Beauty and the Beast (46 page)

“Thank you, Nina.” Vincent turned the intercom off. Vincent walked to the elevator and locked the doors.

He turned off the overhead lights. Living in the tunnels all of his life, he wasn’t used to bright lights, and he found the lights in the bottom of the pool to be more relaxing and romantic. Then, he went back into the bedroom and discovered that the overhead lamp there had a dial to

adjust the brightness. He dialed it down to a soft glow.

Vincent laid out a set of clean pajamas for himself and a fresh nightgown for Catherine. He had seen huge plush bath towels and wash cloths in the bathroom, and he took a stack of four of the towels and two of the washcloths out to the pool chamber. He laid three of the towels on the table by the pool, and he unfolded one and laid it over the thickly padded chaise lounge, so he could lay Catherine on it after bathing her. Then he laid the washcloths on the edge of the pool. Vincent was overjoyed by Tanimus’ and Letha’s thoughtfulness in providing him with these beautiful and very private accommodations. He had been craving time alone with his bride.

Vincent went back into the bedroom and took his boots off. Then he shed his clothes and put them in the hamper in the bathroom. He gently undressed Catherine, took her crystal necklace off and put it on the nightstand, and then deposited her clothing in the hamper as well. It thrilled him to feel her soft skin against his body as he picked her up and carried her into the pool chamber and then walked carefully down the stone steps into the pool. Letha was right. The water was the perfect temperature, and he felt the tension draining out of both his body and Catherine’s as it bubbled over them. The water level was just below Vincent’s chest, and he enjoyed just standing there with Catherine in his arms as the water swirled around them.

Finally, he walked to the corner of the pool and laid

Catherine on the bathing ledge. It was perfectly shaped, so she was comfortable, with her head above water, while the warm water continued to swirl over her body. Vincent just stood there and gazed at her, his heart bursting with love. Ever since he had been reunited with Catherine, Vincent had used the self-mastery he had cultivated over the years to carefully keep his sexual desire for Catherine in check. It would never have occurred to him to take advantage of his unconscious wife to satisfy his own carnal urges. It did give him warm pleasure, though, to feel the way Catherine responded to his tender caresses and kisses whenever he gently bathed, creamed, and massaged her fragile small body. She was always less fretful, and he could tell that her nightmares were less disturbing.

Catherine desperately needed the comfort that making love to her would provide, and Vincent needed that just as desperately. He smiled as away to do that came to him. Ever since Uncle Tanimus and Elisia had made their appearance at Peter’s home, Vincent had felt his own underdeveloped mental abilities growing. He could feel the potential power of his mind even more strongly since they had arrived in the Tandin world. Perhaps he could use that strengthening ability to control Catherine’s nightmares long enough to make love to her in the dreamworld. If he could, she would rest more peacefully, as would he, and they would both be in better shape to end her nightmares tomorrow.

While Vincent was thinking, he heard the heavenly sound of a piano adaptation of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony being played on Tanimus’ grand piano. It was being piped through the intercom system, and he realized that Rolley wasn’t about to miss his daily piano performance for Catherine. Vincent became aware as he listened, that there were more than two hands playing. Rolley and Chrystal were performing the piece as a duet, and it was breathtaking. Vincent smiled thinking that it was the perfect music to take care of Catherine by.

Vincent quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face and hair, and then bathed himself. Then, he took plenty of time and great care with Catherine. Vincent’s sole purpose at this moment was to satisfy Catherine’s needs, and he always thoroughly enjoyed making sure that every inch of her pretty body was properly cared for. Vincent was always awed by the miracle that his beautiful Catherine could have fallen in love with him, and he took great pleasure in caring for her.

Vincent carefully brushed Catherine’s dainty straight white teeth. Then, he gently washed her face with the loofah disk Diana had brought to him and shown him how to use with Catherine’s special cleanser. Next, he washed and conditioned her hair. Vincent had been terrified of using a blade on Catherine’s legs and underarms, but Diana had patiently taught him the correct technique to avoid nicking her soft skin. Susan had even found rose-scented shaving cream for Vincent to use on Catherine.

