Sanctity (36 page)

There didn’t seem to be any other way out
than the locked door at the far end of the bedroom.  I tried
the handle again just to be sure but it was no use.  I grew a
little frantic and started rummaging through the closets and
drawers looking for something, anything I could use to get myself
out only to come up empty handed. 

I sat on the edge of the bed and buried my
face in my hands, “Oh, God, how could I have done this.  How
have I gotten here?”

I started shivering again.  My skin felt
hot to the touch and I needed to rush to the bathroom to take
another drink from the faucet.  Though my throat was no longer
quite so sore the water didn’t help to cool me and I decided to
make use of the shower since there seemed little else I could
do.  I stood under the flow of the placidly cold water for as
long as I could stand it then gave myself a quick lather and
stepped out.  I draped the linen shirt over my shoulders and
made my way back to the bedroom.

The room had grown a bit darker and I knew
that the sun would soon be setting.  My heart began to race as
I contemplated Victor’s return and how or what I could do to get
away from him.  I tried to remember exactly how the apartment
was laid out and where exactly I was and where I would go if I
actually did manage to escape. 

I lay down, curled myself into a ball and
rested my head against the pillow sobbing.  I hated myself for
feeling so weak and so helpless.  All of a sudden my stomach
gave a violent heave.  It didn’t feel as though I was going to
be sick but instead like I was terribly excited and filled with
anticipation.  I wiped my tears away and tried to smooth my
hair out suddenly very conscious of how I looked just then.  I
perched on the edge of the bed holding my breath and waiting. 
There was a little pop as the door was unlocked and it swung
open.

All my regrets faded away.

“Oh, Victor, I’ve missed you,” I rushed from
the bed to wrap my arms around him.  “Please,” I begged.

He seemed to know what I was asking and bit
his lip bringing a number of drops to their surface.  Eagerly
I covered him with kisses, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Victor.  It’s my
fault, it’s my fault,” I confessed as I coiled myself around
him.

“No, love, no.  Don’t be sorry,” he took
my wrist and latched on.  He only took a tiny draught and
smoothed it over and kissed the little wound he had made and
watched as it disappeared.

I gasped, completely insensible of anything
but how wonderful he tasted and how sensual his lips on my wrist
felt.  “It will be better this time,” I seized his hand and
tugged him towards the bed.

“There’s no time for that,” he
reprimanded.

“Oh, but there is,” I reached down to be sure
he was ready.

I bent my head back to expose the soft flesh
of my neck, “I need you, Victor,” I insisted.

He took another tiny taste and all his
resolve evaporated.  He backed me toward the bed and after he
sat me down slowly undid the shirt I was wearing.  His fingers
traced my lips and ran down my neck and along the opening he had
created.  I smiled joyously and arched myself into his
touch.

It was slow and controlled and passionate,
everything I wanted it to be.  Victor seemed to be completely
intuitive and fulfilled every desire as they surfaced one after
another.  I shuddered against him.  All my earlier
discomfort faded; my trembling, my shivering and the fire in my
flesh – it all evaporated and I felt completely at ease; peaceful
and satisfied as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.

“Lily,” he sighed.

“Mmm,” I stretched out alongside him, “I love
you, Victor.  I love you so much.”

He nipped his finger and put it to my lips,
“And I love you, Lily.”

“Here,” Victor sat up and held his hand out to
me, “I need you to get ready.  We have to leave as soon as we
can.”

“No.  Why do we have to leave?  It
is lovely here,” I ran my fingers over the bedspread, “I want to
stay here with you,” I pouted like a petulant child.

I saw a flash of anger in his eyes but Victor
seemed determined to be on his best behavior.  He took a deep
breath to calm himself and tugged me to sitting and glided me to
the edge of the bed.  “We will come back, love but I want to
take you somewhere, somewhere special first,” he bent down and
kissed me then turned on his heel and left the room.  He was
back a moment later with a number of shopping bags.  He dumped
them onto the bed and sifted through them, “This, this looks
nice.  Put it on.”

