The Afflicted Ch. 03-04

* * * **

The following evening, they emerged to a lovely sky. The captain met them on the deck with a polite smile.

"My dear guests, I'm happy to report that we are nearing the end of our voyage. I do wish to tell you we are entering more busy seas and would request you keep your activities to the more normal variety."

"Of course, Captain." said Frederique.

"I also must tell you, there have been greater pirate activities reported in this quadrant. I have stationed Francois in the crow's nest in order to keep a lookout."

"Understood," said Palo.

"Now I will take the helm, and wish you a pleasant evening."

The captain retreated to the enclosed cabin.

"Damn!" muttered Claude. "I was hoping to fly this evening."

"As was I," said Aimée, leaning against him.

The two of them gazed up at the stars, admiring the moon shining through the low-flying clouds.

"I have an idea," Aimée said.

"What?"

Aimée fixed her eyes on the sky, concentrating. Then she turned to Frederique, whispering softly.

"Mother, since Claude can't fly, we've decided spend the night below."

Frederique gave them a conspiratorial grin. "As you wish, children."

Aimée took one last glance at the sky and took Claude's hand, leading him below.

"But Aimée, even without flying, I still want the fresh air." he protested.

"So do, I silly."

"But...'

"Just be quiet and come with me."

Aimée led him into her room and then locked the door behind her."

"There," she said, "Now they'll think we're in here. Take off your clothes."

"Aimée..."

"Stop arguing with me, you silly boy, and do as you are told."

Her clothes were already off, and Claude, passion growing, could find no logic to argue against her. She surveyed him appreciatively.

"There, that's better. Now we can have some fun."

She pulled him close, kissing him deeply, letting her tongue dart into his mouth. With that, Claude discovered her plan. Suddenly, they were plummeting through the air, high above a cloud, Aimée grasping herself firmly to Claude's chest.

"What did you do?" screamed Claude.

"Fly and I'll tell you!"

Claude gathered his wits and stopped their fall.

"Where are we?"

"I memorized the shaped of this cloud, and took us here. The ship is far, far below. Take us to where we can see just to make sure"

Claude flew them to the edge and felt more at ease. The Siren was there. It looked like a child's toy from so high above and left a telltale trail across the water.

'Now that you can really fly," Aimée said. "No one can see you here. Of course, you have to take me with you."

"No complaints there," said Claude. "Come; let's see what life is like in a cloud.

Taking her only by the hand, he flew them directly through the cloud. Due to their tropical latitude, it wasn't as cold as they expected, feeling a bit like the Massri's spa back home, though a bit cooler. They found themselves quickly drenched. Their skin was glistening in the dim, moonlit luminescence of the cloud.

"You know, water makes a good lubricant," said Aimée, smiling.

"Does it now?"

"Oui, on the skin. It makes things slick. I like things slick. Come here."

Claude willingly complied. They pulled into a tight embrace, reveling in the way their bodies slid together. Claude's firmness pushed tantalizingly against Aimée's leg and he found himself involuntarily pushing his way inside of her.

"Wait," she whispered. "I want to do something first."

She slid her way down his body, always keeping contact with him so she could keep flying. The feel of her breasts sliding down his chest made him even more stiff. She took her time arriving at her destination. Contrary to what Aimée said about her envy of Frederique's endowments, her lovely pert breasts were more than up to the job at hand. Pushing her chest into his raging erection, she began to languorously work herself up and down his shaft. Freed of the confines of gravity, she moved in long sensuous strokes. The motion of her nipples drifting across his pelvis brought its own share of pleasure to her. Responding to his moans, Aimée began working herself more and more quickly across his cock.

"Wait," muttered Claude, trying to stop her as he grew close.

"No," insisted Aimée, continuing her long sliding motions. Claude gasped and she felt the first throb of orgasm. Loving the feel of his hardness against her chest, she chose to keep him there. Grasping him even more tightly, she stayed motionless as burst after burst of warmness erupted onto her chest. As his shuddering subsided, she slid back up his chest, mixing his seed with the bath of water droplets they were floating in.

The Affliction had granted Claude great powers of recovery. Not that 20-year old males generally had problems in this area, but ever since Claude had awakened the time from ejaculation to the next erection was only a minute, or less. Taking advantage of this, Aimée slid gently down onto him, loving the feel as he eased into her waiting silky chamber. She rested her head on his chest as he regained his breath and then took his head in her hands to kiss him tenderly.

