Nature or Nurture Ch. 57-59

They wrestle for almost half an hour, full strength, no holds barred. They are a true match in strength and speed, though Vincent is larger it makes no difference at all, she can hold him down easily unless he truly exerts himself. This is so good, just horsing around, kissing, getting some article of clothing from the other and throwing it in a corner.

Vincent is not wearing a fancy shirt because it is not a work-day, so Mina doesn't even feel guilty to not put it away neatly.

Now they pause their wrestling ever more often to kiss, or stroke each other, Vincent tickles and sucks Mina's breasts, Mina plays with Vincent's chest hairs and counts and traces all his numerous scars, causing him to shudder. But they're not through with the roughhousing, and soon they are rolling across the bed once more, until they fall off with a huge bump and a laugh.

Vincent is back on his feet first, and he helps Mina up, then takes her in another embrace. There is something about his eyes that looks different, they're on fire, he is starting to get really aroused. Good, for Mina can hardly control her lust for his blood, it's getting ever stronger, she wants to lick him, and nibble his sweet white skin, then strike and feel his stinging blood fill her mouth, sucking his vein, feeling him tense in ardour as he is hit by the force of her sucking.

He is kissing her again, but it seems a bit difficult, though he does not complain. Her fangs, her heated thoughts have caused her to extend them, and they are hindering their kissing. But Vincent doesn't seem to mind, he simply avoids the sharp tips and gets on with it greedily. Only Vincent can make her forget those teeth, even with Victor she is always aware of them, always aware of the danger they represent.

When Mina cannot control herself any longer, she lets herself fall back on the bed, pulling Vincent along with her. He lands on top of her with his full weight, that seems to shock him, but she can handle it, loves it actually, to flaunt her strength, to use all of it. She has him on his back with herself straddling him in seconds, and now the air thickens with tension.

This is it.

Sitting on Vincent's solid stomach, Mina strokes his broad chest, riddled with countless scars, he is shuddering again under her tender touch, he is such a sensitive man despite his strength and potential for violence. She lays her head on his chest for a moment, arching her back, then straightening it by sliding her lower half down until she is touching his erection with it.

Sitting up again, she nuzzles his neck, relishing his scent, and she licks his skin, he tastes good even before she bites.

He is moaning now, he wants her to do it, anticipation makes him mad with lust, those yellow eyes, they grip her, and Mina cannot control herself any longer, she sits up, then down again, guiding him inside her, and at nearly the same time, she bites him full in the most tender spot of his throat.

Latched on firmly, she can feel him explode under her, and she gets the wildest and most ecstatic ride of her life. And after.

As Mina sucks his vein greedily, his blood burning in her mouth, he is thrusting like mad below her, her weight is nothing to him, if he wasn't holding her hips firmly she would be launched across the room. Every thrust gives her a flash of heat, and the burning sensation in her mouth is spreading to her body as his blood goes straight to her veins, reaching farther with every gulp.

The headiness of Vincent's blood and his frantic pumping build on her general excitement quickly, and she can feel an explosive high approaching and bursting forth in a cry that sounds almost as if she is in pain.

It seems as if Vincent is totally out of it, he groans with every thrust, his body is making a superhuman effort, every semblance of control gone. But immediately after her high he disproves that by lifting her off him, breaking both connections, Mina hears herself cry out in disappointment, only to find her lover between her legs, spreading her labia and digging in greedily in what lies beneath that. The taste of his blood is still in her mouth, and its heady effect is making her head spin, together with his expert tongue. She feels herself shudder in ecstasy, and before she realizes it another release follows.

Now he's on top of her, quicker than she could follow, and as he enters her with force, riding that high down and up again, he speaks for the first time since they left the kitchen, and his voice is decidedly husky.

'Bite me again, vampire girl, give me more bliss!'

And he offers her his throat, not slowing down, face set in ecstasy, yellow gaze on her with hunger. Mina reaches for him, clings to his neck with both arms to keep herself from falling back to the bed, and strikes again.

