Time, Death & Scar Tissue...

41. Platinum Poe

Even though the day had been filled with distractions, Kathryn was dying to know what he had gotten her. From what she could tell his routine hadn't changed, but that hardly mattered anymore. He might have shopped online. The object was less important than the fact that he was thinking about her. With her Grandmother's quick exit it made her wonder if he had gotten her anything at all. Kathryn got up and collected the wrapping paper before turning off several lamps. She settled next to him again and snuggled against his chest. He stroked her back and Kathryn sighed contentedly against him.

“That painting must have cost you a small fortune.” He said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Kathryn was smiling, his fingers laced softly in her hair.

“Not as much as you might think.” She smiled a little. “The appraisal was too low, no one in his family liked it and since I had such a good story we came to terms I could live with. Besides,” She looked up at him a mischievous little grin on her lips. “It's rumored that I can be rather charming as well.”

“Really?” One eyebrow rose. “And just how charming were you?”

“It was positively scandalous.” Kathryn looked away, trying not to laugh. He gripped her chin lightly and turned her eyes back to his.

“I think I'd like to hear about your scandalous escapades.” She could see the amusement around his eyes, and was very glad that she read him so well. Otherwise, she would have been a little scared.

“Well, he and I went out a couple of times, for lunch, in a brightly lit, crowded restaurant.” Kathryn laughed and smiled up at him.

“I'm surprised you weren't in all the papers.” He laughed and kissed her lips softly, she settled against him.

“Besides, it would have been worth ten times the price to see the look on her face.” She closed her eyes and he stroked her back softly.

“And were you as charming with the owner of the lamp?” Now he was being serious. Kathryn looked up at him and tried not to tremble.

“I wasn't charming at all. The widow who owned it thought it was ugly and wasn't worth anything. I just paid the price she was asking. It isn't my fault if people don't know what they have.” He kissed her lightly.

“You do have an incredible eye.” He smiled slightly.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him, deciding to deal the jealous implications later. Bringing it up right now would only ruin the mood and probably wouldn't solve anything.

“Hopefully, this will please that discerning eye.” He handed her simple black velvet box, Kathryn felt herself blush deeply. She opened the box to find a platinum book on fine chain. The brushed, matte cover was made in the style of an old, leatherbound book. It was etched with scrollwork designs and accented with rose cut diamonds. The words Annabel Lee were engraved in the cover. “It opens.” He said softly. Her fingers trembled a little as she opened the cover.

“'And this maiden she lived with no other thought,” Kathryn could feel tears starting to fill her eyes. She turned the page, even though she knew the lines by heart. “Than to love and be loved by me.” Kathryn felt tears starting to slide down her cheeks. She set the box carefully aside and hugged him tightly.

“I take it this is a positive reaction?” He held her tightly, she could hear the small smile in his voice.

“How did you remember? I mentioned the poem once, the first night we met.” She clung to him. He laughed softly.

“You made a strong impression on me that night, my Kathryn.” He stroked her back softly. “Do you like it?” She moved back a little and looked into his eyes.

“I love it.” She spoke softly. “It's perfect, and the lines-” She looked away and started to cry again. He brushed her tears away gently and found her lips.

“Thank you.” She whispered softly when his lips retreated slightly.

“You're welcome.” His soft lips brushed hers as he spoke, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. He closed the box and slipped it back into his pocket before picking her up. Kathryn gasped and tightened her arm around his neck. “You still don't trust me not to drop you?” He smiled slightly.

“You still don't give me any warning.” She laughed softly and relaxed in his arms, forgetting about the lights and everything else. He set her down and kissed her softly once they were alone behind a locked door.

“Get undressed.” He said softly. She smiled a little and picked up her nightgown. “No. Undressed.” He said a little more firmly, taking it from her hand. Kathryn blushed deeply and couldn't meet his eyes. She waited until his back was turned and then went into the bathroom. Kathryn undressed and tried to force herself to go out into the bedroom. She told herself that she had bathed with him, she slept naked with him every night, and he'd had his mouth and tongue in places that made her blush to think about, but she couldn't make herself to step into the room so exposed. Finally she emerged, holding towel loosely around her body. She was surprised to see softly glowing candles scattered around the room and him wearing lounging pajama bottoms. He looked at her and held his hand out to her. She took it and settled into his embrace.

“I'm sorry.” She said softly.

He stroked her back. “Why does it bother you?”

“I don't know. I know that I don't need to hide from you.” He pulled her down next to him on the bed, and Kathryn relaxed. “I just always feel so self-conscious when I think about you looking at me. Not as bad as I did at first, but it's still there.” Her eyes were down. He held her, one hand stroking her hair.