"My god we're soaking," she said, laughing as she felt his soaking hair.

"Yes," said Claude, running his own fingers through her hair and wringing out streams of water.

They stayed like that for several minutes, floating in their heavenly atmosphere and reveling in the affliction induced euphoria of their intimacy. Soon, Aimée shivered from the water and the temperature.

"Are you cold?" asked Claude.

"A little."

"I can fly us to where it is warmer; we still probably wouldn't be seen."

"No, I like it here," said Aimée, grinning. "I can think of other ways we can stay warm."

"Oh, I'll heat you up." said Claude, understanding her meaning.

They began to move together in a steady, lovely rhythm which grew in intensity. Fed by the affliction's hunger and their own youthful passion, they did not pause for nearly half an hour. Claude found himself emulating her earlier, long strokes, keeping as much contact as possible between their bodies.

"Oh my," said Aimée, feeling the tremors begin.

Slowing his pace only slightly, Claude pushed himself harder against her, striving to brush his pelvis against hers while also filling her completely with his hungry rod.

"Oh my!" cried Aimée, echoing her last phrase but with more intensity. "Oh - my - God!!" she screamed, falling into bliss. Claude increased his tempo now, matching his rhythms with her cries. Louder and louder she screamed with joy, and Claude had no intention of slowing down.

"Oh please, Claude. Stop. Stop!"

Claude laughed as her body shuddered from one final thrust within her.

"You are so bad," she said, kissing him. "Torturing me like that."

"You do the same," he said, cradling her against him.

A very short while later, he subconsciously began moving again.

"Sorry, are you ready?" he whispered.

"Of course," she replied.

Something about her cries of passion, the surroundings, the secret location...perhaps all of it, something truly stirred the hunger within Claude. Keeping himself inside her, he spun Aimée around so she was facing away from him. Grasping her hips, he started pushing her away, then pulling her back into him.

"Oh!" she cried at the impact of his thrust.

Again, and another cry.

Now she reached back with her hands and he took them instead. Sliding Aimée the full length of his shaft, he pushed and pulled her with greater and greater force. Soon, even that wasn't enough and Claude discovered he could push her entirely away from him, off of his cock and jerk her back onto him, sliding down the length of his shaft to slam into his body with frightening force. Her cries drove him on and he continued this motion with something akin to rage in its ferocity. He felt an unquenchable thirst growing within him and it seemed it could only be fed with more of the same.

Aimée felt a similar lust within her. Claude's guttural grunts awakened a primal hunger within her.

"Fuck me, Claude," she screamed. 'Fuck me', 'baiser' and every sexual word in every language she knew came spilling out of her mouth in her lust.

Claude shifted again from his long plunges to a more urgent, rapid-fire attack within her. Both of them were screaming now in staccato bursts with each thrust.

Something shifted within Claude and it was as though a red haze fell in front of his eyes. Forgotten was Aimée, forgotten was the ship, forgotten was even his own name. He was only an animal, and he only knew that he must conquer this woman before him. He could smell her blood. The desire within him wasn't to kill her, but to mix with her. He needed to possess her in the only way possible by taking her as a bloodmate.

Aimée felt the change, but more than that she heard the transformation. His voice was no longer quite human, but animal-like, a snarling growl of challenge. Her own body responded and she pushed against him, inviting him to take her, a crimson veil clouding her own vision.

She was suddenly dizzy too. What she didn't know was they were falling. In his surrender to base instinct, Claude had actually forgotten to continue flying. They were hurtling from the sky, the wind whirling them about - though they barely noticed. Like two mating eagles, they were plummeting earthward and were entirely unaware of their peril.

Claude was nearing his explosion, and his teeth were bared. Aimée herself was ready for him to take her, to mix his blood with hers with an instinctual bite. She pushed aside her hair, baring her neck in readiness for merging with her lover. As she felt the first hot stream of cum gush inside of her, her soul thrilled in exultation at what was to come.

However, a twist in their motion and the rushing wind suddenly caught her attention. Aimée was jolted back to her senses and recalled her mother's caution.

She tried to deplace away from him, but they were too connected physically. All she succeeded in doing was bringing them back to the cloud where they began falling once more. She struggled and twisted about to face him to try and keep him at bay.

