Basically the continuation of Part 3 since I surpassed the word limit.
Explicit Sex Warning
"I presume there's a very disturbing reason behind that which I'll regret asking," he quipped.
Lenore liked his genuine sarcastic replies. It had a special kind of allure to it. She loved their little banters. A spark that allured her. Like a moth drawn to a flame.
"Ugh, silly ,” she scoffed merrily. “Look: The black and the red, the night and the blood. These are the things that bind us together. The rings are a sign of loyalty to each other.”
“That’s actually…well, nice seems like the wrong word,” he chuckled, seemingly to take genuine interest in Lenore's dynamic with her sisters, despite him hiding it.
"It is nice," she affirmed.
"It's a different facet of you all. I suppose. Like this book"
"Oh?"
“Yes. It‘s a magical work, but it’s also…how do you describe it? Vampire philosophy. It’s fascinating,” Hector continued.
He was ever so subtly gushing. Lenore found it adorable how immersed in the subject he was.
“So now we’re not all monsters?” she quipped back. Meeting the one he dished out earlier.
"I didn't say that," he shot back, albeit playfully. An amused smirk forming in his face.
Never was there a human that Lenore found so adorable until now, until Hector. She was gushing with an excitment of her own. She has him right where she wants. She just needs to give him another little push and he'll be hers. She was ecstatic, like a predator about to grasp it's prey in her jaws.
"Go on. Admit it," she purred. She wanted him to admit that she wasn't some cruel callous monster. That he actually desired her.
“I admit there seems to be more depth to…what would you call it, vampire culture, than I thought,” Hector replied, his voice dipped in sass as he warmly smiled.
Teasing her. Oh he should know better than that. This pretty little human in a box, hung deliciously in front of her, like a delightful piece of meat primmed for devouring. If she hand any trace hesitation left it was non-existent now. Lenore knew she would bed this man tonight. She was hoping that he had already formed questions regarding the quilt she brought with her tonight. Her intentions for it, and with him.
“There are ideas about physical presence in the world, the importance of soil and landscape and being.” He paused to let out a hasty laugh. “I mean, actual philosophy. Amazing.”
So adorable, right where she wants him.
Lenore cooled herself. She couldn't falter now. Not when she's right at the precipice of devouring her sexy prey. She coolly stood up and glid over to the straw-bed, graciously spreading the quilt over it and plopped on it.
“Well, good. Then I have a philosophical question for you.”
Hector scooted his chair around to face her. The scrapping of the chair on the floor echoed around the stone walls. He suddenly grew more serious, a sense of curiosity upon him as he hid the eagerness surrounding her proposal.
"Alright," he said quietly, as if steeling himself.
“It’s… hard to do diplomacy when the other person is in a cage,” Lenore began.
Her regretful wasn't a farce. She did in fact regret that an underrated gem like Hector was wasted away in this cell. He had talent, it just needed to be brought up, nurtured and not forcibly thrashed out.
"I can't disagree"
Lenore continued with purpose, her eyes narrowed down, still regretful for the man before her: “Diplomacy is compromise. I get something, you get something. Neither of us get everything we want, but we both leave happy.”
"You have my attention"
But you …you don’t even get to leave! You haven’t got anything. I have all the power, and you’re a pretty man in a box,” she calmly stated. She didn't had to lie anything with what she just said right now.
Hector was instantaneously hooked on the part of the sentence that Lenore wanted him to get affixed on.
"I'm....pretty?" He was taken aback. His dumbfounded look was both endearing yet it was also quite sad.
Tsk. He doesn't even know how good of a gem he his. Such a shame that he can't see his own value. His talents, his beauty, cruelly getting wasted by life's callousness.
“It just…doesn’t seem fair,” she continued confidently, ignoring Hector’s reaction at her compliment.
“What’s happening?” Hector asked in further confusion. He was lost now. What vantage he had in this discourse was now lost as he found himself drowning in that one single compliment.
“I’ve been awake all day, thinking about it. You, down here,” she mused aloud sadly.
Indeed, he was right where she wanted him.
“What’s the question, Lenore?” he demanded, his voice growing sharper and more suspicious. His face, showing hints of growing apprehensiveness.
Hector may have been naïve, but he wasn’t stupid. It was yet another thing that she liked about him so much.
“What do you want?” she asked firmly.
“I want to be let out.” His voice remained sharp and demanding.
“I know, that’s all I can think of. That’s the only thing I can do for you.”
“But you’re not just going to let me out.” An edge of bitterness came with statement. But there was also a hint of sadness. As if he was cruelly reminded of his current position. No matter how nicely Lenore treated him, he was still her prisoner.
But she could work with that.
“Well…no. I’m loyal to my sisters. To just fling open the door and say ‘Fly, be free, pretty human boy,’ that…That would be a direct betrayal,” she stated concisely. Honestly.
A heavy pause hung in the air.
“Come sit down,” Lenore prompted softly, gently patting the spot on the quilt next to her.
Hector seemed to contemplate this for a few seconds, perhaps somewhat hesitantly, but then he obliged her. Just as he sat down, she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers together.
Lenore let out a slight giggle and playfully teased: “Also, you’d survive less than a day on your own.”
“That’s not true. Well, okay, that’s completely true and I would die almost immediately,” Hector retorted, his voice regaining it's playful and happy tone.
Yes. This was perfect.
Lenore laughed more freely this time, truly enjoying his company, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. She let herself blush as she pulled back. His skin was warm and so alluring. She could hear his heart speed up at the contact. He definitely wanted her, and she let herself remember how he looked naked. How his blood tasted. So insanely delicious on both counts.
“You only have one advantage in this whole negotiation,” she told him happily.
“I’m not sure it’s an advantage.”
She let another brief pause hang in the air, ramping up to another little truth she’d slip him. One that would lodge itself in his brain forever and override all sense of logic.
“I like you.”
Her voice was smooth like wine again, and Hector felt his heart practically explode. All these feelings he’d started having for her were indeed reciprocated! It seemed too good to be true.
“Uh…That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear,” he stated, not even bothering to hide his surprise.
“Well, what did you think your advantage was?” Lenore asked playfully.
“You want me to do my human magic to give Carmilla an army of monsters.”
“Oh, that…” she began, her voice as sultry as ever. “I was eavesdropping on Morana and Striga during the day. They can buy mercenaries to fill out the army.”
Hector was utterly confused now. “I don’t understand. Carmilla’s given up?”
“She gets distracted. She calls it ‘the burden of genius.’ We could run out on her this morning and she wouldn’t notice for days,” Lenore announced confidently. She paused to cup his face, and Hector felt himself becoming hot all over as she said the next few sentences: “I’m loyal to my sisters. But what we’re doing is wrong. We could just leave, Hector. If you want to be with me.”
Ting
Hector didn't know what to do. His heartbeat thumping with excitment. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that he liked Lenore. He imagined himself with her many a night. But the revelation that she liked him back put a full stop to all of his thought processes. It overrided his logic as he stared into those beckoning jewels of fine Rubies that were her irises. His mind giving it out all sorts of signals but none of them told him to get away.
Lenore relished the look on the man before her. He was lost. His mind short-circuited with the truth she let slip. He looked like a lamb, a lamb for her to devour, she mused delectably. There was no going back for him after this.
She pulled him down, tugging his silver locks as she kissed him passionately. She tasted better than She smelled. His heart exploded with joy, this was the first time that someone wanted him, desired him. He almost burst into tears as he eagerly returned the passion.
The next thing he knew, she was removing his shirt off. Tracing her dainty fingers and nails down, on the line between his chiseled chest and abdomen, all the while looking at his body lustfully. Hector didn't know he was a man dying of thirst until someone gave him water, he didn't realise how good it felt to be wanted by a beautiful, intriguing woman. But no other women he had seen before could hold a candle to beautiful intriguing Lenore, the Vampire Queen.
He was now undressing her now. Gently pulling down her panties, down her long slender legs, down her sexy stockings. To his excitment he saw the glistening of her underwear, delighted that she shared the same excitement to take him in her. He had imagined this plenty of times. But to actually make love to her, to actually be inside her was more glorious than any fantasy his mind could come up with.
