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Chapter 12: A Life well Lived?

I slept that night on a pad beside Mia and our baby. Francesca seemed
to be a good baby, or I was much more tired than I thought. But I
think it was the former, because I awoke at Mia’s whimpers during the
night. In the morning, I helped one of the maids bathe Mia with damp
sponges. Mia seemed pleased with the attention, and the maid tried to
avoid noticing the times when Mia’s hand went wandering below my
waist.

After feeding mother, and mother feeding newborn, the estate quickly
became crowded with well-wishers and curious children. I hadn’t
realized how many neighbors I’d acquired with the estate, or
apparently how out-going Mia and Kiro had been. The two women seemed
to know everyone by name, while I vaguely recognized a face or two. I
just tried to be a good host.

Let me describe the new joy of my life. Francesca Zara was tiny,
perhaps the weight of a skinny cat, and about as long as a wharf rat.
Her skin was a little darker than her mother's, and she had a great
deal of dark hair on the top of her head. And when she opened them,
her eyes were black pools to lose oneself within. She had the cutest
little nose, and the dearest way of crinkling her face when she
yawned. I was in love.

Eventually things calmed down, and Kiro and Hiroko joined us for
supper while Francesca drowsed within her bassinette. We had just
finished when one of the maids entered the room. “Master Erlic,
Mistress Mialibao, a visitor calls. Mistress Nalita. She waits in the
sitting room.”

I stood. “I’ll bring her back here, my love. No need to disturb
Francesca.”  Nalita entered the room shortly, followed by myself. She
moved to Mia and knelt beside her. I could see Mia was startled when
Nalita hugged her like a sister and kissed her cheek lightly.
“Congratulations, dear one.”

Recovering her poise somewhat, Mia answered politely. “Thank you.
Would you like to meet Francesca Zara?”

“Francesca? What a lovely name!” Honestly, I thought Nalita would clap
with delight. “Yes, please!”

I moved to the bassinette and carefully lifted the babe from it. When
I touched her, her eyes opened and she moved her mouth charmingly.
This was the first time I’d held her without some woman hovering over
me to make certain I didn’t drop her, and I think she tried to give me
a reassuring smile as I cradled her. Kiro almost stood up, but I gave
her a good-natured scowl, and she sank back down with a grin.

I carried Francesca to Nalita and knelt between her and Mia. “Nalita,
meet our daughter, Francesca Zara Gustafson.” Then I placed her
carefully in the arms of a woman I knew to be a vampire, and that
would always protect her. Green eyes met black, and I thought I saw a
smile touch both set of lips. Then Zara (Francesca would prove
difficult for many of her playmates to pronounce, so by the time she
was two, she was simply Zara) gave one of her sweet yawns and smacked
her lips.

“She’s beautiful. Very much like her mother.” I saw Mia blush at this
praise, but I felt it was not undeserved. “Oh, I have a gift for her.”
She drew a small package from a pouch at her waist. It was simply
wrapped, and I opened it quickly. It was an exquisitely carved and
painted rattle. And it looked very old to my unpracticed eye.

“It is one of the few things I have left from my childhood. I hope
Francesca finds as much joy in it as I did.” I didn’t doubt for a
minute the truth of Nalita’s words. Very old indeed.

I gave it back to Nalita, so she could offer it to Zara. Zara reached
for it and gave another baby smile (yes, go ahead, tell me it’s gas. I
know better) as she kicked in Nalita’s arms. It was the first of many
gifts Zara would receive from her “Aunt” Nalita.

Two weeks later Mia chased me out of the house, laughing that I was
constantly underfoot. “Go see Nalita, ask her to find a project to
keep you away for a few hours. Francesca needs to lay in her bed for a
change. I know you are nice to sleep on,” she gave me a wicked grin,
“But I’d hate to see someone else get used to it.”

I just laughed and headed out the door. In a few minutes I was
knocking on Nalita’s door. Kirsty opened it.

