Death Angel

Chapter 14: Hot Bath

I didn’t speak for a long time. I looked around me at the well-dressed vampires. They looked at me with mixed emotions. In some eyes, I saw revulsion; eyes that couldn’t bear to look upon my person, all covered in vile and putrid Class-D flesh. In others’ eyes, I saw pity for my situation. They understood - probably more than most - what I had been through, what it was like to face persecution. By far what I saw in many eyes was fear. Fear of the power of the Death Angel that held sway over them. Was I a threat? Or could I perhaps be a benefactor that could be exploited for their benefit? It was in those eyes that I began to understand the role that I had to play in all this.

My mind raced to find a reason. Gregor Vincent was an enigma. His youthful appearance was disarming; he had a beguiling, almost far too youthful smile. Radiant and deep azure eyes stared back at me. A slender nose, deep red lips and a slim jawline made him wildly attractive, almost like a really hunky sixteen year-old who modelled on the side. But it was the eyes that betrayed him.

I realized it the moment I looked into them. Gregor’s eyes saw many things. The liquid nature of those eyes betrayed the years behind them. In those eyes, I saw sorrow, anger, and hatred. A life that had seen far too much. Perhaps over the course of many lives.

I saw experience, and far more deadly than that, I saw wisdom and guile.

Things that could only belong to a man with years of experience. This was no sixteen-year-old. This was a vampire who had lived far too long and who had seen many things throughout the ages.

Gregor smiled at me wordlessly for a few moments.

“It appears you understand, Ms. Hunter,” he said shortly after,

“Understand?”

“What it is you face. You understand who I am, what I represent, despite the fact that no words have been uttered between you and I.” Gregor swished the crystal glass he held in his hand and sniffed it, before taking a sip of a red liquid. “I was unsure of you at first. But it appears the Reaper has chosen his newest Death Angel very well.”

I cringed. I wasn’t entirely sure if he was sipping a 1985 Bordeaux or something I entirely wasn’t comfortable with.

Gregor noticed my fascination with the glass. “Relax,” he said with yet another smile. “This is entirely Bordeaux. French-made, only the finest. What year would you guess?”

“Eighty-five,” I said. “You have fine taste, you run a bar, I have no reason to believe it would be anything other than that.”

Gregor put his glass down and clapped his hand slowly and purposefully. “Well done, Ms. Hunter. Your guess is remarkably close.  It is an ‘89 Bordeaux, Chateau Haut-Brion, only the finest. But I would not have expected anything less of you.”

He moved toward me, his gaze piercing. I did not move. I met his eyes directly.

“You think this is a game, don’t you, Ms. Hunter?”

“Please, call me Vanessa. I’m all covered in grime, there’s no need for such formality.”

Gregor shook his head. “Of course. Where are my manners?”

He snapped his fingers, and an entourage of beautiful women showed up.

“Please see to it that Ms. Hunter is properly taken care of.” The group of five women smiled and bowed at me as they proceeded to guide me.

“Ah! One more thing,” said Gregor. “She is a guest of ours. She is not to be harmed.”

One of the women took my hand in hers, her hand cold as ice. “Do not fear madame,” she whispered in my ear with a smile. “No one in the Brood will be foolish enough to defy Gregor. He has given his word that you will be safe. We will take care of you.”

The vampire women led me down a long hallway. The hallway was elegant, lined with various paintings and ambient lighting that complemented them perfectly.

The paintings themselves were less than tasteful, however, portraying scenes of torture and death. One scene depicted a lone man who had taken the liberty of impaling himself upon a rather wicked looking spear, the blood-soaked tip protruding far away from his spine as he fell forward, his guts spilling onto the ground and reddening the soil. Another painting showed a man in the process of being ‘drawn and quartered’, his arms and legs strung up and tied to horses that pulled him apart in four different directions. Mercifully, the artist did not depict the man’s final fate.

The thematic similarities in the paintings told me they were related; possibly all done by the same person.

“You like these paintings?” the leader of the group of women asked me.

“I’m not exactly sure ‘like’ is the word I would use to describe it.”

“Gregor’s paintings,” she said to me, almost with an air of nonchalance.

“Of course they are.”

“You may call me Natalya,” the tall woman said with a smile.

“You are Gregor’s woman?” I said.

Natalya laughed. “Gregor enjoys the company of both men and women,” she said. “He does not subscribe to such old-fashioned ideals.”

“But surely he has a favorite, no?” I pressed.

Natalya sucked in deep and bared her sharp fangs at me. “Do not press your luck, Death Angel. I have orders not to harm you, but I do not think Gregor would mind if I toyed with you a little. A missing finger or a missing ear, would hardly be something he would mind.”

I decided to let that one go. It would not be wise to pick a fight when one was in the middle of the enemy stronghold.

