“I don’t think you understand. I never knew about the intent of your…family to end its own. That was totally unexpected. Had I known this plan, I would never have invited Lillian. Only reason I did, was I wanted all to see….how I felt about you.”
The Count backed away from her slowly, to give her room to breathe. He instead leaned against one of the stone walls, and folded his arms. “I let my pack, finish what the Roxburgs started….simple as that.”
<3>
“I don’t think you understand. I never knew about the intent of your…family to end its own. That was totally unexpected. Had I known this plan, I would never have invited Lillian. Only reason I did, was I wanted all to see….how I felt about you.” he stated, backing away from her to lean against a piece of the stone wall, arms crossed. “I let my pack, finish what the Roxburgs started….simple as that.”
Elvira was surprised to say the least. She could sense the truth of his words and she had to admit, even to herself, that none of the wolves came close to touching her or her family…except Lillith and he lived to tell the tale. But then what he’d said before that finally registered in her brain and her mouth dropped open in surprise.
“How can you have feelings for me, when you just met me? I don’t even know you. You don’t even know me!” she replied, voice calm. Now that her anger was assuaged, the ground was no longer smoking and smouldering. She moved to sit on a downed tree nearby and where she had stood, the ground was charred black.
She stared at him. “Just who the hell are you anyway? I’ve seen you three times now, and don’t even know your name.”
*Nods to X-Men’s Wolverine
“Permit me, to introduce myself. I am Count Virgo Marulo, second son of the King of Bavaria.” There was no lie about this, he had sent out the invitations marked with the seal of his family, and was known to the Queen of England, who allowed him to set up residence in the country on the large Estate known as Baxter Hall.
Now, for the tricky part. How he knew her. Placing his hands behind his back, he walked with a dignified air, and kept his chin up high, not at all beast like in appearance, but how deceiving looks can be. He didn’t even bother to stop his walk as he answered her next question.
“Five hundred years ago, I fell in love with the most beautiful woman, her name Katarina Adelzhausen. Such beauty, one cannot imagine. Cruelly, she was taken from me. Lead to believe I had died in battle, she took her life and on my return, her body lay in the chapel…dead. I swore…on her grave that I would see her again.” At this point, he took out a locket, and handed it to to Elvira. If she were to open it, the picture within….was of her. Well, her likeness.
Any fool could see then…he believed Elvira to be her reincarnation…the new vessel of Katarina.
“Astonishing…the likeness.”
<3>
His arms went behind his back and he began to pace back and forth as he gave her his explination. “Five hundred years ago, I fell in love with the most beautiful woman, her name Katarina Adelzhausen. Such beauty, one cannot imagine. Cruelly, she was taken from me. Lead to believe I had died in battle, she took her life and on my return, her body lay in the chapel…dead. I swore…on her grave that I would see her again.” He stepped closer to her, pulling a locket from his cloak and passing it to her. Curious, Elvira opened it to see a young woman staring back at her. The resemblance to herself was uncanny.
“Astonishing…the likeness.” He stated.
Shaking her head, she closed the locket and passed it back to him. “I’m sorry, Lord Marulo. But I cannot be the reincarnation of your dead lover. Tis simply impossible.” She stood up as well. “She sounds like one of His Angels.” she emphasised, glaning upward at the canopy of trees and gloomy skies over their heads. “I am but a creature of Hell. Demon, devil, succubus. Whatever you wish to call me. Born from the fires of my father and grandfather, Lord Lucifer himself. There is no goodness and light within me. I am but of the Dark. The Sin of Lust that binds mortal man to his every whim. I feed upon their very souls as sex is my playground.” She stood tall and proud, chin jutted out only so far. “So…I cannot be what you so wish. For that is a fool’s errand you seek…and I do not think you are such a fool.”
So saying, she turned on her heel and started to reach for Jezzie’s reins, intent on leaving.
“So you go on…being the succubus…feast on men and yet…never know love. Tis your choice, my dear.”
He did not move to follow her.
<3>
Her hand, inches from grabbing up Jezzie’s lead, paused. Eyes tightening in anger, she clenched her fist and whirled back around.
“What would I know of love? Useless human emotions! Bah!” she scowled, spitting, unladylike, at his feet. “All it brings is pain and heartache and I’ve had enough of both to last me ten lifetimes!” she snapped, hissing and spitting like an angry cat as she bravely marched up to him. “You would need a heart to know love! You would need to feel…something for someone…to know love! I have neither since they were both so cruelly taken from me! So don’t you DARE give me that tripe!” she shouted, poking him in his shoulder with a talon she hadn’t even known she had transformed.
Like a cat, she marched up to him, striking his shoulder with her talons, telling him he needed a heart to feel, to know and to have had loved. Again…he had all this, and saw in her the woman that he did love all those years ago. The more she unraveled, the more she was like Katarina.
“And…yet you loved your father with all of that. He loved you back. That shows, you have a heart but are not willing to give it so easily to another. Least of all…a man like me.” He tilted his head, and waited for her to strike him again.
“Let it out…I can take it.”
<3>
Throwing up her hands in disgust, at herself, at him, at the whole damn situation, she turned and stomped away, going as far as the treeline skirting the edge of the old building she’d once claimed as her sanctuary.
Doesn’t feel much like a place of safety anymore with people intruding upon my solitude all the bloody time! she snorted, crossing her arms. After a moment, she sighed, shoulders slumped and staring off into the distance once more. His words tumbled through her brain like a tornado and she felt adrift in a sea of uncertainty. “Fine! You win! I have a heart! Big bleeding deal!” she finally ground out, not bothering to look at him. “Shall I rip it from my chest and lay it at your feet as a sacrifice? Would that make you happy?” she snarled, whirling to face him, eyes as black as night. Using her talons, she shredded her dress, ripping it from her body and standing before him naked, her aura flaring high. She pointed to where her heart was. “Go ahead. Rip my heart out if there’s anything left of the fecking thing! I don’t want it anymore!”
On the ground where he had stood, was the locket. It was opened, and the picture of Katarina was staring up at the sky, a soft smile upon her face. Was this done on purpose, and why did the Count chose to leave her, when she had finally caved in to his constant questions. He knew her a lot more…than she even knew herself.
<3>
(thread change)
She snarled in anger.
“BASTARD!” she shouted at nothing. Grabbing up the tattered remains of her dress, she fashioned a makeshift top, not caring in the least it left her arms bare.
There would be some tongues wagging through the gossips of the city when they caught sight of her riding through town in such a way, but she wasn’t an exhibitionist for nothing.
But…despite it all…he had managed to do something that even surprised her…
For a short time…she had gotten beyond her grief.
And she knew then, things were going to get better.
A beam of sunlight that had been fighting to get through the morning clouds paused her attention on something shiny in the dirt. She went to it, picking it up and discovering it was the Count’s treasured locket. She glanced back up to wear the count had disappeared through the trees.
Coming to a decision, she whistled for Jezzie, climbing into the saddle as her friend came near. Turning the lead toward town, she needed to get a new dress before she could make her way to the Count’s estate.
But first she needed to *find* his estate.
—thread change—-
