The Seduction of Lady Marikova by Pavarti K Tyler

Since the first night you visited me, my thoughts have been branded with the cold burn of your touch. I drift in and out of focus, like a reflection upon rippled water, never sure if what I am seeing or experiencing is real. Before you, I was the most refined of ladies. My corsets cinched me into the shape of perfection while the dramatic flare of my plumed hats set me apart from other ladies of stature.

I was to wed soon and courters streamed through my father's house. One after the next they came and asked after his health and the health of my mother. Some would inquire into a business matter. It wasn't until their stature and sophistication were well in place that any mention of me was made. As if my role in this union were of secondary if not tertiary concern.

The night you arrived I knew you were different. Droplets of water clung to your dark cloak, desperate to maintain their connection to you. Even the night seemed to embrace you and follow along as you entered the brightly lit hall in which my father received visitors.

“Master Tepes,” the servant's voice rang out, announcing your arrival. But it hadn't been necessary. I'd sensed the heat of your presence as soon as you entered. Awareness traveled along the line of my neck and spread across my breast like a fever.

You nodded to my father, passing by his outstretched hand, only to come and kneel before me, your damp hair long around your shoulders. The last raindrop clinging to your lapel fell onto my elaborately embellished green dress. A fantasy filled my soul and life would never be the same. I loved you. At that moment, my very existence left my control and fell into yours.

“Sir,” my father coughed, coming to stand next to you. Your eyes bored into mine, filling my mind with images of the night sky and the freedom to run free beneath the stars. “Sir! I must say, this is highly inappropriate!”

You ignored him, and any doubt I had in my love for you vanished. My father only wanted to barter me for the highest prize in status or power. Any concern for my happiness was dismissed as easily as the cook was sent to the market for fish.

When my father forcibly pulled you from your position before me, you finally spoke. “You shall be my bride, and I shall cherish you for eternity.”

I watched, motionless, as you were escorted back to the pouring rain. I was numb to anything but the echo of your voice within my skull.

That night I could not sleep. I paced my room, ignoring my mother’s pleas to come down to the parlor with the family, refusing the maid's assistance in removing the bondage I suffered beneath my clothes. I finally succumbed to exhaustion; half dressed, lying atop my sheets, my hair still pinned up.

Beloved.

Your voice drifted into my dream, carrying me into your arms. Your cool caress inflamed my flesh and when I woke I shivered with the vividness of your embrace.

Beloved, you shall be mine.

You were there. I was no longer asleep and I was not mad, you were in my room! The shadows stretched from every corner, they all reached out to me, beckoning me to follow you into the black. Standing next to my bed, my corset loosened but not removed, my hair in disarray, I spun, searching for the eyes upon my flesh.

“Where are you?”

I am here my love, I will never leave you once you are mine.

“Let me see you.”

I am not what you think. I am so much more, so different from what your senses had you believe earlier in the parlor.

“I don't care. I love you.”

We shall see.

The shadows swirled, twisting me into confusion and desperation until instantly it stopped and only the faint scent of jasmine filtered through the window. My closed window.

The following days blurred together and my obsession with a man I'd only seen once grew in direct proportion to my father's demands to forget him. I would no longer entertain visitors. There was even a duke who messaged my father with interest in discussing my future, but my refusal to properly dress or eat forced him to send the inquiring servant away.

“You know nothing of this Tepes man other than that he disrespected me!” was all my father would say when I would gather the courage to ask if you would be calling again. He stormed away, leaving me to melt into a pool of tears and desperation.

At night I would wait for you, desperate for you to return, even if only to hear your voice. That would be enough to sustain me. Nights passed and the days became too long to bear. My usual glow paled and I became a hazy outline of my former self.

And now? I miss you so. It has been almost a month since you swore I would be your bride. I lie in bed naked beneath a thin sheet. The doctors have declared the fever hysteria. But I know it is the virus of my love for you, eating me from within, laying claim to each cell of my body. You are testing me. Am I strong enough to endure my love for you?

Each breath of wind sends shivers across my flesh as my hands clench the fabric beneath me. My mind plays tricks and I see you standing in the corner of my room, cloaked in shadows. It is your essence but not your face. The creature before me holds no resemblance to the dark haired man who knelt before me.

My beauty.

The voice is within my mind. Deep and angelic, it is yours.

“Are you he?” I ask, sitting up, holding the sheet against my breast.

I am as I've always been.

You stand, half in shadow, the light drifting in through my window accentuating the dips of pock marks and rise of scars upon your face. Your hair is no longer thick and long, but mere wisps of white dancing upon your skull. And yet it is you. I take you in. Hideous and misshapen, you are even more elegant standing before me in vulnerability.

I long to reach out and touch you. You smile. A wicked smile you will come to save just for me. You nod. Taking your unspoken command, I allow my hands to relax their grasp on the sheet. It falls away, exposing my virgin flesh to the sunken sockets that hold your eyes.

My hands glide, unsure, along my skin. I wrap my small fingers around my firm breast. You step forward, further into the light and I gasp at your disfigurement. But still, it is you. As if inspired by the beauty of the ancients I lay back on the bed, arching my back into the hands I imagine are yours. My hips move without my consent. A fire burns deep within me, feeding a need I never knew I had.

“Master,” I moan as my left hand loosens its hold on my sanity. Your eyes lock on mine as I inch lower until my fingers brush against the soft hair above the nexus of my ecstasy. I massage my breast roughly, eliciting a moan from your lips. My left hand lies on my hip, vibrations of need rolling across my body. Your image shimmers before me. The darkness hides your expression, but the glint of teeth shines behind your smile. My skin is aflame with your desire. I lay on display before you.

