Love As The Darker Binding Ch. 09

"You cannot sleep?" he whispered.

"Don't want to," she smiled a little, "Do you want anything to drink or anything like that?"

He shook his head, "Thank you but no," he whispered, "But I do wish to use the facilities. The bathroom is over there, I think?"

She nodded and held out her hand, "Come on, hold my hand so I don't fall or make too much noise and I'll show you."

She led him to the bathroom, but he was a little surprised when she didn't leave.

"I don't know what things are like where you live normally," she whispered, "Do they have these there?"

He nodded, "It is much the same on the big ship, though it is different in the abbey. There, things are the same as they have always been. Why are you standing here?"

Bonny smiled, "Dusty has some trouble doing this in here, since he's on four feet all the time and there's no room for him in here. Imogen always holds it for him when he goes."

She leaned down to lift the seat for him and she almost fell forward, though she did catch herself with one hand on the counter. Then she stepped back and around him, looking up.

"Can I, ... hold it for you, Sebastian? I'm trying to, ... I don't know what I'm trying to do or say here, but -"

He nodded, "I think that I would like that. No one has held -"

Bonny's eyebrows went up, "You're joking."

He shook his head, "I can have female demons if I wish. But I do not have the wish. Most of them want nothing longer than once or twice and they only know one way, most of them.

You did not allow me to finish, though I do not mind. I have spent a few days guarding the faun who was here with Abi.

He does not fear me. Well, he did at first."

He chuckled quietly, "He was even more afraid of me than he is of my demon friend. When I took him to a room where he could sleep at the abbey, I had a demon bring us some food and drink because we would be there for a day as least. When she left, he saw me bolt the door and when I turned around, he was pissing in his fear of me."

"What did you do?" Bonny asked.

"Please," Sebastian said, "I need to make water here, if you do not mind.

If you wish to hold it for me, then I wish for it sooner rather than very much later."

Bonny reached and told him to go ahead. It was different for her, standing next to him and it gave her an opportunity to look at him. She found that the way that she was like this gave her a little more height which she found curious until she thought of her legs. It didn't really feel like it, but she supposed that like this, she was standing on her toes in a way.

She looked at Sebastian and found that her eyes were at about the height as his chin. She looked down again after that, wanting to make sure that what he did went where it was supposed to. She wiped it carefully for him afterward and washed her hands quickly.

"Go on with what you were saying, Sebastian," she said softly because of the echoing sound from the tiles in there, "I like to listen to about anything you say."

"I was annoyed," he said, "I know that I am not pretty in some ways, but no one had harmed him in any way. It was just fear in his mind. I tossed him a cleaning rag and told him to clean up the floor. After that, I took the rag and threw it down the privy shaft in the room.

I took him to another chamber where I'd asked for a bath to be made ready. I think his fear annoyed me because I was trying to put him at ease but he seemed to be trapped in it. I told him to bathe since he smelled slightly. When he made no sign of doing as I asked, I picked him up and stepped in myself.

Then I saw my error, so I changed to look as I do now. I held him there and bathed him, telling him the whole while that he was safe there with me. Finally, and after a lot of quiet talk from me, he came to understand."

Sebastian sighed, "And not long after that, I found that he'd gone too far in another way and now LIKED me! THAT was when I learned that he had a voice after all. I learned a few things about male fauns from it as well. That one would like to find someone female to love, but when he is faced with someone whose body appeals to him, he will seek to take what pleasure that he can. That is what I meant to say earlier. He had held it.

I learned things myself at his hands. I would not want what I had for a love that night, but I enjoyed what we did very much. I can fuck hard and fast like anyone, I would guess, especially when I am not like I am now. But sometimes, ... well, I miss soft things, slow things the most."

Bonny wasn't shocked at all, though she felt that she knew the way that the faun had felt to be faced with the more demonic shape at first. "I thought that you were a demon at first. Dusty's a lot like you in that way, I guess. We love each other, but he is Imogen's first, so I'm always careful to let her know that I know that.

