The Bathory Curse (26 page)

There was a moment of silence as Mihail and Stasi
considered the Titan’s words. Stasi, however, could not wait; she
knew what she wanted, what she had craved for a long time,
something she never thought she would want: a baby that was half
her and half Mihail.

“If it’s a girl, will the curse affect it?” She had
a few more questions before jumping right in.

“It will be a girl, and while you and Nea have been
spared your baby won’t be.”

“Why have I been spared, but not my child?”

“You are no longer human, your child will and will
not be.” Phoebe leaned back, resting on her hands, becoming a bit
bored.

“Maybe mother should just change all Bathory females
into Strigoi, a never ending supply of us and she kills the curse
with one shot,” Mihail wasn’t really serious.

“That would be impossible. Even if Bendis agreed to
lift the additional curse that forbids girl children from being
born.” Phoebe shook her head, mortals thought too small
sometimes.

“Our daughter will help, you swear it? She will help
my mother end the curse?” Mihail wanted promises, reassurances; he
didn’t like that their child would be affected by the curse.

“Yes.”

“See Mihail, there is nothing to fear, this baby
will be good in so many ways.” Stasi had tears in her eyes, this
was a goal she had thought unattainable and here it was within her
grasp.

“Nothing to fear? What about the curse?”

“I am sure Mama will end it before it can affect our
child!” Stasi beamed.

Mihail kissed the end of her nose, relenting.

“Fine let’s do it.”

“Good, I was in the middle of a TV show I rather
like, let’s do this.” Phoebe stood and placed her hands out in
front of her, “come here Stasi, you must pass into the salt, I must
touch you.”

Stasi took a deep breath and broke the salt barrier;
a gust of hot humid wind blew through her as the Titan grabbed her.
Mihail cried out, he moved to reach for Stasi.

“I will not harm her, my word.” Phoebe said, she
placed her hands low on Stasi’s womb and pressed, pushing life
giving magic inside. Essentially restarting Stasi’s biological
clock, forcing her ovaries to produce an egg and her uterus to
accept and need to create life.

A surge of white hot desire flushed Stasi’s skin,
she rocked against the woman’s hands, a moan forcing its way out of
her mouth. She felt hot and tingly all over as with a gush her
womanhood became wet and instantly ready for sex, her nipples
hardened and strained against her blouse, begging to be
touched.

“You next.” Phoebe reached out for Mihail, he went
to her willingly and gasped as she reached down and cupped his
balls; a slow, simmering warmth enveloped them before she let
go.

“What the hell?” Mihail staggered back. Phoebe
released him just as Stasi’s pheromones hit him, causing his cock
to jump and become painfully hard, his pupils dilated with intense
arousal. He clenched his fists at his sides, forcing himself not to
move forward and take Stasi whether she was ready or not, that’s
all his brain could think about, making love to his woman, no
matter if she wanted him.

“Here let me help you.” Phoebe laughed and clapped
her hands, Mihail’s and Stasi’s clothes vanished. “You better fuck
her quick; she’ll be ripe for you for the next hour. Any longer
than that and the magic won’t work. I wouldn’t even bother finding
a bed.” Then Phoebe vanished.

Stasi sagged against Mihail, needing his support to
hold her up as waves of longing pulsated through her. She dropped
to her knees, her face meeting the hard wood as she spread her legs
and displayed herself for Mihail.

“Please, Mihail, I can’t wait,” she begged, her
knees aching against the floor. She cried out in release as she
felt his hand on her hips.

“Are you sure?” he growled, her nod was all he
needed, she was so slick, hot and tight, he slid into her, trying
to control himself so he didn’t come before she did. She was
trembling beneath him, wiggling her hips. Her bottom was flush
against him as he began to move.

He had been inside her less than a minute when she
came, screaming against the floor, writhing alongside him, her hot
heat clenching around his member.

“Again,” she beseeched and he thrust into her, deep
and harder, biting his lips, struggling against the waves and
ecstasy that were spilling over him. He pushed inside her, enjoying
her moans of pleasure and cries of pain as his engorged cock pulsed
within her womb.