He followed the gentle lead of her hands. Following them to the letter, eager to please her. He placed gentle kisses on her neck, to her perfect breasts, to her taut stomach, down the insides of her thighs, all the way to her vagina, eventually making his way to her clit. He lapped his tongue on her sweet little bud away, enthusiastically licking it in rhythmic motions, acclimating to her folds. He licked away as if she was the only source of his nourishment, a thought he came to delight in as he felt her get wetter down there. He greedily licked up all of her juices.
Lenore threw her head back, whispering his name in ecstacy as she angled his head right where she wanted him, "God Hector," he was definitely trainable.
He licked away as if there was no tommorow. Eager to please his Queen. He licked up more of her wetness until she nudged him back up.
She tugged his hair again, towards her to give him a quick kiss. He was doing so good, passing her little test with flying colors. He proved himself to be orally gifted. Now it was time for her to see how he would do with his dick.
He was now Inside her. And she felt glorious. He felt pure, unadulterated ecstacy. His thigs enthusiastically crashing against hers, matching her rhythm, his member sliding in and out of her sent jolts of adrenaline throughout his body, making him crave her touch even more.
Dripping in sweat both lovers were white hot. Panting against eachothers temples as they kissed and felt up eachothers bodies. He was perfect. Lenore internally exclaimed, so eager to please, so needy for her touch. She licked his neck, gradually making her way to his Adam's apple, and his jugular. She teased him by brushing her fangs against the underside of his jaw as she delicately nibbled his ear. Her hands, gliding over his arms, to his shoulders, eventually making it's way to his ass.
His hands grasped against her thighs as he thrust with intent, delightfully crashing against her hips as he panted. She allowed him to pull her dress down, letting him savour her voluptuous breasts as his tongue swirled around her nipple, sucking it like scripture, sending jolts of pleasure throughout her chest.
This was better than any pleasure he had experienced in his meagre life. This was better than any other luxury he would ever have in the future. Her pussy clutching his cock rapturously. He needed to release, but he steeled himself. He needed to hold out. He needed to hold out for as long she wanted.
She was his saviour after all.
Lenore was sky high, her cheeks flushed with red as she brought Hector in for a quick kiss, she stared into his eyes. The love and adoration he delivered fueled her intensely. She knew he was inexperienced in sex- but he wasn't doing a bad job as he was en route to giving her a second orgasm. His eagerness to please her, to heed every syllable that escaped her lips far outweighed any cons that were now insignificant. Most of all, he proved himself to be trainable. His skill just needed honing.
Hector thrusted away as if there was no tommorow. She dictated his pace, making sure he hit that sweet spot just right. He lost himself inside her. He wanted to stay like this for eternity, pleasing her and earning her praises. Her whispers of his name were his reward. He felt her arms glide towards his chest, eventually cupping his face as she brought him in. Aquamarine Eyes met Irises of Pristine Rubies. They were drunk, on eachother.
"Will you come with me?" Her voice, silky like fine wine, beckoning him to give in to her.
"Yes, yes," he whimpered.
"Be mine," she tugged him closer, their temples pressing against eachother.
"Tell me you're mine," she tugged his locks harder. Their lips, just inches apart from tasting eachother again.
"Yes, I'm yours," he panted. It didn't matter what she was asking of him. He would gladly kiss Carmilla's boots for her if she asked of him.
"Tell me you belong to me," she whispered against his ear, her sultry voice enscapulating him into a deeper level ecstacy that he could ever imagine.
I belong to you. I'm yours. Now and forever. My skills, my body, my soul, my blood, they all belong to you my queen.
He couldn't whimper those thoughts out loud into the world. His mind was too far gone to execute coherent sentences.
"I belong to you," he groaned raspily.
"Be loyal to me. Please," her thumb cupped his lower lip followed by her arm gliding over to his left arm. Hector wanted to answer then and there, he didn't want to keep his queen waiting. He panted. Catching his breath.
"Say it," Lenore moaned as she threw her head back. "Please," her sultry voice reverbated in Hector's ears. Her arm gliding over his left forearm.
"Please. Hector," she moaned, a pleading look in her eyes. Hector hated to make her wait. He mustered his mind to form one coherent sentence.
"I will be loyal to you!" He groaned.
Ting
The pain that followed was far too fresh for Hector to forget as he stepped back to watch his creation come to life.This was the last body of the night that he breathed new life into. A Minotaur like monster rose from the altar. Huffing the cold air. He soothed it by gently placing his left hand on it. The hand where the ring rested, it suddenly singed at the contact, reminding the forgemaster that the creature’s loyalty wasn't exclusive to him anymore. He commanded it to join the others as it got escorted out of the room by a pair of guards into the night.
"I'll be loyal to you"
He truly was fate's favourite plaything if he cringed at his own words. He pledged his loyalty to Lenore as she placed the ring on him. The verbal affirmation was all that was needed for the ring to activate and send searing pain throughout it's body as it imbued it's magic deep In him, deep In his blood. He felt he was getting stabbed with a thousand burning knives all at once as he untangled from her, putting an abrupt end to their tryst.
Lenore later paraded him around the council room, in front her sisters. Proud of herself for securing his Loyalty and Styrias future. Familiar voices plagued his head again as he was cleaning up.
"The house would need a really big bed.Turns out he's actually fairly good at sex and I want to train him"
"Shush the real people are talking"
Vampires are the superior species. But they weren't pure. They aren't simply predators who just follow their nature, to hunt and devour. They were Humans once. And like Humans, they were capable of things worse than betrayal.
Been a while since I wrote some one-shots (I write them, show it to my smut reading friends but I never posted them on Tumblr or any other website.) This one is about the pairing Hector X Lenore or Lenector for short from the Netflix Castlevania series which is one of my favourites. Despite the Pairing being inherently unhealthy and Problematic I just can't help but become enthralled by the skewed power dynamics, basically I know that its wrong, so its fiction so I enjoy it anyway (for the moral police). I'm open for constructive criticism on this work given that you won't be a hateful waste of space. Enjoy!
PS: I'm a novice at making GIFS so please excuse me.
That's what Hector felt once he exited the council room. Or for the lack of a better word, thats what he felt when he got dragged out of the council room by the woman who viciously betrayed him hours ago, as she led him down the hallway, gently holding his hand as he wobbled along behind her.
Pangs of nausea circulated throughout his abdomen. His mind on overdrive with the recent overload of information dumped on his already overstimulated mind. He could feel the gears of his head turning as he processed this new batch of information, he felt his temples burning, he thought if this continued further he would see steam rising from his head as he replayed the voices in the council room mere moments ago.
"These are slave rings, one of them found it's way to Hector's hand when he was swearing his loyalty to me"
"Oh my God you've adopted him"
"Turns out he's fairly good at sex and I want to train him"
"Shush the real people are talking"
His breath quickened and his head, hurt and heavy. Thinking was a luxury that he could no longer afford as he felt his legs give out from the icy breeze of Styria's night sky. He fell on his knees. His hands on the ground. His shivers forming clouds in the freezing wind. The torches in the hall way flickered as he tried getting back his bearings. Time and space seemed disjointed as everything around him became immaterial. There was only the aftershocks of the piercing pain he felt a few hours ago, when he foolishly pledged his life away to her.
He wanted to scream, scream his heart out, do something, anything. But all he could do was whimper as the reality of his situation dawned on him. His hands trembled on the cold marble floor in the hallway leading away from the council room, he could see his knuckles get pale as they rested on the white marble, the veins of his hand moving ever so slightly as he shivered. His eyes, so fixated on his shivering hands that they did not register the glint of a small, inconspicuous ring of black and red, resting gently on the ring finger of his left hand.
Slave Ring as Lenore called it. The Instrument of her betrayal, and his damnation. Such a small, unassuming thing. When Lenore visited his cell a few hours ago and beckoned him to join her on the rug that she brought along by patting on the empty space beside her, he never noticed it. It was only when she placed her hand on his and intertwined their fingers was when he saw it. Such a small thing. It was never on her before, during her nightly visits to his cell, thus it was only natural for him to ask.
"I never noticed that ring on your hand before. Is that new?"
"Oh, this small thing? It's a symbol of what binds me and my sisters together. The night and the blood. The four of us wear it"
She playfully showed the Red and Black coils that rested on her finger as she nestled closer to him. Before she changed the topic.
A neat sentiment, he thought. A Kingdom ruled by Four Powerful Vampire Women wearing matching rings, a symbol of their sisterhood and reign. Only for it to come crashing down as the cold hearted truth pertaining to the small insignificant object that now rested on his finger reared it's head in the council room, mere moments ago.
