Jacquelyn's Ordeal

Yet, his careful side, his intellect and guile, knew her value. It would only be a matter of time before she surrendered. He had already subdued her to this point. It would not be long before she craved to surrender to him completely. He thought about continuing his subtle approach, using her own temptations against her. The thought of turning her desires into his most powerful weapon against her. To make her feel the compulsions, the irresistible desires and urges to confess to her deepest and darkest desires.

He thought about using these fantasies to undermine her resistance and her sense of self. The satisfaction of watching her squirm and blush, trying to keep her thoughts away from such things, but being unable to escape them. He could guide her down into submission, breaking one barrier each time, until she realises that she has lost too much of herself. Realising at that point, she no longer wants to fight him. That deep sense of satisfaction knowing he has her wrapped around his finger, wriggling and curling her toes to each one of this commands. To finally see her, become so desperate for deeper submission, that she throws herself on her knees before him and begs to be claimed.

He threw her stake to the ground and spun around to bark at Yvonne, "Slave, fetch Me some wine! Your sister is slightly...vexing."

Even though there was a recent flurry of action, Yvonne had remained upon her knees, chanting as she was previously ordered. The command from the Viscount struck her and she was abruptly shaken from her mindless stupor. She was disorientated for a moment and blinked away the fog in her mind.

"Yes, Master!" She squeaked and skittered off down the corridor.

His face contorted into a slight snarl as he snorted and turned his attention back to Jacquelyn.

"Now, little slayer. Just how to break you?" He asked rhetorically to himself.

It was a good length of time before the Viscount moved again. He had sat there, staring at the entranced girl, his hands clutching and releasing, deep in thought. Eventually he lunged to his feet and strode up to Jacquelyn. He took her chin and leant in, "Stay here little slayer. I am going to see where My slave has gone with My wine. You can think about how I am going to claim your mind and body, when I return."

He turned and left, taking the same route as Yvonne. Jacquelyn was left alone now, standing still and at attention. Her body still relaxed as her chest rose and fell with each breath. If there was any internal struggle within her, some piece of her trying to break his hold, it did not show. Faint echoes sounded through the corridor. Were there any part of her mind still aware, the sounds of approaching footsteps would have filled her with a sense of dread.

Versar and Anello might have been thought of as an odd pairing. Anello was stocky and relatively short in stature. He took great pride in his waxed moustache, as it was shaped and styled to follow the rolls of his mouth and twisted into little slight curls at the ends. He clutched his cane close to his body, seemingly uneasy with the surroundings of the manor. Versar was by stark contrast, a lean, tall and less polished man. He wore many scars on his face, evidence that the manner in which in lived was not the most conducive to a long life. It was one of the reasons he revelled in his immortality.

"Are you quite sure that he was at this ball Versar?" Anello whispered in a concerned tone.

"Yes, I am sure. Do not get your knickers in a knot. My last source was in no state to lie to me when she told me where he had travelled." Versar replied gruffly.

He and Anello had formed an unlikely alliance as they had travelled from the East, hunting a particular vampire.

"I can assure you, I am very composed!" Anello spoke in a slightly wounded tone. "I just want to be done with this scheming knave. What self respecting kin of ours would adopt such a name as 'De'Lu Carla'?" he almost lamented.

"One who outsmarted you and made off with a large amount of your fortune, ousted you from your comfortable surroundings and exposed you as a vampire" Versar quipped.

'Well, perhaps so. Yet, I do not have any scars of him almost ending my existence, now do I?' Thought Anello, but he lacked the courage to speak the words.

The pair of vampires had slipped away from the ball as it was winding down for the evening. They quietly stalked through the corridors and hallways of the manor, searching for any sign of their rival. The mutual desire to enact vengeance upon him was their only shared bond. The tension between the two grew as their search had progressed. They bickered and took petty swipes at each other as they entered a corridor with large windows, facing out towards the gardens. A lone figure in the corridor caught their attention as they entered. She stood there, rather undressed and Anello quickly averted his eyes, turning his head away.

"Frightfully sorry milady! We did not mean to interrupt you." He stammered, being completely abashed.

Versar gave a snort and pulled him around by the collar, "That little harlot will not mind you filling your eyes with her figure. Go on and look."

