Angelique's Cure Chapter 7 From: Beverly LaCroix Chapter 7 When Madness Calls, Darkness Answers Quentin had finally said good night to Nicholas, and he had left with Lady Hampshire in tow. Tomorrow would be the time to explain to Edward why Lady Kitty was not ensconced here at Collinwood as a guest, Quentin thought, not allowing himself to let the anxiety that was threatening to consume him have its way. "Quentin, I am here," the lilting low voice of Janette said. Looking at her, he thought she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever met. LaCroix had told him that even DaVinci had not been able to capture her beauty. He was right, Quentin mused to himself, remembering the DaVinci portrait of Janette Nicholas had shown him, before the madness had come. Quentin didn't even ask why Nicholas was in possession of the portrait, he had just sat and stared at it for a half an hour before speaking. He had been mesmerized by the vampire's unearlthy, yet so earthy beauty, and the fact that it was painted DaVinci was incredible in itself. He didn't even realize it had started raining when Nicholas had walked him back to the LaCroix Estate. That had been the night Barnabas had broken the reverie of peace he had found. Always Barnabas, Quentin thought. Looking at the raven-haired beauty, he opened his arms, and the pout from her beautiful face was replaced by a smile. Embracing her tightly, letting her relax, he whispered to her, "you have been a bad girl, my dear." "I know, and I am sorry, Quentin" Janette said with a quiver in her voice. They were standing in the drawing room, and Quentin was silently cursing Barnabas when a gust of wind blew in, and he knew those windows would have to fixed tomorrow. He only hoped the makeshift boarding that the servants had put in place of the shattered glass would keep the now rain from damaging the room. His mind didn't stay on the room for very long, Janette's hands had moved down his body, and were struggling with the opening of his pants. Quentin pulled her hands away from him, holding one arm behind her, and said, "what you need is a spanking," Quentin said noting that her eyes were heavily veiled with lust. He would take her right here in the drawing room after he gave her what he had just told her she needed. Having made up his mind, he was very stimulated now, and then he heard the dogs howling. "Goddamn it!" he exclaimed. "Kitty, we are here," Nicholas said as they approached the huge white mansion that was once known as Rose Cottage. LaCroix had made arrangements to lease it when Janette had started making noises about Quentin. "What a lovely place," Kitty said looking at Nicholas wide-eyed. Nicholas was not fooled by the greed, and the need to survive behind the look of innocence. Right now he wasn't concerned, he had enough money to give to her and she could live comfortably the rest of her life, and he wouldn't miss it. With that thought, he looked at her, and gave her a quick peck on the lips, and that brought a smile to her face. Nicholas had instructed the coachman to put the horses and carriage away, and told him he wouldn't need him anymore tonight. Walking into the lovely home, Nicholas couldn't decide why he had brought her here, because he had wanted to be with her or take her from Barnabas. That thought brought a gleeful smile to his handsome countenance, remembering the power he had felt coursing through him when he had flung Barnabas through the windows. Was Barnabas going insane, Nicholas seriously considered the possibility. Nicholas knew that anyone who knew Lucien LaCroix would not have tried what Barnabas had tried tonight at Collinwood. It was insanity. Barnabas had tried to destroy Janette once, and in the process had almost gotten himself destroyed by LaCroix. Lady Kitty had taken his hand, and Nicholas could smell her blood, it smelled of jasmine, and it was intoxicating. Pulling her to him, he whispered to her, "You are a very beautiful and enticing woman, Lady Hampshire." And she responded, he could feel her nipples harden, as she leaned into him closer. Nicholas kissed her lightly, and she responded by pulling him down to her, and he felt her tongue enter his mouth, and move slowly, and oh so seductively. He was fighting to keep his fangs from descending their straining sheaths. Then he heard the dogs howling, and froze. Angelique panicked at the sound of the dogs howling. She knew it meant one thing, Barnabas was very angry, and he could only be angry at her. Where was Monsieur LaCroix? What was taking him so long she wondered, as she paced back and forth in the master bedroom suite. Angelique had been amused to find it was all black. Angelique had been intrigued at the fact that neither Lucien, Nicholas nor Janette slept in coffins, and could be awake and moving around during the day so long as they stayed out of the sunlight. And she was ever further surprised to find out that Lucien could stay in the sun for moments at a time, due to his age and power. It was very hard for her to imagine that he had been a Roman General during the time of Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He had told her about Divia, but had not lingered on the subject. It upset him still, Angelique could tell. She had wanted to question him about the seal of the Sun god Amen Re, it reminded her of Laura. LaCroix would not talk about it. LaCroix had had her shoulders pinned to the bed, holding her down, and she could not help herself, she had strained against him, instead of pulling away from him. He knew it, and she did not care now. She didn't want him to leave. He had been kissing her deeply, what had started out as a very