Reese Ch. 01

"Vangie... I have certain appetites that you may have issues with. There are other issues as well, but the one that concerns me right now is the one that you are proposing. I don't deny that I find you very appealing and the thought of you in my bed makes my heart race, but..."

"Tell me what you like," Vangie interrupted and then covered her mouth. "I... I'm sorry!"

"No need for apologies" Donatello assured her. "I told you that you are a free woman. But let me ask you this; are you certain that you want to hear what I prefer in and out of bed?"

After a brief hesitation, Vangie nodded her head yes.

"I am into control" Donatello told her carefully watching her reaction. "What I mean is that I dictate what happens in and out of the bedroom. For instance, if I were to tell you to stop what you were doing and to suck my cock, I would expect immediate compliance. If you don't comply, punishment will be administered. If I tell you that I want you to walk around the house nude, I would expect that you do so. I expect and like for things to be done in a certain way. For instance, I have a certain way in which I like my cock to be sucked- you would have to learn that amongst other things. Do you understand what I'm saying? You would be a slave of a different type- you would be at the mercy of my sexual whims. If you agree to this, then you would live with me as my slave and you will not be mistreated in any way."

Vangie didn't speak for a long time. She was examining her options. Donatello told her that she could stay in France as a free woman, but what would she do? She had no real skills to speak of other than picking cotton and she couldn't stay with him without paying him somehow. She was no stranger to sex; her owner had sampled her wares many times and made her do things that his wife wouldn't do. He had been the one to take her virginity. It was only the grace of god that there had been no child.

"Will you hit me?" she asked.

"My dear, there are many ways to punish someone without laying a hand on them," Donatello told her. "But if the situation warranted it, yes I would paddle you. I think that you need time to consider our discussion. I will tell you other things once I have your answer."

That conversation took place in 1863. It was so long ago, but it was as fresh as if it had just happened. Several months after Vangie agreed to be Donatello's willing bed partner; he told her what he was and presented her options to her.

"You can either stay human, die a natural death or you can become immortal and stay with me forever as my slave. I must tell you that there is a chance that my true mate may come along and we will need to make other arrangements. I've been in existence since the thirteen hundreds and I have yet to run into her. For all I know, you may be her..."

Vangie squeezed her eyes shut trying to forget that part of the conversation. Donatello was hers and hers alone and she would kill anyone who tried to take him. She jumped, gasped and then moaned in pleasure when she felt Donatello's fingers pinching and rolling her nipples. She squeezed her thighs tighter trapping his cock between her legs as she began to rock back and forth on it.

Something between them had just changed.

Hours later, as she dozed, she heard Donatello murmuring in his rest. As always, it had a panicked quality to it. He was speaking Italian to someone, but he was talking too fast for her to understand what he was saying. She turned over and saw tears running down the sides of his face and frowned. He had had nightmares before, but they hadn't been this bad. The panic was turning into full-fledged terror and anger and then... resignation and then finally relief.

"Donatello?" She called softly hoping that he would hear her. "Wake up; you're having a bad dream."

Instead of waking, Donatello grabbed her, crushed her into his chest and kissed her. He had kissed her before, but this was different. The other kisses were a part of their lovemaking, but this kiss... it felt as if he was claiming her. Vangie wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss offering him her tongue. Donatello accepted it sucking on it greedily as he pulled her even closer to him.

With his eyes still closed, Donatello rolled onto his back pulling Vangie so that she lay on top of him. Just as he was about to enter her, he changed his mind and rolled so that she was beneath him.

"Nessuno vi permettera' di farti del male- I will let no one hurt you," he breathed in her ear over and over. "Vi terro sicuro- I will keep you safe," he said as he slid into her.

For a moment, Vangie thought that he was talking about someone else, but when she looked up at him, he was awake and looking into her face. His tears had dried and his eyes were filled with love and desire. Even so, he didn't say the words; but she felt it. In that moment, she understood. Even if he never said the words, she knew and realized that he knew too.

