Set and Magdalene

She lay there

Exhausted

Smiles
Bruises
Burnt into her face

This was not what she expected
The man seemed so

Normal

Nothing seemed anything other than ordinary
His clothes
Hair

Maybe his eyes

Yes

His eyes

They seemed cold
Distant
Alien

He appeared in her life
Oh
An age ago it seemed

Yet it was only that morning she first saw him

She woke

He was there
At the foot of her bed
Staring down at her in disdain
Malice flowed from his eyes

Malice

And something else she couldn’t understand

He moved toward the head of the bed
She went to sit up
Only then realising that she was tied down

Feet and wrists bound in linen
She was like a starfish
An invitation to deprivation

She went to scream out
The shake of his head was enough
She stopped
Noticing his nails as he lifted finger to lip
Dark
Long
Razor edged

Then he spoke

Voice deep
Rich
Like treacle

She can’t recall what he said
Only that it calmed her

His hand reached down to her top
A simple flannel shirt
Her excuse for pyjamas

He used the nails of his fingers
To cleave the buttons off
Then gently opened the shirt

Laid bare
Exposed by this stranger
She could only tremble
As his clawed hands then scraped along her rib cage
Drawing thin lines of blood on contact

It was exquisite
Painful
Tender

Confusing

How could she
This was not right
There was no enjoyment in this

Was there

Her addled mind
Dwelling on her feelings of enjoyment
Almost missed his movement

Now at her legs
He repeats his action
Then bends down to lick the blood
Tracing the line up one leg
To her ribs
Then down the other side
Needles of fire danced on her nerves
As she quaked with the sensation

A wry smile appeared on the strangers face
As he gazed down on her
Only then did she notice
The deep sadness in the eyes

No longer so cold
They penetrated her
Casting aside the shades of fear in her mind

She would reach out to hold him
Though even bound
She knew he did not want that

Seeing the change in her expression
His smile broadened
A hint of joy appeared in his eyes

He kissed her
Gently at first
Slowly increasing the pressure
Aggressively his tongue probed her mouth

Filling it

She tasted blood
As it trickled down her throat

Thinking it hers
She began to panic

Just then
He backed off
She could see
As he licked his lips
That the blood must have been his
For it poured from a wound on his tongue

His smile broadened once more
Revealing jagged teeth
Serrated canines clearly showing

Then the image went
No

His teeth were normal
Smile wan
Eyes soulful

Deft movements of his hands
Unbound her

Not understanding
She simply lay there

Trembling

As he lay himself beside her
She slowly reached out a hand
Fingers feeling his brow
Tracing down his jaw line
To his lips

Not knowing why
She bent her head to his shoulder
Biting down
Gently at first
Then with vigour
Drawing blood

He did not resist
The only indication of feeling
Coming from the hand clawing her breasts
His chitinous nails piercing flesh

Aroused then
As never before
She pushed him onto his back
Tearing at his clothes
Revealing heavily scarred flesh

The site of the scars drew her breath
Evidence as they were
Of extreme violence in this strangers life

She looked at his eyes
The sadness was still there
Though slowly turning to something else
Something warm
Something sacred

Removing his pants
She found more scars
Claw marks
Bite marks

By this time
She was ready
But again
He shook his head
As she tried to straddle him
Standing
He picked her up
Placing her on her feet facing him

Then turning
He put a hand to his neck
The one place apart from his head
With no scarring

Realising the gesture was an invitation
She leaned forward
Gently kissed the back of his neck
His arms pulled back toward her
Grabbing her buttocks
Squeezing her against him

She bit
Surprised at her own ferocity
His blood gushing into her mouth
Cascading down her throat

The sweetest thing she had ever tasted

Unable to stop
She pushed him down to his knees
Not releasing her grip on his neck

Not until her hand reached around him
Finding his marble like sex

He turned to her then
Eyes pained
Sad
Happy
Ecstatic
All at once

She guided him
Wanting him to have her
Somehow knowing this was part of a deal
Though what deal she did not recall

Astride him
She pushed forward
Falling backward to the bed
He barely stopped her momentum
The pain of deep impact
Causing her to gasp

She couldn’t believe all this
It must be a nightmare

But for who

Here
She was the main aggressor
Clawing him
Slapping
Punching

Oh
He fought back
Hence the bruising on her now
Bruises she will cherish

She cannot recall how it ended
Only waking up

Alone

Blood
Semen
Sweat

The heady aroma’s filling her with a longing

Then she saw the note

“A promise kept
I am ever yours
Call for me
I will return”

As she read it
She wept
Remembering the stranger now
Remembering him for the beautiful man he had been

Recalling that first bite
Those many centuries past

Recalling the smiles
The bruises
Burnt in his mind

© 2009, Mosquitobyte