Cailín (Lass) (Anam Céile Chronicles) (30 page)

“Well,
what do we have here?  You shouldn’t be down in the orlop, Missy.  But, if you
remain very silent and do as we tell you, maybe we won’t tell anyone we found
you.  Understand?”  His voice was gruff, his tone mocking.

Fear at
that which I knew they intended rushed through me.

He
didn’t wait fer me answer as he grasped both of me petite wrists in his single
large hand, and with his free hand effortlessly tore open the front of the
scraps of clothing I had found to cover meself.  Since undergarments of any
kind I had not, me breasts were straightaway exposed, serving to feed the fire
of their savage lust.  Grunting with approval, he immediately set to grabbing
at them harshly. 

I cried
out in pain. 

The
other attempted to pry me legs apart with his knees, whilst his free hands
groped their way over me body.  Equally thrilled to discover me breasts, he
brought his face to them, nipping at them and coating them in his foul-smelling
slobber.
 

The one
restraining me hands moved up to me face.  Suddenly he was smashing his coarse
beard into me face. 

I
jerked me head to the side to avoid his assaulting lips, clenching me teeth together
as his tongue tried to invade me mouth.  Consequently he went about slavering upon
me neck instead.

The
other with his mouth still voracious at me breasts, I felt his hand wedge
between me thighs to pry into me vulnerable flesh there.  Though I attempted to
clamp meself tight, still he managed to shunt his rough fingers up inside of me
with a dominating primal grunt.  I gasped, feeling completely helpless to this
ambush.  He continued impelling them into me, inopportunely reawakening that
lingering hollow ache in me.

I
struggled against the unwelcome arousal that swiftly began surging through me
veins, utterly baffling me.  The trigger of the physical stimulation had
resonated within the depths of me groin, affecting me to feel sickened in the
worst way.  Striving to not impart to him any unnecessary encouragement, I
strove to appear completely unaffected.
 

Oh,
what be the matter with me?!  I should be revolted!  How could I be becoming
aroused?
 

Though
I knew ‘twas not directed toward them, still I felt repulsed by the betrayal of
me body’s anticipation. 

Amused,
the man at me face sniggered then, puffs of his foul breath blowing assailing
me nostrils.  With horror, I realised that I had begun panting from the
unsolicited stimulus.

“Ahh.  Fancies
it she does!  Why don’t we give her something that she’s sure to love?”

Me
scalp prickled as panic wedged in deeper.  I heard the jingling of suspenders
as he hastily undid his filthy trousers, eliciting me to look his way. 

The
malevolence flowing in his eyes produced a shudder which wracked through me
body.  I knew I must do something
now
if I were to have any chance at
stopping this.  Thus, in a futile attempt to escape, I began to thrash about
wildly.

One of
them struck me firmly across the face, knocking me head with great force to the
side and into the hard floor.  I felt the hot flow of blood as it oozed out
into a pool beneath me face.  I hesitated, contending with meself as dark
desires unfolded within me. 

“Hurry
up, get on with it!  Ready I be fer me turn with the wench!” the one at me head
grumbled impatiently.

The
rage which rapidly filled me carried with it the advantages of me newly
converted being into sharper awareness.  I felt all of me instincts come into
force as adrenaline jolted through me veins, fueling a fresh burning desire to
kill. 

I can
protect meself! 
This
be what I be created to do. 

Just as
he had freed himself from his trousers and be maneuvering, I startled them both
by snapping me head back, and spat me blood at them.  A vicious snarl ripped up
me throat and out through me lips as they pulled back over me sharp teeth wet
with blood.  The amber of me eyes glowed red with me fierceness.  I detected the
slightest slack on the restrain of me left hand.

Lusting
fer the kill,
me hand curled back into a claw propelled by me
passionate fury.  The one about to violate me gasped in shock as I plunged it
upward into his chest, tearing through his flesh, crushing right through his
ribcage to his thrumming heart.  Me hand closing around it, I jerked me arm
upwards, slashing him open all the way to pull out his still pounding heart
through his throat.  His heart still pulsated against me palm as I held it
there dripping before his face.  Mouth gaping, his protuberant eyes petrified
with terror stared into mine as he remained there over me fer a few
exhilarating seconds, before collapsing lifelessly atop of me.

Indifferently,
I pushed the corpse off of me.  Covered in his blood I be, the smell of it
pervading me head. 

I
salivated. 

In his
panic, the man who had been restraining me had jumped to his feet and ran, he be
twenty metres away.  I sprang to me feet and pursued him, easily closing the
distance in just a few strides.  He yelped as a hound when I captured him.

This
time, I did not hesitate, permitting me instincts to take full possession of
me.  Me teeth lacerated into his neck ferociously, rendering him the one
helpless
this time
.  The warm molten of his blood slid down me throat. 
The heat from it rushed through to me muscles, invigourating me. 

‘Twas
absolutely exquisite!

While
there would be countless times that I be certain me sins were without a doubt
unforgiveable, that time be justifiable.  Never have I held meself accountable
fer defending meself.

An
approaching uproar on deck forced me to drop the second body as I realised there
be a mass of people coming to investigate the cause of the commotion below.  I
froze and then fled to avoid being discovered. 

Not
that I had doubt I could have defended meself against them.  Still, I
understood fully to what it would have come if they accosted me, and a killing
spree not be what I wished to engage in.  And though I may have had enough blood
at present, in me state of frenzy I fathomed I could have easily drank a river
full. 

From me
weeks of sneaking about to forage fer food and water, I knew several ways
leading to the main deck.  As I heard them descending down the stairs to the
west of where I stood, I ran the opposite way to a hidden ladder in the back. 
Praying that no one would be on deck when I came out, I climbed up the ladder. 

