The Devil's Smile

Chapter 39

Moras nudged her nose with his own, repositioning her face so that he could kiss her, but he only teased her with his lips, coming close and not quite touching her. To his delight, Amina's hands snaked up into his hair, stopping his game and bringing his lips to hers. She felt the strange cold of his skin as her lips pressed against his. Heat flooded into his body from her. Moras pressed his tongue along her lips and she parted them, allowing him to taste her mouth.

He rolled her n****e between his thumb and finger and a soft moan bled into his mouth, stopping the kiss. Moras lifted his head and looked down into her eyes, answering her nearly forgotten question. "The more often I feed the less I need to take and the less sick you will feel from the experience. I leave the choice of timing to you. Come to me when you're willing. But know that if you don't come to me, I will eventually come find you."

Amina nodded, not really caring at this point what the rules were. She only wanted him to keep touching her. She had never known anything like this in her life and she wished that this part would never end, as much as she hoped the feeding would never come. Is his touch worth the price of it?

Her obvious compliance only confused Moras. He wasn't sure if she was insane, masochistic, or so empathetic that it didn't matter. He couldn't make himself believe the later. In truth, in this moment he didn't care so much about the why. He hadn't been with a compliant woman in so long. Whatever her reasons were, they were good enough for the now. Besides, the conversation would serve as a decent reason to spend time with her later.

Cold hands slid across Amina's heated skin and goose bumps broke out along her flesh. Moras leaned in to her and closed his eyes. Her hands were on his shoulders and he pulled her body against his own, reveling in the warmth of her, even through his clothes. Moras stroked down her back. His fingers danced over the goose bumps as Amina shivered. Her breath was coming in heavy waves and her little hands had fisted in his shirt. When he looked to her face again her eyes were closed and her head had lulled back across her shoulder, exposing the pale line of her neck to him.

Everything in existence momentarily melted away. Moras leaned down and kissed her neck, tasting her skin and taking in the scent of her arousal. A soft seductive beating just beneath the surface tantalized him. Moras felt the hunger roll in his stomach and surge through his dead body, as certainly as he felt her heartbeat pounding in her chest pressed against his. Before he could lose his control he pushed her away.

Moras paced across the room. Amina's look of disappointed confusion was not lost on him as he stood near the fire. He laughed, almost manic as he stared into the flames eating away at the wood in the fireplace.

"Did I do something wrong," she asked timidly.

"No," he growled. "Get into the bed Amina."

Moras didn't even look up at her. He knew full well that his eyes would frighten her. He was about to lose the fight with his hunger. He had waited too long. This one deserves better, his mind chanted. "Close your eyes Amina," he said almost too softly for her to hear. "Don't open them."

"Aren't you going to," she paused, too sweet and innocent to say what she was thinking. "I mean before…"

If Moras didn't already feel guilty about everything he would have started to now. She actually wanted him to make love to her. He wanted so badly to look into her eyes, but he couldn't allow himself to frighten her any more than he already had. "I'm too hungry right now Amina. Touching you only makes it worse. After the feeding's done I'll pleasure you." My sweet one, he added in his mind.

Amina's mouth went dry. She clamped her eyes shut and went stiff, beneath the soft blankets. He couldn't have given her a more clear warning of his intentions. Amina could hear fabric rustling and then the bed moved.

Her heart pounded so hard against her chest that she feared it may explode through her rib cage. She could feel the shifting of the bed as he moved closer to her. The pressure was all around her. Her mind's eye clutched desperately to a vision of tanned leather skin, dark blue eyes, and a gentle smile. But in the endless moments she waited for him to touch her a monstrous image was steadily distorting the one she was trying to hold onto.

Moras watched her tremble. The beast in him was pleased at the sight and smell of fear. He craved it. There was something sweeter about blood tainted with terror. He moved slowly, letting his icy touch make her flinch beneath him. Moras pressed her head to one side and leaned down to bite her. His fangs sliced into her flesh.

Amina whimpered in pain as she felt the sharp piercing and then the rhythmic pressure as he sucked her blood from her. She gasped as the darkness began to swim. Tears squeezed from her eyes and she started to relax as she surrendered to the situation. Moras's cold heavy body pressed down on her, pinning her beneath him. His icy grip on her arms was painful as he held her down, just in case she decided to fight it. Amina was finding it difficult to breath as the cold pressure on her chest, the pain searing through her neck, and the spinning darkness enveloped her. As she felt her consciousness slipping away she surrendered gratefully to the black.