"When Hector forges a Night Creature they're loyal to him. But now, he's bound to me through the magic of these rings. When he makes a Night Creature, they're loyal to him, and he swore his loyalty to me so they're loyal to me too"
"These rings are linked, you wear them and his creatures will be loyal to you too. And if he ever tries to harm us, take the ring off or tries to run away the ring will cause him so much pain that he would think he shat out his own heart"
Hector was so lost in his hopeless retrospection that he couldn't notice someone's arms gently resting on his shoulders. He could make out dainty fingers tracing the sides of his delts as they rested gently on his clavicle. A woman's hands. And he could only think of one. The one responsible for this brief measure of peace in his hellish imprisonment, and also, the source of his greatest downfall. He could see a small yet regal frame come closer. Dressed in a Dark Shade of Blue, complementing the Styrian snowy sky overlooking the hallway along with a full White Fur Cloak, resting on her shoulders. He dared himself to look up, what met his gaze was divine.
Her doe eyes with irises of pristine rubies accentuating with the torches flickering in the hallway looked down on him. Her waist length hair, a Fiery Blaze, with two locks falling in front. Her porcelain skin adorned with a slight pink on her cheeks. Her smile-
Her smile, one that exhumed a warm nurturing aura, one of the first things he noticed about her when she visited his cell for the first time. It was so reassuring, it made him be at ease, making him let his gaurd down.
Aquamarine Eyes lost themselves in her gaze as he lost himself in the trance. The flames of rage that he so thoroughly fanned and nurtured in the council room almost died out, leaving an ember of what was once an inferno. Suddenly, he felt cold hands shifting from his shoulders, gently making their way to the underside of his jaw and eventually resting on his cheeks as she looked down upon him.
Vampires were cold, yes. They were a type of an undead. Their hearts didn't beat and they didn't require human food to survive yet they enjoyed it for solely recreational purposes. They needed Human Blood. It was their source of nutrition. The rush of Vitality they get once they taste the copper flow through their throats cannot be matched with any earthly source of sustenance.
Yet her cold touch could still elicit a wave of pleasure through his body. Her mere closing of physical distance between them was enough to make his cheeks flush a deep shade of red. Her thumbs drew circles on his cheeks bones and he felt his heartbeat quicken, pumping blood throughout his body. Especially to his member. He began leaning in to her touch.
Before things could escalate Hector felt the cold touch of Lenore's master ring hugging his cheekbone. He steeled himself yet again. The waning embers of his dying resolve reignited into the inferno that was his fury. His soft eyes narrowed as he grimaced. His features, sharper than ever.
He swatted her hands away from him as he ephemarily got back his bearings. He got back on his feet and instinctively took a few wobbly steps backward, away from her, like a prey backing away from a predator. His mind still reeling from the shock. His breath, shacky. Lenore did nothing. She cocked her head and watched him curiously with her Doll Face.
His voice, now a raspy timbre, shot back.
"You tricked me and made me into your slave!"
The horrific realisation of his fate had now been given a physical existence as he worded them out. The brief control of his body that he regained started slipping again, he wrapped his arms around his stomach as he braced himself. His footing betrayed him again as his legs gave out and he fell on his knees on the cold marble floor yet again.
Lenore, ever so in control, smiled again. It was not a malicious smile. Not the kind that one gives when they best their opponent through deceit and treachery. But the warm, kind smile when you've helped someone out of the goodness of your heart. When you do good for someone because you like them. The kind of smile that made your face radiant, with Warmth and Understanding.
"I did no such thing"
She walked towards Hector's crouched body, with a warm smile and her arms extended.
Hector couldn't see her. He was busy clutching the ring on his left hand. His eyes wide and his breath shakey as the implication of the object that rested on his finger, finally dawned on him. He grabbed a fistful of his own silver locks as his raspy voice announced his defeated realisation of his fate
"You made me your slave! My life is over"
Lenore heard his heart race, the shortening of his breath, as well as the ever so slight tremble of his muscles in tension as his chest rose and fell with each shakey exhale.
She saw him clutching his beautiful silver locks, almost tearing them. She saw his long handsome face drown in a miserable expression as he tried catching his breath. She couldn't bear to see her silly pretty boy having a panic attack over something he had not yet fully understood. She wanted to do nothing but hold him, ease him into this, and make him finally understand that this wasn't damnation. He'll understand, in time. She will patiently make him understand, as many times if need be. And in time, he will be hers, forever .
"Your life is saved Hector"
Her voice, gently refuting his laments. As she wrapped her arms over his crouched figure. Resting over his shoulders. He hated how at ease he felt. He hated that her touch made him feel relaxed as his heartbeat and his breath returned to normalcy. He felt her left hand traverse his Silver hair as she gently grabbed the back of his head and massaged the scalp. He didn't dare to look up, eyes transfixed on his knees that rested on the white marble.
"In fact I gave you what you really needed"
She spoke again, with a hint of excitement, as if she were to reveal a surprise to him that might somehow make him feel better. Hector felt her other hand gently glide to the underside of his jaw and eventually rest under his chin. Gently nudging him to look up at her and meet her gaze.
He met her. Doe eyes shining, like polished rubies, they sparkled with excitement as she finally unveiled what she planned for him all along, with a voice of suppressed excitement.
Part 3 of my One Shot. For the previous part click this URL.
The Sky accentuated with Orange and Purple hues as the sun set. Shadows of the cold Styrian mountain tops shifting with the receding light. Soon the bright hues were overtook by dark blue velvet as the moonlight pierced the clouds. The stars came alive, shimmering like diamonds.
Hector took one last look at the window before he returned to the forge. It was similar to the one he worked on, when he was a General in Dracula's Castle. It was a dark, enclosed circular room, with marble flooring, the lights of the candles ritualistically placed on the altar reflecting on the marble floor.
The candles being placed in the shape of a Pentagram. He glanced over to his right to see a pile of bodies placed on a cart. There were ten of them. Unfortunate Villagers preyed upon by Vampires, or mercenaries put to the sword once they've expended their usefulness. Ten somewhat intact bodies, Ten Night creatures.
He would get more bodies once the Military party returns after their scouting mission in a few nights. He adapted to the inverse schedule of the Vampires, sleeping in the day and working in the night. He had gotten used to it when he worked for Dracula.
He loaded one of the bodies on the alter. A rectangular slab of Blue marble, a circle with eight pointed lines jutting out was engraved in the middle, the crest of a devils forgemaster.
He braced himself and took a deep breath, clutching his hammer, which had the same crest on it's side. With intent, he struck on the altar. One strike, Two strikes, Three strikes, Metal met stone, and with each hit a melodious vibrato rose energetically from the impact, creating a long constant note that slowly dimmed into silence.
Before the metallic note faded completely away, a new hit was struck, a new note was born, meeting the end of the dying one, so the music was kept alive, the music of life being created from death.
Blue energy emanated around his body, swirling around him, the more he struck, the more the energy concentrated on his right arm, where he held his hammer, the energy glowed with intensity with each strike, until it finally coalesced into his hammer, producing a reverbating noise. At each hit, at each vibration, a new change appeared on the corpse, as the energy dissipated into it, limbs began to twitch to contort, the skin grew dark and thick, the limbs grew longer and muscular, a pair of horns adorned the head, claws grew on hands and feet.
The creature woke up after the last strike and roared loud and hot-tempered. It attempted to attack its master, but Hector skillfully dodged it. The Forgemaster easily mellowed the angered beast. All he did was rest his hand on the creature’s face, lock his eyes on the demon’s and it recognized its master. It became gentle, moved away with a low grunt.
It required human hands to bring the souls from hell and install them into bodies, and turn them into night creatures. Vampires could not do it. It was a human skill. It also required years of mastery and one could not simply do it with their bare hands. Forgemasters required a medium or a conduit to transfer their energy. A special tool, made from scratch, in a very particular way.
Hector was glad that he had the foresight to bring his Hammer along from Dracula's Castle when they landed at Brailla. Making a new one from scratch would simply consume precious time. He took a cleaning cloth and dipped it in the bucket of water that sat beside the Altar and cleaned whatever residue that was left after forging. Blood, guts and grime. He was rusty. But simply getting back into his element lightened his mood.