“Why?” Kathryn shook her head a little.

“I can't explain it.” She said. He stroked her side softly, each movement of his hand moving the towel away from her body. Kathryn made no move to stop him. “I know I shouldn't be ashamed.”

He kissed her shoulder and she moved a little, letting him take the towel away. His eyes fixed on hers for a long moment, Kathryn felt her heart starting to pound. “You don't think you're beautiful enough.” He said finally.

“I'm not. I'm plain, and-” He kissed her softly.

“The women in your grandmother's gallery, do you think they're beautiful?”

“Of course, but-”

“You could have sat for any one of those paintings. I don't know why you think you're less than other women, but it's a false belief.” His fingers held her chin in place.

“Thank you.” She said softly. “Did I ruin your mood?” He chuckled.

“No my Kathryn. I just forget sometimes how young you are.” He kissed her softly and Kathryn felt herself relaxing against him. One finger stroked her bruised nipple softly and she bit back a little whimper.

“It's still painful.” It wasn't a question. She looked down at his fingertip tracing the margins of the dark mark. In the bathroom she noticed it looked a little bigger, but the dull pain was no worse than it had been after waking up that evening.

“It's not bad.” She was trembling a little, her eyes were down. He lifted her chin, his blue eyes direct. “Yes, it still hurts.”

“Don't ever lie to me Kathryn, not even to protect my feelings.” He kissed her softly.

“It's not your fault. Telling you it hurts makes it sound like blame.”

“I don't hear it that way.” He kissed her lightly again. “Lie on your stomach.” His voice was soft, but Kathryn heard the command in it. She moved slowly, watching over her shoulder, uncertain what he wanted. Once she was settled he started working softly scented lotion into her skin. Kathryn trembled and relaxed.

Kathryn felt as if she was floating. He had spent hours just touching and massaging her. By the time his mouth began to move over her skin Kathryn realized that there was a slick wetness between her legs, even though he had touched none of the obvious places. When he began to let his fingers and lips brush her breasts or the front of her mound it made Kathryn practically tremble with need. She lost count of how many times he brought her over the edge before she begged him to stop.

He held her until she caught her breath and then he tied a silky scarf around her eyes. At first she felt as if she couldn't breathe and she struggled, near tears for a few minutes. His whispered reassurances and soft touches had been enough to help her relax again. Her reactions to his light touches seemed amplified after that, and he continued his teasing, making her need to bite back cries of ecstasy. Finally, he pulled away from her entirely. She felt his weight next to her on the bed, and she was sure she felt him watching her reactions. Kathryn blushed deeply and reached out for him. She felt him move over her and when he pressed inside her, her inner muscles clenched around him, almost sending her over the edge again.

Now she lay against him in a pleasure haze, her eyes still covered. His hands wandered softly over her back and anywhere they could reach. Slowly she raised her hand and pushed weakly at the blindfold. He untied it and set it aside. Kathryn kissed his chest softly and fell into a deeply satisfied sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LaCroix looked down at her and smiled slightly, his fingers twined in her hair. It didn't matter how many times he had her, it didn't matter how many times he tasted her blood, the innocent flavor was still in it. What was more, she was HIS innocent, that was in her blood too. Holding her while she recovered from her pleasure had been his plan since he saw the pendant. It was a custom piece of course and a very clever contrivance on the part of a very clever jeweler.

Henri had come to immortality as an old man. It was an unusual thing, but not unheard of. Before, he had been a skilled jeweler on the verge of retirement. After, the improvement in his vision had let him continue his work with impressive results. The wizened little man with unruly white hair was one of the few in the community that LaCroix found genuinely endearing. Henri kept himself to himself, rarely leaving the house he worked out of, but, since he sold exclusively to other immortals he knew every bit of gossip almost before LaCroix did.

“So, you are in love with this one.” Henri said in French as he offered LaCroix a chair. He knew English, but disliked speaking it, saying it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“What makes you say that?” LaCroix responded in kind as he sat, only slightly surprised the jeweler had even heard of Kathryn. The man gave him a flat look, as if the question was ridiculous.

“You've looked through my entire collection and chosen the most beautiful piece I have and yet you still look like something is missing. How many pieces have you bought from me over the centuries?” Henri was sketching as he spoke.

“I don't recall.” LaCroix had tried to get a look at what the man was drawing, but Henri was kept the pad carefully tilted away from his customer's view.

“Neither do I. Living forever hasn't fixed my old memory. I do remember that while they have all been the best quality because you a man of taste, they haven't been very personal. This is personal.” He held up the first sketch of the pendant. “She's a writer, is she not?” A little smile crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“One day you'll have to tell me where you get your information.” He hadn't been able to suppress a small smile.