Her next orgasm was more powerful than the first and
he couldn’t control his own. He came, jerking within her flesh and
when he thought he was done the climax continued, milking them both
until the lay together in a loose, sweaty heap, covered in grime,
their breathing labored.

After a few minutes Mihail had enough strength left
to move them to their bedroom. He laid them both in the cool
sheets, ready for a long nap. Stasi sighed wrapping herself around
Mihail, content, until she felt heat slowly crawl up her, her
womanhood became swollen and wet again, she groaned, pressing
herself against Mihail.

“Stasi, what’s going on?” Mihail asked, his erection
growing as the woman in the bed climbed on top of him, her skin
rosy, and nipples hard. He took one in his mouth, enjoying her
scent and taste, fingers digging into her sides.

“I think Phoebe was serious when she said an hour,”
Stasi whispered huskily as she lowered herself over Mihail, taking
him within her moist heat and beginning to ride him. Throwing them
both back into an intense erotic moment that would be the second
round of an eventual five.

Bendis stood outside the door to their room and as
she heard the start of another bout of sex, she walked away
unhappy. She knew that what these Strigoi had done was going to
help break the Bathory curse, but she didn’t like being defied
either. She had told Stasi years before she was not allowed to be
with Mihail. Bendis did not need Nea distracted by a romance
between her children. The Goddess had never been happy about Stasi
choosing to become Strigoi instead of living out her life and die
as the fates had planned. Bendis didn’t know if she actually liked
Nea or not, she respected her, but hated the amount of change she
had brought in her time as a Strega.

“You were cruel to tell them they could not love
each other.”

Bendis turned hearing Phoebe’s voice, “I know. It
was what I felt I needed to do at the time.  They still don’t
need to procreate, who knows what the child will be.”

“Well, then you should have never made the
loophole.”

“I made it in a moment of weakness.” Bendis frowned
at her great great grandmother.

“Nothing to cry over now. What is done in done,”
Phoebe said.

“You could have refused them.”

“I couldn’t and you know that. Stop acting like a
child,” Phoebe admonished, she was leaning against the wall,
watching the Goddess with her night sky eyes.

“I know, I know…I’m doing the best I can.” Bendis
rubbed a hand over her face; her foxes were rolling around the
floor, playing as they always did, younger now that Bendis was the
maiden. She kneeled down and they came to her, rubbing their little
furry faces against her hands.

“This is your fault,” Phoebe told her, “and there is
a simple solution that you are refusing to see.”

“I know; I am trying to fix it.”

“Next time you fall in love with a mortal; do it
with caution and less passion.” The scolding made Bendis feel like
a young girl again, inside and out.

“You could have told me no, you could have stopped
me.”

“I couldn’t. That’s not how my power works, you came
for my help and prophecy demanded I do so.” Phoebe straightened and
walked over to her great-great granddaughter.

“I cannot say I am sorry enough. Nothing I do seems
to fix this.” Bendis stood up, facing her imposing relative.

“I know you think you have tried everything, but my
darling you haven’t and it’s because you don’t want to see the
answer, the truth. You have asked Nea to do an impossible task, to
save yourself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bendis
bristled.

“That is unfortunate.” Phoebe placed a hand on her
shoulder; she couldn’t tell Bendis more than she had, the curse of
the powers of wisdom and prophecy, so instead she changed the
subject, “how is your daughter?”

“Which one?” Bendis voice was brittle. Gods had
children all the time, sometimes with other Gods creating new ones,
but mostly with humans. The demi gods usually had some small power
but eventually aged and died. However there always had to be at
least one, in case the god died…then the child would be tapped to
take his or her parent’s place.

“It does not matter; you should make sure she is
trained.” Phoebe kissed Bendis on the cheek and vanished, her last
words leaving a burning cold spot in the other goddess’ chest.

Chapter 16

Five Weeks Later

“Gods, that garlic stench reeks,” Sabine said under
her breath as they stood by Lucy’s bed, she seemed so weak and
pale, with two vicious red bites at her throat.

They had been called by Jack to come to the Westenra
house first thing in the morning, the sun had barely come up when
one of the Westenra servants had been dispatched to rouse them.
During the night a large wolf had apparently broken into the house
and attacked Lucy, the sight of the large wolf had been too much
for poor Mrs. Western’s weak heart and she had perished during the
night.