With the next body placed on the Altar, he struck again, he could feel himself easing into the process again, with each hit he began reflecting the events prior.
He braced, and hit the stone again. Every impact filled with retrospection on the events that led to his current state of affairs.
Ting
It had been a week since Lenore enslaved him. He remembered Lenore patiently explaining to him why she had to betray him, it was only when his panic attack subsided and he relaxed himself after the bath, during his stay her chambers that he truly heard what she was saying, She explained every detail, as many times it need be, patiently, while gently holding his hands. Hector loathed her touch during those tender hours.But at the same time, he couldn't help but love how her tender hands felt on his wrists.
"I'm really sorry Hector. But the rings are the only way I could protect you from my sisters. They insisted on torturing you until you came into the fold but I wouldn't have it. The rings are a tangible proof of your loyalty to us. Think of it this way, will Carmilla and the others believe you if I told them that you willingly swore your loyalty to me just because you liked me? The ring was the insurance that granted you your freedom in the castle"
It made sense. There was no trickery in her words as she gently rubbed her thumbs against his hands. As her ruby eyes twinkled.
Ting
She was right. He couldn't believe it but she was right. Carmilla hadn't laid a finger on him ever since. He was safe. He had freedom of the castle as Lenore promised. His life improved drastically. He mused.
But he could still feel the pangs of betrayal coursing through his chest. When she first put the ring on him. She should've been honest from the start! She shouldn't have lied to him!
Hector made her promise that she wouldn't force herself on him. That she wouldn't use the ring willingly, to cause him pain. Not that Lenore would do any of those but he needed some insurance from his end. And she obliged. For two nights she stayed mostly away from him as he made her promise, she didn't try to force any physical contact between them. She even arranged a separate bed, right beside hers' as assurance. She reassured that it was only a matter of time before his new quarters would be ready and he would soon move out.
As much as Hector appreciated it, sharing a chamber with a beautiful Vampire Queen posed more internal conflicts than the ones he thought he would face from the outside. Why doesn't he just simply give in? Why not simply make it easier for both of them?
Ting
He liked her. And she liked him back. What was there to do anymore? Why was he insisting on playing this losing game? He knew the power she has over him, with or without the ring. He knew she's just waiting it out, waiting for the smallest of cracks to rupture his conviction before she pounces, and she was good at it.
During those two nights he did everything in his power to not look at her, he tried distracting himself by drowning himself in the books she had in her chambers. But he couldn't understand any of the text, not because he couldn't read them but his mind was elsewhere. Her very presence was distracting.
The faint click-clack of Heels becoming stronger as they approached the door filled him with wantful anticipation, he hid it from her obviously, now that he was in enemy territory. He mustered every ounce of willpower to not look at her when she exited from her bath, wearing nothing but a simple bathrobe which failed in hiding her curves.
She tried making small talk with him, asking how his day went, or what book he was reading, he tried to answer her questions with as few words as possible, not meeting her gaze. But he could make out her sly smile from the corner of his eye. She usually left before he was served his meals by the servant she instructed, so he was thankful for that.
And it had only been five nights since he moved in to his new quarters and began forging. He felt relieved, he didn't know how much longer he could hold himself together in her chambers.
Ting
Now staying in his own little cottage brought a much needed lull in this little power play they had going on, enough to reinforce his resolve in not giving into her. He begrudgingly admitted, Lenore did deliver quality for his sake. It was one of the old outbuildings that fell into disrepair over the years and Lenore supervised the renovation meticulously. It was only a short walk away from the forge as Lenore cheerfully insisted Hector to not mingle his home life and worklife.
It had a bookshelf, a storage space downstairs that could be a pantry or a wine cellar as per his wish. A bathroom with a large tub for him to relax after a long night of forging and something called a shower cubicle as Lenore called it. His cottage also had an alcove with a desk, a few parchments, quills and a couple of ink chambers. A perfect reading space. He had a kitchen right beside it, Lenore saw to it that it was fully stocked, but it didn't stop her from visiting him with food backets, and at the centre, a very large bed as Lenore insisted, which would come in handy for her intended use.
The books were handpicked by Lenore herself. There were books on Necromancy, Occultism, Alchemy, subjects that were relevant for his trade. There were also books on Vampire Philosophy, similar to the one Lenore gave him during one of her visits to his cell. He didn't deny that he enjoyed reading them although his views on Vampires as a species witnessed a drastic turn because of recent events.
Ting
He likened Vampires to that of cats. A superior species compared to the pests that were Humans. The very race he belonged to. The very race that shunned him, condemned him and even tried to kill him on occasion just because of his gifts. His own parents loathed him. He remembered the horror on his mothers face when he brought an undead dog that he raised from the dead.
"I knew you were wrong the moment you came out of me!"
"You're no child of mine! You're an aberration of nature! God's punishment for our sins!"
Few of the many cruel words that his parents rained upon him. The mother and father that were supposed to love him, care for him and protect him, loathed him. They blamed him for every misfortune that befell them. Hector could still remember his own father hitting him with his belt when he caught him reading his old books of Alchemy. He remembered his mother's callousness as she stood by and watched as the belt rained down on her own son.
Ting
Even the entire Village looked at him wrong, eyes of indifference glared at him whenever he walked around the town. Parents wouldn't let their children near him, all of them could see the bruises. They saw where the belt struck, they just didn't care.
Therefore it was only natural for the boy take a liking to animals. Animals were pure, they had no ulterior motives, they offered him company, loyalty and love. They simply wanted to coexist with him and who was he to shun them away? Especially when the rest of the world offered nothing but cruel indifference. He used to raise dead animals wherever he found them, dogs, cats and other forest critters he stumbled upon. He breathed new life into them.
Alas the joy was only ephemeral when his father discovered them despite Hector's best attempts at hiding them. The man used to make him watch as he flung them into the fireplace. Watching them howl as they got consumed in flames. He used to hate himself for not giving them a proper second life. He could still remember the many dogs and cats he resurrected burn as his father made him watch.
He could only take the abuse for so long until something in him snapped. It was a warm summer day and under the guise of going into town Hector stepped out of the house. After scanning his surroundings for unwanted witnesses he gently nudged the door shut and slid a plank of wood into the handle bars to lock them from the outside.
Ting
He managed to learn a spell or two from his father's old Alchemy books and he put them to use. He set fire to the roof and watched it slowly engulf his home. He stayed there. He stayed to make sure that they perished. He could hear his mother desperately wailing for him to open the door.
But he did not move a muscle, he stayed there until the screams stopped and the watched whole structure that was once his childhood home collapse. He didn't feel relief, he felt nothing. He just felt a weight being lifted off of his shoulders as he discretely left his Village at Rhodes.
Leaving his birthplace clearly didn't make his life anymore better. Sure, he escaped the confines of his hellish homelife, but Hector became a drifter of sorts. Drifting from town to town. Not staying at a single place for too long, lest his abilities be discovered and he gets driven out by angry villagers with pitchforks and torches. At one point of time he even had a fire stake prepared for him.
Civilization doesn't befit him, Hector therefore lived in a small cottage near the borders of Wallachia. Away from roads frequently used by travellers and towns. Where he could live in peace and isolation. He still revived dead animals he often found, they provide good company. It was during those days that Hector met Vlad Dracula Tepes.
Ting
Dracula was travelling, as he put it. He took a human wife and sired a Dhamphir child with her. He wasn't anything like the stories described him. He wasn't some bloodthirsty monster who impaled his enemies on stakes and put them in front of his castle, all though the man did joke about how he ended that practice eons ago.
Dracula was just like him, he wanted to be left alone in peace, tired of violence, albeit he lived in a castle that could teleport to wherever he wanted. The man however chose to walk the earth like men do. To travel and see the state of the world. Something his wife, Lisa, wanted him to do. It wasn't only that which drew Hector to the man. Dracula was a man of science, he held reliquries of knowledge that was thought to be lost ages ago.
He still remembered the conversations he had with the man, about how one could harness energy through earth's metals to power things, he called it electricity. Dracula talked about how he uses electricity to power the lights and the various mechanisms in his castle. Lights made of cruved glass. Great machines with gears and cogs that operated the massive gates of his castle. He even invited him. Dracula enjoyed his talks with Hector. He talked about something as grand as converting the energy of the sun into a sustainable power source to something as mundane as organic farming.