Of
course, that be too much to ask fer. 

When I
ascended onto the main floor, there were several people scattered about,
debating amongst themselves what the cause fer the noise down below must have
been. 

I
slinked by, the first rays of the morning shining bright upon me, yet still I endeavoured
to escape unnoticed.  Just when I thought I might get away with it, a woman spotted
me.  Her eyes widened with fear as she let out a bloodcurdling scream.  In a
fraction of a second, the others followed the direction of her stare.  All
their eyes were upon me, the blood coming from me mouth and me naked body
covered in it.  I fought off the instinct to crouch and defend meself. 

As they
were frozen in their shock, I knew they would never be able to catch me, thus I
darted away from them abaft.  Without a moment’s thought, I leapt from the
stern into the sea far below. 

I
shuddered with shock when me body immersed into the frigid waters, the bitter
cold of it slicing into me.  Still, the sea cleansed me of the blood that
covered me. 

In me
haste, I had not considered me lack of ability to swim!  With abrupt panic I
struggled, feeling meself gradually sinking, yet far from willing that this be
the end of me.  Me muscles only became tighter with the debilitating cold of
the water.  As me head dipped under, the icy waters rushed into me lungs,
burning me insides. 

No! 
After all this I cannot simply drown!  I must return to me Donovan!  I must be
with him again!

Then
the strangest thing occurred. 

At
first, I assumed I merely be going into shock from the cold.  I shuddered
fiercely, as though me body be threatening to shake apart.  Tight spasms of
pain moved through me, shooting through every muscle as though they were on
fire.  Though no one would dare rescue me, I screamed vociferously.  Sure I be it
must have been the lethal frigidity ruthlessly working its way into me body.  

And then
precipitously it worsened. 

I
willed against it, braced meself from the unbearable agony as it ripped through
me as a force of lightning.
 
The compression ‘twas so great,
I thought me bones must surely be shattering.  Next, I felt as though the air be
pulsating all about me as the pain actually simmered to the more bearable
sensation as that of severe musculature strain. 

And
then, just as abruptly as it had begun, ‘twas over.

I did
not know what ‘twas that had happened, all that mattered in that moment be that
I no longer had to struggle against the waves to stay above water.  I experienced
me limbs moving fluidly, propelling me along.  The mass of me body felt
greater, stronger, and quite different somehow. 

I
lowered me head to look down at meself and astounded I be when instead of me
bare ivory flesh, me eyes were met with a coat of red pelt.  Nothing of that
form was alike me formerly, either. 

I must
be delirious, me brain frozen from the icy waters!

Nonetheless,
I did not have time to entertain concern of it, as I had to keep swimming to
make it through that vast raging sea.

“You
were in the
athdholb
of your
nascmhíl
, the
aiteann,
”
Tenzin interjected proudly. 

I
looked to him, the surprise registering upon me face, marveling at how he could
have known.

I could
hardly wrap me mind around all that had happened in the past day, not to
mention the past few weeks. 

Had I
really drained the blood from these people . . .  and savoured it?  Made love
to a beautiful young maiden while sipping away her life?  Fought off two brutes
and shoved me petite hand through the bones of one’s broad chest?  What be this
arracht I had become?  These things I could do . . .

Concern
began to flood me mind. 

Will I indeed
be able to gain control of this new bloodlust when I come ashore . . . when I
find me love?  Not possible it be I would think of Donovan in that way!  Then
again, do I not desire him in every other way I never believed possible?  Why then,
should his blood be any different?  Be I fooling meself?  Would not his blood
beckon me as does the luscious scent of his body?  Perhaps the scent I have
grown so familiar is only but a hint of how his blood will appeal to me. 

But no,
never could I hurt him as that!  Even if it will mean hurting meself.  Yet
never had I wished to take the lives of those lovely women either.  I only
desired to have them, to make love with them, and me consuming them somehow
instinctually became part of the seemingly beautiful erotic experience. 

Will only
more of the same be destined to happen when again I be near me Donovan?  Will I
wish to experience him, taste of him in every way— to the detriment of his life—
before I be able to realise what be happening in midst of the spell that
suppresses me of me senses?  Be I a mere fool not to heed the words of caution
from me creator?

Permitting
the powerful muscles of me new form to efficiently propel me, I swam along. 
Initially I followed the direction of the ship from which I had absconded.  Though
after a couple days, I realised I only be slowing meself down in attempt to
keep course with them and thus allowed meself to drive ahead of them; yet,
always glancing back to determine whether it had seemed to be changing course.

After a
while, I felt confident I knew the correct way to land based upon me own
sharper instincts, and advanced far ahead, moving out of visual distance of the
ship.

When I
sensed I must be nearing land, I noticed something off in the distance to the south. 
‘Twas mesmerized I be by a most spectacular view of a pair of mountains:
several hundred metres of formidable jagged rock rising sheer out of the
Atlantic Ocean.  A stark otherworldly feel there be to them, particularly
shrouded by the thick mist as they were.  I fought back an involuntary shiver
threatening to break through me. 

Why ‘tis
I feel so peculiar?

Just as
I believed the worst be surely behind me, to me utter dismay, a fierce storm
erupted over the sea.  I had to keep swimming assiduously if I was to stay atop
the violent waters.  Me head dipped below the water of the surging black sea
frequently as I battled against the waves.  I began to fear losing stamina and
being devoured by that unforgiving sea without end. 

Seemingly
interminable hours of that torture did I endure.  And yet still, through the
storm, somehow I managed to reach the shore.  Though noticeably weary I be,
astounded I be not completely gasping fer breath and exhausted.