Hey, when you're done here, can I ask you a favor? Would you let me see you that other way, like what I thought was a demon?"

He nodded and as they walked out, he stepped a little ahead of her and she was looking at a horned thing with gray skin, long claws, wings and teeth.

Bonny smiled and nodded, "I like you like that too, Sebastian." She reached and took his hand with hers and they walked back to the window. She laid out a blanket and sat down on it looking up at him.

"Come on down here and sit with me, and I won't mind if you call me Bonita. I know it's another name and I know what it means."

He sat down, a young man again and she leaned against him, "I think I know what Abi wants, besides watching over us. You feel like somebody I've wanted to know all of my life and I feel a lot better now."

He put his arm around her and they talked quietly for a while until Bonny began to nod off.

Sebastian looked around and he pulled a cushion from a large chair and helped her to lie down before he pulled some of the blanket over her. Bonny opened her eyes a little.

"I know you're some kind of wicked killer if you need to be, but I know that you're not here to hurt me. You can hug me if you want to pretend that you've got Bonita back, I won't mind."

He actually surprised her a little by doing it and she sighed against him as she settled in. "I think that I'm hoping that one day you might not see me as somebody else though."

"I already do, Bonny," he whispered as he put his arm over her to pull her against him. "You do not look like Bonita so much anymore. I see many differences and, ... "

He kissed her ear very carefully, having to negotiate the space inside the curl of her horn.

"And I find that I like that very much. I have had many centuries of missing the one that I lost. It is enough now. You are not Bonita. I know this. In many ways, you are even more lovely."

"Do you like my little tail?" she smiled and she felt him nod.

"I do too," she whispered, "though I hope I can figure out how to make this go away in the morning."

"My demon friend does not lie in my experience," Sebastian whispered, "Though there are times, I think when he does not say everything. I believe that he said the truth that you will be able to change again as you wish, but I think that he tried to keep some things simple for you.

I do not have four shapes in a way which limits me. He only spoke of the ones which I use most often and feel comfortable in. Perhaps I can look as a faun for you tomorrow sometime, if you think that you might wish to see me like that."

She turned her head and reached back before he drew his own away and after a look into his eyes, she kissed him once softly. "You say the sweetest things to me, Sebastian. Good night."

She felt him move against her then, but after the first moment, she knew that he wasn't really moving. He was shifting. She didn't feel bare male thighs against her anymore. She felt fur against hers.

When she tried to look, she felt her horns clash quietly against his. He gave her a bit of room and when she looked, he was a faun too.

Bonny rolled all the way over to face him and she found the softest warm smile in his face and her hand felt a few things which made her smile back even more.

She moved closer to him and raised her leg over him. "If you like it soft and slow, then right now, I'm the girl for you, Sebastian."

She slid her arm over his neck and she held him as he slipped inside of her.

---------

Out in the middle of nowhere, Colorado

Abi walked silently through the Colorado night. He was here to get the lay of the land for something which he was fairly certain would happen somewhere nearby in about the next year. He walked through the temporary village of tents belonging to the many role players who came here to play out their medieval fantasies.

Fairly often it seemed, he heard the sounds of humans mating in the tents which he passed by. He thought about it for a moment and decided that the role playing didn't necessarily stop when they went to bed.

He was past all of that in another minute and he walked on, as silent as death, thinking about the ones which he knew were coming months from now. None of those ones knew it, but each one of their souls had a bounty on it from long ago. The amounts varied between them, but they were all wanted. He'd missed them by seconds as they'd been scooped up in an anomaly.

As far as he'd been able to determine, that anomaly would happen again a little over a year from now. He didn't intend to let them get away again.

He stopped for a moment and looked to his left. By what he felt, there was a cave there which normally had some roots and branches from the rocky slope above hanging over the opening. It was pitch dark here. So why did he see a faint glow of light from it?

He stepped over and looked inside, curious now.

There were candles; many, many candles set all over the interior and in a moment, he knew that this had once been a place where humans had lived, a few members of an aboriginal tribe. The ones here had been medicine men and women. But that was long ago, and the way that the place felt to him, only a very few small animals had lived here since then, most being warded off by the lingering magic which still permeated the inside of the cave.

