia cursed to herself. Dana wouldn’t be able to act alluring if her mind was crushed by the countess’s aura. 

“Dana dear. Strip for me.” The words sounded like a suggestion. But Nadia could feel the force of the command even though the countess had not directed it at her. 

Dana began to remove her clothing. Her face had acquired a serene blank look. Nadia began to help Dana with her clothes, lest some delay anger the countess. Dana stood, finally bare, before the countess. The countess crooked a finger to call Dana forward. The girl walked forward with halting steps. Nadia could see tears streaming from Dana’s eyes. The girl was not fully dominated then. She was aware of the events unfolding and trying to resist. Trying and failing. 

“Dana. Dana. Dana. You look so scared. Don’t you worry. You are about to experience pleasure beyond anything you’ve ever imagined. Nothing will ever compare to the gift I am about to give you. Do you understand?”

Dana shivered and then nodded. Her voice wavered. “Thank you, Your Excellency.”

The countess untied the belt and let her robe slip open. She snaked up to Dana. The countess circled the girl, drawing a lacquered nail across Dana’s naked skin as she went. Dana shuddered, and a gasp of pleasure escaped her lips. Nadia shook her head. The girl could hold nothing back. No mysteries for the countess to unravel. No reason for the countess to keep her alive. 

The countess drew an open hand across the underside of Dana’s breasts. Nadia could see the girl’s breath quicken. Nadia knew the intensity of the things Dana was feeling right now. Even as Dana’s mind likely panicked, her body was responding. Nadia felt her own body responding to the events unfolding before her. She felt as if her body were betraying her, but she couldn’t help what she was feeling. Nadia clenched her teeth in an attempt to control her breathing, to limited success. 

The countess ran her index finger down Dana’s breastbone and over her belly button. Dana moaned as the countess continued to trace her hand down between Dana’s legs. Dana stumbled as a shudder wracked her body. And Nadia stumbled beside her at the intensity of Dana’s response.

Then the countess took Dana’s chin in hand and pushed the girl against the wall. The countess kissed her and Nadia saw Dana flinch as the countess bit her lip. And then Nadia watched as Dana went rigid with pleasure and moaned once more. Nadia clenched her hands into fists so tight that she felt blood on her palms. She was losing herself by watching, and she didn’t want to lose herself. An image of Blair’s face flashed in her mind. Blair hadn’t given up. Nadia would follow Blair’s example and find her resolve again. 

And then the countess moved to kiss Dana’s neck, and Nadia knew Dana was doomed. Dana, for her part, lay lost in the countess’s spell. Her eyes had rolled back in her head. The countess bared her fangs and sank them into Dana’s neck. For a second Dana screamed in pain and terror. But then the sound shifted to a cry of ecstasy. Dana’s body shuddered and she clung to the countess. The vampire continued to feast on the blood pouring from Dana’s throat. Dana began to fade. Her movement grew weak and her body began to slump. Finally the countess dumped the limp corpse on the floor and turned to Nadia. 

“You haven’t even undressed for me yet. What is this?”

“Would Your Excellency like to see me disrobed?” Nadia asked, trying to keep some control over the situation.

The countess raised an eyebrow. “Where has this backbone come from? I could have sworn I broke you too thoroughly for this.”

“I hope it is a good surprise, Your Excellency.” Nadia said. “I am happy to disrobe for you. If you wish it.”

“You are trying to resist again!” The countess clapped her hands. “Our little hunter has inspired you to fight once more! I must thank her for this gift.”

The countess moved to loom over Nadia like a viper. She smiled a ruby smile at Nadia. And Nadia felt the full force of the vampire’s aura. She shuddered, pleasure and desire rolled across her like waves in a harbor. Nadia crumpled to the ground from the sensation. 

“What does my little princess want now? Do you still wish to resist?”

“No.” Nadia shuddered the word out. She tried to focus, but found she couldn’t, the desire was giving her tunnel vision. 

“Then what does my little princess want?”

“Take me.” Nadia heard herself say. The part of her mind that was still her own cursed from inside the cage where it lay trapped. And Nadia watched herself as, without being commanded, she began to disrobe for the countess.