gentle and tender kiss, and had now become very demanding, then he stopped, and pulled away from her. Thinking back to the scene she was still puzzled, she had said, "Lucien, what is wrong? Did I do something?" He looked at her with his cold blue eyes, and she felt herself drowning in them, and he said in the low seductive voice, "you, Angelique, never." She had been reassured. "Something is wrong with Janette. She is frightened. I felt it through our bond. I cannot ignore it. I am sorry, my dear, but I must go and make sure Janette is not in trouble. I will be back, and you will be here, of course." That last statement was said very matter of factly, by LaCroix, and left no room for argument. She had merely nodded, and then he was gone. Now, the dogs were howling, and she was afraid again. Barnabas would come after her, and this time he would probably destroy her for good, thinking she had humiliated him. She couldn't stand being in this room any longer with wild and untamed thoughts, thinking Barnabas would come through that window at any minute. Walking down the stairs in LaCroix' silk black robe he had given her to wear, after taking her wet clothes off from the rain, she heard two voices, a man and a woman. It sounded like -- no, it couldn't be. She was with Barnabas ,she was thinking when she walked in the drawing room. "Angelique! What are you doing here?" Lady Kitty exclaimed, pulling her bodice together. Nicholas quickly pulled her away from Angelique's prying eyes, and into him. "She's here with my father; isn't that right, Mrs. Collins?" Angelique felt her face burn with shame and humiliation, feeling like a servant again in Martinique, when she had gotten caught kissing one of the slave boys. It had been Josette and the Countess DuPrés who had found them. Josette had a look of shock on her face mingled with curiosity. The Countess had punished her severely, and warned Josette that ladies did not behave in such a way. It did not matter that Lady Kitty was in this house unchaperoned with a single man, and her bodice had been ripped open, and when Angelique had walked into the room, it had been Nicholas that had sought to shield her, as if they knew each other intimately. Kitty had boldly asked HER what she was doing here. She had been the one following her husband all over the country, this time it was not the same as it had been in 1795. Then Angelique's shoulders slumped, what did it matter, his newest "Josette" was interested in someone else. "Allow me to introduce myself, Madame Collins. I am Nicholas DeBrabant. LaCroix is my father, and Janette is my sister," NIcholas said in kindly tones. "Monsieur DeBrabant, it is a pleasure to meet you." Angelique said looking into his blue eyes, noting how handsome he was. Was this whole family unearthly beautiful, Angelique pondered when Nicholas asked her in her native French, "Où est mon père, Madame Collins?" (Where is my father) "Angelique, s'il vous plaît." Angelique said. (Angelique, please) "Oui, naturellement -- Angelique. Maintenant, mon père, où est lui?" Nicholas asked her again. (Yes, of course, Angelique. Now, my father, where is he? ) "Il s'est senti votre soeur était en danger, et est allé s'assurer qu'elle avait tout raison. (He felt your sister was in danger, and went to make sure she was all right.) "Thank you, Angelique," Nicholas said with some trepidation, at the memory of Quentin begging him not to tell LaCroix about the events that had occurred after he had made his dramatic exit with Angelique. LaCroix must have felt Janette's fear through their strong bond. It must have given him quite a jolt Nicholas thought, for that old Roman to leave this beautiful woman. LaCroix knew Janette could take care of herself most of the time, but he never took a chance with Janette. Nicholas did not want to think about what would have happened had he not been at Collinwood tonight. Pulling Kitty to him with one arm, he then asked Angelique why she had come down here, and the dogs had started howling. "That is why I came down here," Angelique said her eyes wide with fear. Nicholas put his other arm around Angelique, and the three of them walked to the plush sofa, and Nicholas said, "you can wait here with us until LaCroix comes back. After they sat down, Nicholas reached out and tried to touch LaCroix' link, but he had shut it off, then he tried Janette's, and felt no vibration of fear, and knew she was okay. Why were those dogs howling? Barnabas! And LaCroix! He jumped up, and he told them, he would have a couple of servants come in and wait with them, he had something very urgent to do. He refused to answer their questions. Once outside the door, he took to the air, and with his powerful vampire vision began to search the countryside for LaCroix. The rain and wind wasn't helping, and the fog rolling in from the Atlantic was slowing him down, and he had almost given up, when the scene he saw alarmed him. Barnabas Collins had a beautiful young woman in his arms, slowly lowering her to the sandy and rocky beach. The waves were rolling in very close to where they were. Barnabas began to very slowly unbutton her dress with one hand, all the while kissing her with very light and provocative kisses down her throat, and now to her bare breasts. The woman had moaned loudly when Barnabas had taken one of her very erect nipples softly in his mouth, and lick her nipple slowly, then the other, only for a second. Nicholas could see what he was doing. With his accelerated vampire senses, he was driving her mad with desire for him, and the innocent would finally become so desperate for relief she would beg him for release, and agree to do anything