Despite his own sense of being a proper gentleman, Anello cast his eyes towards the lady again. It was only now that he noticed that she had not reacted to their appearance. She stood there, still and dressed in only her under-garments.

Versar had suspicions as to what had happened to this little harlot. He cautiously approached her with Anello in tow, taking careful note of the surroundings. As they neared, he could see the unmistakeable signs of her enthrallment. He cast his gaze over her and his hunger grew. Warm and soft flesh, ready to be taken right then and there, she was extremely tempting. He leaned in and took his time to gaze down her corset as he gently sniffed her.

His expression soured as he sampled her scent, "The harlot reeks of him!" Versar spat.

"Do you think our presence has frightened him away? I do not think he is the type to leave a lady in this state." Anello asked, the tones of worry rising in his voice.

"I would not leave one quite so...appetising unattended for long. Go rummage through her mind. Find out where our 'friend' is skulking around, since it is your speciality." Versar snidely remarked to his unlikely ally.

Anello crinkled his nose at that distasteful comment but still approached the lady and focused on slipping into her mind. "Terribly sorry milady, I do not normally do this upon first encounters. I am really rather gentle and try my upmost to...oh...oh my!" He stammered as he started to show signs of embarrassment.

"What is it now Anello? Where did he go?" Versar asked impatiently.

"She is...she...he is ravaging her! It is the only thing in her mind! She is seeing it over and over... He...he wants to..." Anello managed to gasp before being cut off.

"Where I went is not your concern." The Viscount's voice boomed from behind them in a cold tone.

The pair whirled around and Anello drew out a silver blade that was hidden in the shaft of his cane. Versar's body tensed up as he readied himself for a fight. The Viscount, remained unmoving, he betrayed little reaction as he stood there. "Du'lu Carla is it now?" Versar spat. "You know why we are here."

The Viscount did not reply, remaining silent, eyeing the pair. His shoulders dropped as he sighed, looking reluctant to engage the pair. In a sudden flash of movement, he charged Anello, tearing at him with inhuman strength.

The Viscount wasted little time in advancing upon the closest vampire. Unlike before where he was toying with Jacquelyn, he had little concerns about preserving these two. Anello lunged forward, shifting his body to give the most reach to his strike at the Viscount. Unfortunately for him, the blade lacked the length of a rapier and the Viscount's speed was greatly underestimated. The Viscount's reflexes were razor sharp as he deftly arched sideways and brought up his arm, avoiding a thrust from the blade.

The Viscount's expression twisted into a vicious snarl as the blade passed beneath his arm. He leapt forward, pinning the hand of the stocky vampire underneath his arm and snapped around, jarring the blade from his hand. Not content to merely disarm his opponent, the Viscount continued his spin, easily snapping Anello's wrist. Anello gave out a cry, but this paled in comparison to the scream he let out when the Viscount finally followed through. The Viscount held fast to the podgy vampire's arm, preventing him from twisting his arm to recoil from the pain. As his momentum carried through, the Viscount struck the vampire's elbow with great force. The sound of it breaking, echoing loudly throughout the room.

The Viscount released the vampire's now useless arm and grabbed his throat. He ruthlessly used his great strength to crush the life out of the struggling vampire. His screams were quickly muted into rasping, desperate gasps and garbled noises.

The sudden assault by the Viscount had taken Versar by surprise. He was fortunate that he was not the first target and lunged reactively to the side. He watched as the Viscount swiftly disarmed Anello and decided to act fast to take advantage of the opening in the Viscount's defences. Versar reached into his long coat and wrapped a length of chain around his gloved hand. He clenched his gloved hand and sprang towards the Viscount in an attack, coming from the side. There was only an instant for the Viscount to react to this new attack.

Pivoting quickly, the Viscount moved to face his attacker. Had he more time, he would have thrown the struggling vampire at this assailant, but instead he was forced to release his hold. Despite his reflexes and angling his body to absorb the impact, the fist struck with considerable force. The Viscount let out an audible grunt as he spun with the impact, covering his face where he was hit. He reeled back and felt his face starting to burn. His skin blistered and throbbed, his face was testament to the intentions of the vampires. They were using silver, something for which his kind had little love. They were obviously hunting him. There would be no mercy. Nor would any be given.