As she starts to suck again she can feel him spasm with sudden ardour, but his thrusting doesn't change, every touch inside her sends a flash through her body. Her arched body clings to Vincent with arms and legs, as his speed increases and she is totally overcome by lust. This cannot last, so much feeling, so much ardour, it is coming in waves now, like the tingling of his blood, she cries out, again and again, until a high crashes over her and she has to release her bite under the force of it.

She falls back to the bed, and is just in time to see Vincent, four ribbons of red running down his stark white skin, arch in release and fall back on the bed, right on top of her.

He doesn't catch himself on his arms, no need, Mina can handle his full weight, and she takes his heaving chest in her arms, and licks the red trails from his sweating skin, right up to the four puncture marks in his throat.

The high of Vincent's potent blood now grips her, and in the throes of it she flips him on his back once more, and lies down beside him, nuzzling and kissing him, licking his skin, those puncture wounds again, but the rest too, the scars, his nipples. Vincent merely strokes her hair and lets her caress every part of him she wants, his long black hair, his beardless cheeks, until she finds a little peace and lets him hold her quietly for some time.

But not for long, soon she is all over him again, her heat rising again, and she manages to find some ardour in Vincent as well. They make love once more that night, but not roughly. This time they keep it small, and tender, and when they are done the night has progressed so far that Mina stays with Vincent in her bed, sated and happy, both a lot more at peace with the world than they were before.

Victor and Adison wake at dawn, a bit surprised to discover someone other than their own beloved in their arms. But they soon remember the night before, and they cuddle a bit more before they get up to take a nice hot shower.

As always, Catherine wakes up at the slightest sound, and she is pleasantly surprised to find Victor in bed with her mother.

'You're making me a little brother or sister, that is so nice of you, Victor! Does that mean that dad's with Mina?'

She doesn't look shocked at all, she looks pleased most of all. Of course at two, she doesn't have all those morals yet, she merely sees the love they all have for one another.

'Can I sit with you for a moment?' she asks, and Victor holds out his arms for her. After Catherine has had her share of the cuddles they shower and dress for their patients, and in the kitchen they meet a very cheerful Vincent, who is enjoying a copious breakfast and says between bites, 'Morning, guys, there's coffee and tea for you. I was planning to sleep in, but my stomach woke me, and now it's forcing me to stuff myself.'

He is wearing a loose shirt, and the white skin of his neck clearly shows two bite marks, four neat round holes, two in a very common place low in his neck, but two very high on his throat, a very sensitive spot right over his windpipe. It is a clear sign of his trust in Mina that he let her bite him there, such a vulnerable place. Very visible, too, that bite mark will not be hidden by his collar, but that clearly doesn't bother Vincent, he feels just fine.

'Can you spare me a moment for a hug?' Adison asks, and he makes room for her on his lap. They hug and kiss, but not too intimately, for apparently Vincent's stomach is still complaining and he needs to eat even more. Mina must have taken quite a lot of his blood, but with two bites that is almost unavoidable.

Victor has no time to feel jealous at the sight of those marks, for Catherine has asked him to help her with her breakfast, she's so tiny she cannot reach any of the foodstuffs. When that is done he sits opposite Vincent with a cup of coffee and asks, curiously, 'So, what happened? You look much better, it must have been the right thing to do.'

'It was, Victor,' Vincent replies, 'for both of us. First we wrestled, unleashing all our strength, and it was so good. With anyone else, we would have broken bones at least, but now we merely had a good time, though very rough.

Then Mina fed on me 'as it should be done', making love in the spirit of the moment, that is, with force. We both lost a lot of pent-up energy and frustration doing that. When my blood hit her and she got all affectionate on me we cuddled some, until it turned towards loving once more. Eventually we did manage to go to sleep, we were both drained. Myself, probably quite literally, she did not hold back, and in the heat of the moment I urged her to bite me a second time. Thank you so much Victor, for recognizing our need. This was something we had to do, go all out on someone who can handle the consequences. I feel very mellow.'

And hungry, for as soon as he stops talking he is eating again.

Victor nods and doesn't look jealous at all.

'I guess we did the exact opposite, I was very comfortable, we took it very slow.'

'Still you were a lot more forward than you used to be, Victor,' Adison observes, which surprises Victor.

'I guess you're right, Adison, I am. I've changed, gained confidence. I'm glad you noticed. Was Mina all right when you left her?'