We reached the end of the hallway and I found myself staring at the coldly clinical doors of an elevator. The steel doors opened right as we reached them. By now I was feeling more than a little self-conscious. After all, I was the only one in the group who continued to drip vampire refuse onto the beautiful carpets.

“Don’t worry,” said Natalya, noticing my hesitation, “we will have you nice and clean and beautiful soon.”

We entered the elevator and the doors closed behind us. The elevator descended, and I felt the air pressure mount between my ears. I realized we were descending a long distance, far below the earth. I still wasn’t quite sure what it was I had gotten myself into.

“Tell me about Gregor,” I asked Natalya as we continued our descent.

The beautiful woman smiled. Her blonde hair and blue eyes almost hid her sinister nature.

“Gregor is, and has always been there for the Brood,” she said. “He is our savior, our master. We do not question his benevolence or his judgment. Our lives are his.”

“What does he want from me?”

Natalya sucked in a deep breath at that. “It is not my place, Death Angel, to guess what Gregor thinks. In my opinion, it is a mistake to bring you here.”

“Why is it a mistake?”

“You are the enemy,” she said quite simply.

“You are mistaken, Natalya.” I replied. “I don’t have any particular reason to kill any of you. All I want is information.”

“Aye, that is what Gregor said,” she said with a smile. “I can only hope that he is right.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“To our private quarters. We shall see to it that you are properly cared for.”

The elevator stopped, and the steel doors opened slowly. Natalya walked through and I followed. We walked through long and seemingly endless hallways. It became clear to me that the area was massive. We crossed several rooms and an impressive amphitheater that in and of itself had to have been an architectural challenge to build underground. I marveled at my surroundings, at the lush carpeting that was present everywhere and the art that seemed to serve as a focal point for the entire enterprise.

The decor in particular, acted almost like a mood-stone of sorts; it changed the deeper we went inside. The dark paintings with disturbing themes gave way to opulent paintings more reminiscent of the Renaissance era. The dark and disturbing imagery was replaced scenes of everyday life.

I scanned the scenes as I went along. One piece depicted a young girl as she went about picking flowers, the rays of the sun in her eyes. Another painting showed little girls milking cows against the backdrop of the rising sun. Yet another scene showed a family gathering around the table in early morning, eggs laid out all around alongside warm plates of gravy and various meats around a large table.

Natalya moved ahead of us and pulled up a keycard that she put it against the sensor.

The lock released and the door opened. The room that greeted us was luxurious. A massive king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room, making it’s presence felt. I looked upon soft sheets - only the best I knew as I looked upon it with more than a passing longing.

I was exhausted. I would have loved for nothing more than to be able to sleep and forget about the multitude of problems that I now faced. The bathroom was enormous, with tall ceilings, beautiful, deep-blue, glass tiles that glowed with a calming energy complemented the giant marble bath that acted as the centerpiece to the whole bathroom. Beautiful slate acted as an accent throughout. The whole thing was very tastefully done.

“Undress.” Natalya instructed.

I immediately obeyed. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t think it would be to my disadvantage. I pulled my black dress down, happy to be rid of it at this point. I took off my black panties next. So much of the goo had managed to seep into them and I was happy to be rid of them. I took of my black bra as well. Thank god for small blessings. Weaning black meant I didn’t have to see all the blood that covered my belongings. White would have been absolutely disgusting. Red might have been better, in hindsight.

Natalya had a look of disgust on her face. “We will have to dispose of your clothes for obvious reasons,” she said. “Gregor has a roomful of clothes picked out for you,” she said with the faintest hint of a smile. “You will find that the wardrobe not only fits you, but that it suits your tastes as well.”

I nodded. I didn’t care at this point. All I wanted was a bath.

“Your little scythe,” Natalya asked as she moved out her palms to take it.

“That is something I insist on keeping.” I said.

“As you wish,” Natalya smiled.

Two of the women moved into the bath and began to undress as well. Natalya turned on the water and a gentle steam began to escape from the bath. Natalya beckoned to me. “Please, allow us to be of service.”

I grew up in a life of luxury, but I don’t think I had ever been in a position where people bathed me before. It was an entirely new experience.

I went into the bath and cringed as the hot water met my skin. But I found the heat to be a source of relief for me.  I moved quickly to submerge myself in the soapy water. The women began to move in, touching my skin, rubbing their hands all around me.

“I’m not sure, I like that,” I said.

Natalya touched a finger to my lips and quickly moved in close to me. I barely had time to realize what she was up to until it was too late. She had moved in for a kiss, locking her lips in mine. I pushed to protest but found I didn’t have the strength.

Natalya had her way with me.  “You do not decide, Death Angel,” she added with a smile. “What happens to you is not something you have a say in. Only Gregor decides.”