"You must be losing your edge. You were barely able to best Anello there and he is definitely not a fighter. A wench could fight better than you!" Versar goaded as he made a small leap over Anello to once again attack. Although Versar sought to press his advantage, he underestimated the Viscount once again. This realisation dawned in his mind an instant before he watched helplessly as the Viscount anticipated his move and kicked. The force of the kick struck Versar squarely in the chest and sent him careening into the wall a few short feet from where Jacquelyn stood. Despite the melee in front of her, she did not react. She remained still, her breathing unchanged, unfocused eyes just passively watching the scene before her.

Charging forward, the Viscount slammed Versar up against the wall, the impact shattering the mirror. A chorus of cracking glass sounded as the Viscount pinned Versar's neck with his right forearm. The mirror's surface was broken, tendrils like cracks snaked across the surface. Try as he may, Versar could not break the hold, nor could he gain enough leverage to strike at the Viscount. Crushing his throat, the Viscount's brow was furrowed in a cruel snarl as he retorted to Versar. "How many of those wenches did you bed you after my improvements to your appearance?"

The Viscount continued to put increasing force upon his neck, taking almost perverse delight in the slowness in which it was taking to kill the vampire.

There was a cry from behind the Viscount and before he could turn, he felt a sharp pain bite into his back on the left side. The blow stabbed into him, but did not penetrate as it struck the mail beneath his attire. His habit of wearing the heavy chain mail had greatly proved its worth. Anello had tried to strike at the Viscount, having recovered his blade, but he lacked any real strength in his left arm. The Viscount reacted by pivoting and grabbing out at the wrist of his attacker, bringing his right arm away from Versar to grab at the weapon. The edge of the blade sliced cleanly into the Viscount's hand and he pulled it away sharply. The pain of the cut bit sharply, but this paled to the burning and blistering of his skin as the silver scorched his flesh. The burning quickly turned into numbness and the Viscount could feel his hand losing its strength. His hand shook as he tried to control the blade with his right hand as the numbing pain spread up his arm. The Viscount twisted the blade out of Anello's hand, ripping it from his grasp. Turning it to lunge toward Anello the Viscount plunged the blade into the base of his neck. There were only a few gurgling, choked gasps as he pulled the blade back and the vampire fell to the ground. The Viscount held onto the blade uneasily and turned to stare down Versar.

While the Viscount was distracted by Anello's attack, Versar scrambled to find an advantage. The half naked girl was still standing there, oblivious to the skirmish unfolding before her. He could only assume that she must have held some value to the Viscount and could be his leverage. Springing up, he dashed over, grabbing her roughly as he held her as a barrier between himself and the Viscount. Versar watched in distress as Anello fell to the tiled floor, his body weakly twitching. Fumbling for a moment, Versar pulled out his thumb claw and pressed it into the neck of the girl. The claw stretched over his thumb, curving around into a sharpened spike, its tip threatening to puncture her artery with the slightest shift in pressure. "Not one step closer or the harlot bleeds." He threatened, trying to maintain a level tone.

The Viscount drew himself up, his left hand tensing up as he gripped the blade. He could feel the stinging numbness creeping further up his other arm. Not only were they using silver weapons, but they had applied a venom, making sure even little cuts were far more weakening and strength sapping than normal. The Viscount fumed about being forced into this position. Control was everything to him and any loss of it was a weakness. And now, this insolent wretch had the audacity to try and control him and his pet. A small knowing grin touched the Viscount's mouth as he reigned in the animal. Truly, the fool did not know the value of his leverage. The vampire continued to sprout his demands, but the Viscount had ceased to listen. His thoughts were instead focused upon his little prize. He worked to loosen the ties that bound her mind. Although not the perfect time to undo his careful work, it had become necessary.

After some long moments of tense silence, Versar reissued his demand. The Viscount's silence had added to his feeling of insecurity. Versar suppressed a shiver as a cold chill took hold within him as he watched a sly grin creep onto the face of his adversary. Panic started to crawl at him, even as he more desperately clung to the girl. "Do you hear me?!" He threatened towards the Viscount, mustering what courage remained. Versar watched as there was no reaction to his threat. The fear inside grew as he desperately tried to fortify his position by acting upon his threat. As he stared down the Viscount, he drew the claw purposefully down the girl's shoulder. He could feel her shiver in his grip and she started making small noises of pleasure. Her reaction shocked him and disturbed him in the same instant. Forcing himself to mask his reactions, he raked the claw along her shoulder, drawing blood. "See, the little harlot likes it." His words dripped with vileness.