They spent the morning in bed, not sleeping. Donatello pleasured her until she begged him to stop. She fell asleep in his arms exhausted and fully sated. Donatello kissed her forehead and snuggled her closer. Their relationship would always be as it was with one exception-he had finally accepted her for what she was, what she had always been: his mate.

Donatello slipped out of bed just before dusk moving slowly so that he didn't wake her. He knew that she was curious about the change in their relationship, but she wouldn't ask. She would wait until he told her, but he wasn't sure that he ever would.

As he walked past his laptop, he saw the alert that one of his opponents had taken their turn in the chess room. He played many people with varying skill levels, but there was one person in particular that he enjoyed playing. It was because of this player that he continued going to the site. He was about to give up on playing against anyone that was close to his skill level when 'Dragonfire1313' logged in. He knew who it was because of the moves that were made. He had no idea of whether it was a male or female, and he didn't care but if he had to guess; he would say that it was a male.

The first thing that he noticed when they began playing was that the chat was option was off. He had no issues with that. Privacy was at the top of his list of priorities. His computer security system was so advanced that there was no way that someone could get in and if they did, the system would shut down. The security system on Vangie's laptop was just as tight; it had to be especially now that he had claimed her. He made a mental note to run a check on her laptop. She attended online classes and sometimes had to download information from various sites if what she needed wasn't in their library. To date there hadn't been any problems, but one couldn't be too careful.

Donatello glanced over at Vangie and smiled. She normally would have been up long before now to make breakfast, but he had worn her out. Because he trusted no one, they had no servants. He went to the kitchen and began to prepare their evening meal. It was something that he did on occasion and actually enjoyed doing. If Vangie was in bed when it was done, he would serve her in bed- another surprise. It was his way of thanking her for staying with him and of letting her know that he didn't take her for granted.

He knew that others of his kind were needlessly cruel to those who offered to serve them and for that reason; he didn't go to any of the gatherings. In fact, they never stayed in one place long enough to get to know anyone and if they were in a place long enough, they kept to themselves. Again it was a safety issue. As far as his need for blood went, he went and got it himself instead of having it delivered. He knew that he was being paranoid, but after what happened...

"It smells good down here," Vangie said coming up from behind him and wrapping her arms around him.

"Ahhh, the sleeping beauty awakes. Please, sit down. It will soon be ready," Donatello said as he stroked her hands.

Vangie sat down at the table without asking questions. She sat with her hands in her lap and watched Donatello as he moved around the kitchen. She listened to him as he hummed a song from his favorite opera 'Aida' as he took the cheese quiche from the oven and sat it on the counter to cool. She admired the way that he moved with ease around the kitchen. She knew that if they were human, she would be accused of being a gold digger. Donatello was almost fifty-five in human years. She had been barely twenty-two when he found her. Still, he was a handsome man with his dark hair that was streaked with white and piercing gray eyes. He wasn't particularly tall, but to Vangie he seemed that way because she was short and petite.

"I hope that you are hungry" he said as he took out a bowl of freshly chopped fruit.

"I am" Vangie replied with a smile.

It was always a treat when Donatello waited on her as he was now doing. She knew that she was fortunate that she was with him. She had once asked him why they didn't go to the gatherings that he had mentioned in passing. His answer had chilled her.

**

"I went to one once," he said. "It is no place for one such as you. The treatment that was meted out was horrendous. The offering of one's slave to another owner was rampant- the depths of depravity... I could and would never do that to you. You are mine and mine alone."

"Was it that horrible?"

"It was worse than... I witnessed the death of a sex slave. Her owner sat back and watched as she was whipped to death by another owner. Her infraction was that she had refused to participate in a show. She begged her owner to save her, but he did nothing. In fact, he gave the other owner permission to punish her but failed to set limits."

"She was human?" Vangie asked.

"Yes she was human, but that doesn't excuse the way in which she was treated. I never went to another gathering after that."

"How long ago was this?"

"Long before you were born," Donatello replied vaguely.