“I am old.” He shrugged. “Beyond having my own romantic adventures. The best I can do is live vicariously through others. Now, have something to drink with me while we bring this little object up to your exacting standards and I can tell my customers that I shared an appetizer with the famous and fearsome Lucien LaCroix.” It took until the piece was created for him to decide what to have engraved in it. Impressive as it was, the wrong words would have ruined it.

After he saw it finished he knew it was perfect, but it wasn't quite enough. The addition of the piece he had found for her to wear to the party might have overshadowed the pendant and would have ruined his other surprise. What he wanted was to express the sentiments of the phrase, this seemed the perfect way. She was always solicitous to his needs and desires, even if she was uncertain or uncomfortable. Focusing on her pleasure for an evening seemed the perfect complement to the gift. He hadn't anticipated that she might not know how to accept his ministrations. Perhaps he had waited too long. He stroked her back softly and Kathryn sighed contentedly in her sleep.

He hadn't anticipated her reaction to the blindfold either. That hadn't been part of the plan, but seeing her laying there limp and trembling made him want to add to her pleasure. He had thought she might be nervous, but seeing her so frightened and gasping for breath were beyond what he had imagined. In that moment he had thought only of calming her, now he wondered if it was connected to her dream. He had mentioned darkness and her face being covered. She shifted slightly, and looked up at him. He was satisfied to realize her eyes were still a bit unfocused.

“Comfortable, my Kathryn?” He tightened his arm around her.

“Maybe a little cold.” Her voice was soft, her body limp with relaxation. He got up and pulled the covers back. He watched her get in and then settled with her again.

“Better?” He whispered, once he had the covers wrapped around her and he was settled behind her.

“Much, thank you.” She relaxed back into him, his arms wrapped possessively around her. At that moment LaCroix had an almost irresistible urge to bring her across. She belonged to him. She knew it deep down even if she hadn't admitted it to herself. The risks of leaving her mortal seemed so great at that moment. Then he looked down at her profile. She trusted him completely, to simply take her would terrify her and shatter that trust. The urge was still overwhelming. He got up and retreated into the small bathroom to calm himself. It was a mean little space, but it would suit his purposes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kathryn woke up from her light doze in time to hear the bathroom door close quietly. She knew there was something wrong, but she had no idea what. Her knees still trembled as she got up and blew out the candles, she knew he would probably do it himself, but right at that moment it was impossible for her to be still. She turned on the small nightlight and got into bed, trying to relax.

Half an hour later she was about to check on him when he came out. He looked slightly surprised to see her awake. Kathryn tried to cover her concern.

“Did I wake you?” Kathryn moved over and snuggled next to him again.

“I felt you leave.” He held her close again. Kathryn recognized the way he held her as being afraid that she would leave.

“I'll try to be more careful next time.” He kissed the top of her head softly.

“It's alright. I'm just glad you're back again.” She brushed her lips over his jaw. “You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?”

“What would be wrong, my Kathryn?” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I don't know, I guess today has been so emotional, maybe I'm projecting.” His lips were so soft against hers, his tongue feathering lightly over lips. His hands stroked hungrily over her back and bottom. Kathryn blushed a little and relaxed against him.

“Let’s go home tomorrow.” She said after a moment's silence.

“I don't know that even I could make those arrangements. Why do you want to leave?” He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, she could see his concern.

“Everything just feels so different here. I think maybe thinking about the family meeting you has me nervous.” She saw his eyes widen slightly.

“Different how?” She could tell she had set him on edge with the statement.

“How I feel about you isn't different. I don't know, I think I'm just not used to caring what other people think of those feelings.” His expression relaxed again and he held her close.

“And you think I will shock the rest of your family?” He smiled slightly. “I promise not to begin chewing on any large pieces of furniture while they're here.” Kathryn laughed softly.

“That's not what I mean.” She laughed softly and pressed closer.

“So what is it that you believe will happen?” His fingernails traced lightly over her back.

“I think you'll be asked some very rude, thoughtless questions and so will I. I think the ones who are nervous around you will try to convince me I'm making a terrible mistake and the ones who are drawn to you will just want to be near you. I know it's selfish but I'm not used to being the center of attention.” Kathryn relaxed and let him move her body. One hand grasped her uninjured breast possessively as he lay behind her.

“It's a few hours, my Kathryn. You're mine now, you'll be mine when it's over.” She reached over and turned out the light and then settled back into his chest again. Kathryn knew it should bother her the way he was so possessive sometimes. It did, in some ways. In some ways it felt completely natural. She was too tired and too satisfied to worry about it, now. She was his, for tonight, that was good enough.