“Good morning, Kirsty. Is Mistress Nalita available?”

“Please enter, Master Erlic. I’ll see if the Mistress can be
disturbed.” She led me to the sitting room, and bade me wait. A few
minutes later she returned. “Mistress will be with you as soon as she
is able, but advises you may wish to take some refreshment.” She
looked at me apologetically. “Mistress was resting, and it takes her
some time to wake and refresh. It might be up to an hour.”

I nodded my understanding. “I’ll wait. And I’ll have some tea, if I
may.”

So I drank a pot of tea, and Kirsty checked on me often. I suspected
she was bored, until I remembered the day two weeks ago, when she came
in Nalita’s bedroom. I laughed when I realized she might be attracted
to me.

At last, I heard the approaching footfalls of Nalita.  I stood as she
entered and she gave me a dazzling smile. “How nice to see you, Erlic!
To what do I owe the pleasure?” She kissed me lightly as she said
this.

“Mia was tired of having me underfoot,” I answered with a grin. “And I
decided it was time to learn more of the covenant you spoke of.”

She looked at me carefully. “Are you certain? The covenant is
binding.”

“That’s why I want to know more.”

Nalita nodded. “Follow me, then.” I was unsurprised when she led me to
her bedchamber. I was surprised when she locked the door behind us. “I
don’t want to be disturbed while we talk,” she explained.

“Alright, sit down.” She began to pace. “The covenant is more than a
contract. It binds our souls together.” I know my surprise showed on
my face. “What this means is that should I find myself in danger, or
even distress, something within you will compel you to make all speed
to my aid. But it isn’t a one-sided coin. I would know the same of
you. It also means that you will do whatever you must to protect me.
Including keeping all my secrets. When the covenant is sealed, you
will find yourself absolutely unable to betray me.”

“The covenant is breakable, though. If I fail to renew it with you
within three moons, the bond will weaken to the point that, if you
have the will, you could free yourself. If I were to physically abuse
you, causing you great injury or extreme pain for long periods, you
might find the will to free yourself. If another vampire, someone
stronger then myself forced you to accept the gift from him, that
would transfer the covenant to him.” She smiled slightly. “I haven’t
seen a vampire older than myself in centuries though.” Somehow I knew
she didn’t mean older in years.

“Are you willing to make this covenant with me Erlic? Will you accept
this gift from me?”

“I am, Nalita,” I replied

She went to her desk and picked up a tiny silver dagger. She
approached me as I sat, and stood in front of me. As I watched, she
drew the blade across her wrist, and let the blood well up. “Then take
this gift, and be bound by the Covenant of Blood.”

I looked at her wrist, then at her, and shook my head in refusal. She
looked disappointed for a moment, thinking I was refusing the
covenant. “I have shared the gift with you twice, Nalita. Neither time
did I drink from a wound you caused, and only in the most extreme
necessity will I drink from your wrist. Why do you ask it of me in
this most important of contracts?”

Her eyes widened as she realized what I was saying. I think I saw
moisture appear in her eyes before she turned away and picked up a
kerchief off her desk. She carefully wiped the blood from her wrist,
and I was surprised to see the wound had closed as I had spoken. Then
she turned to face me again. “I…I’d be pleased if you took my gift as
before, Erlic. I wasn’t sure if you would want to, though.”

My answer was wordless. I slowly undressed her, letting my lips roam
across her torso, exploring and teasing her as I hadn’t before. Then I
undressed, refusing her assistance. When I was naked as well, I
pressed her back on the edge of the bed. Her legs hung over the side,
and I kneeled between them.

I kissed up her thighs and across her groomed pubis. Then I ran my
tongue along her naked sex. This time, I didn’t settle for a taste. I
made love to her sex with my mouth and tongue. I caressed her labia
with the tip of my tongue. I stroked her clit and sucked on her
softly. I thrust my tongue inside her as I pressed my face against her
groin, and drove her over the edge repeatedly.