To Hector, Dracula was a man who admired him, not only for his skills, but also for who he was, someone who just wanted peacefully coexist without needless violence. Dracula didn't loath him for his gifts, in fact he was fascinated, he treated Hector like a person throughout his stay in his cottage, he saw him as a friend.
Which was all the more reason why Hector accepted Dracula's request to lay waste and subjugate Humanity for what they did to his wife. He and Issac, another forgemaster Dracula met in his travels, forged an army of the night in the the year that followed to lay waste to Humanity, taking souls from hell and putting them in bodies and transform them into creatures of the night to do his master's bidding, cull is what Hector thought. Until she came.
Ting
Carmilla of Styria, one of the last Vampires to join Dracula's war council. Hector knew immediately that she was the wildcard in all of this. She could either help him streamline the war effort or cause further disarray amongst Draculas generals. The other Vampires in court were either wary of the Pale Skinned Woman or they resented her for her abrasiveness. But Hector throught she was the only reasonable one. He still remembered her seamless manipulation, pretending to be interested in his work, complimenting him for being the only reasonable person in Dracula's war council, making him join her side and betraying his master.
"Hector, you are a marvel"
"Brillaint Hector"
He now knew that his name in those words of hers were nothing but a placeholder. She was extolling herself, for her brilliant Manipulation. Hector wanted to be a conductor for Draculas wrath. He wanted a swift and methodological subjugation of humanity, and Carmilla took advantage of that. Her Pale Skin, her equally Pale Silky Hair and her Icy Blue eyes glistened in the moonlight as she slithered her way into his head, making him question his master's intentions.
"You really think Dracula would want Humanity to thrive? Even as livestock? Think Hector, they killed his wife, why would he want to leave any survivors?"
As much as he loathed his fellow humans, he still abhorred senseless violence, and the thought of his master lying to him, just to use his abilities formed fissures in his faith, which Carmilla took advantage of when she convinced him to influence his Dracula to transport the castle to Brailla.
"Taking Brailla will cut off the only escape routes the humans will have which is by running water. It'll corral them further inside the country as they seek refuge in the towns and cities that still stand, then we can proceed to systematically lay waste to each and every one of them"
She made logical sense. Cutting off the only escape route of the humans which is by running water, a major weakness to Vampires, will make them flee further inside the country. Dracula couldn't say no to that. Even Issac his fellow Forgemaster, who followed their master in a thin line between fanatism and zealotry couldn't say no.
The strategy was sound, much better than mindlessly rampaging through towns and cities. Or so he thought.
Ting
Dracula was betrayed at Brailla. Carmilla stationed her main forces there to take the castle by force. And the worst part, Hector was now inadvertently implicated in this treachery. But before a full scale broke out Dracula's Castle teleported in and out of existence as if someone was corraling it.
The aftermath of which led to Carmillas suffering casualties, and her attempted coup failing. It wasn't until long when he got chained up and got the shit beaten out of him by Carmilla, he still remembered her fists digging into his ribs as blood, his blood splattered on her pale skin. He remembered her taking a drop of his blood in her fingers and tasting it, humming in delight.
"You're my Pet now! My Pet Forgemaster"
Ting
His beaten and broken body was made to march till they reached Styria, his arms chained, with Carmilla leading him on her horse. They rested at dawn, and marched at night, her army still suffered casualties as they got picked off by rogue night creatures and angry villagers who caught them in the daylight.
With every loss she experienced, she vented her frustration on him, turning him into her personal punching bag. She even took his boots midway through the journey as they lost their horses to starvation and night creatures and thus had to walk, and heels were difficult to walk with on the snow. She even forgot to feed him, almost forgot that he was human. He got by with scraps of whatever food her gaurds threw at him after they got done raiding whatever Village they stopped by at night, gorging themselves off of the Villagers' blood. That was his routine for thirty days until they finally reached Castle Styria.
Only a few weeks passed since then, since he got imprisoned, since he began falling for another Vampire's tricks.
Ting
Lenore, she called herself, her long, waist length hair, a Fiery Blaze, her Doe Eyes twinkled like Rubies in the braziers of the dungeans, her porcelain skin and pink cheeks modestly hidden by the veil she was wearing, the veil she lifted when she approached his cell.
She was the Diplomat of the Quartet that ruled Styria, with Carmilla being the Queen, Morana being the Organizor and Striga being the Military Commander. She came to him bearing honeyed words and gifts, proper food, berries more specifically, he wasn't taking any chances this time around, so he seized his opportunity and tried to make run for it.
He seized her throat through the prison bars and banged her head against them when she got close enough to offer him a berry, he threatened to rip her fucking throat out if she didn't open his cell door.
Threatening a Vampire Queen in her own castle, when he was already beaten down and naked in a cell was probably not one of his brightest ideas. She transformed into a flock of pale bats and swarmed him, throwing him off gaurd and disorienting him. Until he felt an ice cold iron tight grip on his throat, tight enough to snap his neck, as the bats reformed into the redheaded Vampire again. She hissed, venomous rage clearly glinting in her ruby eyes.
"My fucking throat?"
She smirked, her voice had a suppressed rasp to it, she was trying to be a dignified lady even if she was livid, or so he thought, her fangs exposed and her eyes narrowed. She effortlessly flung him around the cell with one arm, she didn't retract her claws as she flung him up, causing skin-deep lacerations on his left shoulder as his head hit against the ceiling, he fell and felt his ribs bear the brunt of the warm damp floor of his cell, when he got back up again to face her she moved past him in lightning speed and struck him on his back with a well delivered roundhouse kick.
He went flying and hit his head on the bars of his cell, the very bars, the space of which he used to grab her throat. He gasped as his head started bleeding. She hoisted him up again and pinned him against the wall. She leaned closer to his face, he thought she was going in for a kiss, she in fact licked the blood near his lips that trailed from his bleeding head. Like Carmilla, she let out a satisfied hum and flung him to the floor one last time.
She walked over him, making sure to step on his belly as he lay to his side, just to make her point to not underestimate her again. She threw a blanket she brought over him as she approached the cell's bars, transforming into a cloud of mist, she gracefully exited outside.
"Well. Wasn't that fun!?"
She playfully chided, as if she didn't just savagely beat him around. She joined her hands and composed herself before she looked down on him.
"I'm a Diplomat Hector, I abhor violence, I make peace. Because of that people think that makes me weak. That I'm weak. I'm sure you won't make that mistake again"
He lay on the floor, half awake, his naked frame now covered in fresh wounds. His Silver hair, tangled on the floor, mixing with his blood.
"Fetch"
She threw a berry into the cell, it hit it's mark on his temple and landed in front of his face. He couldn't move an inch. His mind slipping away to sleep.
"Good boy"
She whispered, her red irises glared at him with intent. She left as calmly as she came.
Ting
She visited him again a few nights after, after his wounds somewhat healed, bringing him apples. She tossed one to him before she asked him questions.
"What would you like Hector?"
"Oh for God's sake. Let's just get it over with"
He spat back. He wanted nothing to do with this new Vampire Queen coming to him with honeyed words and gifts so that she could continue Carmilla's work. He was halfway munching through the fruit until she asked the question.
"What do you mean?"
She transfixed her eyes on him. Still holding her sly smile. Taking in on the sight before her. Hector sat on floor, leaning against the prison wall, the blanket she threw him a few nights prior modestly covered his manhood. She could still see the remnants of the thrashing she was forced to imbue on him. The wounds from her claws on his left shoulder nearly healed. He did not appear to have a concussion, and his right eye was no longer swollen.
Her eyes shifted from his wounds to other places now, on his lean tender frame, on his gruff silver locks that reached his shoulders, his chiseled chest still bearing some bruises from Carmilla's thrashing. His bronze complexion illuminating nicely in the lights of the torches outside the cell. He looked pliable. Most importantly, his eyes, Aquamarine Eyes glinting fiercely in the light. Despite being beaten down a dozen different times those eyes still reflected an iron clad resolve.
She liked this pretty human boy's resilience. But before she could further lose herself, she heard him answer, rather brazenly.
"I reckon you want me to use my Human Magic to make you a Night Creature army then?"
Hector answered unabashaedly, he dug his teeth into the fruit once more, Clearly losing his patience over the perceived feigned kindness of the Red Haired Vampire Princess. He finished the apple before she could further interrupt his snacking.