Vincent smiles and says, 'Still fast asleep. I hope she liked it, we didn't talk much.'

They don't discuss the subject of Mr Grey and his master anymore, Vincent has hidden the figurine carefully and his feelings along with it, and none of the others feel inclined to revive the subject. The following days pass tranquilly, and everything is more or less back to normal, sometimes ignoring things works.

When Vincent visits Lord Douglas he is again amazed at the progress the young man has made, every week he absorbs all the moves Vincent teaches him, he must practise constantly to learn so quickly. Vincent is not stingy in his praise towards his talented pupil, and the young Lord colours a little with pleasure at the attention.

After practice they take their usual glass of wine together, and Lord Douglas seems over his shyness and says conspiratorially, 'You've have gained a lot of admirers among my friends, Mr Vincent.'

'Did you show them my style then, Lord Douglas?' Vincent asks, wondering what he has to do with the young Lord's friends.

'I sure did, and they were very much impressed, though of course they haven't seen a fraction of what you can do. But that is not it, you know a lot of my friends have a taste for certain...company, and it has come to their attention that on the evening of Mr Grey's dance, you gave that two-faced upstart a large dose of his own medicine.'

Vincent's face must be a study in astonishment, for Lord Douglas laughs out loud and explains, 'Will you please call me Bosie, and may I call you Vincent?'

Vincent is pleased with that, though he does wonder who saw what happened and told this young noble's friends.

'Splendid, Vincent. My friends being what they are, they have a lot of handsome young acquaintances, and not all of them are of high breeding. One of these young men begged a friend of mine for a place to stay, having fled from Mr Grey's house after witnessing him nearly ravaging a house-guest answering to your rather unique description.

He saw you turn the tables on Mr Grey, flinging him around and shaking him like a ragdoll, and was a bit disappointed that your true payback was interrupted by a young man who appeared out of nowhere and who apparently kissed you so passionately that this witness had to take a little breather himself. Then you talked to Mr Grey and a lot of what happened between my noble friend, the one with the wings, remember?, and Mr Grey was apparently explained, though neither my friend or his young protégé understood exactly what was discussed.

That must have been a sight, though, Mr Grey getting what he had coming for years. Do you often kiss young men, Vincent?'

Vincent cannot help but show his disturbance at the thought of this story getting out, his appearance cannot be mistaken for anyone else, and a reputation for violence is gained easily. London may be huge, but the world in which he moves is a lot smaller. If George Alexander were to hear of it...

'Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't like to hear that at all. People do say I talk too much. But Vincent, please do not underestimate the loyalty of my circle of friends, and their ability to keep things a secret from the outside world, they gossip a lot among themselves, but the rest of the world has no clue of what is going on. Steve won't tell anyone else either, or he'll be ostracised, and since he is a handsome but penniless boy who prefers to dress as a woman, he cannot afford that. He needs the protection of our little group.'

Miss Angelique. It must have been her, she did suggest having seen what happened. So she is usually called Steve, and has found a safe place to stay for now.

'Does Steve go by the name of Angelique when he dresses as a woman?' he asks. Miss Angelique won't tell on him, she likes him.

'He does, so you do know him?'

'We danced at the ball. Mr Grey left him standing to dance with the sword-smith's gorgeous wife, so I took him for a spin. He appreciated it, did me a great favour. He will not spread rumours, and if you say your friends will not, I'll sleep a lot easier.

Can't mistake me for anyone else after all. If word gets out I nearly raped a man with extreme violence, no-one will hire me ever again.

I totally lost every semblance of self-control, if my friend hadn't been there Mr Grey would not have been able to walk for weeks, and I would have felt very, very dirty. You know how strong I am.'

Is the young Lord eyeing him with something like interest now? His next words prove that Vincent is not imagining things.

'Actually, Vincent, I don't. You always hold back, I have no idea how strong you really are. I suppose there is no way to find out without getting hurt?'

Is he flirting?

'Steve said you held your friend very tightly and kissed him very forcefully, but your friend seemed to like it, for the two of you did it again. He said it made him feel a bit envious.'

He is flirting.