And then I kissed up her belly and diaphragm. My lips and mouth teased
and tortured her breasts and nipples. I kissed between her breasts and
up her throat. And when my lips found hers, I kissed her slowly,
lingeringly, lovingly. And I sank my shaft into her. Nalita screamed
in pleasure as I filled her, and bucked against me as I began to
slowly thrust inside her. Then I made slow delightful love to her.

I ignored all of her demands and whimpers that I thrust faster. I was
determined to make this the most fantastic experience I possibly
could. And when her body told me she was at the edge, when I knew the
wait would only cause her distress, only then did I bite her hard on
the nipple and split the flesh to free her gift. And as she screamed
her agonized pleasure, and ripped the juices from my loins with her
frantic spasms, her blood coated my tongue, and the only vision that
filled my mind was my own face as she gazed up at me.

And again her blood brought me back to life. And this time she didn’t
sample the lubricant that leaked out. She took me in her mouth and
sucked me as far as she dared. She closed her fist upon my staff and
stroked me as she licked the head. She savored each drop that escaped.
And when I begged her to stop, that my explosion approached, she
simply took me comfortably in her mouth and drove me insane. And when
I filled her mouth, she swallowed each eruption with obvious pleasure.

I lay back on the bed with my head spinning and tried to catch my
breath. She lay across me, and I watched her lick her lips for stray
drops that may have escaped. “In case anyone else asks, yes, what you
fill me with does taste different then the clear liquid at the start.
The first has a sweetness, and the second is more salty/bitter. But I
think I like them both.” I just looked at her in amazement. She
grinned and kissed my chin. “Now, come bathe me.”

In the bath we made love one more time, and again I filled her as she
fed.


Nalita kept me nearby for the next four years. I made short journeys
fairly often, to Karacao, Gambi, and Philista. And once a year I
traveled to Shinta. But I was mostly home with my wife and daughter,
and I delighted in watching Zara grow. I had just returned from
Karacao with a load of nutmeg and cloves, and in my cabin was a
special surprise. Special because today was Zara’s fifth birthday.

Mia had told me she planned to invite many of the children of our
friends to celebrate with Zara. I was looking forward to the
celebration as well. I took the surprise from my cabin and made my way
home. When I entered the estate, I was amazed to see dozens of
children playing games and generally enjoying themselves. But one
little girl caught my eye. Her night black hair was almost shoulder
length, and she had it styled in a fine braid. The braid was tied with
a silver chain that had been a gift from her aunt. She wore eastern
men’s trousers that I knew drove her mother to frustration. But as she
tried to explain, you can’t climb trees in a kimono. But her blouse I
knew was silk. A tomboy she might have been, but she did like fine
things as well.

Then she turned and saw me. “Poppa! Poppa!” And she dashed over to me
and leaped into my arms. She covered my face with kisses. “Momma said
you might not be home for my party. I’m so glad you got home!” As she
gazed into my face her black eyes sparkled with delight, and I leaned
over and kissed her button nose. Then someone stepped out of the house
proper.

“Momma! Poppa’s home! He made it to my party!”

A smiling woman hurried to join us and embraced us both. “I see that
Francesca. Did you tell him how much we missed him?”

Zara frowned a moment. “No, I hadn’t gotten to that.” Then she turned
to me. “Poppa, Momma and I have missed you very much. Did you miss us,
too?”

“Very much so, sweet Francesca. I thought about you both every night,
and told the goddess to watch over you and your momma.” I set her
down. “Now, go play with your guests, and let me show your momma how
much I missed her.”

Zara laughed. “He’s going to kiss you lots, Momma!” Then she dashed
off to play.

Mia smiled and leaned against me. “Is she right, are you going to kiss
me lots?”

“Oh yes, for hours and hours!”

“Oh good!”

And we went into the house, and I showed her how much I had missed
her.

