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Gifting Night

By: deathlynx



Katherine jogged into the bedroom, running late as usual. Her hair fluttered across her peripheral vision distracting her, almost enough to cause her to turn and look for an intruder. Dammit! Gotta get used to that. As she stopped in front of the full-length mirror, she decided she needed to get used to the whole look. She could barely believe the woman staring back at her was real.

At five foot seven, she had always know she had great legs, but the slits running up the sides of the very tight, forest green, dress displayed every curve exotically. The effect was only enhanced by the two inch, black, stiletto heels. The dress hugged her hips, chest, and waist, defining an hourglass figure she had always thought had a little too much in the middle. Despite her best attempts to believe otherwise, the dress proved the illusion false. She was forced to accept that having a slight gut wasn't necessarily the end of the world.

In addition to the dress, her hair was pulled back and styled. Now, red ringlets spilled artfully out of select locations of her tightly controlled hairdo. It had been one of those ringlets which had distracted her. She was used to her hair being black, so the flash of such a bright color was unnerving. Her hair and dress weren't the only oddities, however. Tonight she wore rouge, eyeliner, mascara, bright red, matte, lipstick and even a tasteful, if subtle, green eyeshadow.

This was certainly not the Katherine Montana everyone else knew. Her friends and coworkers would see her in far more comfortable clothes. If anyone had been asked to guess her favorite color none would have suspected the deep green she now wore. Based on her outfits, the answer would have been a unanimous 'black.' She had to shop around to find the perfect dress for tonight, especially on Halloween when she would normally look like just another 'Goth.' She hated the comparison. Just because she was most comfortable wearing black and baggy did not mean she associated with the lifestyle.

Of course, the reason for all of the fuss would be another strike against her. She was fascinated by vampires, not the maudlin, Anne Rice, crap that's all the rage in the media, but rather the myths and truths behind real vampires. Not only had she confirmed that vampires were real but had studied them enough to know that tonight was 'Gifting Night,' the one night, about every two decades, when tradition allowed them to pass their 'Gift' along to another generation. She needed to be noticed tonight if she was to become one of them.

When she rushed out the door, she found the cab waiting for her. She could have driven herself, she wasn't planning on drinking too much, but she would rather not have to worry about parking, or what to do with her car if she was chosen. When, not if, I get chosen. She constantly had to remind herself that confidence was the key to success. While that was good advice under any circumstances it was especially true when dealing with a species as empathic as vampires. She had even considered renting a limo but figured that to be dishonest ~not to mention pretentious~ and besides, it shared many of the same problems as driving herself.

She gave the driver the name of the first club on her list, then sat back to review what she knew about her elusive prey. First and foremost, vampires did not drink blood. It was true that they fed off of people, and other animals. They could even kill by feeding too much or too frequently. Rather than drinking a person's blood, however, they siphoned off their life force. Some occult scientists had theorized it was the bio-electric field surrounding living beings but they had yet to find a method of testing this. Because the life force was connected to a person's aura it granted the vampires a fair degree of insight into their nature, not only of a person's emotions but of his or her very personality.

"Dhase," they called themselves. If the driver heard her he didn't react. Did that mean he knew what it meant, or was he simply used to people muttering indecipherable phrases in his back seat? It was a name given to them by a people long dead from the memory of mankind. Katherine liked the sound of it. Dhase, dah-say, dhase. Almost sounds french, even if it is spelled all wrong.

Katherine knew she was looking for a couple. The Dhase maintained a symbiotic relationship between the young and old. While only the elders were capable of passing along the gift, they lacked the requisite nearness to humanity. As they age, it is said, they slowly lose the capacity for true emotion as they learn to feed less and less. They turn to the newly made for such understanding and to teach them of the modern world, keep them from becoming anachronistic.

The cab stopped at the corner. She paid the driver, complete with a decent tip. She passed the various people, escaping the press of bodies for fresh air, on her way to the door. The doorman's eyebrows raised slightly as he waved her past, a reaction she was familiar with only from afar. He wondered what someone like her was doing there and if he had a shot at her. He had no idea who she was, the very same regular he chatted with as she escaped the press of bodies. She laughed lightly, her confidence gaining with such a small blessing. Uncomfortable or not, the new look certainly attracted attention she could be comfortable with.

Katherine had been right, almost everyone else at the club was in costume. She stood out like a blazing star amid a cloudy sky. She wandered through the crowd to the bar. What should I look for? She expected they would either be dressed normally, as if the night were unimportant, or else they would play ironic this Halloween, dressing the very media image of a vampire. Once that would have been Lugosi and Schreck, these days it was Cruise and Boreanaz. She simply didn't know what to look for, then again it didn't matter. They would choose her, for who she was, or she would lose her chance. The next Gifting Night wasn't for another nineteen years, the next blue-moon Halloween.

She kept to her schedule, moving from club to club. She ordered one drink, the minimum at some of the establishments, and cruised the floor. At some she would dance, at others she felt more comfortable in a side room. She was spending a fortune, letting herself be seen, but it was worth it. She realized, even if no Dhase saw her all night at least she'd enjoyed herself. Men of all ages and descriptions came up to her; offering their best pick-up lines, to buy her a drink, or simply for conversation. Occasionally men approached her, when she went out, but never with this level of determination.

She was laughing and carrying on with a small group of strangers when two young men appeared at the edge of the group. Katherine had felt something different about the club from the moment she walked in, as if eyes were following her constantly, even where none could possibly follow (like the bathroom). Within a minute of their approach, the group she had been with seemed to amicably dissolve, as if the men's desire for solitude took precedence over the group dynamic.

"We could not help but notice you." They wore simple business suits, one in black the other in a deep gray. Both had a white shirt and tie to match the suits and were well built, but without being overly muscular. Likely they worked out at a gym. The speaker had on a black suit and had dark, short-cut hair and brown eyes. The other had green eyes and wavy, blond, hair slightly past his shoulder. Both men had scruff breads that looked as if they hadn't shaved in a couple of days, giving them a roguish, almost cliched, look. There seemed to be nothing special about either man, but the sensation of being watched increased dramatically.

"Thank you. If that was intended as a compliment, I mean."

"Oh, it most certainly was!" The lighter of the two seemed slightly amused at the possibility that there could be anything but compliment to their attention. "You're very beautiful, and have quite a way with crowds."

She cocked her head slightly and raised her eyebrows. It was a practiced expression rather than a natural one, but the men didn't seem to notice, or if they did they didn't care. "Oh?"

"What my friend means is that you seem very comfortable meeting new people. I'm Bill and this, here, is Nathan." He offered his hand and Nathan quickly followed.

She took their hands lightly, in a manner more reminiscent of medieval times. Bill smiled, shifting his hand, so as not to touch her palm, and lifted it to within inches of his mouth before bringing it down once more and releasing it. "I'm Katherine." Nathan took her hand more casually and kissed her knuckles. Bill knew the proper method. If Nathan did, he had intentionally treated her with a great deal of discourtesy. More likely he simply didn't know the proper manner, an assumption confirmed as Bill rolled his eyes at Nathan. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Bill continued speaking for the both of them. She sensed he was the elder of the two, he certainly seemed the wiser and better spoken. "We were about to go have dinner and wondered if you would care to join us?"

Katherine wasn't sure. It was unusual for men to move in pairs, as these two were, too afraid of being labeled as 'gay.' It was enough to set them apart from a crowd, to be sure, but was it enough to convince her they were Dhase? The unseen 'attention' seemed to double suddenly, deciding her. "I would love to." The invisible presence faded back to nominal levels.

Nathan grinned stupidly. Bill noticed and rolled his eyes once more, smiling conspiratorially at her. The three wove their way through the crowd, to the door. Crossing through the portal felt like stepping out of a heated pool. The air grew suddenly cooler and less confined. Katherine felt she could breath easier, the effect being much more dramatic after leaving the watching eyes. The sudden disappearance of the sensation made her nervous. Shouldn't she still feel it?

Nathan was a few steps ahead. Bill kept back slightly, with Katherine, and was plying her with small talk when he stopped suddenly. He watched Nathan in confusion as he turned into the alley next to the club. "Nathan? Weren't we going to dinner ?" She didn't know why the emphasis on that word made her uncomfortable, but it certainly didn't feel right. "Come on," Bill took a hold of her elbow and guided her, "we should see what he's up to." If his grip was tight, there was obvious concern, in his voice and manner, for his friend.

Nathan was standing still, slightly farther down the alley and facing away from the two. Bill moved forward. "Look, if you want to do it here that's fine with me, but we'll never be able to come back here to hunt. Too many others saw us leave with her." Katherine didn't like the sound of that. Her chest began to tighten with panic. This was the side of being beautiful and noticed that she hadn't considered. Bill's hand moved to his belt. In a moment he had it off and was looping it, one-handed, into some form of binding.

"I believe," the bored alto voice floated down the alley, "she was looking for us, not you." Bill looked up, past Nathan, to see what had so enthralled his coconspirator. Standing about halfway down the alley was a stunning brunette, wearing a deep purple cocktail dress of similar design to Katherine's. She held her barely five foot form high, as if she were standing in a reception hall rather than a garbage-strewn alley.

The statement seemed to revitalize Nathan. "Get your own piece of ass. She's ours!"

The stunning woman shook her head. "She is no one's, but her own. So I would suggest you release her and let her choose her own direction; to us, with you, or away." The rich baritone voice drew everyone's attention from the shining woman to the man standing by her side.

Looming might have been a better way to describe the man. At six feet he wasn't any taller than Bill or Nathan and his shoulders, squared from crossed arms, were only slightly broader, but standing next to the slender, and short, woman he seemed huge. He was dressed in a tuxedo, although it sat more uncomfortably on him than the dress did on the woman. A goatee made his age impossible to estimate. In addition, both seemed to exude a presence that filled the alley. It was the feeling from the club, made manifest.

Nathan, oblivious to their menace, stepped forward and pulled a buck knife from his suit, unfolding it slowly and with precision. "Maybe I should cut you up and take both of the girls. Bill's not picky, but I like brunettes so much better."

The woman smirked slightly but the man burst out laughing. The man's palpable aura seemed to pulse with each bellowed laugh. Bill's eyes narrowed but Nathan, as usual, was oblivious. He charged ahead, the blade waved back and forth as he ran. The man sighed but otherwise stood his ground unmoved. The woman turned towards the man, looked up at him calmly before she walked backwards, towards the one of the buildings defining the alley. She was clearing space for him to fight. A single of the man's eyebrows raised as he glanced at his companion and a smirk began to form.

Nathan was there. Bill clutched Katherine's elbow tighter, painfully, as he watched his partner's charge. It was over in a moment. The man moved in a blur as Nathan thrust his knife straight for the man's throat. The man's long ponytail seemed to float over his shoulder as he turned, feet planted still. His left hand rose to catch Nathan's wrist almost negligently while his right shifted outward slightly for balance. The knife dropped from nerveless hands a second before the wrist shattered. With a casual flick Nathan soared back ten feet to land, with an audible crack, against the wall near the woman.

Nathan staggered to his feet, clutching his pulped wrist with his good hand. He stood and glared at the man as fury blazed in his eyes. Bill took off, seeking escape in the end of the alley away from the inhumanly strong man. Nathan, senseless with rage, pulled a large knife from a sheath concealed by his coat. He lunged, wrapped the arm with a damaged wrist around the woman to pull her close, and held the knife to her throat. "Back off or I give the bitch a second mouth!" The man seemed unconcerned, the woman unsurprised.

Fascinated, Katherine slowly walked towards them. Had Nathan paid any attention to his hostage, he would have seen her hands reach for his. Likely, he wouldn't have cared, even if he noticed. Her hands crossed, each grabbing the opposite wrist of her captor. Nathan's eyes widened in pain as her grip exceeded the much larger man's. Now both wrists were useless. Discontent with her slight retribution, she spun under her crossed arms to face him. Wordlessly she stared, their eyes locked. Close enough now to see the three clearly, Katherine shuddered at the woman's eyes, utterly devoid of emotion.

Nathan's hands dropped to his sides. He stared vacantly ahead while her hands raised to his cheeks. Obedient to her silent commands, he bent forward as she tilted her head up to meet his lips. There was no passion in the kiss, just locked flesh. After a half a minute Nathan's arms dropped to dangle loosely. After a full minute his knees buckled and he hung from her grip. The pressure in the air seemed to grow slowly over the span of that minute until it filled Katherine's lungs. Her heart raced in excitement. She had found the Dhase.

The woman discarded the corpse and turned towards Katherine. Silken brown hair spilled across her shoulders and down her back. Her face was flawless in its symmetry, smooth and tanned, and looked no older than twenty. Only her eyes betrayed her for something other than human. Although they looked normal, the complete lack of emotion would have put the most jaded of assassins to shame. "You were looking for us." It was a statement rather than a question.

Katherine did not know how to react. From everything she had learned the younger, obviously the man, should have approached and seduced her, had the two chosen to bequeath their Gift. Confronted in such a manner, Katherine didn't know if she should respond with pride or humbly. Knowing their empathic nature she decided to act as naturally as she could, given the unexpected circumstances. "You are Dhase. Tonight is the Gifting Night. I had hoped you would choose me." Her voice held no pride, no humility, just simple honesty.

The woman remained still as a statue as she regarded Katherine. The man passed by Katherine to stand by the woman and join his inspection to hers. I didn't hear him at all! They turned to look at each other, and while her face remained unchanged his gained an expression of concentration. Finally he nodded and turned back to regard her.

"You would know that this diverges from our traditional methods then?" Katherine nodded to the man, who smiled in return. "I'm Christopher. Christoph really, but she thinks that sounds to dramatic and cliche. Call me Chris." He extended a hand. When Katherine reached for it he simply shook hers. "This is Daphne. She's my elder, as in, 'respect your elders.'" For the first time, Katherine saw the slightest trace of emotion enter Daphne's expression. It was subtle but it looked like amusement.

"You still have two options." The expression was gone from Daphne once again. "You may come with us, or you may leave."

"I would go with you."

Chris, who had just completed a careful study of her body, grinned at Katherine's pronouncement. With an elaborate bow, he waved towards the opposite end of the alley from where she had entered. She smiled kindly at him, and received a wink in return, before she set off under his direction. Unexpectedly, muscles clenched in response, deep between her hips. He hurried to catch up, placing a hand gently on the small of her back. She looked up in surprise but he was still grinning. As they reached the end of the alley he whispered to her. "I was kinda looking forward to the seduction, but I can't complain when a woman as beautiful as you comes willingly enough to find me." She laughed when he winked again.

He hurried ahead, to stand by the open door of a very refined car. Once more he directed Katherine with a wave. As she settled comfortably in the back seat, he closed the door to hurry around and open the other side for Daphne. The elder slid into the seat with a feline grace that Katherine could only envy. As Chris closed her door and got in the driver's seat Daphne turned, sitting almost diagonally on the long seat, to face Katherine.

"You do not know of the Gifting itself. No one has ever returned from it mortal, and the Dhase do not speak of it, there is no need. It is not as most would expect, thinking of vampires as told in myths. Traditionally it comes upon the fledgling unawares but, as you may be expecting something, I need to disillusion you perhaps."

"The seduction I was looking forward to? Well, it's not just a tradition." Katherine found it so much easier to watch Chris as he tried to talk to her by looking at her in the rear-view mirror. Daphne's dead eyes were unnerving and Katherine thought she truly understood, at last, the mutual benefit Daphne gained from Chris. Chris' expression turned much more serious. "I hope you think I'm hot. This won't work if you don't." Daphne's focus flashed from Katherine to the mirror with a glare.

Katherine's gaze slowly shifted down Christoph's body; his arms, his chest, his legs, his crotch. She felt a warmth ignite deep within as she luxuriated in his body. Daphne's expression softened back to complete neutrality as her gaze shifted back to Katherine. Chris actually blushed as he grinned and concentrated heavily on his driving. Katherine, however, noticed his pants responded to her attention and blushed deeply as she remembered, too late, they were both empaths.


Gifting Night Ch. 02



Chapter 2: Second Awakening

Daphne smiled down at the two. She stood on the second floor balcony of the club and watched Christopher and Katherine on the dance floor. Her hands rested on the railing, entwined, and she used them to pillow her chin She was content as she hadn't been for, literally, centuries. No, she admitted to herself, Christopher did his best, and I was content then. Now she was truly happy.

The pair of lovers, her lovers, were easy to find amidst the crowd. Katherine's aura shone like a beacon, and in her presence Chris' grew noticeably larger than the humans surrounding them. Even those crowds could sense the difference. Unlike in myths and legends, however, humans did not react with an instinctive fear for a predator. Instead the mortals responded to the empathic projections emanating from the Dhase. The two on the dance floor were so full of sexual tension that Daphne was surprised the poor, defenseless, men and women surrounding Kat and Chris retained their clothes. It was especially possible when she considered the social mores of this 'modern era'.

Daphne had lived for thousands of years. Like the two dancing, she was Dhase; a vampire. She had seen the rise and fall of many civilizations and knew that this one was becoming more conservative again, after a short period of anarchy and a seeming complete lack of inhibition. Of course it was all relative, and for all she could fathom the society was already swinging back towards liberal mores once again. The pendulum swung faster and faster with each advancement in communications, after all.

Daphne was one of the oldest of her kind, but still enjoyed watching the children at play. In truth, it was more than play. Christopher was teaching Katherine how to 'hunt,' although it appeared he was being taught the newest dance steps. Perhaps Katherine was simply attempting to seduce him yet again. The girl seemed to have an insatiable appetite for sensation, driven even further by her recent transformation into an immortal.

The two finally staggered off the dance floor. Daphne turned back to the table and her waiting drink. Although the drink was sweet, she coughed at the harsh taste of the alcohol. While the mixed drink had been expensive, at least the bartender hadn't skimped on the hard stuff. "Sex on the Beach, huh?" The bartender had been flirting with her, perhaps this was his means of propositioning her?

Daphne could sense the pair as they ascended to the balcony, long before she could see them. Katherine's insatiable nature seemed to have infected Christopher and both were very amused by each other's antics. Daphne could relate. She hid her smile behind her drink as the two came into view.

They were nowhere near as mismatched physically as Daphne knew she looked when standing next to the boy. Both clearly seemed to be in their late twenties or early thirties. Katherine stood over five and a half feet tall, matching his six feet much more closely. Both carried a little extra weight for their broad bodies, but neither excessively much. Daphne, on the other hand barely stood five feet tall, and was very slender from top to bottom. While their bodies would be trapped as adults, she would forever appear to be a perpetual teenager.

Both were incredibly attractive in heir semi-formal club attire. Katherine had chosen a short, black dress ~making some form of joke with a cultural reference Daphne missed~ that revealed her long legs well and dipped low enough in front to demonstrate her other assets. Chris wore black pants and a black, button-up shirt with a gold, silk tie that shined slightly in the light. Typically Chris favored silver to gold, however the tie set off his lightly tanned skin remarkably well.

Daphne remained seated, smiling, as the two collapsed into seats opposite her. "It's good to see you two having fun." She took another sip as they grinned foolishly in response. "I was thinking we could go out to get something to eat? I know a great Chinese buffet a couple of blocks from here." The youths turned to look to each other, at the same moment, and burst out laughing. Neither had been surprised by her suggestion but both nodded their acceptance.

All three tossed back their drinks and headed for the door, picking up their thick coats on the way out. Daphne marveled at the change that had come over her in the last few weeks. She knew, from experience, to expect the resurgence of emotions, but could never have anticipated the extent. The world seemed to come alive. The very pulse of the city roared through her, invigorating her in ways she had never imagined as a youth. Of course the cities were quite a bit smaller back then.

She laughed, causing the two to look back in amusement. Daphne knew she was actually grinning. She couldn't help it. The young, so full of energy, found it easy to feel the threads of human life around them. While the elder Dhase gained in other ways, like extending their powers over greater and greater distances, they lost touch with the essential nature of their very souls. If only other elders could find someone to reawaken their essence, as Katherine had done, they would be able to feel entire cities as well. Of course Daphne couldn't feed from that 'pulse' but it was certainly enough to intrigue her and keep boredom at bay.

Katherine veritably skipped back to stand at Daphne's side as they walked. Christopher, more subdued and refined, waited for the women to catch up, before flanking her on the other side. Each took an arm of the smaller woman. For some reason, exuding amusement, he began to sing, "we're off to see the wizard..." Katherine burst into laughter. His song quickly broke down as he fumbled to sing between gales of laughter. Daphne didn't understand and her confusion only strengthened their amusement. She shook her head, smiling.

She felt a hand caress her butt and turned to scold Christopher. She stopped before a sound left her mouth. Both of his hands were curled protectively around her arm. The tall, dark, man was ginning. By the twinkle in his eyes, he may have had something to do with it, but it had not been his hand.

Daphne shuddered as a knuckle trailed lightly up her spine. Her hips froze with the contact, as every muscle between clenched with desire. She spun with eyes wide. Katherine's hand had already returned to her arm but she wasn't fooling anyone. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be trying, as her 'innocent' whistle broke into laughter, much as Chris had with his singing.

Daphne already desired Katherine and now, with those briefest of contacts, her loins literally ached for the woman. Beyond the first night, when necessity dictated Daphne had to be the source of the woman's pleasure, she had removed herself from the sessions. Newly reawakened, she wanted nothing more than a night with the delectable redhead. She stayed back, afraid the contact might drive Katherine away. Still, she couldn't help but wonder, as the taller woman playfully teased, if her mere presence awakened so much, how much more would sharing pleasure with her bring? Katherine cupped, then squeezed this time, before she playfully ran ahead.

Chris maintained his regal bearing by Daphne's side. She turned to look at him. Their empathy flowed both directions speeding along the conversation. "She's ready." Chris responded to her question, asked by a sense of curiosity. When the sensation intensified he responded empathically. As the heat rolled over her, she almost gasped as tense depths tightened further.

She had to stop walking. Her thighs quivered and her hips ached, as muscles strained against them. She focused her mind, then shifted to release the involuntary muscles. In a moment she was walking again, comfortably.

She focused her concern to almost pinpoint precision and targeted him. Christopher, and young Dhase in general, could not control their emotions sufficiently for that technique; another example of the expanded power of elders. Unfortunately, most elders required that precision as they focused an almost negligible amount of emotion into the effect. While it could be used for communication, as Daphne did now, it could also be used to influence others.

"She's more than ready. She was asking earlier today, with a hint of sorrow I might add, why you no longer joined us." Christopher had correctly identified the source of her concern. "I suggested she make a pass and see what happens?" His tone was light and playful. Obviously he understood the situation well, and how not? He had been with her for nearly five decades. He grew slightly more serious. "You might want to make sure to confirm your desire though."

Daphne laughed. "Well, I certainly think she'll know after the flash she caused in me!" Seeing his expression darken slightly she grew slightly more serious. "Of course, if you haven't been doing your job properly..." Frustration and embarrassment spiked in the man. "You haven't been teaching her to read people!?"

The embarrassment shifted to anger and she stopped in surprise. Seldom, if ever, would Chris' anger be directed at Daphne. "She can't!" Daphne's eyes widened. "I've even tried focusing them and directing them at her. I'm far below your skill at it, but even when concentrating she can't read through her own aura." Chris smiled and waved to Katherine, who was busy buying ice-cream, of all things, for the group. The woman had grasped the most basic tenet of immortality; 'enjoy it.' Daphne, too, smiled and nodded to the youth.

It was strange to see a Dhase, such as Chris, showing one emotion while projecting the opposite. It felt even stranger to dissemble. Daphne turned back to Chris, hoping to finish discussing the new development before reaching the woman. "So her aura is too strong to pierce?" He nodded somberly. "Then she is blind?" There was a note of panic in Daphne's voice. It was too easy to draw on the strength of others to not understand what emotions she drew forth. She could become a monster, without a conscience to guide her.

"No." Chris' expression was thoughtful. He had calmed much already. "She can, apparently, sense the strength of someone's life-force with ease. She simply cannot taste the flavor of it."

"But that could almost be worse. Without feeling the pain she inflicts, she could find the speed and ease of torture and suffering enticing. With an ability to gauge strength she would forever know how long before she needed to stop. She could hold someone in suffering almost indefinitely, providing them only enough time to recuperate."

He smiled, genuinely this time. "She never will. She can read expressions and inflections better than most humans. She can even learn to determine a lie. She only lacks our superior capabilities." Daphne nodded her understanding. "She enjoys the pleasures of life with such innocence. But most of all, she has no lack of compassion."