The breeze intensifies. Is it your command? Or a trick of nature? The sheet lifts slightly, sending the scent of my arousal across the room. The cool night air licks at my legs, contrasting the fire blazing beneath my flesh. You step closer still, your image blurring in and out of focus.

“Are you there Master? Is it really you?”

I allow myself to reach lower, parting my lips with my fingers, finding the moisture within. My fingers glide along my swollen flesh, bringing dripping desire with them. Our eyes lock. Brazenly I pull the sheet aside and bring my fingers, wet with need, to my lips. I taste myself as I lay spread before you, desperate for you to relieve the ache burning within me.

“Master,” I pray. “You said you would make me yours. That you would love me forever.”

Before me, you straighten your back, your spine realigning itself to your full height and the monster before me falls away as easily as the sheet discarded on the floor.

“My name is Vlad Tepes. I did say you would be mine, but upon the condition you can love all that I am. Not just the form before you.” I tremble at the sound of your voice, watching as you begin to unbutton the black shirt straining against your now youthful body. “You were willing to give yourself to me when I came to you on the wind. You were willing to give yourself to me when I came to you as the monster within me. Are you willing to give yourself to me now, knowing what I am?”

“I am already yours. Take whatever reassurance you require, but from the moment I laid eyes on you, I was your bride.”

You reach out, your palms cool against my face as you bring your lips to mine. I am naked upon my bed, with you, only half undressed. The torrid images of my mother's warnings filter into my mind. Never be alone with a man, they will hurt you to find their own pleasure. The pain is noble when in union between husband and wife, it is your duty and your path to salvation, but without the bond of matrimony, don't think a man will hesitate to take what he wants and leave you, nothing but a wanton slut.

I push you away slightly. The growl in your throat frightens and exhilarates me. I slide my hand inside your open shirt, pushing it off your shoulder. “If I am to be naked before you, should you not be the same?”

You laugh indulgently before standing and removing your clothes. The scars which had riddled your face earlier are gone, but they remain on the flesh beneath your clothing.

“You were badly hurt.” I state, running my hand upon your taut stomach.

“A very long time ago. It makes no difference now.” Your voice is tinged with a sorrow which makes me rage. Your eyes have softened in memory, a past injustice bringing fresh pain.

“I will have those who hurt you suffer.”

“Indeed, I believe you would.” Your shirt falls to the ground, a moment later your trousers. I stand to meet you, our souls entwined in the mystery of this union. Your hand comes around my waist, pulling me closer and up on my toes. Your lips descend to mine and entice me with their perfection. I taste the familiar jasmine flavor of you and sigh, fully accepting the inevitability of us. The shape of you blends into my body.

Reclining us against my bed you hover above me. I sink back into the pillows. You lean on one arm and roam your hand across my flesh. Skin which has never been seen, nor touched, is electrified by your caress. Tender fingers graze my body making promises of ecstasy and love.

I watch you as your eyes rake over me. Your gaze leaves waves of heat upon my skin, my temperature is no longer a fever, but a boil. Madness screams in the corners of my mind for relief as your cool hands sooth and ignite my passions.

Again you kiss me and I pull your body against mine. Your chest against my breasts is warm but the silence within is deafening.

“You have no heart.”

“You are my heart.”

The sweetness of your words makes me swell and rise to you. Our kiss lingers and hands stray to places previously forbidden. You kiss my neck and then my shoulder. Your tongue reaches out and tastes my flesh. I shiver and sigh, falling deeper under your spell of lust. Your hand moves to my hip and your lips drift lower. Soon you are teasing my nipple, your tongue and lips holding me captive. I arch into you, wanting you to take me. I have no words for the emotions pounding in my head or the sensations pulsing through my body, but I know I need to be yours. I want to be devoured, feasted upon, ravaged. I want to rejoice in you and have you inhale me into your very flesh.

I sink my hands into your hair and pull you back to me. You press the full length of your body against mine and I open for you. With my legs wide and my womanhood exposed I welcome you within me. The hardness of your gender frightens me and I close my eyes, anticipating the deep pain of my mother's stories.

You kiss my eyes, and lower your hand between us. Instead of pain and violation, I feel myself warm as you slide against me.

“I will not hurt you, beloved, I will give you everything the night has to offer. I will give you strength and power, I will give you eternity.” Your voice soothes me and I relax my grip on your shoulders, allowing my body to again melt into yours. My soft curves against the hard planes of your shape. But it's your soul I merge with when you enter me. The wind, the monster, the man. I love them all.

Opening my eyes I look up to see the promises you've made and the truth of their words.

“I will be forever yours,” is all I say before taking your lips to mine, welcoming the union you offer.

You pull away and with one sharp thrust and a howl that shakes the heavens, you take me. Your teeth sink into my neck and as your body fills me with your passion you drain me of my life. I give it willingly. Our bodies move together, dancing with the slow and intentional movements of infinity as we seek out the highs of our new connection. You release my neck before leaning down and taking my breast into your mouth again, this time sinking your teeth deep into the soft tissue. I move with you, the moment of pain has dissipated into the ether as I watch the world melt away and all consciousness disappear with it.

When I am reborn, it will be as your bride.

Check Out Pavarti's Other EROTIC HORROR: Consumed by Love

Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway.

Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry for several international law firms. She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs. When not preparing taxes, she is busy working as the Marketing Director of Novel Publicity and penning her next novel. 

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