Claude lowered his mouth to her neck, still a mindless being driven by primal needs. As he shot voluminously inside of this woman, he felt something stop him and angrily struggled to reach his goal. He wasn't even aware of her hands pushing him away; he only knew that something was keeping his hungry mouth at bay, pushing him from her neck.

"Claude! No! No!"

Suddenly he came to his senses. There was Aimée, still engulfing his cock and the warmth surrounding it told him he had climaxed. Yet the moments before all seemed like a dream from which he had only just awoken.

"Claude! Please stop. Please!" Aimée wept.

"I'm here. I'm here, Aimée." He righted them and stopped their fall.

She pulled off of him. Both of their faces were pale and frightened.

"It was the bloodlust," she said, wiping the tears of fright from her eyes. "Mother warned us, and we almost succumbed."

"I am so sorry," said Claude.

"No, it was me too. I forgot. I totally forgot myself. I was lost in the passion as well."

She buried her face in his chest, shaking from fear. Claude also was frightened at the startling episode they'd just had.

Having had a few moments to regain their composure, they looked down to the ocean, searching for their ship.

"There's our ship." said Claude. "Mademoiselle, would you care to transport us back?"

"Wait. That isn't the Siren," said Aimée. "Look, there are two ships, that one, and the one far ahead. The sails on this one are different. What on earth?"

Claude took the lead now, taking her hand and flying them down to the water's surface. He had learned the knack of swift flight well and they sped rapidly across the water. As they grew closer to the mysterious ship, the smell of rum wafted over them. Suspecting the worst, they flew directly below the rear deck. Floating up, their suspicions were confirmed. The ship reeked of filth, and there above the mast flew the Jolly Roger. Much to their surprise, a drunken pirate came 'round a corner and stopped upon seeing them. In a flash, Aimée willed them back to her cabin, and the pirate could only wonder if the rum had been stronger than suspected.

"Get dressed," said Claude.

"All right, but we'll be in grave trouble if..."

"Trouble makes no matter," said Claude. "Aimée, think. If that ship overtakes us by daylight, we are beyond helpless. Now, get dressed."

* * * *

"You what?!" demanded Palo. "After we expressly told you no flying."

"But we couldn't have been caught," insisted Aimée. "We never flew within sight of the Siren."

"But still, you disobeyed..."

"Palo, my love. Let us deal with discipline later. For now, we have a very urgent matter at hand."

A minute later, they were approaching the captain.

"Yes, my good friends?"

"Captain, how would you like to go for a flight?" asked Frederique.

The captain looked taken aback, but then smiled earnestly.

"It would be an unprecedented honor."

* * * *

Scarcely half-an-hour later, Frederique and the captain alighted back on the deck of the Siren.

"By god, I have stepped into another world," said the captain. "Thank you, Frederique, I shall never forget this?

"Well, can we outrun them?" asked Palo.

"I sincerely doubt it," replied the captain. "She's not well kept, but she's bigger and faster than us. I know the vessel. It was made in Spain's finest shipyard and was lost perhaps two years ago."

"I see," said Palo. "And how long before they overtake us?"

"In this wind, I'd estimate they'd catch us mid-afternoon the day after tomorrow."

"Palo whistled between his teeth appreciatively.

"What would you wager our chances of besting them are?"

"Fifty-fifty," said the Captain. "I wish it was better, but she is larger and better manned... and if they catch us during daylight, my four best fighters are no use."

"How long until daylight?" asked Frederique.

"Two hours, give or take," said the captain, checking his watch.

"Fifteen minute flight there, fifteen back." said Palo. "That gives us an hour to do our work, building a margin for error."

"Do you honestly mean to tell me the two of you could take on an entire ship? And win?"

Frederique grinned. "The odds are a bit in our favor, captain, but we'll give them a sporting chance."

"Not two, four." said Claude, stepping forward.

"None of that, son." said Palo. "This is no time for..."

"No, they should come," interrupted their mother.

"Darling, I..."

"Palo, please." She pulled him aside to speak in hushed tones. "If this were a battle among the Afflicted, I would say no but you've seen Claude at work. The finest sword arm you've ever seen, you said so yourself."

Palo vacillated, but withered under her gaze. "Very well, Claude may come along, but not Aimée."