Reluctantly, I stood up and did as he
asked.  I pulled the dress he selected over my head and turned
myself away from him so Victor could zip me up.  He kissed my
neck when he was finished, “Thank you,” he whispered.  There
was something in his voice that made me realize how anxious he
seemed to be feeling and that he was trying to keep it from me.

“What is it, Victor, is everything
alright?”

“Yes, of course, I just don’t want us to be
late.”

“Late?  Late for what?”

“Uh, uh, ah, it’s a surprise,” he smiled and
wrapped his arm around my waist ushering me out of the room and
quickly down the hallway into the elevator.

As we rode the car down he encouraged me to
take a hurried drop from his wrist again and when we reached the
lobby Victor quickly took my face in his hands and kissed me as the
doors glided back.  I shook my head confusedly and trailed
behind him as he grasped my hand and led me outside.  It was
dark and sultry but the air felt cool and crisp to me and I gave a
little shiver. 

Victor grinned and I couldn’t help thinking
that he seemed pleased with my reaction to the night air.  He
handed me into the car and settled in beside me.  He drove us
to the airport which took about fifteen minutes or so and once we
arrived headed straight for the tarmac to a charter plane that was
apparently there for us, waiting to take off.

I wasn’t sure whether I had ever been on a
plane or not and was filled with dismay, “Oh, Victor, I don’t know
if I can do this; I had no idea we were travelling,” I was suddenly
lucid enough to protest against whatever he had in store. 
“Where are we going?” my face was full of wonder and fear.

Victor took me in his arms,
“I told you, love, it’s a surprise and this is the only
way 
I
 can take you there.  It’s very far and there’s not
enough time to travel any other way.  We have to go.  We
have to go now,” he insisted.

I looked up into his eyes and they seemed to
be lost and looking far beyond anything I could see.  He
turned his gaze back to me and smiled encouragingly, “Here,” he
nibbled my lip and made a little gnash on his tongue and when his
mouth covered mine I could taste the blood from both of us mingling
like some intimate potion that softened my resolve. 

I started up the stairs towards the cabin and
just as I was nearing the last two steps my stomach gave a terrible
lurch and I felt like I was going to lose my insides.  My
breath felt like it was being forcibly squeezed from my lungs; like
something had a desperate hold on me from the inside out and it
refused to let me take another step.  There were beads of
sweat gathering on my brow and I stood in a daze, weak and confused
as my arms and legs began to tremble again. 

Victor glanced over his shoulder and swept me
from the back of my knees up into his arms.  He kicked the
stairs away and placed me in one of the passenger’s seats before
hurrying back to close and lock the door.  He called to the
pilot, “Now!  Take off now, damn it!”

We were lumbering down the runway at an all
too sluggish rate and Victor screamed to the pilot again, “Can’t
you go any faster?!”

The pilot didn’t answer but there was a
decided improvement in our pace as the plane gained momentum. 
Just as he was urging us into the air I heard what sounded like a
horrible collision from the belly of the plane and then all was
quiet as we took to the sky.

My heart began to slow, my breathing eased
up, the tightness in my belly dissipated.  I closed my eyes
and sank back into the seat.  Victor put his ear to the floor
and listened intently for a number of minutes then satisfied with
whatever he did or did not hear took the seat beside me.

“My but he is persistent, isn’t he?” he
mumbled.

I shook my head, “What’s that Victor? 
Did I miss something?”

“No, Sweetness, nothing at all.  Come
sit with me,” he patted his lap, “I want to feel you close.”

I slid from my seat and did as he
asked.  As I twisted sideways and tucked my legs over his
thigh I leaned my head against his shoulder while he stroked my
hair.  I didn’t know why but I started to cry.  I tried
to blink back the tears but they were determined to escape.

“Ssh, love, ssh.  You’re safe now. 
We are together and after tonight we will be together forever.”

“Yes, Victor.  Yes,” I sobbed, “that is
what I want, what I have always wanted.”  I kissed his ear and
the back of his neck and ran my lips over his, “Please,” I muttered
against his neck, “please,” I begged.

“You can’t, it’s too soon.”

“Just a taste,” I began unbuttoning his
shirt, “I can’t wait any longer.”

“You must,” he grasped my wrists and pulled
them away from their pursuit.

