The Devil's Smile

Chapter 40

Amina was lost at what to think. The last time she had been in his room he had nearly killed her. Now he was warming her a bath. It was difficult to decide how to behave or think with mixed signals like that. She sat on the edge of the bed.

Amina's eyes drifted to the covered shaft that led outside. She hadn't noticed before but the angle of the bed seemed near perfect to allow for someone lying in bed to look out the shaft and see the sky. She wondered if he lay here at night watching the stars. I would, she thought longingly.

Staring at her from the fireplace, Moras could see what she was looking at. He walked across the room and over to the release for the heavy door covering the shaft. Amina shifted nervously. She hadn't known that he was watching her. "Fresh air would probably do you some good," he said lightly and forced a solid bolt to the side then allowed the door to fall open.

From her seat on the bed she could see the moon just off in one corner of the shaft. It was a clear night and stars dotted the sky. After a few moments Amina could smell the night breeze filtering down the shaft and into the room. She never wanted to close her eyes again.

"I'll leave it open," Moras said. "You're bath is ready."

Amina finally tore her eyes away from the sky and looked at Moras again. "Thank you." She wasn't sure what else to say.

Moras nodded at her and gave her a weak smile. "Do you need help?"

She looked into his hopeful eyes. Amina was getting the distinct impression that Moras was feeling badly about the way things had gone the last time she had been here. She didn't know what he thought he was going to help with if she was in a bath. The thought had her blushing again as a look of uncertain curiosity over took her soft brown eyes.

Moras smiled. "Come on," he said, offering her his hand to lead her back.

Shadows danced around the hallway as Moras led Amina to a wash room very similar to her own. There was a large tub set into the center of the room with steps up to get in. Amina could smell rose water. When she looked into the tub she found that there were petals floating in the water. Moras took the robe from her shoulders and helped her into the water. The warmth seeped into her skin as she sunk down into the fragrant bath. Before Amina knew what was happening Moras had stepped in behind her and water sloshed out of the tub around the sides as he sat down, drawing her back into his arms.

After a few moments of surprised, uncomfortable, uncertainty, Amina relaxed. She let her head fall back against Moras's shoulder and closed her eyes. A soft sigh escaped her lips as the warm water took the chill from her body. Just as she thought she might fall asleep, Moras moved and reached for something. Amina was too tired. She didn't bother to open her eyes to see what was happening. She figured she would find out soon enough.

"Sit forward," Moras said softly and gently pressed her forward to prompt her into movement.

Amina finally opened her eyes and saw that he had soap and a thick plush cloth in one hand. She leaned forward, bringing her knees up to her chest, and laid her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs and giving Moras access to her back. She felt the soft cloth slide over her skin and she sighed contently, letting her eyes close again.

Moras put more soap on the cloth and ran it along her arms and down her sides. He took his time, watching the suds slide down her skin and into the water. Once he was satisfied with her back he pulled her into his arms again. Amina felt the soapy cloth skim over her breasts as he began washing her shoulders and chest. The soft cloth tickled over her skin. Her n*****s puckered as he spent some time soaping one breast and then the other. Amina arched her back, pushing her breast into the palm of his hand and moaning softly. Arousal and exhaustion warred with each other in her body. Moras's hand moved down along her stomach, painfully slowly.

Amina parted her legs as Moras's hand moved lower and lower along her stomach. He paused. The strange pain in his chest began again. He couldn't believe that she was so willing and eager to let him touch her. She squirmed wantonly in his arms and lifted her hips, protesting the pause in his caress. Moras bent his head and placed a lingering kiss on her neck and nuzzled gently along her jaw line, up to her ear, kissing random spots as he went. He purposely held her off longer, wanting her to ask him for more, adoring the way she seemed to need him. He didn't really believe she wanted a monster this way, but what man was left in him was near tears with appreciation of the fact that she was even willing to pretend.

Another small groan escaped from Amina's mouth. Her hands reached beneath the water, took hold of his hand and pushed his fingers into her slit, delighting in the rolling pleasure that the pressure created in her lower stomach and up her body. Moras slid his fingers teasingly along her slippery opening, letting her moans and movements guide his touch to where she wanted it. When her body began to tense and tremble in his arms he was more than a little surprised. He pressed his finger inside her so that he could feel her come. Her soft inner walls sucked on his finger hungrily. Her whimpers in his ear told him with a great deal of certainty that it wasn't as satisfying as she would have liked.

Amina tried to push down further onto his finger as the fluttering sensations ceased. But the position in the tub and the confined space made it impossible for her to get the leverage she needed. She looked back at him over her shoulder with an almost desperate glow in her eyes. She was too shy to ask him to do anything specific to her. But the need was there as she looked at him. Embarrassment flooded her as she realized how she was behaving.

Amina blushed a beautiful shade of crimson and looked away from Moras again, uncertain how exactly she should be with him. She really didn't know what he wanted. He had been so confusing. Was she a meal or a lover? An intruder in his space or a welcome guest? A friend or a reminder of all the worst parts of his existence? In lieu of knowing what he wanted from her she opted on waiting for him to give her another direction of some kind.