He saw the crude stone altar. He'd been prepared to see that. What he hadn't been prepared for was the many symbols pertaining to someone's trite and rather stupid attempts at summoning. He knew then what had caused him to even look over in the first place. The pull here had been miniscule, so tiny that he hadn't even known it for what it was.

There was a human female here, at just over thirty years of age. She was naked and she knelt before more symbols placed near the wall at the back. She was reading - and badly - from a book, working on her invocation when really, she should have been working on her pronunciation instead.

He crept inside to stand behind her listening.

Eventually, she felt his presence and turned. She was startled and frightened almost out of her wits in the next second. Her mouth opened for her involuntary scream, but nothing came out. She looked even more upset and got to her feet, a little hunched over in her terror and backed away.

"You're going to singe your ass if you keep going," he said.

"There are a lot of campers within a few hundred yards of here. You can't scream because I don't see the value of you waking them all up over stupid shit like this. If you think you can calm down some, I'll allow you to speak."

He looked around at the soot covered ceiling, listening for her breathing to slow down. "Go ahead, I've got time. Try to get a grip on yourself and we'll talk."

When he heard what he listened for several minutes later, he nodded, "Now, please tell me what the fuck you were trying to do here?"

Her words came out of her hesitantly as she stared at him. To her eyes, he was a large and good-looking man, but he'd been able to shut her voice off. She hadn't been able to vocalize any sounds at all; nothing came from her larynx when she'd tried.

"W-Who are you?"

He smiled as the intent of all of it came to him from her. "You just GOT to be kidding. I'll tell you who I am and a whole lot more if you tell me the same things, but I want to start with you. Who are you?"

"We-Wendy," she said, but he shook his head.

"Nope. That's not it. You want to try again without lying this time? I won't tell you a thing unless you're honest with me."

"My name's Sarah Polaski," she said.

Abi smiled, "That's better. Now why did you do all of this? I have a feeling that you're a little misguided here, judging by the stuff I see."

"I want, ... " She hesitated then, feeling foolish.

"Go on, Sarah," he smiled, "Why all of this? I think you're a little old to be decorating the playhouse."

Sarah gave up and just said it, "I want to be a vampire. I've been trying to call one, but, ... "she looked at him for a moment, "You're not a vampire, are you?"

He shook his head, "No. But tell me why you'd want that - and please don't tell me that you'd like to sparkle."

She shook her head, "No. I've just always loved them, that's all. I want to live a long time and be strong like they are."

An expression crossed his face which resembled pity for a moment, but then it was gone and the mildly interested expression was back.

"You haven't always loved them," he said, "You've never seen a vampire in your life. You're in love with the idea of being a vampire."

He looked at his nails for a moment. "They're overrated. You've just been sucked in by movie and television producers. They've never seen a vampire either."

He moved his arm in a sweeping motion and a glittering portal appeared in the air beside him. Three images appeared in it, two women and a man. Sarah gasped and stared.

"Behold the damned," Abi smiled, "Neither you or they know the meaning of the word. In the first place, they're dead, Sarah. Oh they're quite animated, but they're dead all the same. I don't give a shit what you think you might know, but I can tell you, if you snuggled up against one in the middle of the night, the first thing you'd feel is room temperature, at best. They're not warm like you are. Some of them can mange the illusion of giving off some warmth, but all they're really doing is reflecting yours back to you.

You don't really want a cold dick inside you, do you? The only thing you've gotten right is that if they turn you - and believe me, they think hard about it before they do it - you won't feel the cold when you're being fucked, because then, you're at the same temperature that they are. And why?

Because you'd be dead.

To become a vampire is to die. After that, you're just a spectator. They don't run big companies like in the movies. They kill somebody to go on lurking. If they need money for anything, they pull it out of the corpse's pockets. They don't go to highschool and look cool. They just hide in the shadows and look for their next victim. They don't drink cow's blood either.