“Then you must give me something else while I
wait,” I took his face in my hands and fervently kissed him.

I felt his smile against my lips, “As you
wish,” he whispered and whirled me about so that I was straddling
him.  He hiked up my dress and eased himself into
me. 

“Ooooh,” I fell against him, “yes, yes, this
will do…for now.”

After enjoying Victor I fell asleep in his
lap and hours later he kissed me awake, “We’re here, love,” he
nibbled my ear.

I sighed and stretched, I felt a little chill
ripple through me, “Have we landed?”

“Yes,” he touched his lips to mine, “are you
ready?”

“I would say yes but I don’t have any idea
what I would be agreeing to,” I teased as I stood up and smoothed
the folds from my dress.

“Does it matter,” He held his arm out for me
and ran his fingernail across it opening a little nick for me.

For a split second I tried to resist but I
was mesmerized as I watched the blood trickle around his wrist and
seized him despite my reservations.  As I pulled back I felt
the icy heat from him spreading throughout me, “No, Victor, it
doesn’t matter.  As long as we are together nothing
matters.”

There was a car waiting for us when we exited
the plane.  It was raining and when we got to the bottom of
the stairs the driver handed an umbrella to Victor and escorted us
across the tarmac.  When he took the wheel he met Victor’s
gaze in the rear view mirror, “You’re late,” he began.

“We are not late,” Victor ground the words
out.

“No sir, of course not,” he corrected, “your
flight arrived later than I expected.”

“It is unfortunate but yes, it did.”

“We may not be able to follow your itinerary
precisely as you requested.”

“Again, unfortunate,” Victor waved his hand
dismissively.  “Let’s just do what we can, shall we.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver nodded.

I clung to Victor throughout the ride. 
A half hour later the driver made his first stop.  We were in
a parking garage and when he helped us out I realized we were at
the entrance to a mall of some sort.

“Are we shopping Victor, why are we
here?”

“No not shopping.  We are just going on
a little trip down memory lane.  I need you to
understand.  I need you to know who I am and why you need to
be with me,” he kissed my forehead and gathered my hand in
his.  “Don’t go far,” he called to the driver over his
shoulder, “we’ll be back shortly.”

The doors slid back and we walked through one
or two wings of the mall.  Just as the arboretum was coming
into view Victor stopped me and gave me a sly look.  He
pressed his lips hard against mine and I felt the familiar icy
flavor drift from his mouth to mine.

“So soon,” I eyed him surprised by his little
gift.

He just smiled and motioned me to resume our
walk.  I could hear cascades of water to the left of where we
were facing and as I looked towards the sound I caught sight of an
intricate stonewalled fountain. 

“Oh,” I gasped.

“Yes,” he stood behind me, his lips against
my ear, “this is where we first met.  Let me help you
remember,” he discreetly kissed me again.

I pictured myself as a young girl approaching
him as he sat on the ledge of the fountain, “It was you,” I
breathed.  There was something odd about the memory but I
couldn’t seem to put a finger on it and pushed the idea aside.

“Yes, love, it was me.  I called you and
you came to me and your mother was worried.”

I started to cry; it was all right before
me.  “Yes, yes, Victor and I thought about you for the rest of
the day and wondered if I would ever see you again.”

He kissed the back of my head, “There’s
more,” he said and led me back the way we came.

I was excited; thrilled to be able to recall
the moment we met.  My head and my heart were filled with joy
and I kept seeing him sitting on the ledge and smiling at me. 
We exited the mall from where we had come in and when the driver
spied us he hurried from his parking space and picked us up at the
doorway.

Once we were settled in the back seat I
leaned over and kissed Victor’s cheek, “Thank you, Victor. 
Thank you for taking me here and showing me this.”

He brushed the hair back from my face, “I
would do anything for you, love, you know that.”

I tucked my arm in his and snuggled against
his shoulder.

The driver pulled from the garage and drove
us a short distance to a little community of condominiums. 
There were townhouses to the right and the condominiums were off to
the left.  Victor told the driver to pull around to the back
and though it was still raining he refused the umbrella.  He
told the driver to come back in 5 minutes and not a moment
before.