A few hours later, when the party had broken up and the other children
had returned home, Mia, Zara, and I sat down to supper. They both
pestered me with questions about my journey, and I brought out the map
I’d had a cartographer draw for me. Zara was fascinated with the
places I visited, and demanded I draw the route I took for each one on
the map. At this point, there were half dozen courses drawn in
different color inks across the map. Mia made us put it up until
supper was done, though.

When we were finished I was leaning against a pile of cushions
drinking tea when Zara settled on my lap and wrapped her arms around
my neck. “Poppa. It is my birthday, you know.” She said this in a very
serious tone.

“Yes. I know” I replied.

“Now I know you just got home, so I will understand if you haven’t had
the opportunity.”

“Opportunity for what?” I asked her strait-faced.

Mia sat across from us, and I knew by the sparkle in her eyes she was
having trouble not laughing aloud.

“Well, I just wondered if maybe, well…”

“Yes?”

“Didyoubringmeapresent?” This came out in a rush.

“ A present, hmm? As a matter of fact, your momma and I discussed this
before I left. We decided a big girl of five could be trusted with
this.”

Zara looked delighted but curious. “What is it, Poppa? What did you
bring me?”

Knowing I was pinned for the moment by a small child, Mia took up a
small bell and summoned one of the house slaves. I addressed the young
man. “In the master suite there is a package on the floor. Bring it to
me. Carefully.”

The young man hurried to do as I bid, and returned in a few moments.
He set the package before me then bowed when Mia dismissed him. Zara
sat looking at the package excitedly. “You may open it, Francesca,” I
said with a smile.

I could tell she wanted to tear the wrappings off it, but she forced
herself to be lady-like and decorous.
Then the package was open, and Francesca looked at the ugly creature
in the cage. “What is it, Poppa?”

“It’s called a turtle. We thought about a puppy, but your momma and I
decided this was better. It can’t move fast enough to get too far
away, thus you won’t lose it. And it’s also an experiment. If you take
care of the turtle, keep him fed and happy, maybe next year, you can
have another pet.”  I suddenly found myself buried under a very happy
five year old being very generous with her kisses.

Zara did take good care of her turtle, and it grew strong. What
surprised me was the night I called her inside for the night, and saw
the turtle scurrying (well, turtle-scurrying) after her. The next
year, she got a puppy. And a menagerie would follow for the next
eleven years.

After Zara’s fifth birthday, Nalita decided it was time to expand our
contacts. I would now make much longer journeys, some as long as four
months.  I could have been gone longer, but Nalita became depressed
when I was gone too long.

After one of these long journeys, Nalita usually had me stop at her
home on the way to my own. There she would renew the covenant, and I
would relax as she satisfied her hunger. Then I would go home and show
Mia how much I had been thinking of her while I was gone. Nalita and I
were seldom truly intimate for the first ten years of Zara’s life.

But after Zara’s eleventh birthday, a servant presented me with a
sealed envelope shortly after our fleet docked.

“Master Erlic,
         Because I wish for a full accounting on the success of your
journey, I request that you attend me tomorrow at noon.
         Mistress Nalita

I nodded to the messenger. “Tell Mistress Nalita I will be honored to
call upon her on the morrow. I shall be at home if she needs to
contact me before noon”

Then I made my way home. Normally, I was eager to see Mia because the
renewed covenant was working its magic on me. Today there was no
magic. I entered the estate and was immediately accosted by a yellow
lab and a ginger cat. When I reached down to greet them both,
something landed on my shoulder and a monkey chattered in my ear as it
began grooming my blond locks. The lovebirds sang greetings at me, but
the ferret just slunk past. The monkey hopped off as I approached the
door. Then the trainer of this menagerie walked past the door and
stopped abruptly.

“Poppa! Welcome home!” Then I found myself crushed in the arms of an
eleven-year-old cutie and kissed on both cheeks.

I hugged Zara tight. “Thank you, Francesca, it’s good to be home.
Where were you off to this morning?”