Both understood the end to the discussion as they came upon Katherine with her dairy bounty. Daphne had never had ice cream before she met Katherine. Even Christopher, the devoted friend who had kept her from falling into depression or insanity for the past fifty years, had never thought to suggest it. Katherine had requested it during one of their frequent trips to the area's various Chinese restaurants. Somehow, the proprietor had devised a method of deep frying the frozen treat, and Katherine was excited to try it. Daphne had demurred, sampling a single bite before instantly ordering another each, for herself and Chris. Since that day Katherine had introduced them to Friendly's, Hagen Das, Ben & Jerry's, Baskin & Robins and so many more.

Daphne loved the sweet, creamy, treat, little caring that the desert was only slightly colder than the ambient temperature. While Dhase, like the vampires of legend, cared little for most climatic effects, they did not reflect them either. Their bodies were not simply dead tissue, to imitate the environment, but fully living once more; ever regenerating, so long as the will remained within.

She looked up. Katherine walked, backwards, a few steps ahead. As she watched the redhead's tongue play across the top of the cone, her muscles tensed with desire once more. Through licking alone, Katherine created a furrow in the pink ball of ice-cream. The very same tongue now traced suggestive paths along the length. Daphne's breath shortened and she couldn't meet the probing green eyes that stared at her. She couldn't help but watch the excruciating tongue caress the delicious cream. Each tender pass brought to mind exactly the images the young woman intended, to judge by the desire pulsing throughout her aura.

Daphne fought her desire all through dinner. None of the three gained sustenance from the food but each enjoyed eating. The entire affair was a hedonistic endeavor, from the delicate and spicy seasonings, to the calculated precision of the limited service.

Throughout it all Katherine continued with her innuendos. Lo-mien noodles slurped noisily into pursed lips. A finger swept sweet-and-sour sauce from the plate, only to be sucked clean. The tongue returned to sample and seduce, as she utilized a stray pea-pod. All of it was directed at Daphne. Occasionally Chris would lean over and whisper in her ear, placing suggestions which would make Katherine grin hungrily.

Finally Daphne held up her hands. "I yield!" She flagged the waiter and quickly left a few large bills on the table to more than cover the tab and tip. Off into the night once more, this time in search of Chris' car. Daphne and Katherine both owned cars as well, however only his was large enough for all three to fit comfortably. As the women climbed into the back seat, each being guided by Chris as he opened and closed the doors, Daphne reflected how nice it was to have Chris driving.

She looked over, just in time to see the other woman sliding discreetly across the seat. "You haven't returned to be with us." Daphne couldn't tell if it had been intended as a question or a statement. Whichever the whispered comment had been, it needed an answer. Round, green eyes watched helplessly as a hand hovered the last inch before reaching the elder. Raw need burned within the youth, shining so brightly Daphne was in awe that the mortals on the streets surrounding could not see it.

Daphne's hand caught the tentative gesture. Moving with speed and grace composed through millennia she brought the hand to the small of her own back before enfolding hers around the woman. Her head surged forward, almost too quickly. Lips found each other, connecting, pressing, thriving in the passion shared.

Chris had tried, bless him, for nearly half a century to inflame her desire. He was very well intentioned but simply lacking in her most fundamental needs. His passion matched that of the soft features parting her lips and the careful tongue questing inside. She could think him attractive, after a clinical fashion, but he could never grant her the serenity that the woman before her could.

Daphne's body seemed to explode as tongues danced and twirled, caressed and entwined. In her veins raged and inferno. Her skin faltered as feathers trailed across her body in the form of a window breeze. Deep within her, between hips aching with need, she wept, as the two began their explorations. Each sought, inch by treasured inch, to know the other.

Her hands began to shift, sliding across the soft velvet of the black dress. One began to trace unknown designs, appreciating the gentle material and wondering as it shifted across supple flesh. The other hand snaked around to clasp the woman's side, pulling her gently closer until, finally, the larger woman rested on the elder's lap. Heat radiated from Katherine's loins, infuriating the blaze already alight, and yearning, beneath her.

Nothing existed for Daphne save the throbbing presence before her. The world consisted of nothing more than two straining bodies enveloped in the pulse of vitality. The energy was life and creation. It swept all concerns aside.

Katherine's hands began to wander. One traced Daphne's spine once more which sent a shuddered thrill that sparked across her flesh. The other hand trailed forward, sliding along the silk of her dress, to her side. From there it traveled down to her hip and continued along her thigh. Intensity redoubled, pouring between united lips. Satin flowed against silk as bodies entwined and sought a more full connection.

Daphne gasped as her nipples, strained already against the thin fabric, caught along the seam of Katherine's dress. Pure invigoration gripped her body, relishing the accidental torment. Moments later Katherine gasped as her writhing body brought about another such unintentional delight. Daphne shifted and straightened, using her strength to gently lower her lover. Nipples, pressed outward against taut fabric, collided as her body swayed back and forth.

Katherine grinned and snarled. The warm cloak of desire suddenly unraveled, transforming rapidly into something far more feral. Lust blossomed and flared from her. It raced outward, sank into the fiber of Daphne and pooled easily in the most primal centers of her body; groin, breasts and the base of her skull. Everywhere it touched pressure built, seeking a hasty release that she hoped would be denied.

Daphne's blood coursed in molten tides. It roared in her ears, drowning out all but the other woman's soft panting and quiet mewls of pleasure. It pulsed in her neck where teeth began to caress and lips began to suck. It flashed behind lids, forming red lightning across black vision. Most of all, it sped between her legs and engorged her delicate presence.

Enshrouded in sensation, they floated. Hands that began tentatively gained momentum, spurred by desperation. The caress of breasts broke as fingers interposed. They tickled, flicked and pinched, as they found each other easily; hardened flesh provided beacons beneath the expensive fabric. Daphne wandered farther, her desire consuming her more quickly for the length of her despair.

Katherine's back arched as a finger found the strained flesh just above her inferno core. She released her lover to grasp at the beatific agony, only to encounter the woman's other hand. Daphne captured the two hands in her own and pulled them, gently, above their heads. Fingers on all three hands clutched at the satin sheets as their bodies spread to accommodate their desires.

Daphne looked up, the haze that obscured her reason lifted briefly by the unexpected sensation. Chris was quietly leaving the bedroom. She blessed him once again for his kindness, retrieving them from the car to this, more comfortable, location. Katherine mewed pathetically as the distraction robbed Daphne's attention from the mounting release beneath her control. She smiled at the glory beneath her and gave herself, once more, to the timeless embrace of their mutual need.

Fingers slid with ease, moistened by Katherine's honeyed depths. Daphne gained speed, her touch more firm. She lifted a thigh across the woman's legs to pin her in place. Her foot, shoes kicked off absently at some point, circled back to lift one of the captured legs, to spread the fledgling to further rapture.

Katherine moaned. Her body contorted between the immobile stanchions. Daphne felt the thread of frustration weave through Katherine's aura. Her own pulse quickened as the energy, unspent due to physical restraint, surged from the tormentor to captor unbidden. She gasped as the purity flooded her. Her tempo faltered momentarily, only to intensify as her body responded to the pleasure she created.

Daphne shifted slightly as her head bent. Tenderly her mouth quested lower until she discovered a sharp nipple through the thin velvet dress and lace bra. Teeth carefully bit and tugged at the swollen flesh. Katherine's moans became soft screams of pleasure. Daphne's mouth continued to torment the inflamed nipple as her fingers beat against the woman's resolve. Katherine shifted and writhed, almost constant screams issued from her.




Gifting Night Ch. 02



The eruption was blinding. Even forewarned, as she watched thighs twitch and stomach flutter, Daphne found herself unprepared for the brilliance radiating from her newest lover. Katherine froze. When movement returned Daphne found herself hard pressed to hold the woman's struggles. Her finger continued to fly circles across the fabric above the unprotected bud.

As Katherine raced past the stratospheres, her energy continued to build. More and more poured into Daphne at alarming levels. The very air thickened with the presence of euphoria, so much that Daphne began to gasp. The thin vein of frustration swelled to blend seamlessly with the pleasure as the tortured woman reached stages of climax previously unknown to her.

Daphne felt herself break away. Her body swam in cloying impulse of release, as if she had been the tormented. Never had she felt such intensity. Her head rolled to gaze in wonder at the source of such contentment. Her eyes narrowed, bringing the woman's life-force to a manageable level. That brings new meaning to afterglow! Mortals and Dhase alike built energy through all forms of activity but Daphne had never encountered anyone who built more than an elder could safely drink. Katherine should have been worn out, but every sense screamed that she wanted more.

The redhead's head lolled towards Daphne. Eyes sparkled with hunger still. Hands, still raised in residual memory of Daphne's grip, began a slow, enticing, trek down her own body. She smoothed her dress as she savored the sensations still rippling across and beneath her nerves. As hands reached her hips, her eyes flew wide in surprise as her head came up to confirm the unbelievable report. A very large portion of the velvet dress was drenched with the woman's nectar. It was both a blessing and a curse that female Dhase still wept with their need. While it provided ample lubrication, in cases like these, it often wreaked havoc on wardrobes.

Katherine's eyes met Daphne's and both burst with laughter. Their amusement intensified as they realized that the elder's dress had likewise suffered for their impatience.

Daphne collapsed into a chair as Katherine pulled herself from the bed. As the young Dhase began to peel the ruined dress free she turned to the elder. Embarrassment and anxiety swirled into her emotions. "Why didn't you come to me earlier? Was I so raw that you needed Chris to teach me first?"

Daphne looked over at the woman. The dress remained dangling from one hand, forgotten. Her breasts thrust forward, barely contained by the forest green, lace, bra. The thong likely matched the bra only an hour before. Now, it was many shades darker, stained by the thick nectar. Pained, green eyes stared back.

Daphne pushed herself to her feet with alacrity, unable to meet those eyes. In a heartbeat she crossed the room and took the fledgling's, her fledgling's, hands in her own. With a conscious effort her eyes rose to meet those of the hurt woman. "I was afraid you would not desire me. I did not wish to intrude on your desire for him." Even now she could feel the pulse. The woman's depths cried out, silently, to be filled as Daphne could not.

Katherine smiled and the anxiety abated. "I do love the feel of him, but, you know," she said conspiratorially, "not matter how attentive, men simply cannot understand and fulfill every need."

Daphne laughed freely, wondering that she had thought the very same thing of Chris earlier in the evening. His extended life had brought him a great deal of skill, but he still could not feel as a woman felt. She knew Katherine spoke the truth, for it shone in her brilliantly. She had need for contact from both men and women. She also had need to feel a connection in the union.

"How long has it been?" Daphne couldn't answer as one of Katherine's hands left hers to cup the soft cleft, pressing her sodden dress between her legs. She gasped as Katherine rubbed lightly the moist silk.

The answer was almost lost in a moan, as Daphne's eyes closed. "Too long." The heat, the energy, the pressure, all built as she brought the youth to climax, flared to life. They seemed a live entity, hungry and aggressive, and demanded a tribute. The hand continued slowly; forward and back. The damp fabric shifted against the drenched silk bikini which, in turn, bedazzled her pulsing lust.

With gentle pressure Katherine began to lead Daphne back to the bed. When she stopped them, Daphne felt the mattress brushing the backs of her legs. The hands left her but her body continued to feel their ghost touch. She opened her eyes and saw Katherine's arms contorted backwards a moment before the tight lace sprung forward, releasing the glorious body from bondage. Small mounds pointed accusingly, pink and serene, from the center of each breast. Daphne smiled in contentment as the hands returned to her body, connecting with her sides.

Katherine lowering herself to a crouch, following her hands down the soft curves. The soft, red, hair waved slightly as the she sank. When the woman reached naked skin she leaned forward and kissed it lightly, a thrill ran the length of Daphne's body. Hands moved to slide under the hem of the silk dress and left only the thumbs hooked around. Slowly fingers and palms trailed feathery paths upward, the thumbs collected the expensive fabric as it folded itself and revealed the tan flesh beneath. With every few seconds of travel, lips quested forward to partake in the warmth.

Daphne's breath released in a frustrated sigh. Her head tilted back and her eyes closed. She couldn't bear to watch the agonizing crawl up her overeager body. With every inch the pressure increased, every kiss a torment. Her legs quaked for release, her loins contracted and surrendered as they sought blessed intrusion. A brief kiss ~too brief!~ landed just above her throbbing mound as the kisses shifted to land centered on her body.

Little remained of Daphne's mind but desire, hunger and need. She was infected still with the traces of the other woman's orgasm. She felt the energy, foreign and assertive, as it stormed before the tumultuous hands and lips. Worse still, Katherine's aura mounted once again, filling quickly with the pleasure she knew she brought to another.

Strange that she reacts so strongly to my desire when she cannot sense it! Of course, Daphne had forgotten, in the long years of life, that even the humans could sense such bold desires. All thoughts fled her once more as the slick fabric rolled creepingly up her chest. With her small, pert, breasts, she rarely felt the need to wear a bra. Dresses and shirts alike clung to her curves and helped to carry and present her womanly charms. She found the modern contraption restrictive and uncomfortable with no relative merits. The bunched cloth caught at her nipples briefly before it rubbed free.

Daphne's legs nearly buckled under the assault as a fresh wave of anticipation roared through her body. Although the thumbs were dangerously close to those sensitive buds, and probably intentionally caused the antagonistic delight, the fingers and palms calmly pressed, holding the flagging body aloft until her knees strengthened. The firm vice held as the mouth shifted from center. Lips plucked first at one, then the other, nipple; with each, knees gave way again.

Tears rolled from Daphne's closed eyes, straight down her jaw, at the sheer wonder and agony of the pursuit. Katherine's touch brought tenderness unfelt in her memory. Body and soul cried out for the blessed tormentor. Lower, too, her body wept with joy.

Daphne never realized she raised her arms until she felt the smooth material tickle her armpits. Hands brushed past equally lightly. Her head came forward automatically and her very body tightened in desire. As the dress passed her mouth Katherine swept forward in a rush. Passion overcame sensuality, the dress tossed negligently aside, as lips met.

Naked flesh entwined, focused on the shared desire. Skin caressed skin. Katherine's arms encircled Daphne to slide along the smooth back and entangle in dark hair. Daphne reciprocated with a single arm, delighted with the coarser red hair, while the other arm reached back to find the bed. Katherine leaned forward at first, as Daphne shifted backward. Soon feet left the ground as she let herself ride the smaller woman to the soft bed.

The pose held as they shared each others need, poured from lip to lip. Too soon Daphne broke the connection. Her spirit thrived but her body cried out. As she backpedaled up the bed a fierce grin stared up at her. Those eyes nearly terrified the ages old Dhase, filled with determination. The aura loomed above her and spoke of an almost sadistic drive to induce pleasure.

The youth stalked up the bed. With each motion Daphne's heart skipped. Her breath caught, for the intensity. No portion of her body felt safe from need. Every muscle longed to embrace the energy that prowled closer with each second. Her legs froze as the glamour dominated her limbs. The hunter reached her feet, which spread with but a light tap of a leisurely finger.

As the head reached her knees Daphne's depths clenched and cried out. Her gaze flickered to the beleaguered area and discovered her meager protection saturated with desire. With a pulse the spell flared to encompass her entire body and beyond. She found herself lost in a shining sphere of need which froze her body. Eyes, the only freedom afforded, shifted upward to discover the source of the surge. Her own attention had dragged Katherine's gaze to her destination. The face turned feral once more as she watched, gloriously helpless.

Lips parted. Revealed teeth sank between spread legs to clasp the precious bloom, outlined by drenched silk. Daphne screamed as her body pressed outward. She was so close already, too close. The mouth pulled backwards and plucked at the treacherous pearl. The scream intensified.

Katherine knelt, her hips thrust high. Her arms wrapped around Daphne's thighs and her hands sought between the inflamed legs. The devious woman had to have known how close her victim was to climax as careful fingers plucked the false protection from atop her goal and spread the glistening folds wide. Her mouth lunged forward to suck at the moist flesh.

Daphne's world froze in an instant void. After that timeless moment her body came back to her. Every nerve burned, every muscle aflame. Her skin writhed. Her veins flooded every cell with ecstasy. Her consciousness lost cohesion under the onslaught, aware only of pure sensation and her tormentor's wicked mouth.

Katherine continued to suck and lick at the flowing ambrosia, apparently embittered to have lost so much to the slight garment she casually held aside. As she sucked in the unfurled flower she licked the engorged bud. Her tongue circled, swirled and pressed impassioned flesh. With each fresh assault the enraptured victim flew higher.

Daphne felt it all. Every slight motion drilled into her mind. Slowly, a new sensation joined the rest. It was a desire to be filled as she consumed. The only sentient fragment of her mind puzzled over the unexpected novelty until it finally decoded it. With effort she focused and deflected the need aside. Spent, she settled into the soft comfort of euphoric oblivion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chris looked up. He knew he'd been grinning, he couldn't help it. Never before had his empathic sense tasted the intensity flooding from the bedroom. He sat in the livingroom, the farthest possible corner of the house from the secluded women, and still he needed to distract himself in any way possible. On nights like these, her nights, I think I'm going to need to take up a hobby. Something far outside the house! Of course it was always possible the sheer ages since Daphne's last truly intimate encounter could accord for the strength. Chris wasn't sure his sanity could withstand a failed test of that theory.

He was chuckling to himself when it hit. With absolute certainty he knew he was wanted, no, needed upstairs. He climbed unsteadily to his feet, weak in the haze of sheer passion that permeated the house. He stumbled for the stairs and wondered what Daphne, for no other could target with her precision, could need of him during such a storm.

As he crested the steps he wondered if storm was an apt analogy. Perhaps maelstrom would be better suited. He gritted his teeth and continued onward. Simple proximity strained his nerves and control. His pants tightened painfully. As he reached the door to Daphne's bedroom 'maelstrom' was to benign. When he opened the door words failed as the full force of their combined auras crashed through him.

He understood now.

Daphne, likely in frustration, had channeled a misdirected drive to the only source capable of relieving it. His body already responded to the need and he found himself half naked before he realized. His shirt lay on the floor beside him and his hands already worked the belt free and reached for the buttons. His world was little more than a haze as his pants fell, to pool about his feet.

The site before him was awesome. From his angle, slightly off center, Daphne's body lay fully exposed, save the underwear carelessly pulled aside for accessability. Her hands clutched at the sheets, her eyes screwed shut, as she rode the crest of her every-mounting climax. Between those strong legs knelt Katherine, her head buried and busy, her rear thrust into the air. The need that compelled him came not just from her but somehow, it felt, from her impatient lust.

He climbed onto the bed, unsure how he even crossed the room. The glorious edifice rose before him and beckoned him forward. He knew the moment she realized his presence as she shifted from vicarious pleasure alone to that mingled with intense desire. With the shift came an overpowering wave that crashed across Christoph's body. Suddenly he felt a prisoner within himself as he crawled behind her, his manhood stood more firm than he had ever known, aiming inexorably at her.

He reveled in the power she fed him as his hands felt the soaked material of her thong. Slowly he pulled the straps down. As the fabric began to peel from between her legs, Katherine moaned into her own ministrations. His hips moved forward even as the thong had barely cleared her precious depths. He released the underwear. His palms slid along her hips as his weight shifted forward farther. His hands continued to slide along the milky skin of her silken sides until they met.

The strength of her need seemed unimaginable until the tip of his flesh met her soft folds. His entire body rippled with power as her need to be taken, even as she consumed, burst forth. Some unknown force ~his own dominated body?~ pushed at his hips and caused him to be buried deep within her splendid heat. His head flew back in ecstasy.

Katherine screamed, her mouth pressed hard against Daphne. Daphne screamed once more as the room pulsed with intoxicating euphoria. Chris continued to thrust himself hard and deep, as he knew Katherine desired, without conscious effort. Their energy, their auras, their very souls, seemed to blend together, merging and swirling in an uncontrolled vortex.

Chris didn't know when he had stopped. He still knelt behind Katherine, buried within her, but he lay along the length of her back and struggled to breath. Daphne had pulled herself up the bed and sat against the headboard. Christoph had never seen that dazed look on the face on an elder before, and his heart, his entire body, warmed at the sight. Slowly he pulled himself free of the fledgling. With the connection broken she collapsed to her side, asleep.

He looked over to Daphne, still breathing heavily. "What was that?"

Daphne continued to smile as her gaze drifted over to him. "She's not like us. She is different."

Copywrite October 2006 "Deathlynx". 



Gifting Night Ch. 03



Gifting Night Ch 3: Traded Destinies

Please note this is chapter three of a continuing series...There will be more to come, and I highly recoomend reading the previous chapters...

Thanks to everyone who asked me to continue the saga of the Dhase,it's been fun writing and I have discovered a whole world to explore...More will come...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is said there are places where even gods fear to tread. Chris stared ahead and believed he truly had found one. Despite his fears, or perhaps in concert with them, he felt his desire growing. And how not? How can I stare at that and feel anything but lechery? He would not enter, but neither could he leave.

Christoph Halley, Chris to friends, was certainly formidable. He had studied a countless number of martial arts ~weapons and unarmed combat alike~ and was a master at all. He stood a very well built six feet tall. More importantly than his size or skill were the muscles, now capable of far more than human strength. He was a 'vampire' by mortal reckoning, more akin to the eastern myths than those bastardized in Europe. As a Dhase he could drain the very life force from his attacker, should brute strength and skill prove fruitless. Legends told even dragons and giants had bent knee to his kind. They were just legends but he knew the true strengths he would eventually attain.

So what could possibly scare one of such power? Chris ignored his dread, giving in to his desire, as he watched.

A blond woman lay naked across the bed in the room before him. She writhed and screamed. It wasn't pain, or torment, that made the well built woman scream. As one who leached off the life force, the aura, of the living Chris could sense her powerful emotions from even this distance. From almost twenty feet away he could taste the innocence of her euphoria as clearly as if his tongue was between her legs. The bliss she exuded brought him wishes that he was there drinking in her succulent juices as he filled himself with the purity of the energy it created within her.

Between those thick, muscular, legs rested a shock of bright red hair. Some of that hair spilled forward, veiling the face beneath from sight as she practiced her new arts. Red hair mingled with an uncontrolled tangle of fine blond fuzz across skin as white and smooth as milk. Chris' gaze wandered down the white legs and froze, seeing the perfect breasts in silhouette peeking out from behind the glorious calves. Each sloped smoothly down the top until they reached large areola and taught nipples, from there they curved under enticingly. The chest and red hair, the only parts of the woman visible, shone with a brilliant aura, such as he had never seen before.

She, the redhead, was his near-sibling. She was his ideal, perfect woman. Her body followed not the modern image of beauty, holding too much weight in her stomach ~any at all these days seemed too much~ but she still maintained an hourglass figure. Hers was a real beauty, and not the duplicity of modern style. That was the lesser of her perfection however. Chris had never seen anyone who's aura pulsed and shined as vividly as hers. Even the newly created Dhase lost some of the brilliance of their life force, hers had gained in strength since that night, almost half a year before.

He aided in making this goddess, Katherine, into one of his kind. Being the youthful partner involved in her recreation as a Dhase, she was called his near-sister. As her near-brother he was responsible for teaching her of life among their kind. If she failed to comprehend, or even obey, it reflected poorly on him. Fortunately her skills at etiquette and diplomacy proved an easy match for the those of her tongue, as she demonstrated upon the writhing woman.

Katherine absently swiped the hair from her face in a nervous gesture and Chris could see her blessed face as she dove forward once more. Out the dark pink muscle darted, caressing and tormenting soft folds he could not see. The blond woman froze momentarily before her joyful protestations redoubled. That would be her third of fourth climax of the session, given the time they had been within the room. Katherine's lips slid forward and lightly grasped the precious bud, pressed slightly, twisted a little, before finally releasing it to be further subjected to torments of the tongue.

The blond glowed as bright as a thousand suns, imperceptible to herself, but brilliant to the three others within the room. The third Dhase, a woman with long, silken, brown hair, knelt on the other side of the bed, and faced Katherine across the bountiful flesh stretched between them. The smaller woman needed to hold herself high, even leaning slightly over the bed, in order to reach the blond as she wished. A single hand effortlessly clasped both of the tormented woman's high and tight. The poor blond was completely immobile in her ecstasy, save the little release gained through shifting hips and quivering breasts. Even one of those breasts was denied motion, the brunette carefully twisted and brushed one of those firm nipples with her free hand.