"Why not?"

"Because, she's a girl."

Frederique's gaze became even more stony. "Don't make me send you back to the storeroom. 'She's a girl?. "You've seen her ability; she can outfight all three of us, and then some."

"Besides, Papa," said Aimée, sidling up to him and batting her eyes. "I can save us a fifteen minute flight each way."

* * * *

The four of them gathered several minutes later. In Frederique's hand was a jar of cotton balls.

"What is that for?" asked Claude.

"An important precaution," explained Frederique. "There is nothing more dangerous than an Afflicted youth who hasn't mixed blood yet. As you well know, children, the Affliction wants a mate more than anything in the world. Alone, you can control it. However, if you should smell blood - true, fresh blood in great quantities, that dear friend inside of you will seize control of you in ways you never imagined. It will wish to feast and to find a mate. Stop up your noses thoroughly."

They did as she asked.

"Are you ready?" asked Frederique.

Aimée looked hesitant.

"Are you sure you can get us there?" said Palo.

"Getting there isn't the problem, Father," said Aimée, quietly. "I can still visualize the deck and the sails. The jumping isn't the problem."

"Then what is it?"

"It's the killing. I've never done it, that's all."

Palo cursed a few choice words in Arabic, but Frederique remained calm.

"Darling, don't fear about that. It will be surprisingly easy. Just get us there and you'll be surprised at the rest. Now remember, everyone. No witnesses. No survivors. It is the law of the Afflicted and cannot be broken. Always, the secret must be kept."

"I understand," said Aimée.

Aimée took Palo's hand first, winked out, and in an unbelievably short time she was back and whisking Frederique into nothingness. Before Claude knew it she back with him and with a wink she wrapped her hand around his wrist and they were off.

An instant later, they were all standing on the aft deck of the pirate ship. Looking around, they were pleased to see they had arrived undetected. Peering about with their enhanced vision, they could make out seven men on deck. One in the crow's nest, one at the wheel, and one on watch on the foredeck. The other four were asleep.

Frederique pointed to the crow's nest, and then made a 'come here' gesture, looking to Aimée to be sure she understood.

Aimée nodded, and almost instantaneously they saw her wink out and reappear, holding the man before her, hand clasped over his mouth. He looked at the three figures before him with a frightened and confused gaze.

Frederique held up a silencing finger to her lips and Aimée released her clasp on his mouth. "What is your name, my good man?" whispered Frederique.

"Michel," he whispered the man in a strong French accent.

"Oh, you are French. I am so sorry. At least let me do this for you."

Frederique leaned her face into the man. Stunned, he accepted her tender kiss and then his eyes opened in shocked surprise. Stepping back, Frederique revealed the poniard she had silently plunged into his neck.

"If you had to die, at least it was at the hands of a beautiful woman, no?" she said softly. "Sleep well, my friend. Sleep well."

The sailor slumped and Aimée lowered his dead figure to the deck.

"Wait here," said Frederique in muted tones. She and Palo slipped over the edge of the ship and flew around the sides. Claude and Aimée saw them appear near the two other men who were awake. Palo glided slowly behind the man at the wheel, and Frederique slipped up behind the man on watch. In unison, they each grabbed their man from behind, bared his neck, and sank their teeth into the soft flesh. Though each man struggled briefly, it was soon over. Palo and Frederique lifted their heads and their faces practically glowed with the exultant strength gained from drinking the entire life from a victim.

Claude flew, and Aimée deplaced to the side of two of the men sleeping on deck. Their parents each picked a man and with a nod from Palo, four blades plunged into four chests, snuffing out the lives instantly.

Just as it seemed this was going to be easier than they'd thought, footsteps could be heard and the door to a cabin opened. A startled man looked out at the sight before him.

"Alarme! Alarme! Al..." his last scream was silenced as Aimée appeared behind him, sword already thrusting as she arrived in his space.

"Remember," said Palo, offering one final bit of advice as cries, footsteps and shouts rang from below. "Engage with swords, flee from pistols."

With that, time for talk was over. Armed and panicked men spilled from two hatches. Palo and Aimée took one hatch, Frederique and Claude the other. The first wave of pirates had little chance, each of them felled by a blow before they could even get through the door. Eventually, by force of numbers they were able to push through over their fallen comrades and engage with the family.