When he finished with that grooming task, he smiled with satisfaction as he ran his hand over her silky-smooth shapely legs, knowing that Catherine would be pleased with the results. Then, he poured Catherine’s scented soap on a washcloth and began washing her body with soft caressing strokes.

Vincent slipped an arm under Catherine’s shoulders and lifted her against his chest so he could wash her back. As he started to lay her back down, Catherine’s milk let down, and her breasts sprayed him with breast milk. Vincent was delighted to watch Catherine’s pretty breasts erupt like small volcanoes with milk. He marveled at her motherhood and her body’s capacity to provide nourishment for their child. He gently washed the milk off her body and then off his. When Vincent was satisfied that he had taken care of Catherine from head to toe, he lifted her in his arms and carried her back up the stone steps out of the pool.

Vincent laid Catherine carefully down on the towel on the chaise lounge, and he took one of the other towels and covered her with it. Then, he quickly dried himself off and laid his damp towel on the floor beside her chair. Vincent kneeled on it and started towel drying Catherine’s hair with the fourth towel. When he began drying her body with the towel she was covered with, he discovered a problem. Catherine’s breasts were swollen and hard from being heavily engorged with excess milk. He wrapped her up in the towels, carried her into the bedroom, and laid

her gently on the bed.

Vincent knew that he had to relieve Catherine’s engorgement quickly. From his own study and from what Mary had told him, he knew that this condition was very uncomfortable for women. The thought that Catherine might be in pain and unable to tell him she was, was unbearable to him. No one had thought to pack a portable breast pump, because it had not occurred to any of them that someone would be available to wet-nurse Little Jacob. Missing a nursing session was what had caused this, and he was sure that Nina figured he had a breast pump for Catherine. Vincent also knew that if he didn’t empty Catherine’s breasts for her, her supply would diminish from lessened demand. As much as he hated the thought of interrupting his precious private time with Catherine, her pressing need was more important.

Vincent started to walk to the intercom to ask Aunt Letha to check on getting a breast pump from the clinic.

However, he stopped when he realized that he could take care of Catherine’s engorgement himself immediately in a way that would probably be more comfortable for her than a breast pump would be.

Vincent walked to the bed, kneeled down beside it, and removed the towels from Catherine’s body. He slipped one arm under Catherine, supported one of her tight breasts with his other hand, and began drinking the honey-sweet milk from it while being very careful not to injure her tender breast with his fangs. Vincent repeated this loving

gentle operation on her other breast until the pressure was relieved, and both breasts were soft and empty. The experience left Vincent deeply moved. He was glad no one had packed a breast pump! Vincent kissed each of Catherine’s breasts, kissed her throat, and kissed her lips. He gazed down at her angelic face with an expression akin to worship and said softly, “No wonder Little Jacob always has a smile on his face. I didn’t realize what a treat he was getting. He gets to sip ambrosia nectar from the exquisite breasts of my beautiful little goddess!”

As Vincent stroked Catherine’s cheek, he realized that in his concern over her engorged breasts, he had forgotten that her hair was still wet. He had seen an hair dryer already plugged into the outlet in the bathroom, and there was a big comfortable chair in there. So, he picked Catherine up and took her in to take care of her bathroom needs and dry her hair. When Vincent brought Catherine out of the bathroom, he sat on the edge of the bed with her on his lap, picked up her brush off the nightstand and began brushing her soft hair. When he was finally satisfied that her hair was tangle-free and shiny, Vincent stood up and laid her back on the bed.

Vincent then sat back down on the edge of the bed beside Catherine and picked up her bottle of scented moisturizer off the night stand. He poured a small amount onto his fingers and applied it to the porcelain skin of her face and neck. He thoroughly enjoyed running his fingers over those lovely contours. Vincent thought

that no sculptor could ever create anything as inspiring as his Catherine. Then, he picked up her scented body lotion. Pouring some into his hand, he held it for several moments, giving it time to warm up before he applied it to Catherine’s satiny skin. Once again, Vincent used slow, gentle, caressing strokes to moisturize Catherine’s body.