Her eyes glint with affirmation after that response, atleast he was on the same page as her. She threw another apple at him.
He hungrily munched away this one too as if there was no tommrow. Before Lenore came into the picture all he had to eat was maggoty bread thrown at him by the guards. It didn't seem like they were doing this out of malice. It was more of ignorance than anything. He was treated as an animal. He was referred to as it or that. He wasn't treated like a person.
The gaurds simply assumed that he was just some dumb livestock that could survive on the barest of sustenance, maggoty bread and a bucket of ice cold water splashed on once in a while. The taste of the apple was refreshing and revitalizing. It didn't seem quite bad now that he had someone actually refer to him by his name and see to it that he gets treated as a person, somewhat.
"Did that apple buy me another question?"
He stopped munching away, he swallowed what was already in his mouth and wiped his mouth with his unoccupied hand and took a deep breath.
"Alright, why not, ask away"
Lenore gave out a knowing smile, she also relished the swallowing noise he made as she eyed his throat, the muscles working to push the food down, she remembered how his blood tasted like, but now she was curious of how her fangs on his skin would feel, she had him right where she wanted him. She savoured this moment before she continued.
"What would you like Hector?"
"Shoes"
Hector, bluntly put it, wiggling his bare calloused foot that was out of the blanket she gave him the night prior.
Lenore let out a hearty chuckle, seemingly surprised by the mundane request the Human put out.
"But seriously. What do you want?"
"I want to be let out. Lenore"
"That we cannot do. We need your abilities, Hector. As you know, Carmilla has commenced her plans for conquest. To set up pens for mercy kills and if you'll forgive the word, humane feeding. We need you to forge us an army of Night Creatures for our plan to be fully implemented. I reckon this is the same plan that Dracula presented to you, yes?"
She sincerely stated, her voice, silky like the velvet of the night sky as she gestured towards him with her arm.
"Much the same"
Hector muttered under his breath. Now folding his arms and resting them on his knees as he brought the blanket a bit closer.
"Only he was lying"
"I didn't know that. I didn't know that until later"
He shot back. Despite agreeing to forge Night Creatures for Dracula to let them loose on humanity his end goal was still a cull. Controlled populations placed in pens. Not rampant massacres.
"Well, thats exactly our plan. Except we're not lying. We don't expect you to work for free too. Even for shoes"
"You're bribing me you mean"
He gave her a side eye. Not really on board with her words despite how convincing she makes them sound. Prior experiences with Vampires would do that to you. Vampires have remarkable hearing. They can tell when you're lying just by listening to your heartbeat. But since their hearts don't beat at all, one must tread into dangerous waters if they're to take their word.
Lenore finally let out a sigh of exasperation. How can one man be so stubborn? Especially one that is beaten down in a cell and is directly eating out from her palm.
"For God's sake we're paying you. I'm not saying that Carmilla brought you here on a cart full of feathers like a boy king. But she brought you back here alive. Ask yourself this Hector, would you've survived a day after that disaster at Brailla if Carmilla left you?"
He couldn't help but chuckle. Not at her question. But at the answer he was about give her. The anticipation forming a dry smile on his face.
"I still would've my boots"
Cheeky little bastard. She mused. She wasn't expecting that for an answer but atleast he knew how to play along.
"So you would've died with your boots on"
She smirked and gestured towards him. Her eyes now orangey red, violent flickering of the torches reflecting in her eyes.
Hector shot an amused smile, only for a moment. Until it dissapeared and his face brought forth a sombre look. His eyes shot a mournful glance at the floor away from her, he closed his eyes before meeting her gaze again.
"Dracula would've protected me. I know he would"
Lenore grimaced at his answer. How can he be so smart and stupid at the same time? Dracula protecting a human? Other than the Wife he failed to protect? Especially one who's implicated in his treachery. She crossed her arms and pouted away before she returned his gaze.
"Oh I'm sure. Even if he decided to kill every human on this earth when they killed his wife. You would of course be the last survivor of the Human race! And on the bright side once his genocide concluded I'm sure you could have your pick of any house you wanted. Makes perfect sense!"
Hector didn't know whether she chided him for his purported naivety with a hint sarcasm in reply or whether she was being dead serious. But before he could think of an answer he was taken aback by what she uttered next.
"Unless he was lying to you"
Ting
She was dead serious when she spoke. Her eyes, transfixed on him again. Silently challenging him to answer her call, her lips ever so lightly curled, forming a hint of a smile.
Hector didn't meet her gaze this time. He glanced at the floor. Trying his best to not show the visible shock at her words. He dished out the best answer he could muster. Matching the same seriousness of tone, but not meeting the same quality as her words.
"But what if you're lying to me"
This is easier than I thought. He's so pitiful it's adorable. He really is like a puppy. She meditated.
"Oh, I don't have to lie to you. I have no interest in faith. Faith makes for terrible diplomacy. This is simply commerce, we don't have to have faith in each other, do we? We don't have to guess. It's simple. There are rules. I give you something, you give me something."
She gestured towards him, then her with her dainty hand as she talked about both of them giving eachother something to come out of the deal happily. Her eyes, showing a slight twinkle as they rested gently on him as she talked about him giving her something in return. She gave an honest smile as she talked about her area of expertise.
Her words flowed like melted butter. All over him. The gears in his head turning, doing anything to come up with a passable Refutation. He won't deny that he was enjoying this banter. He just wasn't able to form a coherent thought now.
A moment passed by, there was no sound except the flickers of the braziers outside the cells. Lenore finally got up from her chair and was ready to conclude this visit before Hector interjected.
"You do know that when I forge a Night Creature they're only loyal to me right? They're bound to my command after all"
That's actually a fair point. Another one to add to the list of problems for her to solve.
"Well maybe we'll talk about that another time. Until then, I'll get you some shoes"
Unfazed by his question, she non chalantly slid her satchel over her shoulder again. Ready to leave. She looked at him. Her eyes glinting with satisfaction. She dissected his mind. She made him question his faith in Dracula, an obstruction to her goal in bringing him under thei- her fold.
"And what do I have to do for you in return?"
Another brazen question. But this time, he's asking her what she wants him to do instead. She leans in to his inquiry.
"Talk to me some more"
A simple answer. But one with infinite possibilities as she gestured to him with her dainty hand.
"About what?"
Dumbfounded, he nervously chuckled at her, he didn't know where this was leading to, and he didn't know what else was he to divulge to his visitor. He wanted her guidance, afraid that if he didn't ask her then his faith would be tested again. His faith in Dracula already shaken, he didn't want his other convictions to be put to the test.
"Anything you like. I like the sound of your voice. You're interesting. I mean look at you, beaten down a dozen different times yet you still won't give up on yourself. Its....nice"
Was her simple answer. She cocked her head at him with an expectant smile, indicating she wanted more of what transpired tonight. But for Hector, his mind spiraled out of control. It was like tug of war.
A part of him warned that this was another one of Carmilla's tricks, sending her sister down to sweet talk him into submission, knowing that her thrashing would prove to be of no use, but the other part of wanted this to be genuine. That he finally had someone to care for him, to treat him right within her own reasonable jurisdiction. He hoped that one of the parts would be silenced for eternity after whatever happens next. Which is when the click-clack of her heels stopped midway.
"I can't promise you a nice pair though"
"As long as they have no holes"
He chuckled. Hoping she would get the sarcasm.
"Oh so now you're a fucking aristocrat?"
Her voice quivered at the last part. Clearly suppressing a chuckle behind that false accusatory tone. He heard the click-clack of Heels continue and eventually fade out. Hector smiled.
What is he getting himself into?
Ting
Lenore led Hector back to the prison, Hector turned to the right, the direction of his now old cell. She smiled to herself as she tugged the leash.
"No. This way"
It was only a short walk to his new, upgraded cell. She mused how he would find his new living arrangements. The walk around the castle went well, she gave him some clothes to cover up, shoes as she promised in her prior visit, she'd have him exactly where she wanted him if this went well too.
"New cell. In you go"
Unlike a stray dog answering the beckoning of his master, he ventured into his new living quarters.
The look of bewilderment couldn't go unnoticed on his face.
"Is this is trick? Am I dreaming?"
This new cell was much bigger than the old one. It had a desk, with a book handpicked by Lenore herself, on the table. There was a something of a makeshift bed, the bed in question being a bundle of straws with a pillow. It wasn't much but it was a drastic improvement from anything he had experienced lately.