My heart beat fast and my face was flushed. I knew I was intoxicated at this point, both from the liquor I had imbibed back in the bar, and the adrenaline that was still coursing through my person. It didn’t help that I was here, naked, helpless and close to the point of exhaustion before these women. I didn’t really know what to do. One of the women moved toward me. She bore in her hands, an ice-cold bottle of champagne, Dom Perignon no less, and two frosty wine glasses. She popped the bottle open and deftly poured the contents into the glasses before handing one to me.

I downed my glass without even tasting it, giving in to my senses. The hot steam of the bath was calming. Natalya took something in her hands and put it into the bath for me. “Sea salt,” she said. “It will calm your skin, make it more supple, more yielding.”

“More yielding to what?” I asked.

“More yielding to me.”

Gregor’s voice spoke. I saw him materialize in the mist before me. He was naked, save for a towel that covered his privates. I was taken aback, unsure about how I would react in such a  situation. Gregor immediately got into the bath with me, and I stood up quickly in reaction.

It was a mistake.

I forgot I was naked and I had completely revealed myself to him.

“You are a beautiful woman, Vanessa.” he said simply.

“That’s Ms. Hunter to you,” I snapped, as I quickly moved back into the bath.

“Are you blushing?” he asked.

“No,” I said firmly. “It’s the heat in here. My cheeks are flushed from the heat of the bath.”

“If you say, so,” Gregor said as he moved closer to me. “I would remind you that it was your specific request that I call you Vanessa.”

“No,” I said as I felt his approach.

“Are you saying ‘no’ because you don’t want to, or ‘no’ because you want this?” Gregor asked again, insistent this time.

“Please, no,” I said.

“You were perfectly comfortable kissing Natalya earlier,” he said, as he moved his face dangerously close to mine. “What’s the difference between kissing her and kissing me?”

I felt like I was about to faint. The heat was getting to me, and Gregor wasn’t doing me any favors. His good looks coupled with his mysterious eyes, my exhaustion and the liquor was making me weak.

“You don’t have to answer me,” he said with a voice that was more than just a little authoritative.

He moved his hands in the water swishing it gracefully.

“The water is like your desire, Vanessa, fickle, but every bit as malleable as I want it to be. I can feel the heat of your desire through the water just as surely as I can feel it in the air. You want me,” he said.

No, no, please don’t.

I can’t.

Daniel.

I forced myself to concentrate on thoughts of the man I left behind at the restaurant, quite possibly bewildered by my actions and wondering where I was at this time. Poor Daniel.

“When was the last time you had consummated the act, dear Vanessa?” he reached a hand out to me, and it took all my self control just to push it away.

Please, please no. I can’t do this.

“What is it you want?” he had asked finally.

“I want the very thing you have dangled in front of me to begin with. You said you knew who my killer was. Who is it?”

“Let me get between your legs and perhaps I shall tell you.”

“No!” I said with certainty. “I am not your plaything, vampire. Make one more move and find out exactly how serious I am.” I took out my scythe, ready to unleash it at any moment. “I am here because you say you have information that benefits me. Name your price and end this game between you and I.”

Gregor smiled and in my delusional state, I felt that the heat was playing tricks on me.

“A truce,” he finally said.

“A truce?” I asked.

“You leave the vampire nation alone for a little while, and I tell you what you came here to know.”

“Alright,” I said. “And if I give my word you’ll give me what I seek?”

“I must admit,” said Gregor finally, “I’m not entirely sure what the most enjoyable option might have been. There is a part of me that wanted to find out how you were in bed,” he added.

I rolled my eyes. “Please, try not to give yourself too much credit.”

Gregor got up, conveniently forgetting the towel he had on him when he got in. I I quickly averted my eyes. By the time I looked back at him, Gregor had put the towel back on and was smiling at me in amusement. “Do you really not like what you see, Death Angel? Shall we perhaps continue where we had left off? Such a shame.”

I refused to budge. “For all your theatrics, vampire,” I said, “you have yet to leave me with with anything useful. I have given you my word that your kind will not have to worry about my presence at the moment. Now is the time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain.”

Gregor laughed long and hard, his well-muscled shoulders heaving with mirth as he very obviously enjoyed my little statement.

“Helen Rutherford.”

“Come again?”

“I don’t like repeating myself, Death Angel.” Gregor’s voice cut through the calm sound of the water that flowed all around us.

“If you seek to find the person who murdered you, you must speak to Helen Rutherford.”

NOTE: Sorry gang, this is about as close as I can get to a sexy scene without breaking my PG-13 Rating! Anyone interested in an R-rated version of Death Angel? Watch for it when I finally upload the Amazon Novel. :)

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