Chris wanted nothing more than to join in the glorious festivities arrayed before him. It was more than the power her orgasm fed to her. Mortals were so easy to bring to extremes of emotion; the more emotion the more power they gained. Modern scientists attributed it to endorphins and adrenalin, but whatever the cause, it meant more energy to feed from. He was a relative youth of a Dhase, only fifty seven years among their kind, and still near enough to his former life to feel the desires of the flesh. Seeing the three women naked and in the throws of passion brought forth an almost unbearable desire in him.

This night had begun as a lesson to Katherine not to feed too much. If a Dhase took only a portion of the available energy the person would not only survive, but rebuild quickly. There were humans who gladly gave themselves over as the willing 'sex slaves' to the ever skilled Dhase to be fed from, and impassioned, for nearly the entirety of their natural lives.

Unfortunately, there were a, blessedly few, of his kind with more perverse tastes. He could feed off of more than just joy and lust, they all could, he could feed from anger fear and hatred. Most of the deviants believed they gained more energy from these than from more pleasurable affairs. Chris knew this wasn't true. While it was quicker to bring someone to a powerful state of anger or fear, there was simply no limit to the heights of rapture to which one could aspire, if considerably more slowly. He thought them simply impatient.

There were even a few among that minority who claimed to enjoy the 'taste' of those darker emotions.

Katherine's patience proved equal to the challenge as her lips once more sealed around the soft protrusion. Instead to twisting and pressing, she sucked in, drawing the sensitive mound free of all protections, exposing it to the most extreme torments the redheaded goddess could determine with her tongue. The screams grew louder still and the brunette redoubled her own efforts, single handed still, with the presented nipple.

Chris' need pulsed between his legs. Raw, primal, joy rolled across him like a wave. He could feel the blond's uncounted climax, and the Dhase women couldn't help but project their own bliss. There was simply too much within the room to contain so they unconsciously threw it at the other body present. His knees buckled and he screamed. Never before had watching brought him to the edge. He knelt before the three as if in prayer.

The dam burst. He fell backwards as every nerve in his body exploded with sensation. He writhed, unbeknownst, in perfect harmony with the woman on the bed. The ambient and unwanted energy alone had brought him to finish and beyond. His hips bucked up and down as hers would, were it not for the woman holding them firm. Fully clothed, he thrust and thrust. The passion suffusing the room felt a hot cocoon, cradling him. Their scent, the taste of them clung to his lungs and throat. He could feel himself sliding down their throbbing, pillowy, depths.

Trapped in a warm blanket of their unending orgasm he finally found the release of Morpheus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feral eyes stared up at him hungrily. Dear GODS! Does she never get enough? Katherine's green eyes weren't looking for his. She knelt at the end of the couch, by his feet, and stared at what he was beginning to fear would be a permanent erection. In her crouch she reminded him of nothing more than a feline prepared to pounce. By the look in her eyes, she wasn't fearing it was a permanent alteration but rather hoping it was.

Instinctively he scurried back, pressing his body into the far corner of the couch. One at a time her hands crept forward as she stalked along the furniture. Chris had come to learn that Katherine had relatively few relationships in the seclusion she had created of her nearly three decades of life. As often happens with women, most of the sexual encounters had left her completely unfulfilled. When he, and later Daphne, the elder, brunette Dhase, succeeded in bringing her well beyond orgasm, each, Katherine became something like a mystic. Thankfully she had accepted death as a fair compromise for such a complete experience. That acceptance led her to awaken once more in the morning, his near-sister.

Katherine's crawl across the couch spread her naked form until she draped herself across the length of the soft cushions. Her hands drifted absently along his hip and side, thankfully still clothed in the jeans and t-shirt he wore when he passed out. Her head rested on his thigh and hungry eyes continued to stare at the bulge in his pants. "Chris?" Her voice was tentative, unsure of herself, or possibly his answer. "Why did you choose me?" As those brilliant green eyes shifted to meet his he witnessed their transformation. The primal nature bled from her as the severity of the question plagued her. "Don't get me wrong! I'm more than grateful you did, but why me?"

He smiled sadly at her, thinking briefly of the news that had drawn him to witness the unimaginable scene. "You are flawless. You are a beautiful woman; to both Daphne and I." Her eyes widened. For a moment he thought she would try to deny it but she finally, simply, accepted it. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "But really it's more than that. I've never seen anyone with as much vitality as you have. I don't think Daphne has either and she's one of the oldest among us."

It was damnably hard to kill one of their kind. The stories of vulnerability to sunlight and fire, silver and garlic, crosses and wood stakes, were all false. There was only one way for a Dhase to die; apathy. Apathy meant starvation to them. This could be brought about slowly, with extreme age, or more quickly by depriving them of contact for an extended period of time. The quickest method, however, was for a Dhase to maliciously feed off of another, to the point of death.

Even with such few methods Dhase died with alarming regularity. The Gift needed to be accepted. Only if the chosen, the fledgling, accepted their death, as their life force was drained away, would they too become Dhase. Unfortunately, those that chose to accept death once often fell into melancholy and apathy more quickly, embracing death again. The ultimate irony of their existence meant their numbers remained few compared to the number of people on Earth.

Of course they could partner with the young, as Daphne had. This allowed the younger partner to remember, and draw out, the higher powers of thriving emotions; living vicariously through the children and their paramours. Alternately the elders could feed more frequently or from animals. Only apathy, the complete lack of desire for life, overrode survival instinct to starve them to death.

His hand came over to cup the back of her head and he began to smooth her unruly hair, using her warmth to dispel the chilling contemplation. She continued to dye it red but he knew her natural color. He thought briefly of the silk curls between her legs. When he met her, on Halloween, she had trimmed all but a very small portion. Now, at his and Daphne's urging she let them grow out. She still shaved around her glorious temple but beginning an inch above was a field of platinum clouds.

He looked down at her, finally, and found her asleep. The face, so filled with need moments before, looked pristine in its serenity. His heart leapt to see her like this. That was her power, the true nature that called to the two from another city. Even as Dhase she called forth desire as easily as she breathed. "No other can create energy as you do. When we feed, even as our actions build energy within our lover, we drain their life. Somehow with you, it grows." It had grown, beyond control to overpower him earlier.

Carefully he slipped from beneath her, placed a pillow beneath her head, and quietly crept from the room. Daphne sat, in silent meditation, in the sparsely appointed den. As she looked up he saw the concern in her eyes and stopped cold. Regardless of how long he had been unconscious her ability to feel should have diminished to near nonexistence. She had fed only indirectly from the earlier session, the most fulfilling only when they were the direct cause of the heightened state. Now she not only felt his despair but worried over it.

"Christopher, what's wrong?" He was Christopher to Daphne because she felt Christoph was too cliched. It was a name Hollywood would give a vampire, so she refused it.

"Bridget." The name instantly hardened her eyes. "She called to collect your debt."

"She knows then." It wasn't a question. He didn't need to ask what she knew. Chris understood.

"She does." He felt her heart harden; the first stages of apathy setting in, the stages he'd spent nearly five decades holding at bay, the apathy that Katherine's addition had begun to push back entirely. "She never said it in so many words. She never even broached the subject obscurely, but I could tell. She asked me," he shuddered, merely remembering her voice, "to remind you of your debt to her."

"There could be no other reason then. The timing is to perfect to be a coincidence." Daphne's sigh held little emotion. "Then it is as it must be."

"No!" Nearly dead eyes leveled on him. A faint trace of emotion, confusion or determination, left in them. He rushed across the room and skidded to a stop on his knees before her. She allowed him to take her hands in his, joining all four and pressing them to his breast. "I won't let you."

"If I don't, I will break a vow. I will be destroyed and both of you will end up on the streets. She would have free reign to take you as her own." The was a pulse of faint love from her; motherly, but love nonetheless. He had always know she was drawn to women over men but he couldn't help but love her, even if unrequited. "Most would not take you, but you know she would."

How could an empathic race engage in something as base as slavery? They only can if they are one of the darkest of deviants. Bridget was the darkest. "There is another way." She looked up, hope drawing forth a little more of the priceless emotion; confusion. "She has not asked yet. She has just reminded you of your debt."

Sensing his depression, terror and resolve all fluttering together her eyes widened. "You can't! She would never accept!"

"She has yet to name the terms. If you name them first, and they are fair, she cannot refuse without disavowing the debt."

"She wants Katherine."

"Yes, she does." His voice broke with sorrow. "Your debt, however, is worth the services of a youth. As you now have two, she can claim her debt." He turned away. She would still be able to feel his emotions, but at least he had the pride of keeping her from seeing his tears. "Offer me to her and she can't refuse."

The hand that came to rest on his shoulders was cold. "You know what she is like. She would be content with either of you. For her purposes you are the same."

"And for that reason, I have to go." He stood and walked to the door. His mind was decided. Daphne was no deviant, to own another, so she could not deny his choice. "We both know the choice is not indifferent for her. We know which would hurt you more and that is the reason it must be me." He stopped at the door and looked back. "Because it's part of a deal, she can only hold me for a limited time. She cannot take me as a slave. When the time comes she must release me or break her own oath."

They both knew he would never survive to see that day. If, by some miracle, he survived her attentions for long enough she would kill him the day before the contract ended. He didn't expect to live that long.

He stepped into the livingroom. Katherine sat on the couch, clutching the pillow. She saw Chris and her face brightened. He had to ignore the twinkle in her eyes. "Are you feeling refreshed enough yet?"

His smile was false, but Katherine was to new to sense the truth. The very power of her own emotions would drown out her sense. Quite possibly she would never be able to sense, losing herself to apathy before she lost enough strength to feel others. "Kat. I need to move on. My arrangement with Daphne was to find a fledgling more suitable to her desires. Have you not noticed she enjoys herself more with you than me?"

Confused eyes met his. Chris never expected to need his ability to dissemble again. His eyes told only the story that he wished. Dhase would know the truth, even mortals feeling some of his subconscious projections. Katherine was different. She couldn't feel him as others did. All she could read in his eyes was determination, and his smile kept her from seeing the grim reality. "I guess so. I mean I've never really seen just the two of you." She paused. His smiled turned to genuine amusement as he watched her work through to the inevitable conclusion. "You mean she..."

Christoph laughed and nodded. "Yes, dear one. She prefers women." There was a twinkle in Katherine's eyes which declared she was not horrified by the revelation. He knew she didn't care, she cared only for the sensation, the sensuality. Katherine needed both men and women, and Chris knew Daphne would remember and together, they would bring home men as often as women.

He brought a hand to her cheek. "Take care of her. As elders go she is one of the best. Too many forget they are supposed to care, long before they stop altogether. Daphne struggles to remember. I wish you both nothing but happiness." After a single caress of her cheek, he strode over to the side door. He looked back with a smirk. "I think she would be hard pressed to forget with you around. I will," he had to pause and collect himself. "I will see you again in time." In a moment Christoph Halley was out the door and in his car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katherine looked up to see Daphne standing in the doorway to the den. She was hurt and angry. She cared for Chris. He was a talented and attentive lover, and more, he understood the modern world in a way Daphne was still trying to come to grips with. He had been a good friend over the last few months. Katherine had never quite connected with the elder in most of the ways she had Chris.

Rage pulsed from her. Daphne flinched as if struck by the almost palpable wave. "Did you send him away? Did you do this so you could have me to yourself?" She ran across the room to beat on the smaller woman. The punches landed but had all of the effect of hitting stone.

Daphne stood, impassive, until Katherine began to cry. Her arms could rend steel, yet when they rose to encircle the younger woman they were as soft and gentle as they appeared. When she spoke it was in hushed, soothing tones. Despite her aura, regardless of her appearance, she still could feel. "It was business. Chris has debts to repay. Eventually we all do. No one can be completely self-sufficient. In time everyone needs something they cannot attain. This is how our kind survive the centuries. We tally and track our debts."




Gifting Night Ch. 03



As with Chris, Katherine could feel the intensity of the other woman's emotions but not decipher them. She didn't understand this. She was Dhase now, she should be able to taste their emotions. Chris couldn't help but express himself, it was written in his features. Her head moved back in order to meet the elder's eyes. Daphne remained unreadable most of the time. Without such visual clues Katherine felt blind. "When will he be back?"

The briefest twitch of her lip betrayed, what; irony, concern, or resignation? "I don't know." The five foot brunette stood back, still holding Katherine's hands tenderly. "I do know he will be thinking of you, and I. He wishes us nothing but happiness while he settles the debt." For a moment they stood, connected to each others eyes.

Suddenly Daphne smiled and her face transformed. While distant, she seemed every bit the aged vampire, struggling through the centuries. When she smiled she became a mischievous teenager. Even her voice softened. "Come. We'll find someone to share tonight, a man I think." Daphne winked at the youth when suddenly her eyes lit up. "There's a new Chinese restaurant opening downtown!"

Katherine couldn't help but laugh. It came freely and unencumbered by the worries of moments before. In all her life, through the years of studying the myths and legends in order to untangle the truth of the Dhase, she had never expected to discover an elder vampire that was so enthralled by Chinese food.

Copyright October 2006 by Deathlynx



Gifting Night Ch. 04



Chapter 4: Endless Dream

This is chapter 4 of a series. Thank you to all the readers who inspired me to continue the series with their constant support. While it is not entirely necessary to read the each chapters in progression I highly recommend it. Please remember that the Dhase are a species of my own creation, and although they are based on vampires I have drastically changed the mythos. I hope you enjoy.

*

How many months had it been? Chris had warned Katherine countless times that time seemed to flow differently for the Dhase than for mortals. Kat had merely assumed he referred to the passing of years and the patience that could be learned when one had literally an eternity to experience the world.

It has to be at least summer, she reflected as she realized the warmth of the evening. There, a newspaper dispenser stood not too far away. She crouched down to read the date in the early evening sunlight. Catching the reflection of sunlight filtering through the clouds, Katherine momentarily forgot to read the paper. She still found herself amazed by the false legends that had formed around vampires. She still found herself amazed that she could wander into a church, or even walk about during the day.

At some point humanity vilified the Dhase, turning them into the vampires of legend. I suppose it's not so big a surprise they would create all sorts of weaknesses in order to comfort themselves. If they knew real vampires could only be killed through starvation they'd probably have boxed everyone they could find up long ago and sealed them so tight even the rats couldn't get in.

Oh course those mortals that knew enough truth about the Dhase to know their lack of weakness would already have known the rest of the truth. Katherine had known that partial truth and sought them out. Dhase did not feed on the blood of mortals but rather their vital energy; their life-force. Dhase 'tasted' a person's emotions in their aura, which made cruelty a very difficult concept.

That was the theory. Katherine was finding the reality much different. Daphne, the elder who guided her across the bridge of rebirth, could easily sense the emotions of the people around her. In fact, the elder could expand her ability to sense the prevailing emotional state of the entire city. She had known, for instance, when the baseball team won a game before it hit the news. Of course the woman had no idea what was going on, not knowing or understanding about baseball, but she had suddenly declared the city was joyous. It was the next day that Kat had learned an unexpected home-run had brought the team to victory from the jaws of defeat at the exact moment the older Dhase had made her declaration.

Katherine had no more ability to read people's emotions than she had as a mortal. She still relied on the various physical cues people used without realizing. If she couldn't read others, she had discovered the ability to alter other peoples' moods with ease. It was a talent of empathy less widely known; projection. If she had found it difficult, in life, to hide her feelings from those around her it was the next best thing to impossible now.

A man cleared his throat above Katherine. She looked up and realized the man, in a business suit, wanted to get a copy of the paper. She blushed and quickly glance at the date at the top before she stood aside. It was late July. Has it really been almost nine months? It seemed almost impossible.

Of course there were even greater benefits to her knew life. She grinned as she thought of the way she spent her nights with Daphne. It was her nocturnal activities that caused her life to be an almost constant haze of lust and euphoria. Although Chris, her first truly remarkable lover, had moved out Daphne had insisted two other people, mortals, needed to move in.

Chris had been another Dhase, the critical second member needed to bestow the gift to their chosen. That first night, this past Halloween, Chris had brought her to heights she hadn't known, before Daphne had even joined in. For a while after he had continued to live with them, continued to bring her to greater and greater heights. It was Chris who had subtly informed Kat of Daphne's sexual preferences.

It was because of those preferences that Julia had come to live with the two women after his departure. By carefully bringing the woman to climax, and then feeding from her heightened level of energy, the two could feed from her without any threat to her health. In return, the gorgeous blond swore it was the absolute best sex she'd ever had. Katherine could believe that, knowing her own experiences with Daphne between her legs.

Now it was time to find the second roomie. For some reason Daphne had insisted they needed to find an additional partner, a male  partner. It had been a few days before. Kat grinned as she remembered her head between the brunette's legs. Daphne had been screaming her release for a few minutes when she suddenly stopped, grabbed Kat gently by the ears and growled something about needing to find Katherine a man. Kat had laughed and put it off to some sort of strange joke.

The next day Daphne practically stalked the house and radiated lust so strongly that even Julie could sense it. When Julie and Katherine had tried to seduce the woman she refused, insisted that she needed something else and stormed out of the house. Kat had been greatly surprised when she reappeared, hours later, smelling of cheap cologne. At that point Kat suspected that it was Daphne who needed a man about the house from time to time. Kat was just a convenient excuse. She grinned at the thought.

Kat spotted the store she had been looking for. The high class clothing store should have everything she needed for a night on the town, hunting down a new man to join them occasionally. Daphne insisted that Julie and Kat should find him on their own, given that they needed to approve more than she. She had sent both women off to outfit themselves for the night. When the two reached the mall they split up. Julie's tastes in clothes tended towards the newer 'urban-wear' while Katherine preferred slightly more formal attire.

She sauntered in, glancing about at the dresses. Each of them cost a small fortune, at least in her mind. She had to remind herself repeatedly that money was no longer a difficulty. Not only was Daphne incredibly wealthy, but she had taken the limited finances Katherine possessed and increased those dramatically in the short time they had been together. Now, the dress that she had scrimped and saved to impress the Dhase with was worth a pittance compared to those she browsed.

There were employees in abundance asking to wait on her, hand and foot if she asked, but she waved them off. Kat had spent too much of her life living among the lower-middle class ~at best~ to feel truly comfortable being fawned over. She pulled a couple of dresses and brought them into the lingerie section. Again she wandered through, selecting matching sets which went with one, or more, of the dresses she'd selected.

There was a young man watching her. He was trying to be surreptitious about it but her move from the woman's apparel department into lingerie had made it all but impossible. She had noticed him when she entered, he'd been in the men's section absently browsing. To judge from his shorts and band t-shirt he either couldn't afford the prices at this store or preferred a lower profile.

Now that she knew for certain that he was watching her she began to steal glances back, studying him. He was probably about six feet tall and carried a little extra weight in his gut. Otherwise he seemed in very good condition with broad shoulders and thick, untoned, arms and legs that spoke of strength through honest labor rather than dedicated effort. His short hair was that color half way between a dark blond and light brown that Katherine had never been able to truly identify. He had a solid looking face, defined well by the thin beard. All in all she guessed his age at around twenty.

She finished her selections and headed for the changing rooms. He lagged a little behind, browsing from rack to rack, but remained steadily with her. She couldn't tell yet what his intentions were but was confident in her ability to handle him if he proved not to be benign. Although only nine months as a Dhase she had already developed some of their strength and could give all but the strongest of men a run for their money.

"How many items do you have ma'am?"

Katherine had been paying so much attention to the young man, and not being spotted looking at him, that she hadn't realized she was already at the dressing rooms. She looked down at her pile to confirm the number. She decided to bend the truth slightly, counting the sets of underwear as single items. "Eight." The attendant looked as if she was about to object when she noticed the dresses in question. Their noticeable price decided her, after all it's better to suck up to someone who might not be able to afford these, and make sure they're still around afterwards, than to offend a rich customer. Kat shook her head and smiled at the thought. "Is that room, the one on the end, open?" She had chosen with a different thought in mind and the associate agreed. Because it doesn't hurt any and it will give her a better view when I leave in case something is missing.

Kat pulled the bundle close as she slipped in the door and tossed it on the bench. Three dresses and five sets of underwear. She quickly lay the dresses out and arranged the lingerie on top according to which dress, or dresses, they matched. After looking at one of the dresses in better lighting, a deep blue one that wouldn't quite go with her bright red hair, she decided to shift it immediately to the hanger without trying it on, the underwear that complimented only it was similarly removed.

As she hung the dress up she glanced out the door. She had somehow 'forgotten' to close it all the way. She smiled, seeing the young man desperately trying to keep from looking her way. It was clear he knew the door was open and seemed equally clear that he didn't want to intrude on her privacy. Kat knew his resolve would break and he would glance. She intended to make the glance memorable.

Meanwhile Kat had legitimate business to attend to. She placed herself within view of the open door and moved her hands to the buttons of her thin blouse. She turned at the last moment to begin opening the shirt. As she reached the bottom she pulled it free of her skirt and let it drop to the floor. She regretted now wearing the thick white bra, but it was her most comfortable, besides, she was confident her breasts, straining in the tight, if concealing, device were treat enough.

She crouched to pick up the shirt. It was an act, drawing out his glimpses and pretending the scenario was accidental. As she stood, to put aside her blouse she peeked over her shoulder to see him half turned towards her, furiously checked out a rack of ties. His eyes would be darting beyond his control now.

The zipper moved down slowly, holding the waist of her plaid miniskirt. She knew the outfit resembled some fantasy schoolgirl image. It was a far cry from the black outfits she had once worn, but now she had discovered a self confidence she never thought possible. She never would have had the courage to undress knowing someone was watching, much less specifically because someone stood in witness.

Kat kept a grip on the waist of the skirt and lowered it down her legs, bending over to reach her feet without bending her legs. From the back he would have a very good view as the black bikini panties clung to her. That she knew he was there, knew he watched, caused those very muscles to clench slightly. She could be caught any minute by the woman attending the stalls, or perhaps another customer entering or leaving the rooms. She didn't care, it only excited her more. He was her audience, and a very quick glance told her he had noticed the latest development.

Now he crouched by the belts on the end of the tie rack. He appeared to inspect the material, but she could tell he was trying to hide the strain in his pants. She stood up, slowly running her hands along the insides of her legs as she uncurled. She heard a rack clatter slightly, as her hands briefly caressed her taboo recesses, and grinned.

Deciding to give the poor man a short break she turned towards the mirror, presenting him with a silhouette of her shapely form and held up the deep green dress. Once upon a time Katherine hesitated to wear her favorite color for fear that it made her, with her chosen hair color, look like a reverse carrot. Now she accepted the combination. It was all about confidence. She turned back to the bench to replace the dress, bending at the hips to give her audience another good view, and collect the other.

The next dress was a soft purple dress. This one rose much higher on her long legs, displaying them nicely but didn't cut nearly as deep in the front of back. There had been a third dress which rose equally high on her legs but cut much more daringly in the front than even the green dress. Unfortunately it had been pink and, for all of her newfound confidence, she still could not bring herself to wear such a 'girly' color, no matter how well the color worked on her.

The green one. The decision limited her other selections slightly, from four to two, but she was more confident with the choice of color. The purple dress and two subsequent lingerie sets went on the hook with the rest of the discarded choices.

Miraculously she had found a set of underwear in exactly the same color as the dress. As she leaned over this time her eyes flickered behind her. The young man still crouched by the rack, but now his subterfuge was broken by lack of concentration. Likely he wouldn't last long before the attendant noticed him. She slowly straightened and turned to the hanger. She pulled everything from the hanger, separated a black lace set from the rest and turned towards the door. The man had sense enough to scurry back behind the rack entirely.

Katherine poked her head out of the room, hid her nearly naked form and called the attendant. The woman moved over with a politely cautious grace. "These I'm definitely not going to need." She handed the bundle of clothing carefully through the door and the other woman relaxed visibly. With two of the dresses returned she must figure Kat has little intention of theft. "I grabbed the wrong size with this one," she handed the black bra and matching thong through the door, "is there any way you could check to see if they have it in 38C and a 5?"

The woman's suspicion returned slightly but the return of so many items had made her much more comfortable. Finally she glanced at the other rooms, all vacant and smiled as she nodded. She hung the returned items in the small, locked, booth to be dealt with later and wandered off with the requested set.