“The garlic, it is necessary to ward off the evil of
the vampire,” Van Helsing said, his thick Dutch accent hard to
understand.

“Please, a vampire? All the events of the past few
days seem incredulous.” Quincy rolled his eyes.

“I have told you that she is in the thrall of a
creature of the undead, the vampire has sent the wolf to try and
frighten us. The garlic and the crucifix will keep the vampire
away.” Van Helsing wiped his brow with a white handkerchief; he was
a thin, tall older man, with white hair and thick glasses. He
didn’t look anything like his reputation.

“I thought the garlic had been up all week? When I
came to see Lucy a few days ago she was nauseated from the smell
alone,” Sabine raised an eyebrow; they all made their way out of
the room, hoping not to wake the girl.

“It was, and with the blood transfusions she was
getting better.” Jack sighed, sagging against the wall, his eyes
haunted. Nea and Sabine made eye contact; the transfusions had only
worked because of Marina’s gift.

“That was why he sent the wolf!” Van Helsing
exclaimed, “hoping to get to Miss Lucy, I fear he has
succeeded.”

“Don’t say that.” A new voice came from down the
hallway. Nea put her guard up, over the weeks she’d had to endure
Costica in his role of Arthur several times and the urge to simply
kill him was ever present. They had stalked him through the streets
at night but Costica was powerful and always gave them the slip.
Sabine and Nea had discussed simply killing him in a group
situation, where he could not use his powers or flee but they could
not risk it and have these terrified people accuse them of being in
league with the demon they thought praying on the populace.

“I am sorry Arthur, but I fear she shall expire
before tomorrow.” Van Helsing sounded sympathetic but there was a
fire in his eyes. Nea understood this man. Lucy’s death would help
him fuel these good men into a vampire hunting frenzy. She and
Sabine had only been included because they didn’t argue against the
cause.

“May I see her?” Arthur asked, his eyes falling on
Nea for a brief moment, anger and mischief in them, then they were
back to the forlorn persona of the engaged man in despair.

“Of course.” Jack motioned to the door and Arthur
hurried towards it disappearing into the room.

“We should give them a moment.” Quincy said.

“Do you think that is wise?” Nea asked, worried for
Lucy’s safety. She had no doubt that the wolf, the bites and the
blood loss were all Costica’s doing. She knew Vlad had not been
anywhere near the girl since she had asked him to back off.

“She is dying; they should have some private time,”
Quincy countered. Their small group wandered down the stairs and
into the parlor. Nea and Sabine quickly set about being female and
ordering the staff to provide refreshments.

“There is a vampire in England and I fear he will
not stop his killing with just Lucy, I have seen reports from many
towns of people, dead, from loss of blood…two small bites on their
throats, I have seen it before, in my travels.” Van Helsing said,
taking his tea and sitting, heavily, down.

“It has to just be folklore,” Sabine sniffed. Nea
smiled as she watched her friend add whiskey to her tea behind the
backs of the men folk.

“I wish it were Miss McLendon. Alas, this sort of
creature doesn’t stop until it destroys all and leaves a path of
bloodshed in its wake. We must find out who the creature is, hunt
and kill it…before it is too late.”

“If there is such a thing as a vampire then I agree
with Abraham, it has killed poor Lucy, one of you fair ladies could
be next, we cannot take such a risk.” Jack was standing by the
window, looking out, stirring his tea, but not caring about whether
he drank it or not.

“I have a patient at the asylum that eats bugs and
thinks they provide him with life, he often speaks of a master
whose bidding he does. Until recently, I thought him just another
patient with delusions…Abraham thinks he might be one of this
vampire’s first victims.” Jack turned to them and Nea felt sorry
for him, he truly was in love with Lucy and his heart was breaking
over her condition.

Nea couldn’t believe how fast Van Helsing had
managed to persuade these men that a mythological creature was
hurting Lucy and knew that Costica had helped give life to this
small bout of mass hysteria. With this mysterious wolf attack and
the death of Mrs. Westenra and the eventual demise of Lucy, all Nea
and Sabine could do was watch the train wreck and try to make sure
that no one else was hurt.