He couldn't help but smile. His eyes glinting with the appreciation for his now quarters.
Good, this seemed to elevate his spirits.
Lenore glanced over the bed, making a mental note of bringing a quilt with her on next visit. Otherwise she wouldn't be comfortable.
"I thought you might want to read," she opened her hand and the leash fell as she stepped outside, the gaurd closed the doors, separating the two of them. "Pass your lead through," her arm extended.
Hector took the lead up from the ground and looked at it suspiciously, no suspicious was not the right word, the poor boy was confused. She could not blame after all the excitment he experienced today. It was a long walk, and he was on his best behaviour and now was getting all these new surprises.
Hector nervously took a few steps forward, as he passed the lead through the prison bars, extending his hand. Lenore pulled the leash from his hand, making him take a few more steps forward as she gently nudged it down, until Hector got low enough to match her level, his head directly pressing against the bars.
Hector's eyes followed her hand as it moved to his neck. Fiddling with the collar. Lenore could hear his heart thumping, his body getting more heated up.
I better play with the clasp for little longer
She leaned forward as she fiddled with the clasp of the collar. Hectors eyes watched her every move. His breath steady. She finally undid the clasp as it stayed on her hand. But then, she moved close, very close.
"There. Good boy"
Lenore pulled away, her lips almost brushing his. Lenore could hear his heart thumping. Blood started rushing to his Dick. The poor boy's expression was priceless. A bewildered expression draw on his face, as he thought whether she was leaning in for a kiss or not. He truly was helpless. He just needed someone to guide him.
"The book," she pointed towards the desk, but did not stray her gaze from him," by the way is about Vampire Magic. Given your profession I hope you'll find it enjoyable"
"Uh, Thank you"
Hector was bewildered by the contents of the book. He never was the type to put forward his interests. He always expected to give and give and never expect anything in return. Carmilla's treatment after brailla only reinforced that conditioning. Lenore had to double down and undo what her sister and her in particular was forced to inflict. She can make him want again. The mere thought of someone caring for him did wonders to his compliance, just a small tinge of positive conditioning made him all the more pliable than Carmilla's thrashing ever could.
"Thank you very much"
So polite. He's a learning pretty quickly
"Can I visit you tommorow night again?"
Of course she can. She's part of the ruling Quartet of Castle Styria. She can visit him whenever she pleases. But right now, he needs a little coaxing. He needs to feel that he's being courted by her.
"Uhm...yes, of course". He innocently smiled as he answered. His sweet expression was too much for her to bear. He was easy on the eyes too. She smiled in return.
"Thank you" she softly looked into his eyes, "Good Night. Dream well"
As Lenore left the cell, she heard him let out a sigh. She smiled to herself.
Getting him to swear his loyalty to her would be a mere trifle. Come tommorow night and he'll be completely hers. But the real part was her assessing his trainability. That would come after what she planned for him tommorow night.
Ting
He was busy acclimating to his new quarters. Drowning himself in the book Lenore gave him. His mind giddy with anticipation for her next visit. Before he could muse any longer he could pick up a faint yet familiar scent. His ears perked up as they made out the faint click-clack of Heels coming down the hallway. Ecstatic was not enough to describe what he was feeling right now.
"Has the night fallen already?" He asked. He couldn't contain the smile as he watched the familiar redheaded figure enter his cell, locking it again.
That's odd. It's usually the gaurd's job to open the cell for her. And there weren't any guards at this moment. And what is that quilt that she brought with her.
He mused
"You didn't hear me enter" She stated calmly.
"No. You have a scent. Like Jasmine and Wine," He confessed.
His tone was relaxed and friendly. He no longer quivered when she was around. His gesture for her to join him in his cell was more than enough proof that he was at ease around her. It was a fantastic sign.
"Good Book?"
Her voice was silky, like fine wine as she inquired, gesturing towards one of the pages. He admired her delicate dainty hand as it glid over the page. He wanted nothing but hold it in his hand. Intertwinning their fingers. But before he could let his little fantasy lead him astray he noticed something he didn't see on her before.
"I didn't notice that on you before"
"Really?" Her voice showing utter surprise. She knew he had noticed every other thing about her before. Even if he tried his best in not showing it. "We all wear them"
"All?"
"The four of us- Carmilla, Morana, Striga and I"
Hector found this amusing enough to let out a crackle, even if he found it odd.
Can't believe I actually surpassed the word limit of this one. Click this Link for the continuation folks!
This is Part-2 of this one shot that I wrote few months ago.
The GIF does not belong to me
I took inspiration from several Lenector Fics that I gobbled up. But most of this work is of my own brain worms.
Hope you guys enjoy this!
To read the next part
"I made you into my Pet!"
He stopped thinking, as it only made it worse. All he remembered of that dreadful walk was the clack of his boots on the marble floor. Not the flickers of the torches on the icy corridor, not the winter wind hitting the opening of his shirt, with piercing cold. He willfully dissociated from the world around him, he couldn't concentrate on anything, he couldn't focus his vision on anything but the marble floor he was walking on. He did everything in his power to not lift his gaze and see her.
Lenore gently tugged his arm as she led him, she knew she had her work cut out for her, but she accepted the challenge. She heard his steady breath behind her. His heartbeat, returning to normalcy. The quivers of his muscles subsiding. She knew her touch was the last thing he wants right now, but it was the only thing that helped him get back on his feet. After what seemed like an eternity of twisting and turning in what appeared like a labyrinth she finally stopped.
Hector realised they had stopped once he began to hear only one set of footsteps, his. He finally lifted his gaze off of the icy marble floor and rested it on an 8 foot tall mahogany double door, with intricate floral carvings.
Lenore pushed her small delicate right hand through, revealing a furnished bedroom with a red carpet. It was half the size of the council room they just left from. It was a classic set up, in the center, a large king sized bed with black velvet sheets proudly stood besides a desk and dressir. The desk had a few parchments lying on it with a quill stand and an ink chamber. No doubt, thats where she writes her diplomatic letters. The large window to the right displayed the room’s content to the icy mountains of Styria. Through the corner, away from the crowd, stood an inconspicuous corridor that lead to the bathroom. A simple steel chandelier hung from the ceiling, reflecting its cold flames against the marble floor. A red velvet carpet covered most of the floor, reflecting the night and the blood.
"I'm afraid your chambers will take a day or two to finish. The mason is a talented man but I want to make sure that you're given quality. So I guess I'll be keeping you in here, in my chambers for the time being"
She put it so non chalantly as she let go of his hand to rummage through the dresser. She took several different tunics and assessed them. She gave a satisfactory hum as she found one that seemed to meet her liking.
"There!"
She presented a simple Blue Tunic, woven of silk.
"This will bring out the color of your eyes!"
Nothing, he was still too dazed to even acknowledge the happenings around him.
"Hello, Pretty boy? What's going on in that silly little head of yours?"
Lenore cheerfully chided him. It was at that moment that Hector returned to reality. Everything materialised and he noticed her holding the tunic in front of him. It became painfully aware to him that he was now in her chambers.
"Now now Hector, you don't expect me to dress you up now? Do you?"
She hithered, a wink followed at the end of her sentence. Her cheeky smile showing a hint of fang. She couldn't help with her sultry tone throughout.
"I don't want anything from you"
He muttered under his breath. Doing everything he can to defy her whims. Even if they were for his benefit.
"Nonsense! This tunic is of fine silk. It's far more comfortable and better than the rags that you've been wearing until now. It'll even help keep you warm in our walks!"
She was taken aback. She was hoping a change of scenery and new clothes would loosen him up but clearly that wasn't the case.
"I don't know Lenore. It's not like I have a say in the matter, now that I'm your slave!"
He grumbled. Arms now crossed and eyes dangerously narrowed. There wasn't necessarily venom behind those words. Just exhaustion.
At this, she sighed, she set the tunic aside, gently placing it on the desk and crossed her arms. Crossing her arms, she pouted. Her eyes, narrowed, indicating tiredness but at the same time they had an understanding glare, there was no hint of irritation, or anger. She relaxed herself and smiled again. Resting her arm on the chair of the desk.
She had her work cut out for her when it came to him. She reminded herself. But she'll be patient. And she'll make him understand.
