FicWad

What was supposed to be a few days turned into a week. During this time, Christabel had become accustomed to living with Mathias in the castle and had adjusted her sleep cycle so that she could be awake both during the day and at night. During the day, she explored the castle; and at night, she waited in the ballroom for Mathias to awaken and greet her. Mathias had made it into a habit to ask her about her explorations during the day. Christabel in return would reply politely; even though he listened patiently, Christabel had the impression that Mathias always seemed to know where she had been that day. Indeed, one day she found herself horribly lost, and had to wait for nightfall for Mathias to rescue her. He seemed to find her quite easily, which further influenced her theory. Ever since then, Mathias warned her each night to be careful not to get lost, along with never to explore the lower parts of the castle.

One day, Christabel discovered (though she felt that it was not by accident) a room at the top of a staircase filled with fabric and quilting supplies. She was overjoyed at the prospect of a new way to spend her time, and even smiled at the lengths Mathias went through to please her. She refused to forgive him, however, for what he had done to her family. She did start a new project later that day, though.

Mathias announced five days after Christabel and his important conversation that he was going to give Christabel and Eleanor ballroom dancing lessons. It had been the only time that Christabel was able to see her sister in close proximity. Both seemed to be doing well, but Christabel excelled with waltzing. Soon, all Christabel wanted to do in the evening was to waltz.

"So...Are you prepared for tonight?"

Christabel missed a step as she passed through a beam of moonlight. Luckily, Mathias caught her before she fell.

Her eyes widened in fear, "T-tonight?"

"Yes, sweet love. I must be tonight. I've given you plenty of time to prepare for it. I promise you: I will make it as pleasant as possible. Now, are you a virgin?"

Christabel blushed and said nothing.

"Well?"

"...Yes. I'm a virgin..." She could not look at his face out of embarrassment. She had been raised never to speak of her virginity unless she was married, and even then, she must not speak of it often.

Mathias smiled gently, "That's okay, dear one. We must take care of that first, though." He sent her off to her room, telling her to change into something 'more appropriate' and to wait for him there.

Christabel returned to her room and stared into her wardrobe. There were many delicate things, but she was not comfortable enough to wear any of them. She finally put on her silk nightgown, which had quickly become her favorite, and slipped into bed.

Her mind was racing. She had heard of the act of sex before, but it was only to be done between two married people, or so Father Morgan had always told her. I'm going to Hell, she thought, unless Mathias was right, and there is no God. Oh no! What am I thinking? I'm going to go to Hell for allowing myself to slip into the Devil's grip! She gave herself a mental shake and looked up as the door unbolted and swung open.

It was Mathias, in what appeared to be asilk robe. Christabel gulped, and scooted further under the covers. She peered over the edge and watched him make his way to the side of the bed. He unfastened the cloth tie holding the fabric together, and she averted her eyes. She did not want to see any more of him than she had to.

She had long decided that she would allow Mathias to have his way with her, but she absolutely refused to take pleasure in it. After he began, it became apparent that she would have no need to try not to enjoy herself. It was incredibly painful, and it was all she could do not to cry. She held in her screams and forbade the tears to run. She would not give him that satisfaction.

At the point of release, Mathias sank his teeth into Christabel's neck. For this, she could not hold back her screams. Pain quickly turned into pleasure, however. Something in Mathias's saliva was causing her brain to send pleasure signals to the rest of her body. She moaned, closed her eyes in ecstasy, and gave in to the sensations that were overwhelming her.

Christabel could feel her blood level slowly reaching its critical point and began to panic. She squirmed and tried to push Mathias away, but she was too weak from blood loss to do so. He held fast, bring her past that point and to the point of near death. Her eyes widened and darted across the room as she felt herself dying.

Finally, he pulled away. Christabel was nothing more than a living husk now. Each shallow breath was painful to inhale. She stared pleadingly at him to do something to save her. A moment later, he proffered his wrist.

"Drink and know immortality."

Not wanting to die, she immediately did as she was instructed. There was a burning sensation in her throat, but she ignored it and continued to drink the life-giving blood. She found that as she continued to drink, the better Mathias's blood tasted.

By the time she was finished, the burning sensation had spread itself throughout her entire body. She grimaced and curled into a ball beside Mathias. The latter ran his fingers through her hair and toyed with her neck.

"Your body is dying, my sweet. It is nothing to fear."

Of course, this cause Christabel even more alarm. She clawed at her stomach and chest in desperation and let out a small cry of pain. Mathias got out of bed and replaced his robe, and then he guided her into the bathroom and placed her in the tub, "There's nothing wrong, darling. Just let it run its course. Call me when it is through, all right?"

As he left, Christabel could not hold in the screams any longer. They echoed throughout the castle along with her cried. She writhed in the tub, unable to do a thing to stop whatever was happening to her. After at least an hour, the pain began to wane. She expelled waste when it was finally over. After a few minutes, she sat up. Everything was somehow.../different/. She had never before experienced the sensations she was feeling now. She called for Mathias, and in an instant, he materialized.

He helped her out of the tub; and after cleaning her off, led her to the wardrobe. There, he dressed her in the most lavish dress he could find. She did not seem to care. She was marveling at how the cloth felt against her skin. She could not believe that she had never felt anything so wonderful before.

When Mathias had finished tying the last sash, he turned her around to face him and smiled, "Welcome, my love...my sweet child. Welcome to eternal night."