Katherine smiled as she turned back around. The set had been her size, but in looking for it she had noticed that the sizes she had requested were absent. Given the number of clones in various other sizes the woman should be gone for quite a few minutes, especially if she was conscious enough, as Kat suspected she would be, to keep an eye on the dressing rooms to make sure no new customers came and Kat didn't try to sneak off with the dress.

She reached behind her back, facing mostly away from the door again, to unclasp her bra. She barely heard the man's gasp. Her own breath caught slightly as she realized the sheer enjoyment he was gaining from the unexpected boon. From his angle he should be able to see the slight slope and curve of one of her breasts. She was grinning as she tossed it negligently on the bench. She figured stripping completely would seem too suspicious so she leaned forward yet again to collect the green bra.

She couldn't figure a way to make putting on  a bra sensually so she simply did it quickly; clasped in front, spun around and arms looped through the straps. Once it was on she presented him with a profile once more. While the position worked poorly to see herself in the mirror, it was more about comfort anyway, until she got the dress on and confirmed the straps blended smoothly.

As her hands dropped to the thin bands that wrapped her hips, he squeaked. Although not a 'manly' noise she still had to pause in order to catch her breath. Her core, almost exposed now, clenched with desire. She took a deep breath and began to bend, this time revealing her most treasured depths fully to the youth.

She heard the rack clatter noisily. By the time she turned around he was long gone. Although she laughed at the antics her actions had inspired, aching hips reminded her she had been effected as well. She hurriedly tried on the matching thong and slid the dress on. The combination was everything she's hoped for. The bra was designed to pull her breasts together slightly. As it did, the neck plunged daringly deep, fortunately the center strap of the bra simply blended in with the trim surrounding the neckline.

Meanwhile the bottom had a single slit that ran straight up the right side of the dress. It was possible, Kat decided, that moving around too much in the dress would cause the spaghetti strap of the thong to slide into view. She didn't mind. The dress showed her shapely leg and hip enticingly and by the time a strap might slide into view she likely will have selected someone already.

She changed back into her 'schoolgirl' outfit, grinned at the mirror, tied her hair back into twin ponytails to complete the look, and headed out. The attendant was returning. "I'm sorry but I couldn't find anything in that size."

Katherine waved it off, looking around slightly for any sign of the young man. "Don't worry, I decided on this combo." She held up the complete set to show the other woman. She smiled when the attendant was equally surprised over the matching colors.

Kat paid for the dress and moved back into the flow of traffic on the sidewalk. She was window-shopping when he caught her eye. Suddenly she had a craving for tea and a pastry. She slipped between people and popped into the café. She snuck over to the back of the line and waited, watching him. She could tell she'd had quite an effect on him. His cargo shorts bunched unevenly as he walked.

He was ordering when she slid up next to him to order at the second register. Her order was simple, allowing her to speed through the process in time to get hers just as he was turning for the tables. He bumped into her in his haste to clear the line. Despite perfect balance, she managed to spill tea on her blouse.

"Uh, oh God. I'm so sorry." He recognized her as his eyes traveled up from the stained shirt, to meet her eyes. He instantly developed an expression that mixed deer-in-the-headlights and kid-in-the-cookie-jar. "How can I make this up to you? Is there anything in there," he nodded to her bag, "you can change into?"

Katherine shook her head. "Naw, just a dress to wear to Cassidy's tonight." She deliberately dropped the name of the club, the most elite in town, in the hopes he would catch it. Either he didn't catch it or he did, and without the flinch she would have expected if he didn't think he could get in. She motioned with her head towards the counter. "Grab a bottle of ginger-ale. Would you?" He nodded briskly and turned around again. She had no idea whether it would work or not but she didn't much care. The shirt could be replaced. Her earlier actions needed to be addressed.

She dabbed at the stain with a napkin as she headed for the bathrooms. She knew this café and couldn't have planned things better if she tried. He hurried after her and tried to juggle his sandwich, coffee and the ginger ale. She reached the solitary bathroom. The other bathroom had been broken for so long that no one remembered whether it had been the women's or men's room. Granted the working one had urinals but rumor had it so did the broken one.




Gifting Night Ch. 04



She shoulder checked the door open, being careful to limit her strength to keep from tearing it off it's hinges. She dropped the pastry on the counter by the sink and began to remove the shirt. He walked in a moment later only to freeze. Before had been clear voyeurism but this time it was accidental. His eyes averted and he began to leave.

"Hold it!" He stopped as she slipped out of her shirt and tossed it in the sink with the water running. He continued to look away as she moved over to him. During his embarrassment the bulge had begun to shrink. The quick glimpse of her reversed the trend, probably from memory of her earlier performance.

She moved up behind him and pressed herself against his back. His warmth, even through the thick t-shirt, spread enticingly across her mostly bare skin. Her left hand moved for the lock while her right slid around his side to collect the bottle of ginger-ale. He was confused; it showed in his eyes. She seemed to be flirting with him but at the same time she had taken the ginger-ale. He put his coffee and sandwich on the counter next to her pastry. Suddenly he realized he was staring, once again, at her, half-topless, and spun around.

She grinned. She actually tried to get the stain out but not with much effort. It looked like it would come out of the thin fabric, but she didn't really care. She left the water running with the shirt draped over the counter to dry and turned towards the man. Her right hand slid to his side, and then his stomach. The hand slid lower while her left hand moved to caress his chest. The first shifted to cup the very solid form in his pants.

She leaned close and whispered in his ear, her breath making him shudder as much as the words. "You liked what you saw." He tried to stutter out a denial but she cut him off. "I saw you at the store. Did you think a woman careless enough to forget to close the door?" She gave his manhood a gentle squeeze. "And you enjoyed what you saw."

Katherine's body was tight with desire, but she held it in check. It would be useful for the evening's hunt. Sure, this guy could very well work for us, but I'll need to see him in a social setting. Besides, Julia isn't here to get her say. There were some needs she could meet, however. These needs would only intensify her desires for tonight, and likely give him added incentive to make the club.

Her hands flew to his shoulders and she spun him, holding his balance with ease. His head was low as she spun him giving him a very clear, and very close, view of her chest. Once again she regretted not wearing a more revealing bra, but she simply loved the support of this one. Even still, he gasped and quickly raised his face to watch her lips. She smiled, he was trapped by embarrassment; unable to look down and unwilling to meet her eyes.

Her hands left his shoulders. With all of her Dhase speed, nothing in comparison even to Chris but sufficiently faster than most humans, she removed his belt and opened his pants. He was only beginning to react as his shorts dropped to the floor. His head dropped to watch, deftly avoiding sight of her breasts. His hands reached for hers. She let him catch her as her fingers slipped into the band of his boxers.

His eyes came back up, this time to meet hers. There were questions in those brown eyes, but also a deep longing he would not admit to. She might not be able to sense emotions, as she should be able to, but she could still read people as she once had. This man was an open book to Kat. She felt the resistance on her hands. He tried to pull her hands safely in between them, but could not defeat her strength. She let him try for a few seconds before she widened her grip and dropped his underwear free.

He stared dumbly at her, unable to believe her smaller frame capable of such strength. He hadn't truly realized he was half naked, but she certainly did. He looked delicious, standing there, pointing accusingly at her; so hard, so firm. Her body tightened as she contemplated the nectar that filled the shaved forms dangling beneath.

Slowly she crouched, her hands going to his hips, although she needed no aid in balance. Kat knew the moment he remembered he was naked, when his hands released hers to grasp for her head. He tried to stop her gently, to guide her back upwards, but had no more luck resisting than he had with her hands. "What are you doing?" He was near panic so she stopped. It took all of her will as she stared ahead. She had reached his level and was only an inch or so away. She wanted to simply leap forward and feel that heat within her mouth.

Instead she forced her head to tilt upwards so she could look at him. Those brown pools were wide with surprise and nerves. "Do you have a girlfriend? Someone you are devoted to?"

His eyes shifted away, not with the aversion of a lie, but rather futility. "No." It came out as barely a whisper.

"Do you not like my body?" There was far more insecurity in Katherine's question than she really liked to acknowledge. Despite the best efforts of both Chris and Daphne, and now Julia, she couldn't help but be self-conscious. No matter what anyone said, she had grown up in an environment that promoted those sickeningly anorexic twigs pretending to be celebrities. She knew she wasn't overweight, but still, she wasn't just bones and muscle either.

His eyes snapped back to hers. "You're gorgeous!" The sheer wonder in his voice spoke of his veracity as clearly as his wide eyes.

He grunted as she shoved him against the door. A moment later her gasped, then groaned as her soft lips slid around his strained flesh. His heat filled her mouth. She had to drop her jaw wide to accommodate him, but the feel of him filling her mouth, hearing his moans of delight, more than made up for the discomfort. She could feel his pulse beat against her tongue as she slid herself forward.

She hadn't realized how she could enjoy such conflicted sensations. Her jaw hurt, true, but the vaguely salty taste sent a wash of desire flooding through her veins. He seemed to fill every corner of her mouth at once with his passion and need. Chris had refused her offers, her preferred to pleasure her, bringing her to climax, before filling her depths. This was a different need, related only in that she felt filled by the young man, but in full control. In her orgasm she lost control and was completely at the mercy of her lover. Now it was she who meted out mercy or torment; both founded in compassion and delight.

She was over halfway down his length was she felt the first hint of her gag. In this position she'd never be able to swallow him whole. She could experiment later if they decided he was the one. For now she would be content with her current skills. She pulled back, her tongue dancing around the soft skin, and gauged the distance.

He moaned again, more forcefully. She felt his hips try to shift but her strength was more than enough to keep his body from its instinctive thrusts. She bobbed her head forward and back, and made sure to take in only his tip. The rapid movement caused her lips to torment the dark ridge of his head. He began a series of nearly constant moans.

Perhaps he had massaged himself as he watched her earlier show. Maybe it had been a while for the man. There was always the possibility that her very presence, her nature, aroused him to great lengths. Whatever the reason she felt the muscles beneath her hands begin to tighten and relax, as he grew steadily closer.

As her head slid forward and back she began to bob from one side to the other. With the added dimension he groaned again, much louder this time. His hands, dropped to his sides as she began, now moved back to her head. This time they coiled gently into her hair forming another connection with the woman bringing such exquisite delights to him.

Kat couldn't help but enjoy his pleasure. Every part of him seemed to radiate bliss. It wasn't how the Dhase had explained it to her, it was just the simple things. His voice growled breathlessly. His muscles twitched. Fingers caressed her scalp. Through it all he responded to every little shift and flick as she sucked and devoured the firm, hot, flesh in her mouth.

She felt the base of him tighten, his inner thighs contract. Her hands grew firmer even as his clutched fistfuls of her hair. She tried to shift her body backwards in anticipation and tilt her head upwards more. With the new position she threw herself forward as far as she could. She felt the solid shaft pierce her throat as her lips reached his base. She began to gag, and instinctively pulled herself backwards, but her intentions were accomplished.

His body froze beneath her touch. She could feel, by his erratic throbbing within her mouth, herself racing the stream up his length. She reached his head and forced her retreat to stop. Her tongue flicked against the "v" shaped ridge beneath his tip, taunting the flow, even as she shifted her head to one side.

He screamed as the first jet of seed shot forth. With her head angled it comfortably hit her cheek rather than her already uncomfortable throat. With renewed vigor her head bobbed forward and back. She couldn't go as far with her head angled to the side so she compensated with her tongue, tormenting the sensitive ridge from every angle. Her own body tightened with desire as his bitter nectar began to pool in her mouth. She delighted as his hard flesh pressed against her cheek, sometimes tickling her with a fresh burst of his lust.

His was screaming in ecstatic agony. With every utterance, the unseen pink tenderness between her own legs began to tingle more strongly. His knees buckled and she was the only thing that held him aloft. The sensation in her core grew unbearable. Muscles clenched and demanded that the solid form in her mouth belonged elsewhere.

She pulled herself free. The solid member before her continued to bob and dip in aftershocks of his euphoria, but no more leaked out. Slowly she guided him down to kneel before her. His hands had dropped once more to dangle by his sides. His breath began to even out. She smiled to see the young man in such a state of complete delirium still. She had done that. She had needed to do that.

She began to stand and felt her own knees wobble slightly. As her position shifted, her own lust demanded satisfaction. Her hand hit the counter hard enough to sound a crack but it did not break as she leaned against it. She willed herself to stand. Her own body had leaked its need but she refused to move a hand to check the extent. Even a touch light enough to check is likely to sap the rest of my willpower. Better to ignore it now and be really anxious later.

She shut of the water and began to ring out the still-damp shirt. She put it on and tried a few quick passes with a paper towel. It was fruitless, the shirt was too wet. It clung to her curves enticingly and the thin white fabric clearly revealed every line of pink skin and white bra beneath. She needed to get back to the car soon or the water could begin to seep into the bra as well, revealing everything.

She turned to gaze longingly at the man who's name she still didn't know. He had given in to a desire she didn't even realize she had. From the dazed and heavenly expression, still plastered across his face, she had fulfilled his fantasy. She sidled over to him and nudged him with the side of her foot. Startled, he looked up. His eyes met hers briefly before they instinctively traveled back down. He followed the line of her very visible breasts. From there they reveled down her skirt and rested between her legs.

She had to steady her breath. The focus of his eyes was her own greatest desire. Since he kneeled and she stood he witnessed what she dared not check. He knew her state better than she did. Her body cried out for him even more strongly. The intensity doubled again as she saw his, now flaccid, member pulse upwards again in response to the visible conviction of her lust.

Her lips pulled back as she let loose a feral snarl. In panic she grabbed the lock and threw herself from the room. She tried to walk calmly but quickly from the café. It failed to look calm but she was confident she didn't look like she fled in fear. At least he wouldn't be detained and questioned with unfounded accusations.

Katherine stepped into the cool air outside. She knew it was probably hot, but with an inferno raging beneath her skin it felt like a balm. The trickled breeze could have been the soothing hand of God. She didn't even marvel at Julia waiting with the car immediately before her. She simply got in. The air conditioning, drifting across her wet shirt, warred with the fires of need. Slowly her temperature returned to normal. Unfortunately the overwhelming need to be filled remained.

"You found someone." It wasn't an accusation but neither was it a question. "Will he be at the club tonight?"

"GOD I hope so!" The growled response held so much force that Julia turned from driving briefly to stare at the young Dhase. When Daphne and Kat had agreed to let her stay they had told the young woman everything. Not surprisingly she loved the idea. Spending the rest of your natural life in damn near constant orgasm? Who wouldn't want that? Someone who wanted eternal life doing the same thing. It was possible Julia might be granted the gift some eighteen years from now, but that was a long way off. Either way the woman would lead a truly blessed life.

Julia sniffed and began to laugh. Katherine looked at her accusingly but that only made the woman laugh harder. "I don't know what you did in there," she managed between gasps, "but you are horny as hell aren't you?"

Katherine's shoulders flew up as she crossed her arms, hunched her head and turned away from her lover. The woman couldn't help her with her current need anyway. No toy invented truly feels the same as a firm dick throbbing its release deep within you. Thinking about it only made matters worse so she looked out the window and sulked all the way home.

She checked her watch as they pulled in. The drive was long enough that she actually had very little time before they planned to head back out to the clubs. Her little adventure had taken considerably more time than she had anticipated. She thought about the sheer amount of cum she'd swallowed and realized that she lost herself in his eruption. She smiled, still vaguely tasting him on her lips.

She tossed the shirt across the shower rail to dry. Either the stain would be gone or it wouldn't, she would deal with it later. She tossed the skirt in the hamper and finally looked down. Katherine had only seen herself more drenched once in her life. Then she and Daphne had spent an entire car ride tormenting each other only to have the elder go down on her without bothering to remove a single article of clothing. This ran a close second.

As she pulled the underwear free, tossing it straight into the sink to rinse, she quivered. Every slight movement continued to torment her. Never had she felt this intensity without a climax. She was just about to put on the new thong when she realized every slight torment drew another bead of moisture from between her legs. She dug out a small pad, hidden under the sink for Julia, and attached it before sliding the thong into place.

That treacherous pearl burned through her body as it came into contact with the cottony pillow, but the pad did it's job. The fresh stream that leaked from her stayed between her legs and free of her new underwear. She knew she wouldn't have any trouble remembering to remove it. I think I've discovered a new sexual torture device! She did, however, have problems walking. Her legs seemed perpetually unsteady as constant sensation raced through her nerves.

She quickly tossed on her bra and dress. Next came an artful makeup job. Given the deep color of her dress, and her bright hair, she needed to keep her makeup subtle. She chose a light grey eyeshadow, mascara and a pale red lipstick. Confident with the affect she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room. She wasn't surprised that Julia already waited patiently.

Her lover glanced at her hips and grinned knowingly. The talented tongue came out and circled her lips to taunt Kat. Katherine felt giddy and enervated as desire raged through her. She stuck out her own tongue childishly in return. Both women laughed on their way to the car.

Although the ride to the club was only a quarter of an hour it felt like an eternity to Kat. Julia had declined to drive. She insisted she would drive home so she felt it only fair that Kat drive there. The Dhase suspected the entire thing a plot to torment her further. Every turn rubbed her sensitive lust. Every time she had to shift gears her legs pressed together and sent a jolt racing through her body.

Her teeth were clenched and her breath heaved by the time they walked out of the garage near the club. She couldn't keep herself from shooting hateful glances at the woman who grinned so gleefully next to her. If anything were to convince her the blond had planned that scene, it was her unapologetic attitude.

Getting through the door was easy. Kat was now well know at the establishment and even Julia was recognized. Their reputations had been earned by her connection to the two elder Dhase. Inside, Katherine took one look at the dance floor and swore she wouldn't step foot out there tonight. If she tried to dance she would either end up climaxing noisily or assaulting one of the male patrons. Instead she headed for the bar and ordered a soda.

"You seen Chris around recently?" The bartender shook his head. Kat smiled at him and left a decent tip. It had been a longshot but if he'd been in town he would have stopped by at least once or twice.

Julia elbowed Kat in the ribs. The Dhase followed her lover's gaze towards a man at the edge of the dance floor. Her body, damnably insistent up until this point, suddenly calmed. She simply shook her head. The blond shrugged and went back to shifting in time with the thrumming bass.

Katherine turned back to her drink. They were there to find a man. It was possible they wouldn't find someone permanent tonight. Daphne had practically instructed them to find a guy to have sex with, and not to return unless they had. She'd laughed but the elder, fresh from her own cologne ridden session, just glared.

Kat shifted slightly and nearly buckled. The sensation she thought had disappeared had snuck back in full force. Her head swam from the strength of her need. She ignored her partner's nudge as she desperately tried to regain her equilibrium. She stood more confidently when the nudge came again, much more insistently this time. She followed Julia's gaze once more. Her hand dropped to the bar and she barely set her glass down before it dropped, as her hips seized.

She almost didn't recognize him. He'd shaved off his beard, making him look even younger. He wore a light grey button-up shirt with a black leather tie and khaki pants. Where his hair had been in disarray earlier, now it was skillfully spiked. Kat had always preferred men with longer hair, but she had to admit the look worked for him. Her depths clenched at the mere sight of him. "Yes!"

Julia spun. Her face was written of shock. When she saw the Dhase's feral eyes her gaze swung back to the man. Suddenly her eyes widened and she began to laugh. Kat just glared at her. Julia raised her hands in surrender and nodded.

He turned, surveying the crowd, and noticed them. More specifically he noticed Kat and the crowd began to part as he moved towards her. He walked with a natural authority that belied his earlier scruffy attire. With every step he took the inferno deep within her blazed hotter. By the time he stopped, two feet away, she held herself under the tightest of control for fear of jumping on top of him in the middle of the club.




Gifting Night Ch. 04



With one hand in his pocket the right shifted outward. "We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Tony Kamaso."

Nervous, she shook his hand. The brief contact seemed to stimulate nerves deep within her that had no reason to feel this simple touch. She gasped even as she tried to speak. "Katherine Montana." A woman next to Kat cleared her throat. Startled, she remembered her partner. "And this is Julia Stephens."

With the introduction of the blond woman Tony seemed almost disappointed. Simply by looking back and forth between the two women he knew there was a stronger connection than simple friends. "I'm surprised neither of you are dancing." Somehow she understood the inherent compliment; both women were more than fit, and attractive, enough to enjoy dancing. Both women should have been asked already.

"Maybe I'll be up for it later." She couldn't tell him she was so wound up that she'd likely tear his clothes off.

"I'm up for it if you are." Tony was disappointed with the woman who responded to his lure. Then again Julia wasn't the one who's already shown him a good time. He's probably hoping to get more. She was being unfair to him and she knew it, just as it was unfair being angry at Julia for trying to pick him up. After all, Daphne never said they had to find one man each, and Julia knew Kat, or at least her body, really wanted this man to be the one.

As she watched the two maneuver themselves onto the dance floor she admitted she was frustrated. Katherine Montana had no practical experience at seducing men. Worse still she knew she lacked patience. She wanted, no, needed this man but she had no idea how to get him. She hadn't quite realized what she was doing earlier when she had dragged him into the bathroom. She reacted on instinct, on need, and found herself doing something wonderful. Now she didn't think she had the courage or self control to try anything quite as brazen.

As he danced he kept glancing over at her. He wanted her on the floor rather than the ~in Kat's opinion~ more attractive woman. Confidence! The word came back to Katherine with startling clarity. The night her new life began she had practically used that as her mantra. She had not been used to her now familiar red hair, or the makeup she now took for granted. Most especially, she had not expected to look in the mirror and think of herself as attractive.

Seduction was new to her. Even in the many months the Dhase had found men and women for their frequent trysts, it had been first Chris and then Daphne who seduced the choice. Perhaps that was the real test of tonight. Perhaps Daphne needed Kat to learn she could do this on her own.

Katherine Montana took a deep breath and found herself standing straighter. She sighed as the motion sent a surge of thrill shooting inward from between her legs. She could indeed do this. She wanted him. Her body cried out for something only he could give her. She reveled in the sensation that began to spread outward from her core as she imagined, in exact detail, what she would have him do to her. Her body was on fire as she stepped onto the dance floor. A primal grin split her face.

People turned to watch her pass but she didn't notice. Her eyes were pinned to his body. The grinding beat drove the suggestive dance moves of the other patrons to even greater innuendo. Men and women groped each other openly all across the dance floor. He turned long before she reached him, watched her progress with a longing equal to her own.

Julia's eyes were wide with fascination. She stared longingly at Kat but the Dhase paid little attention.

In perfect time with the rumbling base her knee slipped between his legs even as his slipped between hers. Her hands slid up his chest and to either side of his neck, to lock behind. He reached for her waist. One hand glided up her back to rest at the base of her neck. The other arm wrapped tight about the small of her back and drew her close.

She savored his warmth as they danced. Their hips swung in perfect harmony. Each shift sent a flare of torment through her and threatened her control, her very sanity. She wanted him to throw her over the nearby speaker and simply take her, there, on the dance floor. She could tell, her thigh pressed tight against his lust, that he wanted nothing more. Only social code kept them from fulfilling their desires. She could feel the tension grow between them. It surpassed anything she had ever felt.

The scent hit the air, mingled with the beer and sweat. There, she glanced over his shoulder at a booth in the shadow of the wall, a woman sat innocently on her boyfriend's lap. There, across the dance floor, a young man danced with a young woman; her legs wrapped around him as he held her aloft. In both cases the women's skirts draped artfully to cover connected bodies.

Lightning crashed through her body as his thigh pressed upward. They spun in perfect harmony. She could no longer see the couples but her new perspective showed her two women back to front on the floor. Kat couldn't see the hands of the one in front, trapped as they were between tight pressed bodies, but the other's hands massaged and caressed furiously. Moans complimented the pulsing beat throughout the room.

Katherine closed her eyes. His hand was a feather as it brushed her neck and tangled her hair. His powerful body throbbed against her. His rigid member pushed harder and harder against her leg, as if it sought to climb into her despite the intervening clothing. His breath played against her ear.

Her body was an inferno. Where skin met skin his fine hairs taunted her. The expensive fabric of her dress shifted against her skin, as they moved, and aggravated her. Her lust overflowed and began to trickle slowly down the inside of her thighs. Every grind pressed against her engorged flesh in delightful, if maddening, agony.

She felt him shift once more. Suddenly he was behind her. His body pressed against hers. She gasped as she felt his strength, through layers of fabric, settle comfortably between her cheeks. One arm still wrapped about her waist, but the other had dropped to her chest. While his arm propped one breast his hand began to caress her other. She gasped. What did it matter that they were in public. This was need, stronger than eating or even breathing. She needed to feel him inside of her. Besides, others around were already so engaged.

