Cailín (Lass) (Anam Céile Chronicles) (18 page)

The
vampire woman disengages her mouth from me throat, me blood dribbling out at
the corner of her lips.  She moves around me to stand before him, her tongue
slithering out from her mouth— still swathed in me blood— wiggling tauntingly
before his insatiable eyes.  He parts his lips with longing, projecting his
tongue from his mouth.  The tip of it touches to hers. 

Upon
tasting me blood, the creature grunts ferociously and grabbing her by the hair,
forces her face to his.  She sniggers as he crushes his mouth to hers, their
tongues mingling fiercely as he becomes ravenous to swipe her mouth of any
residual coating of me blood. 

When
evidently he had cleansed her mouth thoroughly of any remnants of me blood, he
casts her aside and moves toward the head of the boulder where still I lie.  I
stiffen under his savage eyes as he lunges his face to me neck and proceeds to
lap gluttonously at the wound from which me blood still did ooze, savouring it
immensely. 

 “I am a child of deity,

I am part of the creative life force which moves the
universe;

I am part of all that is—

Though we are apart we are always together,

For we are one in the spirit of our Goddess and God;

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again—

Blessed be!”

Again, I
let me head fall to the side to avoid his face.  The females they be leaping
over the fire to assure good fortune, fertility and happiness through the
coming year.

Now we close the ritual, thank the deities

and remember to give back to the Earth!

We thank you!"

"Sidhe and Ancestors"

"We thank you!"

"Ancestors and Kindred"

"We thank you!"

"Mannanan Mac Lir, Gatekeeper, Guide and God.

We thank you for guiding our way."

"We thank you!"

"May the gates be closed,

May the fire be flame,

May the well be simple water,

May this space be mundane."

"Let the gates be closed.

So be it."

The
scent of rose burning with sage in a cauldron permeates the surrounding air. 
In their hands they hold chalices of what one would assume to be a dark wine,
though of that I cannot be certain. 

They
all drink.

‘Tis in
the early hours just preceding dawn when I awaken with a jolt, chills
shuddering throughout me body.  Me thighs be drenched with the fluids emanating
from within.  Not that I required that reminder.  That ominous dream, its
occurrences still pervading me mind, seemed ultimately more real than I
wished.  I shriveled with the revulsion of it, each and every vivid detail . .
. wishing I were able to expunge it from me memory.

Petrified,
I lay, quite awake, yet still imprisoned within that restless dream.  I cannot
escape; it lingers within, inhabiting me, disturbing me.  Seeking the meaning
of it all— or so I thought— I remain there in bed as that fer hours, curled up
tight against meself, holding onto me knees, afraid to let me eyes fall closed
again, ‘til the light of the morn be radiating through me window, affecting me
increasingly sensitive eyes to squint. 

Pray,
let me have dreamt up that horrifying manifestation.  Yet, I fear I have not,
fer too tangible it all seems.  Be it possible I have been abducted in the
midst of the night and just now replaced? 

I reach
down to feel of meself to determine whether I indeed be raw from the assault;
swear I can still feel the stinging upon me breasts from his bites.  The mere
thought made me wince as simultaneously I felt an involuntary rush go through
me.

Nevertheless,
had I indeed merely dreamt it, why on Earth would me mind have invented such
hideous visions?  And why must I be so aroused, from that appalling
occurrence?  Whatever be the matter with me?!  Penitent, I should feel,
dreaming of an encounter of this sort not only with someone other than me
beloved Donovan; but far worse— some fearsome creature!  Yet rather, still I
feel the ache blitzing me below, simultaneous to the torment it be producing within
me mind!

I rolled over and curled up unto meself snugly, closing me eyes in
attempt to shut it out.  Try as I might, will it from me mind I could not.  I
looked to the window to witness the sun rising ever higher into the sky,
promising a bright new day.

Me birthday . . .

D
onovan had
come to Deirdre’s to visit me as often as he be able, although it be less
frequent than when I lived at me father’s, only once during the cycle of each
moon.  Although, when he did come to see me, we were able to enjoy longer
stretches of time together, uninterrupted, fer the most part.  Deirdre always
be lingering about, and ever so often I would glimpse her curiously peering in
to take note of our progress. 

The
year now be 1708, and Donovan would be twenty years old and then midway through
his apprenticeship.  He had fast become the best friend ever I had.

Recollecting
me awe in seeing them from
Árainn
, Donovan surprised me by endeavouring
to take me on a trip to the Cliffs of Moher fer me birthday! 

Whilst
I looked forward to the many hours of sitting beside him fer the long journey,
likewise did I hold uncertainties.  With ever increasing fleshly urges looming
to sweep over me, I hoped I would be able to conduct meself as expected of a
proper lass and not alarm him, instigating his retreat from me.

“Happy
Birthday, love!” Donovan called upon his arrival, throwing his arms about me
most enthusiastically and spinning me around.  “Fer your gift you’ll have to be
patient as I have planned to take you somewhere special, if you be agreeable to
that.” 

Clearly,
he still had not the slightest idea how much he meant to me!  I just shook me
head, only wishing I could convey to him the depth of me feelings. 

“You be
all the gifts I could wish fer, Donovan, fer this and every other birthday.”  I
gazed meaningfully into his eyes to try to share me message.  “Time spent with
you ‘tis more than ever I could ask fer.” 

“Then,
forever yours I be!” he stated exultantly.

I
smiled contentedly, and clung tight to him, laying the side of me cheek against
the warmth if his neck. 