After that conversation, Vangie never asked about going to another gathering. She didn't think that she could sit idly by while someone was being mistreated and she didn't think that she could stand to be touched by anyone other than Donatello. She also had the feeling that there was much more to the story than he was saying.

**

"Dinner is served!" Donatello announced as he sat a plate laden with fresh fruit and quiche in front of her. "What are you planning to work on tonight?" he asked as he sat down with his plate of food.

"I think I'll work on my Theology dissertation. I already know what you'll be doing."

"And what is that?" he asked taking a bite of the quiche.

"Playing chess" Vangie replied. "I heard your laptop ding- who do you think took their turn?"

"I hope that it is Dragon1313, but I am sure that several of the others have made their moves."

He had tried to teach Vangie how to play chess, but she didn't enjoy it. It simply made no sense to her. He could have insisted, but then where would the pleasure have been in that? He now understood that he gave her as much leeway as he did because he loved her. Even so, he would punish her if the need arose, but that would have nothing to do with how he felt about her.

"How is the dissertation coming?" he asked.

"Slowly, but it will be finished by the deadline. Dinner is delicious, thank you."

"You're welcome." Donatello replied with a smile that reached his gray eyes. "Before you log on tonight, I would like to run a security sweep over your laptop."

"Alright" Vangie said not questioning him. She vividly remembered the one time that she questioned something that Donatello wanted. It was the first and last time that she ever questioned him without permission. In retrospect, she realized that she had forgotten what their relationship was. It was a mistake that she didn't intend to repeat.

**

They had been living in Greece for almost six months when Donatello came home from feeding. He was agitated and visibly upset about something. He was speaking Italian as he frantically paced the sitting room. She watched him not sure of what to say or do and decided to wait. Finally, he calmed down enough to realize that she was in the room.

"We are leaving" he said. "Pack a few things and meet me by the front door."

"But I like it here, why are we leaving?" She asked without thinking.

Before she knew what was happening, Donatello was standing in front of her and had lifted her off the floor by her arms.

"You will do as I say!" he screamed at her as he shook her so hard that her teeth rattled. "Do you understand me? You are never to question me!"

Still holding her by her arms, he carried her to a chair and turned her over his knee. He proceeded to hit her on her ass so hard that it took her breath away. She couldn't even scream the pain was that intense. When he was through, he pushed her off his lap and glared at her; daring her to hesitate in obeying him.

Afterwards when they were in the carriage, he took her into his arms and held her. She was still shaking and in shock from the harsh spanking. For the first time since meeting him, she was afraid.

"I am... I am so sorry" he breathed against her ear. "There is no excuse for how I treated you. You questioned me which was punishable, but not like that. You did not deserve what I did to you. You have my word that I will never touch you in anger again. Please-forgive me."

She flinched when he gently turned her over in his lap. She cried out when he touched her ass that she knew had to have the imprint of his hand on it.

"Shhh... I'm not going to hurt you," he crooned as he began a slow massage of her back that slowly moved down to her ass. "I swear to never hurt you like that again."

After a while, the pain in her ass faded; but she was still sore. When she finally had a chance to examine herself, it was as she had suspected; there was an imprint of Donatello's hand on her ass. True to his word, he had never hit her again unless she asked to be paddled, but she never found out what happened that had set him into such a panic.

**

"Vangie?"

"Yes?"

"I asked if you were alright." Donatello asked his voice concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry; I was just thinking."

"Alright, but please pay attention when I am speaking to you," he said his tone firm.

"Yes Donatello, would you please repeat what you said?"

"I was saying that it is time we started thinking about moving. We have been here for almost a year."

"Where are we going?"

"I thought that I would let you choose this time" Donatello said smiling.

"Really? I get to choose?" Vangie asked shocked.

"Yes my darling, you get to choose."

"How long do I have to make my choice?" Vangie asked her voice filled with excitement. She had never chosen before. Donatello just said where they were going, she packed and they left.

"A month so there is time."