The Viscount watched on as Versar threatened and postulated. His attention was focused upon the face of his little pet. Her eyes were fluttering and unfocused as he slowly loosened the strings in her mind. When he was done, the Viscount grinned as he nudged her mind into attacking Versar. Despite loosening the binds that held her mind, his prize was still lost in the fragmented thoughts of him. Reality and fantasy so blended that she had yet little awareness of her situation. The Viscount watched on as Versar ran his claw along her shoulder and she softly whimpered, wanting more. "See, the little harlot likes it." Spoke Versar as he drew blood with the claw. The Viscount watched as Jacquelyn blinked and her eyes instantly snapped back into being focused and locked upon him. She stared coldly at the Viscount for only a fraction of a moment, but The Viscount could see the hard edge within her.

Jacquelyn snapped back into awareness when she felt the sharp pain of the claw cutting into her shoulder. She saw the Viscount as her thoughts came flooding back into her mind. Rage and anger ignited within, but she held it. She purposely stared at him for a moment, not reacting. Taking in everything, using all her senses. Assessing the situation and keeping still, until she decided what to do.

Her reaction was swift and brutal. Suddenly rearing her head back, Jacquelyn brought her hand up to grab the vampire's wrist as the top of her head smashed his nose. Instinctively Versar reeled back, trying to pull his hand free of Jacquelyn's grip. Pivoting, she swung around, her left elbow stuck into his side, knocking his breath from him and also forcing him off balance. Versar reached out and clamped onto her shoulder, desperate to gain balance.

Jacquelyn winced and bit back a cry as his fingers dug into her shoulder. She ripped her hand away from his clawed hand, pulling the claw away from this thumb and in a single movement, twisted herself around, getting behind him and exposing his left arm as he continued to cling to her shoulder. She swung around her right arm and drove the claw into his elbow with devastating effects. The vampire's grip fell away and he cried out, cursing her. Jacquelyn pressed her advantage, springing upon Versar and wrapping herself around him from behind, trying to immobilise him while she grabbed a stake.

Her hand flew to her thigh and desperately felt for weapons, only to have a horrifying memory emerge as her hand ran across her bare thigh. She recalled standing in front of the mirrored wall and feeling His hands snaking up her thighs. He was whispering into her ear and holding her mind, but His hands were slipping off the strap that held her slaying tools. In that moment, Jacquelyn felt a mixture of emotions. Part of her seethed in anger and disgust and yet, another part of her wanted it, shivered in delight at the memory. Pulling herself out of the memory, she glared at the Viscount. She could see his smug smile, watching her doing exactly as he wanted. Yet, Jacquelyn also noticed the slackness in his posture and the way he held the blade. He was injured.

"Give me the blade!" Jacquelyn ordered of the Viscount.

His expression changed to a scowl but he did not move. Jacquelyn could feel the vampire in her grasp trying to gain leverage to break free.

"Damn you! Help me!" She cried out in spite.

Versar finally managed to struggle one arm free from Jacquelyn's grip and tried to make a grab for her. She tore out the claw from his elbow and leapt off, kicking Versar forward towards the Viscount. Neither the Viscount nor Versar had expected this and they half fumbled into a melee. They both were weakened by their afflictions and Jacquelyn held back, watching as they almost danced defensively around each other. It gave her a perverse satisfaction to see the Viscount at a hopeless disadvantage, yet, part of her yearned to jump in and aid him. It took considerable effort for Jacquelyn to remain still and not intervene.

The Viscount's body trembled as the effects of the venom continued. Even maintaining his grip on the blade was becoming difficult. It had become a stalemate, he did not want to risk exposing himself to an attack and neither did Versar. Both were aware that the victor would have to fight with Jacquelyn, who now held the advantage over the pair. The Viscount knew his strength was fading and he was faced with the cold mathematics. He had to act now while he had some strength or wait for a better opportunity, when it may be too late.