She let him lead her from the dance floor. Anywhere! Her body spasmed as he pinched a taut nipple through the layers of bra and dress. Her eyes remained closed, content to let him choose. There was no longer any question of 'if,' now it only remained 'where.'

The hand left her stomach and a moment later they stopped moving. She leaned back against his warmth as he continued to torment her chest. She shook with need. He surprised her, his vagrant hand found her exposed neck and pushed her forward as his other arm dropped to her hips. Her surprise prevented resistance. When her body pressed against the table-top she knew she didn't want to struggle. She wanted him. She needed his illusion of control. They both knew, by now, she could stop him instantly and easily, but hers was an act of submission.

Despite the noise of the club, the music so loud she felt it, the sound of a single zipper echoed in her ears. She gasped at the portent. The trickle became a flood that cotton could not contain. Then, the pillowy form that had tormented her all evening dropped away with the only barrier to their mutual need.

Hands glided up her thighs, collecting her dress and drifting across her bare flesh. His thumbs pressed slightly and pushed outward, pulled tension against muscles that already dared more. She felt him, that same magnificent strength that had filled her mouth, only an hour or two before, pressed against oversensitive nerves and caused them to explode with renewed vigor. Her arms flew out to clutch the far edge of the table for support. In truth it was a vain attempt to release some portion of the unimaginable energy built within.

Her body had anticipated him for hours, days, weeks, now and welcomed home the solid intruder. His hand returned to her back and pressed her against the table. His hips collided with her and forced a scream of pure freedom from her, lost among the music. She nearly cried as the robust shaft was ripped from her. Her depths clutched desperately as they tried to hold him in but her own flowing juices abetted his escape.

The edge of the table shattered beneath her grip as he lanced her fully once more. Over and over he used his rigid weapon to pierce her. Each time she felt him buried deeper before he pulled himself entirely free. With each drive she screamed. The pressure, built slowly throughout the day, far beyond the capacities of her flesh, surged and burst.

Her body seized and all awareness with it. She floated in that timeless moment, felt only his weight pressed against her back and pierced to her very core. The infinite remained a moment still and her cheek crashed to the table. Her voice erupted forth and declared her satisfaction, drowned out by the number of others that so affirmed.

Nothing existed for Kat except for her body, abused by ecstasy, and the hot length that invaded her. She felt herself cling to it as he pounded forward and clutch desperately during his retreat. Different nerves caressed his flesh than had earlier, but she knew his impending release anyway. He expanded farther, pressed and afflicted every nerve and muscle within her, and began to pulse. He seemed to fill every part of her body at once, the ecstasy touching every cell.

His hips tried to force their way inside her a moment later. She felt his tip brush her deepest flesh and screamed with him. He surged and filled her. His hips pumped rapidly, invigorated by futile instinct. Never again would she need to fear being so filled by a man's seed, but rather she rejoiced in it; the manifestation of his rapture.

Too soon he collapsed against her. They lay in each other's warmth. They basked in each other's bliss. Even now her body clung to him. Even after the aftershocks of sensation faded she clenched around him, maintaining his state and holding him fast. So long as she possessed him he refused to move.

A delicate hand came to rest on Kat's arm. With a content smile she looked up. Julia's gaze was fixed, her expression concerned. "We have to leave. Now !" Kat would have argued, but the look on her lover's face brought her back to herself.

She remembered where they were and nodded. Tony pulled himself free, an act that caused both to shudder with a renewed aftershock. Quickly they covered themselves again and looked around. Throughout the room a veritable orgy continued. Clearly there was something in the air, and the unusual activity would attract authorities.

Tony gripped her hand and kissed it delicately. "Call me, please?" There was a pleading in his voice. As he released her hand he left his business card. She smiled thankfully to him and let Julia drag her from the club.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Katherine entered the room meekly. Daphne tried not to smile as she looked up. "Fruitful night?"

Katherine couldn't seem to move beyond the doorway of the den. Embarrassment was written as clearly on her face as it was in her aura. "There was something in the air at the club. We simply couldn't wait until somewhere more private. No one could. I don't know what happened." Her voice was plaintive. The poor girl desperately hoped Daphne would forgive her or, at the very least, not remain angry for long.

The elder took pity on the poor, aura-blind, woman and forced herself to show her feelings. She smiled gently. "It happens from time to time. You just need to be careful how long you let your needs build before relieving them." The fledgling's face clouded in confusion as quickly as her aura. "You need to feel the touch of a man. It is something I can understand, if not relate to."

Daphne stood and maneuvered around the desk. She guided her blessed lover to the comfortable chair and bade her sit. She took the woman's hands and crouched before her. "The Dhase must be careful with their needs and desires. If left ignored they may guide others. If you repress yourself too long you may begin to lose that which is most precious."

The girl was still somewhat confused but her lover's obvious concern and compassion did much to calm her. Daphne stood to kiss Kat lightly. She pulled her up and smacked her ass to prompt her back out of the room. Kat stopped at the door. Something remained unsaid but the youth appeared to lack the courage to broach the subject. Daphne guessed and obliged her. "How was it?"

Katherine blushed. "Incredible." She paused, a thread of doubt ran through her aura. "But it wasn't the same." Pained eyes rose to meet Daphne's. "He wasn't Chris."

A dagger pierced Daphne's heart. "No. He wouldn't be." Chris was a very special man. She could never find herself truly attracted to him and he never quite satisfied her needs on his own. For all that she still loved the poor man.

"Will we see Chris anytime soon?"

There was so much hope in the question that Daphne couldn't bear to shatter it. At the same time she refused to lie to her precious lover. "No." She couldn't bear to say more. The youth seemed to sense this, nodded and left.

Had it only been less than a year earlier that she and Chris had plotted their course to bestow the Gift to Katherine? How could it have been less than a dozen months since she had watched the two dancing and wondered that the patrons didn't break propriety?

It had happened tonight. Such a new Dhase should not have the ability to impress her own emotions on others. Yet Kat's desires had been so strong as to drive Daphne, one of the oldest of their kind, into the bed of a man. The youth's need to feel a man explode between her legs had filled the elder. She smiled and shook her head. She had fulfilled her need and found it less onerous than she anticipated, but still it was not something she strived to repeat.

She turned to the window and hoped, pleaded, to find a way to release Chris once more.

Copywirte November 2006 by Deathlynx 



Gifting Night Ch. 05



Chapter 5: Failed Visions

This is chapter 5 of a series. Thank you to all the readers who inspired me to continue the series with their constant support. While it is not entirely necessary to read the each chapters in progression I highly recommend it. Please remember that the Dhase are a species of my own creation, and although they are based on vampires I have drastically changed the mythos. I hope you enjoy.

*

Daphne knew something of Heaven and Hell.

In her long years, never once had she seen any proof of their existence. In millennia not a single person had ever been able to demonstrate they had known her in a past life, save those few who traveled the centuries with her. Never once had she met a true god or devil. Despite all of this she understood heaven and hell.

Hell was knowing that someone she loved dearly, her best friend and confidante for a brief five decades, was beyond reach. Never again would they discuss politics or art. Never would he marvel at her memory of times long past, or civilizations forgotten. Not only would she never get to see him again, but she knew his every waking moment was spent in agony.

Worse still, it was her fault. Not for the first time she wondered if apathy were not the better path. Better to fade into obscurity than endure this knowledge.

Before Daphne lay Heaven. At one end of the bed sprawled a pool of luxurious red hair, fanned out across the deep green, silk, pillowcases. Halfway down the woman's body sprouted the uncontrolled blond tuft that betrayed her true color. Daphne loved the inconsistency. Shortly after the two had become lovers, the young woman had offered to let her hair grow out, or begin dying the revealing patch. Daphne had refused. To her it represented the unusual nature of the delicious woman.

This was her reason to live. This was the reason Christoph Halley had sacrificed himself. For his love of both of the women, Daphne and Katherine, he consigned himself to a hell. His only escape would be death, and eventually it would come to that, before his theoretically limited term of service would be up.

"You've got that look again." Katherine's words startled Daphne out of her revery. She had propped herself on her elbows and looked at Daphne with concern. "What are you thinking about?"

Daphne smiled but knew it wouldn't take root in her eyes. She had never been good at deceit, and became even less so since her transformation into a Dhase; a vampire. Her entire race was incredibly empathic, it came with the territory. What use was lying when others already knew she was? She had never needed to lie to her 'prey' when they wanted exactly the same thing she did, if only for different reasons.

Daphne couldn't meet the youth's eyes. When her gaze dropped she found she stared, once again, at the white-blond hair. It glistened with Katherine's virtually insatiable lust. Finally the smile spread to Daphne's eyes as she laughed. The damp fuzz lifted as the fledgling tilted her hips forward, an obvious invitation.

Daphne wasn't sure she was in the mood for another round, especially since her thoughts had turned so dark so quickly. Her laughing eyes had been noticed as they watched the moist flesh. Katherine's desire was insidious. Daphne felt her own desire growing to match that of her unusual progeny. It took Dhase centuries to learn how to focus their projected emotions to a degree that they influenced others. Many never learned the skill. Katherine accomplished the feat, not only without conscious effort but strong enough that it could, and had, effect an entire building full of people.

She was different than any Dhase Daphne had met. Daphne could control not only the emotions of others but their very minds and bodies, if she chose. It had been an extension of the ability to control emotions, a trick that typically only the truly ancient could master, and there were less than a dozen worldwide. But all of their control was sudden and blatant ~to an outside observer. But Katherine's power was subtle, a transition from what was to what will be, along logical progressions. Daphne only knew it occurred because of her innate ability to see and taste emotions and her familiarity with the wonderful woman.

She didn't care that she knew why it happened. She gave herself over to the fabulous haze. She longed to dive forward and devour the delicate pink folds before her. Her lips reached out to pluck the delectable little bud straining towards her. Katherine collapsed back onto the pillow with a satisfied moan.

Daphne pulled her head back slightly. She ran her tongue across her lips and savored the sweet, thick nectar. She looked back down to witness another drop seeping from her consort. A manicured finger reached down to scoop the fresh bounty. Katherine twitched in delight even as Daphne brought the finger to her lips and proceeded to suggestively suck the moisture free.

Daphne wanted more, as much as the woman beneath her did. Although not as insatiable as her young lover, she loved to devour the fledgling. She loved the feel and taste of the warm cream on her tongue. Even more she loved the taste of the power of Katherine's lust. Dhase did not feed off the blood of others, they fed from their vital energy. Humans and Dhase alike built tremendous energy during intimacy. Daphne enjoyed not only the taste of sexual energy but would have found bringing another woman to that level of passion rewarding even if she never fed again.

Two fingers slipped between those legs. Daphne carefully parted the soft flesh to reveal the weeping depths. Mindful of her nails, she slid her fingers easily into the well lubricated warmth. Kat moaned, her hands shifted to tangle in her hair as her hips shifted in response to the blissful intrusion. Daphne widened her fingers slightly, pushed against sensitive muscles, as she sought out the tender ridges and rough flesh of the most tender depths. Kat squeaked as her breath caught. Daphne grinned, she had found both.

The prone woman moaned loudly as Daphne's fingers began a slow retreat. She spread her fingers wider. Katherine growled in animalistic pleasure. Daphne gasped as the woman's aura responded to the first ministrations. She could barely breath through the primal joy the other woman projected. She had to fight to keep from losing herself to the aspect being thrust upon her. She wanted to control her lover's rapture. Daphne needed to remind both of them of the heaven they had discovered.

As fingers began to slide in once more, Daphne brought her thumb up. As fingers probed devastated nerves, her thumb began slow circles. She shifted aside the loose skin to torment the sensitive base of the hot pearl. Hips writhed back and forth seeking escape from the newest torture, but it was too late. She began to grin as her hand worked back and forth. She covered the same inch incessantly. She moved only enough to inflame the woman further and never left the overly sensitive flesh deep within. With every slight stroke she pressed against the engorged bud.

Katherine, too soon after their last love-making, was already on the verge of climax. Daphne smirked evilly. Her tempo slowed precisely. "Oh, God NO! FasterHarderANYTHING!!!" Frustration roared across the gap between their bodies to assault Daphne. The older Dhase ground her teeth and maintained the abuse. Katherine's voice began to alternate between whimpering and growling. Daphne knew her lover too well and kept her on the very edge of the abyss.

The agonized, enraptured, youth roared. Daphne's eyes widened in shock as one of the woman's hands flew faster than she could track. Shock turned to craving as the hand reappeared between her legs. Daphne could not tell how many fingers plunged into her own depths. Tendrils leapt out, beneath her skin, to create a lattice of pure sensation throughout her body.

The elder struggled to maintain her cruel rhythm. She felt herself slip and stopped a heartbeat before the explosion. Each time she did a fresh wave of frustration broke across her as Katherine screamed wordlessly.

Katherine was beyond skill, beyond thought. The prone woman Daphne knelt beside was pure beast. The fingers pressed between Daphne's legs were ungentle. The beast's palm flattened and aggravated her own flower while those harsh fingers stabbed and pierced. For all the lack of caress the rough aggression inflamed Daphne. Her body softened the impact by wept lust.

Daphne's muscles faltered. She shook nearly as much as the frustrated monster. They attacked each other in contest, each seeking to cause the other to falter and bring about their own release. Little remained of Daphne save determination. She would keep her love at the very precipice until after she had succumbed herself. Even still she desperately tried to keep herself from climax.

It was an odd battle. Fingers plunged and caressed. Both women screamed and growled as they tried to relieve tension through any other means. Daphne refused to pull herself from the treacherous fingers. To do so would be to concede defeat as surely as if she allowed the helpless beast to finish. She ground her hips against the delightful invasion, saught to force her lover into bringing her climax first. Katherine's frustration invaded Daphne which made it more and more difficult to fight the inevitable climax. Her body betrayed her gloriously.

The world froze as the inferno consumed her every pore. As time reformed around her, Daphne's hand crashed deep into Katherine. Her body was beyond her control. Her senses screamed with unexplored sensation. When the next wave attacked her soul she knew she was not alone in her euphoria. Bodies jerked and writhed out of control. Buried within each other, the convulsive movements only antagonized and caused a feedback loop of pure ecstasy.

Muscles clenched and grasped at arrogant fingers. Fingers dug at and dragged against misfired nerves. Nerves raced false signals to all parts of the body. Both bodies convulsed which, in turn, caused hands to grope errant muscles. All the while, two minds lay trapped within unheeding shell of bliss. Two souls entwined in the cocoon of euphoric power, feeding off and feeding each other.

Someone screamed and caused their unyielding tempo to break for an instant. It was long enough to break the perpetual circuit. At first Daphne thought she had, then she realized that she had been all along. The screams of both woman had been the orchestra to which their dance regaled. The scream had been elsewhere.

Free from the vengeful grip of her own instinct, Katherine curled into a protective ball as her body rode out the crash of aftershocks. Trained through too many lifetimes of superstitious mortals hunting the 'dangerous vampires,' Daphne leapt to her feet and bolted out the door in search of the scream. It was easy to follow, and she did, as it repeated. Her steps slowed as reason began to return and compliment instinctive action.

It didn't quite sound right. They were not screams of terror or fear. Neither were they remotely similar to the passion that had driven Daphne and Katherine only moments before. There was pain mixed with the pleasure. She couldn't sense any pain in the house, though Katherine's energy still pervaded the building too heavily to be entirely sure.

Daphne rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and froze in horror. She knew the position and was far from naive enough to think only deviants would enjoy it, it was just that she never had been witness to it. She recognized her distraction came from a general discomfort of male penetration. She'd done it willingly with Chris, once, in order to bequeath the Gift to Katherine. Since then, Kat's projected desire to be filled had forced her to seek relief herself. Aside from those times it had been millennia since she'd even contemplated it.

Julia's face pressed to the floor on the threshold to the kitchen. Her hands extended along the tile floor to grip the near corners of the island and she knelt with her back high. Tony knelt behind her, his legs positioned to prevent her motion and his hands held her hips firmly in place. She was a captive as he thrust himself into her tighter hole.

The scream's were Julia's. Daphne watched in fascinated horror as threads of pain and passion entwined almost indistinguishably in their auras. She had known the gorgeous blond woman for nearly half a year but never once suspected that she would derive the slightest pleasure from pain. It was another reaction foreign to the elder.

She left the two to return upstairs. It was clear enough what had occurred. Daphne had known Tony was over, in fact she had insisted on it. Ever since her first night with Katherine she tried to make sure there was a man in the house to fulfill the youth's other needs when they made love. Her own misadventure with Kat's projected desires, after Chris' departure, only confirmed her conviction. He had been over in case the need struck Katherine, Daphne could deflect the projection and 'invite' Tony to their love-making. She smiled at the thought. Unlike Chris, Tony was never aware the concept was anything but his own. It had happened twice now and both times he felt himself quite courageous when he joined in with the couple.

Tonight Katherine had once again projected. This time, instead of projecting an additional need she was sending out her passion and drive. That desire filled the house. Julia and Tony were taken unaware by lust so great they naturally fell into each other's arms. More likely, Daphne reconsidered, Kat's primal nature brought them into their own. Tony was clearly a dominant and Julia a submissive. She had known of the woman's tastes but the man's didn't surprise her overly much.

Katherine sat half sideways at the head of the bed. In the position, even with her legs together, Daphne could still see the moist pink flesh. Her lips dried in anticipation of more of the succulent dew. One look at the trouble eyes, hidden behind red bangs, disabused the notion. For the second time in so many minutes Daphne froze in shock. The fledgling's sexual energy still permeated the house but her currently her aura barely showed. She had withdrawn as Daphne had never seen in her lover.

"Julia and Tony?" Daphne smiled and nodded. "Anal?" Surprised she nodded again. Kat nodded but the concern still filled her aura. "Tony is over in case I got horny as we made love isn't he?" Daphne had never felt such speechlessness. "He's here to replace Chris."

It hadn't been a question. Daphne was almost relieved she didn't have to answer, until Kat spoke again. "Did he leave us because of you?" Daphne felt her heart drop. Her mouth continued to hang open as she stared in mute horror at her truest love. In all those years she had never felt for another what she felt for this woman. "DID he!?" Anger roiled through Kat's aura like a pestilence.

"Yes." She wanted to explain but words failed her. The complex experiences and connections forged before Kat had joined them eluded her ability to explain. Where is this all coming from? How could I not have seen it coming?

The other woman's whispered voice was ice. "He loved you. You know that don't you?" Daphne nodded meekly. "He loved me though, and I love him. That was the problem wasn't it?"

"Yes. No! It's more complicated than that." With every word she felt the rage as it flared off her lover. She recoiled instinctively from the painful lash of the power. The wretched energy that began to fill her only reminded her of the poor man's fate.

"Yes, it is." Katherine stood and stormed over to the dresser. She pulled out a pair of pants and a t-shirt. Both were black, the only things Chris had left the two to remember him by. She quickly tossed on the clothes, holding the pants up with her own belt. She pushed by Daphne who was still to horrified to react.

As she slipped by, Katherine's voice and aura alike were devoid of emotion. "You sent him away because I loved him and you didn't want to share. My body but not my love." Then she left.

Daphne's mind drew inward. She knew she needed to pursue, but her world had crumbled too quickly to rebound. She found the quiet solitude within. She surrounded her heart with memory.

Mythology often became confused, even when there was a foundation in truth. Daphne was once the unwilling youth of an elder Dhase. He had taken her to live in his warren of caves, a veritable underground city with hundreds of people in his employ, never seeing the light of day. The woman who had bequeathed the Gift to Daphne raged for nearly a year at the surrounding elders, who finally proposed a compromise. Daphne would spend half of each year with each elder.

The mortals told this story of Persephone. Ironically, Persephone's misadventures, only a few decades prior to that event, had also become legend. Another of the elders had become infatuated with her. He chased her on the Gifting Night, sought to transform her the very same night Daphne was granted the Gift. Persephone ended up spending the night hidden in a laurel tree. From there came the story of 'Daphne and Apollo.'

The two became great friends over the next two decades, resulting in the mythological confusion of names, until Gifting Night came again. This time it was Persephone, seeking out Daphne to grant the Gift. Shortly after this, 'Hades' took Daphne. His preferences for pain and suffering were well known, but her elder was the weaker. It was only the influence garnered that allowed her to broker a deal that saved Daphne from endless decades of unending pain.

Persephone lived a good life, surviving well into the fifteen hundreds, when she finally succumbed.

That had been the reason she had tried to rescue Christoph from Bridget. She had witnessed the woman's cruelty and could ill stomach it. Although a millennia younger, Bridget had gained in power making of herself a terror throughout the ages. No myths had formed around her name, given in honor of a benevolent deity and kept in irony, because mortals who fell to her care never returned. She was 'the Dark Mistress', 'the Lady Death' and even, in some cultures, 'the Bogeyman' when victims had never seen her form clearly.

Daphne had hoped to gain enough strength to challenge her. Most Dhase remained beneath her notice but Daphne had courted attention, hoping the owed boon would protect her long enough. It had, and now Christoph's sacrifice would protect her for a few years more. Bridget could not use his failed body as an excuse this quickly or the excuse would appear as vacant as its reality. Bridget only feared a coordinated effort on the part of the elders. Enough elder Dhase could drain her before she could kill.

Now hope was lost. Katherine fled. She, the only who could have given Daphne's life meaning enough to revitalize her.

Daphne looked into the mirror. Where once sat glorious blue eyes, turned dead as apathy encroached, now tears ran. Soon enough those eyes would be dry and dead once more, but first she would help them along.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The smell should make him hungry. His sleep deprived brain couldn't understand why the smell of roasting meat wasn't making him hungry. Then came the pain. He tried to move. He needed to escape the overwhelming pain eating inward from his groin. He could not escape. His hands remained securely above him and his legs spread beneath him.

He couldn't remember how he'd gotten here. He didn't even know where 'here' was. All he knew was pain. And he knew pain intimately. He couldn't remember sleep, but he knew it remained with him even there. It stayed with him always. The Dark One made sure of that.

"You don't need those. You don't use those." The form before him was shrouded in black. The dim, fluttering, light and haze covering his eyes were keeping the form so indistinct he couldn't figure out any details. "I'll just remove them for you shall I?" He should have been able to discern something from the voice.




Gifting Night Ch. 05



Pain increased to unimaginable levels. His muscles tugged fruitlessly at the thick restraints. There was a reason for those, their thickness, but like everything else it eluded him. His hips twitched back and forth, desperate to save his body, but they too where strapped. The leather strap across his hips was also designed to hold his nudity aloft. Just below that was the pain.

It burned, it pierced, it cut, it ate, it froze, it throbbed. He knew so many different kinds of pain. Each was unique. The Dark One knew them all and so many more. There were combinations he had been promised introductions to. Was this one? No. This was just heat; burning. That was why roast meat held no appeal.

He may have blacked out, he wasn't sure. Time was meaningless. It didn't exist for him. All that existed was pain.

The dark form held up the metal poker. The tip was now barely red. At first it had been a bright white. So bright he had tried to turn away, but even his neck and head were secured. He couldn't move in the slightest. He was trapped, forced to watch his Master's torment.

The leather mask and dead, dark, eyes inspected the tool. There was a sigh of resignation before the gloved hand tossed the poker in the general direction of the roaring fire. Both gloved hands raised before him. They seemed to sparkle in the dancing firelight. "Do you see what I have next for you?" He didn't. "Focus!"

He tried. His Master instructed him to focus so that was what he needed to do. The haze of confusion cleared slightly. The fingers were moving, causing his blurred vision to fail to properly track them. His master was probably doing that on purpose in order to teach him to be stronger. He was weak. That was what the master always told him. He thought it had angered him once, but now he knew it was true. Master was becoming more and more frustrated and angry with him. Master told him he was too weak more and more these days.

He struggled to control his eyes. He could tell that his Master was becoming impatient. "Well? I asked you a question! Do you see what I have for you?" Slowly the fingers came into focus. The sparkle was a distraction at first, until he began to focus on it instead of ignore it. It was the glittering forms that danced around the hands, they must be for him.

"Razor blades Master." The blades shifted from finger to finger, danced back and forth across the gloved knuckles. He could not focus enough to tell how sharp they were but his Master always took great care in cleaning and maintaining the tools, so they should be incredibly sharp. He was proud of himself for recognizing the tools and understanding the care and maintenance.