Moras was torn between crying and laughing. He pulled his fingers from her and she whimpered again. "Shh," he whispered against her ear. "There's more," he promised. Moras kissed her ear lobe then guided her to stand with gentle pressure against her back and sides.

Pulling a towel from the rack standing near the tub he wrapped her in it and then stepped out, turning to offer a hand for her to step down as well. Amina's eyes roamed his wet naked body of their own accord. She allowed him to help her out of the tub and then stood in absolute bliss as he proceeded to dry her off with the towel he had wrapped her in. She could feel his hands through the soft material, massaging her shoulders, back, sides. He knelt in front of her and rubbed the soft towel over her hips, down her thighs, inside her thighs. Amina's breath was coming in short gasps as she felt the need for his touch in very specific places building again.

Once Moras was satisfied that she was dry, he stood with the towel in his hands and quickly ran it over himself. It was still wet from her body but he was partially dry from the amount of time he had spent on her anyway. When he looked into her eyes again there was intense concentration staring back at him and she was biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

Amina watched his eyes bleed to black as he stepped toward her. Her heart raced with fear once she saw the change. But there was no running from him like this. The black sockets were unreadable and she was certain that he was about to feed on her again. To her surprise he only kissed her, sucking her lower lip into his mouth and tasting the sweet, warm, coppery liquid on his tongue.

Moras scooped Amina up into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. The air had cooled and smelled of the world outside: summer breeze and forest. He laid Amina on the bed so that she could gaze out the shaft at the night sky. With her eyes trained on the stars that she hadn't seen in so long, Moras's change in demeanor vanished from her thoughts and she nearly missed his movement over her body.

A gasp was forced from Amina's mouth as Moras pushed her legs apart and leaned down to lick the soft pink folds of her s*x. He looked up into her eyes with an accomplished grin. Amina stared back shocked and uncertain what to say or do.

"So it is possible to get your attention away from dreams of running outside," he said impishly.

"You are a very confusing man," she said with a hint of anger in her voice.

As if testing her Moras leaned down and licked her again. Amina's eyes widened, watching as his tongue snaked out and stroked the sensitive flesh. He lingered on her clit, sucked it into his mouth, and then sat back, looking into her eyes again.

With her eyes drilling into him he began to feel guilty again. Releasing her flesh from his lips he sat back, staring down at her exposed p***y distracted as he spoke. His eyes intent on memorizing ever fold. "I'm sorry for that," he said. "The inconsistency. How badly do you want to see outside?"

Right now the only thing Amina wanted was the end to the conversation and have something much larger than his finger or tongue inside her. She squirmed before him on the bed, her legs spread wide in a wanton display that she did nothing to correct. If he put her in that position she was willing to stay there. "Do we have to talk about that?" She was concerned where this was going and made a mental note to only look out the shaft when he wasn't paying attention.

Licking his lips, Moras continued to stare at her swollen weeping s*x. By all the gods she's beautiful, he thought. "No," he said, never tearing his eyes from her. He reached down and stroked the protruding wet folds teasingly with a feather light finger as he spoke. "But I will revisit the topic shortly. Just tell me one thing."

Arching her back, Amina tried to get more from his fingers than the cruelly light touch he was providing. "What," she breathed heatedly.

"Tell me truthfully," he stopped touching her and moved up her body. Pinning her down he let the blackness take his eyes so that he was looking down on her trapped form with the beast. He watched her squirm beneath him, uncertainly, the flushed passion suddenly abated. "Do you really want this to make love to you," he asked in almost a whisper. Moras decided that he could handle it if she was only pretending for his benefit and her own self preservation. He would live with that. But he wanted to know for certain what it was he was dealing with: a woman insane enough to want him or smart enough to lie to him.

Amina stared into the black. She didn't want to answer him. It felt as though he could read her and know if she was lying to him. "No," she finally said.

Moras nodded, the pain in his chest was back. She's smart.The though drifted listlessly through his mind. He shifted back to the task at hand, wishing he hadn't wanted to know so badly. Without looking at her face he moved his mouth to her breast, determined to bring her as much pleasure as her bravery had afforded him.

When the wet heat of his tongue began swirling around her n****e it was almost impossible for her to gain enough self control to stop him. She didn't understand the pain on his face when she had answered him. It wasn't as if he was in love with her or even cared about her. Was it? Amina forced Moras to look at her. His eyes had returned to the deep blue that made her forget what he really was. They were a little glazed and concerned. Moras was worried that she had decided to stop this now that he had made her admit she didn't want it.

"I want you to make love to me," she whispered timidly.

He looked into her eyes searching and shook his head. "That doesn't make sense."

Amina swallowed. "You, not the vampire," she explained. "Maybe I'll grow used to that in time. But for now can't it be you?"

Moras didn't know how to respond to that. She couldn't be real. He was having some kind of dream. Without a word he moved back up her body and kissed her. His lips pressing insistently against hers, his tongue searching her mouth. Amina wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down onto her.