Alea
I never thought that I would willingly be helping a vampire come to terms with their transformation and answering their questions. I learned her name was Elfrea, and she knew nothing of the vampire rise. With each new piece of information, her face would shift between shock, confusion, and pure sadness. The emotion she showed on her face made me feel like I could relax, but then I would focus on the dried blood on her face.
The blood didn't do anything to take away from her beauty, nor did the dirty, stained nightgown that was falling from her body. When she moved or lifted her arms, I could see her ample breasts, which would pull my attention. The attraction I felt towards her wasn't something I would ever expect. However, I have never felt an attraction to anyone before.
When I thought about it, I was always more fond of women's bodies, and I wouldn't mind even kissing one. My life doesn't leave much room for romance to figure out my feelings, and even if I did, I would never tell them I was a witch, for fear that I might be betrayed.
It wasn't just Elfrea's beauty that I liked; I was enjoying our conversation and finding out about one another. I was fascinated that she came from a time before vampires, when witches were free to practice their magic out in the open. Elfrea came from a noble family and was a witch herself. I could see in her glowing red eyes that when she learned that her magic was gone from the transformation, she couldn't use it again. When she talked about the powerful green witch, her mother, she spoke about her with so much pride, I wanted to mourn with her.
Once we finished talking, I grabbed the drained rabbit to take outside to skin and gut, even if it was drained of blood, the meat was still edible.
At least it will be less messy. I think as I sit on the warm grass near the front door, I begin cutting into the rabbit.
I wrapped up the meat and went to recheck the traps and came up empty. I hoped to catch something else soon to give to Elfrea to drink to hold off her thirst. She might have agreed not to attack me, but the blood lust didn't, and for once, I wasn't looking forward to killing this vampire.
I walk in to find Elfrea still haunting the growing darkness in the hallway. Heading into the study, I grab my cloak and bring it over to her.
"Here, if you have this covering you, the sun won't hurt." I handed her the cloak, which was also to cover her distracting curves, but I didn't want to draw attention to the fact.
"Thank you," Efrea takes the cloak and covers herself, the bottom only covering half her legs since she was much taller than I. Her thin lips curled into a half smile. Once Elfrea covers herself, she starts to move more freely, so I begin to follow her. Curiosity and worry made me keep an eye on her as she floated from room to room.
Pulling the cloak's hood up over her head to cover her face, she heads to the door she had cried at. I watch as she takes a deep breath and pushes the door open. Elfrea slowly moves in, blocking the rays coming from the window with a covered arm. She turns her back to the window, and Elfrea stares at the empty bed frame before moving to the side of it and opening a loose floorboard. Tears seemed to well up in her eyes again as the loose board had nothing but cobwebs. Quietly, she moves the board back into place and leaves the room.
Our next destination was upstairs, where I hadn't explored just yet. I made sure to stay close behind as Elfrea walked the stairs and turned down the long hallway to a closed door.
Stepping inside, I see that it's a much larger room with a tall canopy bed. It held rotted furniture and a vanity table with the mirror shattered, littering the floor with broken glass.
"Watch your step," flies out of my mouth, concerned for Elfrea's bare feet. This took me by surprise; I was worried for a vampire's safety. I needed to remember that she could rip my throat out when she pleased.
Elfrea didn't seem to hear me, her eyes distant like she was in a trance. She continued to walk to a door beside the large bed, and it was pitch black inside. I did a quick scan of the room and found a candlestick and lit the wick before following her into the dark room.
The flames lit up the room, which was a large closet; it could easily be a bedroom itself. Some hangers remained on the rods that circled the room, and deteriorating dresses either hung on the hangers or fell to the floor. I go to touch one, and the fabric falls apart between my fingers. If Elfrea was looking for something to wear, none of these were a good choice.
Elfrea wasn't interested in the clothing; instead, she continued her path to the wall and pressed in on it, causing a little pop, and she was removing part of the wall. With little light, I could see that it showed a safe hidden in a nook. I step closer to see better, the safe had an incantation carved into the door, and magical chains wrapped tightly around the entire thing.
"If I tell you the sequence for you to open the safe. To open it, you have to pour a bit of magical power into the symbols, but I can't do that anymore," she says in a quiet voice. I turn to see her shoulders slumped forward, chewing on her bottom lip.
My eyes lingered on her lips a moment before I pulled myself together. "Yes," I quickly responded.
Stop falling all over this vampire and get yourself together! I yelled at myself. These feelings were going against everything I believed in. Whenever I saw one, all I could think of was pure hatred, no matter how beautiful they were.
So I turned back to the safe and watched as she showed me the sequence to touch the symbols with magic. With each touch, the magical chains vanished, and soon the safe clicked open.
"My family was incredibly wealthy, so when these safes hit the market, I got one and had Maria have it secretly installed. Since they were advertised as being airtight, I thought maybe something survived all this time." Elfrea says as she moves forward to open the safe.
She begins by pulling out a large black bag and then a small white box. The safe had a strong incantation to stand against time because he white box had no blemishes that I could see. Elfrea turns to me, handing the white box towards me.
"Take this as a bit of a thank you for continuing to help me and releasing me from the coffin," she says.
I set the candle down and took the box, our fingers touching for a swift moment. Opening it, I found a silver chain necklace with a small pendant. Taking it out and holding it closer to the candle's flame, I see the pendant is a cage of swirling silver, its gaps letting a green crystal shine through as the flames dance behind it. Normally, I would have just pocketed it so I could sell it later, but I put the necklace around my neck.
I turned back to Elfrea, who had pulled out clothing from within the black bag, all seeming brand new, untouched by time.
Elfrea then drops the cloak and begins to remove her torn nightgown, leaving her completely naked before me. I feel my cheeks and ears grow hot as I gaze upon her.
"I will let you have some privacy," I say as I hurry out of the closet. I take a deep breath and shake my head.
Why was I acting like this and getting all embarrassed?! Why was I so excited by the gift she gave me? It was nothing more than payment for a job. I argued with myself about how I was letting this vampire throw me off. It was most likely some game she was playing. I knew that wasn't true, though, so many times she had the chance to try and hurt me, but she didn't.
I was about to head back down the stairs when I heard Elfrea call my name.
"I need assistance with the corset. I'm ashamed to say I have never dressed myself." She calls out to me.
I shook my head and pulled myself together before saying yes, and walked into the closet. Elfrea stood now wearing a pair of pants and was struggling to keep the corset in place as she tightened it.
"Hold it in place," I say as I step closer to her. The candle gave me enough light to see, and I began working the ribbon while Elfrea held the front in place. I tried to work quickly and tried to keep from touching her. I still managed to brush up against her skin while moving the corset as I worked. I was thankful she was looking away from me because I could feel my face grow hot again. All I could think of was her curvy hourglass figure.
I'm no better than a man! I finish tightening and tying the corset and rush out without saying a word. I head out of the room and down the stairs to the study to grab the rabbit meat to cook. I needed to do something to get my mind off of Elfrea.
I then hear a ding, and I instantly look over at the desk where I had sent off the letter to Hendrik. A letter and a small wrapped box had suddenly appeared.