A hand flashed out so fast he could barely see. His face stung. "You have nothing to feel proud of! You are so weak it took you too long to see the blades!" The faintest trickle of blood dripped from the cut. When Master slapped him the blade had been carefully held to add its bite.

"I'm sorry Master. I will try to be stronger."

He felt his Master's hand reach down to hold him. A flicker of memory escaped him at the touch. Had someone else once held him there? He was pretty sure Master never had before. Master's other hand came down to stroke him. For a moment it felt good and another memory escaped his grasp.

Then he felt the blades. With each stroke Master cut into him lightly, with the precision of a surgeon. He could feel himself growing with the pleasant caress, but the expansion only helped the Dark One to widen the cuts. More blood flowed. He couldn't help but scream.

Laughter erupted from beneath the leather mask. His eyes closed with the pain, he was allowed only that unless told otherwise. Hands continued to stroke him. Sometimes the blades bit but mostly the hands just engaged him. His flesh stretched to its limit as he continued to scream. He felt the air grow thick and vile.

The massage stopped briefly. There was noise but his blood still surged, tormenting him. He felt his tip completely enclosed. The moist warmth felt almost soothing, if only his straining form didn't cause pain as he throbbed. As more of his length became engulfed everything changed. Something hard pressed and scraped against the top and bottom. The more it enveloped the harder it pressed.

The teeth, for he realized he was being bitten, pressed harder. As the mouth swallowed him teeth forced open the small cuts and dragged against the harshly exposed nerves. He never heard the whimpers that underscored his bellowed screams.

All at once his hands and neck were free. He lunged forward, bent at the waist, to grab the head that already retreated back up his flesh. Incredible strength pulled the head free. Locked in the vice of his hands, he stared at the salt and pepper hair in confusion. He didn't know this face. Why would they wish him so much pain.

The middle-aged woman's hand came up. One hand grabbed his length while the other grabbed the charred lump between his legs. Both hands squeezed hard. He screamed and focused on the woman. He felt his breath grow harder as he tried to inhale the thick, vile air. Slowly the air began to clear. The woman's eyes were wide.

Soon the air was clear of the horrid stench. It was the stench of fear, or more specifically terror. Christoph! He had remembered something. It had been his name once. Christoph looked down and saw the woman still clutched tight in his hands.

Instinctively he tossed the corpse away. He had killed her. She had been the cause of his pain and, once freed, he had reached out in his hunger and drank all of her hatred and terror. He had stolen her life force to feed his own. Bridget had set this up to force him to feed, and feed to the death.

Chris slumped in the harness and began to cry. Worse than any of the physical torment she threw upon him was this. She always found ways to force him to feed. Worse even than his mind returning to discover yet another hapless corpse was what came next. Slowly his memory returned. Now the pain ate into his heart as he remembered the joy he had known.

Christoph didn't know how long Bridget had held him but he knew, eventually, she would torture him to death. When that happened she would hunt down Daphne and destroy her. The only thing worse than that knowledge was knowing that she would then take Katherine. The innocent woman would learn the terror of experience and sensation. The powerful girl would feed Bridget for years after in constant torment and humiliation.

Chris wished for death's embrace. Not only would it free him, but if it had not been too long, it might buy Daphne and Katherine's freedom once and for all.

Copywrite, November 2006 by Deathlynx



Gifting Night Ch. 06



Chapter 6: Fevered Dreams

This is chapter 6 of a series. Thank you to all the readers who inspired me to continue the series with their constant support. While it is not entirely necessary to read the each chapters in progression I highly recommend it. Please remember that the Dhase are a species of my own creation, and although they are based on vampires I have drastically changed the mythos. I hope you enjoy.

*

The whip ripped a fresh gouge in his back. Pain blossomed but it was a familiar pain. This pain barely registered. Besides, he didn't have enough energy to grant this pain any consideration.. He was too weak to care about much of anything. His Master occasionally invented new pains. Or perhaps Master simple dredged them from a very long memory. They were new to him at any rate.

He remembered that his Master was a Dhase. He was a Dhase as well. Master was one of the few truly 'Enlightened' Dhase. The Dhase were the monsters behind the myths of vampires. Where mythology had their story wrong was their means of survival. Dhase drained the life energy from their victims rather than blood. Sentient beings, be they mortal, monster or other Dhase, attained their peak energy when their emotions were engaged. Only the Enlightened had reached such a spiritual disconnection as to stomach the pain and suffering of others.

Little bits of knowledge Master had begun to reveal. He only remembered, these days, what Master told him. If it came from Master's lips it was canon. Sometimes when Master told him something it would spark a memory. They were vague but incredibly painful. Blessedly they faded quickly, supplanted by the nearly holy balm of Master's whip.

It was the only time Master used the whip. It was the least painful of the tools. Now it was his release from the memories. It was the highlight of his days.

"Stand UP!" Leather snaked by his face. The tip glittered and mesmerized him. He watched, in the slow motion of his heightened senses, the pulse work along the black, braided, leather towards the tip. When it reached its destination the metal head snapped back with a loud 'crack.' He didn't know this whip. He knew the sound of every tool and toy Master lovingly used on him but not this one.

The tip flicked backwards to strike at his face. The barbed hook embedded itself in his cheek, just beneath his right eye. As it sunk into flesh and bone he felt the redundant layers of much smaller barbs slide effortlessly in. A simple crack would never be enough to pull the device free. He braced himself as he, barely, saw the blur that was Master race in front of him. Before the whip had time to settle Master used superhuman strength to pull the hook free.

Bone shattered. Fragments soared. Blood, muscle and flesh tore open and spattered the floor before him as he collapsed. The pain was unbearable. Master was in heaven, drinking in the pure essence of his agony. Still he struggled to obey Master. He had been told to stand numerous times. Master hated repeated commands.

He managed to move his arms enough to place his hands by his head. He pushed against the ground but failed to budge. If he was Dhase shouldn't he have superhuman strength as well, or at least enough to pick himself up? Still, inability was no excuse. He tried to push himself over to the chains attached to the wall, hoping to use that for support. Weak hands slid futilely against the unfinished, wood, floor. There should be plenty of traction, the large splinters all throughout his body were testament to that. He simply lacked the strength to move his own weight.

He quaked, terrified of what Master would do. Never before, to his knowledge, had he been completely incapable of obeying. Early in his training, he was led to understand, he had resisted willfully and been punished to within an inch of his life. Only his reluctant obedience saved his life. He didn't remember the incident but Master had told him.

Master stood beside him in an instant and cursed, fluently, in too many languages to count. He recognized some of them. Somehow Master had discovered that, even with his memory so flawed and frail, he could speak and understand at least half a dozen languages. Each were used to convey commands to him. Sometimes Master tested him by mixing commands in multiple languages. He never failed that test. His skill was second only to his utter obedience.

Only now his obedience had faltered because his body had failed completely. Master always told him his body was weak. Here was the proof. This session had been relatively light. Master had only used the standard whip until this last cleansing blow. That whip shouldn't produce enough pain to be much of a meal for Master, even when used a dozen or more separate times, and he'd barely been able to stand before the barbed whip ever came into play. He was weak and deserved punishment.

A sharp kick to his left side sent him crashing onto his back. He was sure he'd broken a rib or two as well. Pain lanced up his side and from within. He was finding it hard to breath. Master stood over him, unbuckling the heavy leather that masked the Dark Form. "Master?" His voice gurgled slightly and red flecked his lips to mingle with the blood running from his mangled face.

The first thing he noticed was that the Dark one was focusing intently on not feeding from him. With the intensity of the pain in his side and face he should have been a veritable feast. As the thick girdle came off something seemed very odd about Master. Unfortunately, through the red haze that obscured his sight, he couldn't figure out what troubled him. It was when the Dark One stood, straddling his head that understanding dawned.

He stared up at the pink folds of a woman. He was too well trained to slip and call her anything but 'Master' but the word 'Mistress' jumped, unbidden, to his mind. Most of the rest of his master remained swathed in the dark leather but with the girdle removed he could see the traces of her breasts straining against the material. Now that he knew to look, he could spot the slight differences in muscle mass that should have revealed her long before, were he not so dumb.

He wondered if he would remember this important fact, but berated himself immediately for his stupidity once again. Of course I'll remember! How could I possibly forget such an important fact about Master? Foggy eyes realized that she moved closer. Her lips seeped with excitement as she lowered herself to his face. She knelt above him and her juices dripped to flow into the shattered remains of his face.

His Master leaned backward slightly and placed a hand on his side, where she had kicked him. Carefully her fingers tracked across his side, searching out his pain and seeking injuries. She found first one, then the next, broken ribs. He gasped from the pain even her slight contact brought. With deliberate skill, a finger pressed lightly on each rib. The pain mounted and he stifled a gasp through clenched teeth. The fingers pressed harder and agony lanced from deep within his left side.

Even as he screamed her breath, visible through the rise and fall of her stomach and chest without the girdle, quickened. The moisture flowed more freely above him. In the midst of his suffering he smiled. His reactions excited his Master.

Soft flesh crashed onto his damaged face. His blood now marred the perfection of the left side of her chaps. He barely noticed. As she came down she positioned herself perfectly. His lips met her nether lips and the soft flesh of her waist collapsed on top of him, covering his nose. Despite himself his body tried to struggle. He would have failed if he was hale. In his current condition a child could have held the powerful Dhase captive.

When he did not immediately begin on her, she pressed her thighs together. The shattered bones of his skull grated against each other. She lifted herself momentarily for his fresh scream. As instinct took over and he began to inhale she pressed herself once more to his lips. His body struggled further but she held him still. Her gasp of delight thrilled him as he inhaled her eager lust. Her legs released their grip and he began to understand her unorthodox desires.

His chest already tormented by the broken ribs, and possibly a pierced lung, began to burn from lack of air. Instinctively he began to struggle against his lack of air but she pinned him successfully. Being Dhase he couldn't die from the lack but it hurt tremendously. Worse, she understood this and knew the all of the combined injuries compounded the sensation. She was moaning nearly constantly and her cream flowed quickly, pouring into the wound on his face. His Master was delirious in her pleasure.

As he sucked and licked the sensitive bundle, tears began to escape the corners of his eyes. It was more than just the pain. It was a strange mixture of light and dark, joy and torment. Above him, her pleasure continued to grow, nearing it's climax. It was a living entity, beckoning to him, inviting him to join with it. He reached out, his aura seeking hers. Her energy wrapped around the feeble tendril that reached for it. It began to course through him, tickling every cell it connected to.

Her fingers pressed harder. He tried once again to scream but failed as she pressed harder. His body sung with the discordant melodies of her pleasure feeding him and the intensity of multitudes of pain. His Master screamed in exultation and released onto and into him. Her energy surged into him like a wildfire. It was all too much. Overwhelmed he blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Christoph awoke an indeterminate period of time later. He realized, by the knowledge of his name, that he had fed enough to revive himself. Bridget had fed him herself. He wondered if he had been badly enough injured that she determined only her strength would repair him or if she had simply become so aroused by her dominance that she felt the need for release. She had certainly been attracted to the additional pain she had inflicted.

He tested his strength and found himself barely able to stand. He staggered over to the mirror and realized he must be in her bedroom. For as long as he had been in her service he hadn't left his concrete chamber. The face staring back at him was frightfully pink. His body had stopped healing before it was complete. A lifted finger confirmed the integrity of his skull and ribs. Everything was still sore however.

He tried to figure it out. He should have been able to heal even this damage with ease. These repairs shouldn't have taken so much energy that he remained barely able to stand, or that they remained half-healed. He realized what his pain induced haze had masked from him. Bridget's "learning sessions" were deliberately intended to induce the very painful memories he tried to flee from. She drank deep last night as she fed off of his emotional turmoil. She drank too deep and nearly killed him.

He sighed as he looked into the mirror. If she fed from him now he would die. For the moment he was too weak for her to torture him back into his pain induced fugue-state. He chuckled softly. He would soon escape her. She had brought him so low that she couldn't erase his personality again which meant he could resist her demands that he feed. All of her ploys depended on either his complete submission or his lack of sentience.

A weak smile crossed his lips. He didn't know how long he'd been under her 'care' but he hoped it was short enough that his death would set Daphne and Katherine free. His heart dropped at the simple thought of the two. He'd gladly traded his life for theirs. If he had been captive for years, he knew Katherine would have granted Daphne the strength to defeat Bridget when the confrontation arose. If it had been a few weeks then so much the better. His death would mean something.

"It was all in vain you know." Chris tried to spin to face the voice but he lacked the strength. His legs buckled and only leaning heavily on the vanity saved his balance. As Bridget's comment ran through his mind he realized, with a shock, that there had been compassion, even sympathy, in her voice. "The young one has run away from the ancient." There was sorrow in her voice.

She wore simple, if very tight, blue-jeans and a white baby-doll t-shirt. It was such a departure from anything he had seen her wear that he was taken aback. Dressed like this she no longer looked the terrifying nightmare. Dressed like this she was actually very attractive. Her breasts sprang forward enticingly in the tight shirt. Her hips shifted seductively as she leaned from one side to the other. His eyes were continually driven back to her firm legs, which came together with that acute angle that had always driven him wild in women. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail high on her head. The overall effect of the look complimented her early to mid twenties appearance.

Bridget slowly crossed the room. The closer she got the clearer her aura became. Although there was some contempt in her mood, likely for Daphne, she was riddled with guilt and sympathy. Her hand came up to caress the pink, tender, skin on his face. Her dark eyes were round and damp as she met his. "I've never gone that far before. I almost killed you." The sympathy rapidly shift to a desperate concern while the guilt strengthened.

"You think you've never killed before?" He couldn't believe her temerity. If he didn't know better he would be forced to believe she was lying, but her aura shone brightly. It was possible to mute one's aura but never camouflage it. "What about all of those people you have thrown at me, terrified and alone, to drain completely?"

"The humans?" She was confused. It showed in both her expressive eyes and her life-force. Chris suddenly found himself reevaluating her as she began to contemplate the accusation. Clearly she had never considered humans alive in quite the same manner as other Dhase. Clearly she had meant she had never brought another Dhase, or perhaps just a youth under her 'guidance,' so close to death. Daphne had implied that this virtual demon had killed her fellows but never in so many words. "I never really thought of them as more than food." She couldn't meet his eyes. "I meant I'd never come so close to killing another of our kind."

Her voice was small and frail. He barely heard her. "Can you forgive me for everything I've done?" He still could not read the truth in her eyes but he felt her honesty and her guilt.

"I don't know." It was barely a whisper; the voice of one who'd caught their lover cheating. Her eyes raised slightly while her head remained down turned. Tears streaked her cheeks. His heart twisted at the intensity of pain flowing from her eyes, from her very soul. He needed to change the subject. "Tell me something. Why do you do it? Why do you feed like that"

Once again her face turned away in shame. This time her body followed, imposing itself protectively between her accuser and her vulnerability. This close, their bodies nearly touching, he finally realized how small a woman she truly was. While he leaned heavily against the vanity, his six foot frame reduced significantly, she still barely reached his mid chest, making her a tad shorter than even Daphne. The Dark Mistress, Lady Death, was nowhere near as imposing when not shrouded in darkness and leather. Of course, appearances were deceiving. At his strongest, Chris was no match for Bridget in even the simplest of fist fights. She had the power to drain his life in seconds should she choose.

"I was created in pain." Her voice was barely audible, even in the utter silence of the room. "He raped me even as he flayed my skin, inch by inch. Had he not drained me first I would have died." Bridget turned away as tears began to stream down her face. "I came from an era of subservience and submission. I was a peasant and he, to all appearances, an aristocrat."

Chris couldn't help but to let his hands go to her shoulders. Slowly, carefully, he pulled her against him. She didn't turn to face him, but she allowed his action; acceptance enough. Her hands crossed her body to grip his lightly, and even pulled his slightly down the front of her shoulders. "At first I resisted, struggled against him. But he was too powerful. If he had just tortured me I probably wouldn't have accepted death. Too much anger and pain with that. It was the other things he did that pulled me across. I welcomed death for its release from the shame and humiliation of everything he had done."

"He never expected me to survive. I daresay, if he had he would have killed me without draining me fully." Bridget released his hands and spun within his embrace. Her dark eyes were wet with tears; both fallen and unshed. "I taught you that Dhase who bring pain are enlightened. In a way we are. We need no symbiosis. You see, 'the monsters,' as you call us, almost never fall to apathy. We are all destroyed eventually. To pass on the Gift requires both a certain strength of soul and a strength of body. When you do not notice the years pass..." She choked down a sob. "All of my partners die. I have never had to worry about watching a beloved human wither and die."

Finally she could no longer continue and began to openly cry. His arms slid closed, enfolding her completely. He lost track of time then. He didn't know how long her lowered head poured tears onto his stomach. At this moment she was no longer the Dark Mistress. She was simply a woman bearing centuries worth of pain.

Slowly the tears abated. As he felt her need to be held slide away he stepped back. His hands came up; his thumbs swept belated moisture from her cheeks. Her round eyes shifted upwards once more to meet his. Her soul held a deep, desperate, longing which reflected in her eyes. Chris understood. His head shifted forward and their lips met.

It was nothing like the light, but loving, kisses of Daphne. It was even farther from the hungry, powerful, connection with Katherine. It was tentative. Christoph wondered if Bridget had ever kissed anyone while still alive but decided that if she had she may not even remember after so long. His lips pressed to hers, with all of his repressed compassion, in an attempt to show, or possibly remind, her what was meant by a kiss. Gradually her confidence grew and her intensity followed in suit.

Pressed against her as she cried, he had grown slightly. Now, with her body pressed enticingly against him and her lips to his, his length grew solid. She must have put the boxers on him as he healed, thought why he could not fathom. For as long as he had been here he had been nude. Then again the entire time that he could remember she wore the leather outfit that masked even her gender.

Her hands, willingly trapped between them, began to run across his bare chest. He shuddered from the delightful contact. If there was one thing his 'Master' had proven time and again it was that her hands were just as adept with inspiring pleasure as pain. Until now she had used that skill to blend the two, making the pain that much greater a torment. When he shuddered her nerve broke and she began to pull away in panic. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," he whispered, refusing to release his grip without a struggle, one she apparently was unwilling to provide. He knew now her fear. She had spent so long bringing one with the other she was afraid she could no longer identify the difference, or else that he would be unable to. He stepped close to her once more and let his hands run down the strong back, to rest on her slender waist, bare between her short shirt and tight jeans.

As their lips met again he lost himself in her passion and enthusiasm. It was as if, denied all these centuries or more, she sought to relive her life in this one moment. He wondered at the softness of her skin. For all her reputation and fierceness he would have expected her skin to be as hard as cured leather. Of course, he would have expected her soul to be harder than diamond but it poured in such a complex mix of emotions from her mouth. All at once she was a raging volcano venting its pressure and an apologetic stream, trickling its calm path.




Gifting Night Ch. 06



As her hands began, once again, to glide across his chest he gasped. Lightly, her teeth caught his lip as he began to pull away, restraining him playfully. Her grin was equally gentle. Throughout it all remained the undercurrent of uncertainty and fear. Could she manage this, would he accept it?

Bridget began to tickle and tease his flesh. She knew his every muscle and nerve intimately. Every inch of his skin writhed under her touch as she kept her lips locked with his. Only this time she quickly brought him passion and desire as she had always brought terror and pain before. His skin seemed to crawl as her delicate fingers played over him. Everywhere it crawled his skin tightened with need. He felt the final memories, those of sheer bliss with Katherine and Daphne, unlocking, freeing him to share his lust once more.

Sensation surged outward from his loins, flooded his veins and washed away his concerns. Her amazing body pressed enticingly against his solid member. When presented as a woman, she was the most skilled, and probably the most irresistible, lover he could imagine. Even as her hand darted across and along the tender, half-healed, areas she managed to hit the edges of the wounds perfectly, tickling rather than injuring. He held her. All of his willpower focused on keeping himself aloft as she tormented him with joy and thrilled him with lust.

He didn't remember having been moved, but she lowered him to the heavenly bed without arresting her play. Relieved of the need to hold his unsteady body, he released himself to the tumultuous cascade of pleasures Bridget continued to play across his flesh. The only thing shining brighter than her laughing eyes was her brilliant aura. He moaned and squirmed and she had yet to touch anything traditionally accounted as an erogenous zone.

She slowly shifted her attentions farther and farther down his body. As she reached his waistband he could no longer contain the full extend of his desires. His own hands, fallen lifeless to the bed as he rode out her delicious torments, reached once more for her waist. Quickly his palms slid upward, over the skin-tight cotton shift, to cup her firm breasts. Fingers sought her nipples, but he couldn't find them beneath the solid form of her bra.

Her face lit up when she smiled and laughed. Her hands had just begun to dive beneath the boxers when his tentative explorations excited her. She climbed onto the bed and shifted to straddle his thighs, effectively pinning him. Whatever else may have been written by her past, she was still dominant even in her passion. Her arms crossed to slowly peel the tight shirt. She took especial care to draw out the revelation of her breasts. Her bra was solid, as he'd predicted, and, once freed of the restrictive clothing, thrust her breasts upward and apart. As she stripped free of the top Chris' hands hovered near, anxiously awaiting approval to discover the tender form of her body.

She tossed the shirt aside. He began to reach for her when she leapt straight up, her feet still holding his legs firmly together and in place. Her hands dropped to the jeans that hugged her hips low. Once again Bridget had to peel the skin-tight clothing free. Unlike the shirt, she revealed nothing inhibited her once free of the pants. She released his legs only long enough to drag the discarded clothing off to one side before she collapsed to kneel, once more, across his thighs. She watched his body with hunger as his boxers stretched farther witnessing her glory.

In his earlier, weakened, haze he failed to notice the smooth skin above the lips and lust he had suckled. She had shaved herself almost completely bare, however there was a line of stubble intentionally cultivated a few inches above her precious mound. Even more maddening was the glistening moisture covering her beautiful cleft. As her hands returned to their demented massage ~she still avoided the hard length she stared at longingly~ he knew the timetable would be hers. He also knew she intended to thoroughly enjoy this first freedom, and draw it out as long as possible.

With her almost imperceptible nod, his hands dove towards the inviting breasts. For all that they looked firm his grip sank slightly into their perfection. Her eyes closed slightly as a coo of delight escaped her. Her hands never faltered in their exploitation. He began to kneed carefully using the reactions flaring through her aura. He laughed as he thought of all the humans who had given themselves over to Dhase for a lifetime of orgiastic pursuits and, once again, realized the blessings they gained from the harmless exchange.

Her fingers crawled up the legs of his underwear and he gasped. The fire within Chris raged as she danced across the winkled skin and sought the strained flesh above. The pressure surged as she lightly gripped his engorged form. He already knew her skills with her hands were beyond compare. Her fingers instantly found the most tender locations and pressure points. She could keep him on the edge indefinitely and it was clear she intended that fate for him as she grinned hungrily.

His explosion mounted by the second as she caressed the firm shaft. Suitably distracted, his own efforts to mesmerize her in turn suffered, despite his attempts to focus. When he felt her hands shifting there was a brief surge of liquid fire rushing up his length, only to be suppressed by a well placed finger revealing a previously withheld pressure point. His body convulsed, already long past the point he had ever finished.

Her hips rolled forward. With agonizing delay, Chris felt the swollen bud of Bridget's lust connect with the base of his. He screamed his prolonged ecstasy as she slowly lifted her body up the underside of his hard organ. Through slitted eyes he was content to see her own legs shaking with desire by the time she began her path back down. He was now well lubricated as her depths wept their bliss.

He felt his energy reaching out for the shining form above him. The warmth of her joy and rapture responded to his questing senses to embrace and merge their life-forces. The combined aura wrapped the two in a miraculous cocoon he had never expected to experience again.

Slowly, her free hand came up to intertwine with his. He didn't mind, Chris knew his efforts had turned into little more than desperate groping. The warmth of her powerful aura flowed down his arm. Up, shifted her hips, trailing her cream as she tormented him further. She reached his tip and slid forward. He was a near perfect compliment to her tender folds.

Lust surged through his veins as she lowered herself. Her quivering depths grasped longingly as her body strove to pull him deeper, even as she enveloped him. He screamed his frustration as he felt her depths surge and clutch. Soon she would allow him the release painfully built within him. She had to be timing it with her own. She pulled his hands out to the side. As she pressed his hands to the bed, fingers laced with his, her body tensed.

