The Tormented Goddess (9 page)

Venus forecasting Edward as a meal to her friend tried to derive the subject if conversation in hope that Florence would abandon her prey. “Where are the others?”
a
sked Venus.

“Your little friend seems exquisitely tasty, they're out for dinner. I was going to join them but you caught my attention.”

“You haven't eaten?”
a
sked Venus darkly.

“No, and I'm getting awfully hungry.”
s
tated Florence staring directly towards Edward.

“Why don't you take our horse on a
ride?
” Suggested Venus “It's a black beauty, your favorite!” added she taking the initiative of getting rid of her
friend’s
possible attempt of choosing Edward as her meal. The tension seemed terribly high, Venus
waited
patiently for her
friend’s
decision,
and thankfully
she chose wisely.

“I would love to.” Replied Florence perched at the edge of the window, she then laughed dramatically before letting her
self
fall
-
out. They were finally at peace.

Attempting to dine they were cooking together a stew on the cold fire. Venus turned the content as watching Edward cutting u
p the onions. “You're crying!” c
alled out Venus seeing tears run down from Edward's red eyes.

“It's the onions!” e
xplained Edward.

“Really.” c
hallenged Venus.

After finishing their meager bowls, they sat on the velvet cushions and furs arranged by the fire on the stone floor. Edward commented “That was delicious! Where did you learn to cook so
well?
”

“Don't be a hy
pocrite you did all the work!” g
lared back Venus.

“Honestly wh
ere did you learn everything?” a
sked Edward.

“I've h
ad many teachers and tutors.” r
etorted Venus.

“You're terribly intelligent and educated, I'm sure Oxford wasn't your first taste in university studies. You must have multiple gratifying documents from such institutions.”

“Yes, but you do not need to have a written official document to dictate you what you can and cannot do. I've already been to oxford a few times, I've studied medicine, law everything really. My favorite of all will always be humanities.”

“Why do you continually repeat the same courses if
you’re
al
ready wiser then the teacher?” a
sked Edward out of curiosity.

“Good question!” Stated
Venus
bored from the repetitive questions she laid her head upon a pillow and observed in amazement the painted ceiling. “Look Edward.” She instructed
pointing towards the ceiling.  He crouched down holding his head with his arm as a support and looked at the richly painted ceiling. “Isn't beautiful.”
t
hought Venus.

Edward gazed towards her admiring her fascination, the longer he stared in her direction the stronger a surreal force pulled his lips towards hers “You're beautiful.” he confessed looking straight into her eyes, but the moments before his lips met his desired, Venus turned herself and faced the other side of the room exclaiming,

“Good night!” as she closed her eyes. Disappointed by his ridicules attempt Edward dropped his head onto a cushion and waited till his desperation putted him to sleep.

The morning light blazed through the window awaking easily Venus from her troubled sleep. All around her she looked at the chandeliers coated and stained by the melted wax of the hundreds of dead candles lit yesterday night. She got up and looked out the window onto the glacial appearance of the outside. The sunlight was blinding as it reflected off the snow. Venus arranged the wood in the fireplace waking up Edward with the noise. Still unaware of how Venus reacted from his attempt from last night he politely offered himself for starting the fire. He lit the flame and watched it grow into a fire.

“
Let’s
go outside for some air.” s
uggested Venus.

“What about the blood suckers?” Asked Edwards

“They're asleep by now.” r
eassured Venus.

They both covered themselves warmly before venturing in the cold. Swiftly down the corridors Venus secretly grabbed a
bow and some arrows she had an
idea in mind. Once outside she told Edward what they shall do in the time being. “
Let’s
go hunting!” she exclaimed.

“How?”
ask Edward shyly in a firm tone.

“Don't tell me you've never hunted before, how pathetic. We will hunt with our brains Junior.”

“Don't call me that.”

“Pardon my little apprentice.”

“Well how do we hunt, misses know it all?”

“With our brains and a little luck…
” Venus spotted a heard of deer galloping in the distance. “
…T
here is our dear deer.”
h
ushed Venus as she stabled her bow before striking the final blow. She aimed with perfect precision at an impressive distance, keeping her prey alive in a dormant coma. They raced down the hill to gather their
prize;
Edward could not believe how clean the cut turned out on the helpless animal.

“Alright I admit you're better at me in archery.”

“Archery Edward is every feminine lethal sport, thus making it quite alright for you to have difficulties with it.”

“I can hunt.”
s
ighed back Edward.

“Of course you can, our primal instincts are those of a hunter, everyone can kill it is only a matter of restraint.” Replied Venus shocking Edward how cruelly truthful was what she said.

As they tried to move the animal up the hill Venus suggested another pathway which was less steep. As they walked they encountered the carcass of a black horse. Edward ask
ed
“Is that our horse?” Looking at the tainted dark red snow around its neck Venus nodded. Giving it a last good look they finally manage to make their way back. They Carried the deer into a stone courtyard and then into an empty kitchen where they dropped the beast onto the floor. As Venus was about to leave Edward asked “Why aren't we keeping it, I'm sure it could make a decent Christmas Eve dinner?”