“I was going to go have lunch with Aunt Nalita, then Teniko was going
to show me the puppies her dog had last night.” Teniko was the oldest
daughter of Kiro and Hiroko. (Yes, Kiro did finally realize he was the
right one.)

“Ahh, very nice. And no, no puppies,” I said with a grin.

Zara tried to look disappointed, but her black eyes twinkled at me.
“That’s ok, I don’t thing Gus would want another puppy around,
anyway.”

“No, probably not. Now, where’s momma?”

“She’s in the bath. I don’t think she expected you home till late this
afternoon, so she’s been trying to make herself more beautiful. Waste
of effort, I say”” I was going to speak up in Mia’s defense, but shut
up as Zara continued. “How do you improve on goddess given excellence?
I wish I was as pretty as Momma.”

“You are beautiful, Francesca. And when you are more mature, you’ll
look at your momma and realize just how alike you really are.” She
grinned and kissed me on the cheek again and then dashed off with a
wave.

I made my way to the master suite, and peeked inside the bath. Mia was
seated in the stone pool, facing the garden. I couldn’t tell, but it
looked like she was dozing. When I entered our bedroom, one of the
servant girls saw me. “Oh, Master! Welcome home! I’ll go tell Mistress
you are here!”

“No, wait.”  I noticed she was carrying towels, cloth and Mia’s
favorite soap. “You were going to bathe the Mistress?”

“Aye, Master. I was just awaiting her call.”

“Good. Lay everything on the bed. Then instruct the staff not to
disturb us unless Zara has an emergency.” I’d once made the mistake of
telling the servants not to disturb us without any exceptions, and
they had found themselves in the unenviable position of treating the
arm Zara broke falling off the high wall of a neighbor’s estate. We
had all learned from that experience.

When the maid left, I undressed and waited for Mia’s call. I didn’t
wait long. I tried to make myself sound like one of the servant girls
as I entered the bath, and knelt behind Mia. I took the washcloth and
got it wet, then coated it with the sweet soap Mia preferred. When I
began to wash her back and shoulders, she sighed contentedly and
leaned forward to allow better access. After rinsing her, I took a
small bucket and wet her hair. “Damn it, Jiao, I wasn’t going to wash
that today. The Master will be home this afternoon, and I was going to
let him brush it for me.”

Instead of saying anything, I lathered my hands, and reached around
her, and began to wash her breasts.
“Jiao, don’t try to distract me. I hate when I have to…” Then she
realized the hands caressing her weren’t the soft palms of her maid.
She turned with a start, then kissed me delightedly. “Beloved! You are
home already!”

I slid into the pool beside her, and drew her into my arms. “Indeed.
And I think I’m glad.” I grinned at her.

Her hand slid down my chest and stomach, then reached lower. What she
found made her smile. “Ummhmm, I’d say you are glad. Sit on the edge,”
she commanded. I scooted back and up obediently. When I was sitting
out of the water, she made her way to me. She lay down along my legs
and began to stroke my erection.  Then she ran her tongue around it
and slowly took it between her lips.

“Ohhhyesss!” I hissed softly. Mia looked up at me with a smile and
flicked her tongue against my shaft. I closed my eyes in rapture. Then
I felt her shift her body slightly, and felt her sex press against the
top of my foot. As she made love with her mouth, she stroked herself
against my ankle. It didn’t take her long to draw the treat from my
loins.

We shifted places, and she sat on the pool edge. As I ran my tongue up
and down her labia, she moaned with delight. “Mmmmmmmm, goddess, your
touch is divine. Ooooohhh, do that again!”

As I delighted in her squirms and moans, I felt her tiny feet caress
the tip of my staff. The teasing touches made me hard again, and after
she came from my ministrations, I stepped up to the next shelf, and
slid easily inside her.