But Vincent is not Lukas, who just indulges a guy to let him get over a crush. Besides, how many crushes can a guy have in one month, and how can he go from shy to extremely dominant in his desires? Vincent has no idea what to say. Or maybe he does.

'My friend wasn't hurt, and he sure felt my strength, but I generally don't do things like that. I had reasons for what I did to Mr Grey, and my friend diverted my violence from Mr Grey towards himself.

It was a dangerous thing to do, especially to save a worthless piece of trash like Mr Grey. That violent part of me enjoys kissing men and showing off my strength. But it surfaces only under extreme duress, in my usual state I am very peaceful, and very much in love with my wife.'

It works, Lord Douglas looks a bit disappointed, but not put out or insulted. He's not ready to give up, though.

'And your friend? Steve said he was incredibly attractive.'

They must all be so bored, eager for a new thrill. Vincent decides just to be honest.

'He's not as stuck on one lover, nor on ladies as I am. But you know him already, it was Lukas, the not so shy sword-smith's apprentice.'

'The master of loving. That explains a lot. Steve would love what he can do, that chap was incredible, he made me buckle. But he just indulged me, that was too casual for me. I like a little feeling between my lover and me.'

So he flirts with Vincent. Great. He must be turning into a guy-magnet.

After reassuring Vincent that none of this will ever find its way to the rest of London, Lord Douglas takes Vincent to St James', where Vincent will take his bicycle to go home.

'My friends really want to meet you, Vincent, will you join us for dinner some night? We can show them some sword-play and have some innocent fun. No ladies allowed, but you can bring your friend.'

'I would like that, Bosie, as long as it is clear that I will not kiss anyone violently. Or in any other way. What I can do if you want to feel my strength, is wrestle. It's less dangerous to use more force without weapons involved. But it would certainly gain you some tender spots.'

Having gone all out on Mina yesterday evening, Vincent knows a normal man would break limbs under such force, but he knows he can let this deserving student feel most of it without seriously harming him.

'Yes, please!' the young man jumps on the offer. 'Next time we practise? Just you and me, I don't want my friends to see me thrown about, but I don't mind getting hurt. Deal?'

'Deal,' Vincent says, laughing. Who can resist such enthusiasm?

They shake hands familiarly, and Vincent cannot help liking this athletic, outspoken young noble very much.

Chapter 59

The following weeks pass quickly. Victor and Adison treat their patients, and together with Mina they supervise the redecoration of the attic and see it made into a bedroom and a workshop to experiment with electricity. Vincent takes one last look at the instruments that caused him such pain but also a new chance at life, and then they are removed or taken apart.

Vincent shows the figurine to Jakob the next time he visits, and after studying it for half an hour in total silence, first the box, then the little likeness of Heathcliff, Jakob observes, 'This was a nasty piece of work, Vincent, meant to totally obliterate your personality. I wonder where the caster got the knowledge to construct this spell, it is very hard to do.'

They tell him master Man's theory on the reason why the spell failed, and Jakob cannot but agree that lightning is the most likely reason for a fail.

'You must have suffered for weeks, maybe even months, Vincent, how did you bear the pain? Lukas' dad Hermes had a similar affliction, I saw him go through Hell until Lukas and my daughter managed to find the cause of the pain.'

'I didn't know living wasn't supposed to hurt, I only realized that when the pain finally diminished. And I had Adison's love, it meant so much to me.'

Then Jakob adds, 'However bad that spell was, it is no longer active, your signature is still on this figurine but I can easily remove that, making it totally harmless until someone starts the process all over again. But that is much easier than making another figurine this detailed, so I suggest you let me destroy it. You can use the box to store jewellery, it is made to keep whatever is inside from spoiling, so whatever you put inside will stay exactly as it is.'

'Does that mean it kept me from ageing?' Vincent asks.

'No, Vincent, your durability is in your body, the magic it gathers is used to repair damage and enhance its abilities, that has nothing to do with the figurine. Destroying it will have no influence on your body at all. You either age or you don't, that is still hard to say after one year.'

'Please get rid of it then, Jakob,' Vincent remarks, 'I'd rather not see it again, ever. Nor the box, maybe you can give it to someone to keep their valuable herbs in? I have no use for it, please take it out of my life.'