“It's a gift; now
let’s
make our way back before the early birds spot us.
” i
nstructed Venus. Tonight was once again a full
moon;
she always had the misfortune to be needed while the lunar light was at its peak.

C
hapter Eleven

The warm fire kindly made a sublime welcome, but soon enough the clear blue sky died into the midst of the dark ages of the night. Behind a Japanese folding screen Venus dressed into a sublime décolleté for the soirée. Instead of shoes she slipped on two ravishing bright luminous rose slippers. As gracefully walking out the door she begged once more to her companion.
“Never open the door to any one, not even me for I have the key. Make the leas noise as possible and pray, for you'll need it.” Off the left, Edward immediately locked every lock on the door and placed an old massive cupboard in front of it as double checking that every possible exit was inaccessible to his paranoia.

Step by step Venus delicately walked towards the stage room seats of honor veranda and stood frigid waiting for her heart to crumble. Out of nowhere appeared a tall handsome young man. At the speed of light he already had his hands wrapped around her waist. His face was impeccably close as he scented her tender neck. Exclaiming softly into her ear “You still where my favorite perfume.”

“I got rather attached to it.”

“I'm delighted that you have accepted my invitation.” He turned her around to face her. “Your heart is beating at such speed my
goddess
. T
hat
is the rhythm of desire, might you still love me?” He pondered.

“You have betrayed me Vlad, you have broken my heart forever.” She accused him.

“Forever is a very long time, only you and I know its real significance.”

“I have loved you and only you loyally for more than a
century
dedicated my heart for you but your action will never be forgotten.”

“You have to admit I desired you more than any other, so much that I could not control my action. Never did I imagine your immortal energy to be a deadly poison.”

“You still bit me.” She whispered, he reached for her neck and embraced it.

The music began, the romanticism of the ballet was inexplicable, for the
sounds of the ringing violins were
so striking that they shivered your very insides. Throughout the whole performance the hearted killer could never lay his eyes elsewhere then on his desirable stabbing prey. At the high tense pike of the grand finally the harmonious melody could be heard right into
Edwards’s
chamber with the power of thunder. Everyone stood up to applaud, the counts servants appeared onto the stage carrying the living carcass od Venuses hunt. The ferocious eyes softened when Venus at last spoke out.
“Do you like my gift?”

“I adore it.” He swiftly said.  “I know you haven't come here just for me, you are too innocent for that. What is it that you wish for?”

She turned around and firmly stated to
Vlad “
I want to die.”

In that split second she felt a horrid pain and fainted again falling deeply onto the darkness of the forbidden palace of the underworld. A fearsome fire surrounded her as the echoing voice of Pluto screamed with rage.  “You want to die, are you mad?” He pushed her on the ground.  “An immortal that dies, disappears forever.”

Venus fearfully contested in a determined frightened
voice “
You fear to loose me, aren't I right.”

“You selfish girl, I care for no one not even ...” He hesitated.

“Not even who?” a
sked Venus.

“I have no choice but to keep you locked up here forever.” He concluded.

“You cannot keep me here
forever;
I have committed no crimes, nothing.”

“You wish to die.”

“Yes, I wish to live, not rot in my flesh for eternity.
”

“Besides I'll put another crime at your hands, Dracula would be absolutely furious once he hears he has an uninvited guest logging in his castle.
” He roared with laughter.

“You wou
ldn't, he's innocent, please.” b
egged Venus hoping that Edward's presence would go unheard-of in Vlad's ears.

“Oh you underestimate my will, and now I wish to render you as miserable as possible like that you'll learn to appreciate
your
current status.”

“You are powerless when it comes to me outside of the full moons.”

“Since only a human voice can wake you up, and other then your little friend who will soon perish in the most inhumane manner, there will be no one to
rend
you from my company
for all of the inhabitants of the castle are either dead or immortal.” He
giggled “
Thus you shall be the sleeping beauty of above and my faithful wife her below.”

Venus enraged attempted to attack the devil with all her might, but the heartless demon threw the poor divine pearl once again on the hard stone floor and whipped her without any remorse.

In the world of above, Vlad carefully placed his long lost love onto a velvet roman bed. He rushed towards his grand fireplace in the hall and pulled on a torch where a stair case appeared running deep into the mystical feared realm of the underworld. Rushing towards Pluto's palace, he passed an old guard draped in black
and
entered the home of torture. As he was announced he rushed in to discover his beloved beaten to the ground. The devil laughed in content, as he slit her hand leaving her blood drop onto the floor. Vlad looked vainly at the richness before him, he was tempted when all the sudden he recalled the distant memories of it taste. How could he resist her, her blood was like dark honey
. B
ut as beautiful can an exotic frog may appear to be its touch it instantaneously mortal.

“Pluto
,
restore her to me
!
”
c
ommanded Dracula.

“Are you aware that your prey has another lover...” mentioned Pluto.

“...and?”