he wished, just to be relieved from the pressure of the blood engorged sensitive part of his or her body. The vampire would continue his teasing torturous stroking, licking, and sucking until the victim would be building towards unreleased climax that would erupt with the vampire's touch, and then he would take him or her brutally, depending, it would be either anally or vaginally. The victims would scream in pain mixed with pleasure, and the vampire would stop and ask the victim if he should stop, and the victim would always say no for fear of the torture starting over, and not stopping. The victim would then drain him or her of the life force, leaving a broken shell lifeless, for some ignorant stranger to find her body during the day, if it didn't wash out to sea. The vampire always made sure the victim saw the monster or the vampire just before death, while the victim was still in the haze of pleasure. It was very very cruel. He had seen LaCroix practice it on occasion, but not as a steady diet. There had been vampires that had practiced often, until the Community, and the Enforcers stopped it. Barnabas was not bound to those rules, but had probably learned the practice from LaCroix the one time LaCroix had taken him hunting, or maybe he had learnt it elsewhere or just instinctively. Nicholas didn't know, but Barnabas had never struck him as the type who resorted to the unusual cruelty he was now practicing. The tide was rising, Nicholas noticed. The dogs were howling loud enough to be heard over the elements that Barnabas undoubtedly was responsible for. Nicholas thought for a minute about Barnabas' powers, and sometimes wished he had some of them, but knew it was a pretty even trade off. He wouldn't want to sleep in a coffin for one night much less eternity. Barnabas had Amanda in the most humiliating position of begging him to touch her most intimate part, and Barnabas had laughed a low evil laugh that had frightened Amanda, but she needed him, and that overrode any fear she had. She looked at his naked manhood, and wanted him inside her, wanted his lips on her womanhood, she lewdly thrust her hips at him, he allowed her to touch him, and then pulled away, at the same time accidentally brushing her nipples, and she moaned, and began to cry. Barnabas felt him, before he saw or heard him. Plunging his fangs in the woman's exposed neck, the pulsating artery beckoned, and he drank deeply, and the woman writhed sensuously beneath him, her naked body touched his, he abruptly pulled away. Barnabas felt the power soaring through his veins the moment he began to drink. It was a very old and ancient power. Visions quickly danced in his mind of a young boy and girl playing and frolicking with unicorns. Then he saw something or somebody he knew was so old and powerful, it was unbelievable, holding a sword that blazed lightning touch the boy, and Barnabas felt fire in his veins, fire of death, madness, and unbelievable power. Barnabas' hands trembled for a second, and then stopped when he focussed. Barnabas knew it was whatever had imbued Petofi with his power, but so much more. He drank again, then rising, he deliberately allowed the blood to drip slowly down his chin, as he looked up at the cliffs of Widows Hill, and there standing unmoving, and watching was the erect form, and every bit the Roman General was Lucien LaCroix. The smile on his face never reached his eyes. Seeing the blood on Barnabas' chin, he could smell the power in that blood, he closed his eyes for a moment and a look of pure desire and naked lust was on his face, to be replaced in an instant with eyes blood red, fangs bared, and a growl emitted from him that was so primal, and ancient that life came to a standstill around him. The growl carried for miles, causing the howling dogs to stop their unrelenting howling, and now. not a sound came from the dogs, The storm intensified as Barnabas watched LaCroix, and his anger caused the primal instincts of the vampire to push down any human vestige, and lifting his hand, the storm to rage in madness at the darkness it seemed to be calling. Lightning streaked the sky, thunder answered its call, the wind shook the tower room, and that's when Quentin heard the growl, and Janette knew it was LaCroix, and he was angrier than when he had almost destroyed Barnabas. Now, she was afraid. Barnabas had grown much stronger since she had seen him last, and he frightened her. He would have destroyed her, had it not been for Nicholas. No one would have been able to stop him, not even Quentin, not this time. In the drawing room of Rose Cottage two women clung to each other, trying to ease the other's fear. Angelique was afraid. Barnabas picked up the form of the naked woman who called herself Amanda Harris, and noted that LaCroix was gone. Barnabas smiled as he looked at the woman, and he felt for her, he almost felt sorry for what he had done to her, she hadn't deserved it. Making up his mind to make it up to her, he entered the Old House, and called for Magda. He had Magda ready Josette's Room for this beautiful woman, and then told her to pack Angelique's belongings and have them delivered to the McGrueder Place. He gave her a note to have delivered to Angelique informig her her presence was unwanted and unneeded at the Old House due to her adulterous behavior. A divorce would be automatic considering their background. LaCroix searched the girl out, and found her, and his gaze burned her, and she was forced to see who was calling her. For reasons she did not understand, she yearned to answer the voice that was summoning. To be continued...
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