"I really get to choose this time?" Vangie asked still not quite believing it.

"Yes darling, anywhere you would like to go with the exception of one place."

After dinner, Vangie cleaned up the kitchen while Donatello ran the security sweeps on their laptops. He was finished by the time she was done in the kitchen. He had already set her laptop up next to his so that she could write while he played chess. He patted the chair next to his and kissed her when she sat down.

A few minutes later, each of them was involved in their separate activities.

***

Reese breathed a sigh of relief when dusk finally arrived. He had taken his turn against his opponent 'Magician1863' and had checked his email one last time for a message from Dante. To his surprise, there was one.

"Reese, I don't know where you are, but one of your remaining seven is in Florida- Sarasota to be exact. Word has it that he just got there and will be in the area for a while. Don't get mad, but I found the information out through a little pillow talk. The informant has no idea of who we are and was quite willing to tell me what he knew- yes it was another vampire. We've been looking for these guys for a long time without any real success so I thought that we could use a little help. And who knows? Maybe Paolo Rossi can lead you to some of the others. You know where I am if you need me- actually, I'm moving so either contact me via our link or email me. I've also changed my cell phone number and it might be a good idea for you to change yours too. My new number is 555- 839- 1862. I'm heading out the door as soon as I send this email.

Later,

Dante"

Reese reread the email. Paolo Rossi. He closed his eyes and conjured up the face that went with the name. He could still see the small, thin Italian senator as he rode by in his carriage stuffing his face while starving people watched him. But that wasn't why he wanted him dead.

***

Messina, Italy 1347

Giovanni Barresi/Reese walked home from a long day of breaking rocks. His body ached beyond belief and his stomach growled with hunger. He felt for the few coins in his pocket hoping that it would be enough money to buy a small loaf of bread to supplement what he knew would be a meager supper. Money was hard to come by and he counted himself fortunate that he found a few coins lying on the dusty road. He smiled as he imagined the smile on Angelica's face when he walked in with the unexpected treat. It would be a welcome change from the usual hard bread that they usually had.

He wondered if he didn't have enough money to buy a small piece of meat instead of the bread. He couldn't remember the last time that they had meat in the thin vegetable soup that they ate for each meal. His mouth watered at the thought of tasting a bit of meat. Surely he had enough money to buy a bit of fat even if he couldn't buy the meat itself, even the flavor of meat would be heavenly. He had been so intent on his thoughts that he wasn't as careful as he usually was. The next thing he knew, he felt the lash of a whip across his arm.

"Watch where you're going you imbecile!" A voice boomed.

He howled in pain and looked up. There was Paolo Rossi sitting in his carriage glaring at him. The wielder of the whip was one of Rossi's guards. Giovanni/Reese bowed his head and asked pardon for interfering with the progress of the senator.

Paolo wasn't hearing it.

"Arrest him!"

"But... But... I apologize!"

Giovanni's words went unheeded as he was dragged away. It was in the dungeons that he first realized that there was a sickness. There were several bodies that didn't look normal even if they had been there for a while. He noticed the swollen necks and wondered what could have caused it.

"They died in about a week," someone offered when they saw him staring at the bodies.

"What caused it?" Giovanni asked.

"Who knows? But one of them was sick when he got here. He came from one of those ships, got drunk and ended up here. It wasn't long before others got sick. Even some of the guards have it."

"What is it?" Giovanni asked becoming alarmed.

"We don't know," someone said. "We only know that it kills."

Giovanni looked around him and saw that many of the prisoners were ill. Most of them were feverish and had the swollen necks. Suddenly, he feared for the safety of his family. He stood up, went to the front of the cell and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Let me out of here! Please!"

"Save your breath, they won't come," someone said in a weary voice. "They won't let you out until they're good and ready."

His release came a week later, but only because he took the place of a prisoner that was already dead. As soon as he was out, he ran home not thinking that he might have the sickness from the prison. He had been there for a week and hadn't come down with any of the symptoms. He ran into the small house calling out the names of his children and wife.