He felt the power of her rapture surrounding them. It was glorious. The woman, so long denied a peaceful respite to her troubled past, shined with a clarity he envied. In all his life, only his beloved Katherine was more perfect. He felt her strength pouring into him, refreshing, renewing him. The power of her climax surpassed any he'd ever known, save the red-headed fledgling.

Her clarity held a bitter thread. As Bridget reveled above the anguished man the uncertain emotion began to clarify itself to Chris. Victory? The tiny strand that had remained clouded and unseen showed a brutal triumph. What he had assumed was nothing more than mild dominance was in fact much darker. She had no intentions of letting him finish. One more punishment. The final pressure point must have been one of the more permanent ones, where Eastern Chi masters could block the flow of energy until they preformed the proper technique to unlock the body.

He began to struggle but her legs, her bucking hips and her hands all held him firm. Somehow it had been a trap, another means to lull him into a sense of security. He knew he couldn't overpower her physically so her resisted spiritually. The connection would not break. She enjoyed her climax, she loved the futility of his struggles, she gloried in the pain that continually built within as his body fought for release. His screams turned to frustration and pain and her pleasure grew.

She had found a way to force starvation from his options. Bridget, the Dark Mistress of Pain, had even done so in a way that punished him for the mere thought.

If he couldn't stop her he would try to end it more permanently. He reached out with his mind and soul and grabbed the power that flowed across their connection. He began to pull in energy, her energy. It was the technique that had earned the Dhase, all vampires, the reputation as merciless predators. He had only done this a few times in his extended life, and those practice. It had never felt natural to him, drawing a person's life-force aggressively. He took by force what could be freely, and painlessly, given in the throws of passion. Daphne had taught him for self defense against the only opponent he could possibly not defeat; another of their kind.

Without a single word Bridget mocked his efforts. She continued to ride him, and her orgasm, as a testament to her lack of fear. She screamed in ecstasy as her hips pounded furiously , up and down, against his. His groin felt past the need to explode and turned on his own body, wracking him with pain but he continued to fight and pull her energy.

It was no use. Her arrogance was well founded. Finally he felt her amusement wane and suddenly the connection snapped. He screamed in terror. Disconnected with her rapture the sensations still building within his body overwhelmed him. She continued to push herself up and down his length. Now friction began to set in as her body stopped producing lubrication. Her clutching muscles burned as they flew harshly across his sensitive flesh.

At least she'll be sore from this too! His last thought as peaceful oblivion overwhelmed him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Katherine sat at the bar and stared at the drink before her. She couldn't even remember what it was. It's purple, that's all I know. It was also very potent. Like that matters. One of the first things she'd learned about her new life was to ignore beer or wine unless she liked the taste. Her new body was much more resistant to the effects of drugs or alcohol and the sheer volume of those drinks needed to get her drunk was prohibitive. Even with the stiff drink before her, at least eight ounces of very hard alcohol, would be only the first of a dozen or more if she truly intended to get drunk.

Kat contemplated the drink. She wondered if she wanted to drink; wanted to get drunk. What would she do now? She loved Daphne very much but she'd also loved Chris as well. Both had been different and complimentary. Chris had been her best friend and mentor. Daphne was her lover and soul mate. She needed them both but couldn't have either.

"Why the hell did she have to get all possessive!" The bartender looked over at her outburst but wisely left her alone. When she'd first arrived in the dive of a bar the bartender had tried to politely suggest that a woman of her class might not be comfortable in an establishment like his. Her icy glare was met with a shrug. After one of the patrons, a young tough, tried to take advantage of 'such a pretty little bitch' and ended up with a bloody nose and possibly a broken rib, the bartender smiled and told her the drink was on the house.

"You wanna talk about it?" Her heart leapt at the baritone voice. Out of the corner of her vision she saw the dark ponytail and her eyes widened in wonder. She spun.

"Uh, not really." She couldn't keep the disappointment from her voice. It wasn't him. Dejected, she paid her tab and wandered into the cool night air. The temperature was dropping as the season neared it's turn; soon it would be the Equinox.

Katherine didn't know what to do now. What is an immortal supposed to do with their life? Daphne and Chris both implied the point of life was to enjoy it. She liked living in that fashion, and Daphne had not only helped her to build her own fortune, almost overnight, but guided her through it. Now she could, quite easily, amass such sums as she would never need to work another day in al of her life.

Regardless of that fact she felt the need to do something, especially now. Chris had devoted his life to the study and compilation of, of all things, vampire mythologies. He had enjoyed traveling the world with Daphne. As the two had traveled he asked around and heard all of the local stories. He'd compiled quite a large database on them. He'd even left a copy for Katherine when he left.

Daphne, similarly, enjoyed botany. She had wandered the world in an effort to view every species of plant in existence. Kat still found it amusing that she had such an affinity for laurel trees. Perhaps she felt a connection with the tree her namesake had turned into. She even had a tradition, Kat had been told, of placing a wreath of flowers around the base of a random laurel tree before she ventured out every Halloween.

She missed Daphne more than she had ever thought possible. But she refused to go back to her until she had found Chris and convinced him she needed him too. She needed to convince the both of them that all three needed each other. Daphne might not admit it to herself, but Katherine knew she missed the man as well. Daphne had been the most happy when the three had gone everywhere together. She even enjoyed when he joined with their lovemaking, something that wasn't true with Tony.

I have to find Chris and bring him back for all three of us. At least I hope he still wants to be around Daphne. There was always the possibility her harsh actions in sending him away would have a souring effect on his temperament towards the elder. The only problem was deciding how to find the man.

He avoided all of their known haunts. Likely he knew that if Daphne wanted him away he was to stay away from anyplace he could even remotely encounter Kat. He may have even left the city. The thought began to panic Kat. How would she possibly find him if he had the entire world to travel?

She stopped and took a few deep breaths. Chris, at one point, had made it clear to her that the Dhase had ways of finding each other. Mostly it amounted to gossip, but from time to time it could be more useful. Perhaps he had feared this very situation would arise and she would need some way to find him regardless of where in the world he moved.

The Dhase he had introduced her to, a middle-aged man named Eric, took drug abuse to extremes that only an immortal could. Granted he needed to fill a room with smoke for it to have the desired effect on him but it left him a poor choice for a lucid conversation. Chris had introduced the two as an example of immortality wasted on trivial pursuits.

She had visited Eric once since Chris' departure. She had been looking for an escape from Julia, actually, and thought to visit the older Dhase. She encountered him on the street in front of his house. He had been just about to visit yet another of their kind, living in the suburbs. He immediately invited her along. She insisted on driving when she discovered he was, as usual, impaired. The three had gotten along infamously, discussing everything from politics to fashion.

Katherine beamed. That was perfect. She might not trust Eric to get her in touch with Chris, but the older Dhase seemed far more articulate than the drug addled man. She knew the way, having always had a great memory for directions. Within the hour she should be on her way towards finding her lost lover and reuniting the three.

Now, if only I could remember her name.

Copywrite November 2006, Deathlynx



Gifting Night Ch. 07



Chapter 7: Defining Moments 

This is the final chapter of a series. Thank you to all the readers who inspired me to continue the series with their constant support. While it is not entirely necessary to read the each chapters in progression I highly recommend it. Please remember that the Dhase are a species of my own creation, and although they are based on vampires I have drastically changed the mythos. I hope you enjoy. Again, thank you so much for your continued support and inspiration. Gifting night has been a pleasure to write. Never fear, the Dhase have made an impact on me so you may be seeing more of them in the future.

*

Katherine stopped in her tracks. What the HELL is Daphne doing here? It had only been a few hours since she had stormed out of the house they had shared. Julia and Tony hadn't been finished when she stormed down the stairs and out the door, but her sudden appearance, and even more violent departure, had broken their mood.

Kat knew she was different from the others but had never been truly sure what it meant. She knew she instinctively projected her emotions to those around her. It had taken her a little while to piece everything together but eventually she realized she had been the cause of the incident in the club. She had also been the cause of Daphne's tryst with some man in cheap cologne. Kat smiled at the irony of the thought. It served her right. After all if she hadn't sent Chris away she'd never have gotten caught by it. She could have continued to shunt the desire back at him.

She missed making love with Chris. Tony was attentive enough, and certainly not unskilled, but there was something about Chris which had always felt different than anyone else she'd been with. It was possible that his Dhase nature effected her. She always knew when either of he or Daphne had tapped into her life-force. A shiver ran through her body at the thought, focusing between her legs. Sharing their energy was almost as erotic as making love with them. Chris had called her insatiable. She was because every time they would end up more intimately connected than physical bodies alone could account for. In truth she was addicted to the sensation. Her soul cried out for it. Even now, angry at the elder for how everything had turned out, Kat's spirit ached to join with her.

Katherine shook the thought aside and followed her former lover from a distance. She fought to dampen her aura, knowing that she shone like a beacon to most of her own kind. Kat still cursed her luck at being unable to sense more than the strength of others. Had she been capable of the supernatural empathy the rest of the Dhase were capable of Daphne never would have been able to send him away.

Kat's suspicions began to rise the deeper they got into the suburbs. She trailed about a block behind the elder when they reached the block. It has to be more than a coincidence. Is she looking for Chris or for me? Or maybe neither but wants another woman to love. The last thought came with a little bitterness. Although Daphne had been much more capable of initiating romance, since she and Katherine had been intimate, it generally fell on Kat's shoulders to tease Julia into readiness. By the time she had left, it usually took little more than a glance by either of the Dhase and Julia found herself quivering in anticipation.

Kat laughed but quickly covered her mouth in the hopes that Daphne hadn't heard. The smaller woman, now less than a block away, showed no signs her extraordinary senses had detected the slip. The woman's entire posture spoke of little emotion. That was never a good sign. Kat felt a little guilty about that. After all, Chris' final request to her had been to take care of the elder. He hadn't come right out and said it but she knew, somehow, he had meant to keep Daphne from letting herself stop caring. 

Kat suspected that had something to do with a Dhase being able to die. She was frustrated. Her education had been primarily handled by Chris, but unfortunately his sudden departure had thrown much into turmoil. She'd accepted Daphne's word that he had obligations to resolve, but recently she'd begun to doubt. It was the little things. Daphne would never say where he'd gone or even if they'd ever see him again. She knows the answers to both questions. I can tell she does. She just refuses to tell me. She suspected Daphne was trying to keep her for herself.

Daphne stopped before the very door Kat had suspected. It was the same door she had intended to visit to find out about the mysterious Dhase information network. Kat didn't know if it had a name but she did know that her fellow vampires always seemed to be able to find others of their own kind. While most of the news tended to be no more than idle gossip, gossip traveled fast. Kat wondered again what Daphne's intentions were.

Whatever she had expected, Katherine jumped as the powerful little woman blasted the door from its hinges with no more discernable effort than a light rap. As the elder strolled, deadpan, into the house a wide-eyed Kat hurried to catch up. She reached the outer hallway in moments. There was another crash of a shattered door, immediately followed by a much heavier sounding 'thud.' Kat followed the sounds to a room she hadn't noticed when she had visited with Eric.

The other Dhase turned around slowly. She was dressed almost entirely in leather and held a mask that would have thoroughly concealed her identity. She had been doing something when Daphne had barged in but Kat couldn't see what while staying beyond the notice of both women.

Bridget! That's her name. Kat had been desperately scouring her memory for the name since leaving the bar. She was very powerful, even more powerful than Daphne. She had also been very nice and a wonderful conversationalist. Seeing her dressed like this was certainly odd but Kat had accepted the fact that everyone had their own particular fetish long before she had been granted the Gift. Why should Dhase be any different?

"Daphne! What a pleasure to see you again. I hadn't expected it to be so soon." Bridget's voice was almost sickeningly sweet. Although the words sounded sincere there remained a hint of mockery to them.

"Times change. Situations change." Daphne's voice was devoid of expression. "People change." Despite the lack of emotion there was an intensity to the elder's voice that Kat found truly terrifying. Or perhaps it was that very combination which was so terrifying. With so much power at her disposal the lack of compassion, seemingly so integral to her personality, made her so very dangerous.

Neither woman had moved since Daphne's entrance but the tension in the room continued to increase. The very air seemed alive with it. It was the same feeling as at a club, moments before a fight broke out. The moment when the opponents, already set in their courses of action, sized up the opposition in search of weakness. The comparison would have been ludicrous had it not been for the feral grin spreading across Bridget's face.

Kat didn't understand. There shouldn't be violence. Dhase abhorred it. They could feel their enemy's pain as their own. While their ability to sense an opponent's weakness, through flashes of instinctive nervousness, made them skilled combatants the same sense made them shy away from exploiting those vulnerabilities. However inexplicable, that was exactly what both women were building themselves towards.

"What do you want here?" Bridget's voice had dropped to a low growl.

"You know."

"I suppose I do. Quite possibly, I know even better than you what you really seek here. I may even grant it to you. Or perhaps I won't allow you either. I have yet to make up my mind on that." Even in the lower tones it all sounded so conversational, yet the tension only continued to increase. "You're breaking and entering you know."

"I intend so much more." Every short sentence Daphne delivered was deadpan. It was as if even speaking was a chore she did not wish to complete. Still, her energy continued to build. Already she held far more in her tiny frame than Katherine had ever sensed in one place.

"I'd imagine you do. But how, exactly, do you intend to make good on your intentions?" Unfortunately Bridget had built as much and more energy in the same time.

Katherine took the opportunity of their intense focus to slip around the corner and into the room. She quickly hid behind a small, uncomfortable looking, cot right along the wall. As she slipped into hiding she heard a gasp come from the far corner. She started as she peered into the far corner. It was far too dark to make out any details. All she could see was a scrawny looking person curled up and shaking.

Kat scanned the rest of the room. The walls were bare and concrete. Here and there were metal studs sticking out from the walls. The furnishing consisted of the cot she hid behind and some form of drink caddy behind Bridget. From her position, Kat couldn't tell what the woman had been doing at the cart when the interference appeared, but she was certain she'd be able to see a pitcher or other beverages if there were any on top of the rolling table.

Kat studied the room further. It was a mass of contradictions. The metal studs and concrete walls made no sense when the rest of the house was immaculately finished and tastefully decorated. The wood floor was not only unfinished but rather splintered. She spotted some slivers almost large enough to be small knives.

It was during this quick inspection that she noticed the first stain. From there her eyes tracked across the floor to note a number of others, both small and large. She looked down and wondered what they were, her mind refused to come to the inevitable conclusion. There, beneath her was one of the largest. Even with the color changed by the unusual wood, she knew immediately what had pooled on the floor. She slapped a hand across her mouth to keep her screams silent.

Kat's eyes flashed back to the woman clad in leather. Almost indistinguishable stains covered the matte black material. Recognition dawned as her eyes flew to the metal protruding from the walls and she even identified the points in the ceiling designed to hold similar chains. She knew this Dhase's fetish and was horrified.

Her eyes flew to the form huddled in the corner. It was most certainly a man. She couldn't judge his size but he looked badly used. He was overly thin with ragged dark hair and a beard. His body was covered with welts and half-healed cuts. He held almost no life left in him, likely all drained away by the true monster of a vampire. He cowered in the shadow, happy to have been forgotten by his mistress. His eyes continued to study Kat curiously in a manner that reminded Kat of someone dredging their memory. Those haunted grey pools widened and snapped to Daphne then Bridget.

Daphne charged. Kat didn't know what she would have expected a battle between ancient Dhase to look like but she never would have expected what followed, especially if she simply contemplated Daphne's personality. She had only fed once, forcefully, within Kat's memory. It had taken the elder nearly a minute to drain a simple man. How could she drain someone as powerful as the woman standing before her?

The answer was surprisingly simple. Daphne charged in and used combat as a distraction to keep her opponent off guard. Even with supernaturally fast reflexes, Kat found it nearly impossible to follow Daphne's blinding speed. It was obvious even Bridget had difficulties tracking the rain of blows that descended. Where Bridget held far more energy than the elder, Daphne's body had continued to strengthen, beyond anything the younger woman could have attained.

Daphne's attacks held more than brute force however. If Kat could not follow the attacks in progress she could clearly see where they had been. With sweeping arcs and piercing jabs, Daphne's well trained, precision, strikes left clear trails to Katherine's senses. The older woman augmented her already ferocious strength and speed with her own Chi. It was a technique found often in the higher levels of many martial arts. Kat wondered, for the first time, where the eastern monks had truly learned the skill.

If the movement of hands and feet were only distinguishable by the glowing trails, her body and head were nearly immobile. Daphne's expression was clearly legible through pale blue eyes; calm, perhaps even resignation. Each thundering attack was met by a dodge or a block, the latter accompanied by a pained grunt as the younger ancient felt most of the force of her adversary's superior strength. None of the elder's inner strength was wasted in the failed attacks, however. When the defense became unavoidable the stored power behind the attack would flicker, an instant before contact, to avoid diffusion. For all of her lust for life and seemingly peaceful ways, Daphne's fighting skills went beyond that of a master. Katherine could not help but be in awe of the sight.

If Daphne was the avatar of calm then Bridget transformed into the mantle of fury. She loathed her defensive status and dark eyes flared with each near hit. Her aura flared with each block. Kat sensed as it sought to grasp a hold of the energy focused within the attacks. She knew, instinctively, that this woman's control was so great that, once a link was formed, Daphne would be unable to break it. She could feel the dark woman's mastery of her life-force as easily as she could see her creator's mastery of body. The two combatants were equals in opposing expertise. It was only a matter of time before one would connect and the true battle would begin.

Blows continued to rain down and hit arms and legs instead of their intended targets. Bridget kept herself from damage with a flicker of her own Chi to the point of impact. These minor expenses drained her slightly but she had sufficiently more to spare. The battle continued.

With their relative speeds, Kat never saw the connection. The punch sped forward, apparently a dagger-like thrust to the chest, and a hand swept upward to intercept. The next moment Bridget staggered back, clutching the center of her chest, just above her breasts. Kat barely noticed as she sensed the true victory. While the parry had failed, connected a moment to late to deflect the attack, Bridget had managed to link their life-forces.

Daphne collapsed to one knee as the struggle shifted to a new field. Kat felt both women struggling to drain the other. Here Daphne had skill, but her opponent clearly excelled. Not only was Bridget required to steal less but her ease with stripping energy showed as Daphne's aura slowly began to fade. The rational part of Katherine's mind noticed that the transferal was not as even as with mutual connections, such as she had seen as the three fed in lust.

Bridget regained her composure and advanced on the weakened Dhase. Slowly she raised a taloned hand. She reached, as she approached, for Daphne's throat. With each step, her theft increased in power and speed. Daphne struggled, fear and desperation showed as she struggled to regain her will to fight. Bridget's aura of cruelty overwhelmed hers.

"No!" For an instant Kat thought she had screamed. Then, a moment later, she did, but not with words. She screamed in terror as the huddled form began to unfold. He sought to stop the battle. Now, as he lunged across the floor, he struggled for balance and speed. Although haggard and too thin she knew that body as intimately as her own. Christoph surged between the two in time to be caught instead of his one-time lover.

Bridget tossed him negligently aside, with enough force to clear the rest of the room. He slammed into the cot and knocked it over as he draped, immobile, across it. The leather clad woman wasn't even fazed by his interruption. It was their combined expression of shock, as the two turned to investigate the second voice, that paused the fight. Kat crawled away from the overturned bed to stand, shaking with fury.

The two stood in the bizarre tableau for a moment in silence as their auras disentangled in their confusion. Daphne found her voice first, in panic. "Kat! What are you doing here?

"I came to find Chris." Her voice was cold. And why not? She was so far beyond angry, she was terrified. These two titanic powers had been blithely sorting through their issues with her beloved Chris suffering in the corner. "You told me he left to fulfill some obligation. He," her hand flew out to indicate the unconscious form next to her, "told me his obligation to you had been to create another fledgling. What am I supposed to think now?"

"Did they tell you he's mine? I created him. I gave him the gift, not that pathetic excuse of an elder!" Katherine didn't know what to believe. Daphne, unable to lie, had resorted to avoiding her accusatory gaze. "In the end he returned to me of his own free will."

Chris hung limp across the upended cot. He had not fought against the woman, only thrown himself between her and Daphne. If he desired his freedom, wouldn't he have struck in concert with his elder's attack? Unfortunately he was unconscious so Katherine couldn't ask him.

"Your precious ancient," the word was spat like a curse, "could not live without him. She was not so distraught, when you left, as to hunt you down. Instead she came back in the hopes of stealing him once more. Barring that, she hoped for death." Brigid motioned towards Daphne. "Go on, ask her."

Katherine spun on the elder, the very woman who had given her the Gift, her voice filling with anger. "Is it true? Did you want Chris or death?"

Daphne seemed to whither beneath the heat of Katherine's rage. "Yes." There was little emotion left in that voice. Only pain and defeat remained.

"You see? You weren't enough for her!"

"You stupid bitch!" The whispered curse cut through the silence of the room. Daphne's head flew up in shock as pain and anger warred in the eyes that stared at Kat. She glared coldly back at the elder, dared her to deny the truth. "This was his obligation?"

"Yes. No!" As before the elder seemed incapable of answering what should have been a reasonably simple question. It had been this exact answer, to a similar question that prompted Katherine to flee in the first place, and apparently everyone in the room knew it. Kat looked down at the man she loved; her near-brother. Or at least everyone conscious. She wondered exactly how much awareness he had even been capable of recently.

"If you will stay with me I will forget my feud with Daphne." Bridget's voice and countenance alike had softened once more. "She can leave freely, and you Chris and I will live happily. We will enjoy the world together."

Daphne's eyes widened in shock. "You actually mean it!" Her voice betrayed her amazement and Kat suspected it was due to the Dhase empathy she lacked. Bridget's eyes widened with hope as her hand extended towards the fledgling.

It was a powerful offer. Daphne would suffer, surely, without either of her lovers, but she would live. If one thing was now clear it was that she could not defeat Bridget, even with Chris' assistance. She took a step towards the two. Additionally, she would once again be with Chris. Another step and then another. Her heart cried out for an end to the fight. She could not watch the woman she loved be destroyed in this fashion.

Tears filled her eyes as she reached for Bridget's tense hand. None were surprised when, instead, she threw herself at Daphne. Tears traced down her cheeks as she pulled herself to her lover. The ancient's eyes softened as she felt the confused love flow from her progeny.

Baritone laughter boiled up behind her. Her head spun, her eyes wide with hope. "Oh what a tangled web we weave..." Katherine nearly glowed with joy as she spun to see Chris struggle to his feet. She was across the room in an instant, supporting him. "Bridget has somehow learned to lie, even to one of us." He turned to Bridget. "But that means very little to her." Katherine knew he spoke of her as she turned to see the dark Dhase fuming. "She's not blinded by her pride, by her surety that she cannot be deceived. So she must rely on instinct and reason. And your lies cannot cover this room."




Gifting Night Ch. 07



Bridget screamed. "I'll simply kill the both of you and take her for myself!"

The next instant Bridget's hand flew outward. Instinctively Daphne caught the incoming attack, exactly as anticipated. Kat felt their auras entwine with ease as the battle resumed. This time her horror grew as a tendril of power leapt across the room to envelope Chris. Katherine didn't need to sense the individual vibrations to know who reached for him. Bridget leached his life-force with ease. In less than a second he fell to his knees and his breath stuttered.

Katherine screamed. Time seemed to slow as she felt her very soul reach out for him; for both of her lovers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Daphne took a perverse satisfaction in witnessing Bridget's eyes widen in shock. Presumably, everyone in the room knew that the younger ancient's power exceeded that of her opponents, with the inevitable result of her victory. What none of them had anticipated was Katherine's unique nature. Or maybe someone did realize! Daphne saw the smug smile settle onto Chris' face and was forced to reevaluate his intuition.

Where Dhase created energy within others, through their actions, to be fed upon, Katherine produced her own power and shared it out. She suspected that was the true reason the young woman lacked their empathic abilities. She constantly projected. Drawing that energy into her was as foreign to her as breathing water would be to an elephant. Daphne had known this, learned through many hours of the most intimate connections with the woman. What she had never realized was the extent to which that ability reached.