A lot more important is the little detail of their souls. Whenever one is made, it's like hocking your soul. You get a long life unless somebody takes it away from you, but it happens sooner or later, and then you go straight to one of the many hells which exist for the purpose.

You can be a kindly vampire who always helps little old ladies across the street. You're going to a hell anyway. You'll never suck anybody's blood again, but the thirst remains with you."

He pointed to the images, "And what you see is an illusion. Let me show you what's underneath."

Sarah recoiled slightly, staring at the stooped shapes which looked positively creepy to her.

"They're demons!" she gasped.

"Uh-uh," Abi smiled, "if they were demons, you might have been more successful in what you were doing here. Vampires aren't demons. Most vampires tend to fear demons because the ones who come to claim their pawned souls ARE a kind of demon."

The images faded away and Sarah looked at Abi.

"What you've been doing here is summoning - or trying to - and vampires don't feel that. Demons feel that, though luckily for you, the way that you've gone about it has been wrong in many ways."

He stepped over and sat on the large stone altar, leaning back on his hands, "Those symbols are wrong. The ones who sold them to you, they don't know any more about summoning demons than you do. And if they told you that doing this would call vampires to you, they just lied to get your money. That book that you were reading from is a very flawed copy of a copy and on and on of a work written by an deranged idiot.

I think you've missed something important in this, no matter what your reasons.

If you were somewhere, minding your own business, whatever it was, and then you get pulled away against your will and forced to appear somewhere else; would you be happy to see whoever it was?

I doubt it.

You'd be pissed off, just like the way that summoned demons are pissed off when they've been summoned against their will. For some reason, it usually happens to teenaged boys who think it might be fun to call a demon to them.

If they're really unlucky, one appears. After that, they make sure they're standing in a circle or a pentangle or both while they piss themselves in fear. But if the one they called is powerful enough, and remember, the invocations are often specific by name, so it's not some little fucker who gets called while he or she might have been in the middle of having a crap, ...

Well those are the ones that make the paper and everybody wonders how those boys came to be smeared all over the walls.

As far as technique and procedure, it might have worked better for you if you'd read it over beforehand and tried to work out the pronunciation better. What I heard sounded like somebody off the short bus with a mouthful of marbles."

"How should I have said it then?" Sarah asked.

"Why bother?" Abi replied, "You were trying to call a vampire using a summoning for demons. Do you want a demon to appear?"

He chuckled, "I'm already here. I came because I was nearby and I just had to hear it so that I could try to figure it out."

"You're not a demon," she said, "You don't look like -"

Her mouth wouldn't work again and she stared at him, now that his clothes were gone. His legs were crossed and he swung them forward and back, his hooves knocking against the stone quietly.

"Come here human," he said quietly. "I think you've got a lot of incorrect ideas about what we are too. Come here and you won't feel so cold, for one thing. It's not a good idea to hang around inside dank caves without any clothes on. At least, for your kind, it's not."

Sarah felt the pull. She couldn't help herself and she began to walk to him a little woodenly because she was fighting it.

Abi shook his head, "I'm not going to hurt you. Just come here."

He sat up and uncrossed his legs. Sarah tried not to look at what was there.

"You can look, it's ok, I don't mind," he smiled, "You might as well, because even if I TOLD you not to look, you would anyway. Humans are just like that."

Sarah strained to keep her eyes on his face.

She looked anyway, and Abi laughed, "See? And you didn't even catch on fire or nuthin'!"

When she got to him, Abi put his arms around her and Sarah felt such comforting warmth.

"Listen," he said, "You don't need a vampire OR a demon, Sarah. What you need is a man, somebody to hold you late at night. Somebody to live the rest of your life with.

Forgive me, but things not going so well in the love department?"

She shook her head and found her voice, "I can't seem to find anybody I can fit with, I've had relationships, but they never last. Most of the time, I'm alone."

He moved his legs farther apart and in a moment, Sarah took the last half-step nearer. She felt his large member against her and it felt good to her to stand against him like that.