I suffered through Faolon’s humiliation with constant reminders that this would, in fact, be the last. I would never again feel his hands on my body. I would never feel his lips cup my flesh and the draw the life out of me. I would never see him, ever again.
I trod carefully as his hands searched along my bare arms, neck and face. I felt bold knowing that I’d be rid of him. There was a tugging to be defiant, to pull away, to slap that look off of his face. I knew that if things got out of hand Caleb would put an end to my monstrous husband. But I swallowed those urges, I bore the humiliation, so that my escape would come easily.
Pinching my cheeks in his hands Faolon’s eyes bore into mine. I hoped he wouldn’t see 
the new me lurking in the depths. I hoped he wouldn’t see the confidence and the hope that my love for Caleb had brought to me.
Grabbing a handful of my still pinned up hair, he pulled me across the room and threw me into a, thankfully, well padded chair. On his knees he searched my legs, slowly moving under the shift. Pressing his fingers inside of me and at the same time bringing his face to my ears he whispered, “I will know.” I watched the ceiling as he prodded, looking for my virginity, which was thankfully still as it should be. There was no pleasure in his touch.
It wasn’t long before I was able to exhale, relief that we were finally at the conclusion of this search, or so I had hoped, overwhelmed me as tears began to well. Fighting to hold them back, I didn’t notice Faolon pulling my shift up to expose my thighs and then higher still.
I stayed silent, afraid to look at him, afraid to know what was coming next. I could read his mistrust, heavy in the air. His movements were quick and well practiced as he moved to tear into my flesh. With force he broke the surface and opened my skin with his own teeth. My nails dug into the chair, my body tensing and stiffening from the pain. The veins in my neck struggled to break free, tempting my husband to move his target. He broke free from his snack long enough to warn me, “Scream and it shall be the end of you. I’ll only be a few moments.”
I endured his sickness with an internal dialogue. Urging myself to stay alive, to survive this torture so that I could find happiness. This would end and a new life would begin, I just needed to get through these last few moments.
Stunned by the events that had just taken place, I walked to my room, still in my shift, with my dress in hand and blood running down my thigh. I barely noticed the pain each step caused. I had been unceremoniously escorted out of Faolon’s room, with his stamp of approval. I had passed the virginity test and would live to tell the tale.
As I approached my room the door was opened and Caleb stepped into the hall, concern showing on his face.
“Niamh” he whispered reaching for me. I crumbled into his arms and he carried me inside.
He took it upon himself to doctor my wound. Cleaning it and bandaging it with supplies he had one of his most trusted house men bring to the room. While he worked there was a look about him.
“Are you alright?” I asked
“Its your well being I am concerned about.” He replied, focused.
“This is the last of it. He won’t touch me again.” I reminded Caleb.
“You should rest.” He couldn’t look me in the eyes. “You have a long day ahead of you.”
“It won’t be long now.” I said, as I climbed into bed, pulling the sheets around my very tired body.
Throwing the bloody rags on to the fire, he turned to me, tension leaving his shoulders. “No it won’t.”
I believed his intention was to give me an innocent good night kiss and leave the room, but it didn’t play out that way. It may have been the act we’d put on throughout the evening, pretending that there was no heat between us, or perhaps it was Caleb wanting to lay claim to me, but that kiss blossomed into something much deeper. I should have been more mindful of what I was doing, but from the moment I left Faolon’s room I had dismissed him from my life. There was no holding back. I was free to do as I pleased.
I was naked and urging Caleb on as his clothes fell from his limbs, his lips barely leaving mine. It was not the long kiss good-bye to my virginity I had dreamed it might be. It was a bit desperate, infact, the floodgates had opened and there was no holding anything back.
Tender as he could be, for obvious reasons and to prevent my wound from reopening Caleb took from me what I had been dreaming of giving him from the first night I had laid eyes on him. Wanting to feel him, to experience love in its most primitive form, I bore the discomfort and guided him along, hands possessively planted on his backside.
I watched his face as the pleasure grew inside of him, overwhelming him and finally taking over, his body convulsing and eyes rolling into his eyelids. A small grown escaped form his lips as he collapsed on top of my bare chest. I stroked his hair, twisting the ends here and there, in a day dreamy sort of fashion, while he regained his wits. “So that’s what all the fuss is about?” I asked, fishing for a reaction. His head quickly jerked up a playful smile forming on his lips.
“You have no idea what you’re in for.” Jumping to his feet, he pulled me from the bed.
“Sit there.” He pointed to the floor by the fireplace. I did. He positioned me with my knees pulled up to my chin, arms hugging my legs.
“Now look at me.” I did. He was naked, perched on the edge of my bed reaching for a sketchbook I had left on the chair beside it. I grinned at the sight of him so vulnerable.
“No smiling” he said, nodding his head and grinning himself. He began sketching.
“What are you doing?” I asked, trying to stay still.
“A man needs time.” He studied me and began to sketch some more. “When I’m ready, I’ll really show you what all the fuss is about.” Unable to help myself, I laughed out loud.
We sat in silence for some time. Caleb immortalizing my naked body in its new form, while I patiently waited for the vibrations in my body to ease. They were certainly taking their time.
Caleb noticed the footsteps first, though too late. As he put down the sketchbook and turned toward the door, it was thrown open. Framed in the doorway was my husband, angry, silently seething, gun in hand, hammer cocked. I didn’t even have a moment to process what his intentions were, I didn’t have time to gasp, duck or run for cover. I only had time to take the bullet he fired at me directly in the chest.
In the moments that my body crumbled to the floor and my blood began to pool around the hearth of the fireplace, I watched Caleb transform. The man I loved, the man whose features were with me in every thought became someone I didn’t recognize. Words cannot accurately describe the changes that took place. It didn’t seem humanly possible, though as I lay dying I realized that my lover may not have been human at all.
He attacked Faolon with animalistic rage. In seconds it was over and Faolon melted into the floor, minus one throat. Caleb turned to me, his face a bloody mess, eyes glowing with such menace. I should have been terrified, but I was quite literally dying, and I had already made peace with that. Tearing into his own wrist a well of blood was let loose as he appeared at my side.
My eyes, heavy with death, drew shut as I swallowed his final offering.
– fini –
For previous posts of The Becoming please click here
Note: All characters in this story are fictional. They are not based on any person, living or otherwise. (I’m still in disbelief that I have to post this note.)