Vincent still wasn’t done with his joyous routine of caring for his beloved little wife, though. After gathering up all of the damp towels and washcloths and putting them into the hamper, he was back at the bed. He sat down beside Catherine again and began exercising her arms and legs, and then he deeply massaged those muscles the way Sarah had taught him. Vincent stood up and removed the pillow from under Catherine’s head and gently turned her over on her tummy. Kneeling over Catherine on the bed with one leg on either side of her, he deeply massaged the muscles of her shoulders, back, narrow waist, and rounded hips until her skin was an healthy glowing pink from improved circulation. He climbed off the bed, carefully turned her on her back, and put the pillow back under her head.

When he had finished with her physical therapy session, he took a chair from the reading table and put it at the end of the bed. Then, he walked around and gently scooted Catherine with her pillow down until her feet were at the end of the bed. Soon after Vincent had found Catherine, Angela had visited Catherine’s room at Peter’s home, and she had taught Vincent how to massage

Catherine’s feet using an acupressure technique. When Vincent sat down on the chair and picked up one of Catherine’s dainty little feet, he smiled as he always did with delight. He thought she had the prettiest little feet and slender ankles he had ever seen, and his huge hands dwarfed them. Once again, Vincent took his time with this loving task as he worked on massaging every inch of Catherine’s feet. Afterwards, he scooted her back up on the bed. Then, Vincent put a little of Catherine’s perfume on her and dressed her in the fresh nightgown he had laid out. Last of all, he put her crystal necklace back around her neck.

When Vincent stood up to get dressed, he decided to take preventive measures to protect Catherine from himself. He had never attempted to make love to her in her dream world before, and he wasn’t sure what might happen when he unleashed his pent-up sexual energy. What he was very concerned about was that he might clasp her in a sexual embrace in the waking world, as he was making love to her in her dream world, and accidentally injure her weakened frail body. So, to prevent coupling with Catherine, Vincent set aside the lightweight pajamas he had laid out, and he got out a pair of briefs and a pair of thick pants and put them on instead. He then felt completely prepared to fulfill Catherine’s emotional and psychological need for physical intimacy in her dream world using his increasingly powerful telepathic connection with her. Vincent had felt that mental power

growing exponentially since arriving in the Tandin world.

After making sure that Catherine was comfortably settled on the bed, Vincent went into the kitchen to see what was available to feed her in the morning. When he opened the refrigerator, he found evidence that the Tandins who had stayed in Father’s world had been communicating with Nina while they were traveling here. All of the ingredients for one of the soups that William had been cooking for Catherine were in there. When he smelled the pitcher of juice, he discovered that it was papaya juice, which would be very soothing for Catherine’s delicate digestive tract. There was a slow cooker on the counter, so Vincent took out the fresh ingredients and began preparing Catherine’s soup, so it could simmer overnight. He was really grateful for William’s cooking classes that he had attended as he was growing up.

Now that the soup was prepared and cooking, Vincent was eagerly looking forward to finding Catherine in her nightmare world. He was determined to wage war, if necessary, to rescue her and make love to her there. This was a foray onto a new battlefield, and Vincent prayed for the mental strength and power he needed to be victorious. Vincent wasn’t entertaining any illusion that he could wake her by himself, but he was determined to strengthen her spirit and relax her, even if only temporarily, so she could sleep more peacefully now and then be awakened tomorrow with the help of his family and friends.

Vincent turned on the night lamp in the bathroom,

leaving the door ajar, and then he turned off the bedroom light. He climbed into bed and scooped Catherine into his arms.

Vincent pulled Catherine against his bare chest and nuzzled her neck, breathing her scent in deeply, as he closed his eyes and used the growing power of his connection with her to enter her nightmare world.

When Vincent opened his eyes again, he was in woods that looked vaguely familiar. He could hear Catherine crying with heartbroken sobs, and he followed the sound. When he came to a clearing, he realized why these woods looked familiar. His sobbing little Catherine was seated underneath the same large oak tree, where he had found her several weeks ago, before he knew that she was alive. Once again, her wrist was chained to the tree. She looked up at him with the same look of surprise and then joy that he had seen at that time.