"You're not my Slave Hector! You're my Pet ! They're two different positions. As my pet I'll take care of you. I'll protect you from Carmilla's wrath. I'll shower you with my affections and I'll be your voice in front of my Sisters. And I already told you. Your chambers will be ready soon and you'll also have the freedom of the castle!"
She calmly and methodically put it as she gently gestured towards him with her arm. She didn't hide her smile when she mentioned about showering him with her affections which was accentuatated with the blush on her porcelain cheeks. The twinkle in her ember eyes strengthened as she talked about it, with a warm, pleading looking in her eyes, beckoning him to see the positives.
"I don't care about that Lenore! I trusted you! I pledged my life away to you! I thought you wanted to run away with me! You took my trust and spat it back on my face!"
He growled, his voice, husky. Clear
Venom was imbued on those words of his this time. Hector suppressed the urge to execute every conceivable act of defiance, just to spite her. He thought of attacking her again like the time when she first visited his cell bearing gifts of peace. He hoped that she would overpower him like last time and accidentally kill him in the process. Or even better, He thought of running out of her room and jumping out of the corridor, into the stone cold courtyard below. Dying would be certainly preferable than losing what little remained of his dignity. Little by little he gave in to those urges. The sweet release from his dehumanizing servitude sweetened it's allure with each passing moment.
But before he could pour actual intent to his thoughts he could feel a slight buzzing on his finger. The finger where the ring rested. It started to tingle. Burn even. Lenore's voice from the council room echoed.
"These rings are linked, you wear them and his creatures will be loyal to you too. And if he ever tries to harm us, take the ring off or tries to run away the ring will cause him so much pain that he would think he shat out his own heart"
He knew then and there that even his own death won't happen on his terms. She controlled everything in the end. She gets to decide when he would die. She gets to dictate his life from now on. He was stuck in a gilded cage.
A defeated exhale left his mouth as he resigned himself. It was over. She enslaved every aspect of his life, from the way he would live, his death and even the most intimate aspect, the one thing that defined him, his forging. He collapsed on his knees again, but this time on the soft carpet instead of the painfully cold icy marble floor. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he clutched his head.
"Hector!"
Lenore glid over to him, not making a sound. She bent down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders once again as she tugged them towards her. Bringing his head to her chest.
She couldn't bear to see him like this. She knew he was hurting, she knew she was the cause of it. But there was no other way to secure his life. It was the only way she could make sure to keep him safe as well as placate her sisters' wrath, especially Carmilla. They needed tangible proof of his loyalty to the Styrian cause. And the rings were the only way. She gently caressed his silver hair. As she properly took in the state this poor boy was in. He needed someone to care for him, to guide him.
His tense frame began to relax. The aching muslces began to loosen up. He was leaning into her touch. How he hated it.
This woman is the source of your damnation damnit!
But she also felt so good. So so good.
Her tender touch soothed the ache of his heart. Her embrace made him feel safe. Feel wanted.
But before Lenore could ponder over the next course of action to take she heard him grunt and felt his body jerk away from her touch.
He took a step back, breathing hardly. Clear disgust displayed on his face as he defiantly grimaced. He steeled himself yet again.
"No...not again"
A hoarse whisper escaped his lips as he fought back the tears. His ironclad resolve bringing about a second wind to his body. That resilience of his was one of the qualities she admired in Hector. No normal man would've survived the hell Carmilla put him through, making him march 800 miles from Brailla to Styria, for a month when Winter was at its peak.
He was Carmilla's personal punching bag, a medium for her to blow off some steam after her failed coup on Dracula. The very Dracula whom Hector served. And not simply serve, he was one of the two humans, two Forgemasters, whom Dracula made his close confidants, his trusted human generals to organize the war effort on their own kind, the very kind that ostracized them and turned them into outcasts, Dracula sought their counsel and help once he decided that humanity had no valid reason to exist after they killed his human wife.
Carmilla managed to persuade Hector to see reason. The Old man had gone mad, he lied to Hector, he wasn't simply going to cull the Human race and put the survivors in pens as he promised the naive boy, He was going to purge them all.
"Hector please-"
"No!"
He spat back. He was at his wits end and if this went on any longer, he would give out. His shoulders rising and falling with each weary breath. His Silver locks swaying with each breath as they framed his face. Aquamarine Eyes glinting from the torches in her chambers.There was grace in every movement of his. Even when he was at his worst, even when he was beaten down and naked in the cell. Even when he was inside her. He looked graceful. Lenore mused.
"You're all the same! You and Carmilla, you come bearing false gifts of peace. You talk about how you're looking out for me with your kind words only to plunge the dagger from behind once I've expended my usefulness!"
The Bloody Audacity. She thought.
As much as she loved her sister, Lenore always abhorred violence. She refused to accept that dominance and subjugation is the solution to every problem. She prided herself in her diplomacy. Getting their rivals under the fold without senseless violence was one of her many accomplishments as the Diplomat of the quartet. Unlike Carmilla, Lenore doesn't believe in violence, she believes in commerce. You get something I get something and we both leave happy. There's a degree of compromise involved as neither of the parties get what they want but there's also the satisfaction.
For her, Violence was always a last resort. Yes, she beat Hector during her first visit to his cell, but that was only out of retaliation. He attacked her first, grabbing her throat, threatening to rip it out if she didn't let him go. But there was no malice behind his actions, it was more akin to a skittled puppy lashing out of fear than anything. A wounded animal frantically trying to save itself. If only Carmilla didn't beat the shit out of him and made him march 800 miles, chained up and without his boots, if only her sister tried to reason with the man again and gave him a purpose to work for them. Things would've been different. That's how it always is. Carmilla loses her temper and Lenore has to implement damage control.
She convinced Hector that what they're doing is exactly what he thought Dracula promised him, a cull. Conquering the region between Styria and Brailla and fortifying their new empire and securing the livestock. The plan guaranteed their safety for centuries to come but they didn't have the man power to execute it yet. Their army dealt severe casualties during the siege at Brailla. Things were going as per their plan until an outside party teleported Dracula's castle away and killed him themselves. Dracula was dead, and the vacuum that his death caused in the Vampire power structure was too good to be passed up. Hector's army of night creatures will help secure their expanded empire, or greater
Styria as Carmilla calls it. She convinced him of their plan. Now she must convince him that his current position is for his own good, that this is what he truly needed. She didn't lie when she said she liked him. She does. But she's loyal to her sisters first and foremost. But once she brings Hector into her fold he'll be hers. Her own little slice of cake for an eternity to enjoy for. But for that she must put in the work.
She knew that Hector, as he is right now won't be able to listen to reason. A plan already forming in her mind.
"Alright Hector, I understand that you're in no state to listen to what I've to say. I can't blame you.
As much as I would like to spend the entire night, to stay by your side and ease you into it I can't. I have urgent matters to attend to to. So in the meantime, please make yourself at home. There's the corridor leading to the bath. I can't have you in this miserable condition, now that you're under my care. There's the tunic I selected for you on the dresser. If you don't like it then please choose your pick from the collection. I'll have a servant bring you proper food, god's you must be starving. There are books here that you might like. I probably won't be back until sunrise. So please, make yourself comfortable and get ample rest in the meantime. We'll talk once you're in a better state of mind"
She gave a reassuring smile, there was not a single hint of exasperation behind those ruby irises. She was being genuine. Her small delicate hand pushed through the huge Mahogany door again and she ventured out. The click-clack of her heels fading out.
Hector let out a breath of relief. He didn't know how much more he could take it. To breath the same air as that woman. To share the same space as her. But he was more disgusted of the fact that he was upset when she left. But he tried his best in hiding it. He knew if he didn't then she would know she still had some leverage over his heart. She had his forging skills, but he will never come to her willingly.
He won't offer himself to her like he did in that cell. He would forge away night creatures to the quartet's content, to her content, but he will never give her the satisfaction of seeing him like she did in that cell.
But she did make sense, he was dirty and exhausted. He swatted some grime that collected on his temples with his arm. He sure could use a bath. Part of him wanted to spite her and sleep on the floor, unwashed. Like a disobedient dog. But he was too tired for anymore theatrics. If he were to live in this gilded cage, he might as well allow himself a few basic comforts. Just a few.
No more and no less. He didn't want to give her the idea that he was starting to lean into her affections. Because in his heart he knew that this was a battle of attrition, and he was dealt with the short end of the stick.