I giggled
with glee.  “Where will you take me, then?”

“’Tis a
surprise, Aislinn,” Donovan scolded playfully, tapping me upon the tip of the
nose.

Undoubtedly
this shall be me grandest birthday thus far!  To spend it with me Donovan, mine
at last!  Still, I cannot believe he loves me, but that is not to say I doubt
it one bit!  Only that I appreciate how very fortunate I be to have a man as
wonderful as he. 

And me,
the plain lass that I be, still though he treats me as the most beautiful
creature in all the world!  As if I be his mistress and he be me loyal servant
devoted solely to me happiness.  The way in which he treats me makes me feel as
the richest, most cherished woman in all the world!  His unconditional love
lifts me to an indescribable paradise.

Afore I
knew him, I shunned the idea of giving meself to a man fer life, as I
understood it in vastly a different manner.  Yet with him, I would give him
everything of me and only feel that I had never enough to give him fer I will
have gained so much more in return;  purely fer the honour of loving him and
breathing the same air as him every day of me life, drinking it in as wine. 

All
through this day, in me sleepy listlessness, I struggled so, still disturbed by
it all: the trauma, the strange uninvited arousal I felt, the image of the
creature which still I could not shake from me, still as though I can feel him
inside of me, his teeth biting into me breasts. 

I
strove not to let me tumultuous distress be evident, hoping Donovan would not
detect any dissimilarity in me.  Nevertheless— he being so attuned to me— he
did even so.

“Aislinn,
you seem . . . quite not yerself this morning,”  Donovan so kindly observed. 
“Have you the need to discuss something?”  His face be full of compassion as he
looked upon mine searchingly.

“Oh,
Donovan, so dear you be!  But, troubled fer me you needn’t be, me darling!” I
answered, drudging up as much vivacity as I could muster.  “’Tis only me
restless nights slumber which has me thus unlike meself,” I assured him, yet
not certain whether I would be able to successfully delude him.

He only
eyed me skeptically, patting me knee, the concern upon his face still discernible. 
Though awful I felt fer deceiving him, how ever could I reveal to him such a
thing?  Even bear to repeat it, I could not.  And
that creature
. . .
fearful I be of engendering him into existence through me acknowledgment of him
with me all too vivid memories.

“Alright,
then,” he yielded.  “You do know I love you?” he quizzed.

Now I
felt just terrible that I had caused him to seek reassurance from me.  “Of
course I do, Donovan!” I assured him most ardently.  “And know I love you, as
well!”

The
creases of his forehead began to ease, a smile spreading across his face.  He
squeezed me hand tighter and I burrowed under his arm to nestle against him fer
the excursion.

“Won’t
you tell me where ‘tis we be going?” I appealed to him in me most honeyed
voice.

“Me
most sincere regrets, dearest Aislinn!” Donovan taunted cheerily.  “However, I may
guarantee that you will indeed be pleased!”

“Hmm .
. .” I said, meaning to return his taunt.  But, instead, I replied, “’Tis
plenty pleased I be now!”  I lifted me head to eagerly smack a kiss upon his
cheek.

“Why,
thank you, darling.  Nonetheless, you shall see that this be just the beginning
of your best day yet,” Donovan declared self-assuredly.

“It
cannot possibly be!” I countered.  “Already had me best day ever . . . well, it
be several I have had now, actually.  You do persist in outshining yerself!” 

Donovan
looked to me puzzled, so I enlightened him, “The first be the momentous day you
came to me in me dreams,” I started.  His puzzled look became utterly
perplexing, so I interrupted meself to explain that one, hoping he would not
think me mad.

“Sometimes
I see things … in me dreams … if you will fathom … that’ll happen soon after.” 
I looked to him to assess his reaction, and seeming quite intrigued, I
continued. 

“Dreamt
of you I did, a full year afore I met you fer the first.  I knew instantly that
you were the
one
who was to be meant fer me.  But me hope ‘twas
beginning to fail me, I started thinking never would you show yerself.  And
then, on the very day I had avowed to meself to cease me perpetual dwelling upon
you, there you be right in me father’s barn!”

‘Twas
evident from his expression that Donovan be stunned by me revelation. 

Perhaps
now he will understand the depth of me feelings and devotion to him.

“Oh,
Aislinn.  I never knew ‘twas as
that
!” he responded, his eyes
mesmerized.

“’Tis
many a long year I awaited you, Donovan,” I expressed to him quite seriously.

After a
long and thoughtful silence, he declared, “I spotted you once before our first
tangible introduction, as well.”

“Come
again?” I exclaimed in surprise.  “You did not!” 

“Truly
I did, Aislinn,” Donovan confirmed, smiling.  “And if I may be so bold, I
thought you to be the cutest young lass ever I had seen!”  He pinched me cheek
in jest.  Automatically me cheeks flushed in response. 

“
Cute
?”
I repeated incredulously.  “Well, it could not have been
me
you saw,
then.  I actually be quite the ugly child.” 

“Oh, it
be you, I assure you of that.  How could I ever forget this face, no matter
your age?”  Donovan cradled me face in his hands as if it were a delicate
treasure.  And then, as if seeking further substantiation, he went on to say,
“Even moved enough I be to ask someone who the sweet little lass be with Farmer
MacAuliffe.  And sure enough, they replied, ‘Why that be young Aislinn.’  Smitten
with you I be even then, Aislinn MacAuliffe!”