I kissed her passionately as she groaned with pleasure. I liked this
position. The water was warm, and covered us both as we joined. The
back of the pool held her against me, and I could control the speed
and depth of each stroke. I was able to keep my lips locked on hers,
or I could gaze into her eyes. I could look down and see where we were
joined, and I could caress her as I slid in and out. Or I could caress
and tease her breasts. I did all of these things, until she wrapped
her legs around my thighs and locked me inside her quivering slit. And
then I anointed her womb with my joy.

Whoever designed this pool had been brilliant. There was a constant flow of
fresh waters into the tub, which left the pool delightfully clean
within moments. And moments later, I was lathering up Mia’s long dark
locks. I’d always loved the feel of her lustrous hair in my hands, and
thoroughly enjoyed caring for it. And she loved having me bathe her.
She would lean back against me as I washed her torso, and murmur
happily when I paid generous attention to her breast and groin. Then
she’d press her breasts to my chest as I washed her back and bottom.
And often, a lovely bath together ended in equally delightful very
long, slow sensual massages that usually ended with us cuddled
together while we napped.

That was how we lay when Zara shook my shoulder lightly. “Wake up, my
sleepy parents.”

I moaned and rolled over on my back, then quickly rolled back against
her mother. Although Zara often saw us nude, I didn’t feel it was
proper to display myself so blatantly. Unfortunately, Mia felt me
move, and still half asleep, pressed her bottom against me and wiggled
suggestively. Zara’s light snicker lifted her form her sensual fog,
though.

“Ummm, hello Francesca. Why did you wake me from this wonderful
dream?”

“I left you alone for four hours, but I’m sorry, I’m hungry. And you
know Binto won’t let me snack this close to supper. So unless I drag
you out of your warm bed, I starve.” She grinned as she said it, but a
rumble from her stomach gave truth to her words.

“Alright. Turn around and let me dress, then you can help me with your
mother. Do you want to do her kimono or her hair?”

“I’ll do the kimono. She’s let me do her hair most days while you were
gone.”

“Umm, hello, please don’t talk about me like I’m not here.” I knew she
was teasing, but I kissed her neck as I scooted out of bed. Zara
obediently turned away as I pulled on a pair of linen trousers. I was
surprised to see she was wearing her dark blue kimono. “Weren’t you
wearing trousers when you left?”

She nodded. “Would you believe Aunt Nalita made me come home and
change before lunch? She said trousers were fine for a rough and
tumble day, but inappropriate for a lady’s luncheon. For goodness
sake, I’m over at all of the other ladies’ houses in trousers. True,
it’s not usually for a fancy luncheon.” She looked defiant for a
moment. “But Aunt Nalita didn’t say it was a Luncheon when she invited
me. Usually its just the two of us, or sometimes one or two of our
friends.”

During her tirade I got a significant point that Zara had apparently
overlooked. “So, you went to Aunt Nalita’s for a fancy luncheon with
the other ladies from the area? What happened, did you forget to eat?”
I knew this was blatantly untrue. Zara was a chowhound. But she was
also so active she needed to be.

Mia looked over at Zara with a grin. She’d caught the point, too.

Zara looked embarrassed in being caught in her little deception. “Ok,
I’m not starving. But I am bored, it is suppertime, and I’ve missed
Poppa. Fair enough?”


“Fair enough,” her mother answered. “Now go get my green kimono, and
toss your poppa my brush on the way.” Zara almost skipped to the
dressing table and then to the wardrobe.

For as thick as her hair was, Mia’s locks were easily tamed. I had it
brushed out almost immediately after Zara finished tying the sash of
her kimono. Then we went to supper and enjoyed a long evening
together.

The next day I made my way to Nalita’s for our meeting. We talked for
a bit, and I asked her about the Luncheon.

“Zara is growing up, Erlic. And you and Mia have done a marvelous job
of raising her. But let’s be honest. Mia was not raised in the social
circle she finds herself implanted in. She’s made a magnificent effort
to adjust, but there are times she feels completely overwhelmed. I
know, because she comes to me for help.  I know the other ladies
accept her, and I make sure she knows this.”