Bridget had strained to reach across the room and connect with Chris. Once the connection was made, of course, it was a simple matter to maintain it. Katherine seemed to fill the room in less time than it had taken Bridget's impressive, but tiny, thread to move. Daphne felt all of the young woman's emotions wash through her at once; fear, love, anger, betrayal, pain. There was one other emotion in the mix but it was not aimed at her, it targeted the 'Dark Mistress' with frightening precision. For the first time, probably in her life, Katherine hated someone.

In awe, Daphne reached out to feel the nurturing power of the sun flowing around her and through her. Through most of the room her essence slept, waited to be needed and called upon. Only around Bridget did that sensation change. The power coursing about the leather clad woman burned with a frozen intensity. In her terror and love, Katherine created a barrier about the monster through which energy would not pass. While Katherine tended to her weakened lovers the outcast was paralyzed.

Daphne felt the tears roll down her cheeks. It was beautiful beyond description; the pure love and need flowing from Kat. It reached inside her, touched her, reminded her of everything they had done and seen. Within that simple connection rested the wonders of the world. In less than an instant she remembered the animals as they frolicked in the zoo, her first taste of ice cream, intricate fireworks displays of both winter and summer, and, of course, the wonders of the bedroom. All of this she knew, and not only did Kat feed her freely but Daphne's own power welled up from somewhere deep within.

Bridget staggered backwards as shock became terror. She had been robbed of her greatest weapon. Worse, she had been robbed of the sense every Dhase came to rely on. She could no longer see the energy of her supposed victims, no longer taste their emotions. She now saw the world, for the first time in millennia, as many of her victims had. She was helpless and alone and completely at the mercy of an unknown force, beyond her comprehension. Daphne could not continue to look at her. She loathed this woman, despised all of the pain and suffering she caused throughout the years. Daphne could not bear to see the pain and terror reflect from those eyes.

Kat helped an unsteady Chris to his feet. The three were connected, as they had been many times in bed. This time, however, there was a difference. While Katherine had forged the union, as she always had before, she was no longer the center of it. Chris and Daphne had always been indirectly connected through the youth, with only the weaker bond of familial love joining them. This time it was an even field, with their very spirits flowing freely throughout the matrix of power filling the room.

Daphne smiled. Slowly she crossed the room. One hand came to rest on each of their cheeks. She needed to touch them. A part of her needed to know that this was real. Chris, too, smiled as he cried. Gently she guided his head down until their lips could meet. In their five decades there had never been any pretense. He had been her consort. They had loved each other as friends, or possibly family. Now as they kissed, for the first time they were truly lovers. Katherine also wept. She had forgiven their mutual deceit. In that single moment the last of Bridget's damning lies were revealed and all pretense and accusations were forgotten.

Chris sagged heavily against Kat. Even refreshed, through her power, his trials left him too weak to fight this battle. Kat held him easily, sharing her love and strength. Neither were in any condition to fight the monster. That was fine with Daphne, this was her battle, her enemy, anyway. As she turned back to face Bridget she realized Katherine's hatred for the woman was not something freely shared. That single emotion was being directed to Daphne alone. It was a separate line of power, one carefully hidden from their enemy.

Bridget, in her frustration, was charging. Daphne took two steps forward in order to distance the fight, slightly, from the two. The sadist's punches were nothing of a threat, each caught, blocked or dodged with ease. Of greater concern was the woman's aura, however after the first few nerve-racking attacks, it became clear that she could no longer entwine her life energy with Daphne's as she had. With the next attack Daphne caught it and refused to yield. Bridget began to panic. Somehow, even through direct physical contact, Kat was able to keep the elder trapped within herself.

Daphne played on a hunch. While Kat herself might be unable to accept death as a natural, and sometimes necessary, part of life, Daphne anticipated her lover's subconscious might remember. As she began to draw the strength from the cruel Dhase she felt the harsh electric current of the woman's fear and the thick, choking, strands of her pain. This woman, who had reveled in these very sensations, now produced them for Daphne.

The ancient shut out the feelings. Relishing this woman's pain would only make the two alike. Daphne even released the hatred flowing from Katherine. She sensed Kat's brief confusion, quickly replaced with understanding and then unconditional support. Daphne allowed herself to feel only pity for the miserable creature before her. Still, she drew out her nemesis' life.

Bridget struggled to resist. Only once had Daphne met such a master in controlling chi. There was a Dhase mystic who lived in the mountains, moving continents every half-century or so, who spent his life contemplating the beauty of the universe. Such control had he developed that he didn't need to feed more than once a year, and then only from the slightest of kisses. Given another millennia, Bridget would likely be his equal. Daphne would never give her the time.

Bridget quickly understood the nature of her confinement, as impossible as it should be. Daphne knew the moment acceptance occurred by the rapid change in tactics. Rather than trying to drain the elder or maintain her own energy, Bridget began thrusting her control back through. Daphne flinched as the first, exploratory, barb snuck through. In rapid succession she found herself bombarded with terror, anguish, depression, pain and confusion. The world began to reel. The barrage kept up with a constant undertone of confusion. The rapid assault of uncertain, and random, emotions only aided the prevailing sensation and Daphne felt her control slipping.

Warmth washed over her, chasing away everything else. It was the security of a down comforter in winter. It held the clarity of a morning's cool shower. The strength and passion spoke of someone desperate to save the person they most loved. But most of all it filled her with a moral certainty too often disabused in this new era. Only he could send all that to her, for only Chris knew not only what would be tormenting her but could admit what needed to be done without reaching into hatred and vengeance. For all that she had done to him, a part of Chris still loved the woman who had given him the Gift.

Pleading eyes looked up at her. Bridget fell to a knee as her strength began to fail. I am only a product of what he made me! He taught me only pain and suffering. You know! Once, he tried to teach you too! Only someone else made you. She had heard the argument before. All of them were nothing more than excuses. Chris had proven that. Bridget had killed Hades a mere four years after he granted her the gift. Chris had survived seven under Bridget's 'care' before Daphne had freed him.

The pity she felt died with the 'Lady Death'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Daphne sat in the corner of the spacious back seat with Chris curled up along its length. His head rested on her lap. He was shivering despite the heat blasting. She continued to try to calm him, both through sending soothing energy and by lightly stroking his hair and other slight demonstrations of affection. She had been wrong to barge in there. She had known she could not defeat Bridget and had been seeking a martyr's death.

Katherine was driving. "So what happens now?"

"Eventually someone will discover the body. The police will be called, especially given the nature of her 'special room.' A brief investigation will show that she died of a heart attack or, at worst, all of her vital organs shutting down at once." Daphne looked up from the face of one lover to the other. "We are not simply reanimated corpses, to reveal our true age when we die. We do not turn to ash or any such nonsense. New life is breathed into our bodies. Let no one ever call you undead or unnatural!"

"We are the embodiment of the soul." Daphne's head snapped back down to her charge. Even Katherine's eyes flashed back to the rear-view mirror. Both had thought Chris finally asleep. "Bridget and those like her reflect the darker aspects of humanity." 

Kat's eyes widened at the mention of 'those like her.' "You mean there are more who thrive on pain? How many?"

"Blessedly few." Chris' voice trailed off. Daphne couldn't tell if he was falling back within himself or falling asleep. She desperately hoped the later. Kat had revived his energy, but if he didn't fight, they could lose him still. It had been his certainty that acted as an emotional bulwark. Unfortunately, with the death of his creator, his strength had collapsed in tears.

"Now there are sixteen." Daphne had whispered it in the hopes that Kat could hear but Chris would not. She anticipated the woman's next question. "There are more than enough of our kind, ones who feel concern, to keep them in check. Each has at least four elders watching over them." She paused and began to stroke Christoph's hair once more. "Bridget was the oldest."

"I wish there didn't have to be any of them, but I'm glad someone's at least watching them. Why didn't they stop her almost killing him then?" One hand came off the steering wheel to forestall an answer. "Let me guess. He went willingly." Daphne nodded meekly. "What I really meant was what happens with us?"

Daphne felt the lump rise in her throat. She couldn't even look up front. She certainly could not look at the face of the man who had nearly sacrificed his life for her. She stared out the window. When did it get dark out? But she knew she couldn't avoid the question. "You need Chris, and he needs you." She could barely get the words past the damnable lump. Her eyes burned with the tears she refused to shed. "I will make sure to be out of the house by morning."

Daphne's body slammed against the seatbelt and she had to scramble to keep Chris from being pitched forward. Rubber shrieked as Katherine slammed on the breaks and skidded to the side of the road. She spun around in her seat to face the elder. "You stupid BITCH! Don't you see? That's exactly what the monster wanted!"

Daphne looked at the youth in confusion and no little annoyance. "What in the hell does Bridget have to do with anything anymore?"

"Who the HELL do you think suggested that you wanted me all to myself?" Shock chased away all other thoughts. "Of course she didn't look like that when I met her. And I certainly hadn't seen that room. She seemed so nice and we got to discussing lost friends with Eric..."

Daphne interrupted her. "Eric? You were getting stoned at her house? I knew that man had addled his brain but even he should have known her for what she was." Finally Daphne met the girl's eyes. "We call them deviants, or simply monsters. They can be defeated and destroyed but there always seem to be more. Not everyone makes a good choice, and some simply change after some traumatic experience. I owed Bridget the services of a youth for her 'loan' of Christopher."

It was hard to admit the truth. "If I renegged then she could have killed me and taken you both into slavery. There never were enough elders around to do more than bluff Bridget. Chris went of his own accord before she could deliver terms. He loved you too much to let you suffer her touch."

"He also hoped my time with you would make you strong enough to challenge her." Daphne's eyes widened in surprise that her young lover had figured that out. "You both knew I was special."

"Unique, my love, unique!" Her hand came up to brush stray red lochs from the round face. "We have no idea what you're capable of because there's never been another like you, even in myths. You never feed. Instead you feed others, Dhase and human alike, without hindering your own power." Daphne couldn't get enough of Kat's green eyes. Her soul always seemed so open within them, drawing Daphne further in love with the woman. "We always suspected you projected rather than fed, but tonight proved it. In fact, I've suspected for a while your inability to read people came from that very fact. Since you never draw in their energy you cannot 'taste' it. Regardless, we could not let a monster like Bridget get her hands on you."

Katherine's expression had softened slightly. With the last sentence tears began to well. Daphne realized it had come out all wrong and hastened to correct herself. "It was more than that though! You have such an innocent joy of life. Both Chris and I have suffered at the hands of such a monster before and know how to persevere. We could not bear to know that purity would be cut from you."

"Did she really do that kind of thing?" More than anything else, that was the nature that Daphne adored in her. It was clear the youth knew the truth but still she simply could not comprehend.

"That and more." Daphne sighed and looked away. "You probably should not ask Chris what he has endured. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it could very well give you nightmares. He will have them for some time to come." She looked at the peaceful body curled up with her. It was amazing he hadn't awoken with the shouting. If it were not for the soft ripples of sleep coming from his aura she would likely have feared his withdrawal. She began to smooth his mangy hair. At least Bridget left him with that. Probably because she liked to use it against him. "There's no telling what else she may have poisoned him to."

"So. . ." Once again Kat understood but could not accept.

"We shall see. But anything done can be undone with our patience and love." Finally she looked back up to meet Kat's eyes. "Shall we go home." Katherine smiled and nodded, brushing a red ringlet away from her eye.

Copywrite November 2006, by Deathlynx



Gifting Night



The rest of the short drive ended in silence. Their house was set apart in the nicest part of town. Short walls designated each plot and wide yards provided a measure of privacy to their owners. Chris drove up the driveway and straight into the garage. Katherine noticed it was uncluttered with the debris of everyday life. The garage alone would mark the residents as nonhuman. Chris smiled and glanced back at her, obviously in response to her mood.

Katherine was already getting out when he opened the door for Daphne. As the garage door slowly closed on its own she knew the direct entrance ahead would be used, so she waited for Christoph to unlock and open it. This time she followed him through as he turned on the lights. She was startled to notice relatively fresh dishes left dirty in the sink. Either someone else lived here, or the rumors about the younger Dhase, being able to enjoy every facet of their former humanity, were true. She looked past the small kitchen to the rest of the house.

All of the, very expensive, furniture in the livingroom rested against the walls. The carpet looked to be a soft island, as it rose inches above the surrounding mahogany floor. The walls bore tasteful and expensive pieces, artfully complimenting the comfortable furniture. Despite the fire, already crackling in the brick fireplace, it was clear they seldom used the room.

A powerful hand spun her. Before she could get her bearings, Chris swept her into a firm, yet gentle, embrace. Her heart barely began to flutter from the unexpected contact when he leaned forward. As their lips met her skin tingled, a cool breeze drifting on a hot day. His passion, his desire, flowed from his mouth like honey and their tongues danced and sought every last drop.

Somehow her body pressed against his, even as she felt her every muscle surrender to his embrace. He held her aloft as her leaden feet sought release from the ground. A single kiss, and this the passion he transferred, unbearable, unimaginable.

He broke the connection. Her head fell back, her neck lacked the strength to hold it without the glorious anchor of his lips. She struggled for breath. Her heart raced. Her stomach fluttered. Her hips ached with need. All of these symptoms intensified as a large hand found its way to supporting the back of her head and he pulled her close. Warm comfort poured from him as protective arms enfolded her. "Please!" She could barely whisper despite her desperation.

With ease born of inhuman strength, the arm crossing her back shifted to sweep behind her knees. Once more he held her close, the desire and need that radiated from him a pale reflection of those coursing through her own body. His power and the intensity of his passion were intoxicating as nothing she had ever encountered, and somehow she knew they were genuine. The Dhase might be able to project their empathy on another, but they could no more dissemble than one could lie to them. This she now knew.

Gently she came to rest on the thick carpet. Where the strands brushed her skin she imagined the delicate touch of his lips. Suddenly, the flickering heat of the nearby fire paled as an inferno coursed through her veins. Soft, underused, muscles clenched in response. Her back arched as she moaned in anticipatory pleasure.

She forced her eyes open to search for the embodiment of release. Chris knelt beside her, his eyes closed and head thrown back as he drank in her desire. Daphne knelt beside him, one hand on the back of his head and the other covering his hands, resting on his knees. Both wore expressions of utter serenity.

It was a sight too beautiful to interrupt but desire warred with that perfection. She felt the need climbing her spine, it reached the base of her brain, home for the most primal instincts, and the animal consumed her gaze. She lunged and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. With his tie long gone, the feeble buttons tore under her relentless assault. She dragged him atop her as their lips met. Nothing existed except his weight, pressing against her mouth, and the volcano raging between her legs. Some distant corner of her brain barely noticed her hands fumbling with his belt and pants.

A new element appeared to her as she felt his solid form clasped between clutching hands. She held the epitome of her need. He broke the kiss when he failed to shift her thong from the awkward position. He tried to adjust, to remove his own pants but the beast he'd unleashed refused to release the heat she held so desperately. He laughed, carefully removed her underwear, and shifted the front panel of her dress aside. She pulled and stroked his length ungently as she tried to pull him closer, to pull him inside of her.

Calmly he shifted between her spread legs. His knees pushed against her butt as he knelt before the altar of her temple. She pulled and strained, growling. She felt she would explode, or possibly implode, or both, if he refused to fill her that instant. He firmly held her wrists, carefully shifting them aside. As he pinned her hands to the soft carpet she snarled in frustration. Only the stiffness between his legs, pointing accusingly at her, kept her rage in check ~that and the supernatural strength she could never overcome.

A high pitched moan escaped her lips as his tip reached her delicate folds. As his knees slid forward and out her hips lifted, sliding up his thighs, to meet his. The solid heat settled farther, sliding easily into her well moistened depths. She screamed her exuberance. Fire surged outwards racing ahead of the slow moving intruder, everywhere it traveled her body froze as muscles seized. The final inch he thrust quickly, piercing her very depths.

She screamed again. Her legs wrapped about his waist, gripping his body to hers. Her back and neck arched, and time itself froze. When it resumed he was pulling back much more quickly, all in spite of legs seeking to contain him deep. A wave of pure sensation crashed over her and broke at the very point of blessed intrusion.

The beast writhed with every thrust. She screamed as he retreated. She grasped for more with each pause in his rhythm. As he flowed in motion, her body screamed for no more. The flood of sensations, of euphoria, of ecstasy, was more than she could bear. She would never know how long that timeless bliss lasted; minutes, or possibly hours?

Finally she felt him pulse, not with seed, Dhase held none within their bodies, but with release nonetheless. Each pulse sent her farther, compounding on each other every half second until she screamed for him to stop. He pulled free and she collapsed, breathless. Every nerve burned with the energy of his skills. Her head lolled to one side, wearing a disgustingly content smile, as she looked to see him.

Chris had fallen to sit, panting, between her legs. Suddenly there was another, more powerful, presence in the slight space between them. With a single hand, Daphne pushed against his chest, flattening Christopher to the ground. As Daphne knelt above him, Katherine could see, between their collective legs, his erection, straining still against the bounds of his flesh.

Daphne was completely naked. The Dhase's breasts were noticeably smaller than hers but their pert, almost hypnotic, nature enticed where size could not. Shifting her gaze to the legs, spread wide as the woman crawled up Chris' body, she noticed soft pink folds and a trifle of a bud, red and engorged. Daphne was well shaved, with only a small patch in a similar fashion as Katherine, herself, maintained. Unlike Katherine, Daphne's color matched her hair.

The entire region glistened, as Daphne leaked out her need, in preparation for his width. Through Katherine's new-forged connection with Chris, she sensed the elder had been feeding slightly from him even as he was feeding from Katherine. Now, having awoken a faint stir of long-buried emotion, she would feed directly from him as he had Katherine.

Slight hips crashed against masculine as Daphne impaled herself. Katherine flinched from the rough sound but Chris simply moaned and gasped. She shifted to better watch, the inferno within diminished, banked, but not dismissed entirely. From her new vantage Katherine could see virtually everything.

Chris' head convulsed back, his mouth wide as he gasped and screamed. Dhase males, apparently, maintained their readiness long past release, unlike human men. His hips thrust erratically upward, trying to escape his continued orgasm through stillness as Katherine's own body had done with him. Daphne's strength proved as effective a deterrent as his had formerly, a single hand pressed his hips while the other continued to hold his chest.

The heat, the tightness, the pressure, blossomed within Katherine as she watched Daphne ride her consort. With his every scream of pleasure a pulse resounded deep within her. Slowly the woman Dhase's expression changed. No longer were her eyes dead. As minutes passed his excruciating rapture continued. As the minutes passed, Katherine's need grew fresh and insistent. Daphne warmed, then heated. Christopher whimpered, in his unendurable bliss, by the time the elder's eyes were close to boiling.

"Enough!" With that single word Daphne climbed off of Chris as easily as she had ridden him. Chris curled into a ball, still moaning and whimpering, as he rode out the aftereffects of his mistress' delight. Still on all fours, her head whipped around, pinning Katherine with her gaze. One sight of the molten eyes and feral grin and Katherine burst. Muscles quivered in anticipation as her lust seeped forth. She scrambled out of her dress and unhooked the bra, letting both fall to the floor unnoticed.

Katherine never saw the Dhase move. One moment she knelt, staring with great need over her shoulder, in the next Katherine lay on her back, Daphne between her legs, held wide by vicelike hands. She couldn't move, from her hips down, so powerful was the grip. She propped herself on her elbows. She had to watch as this mistress of bliss worked her, already overtaxed, tender depths.

Daphne looked up with a mischievous grin. Her dark hair spilled from her shoulder, down her face to pool across Katherine's flesh. She shuddered and gasped as the amazingly soft threads fell amongst her own trimmed fuzz. The brown hair mingled with Katherine's natural blond, creating an image of the very night's sky outside. Then, as if under sentient control, the long dark hair slithered down, caressing every erogenous region, as the silken hair slid across creamy skin. When it dropped between her legs, brushing past mound and lips in an instant, she screamed her near-release.

As if on silent command, Chris uncurled and crawled over to the women. Katherine wondered at his intentions until she witnessed Daphne's eyes close in contentment. He lay on his back as he crawled the last foot, placing himself between her legs. Daphne slowly, carefully, lowered herself to the waiting mouth of her young consort.

The final piece of the puzzle of symbiosis came to Katherine. The elder could not drink gently, only from a young Dhase, which would reawaken her softer emotions. He had to feed before the elder could feed, in turn, from him. From there either could feed with impunity.

As Chris' tongue began to torment Daphne the elder's head lowered to Katherine's bloom. Feed they both did. As it began Katherine could still feel the individual actions that brought each powerful dagger thrust of pleasure.

The woman's tongue pranced across the tender morsel lightly, in play and searching out the most sensitive locations. After three passes Katherine's arms buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to the floor. Her eyes were closed already, beneath the weight of her coming euphoria. Fingers clutched the thick carpet as the tongue pressed firmly against the discovered tender spot. Daphne exploited the weakness mercilessly, flicking and pressing, caressing and massaging the area that left Katherine's shoulders writhing uncontrollably.

Daphne herself began to moan as Chris' well-schooled tongue mirrored her own actions. Her thighs quivered as she pressed herself tighter against her tormentor. Knowing time grew short, his lips pressed a circle around her engorged flower. Daphne's body tensed, she knew his intentions but no preparation had ever proved sufficient. In drew his breath, between sealed lips, and out leapt her sensitive mound. She screamed.

Her own mouth pressed firmly against Katherine's supple flesh. Instantly both women knew the border of climax as their soft folds peeled back and tongues peppered the overly sensitive nerves with a barrage of licks, thrusts and flicks. Katherine screamed as she never had before, and failed to hear Daphne's simultaneous release, muffled as it was by delicious lust.

Both rode each other's passion. Each scream of ecstasy, pouring from Katherine, grew louder until her voice broke and only sobs of beauty remained. As each successive wave of climax collided over her, it washed away another layer of tension until she had no strength left.

Chris continued to torment Daphne, his tongue darting in opposition to each intake. He sucked her in, played his masterful tongue across quivering flesh, then released her across bared teeth. With every action he dug his chin and lip against her surrounding flesh, tormenting uncontrolled muscles with the false impression of hips colliding. Her self control was amazing, never faltering her own tempo as his rhythm carried her higher and higher.

Finally, his will gave before hers and he collapsed. Moving with blinding speed, preventing either woman from slipping a beat of their rapture, she coursed up Katherine's legs, letting herself drag agonizingly along the human's soft skin. In less than an instant the hip of each pressed and rubbed against the exploding flower of the other. Forward and back Daphne rocked, sending their souls soaring.

Katherine knew only overwhelming pleasure and the blessed woman who brought it. Her tormentor bent down, slowing her pace slightly. A fresh circuit formed under the woman's newest torture. Breasts collided and nipples caught, briefly, before separating with each pass. All the while legs continued to abuse inflamed lust. She couldn't move, her whole body weak with pleasure.

It was then she heard the Dhase whisper in her ear. "It was all a lie. A myth created to bring willing morsels to our palate." As she felt her heart falter she knew it was true. "The sweetest, most delicious, you can provide is divine ecstasy. I thank you for the banquet."

Katherine knew she was dying. She smiled, content. If she was to die to feed one such as the angel still riding her, so be it. Daphne continued to shift and rock, inducing constant bliss even as Katherine's sight failed. She had known true beauty in her final moments, at least.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Is she going to make it?" His voice was panicked.

Daphne looked down at Chris. "Do not touch her!" The pup scurried back a few inches but remained lying by the fledgling's side. "She will make it only if she accepts her death. If she does then she will join us and we shall feed off each other for quite some time." Daphne had other options open to her of course. In life, millennia ago, she had found her preference in women more than men. With Katherine, she could hand off Christopher to someone he deserved, someone who would enjoy feeling him inside of her ~for he was a little too ardently heterosexual.

Daphne sat on the comfortable couch and waited, watching the dead girl in her immortal struggle. The Dhase, she reflected, had learned that truth long ago; if the soul does not accept its death it will not survive. For that reason they learned the intricacies of the 'little death' and 'good death'. When one knew they were about to die, in the throws of passion, they were more likely to accept it. Those that died in anger or pain almost never did.

Besides, Daphne reflected, I much prefer remembering these sensations of life rather than the fear and hatred in the alley. She looked down and smiled genuinely. Maybe giving away Chris would be a mistake. With two fledglings they could bring each other to humanity, feeding only occasionally, and never fully, from the humans. She, in turn would feed from them. Her eyes closed and she relaxed, confident Katherine had accepted the Gift.

 This story is entered in the 2006 Halloween Story Competition. I would appreciate it if you could vote and comment on the story. Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed "Gifting Night."