Moras took his time finishing his meal. He was careful not to take any more than he needed. Warmth flooded through his body, both from the blood and from being pressed against her. He reveled in the feeling as the chill left him. It wouldn't last long, but he would enjoy it while he had it. When he was sated he lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms. Her back was to his chest and her head rested on his shoulder. His body shifted back to normal and he sighed contentedly as he held her.

Elizabeth drifted back into his mind. That was the last time he had allowed himself the pleasure of keeping a woman in his arms as she slept. He took in a deep breath and let it out, staring up at the cave ceiling. She had been very different though. Elizabeth had lost her mind almost the instant she had been delivered to him. It was easy enough to ignore. She wasn't crazy in most ways. Her mind simply chose not to acknowledge the demon half of him. She behaved as if she was his lover or wife and life here was perfectly normal. At first it had bothered him. But quickly he came to accept it as a reasonable way for her to cope with what he was. Elizabeth smiled and loved him, until he changed or needed blood. Then she would become catatonic until it was over. It was with Elizabeth that he had learned to eat normal food again. She would cook dinner for him, make him clothes. After a while he had even grown to like the way she had adapted. It allowed him to forget himself when he was with her.

Now there was Amina. Moras wondered how long she could last down here. If she were living amongst her people, he had no doubt that she would be the wife of a powerful person. She would give birth to warriors or teachers. She had the inner strength to know and accept what he was, the intelligence to be afraid of it, but the bravery to survive it. He held her tighter. He knew she could survive indefinitely down here. He would bleed her dry and watch her die slowly.

Moras pressed his face into her hair and took a deep breath. This was exactly what he had wanted for as long as he had been here. Now he was finding himself unable to justify keeping her here. The others were one thing. Sacrifices that were pitiful excuses for what the people he protected were capable of. To some extent he believed that he was helping their population by eliminating such weak excuses for human beings. But Amina deserved to be married and have children. Things he could never give her. A voice in the back of his head warred with him. Haven't I earned this? She volunteered. It's what I want. Moras growled at himself and his own misery. One year, he decided.

Moras wrapped his arms more tightly around her. She was young enough. He'd keep her for a year. At the end of the year he'd send her back to her people, arrange for her to have whatever she needed, and have a new girl sent to him. For now he would enjoy her company. Moras could feel a strange pain in his chest. For the first time since he had offered himself up for this life he was truly regretting his choice. He had always believed that revenge and the good he had done outweighed anything that life could have offered.

He closed his eyes and shut the thoughts out of his head. It wasn't long before he drifted to sleep holding Amina in his arms.

Moras woke to a warm body trying to squirm out of his grasp. He opened his eyes and smiled as he watched Amina attempt to get out of the bed without waking him up. "Trying to escape?"

Amina flinched, her head swiveled, and she leveled a glare on him that had him laughing. He pulled her, protesting, back into the bed. "Hey," she squealed and fought against his iron grip to no avail.

Moras was having none of it. He was glad she was feeling well enough to put up a fight, but he wasn't ready to get out of bed yet. He still owed her. She had passed out before he could finish feeding and he had been too hungry to enjoy her body before eating. So he had plans for her before letting her go. Moras moved so that he was propped over her and looked down into her annoyed eyes. "What," he chuckled.

"You can't let a person find a chamber pot with some dignity," she snarled at him.

Moras rolled off of her, still laughing. It felt good. "Just come back. I'm not done with you yet."

Amina scooted to the side of the bed. Her stomach turned some. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been the last time. Still, she wondered what he had in mind. "I don't know if I'm up to whatever you're thinking about. You're not still hungry are you?"

Moras's good mood fell a bit. He sat up behind her and stroked her back. "No, not hungry. Are you all right. I guess I should have considered this. You tend to make me think in different directions at the same time though. Do you need help?"

Amina blushed. "No, just tell me where the chamber pot is."

Moras got out of the other side of the bed and grabbed his robe from a chair nearby. He walked around to Amina and placed the robe over her shoulders. "It's in the stand there," he said, pointing. "I'll get the bath warming. You'll feel better after you get cleaned up and eat."

He watched her stand, making sure that she could, and then left the room, not bothering to dress. Amina watched the naked man retreat into the darkness of the hall and saw some light begin to flood into the gloom. He must be lighting candles. She managed to find the chamber pot and finish with it before he came back.