“But one day she asked me to help socialize Zara. So, a little at a
time, we put her in a social circumstance that she’s unused to, and
let her observe. Normally Mia comes along, but we knew you’d be home
sometime yesterday, and she wanted to be home. Zara usually catches on
quickly, but a couple of times she’s come to me after and asked for
help. And that is what Mia and I want her to do. Question, learn, and
adjust. And learn to separate the pompous bitches from the
compassionate and caring Ladies. She’s become very good at that, and
at keeping her personal impressions concealed when necessary. And both
Mia and Zara have made some very good new friends.”

“Now, stop worrying about your wife and daughter. I need you to worry
about me instead.”  And she led me back to her bedchamber.

This time she undressed me. She did it slowly, and let her fingertips
explore me as she did so. I know she was mentally filing each spot
that made me squirm for future torments, but she didn’t take any undue
pleasure in my ordeal this time. Future encounters would reveal she
had an incredible memory.

At last I stood naked before her. She knelt and took me in her hands,
admiring me and caressing me. She quickly had me hard, and she again
took me between her lips. She was tentative in her actions, but still
enthusiastic. Her tongue would swirl around me as she sucked softly.
She would purse her lips around the tip as her hand gently squeezed
me. I always shivered when she used her tongue to push my foreskin
back. And I learned she truly relished the taste of my desire. And I’d
found I enjoyed kissing her even if I could still taste myself in her
mouth.

Then she allowed me to undress her. Much to my chagrin, she kept her
reactions hidden better than I. I did manage to learn a few secrets
that made her giggle, and a couple that made her sigh. The ones that
made her sigh, I re-used extensively. Then I had her sit on the edge
of the bed. I was going to have her lay back, but she refused. “I want
to watch,” she admitted.

I considered this and adjusted my position a bit. This one wasn’t as
comfortable, but it did allow her to see at least some of what I did.
I began by kissing her softly along her labia and around her clit.
Then I began a slow caress with my tongue. Every few moments I would
look up at her face and watch her reactions. She was watching in
fascination as I began, but soon her eyes were closed and she was
breathing faster. As I circled her clit with my tongue, then lightly
sucked upon it, I glanced up. By now, her head was thrown back; she
was leaning heavily on her arms, her breath coming in tiny gasps. And
when I bit her softly, her hands clenched in my hair and she howled
her pleasure.

She disentangled her fingers slowly, and then tipped my face up.
“Enough play. Fuck me, Erlic. Fuck me, and bite me, and make me
scream.” I know I looked shocked. She had never said that word in
front of me.

Then she scooted back on the bed and spread her legs wantonly. I
climbed between them and set the head of my shaft at the entrance to
her tunnel. “Do it Erlic. Fuck me.” I shocked myself. I drove my shaft
to the hilt with one violent stroke, and she screamed in outraged joy.
We didn’t make love this time. We had animalistic intercourse. I took
her hard, driving my cock deep with each stroke, and her pussy
clenched and tried to trap me within her. When I withdrew, I could
feel the lips of her slit being pulled out with my cock, and driven
back with each drive to the depths. Her pussy was so wet that each
thrust seemed to spray her juices against my pubes, but she gripped me
like a fist. Her cries and moans filled my ears, and she writhed
beneath me, grinding her clit against my cock whenever I slammed
inside her. Then she wrapped her legs around my back and pulled me
down, trapping my shaft inside the pulsating inferno of her sex.

That’s when I bit her. Not her nipple this time. No. This time I
kissed her hard, and then bit her lip through. Her blood didn’t ooze
and coat my tongue; it spurted and filled my mouth.  We came together,
thrashing on the bed and sharing inhuman sounds of pleasure. And then
we collapsed together. I don’t remember any of the visions from that
day.

When we moved to the tub, I was extremely gentle. I kissed her healed
but still bruised lip softly, and washed her tenderly. When she
mounted me in the water, we made love, slowly. Even her bite was
affectionate, and she drank slowly, letting her mouth fill instead of
draining me. And her tongue caressed me teasingly slow. Then we did
something we seldom did anymore. We cuddled against each other on the
bed, and slept for a bit.


It was the summer of Zara’s seventeenth year. The weather in the
region had been wetter than in any memory. Floods and storms had
hammered the interior of the islands, and my last trip had taken an
extra month because of numerous storms. The homecomings had been
marvelous. Zara was by now a beautiful young woman. Her hair hung down
to the middle of her back, and her black eyes gleamed with laughter
usually. Her lessons with Nalita had given her a cultured and mature
bearing, and her tutors had given her a brilliance that matched
Hiroko’s.


But I had been home nearly ten days now, and the world was turning
foul. A pestilence had arisen. A horrifying disease that filled the
body with agonizing swellings and hideous blisters. The only benefit
was it killed quickly. But it spread with ease. And it had made its
way in to my home. First Jiao, then Binto had perished. I’d carried
their bodies to one of the many pyres scattered around Nasai.

Zara came to me first. “Poppa. Oh goddess, Poppa!” And she showed me
the first of the blood filled blisters on her shoulder. Then she
collapsed sobbing in my arms. “Poppa, I don’t want to die! Can’t you
do something? I know, we’ll go on your ship. We’ll go far away. Oh
Poppa!!”  Her weeping tore my heart apart. “I’m afraid to die. Why
can’t I be brave like Giasao? She didn’t cry, not once.” I wanted to
ask when she’d seen Giasao, one of her best friends, a girl a year
younger than Zara. But now it didn’t matter.

That’s when Mia came in. She sank down with us and wrapped her arms
around us both. And I saw with dread the blister behind her ear.

Two days later, I was alone. I’d held them both when the pain drove
them to agonized weeping. I gave them drugged wines to help them
sleep. I’d bathed them when the blisters burst and left them bloody
and noisome. And that morning I’d carried them to one of the ever-
multiplying pyres.

And I had wept for the next three days. But I was done weeping. It was
time for more. So I lay in the pool and picked up the dagger I’d first
used in the forests near home. Home. I’d never see those forests
again. Never see the parents that had given me life and a chance for
the happiness a pestilence had taken from me. I held my arm under the
water and dragged the tip of the blade along my wrists and up my arm.
Then I did the same to the other one. The blood in the water obscured
my sight for a while, then it cleared, and I remembered Nalita’s gift.
Or her curse. The wounds had closed.

It would take longer, but I decided I’d do one arm, and hold it open
with the blade till I passed out. Then maybe I’d drown if the wound
closed too soon. It never occurred to me to open my throat instead.

I was sitting in the pool feeling drowsy and cool when the door burst
open and a raging Nalita dragged me from the water

“YOU INCONSIDERATE SON OF A WHORE!! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME?! YOU
DON”T THINK I WOULD HAVE DONE THIS FOR YOU IF YOU HAD ASKED?."

I was confused and dopey. What would she have done? Then her fangs
tore open my throat. And I knew one reason she was angry. I’d just
filled the pool with blood she craved. Then I relaxed. This way was
better, anyway. She would take me quickly, and I’d find my sweet Mia
and Zara in the next world. I could see Mia coming to me, to lead me
to our new home. But she leaned over to kiss me, and spoke: “I’m
sorry, my beloved, but you can’t come home yet. You have many things
to accomplish first. Forgive Nalita, she does as the Goddess commands
her.”

Then liquid fire filled my mouth and Mia and I were torn
asunder. Then pain came. It was ten thousand times worse
then the first taste of Nalita’s blood. Nalita’s blood. I
held the pulsing vein to my mouth and drank deeply. I was
starving. My lungs burned like I’d run thirty leagues at a
sprint. My mouth was parched like a desert dune. Then the
blood was stripped away from my mouth, and I opened my eyes
and screamed my rage.
