Velina the Vampire

Chapter One

The night had red eyes! High upon a rooftop in this nineteenth century Croatian village, the vampire crouched. Like a black panther on the prowl, he peered down at a tavern across the street. His eyes burned red with the fires of hell and drool dripped from his fangs at what he sensed was so close he could almost taste it. Virgin blood!

In the tavern below, a nubile barmaid flitted between great wooden tables, avoiding hands that sought her nicely rounded rump. Everyone inside wanted to bed her, she knew, but only one stood a thread of a chance.

She’s staring at you again, Karlo.

Karlo didn’t let himself get too excited over what his drinking buddy had told him. I’ve pursued Zinka since we were children to no avail. I’m finished with her.

Aye, but now things are different, his friend reminded him. Thanks to her parents dying in that carriage accident she’s been forced to work here. And with your own father on his deathbed you stand to inherit his land. You’ll be needing a wife. And who better than Zinka?

The barmaid stopped at their table, bent over, and whispered in Karlo’s ear.

His friend ogled her dangling breasts and their visible areolas until she bounded away before he asked the obvious question. What did she say?

The sight of Zinka’s ample bosom so close and the tickling of her sweet voice in his ear had made Karlo sit up straight. I don’t believe it! I just don’t believe it!

His friend’s mouth hung open. You don’t mean…

At the bar sat Nicholaus, a fat, white-bearded old man who hadn’t yet lost his eye for sweet young things. He turned to the barkeep, a rail thin, balding man who wore a scowl that seemed to be etched upon his face. Looks like Zinka has finally found herself the lucky lad who’s to introduce her to womanhood.

A flash of jealous rage coursed through the barkeep’s bony body. That boy? Not if I have anything to say about it! It’ll take a man to make a woman out of her!

Nicholaus laughed. And who would be that man? You?

The barkeep said no more as he glared at his young competitor. Hidden under the bar rested a club that was normally reserved for belligerent drunks. The barkeep wrapped his fingers around the handle and thought what a sweet sound it would make as it cracked young Karlo’s skull.

Several hours had passed and the spring in Zinka’s step had been sprung. She plunked down a tray of empty mugs under her employer’s hawk nose and turned toward the stairs. I’m going to my room now.

The barkeep grabbed her by the wrist. And what if I say no?

Zinka wrenched free. Then you can get someone else to work for you, someone who will work for the pittance you pay.

The barkeep sneered, knowing how hard it was to find good help, good-looking help that would attract more customers, especially. I’ll teach you respect soon enough, he grumbled to himself as she left. I’ll show you who is boss. I’ll open a crack in your young man’s skull, then fill the crack between your legs with all the manhood you can handle!

Zinka flashed Karlo a come hither look that made the blood drain from all but one part of his body. As she flew up the stairs with a renewed vibrancy, he finished his drink with one big gulp. For so long he’d wanted her. For so long she’d spurned him. Only now that she was desperate did she want him. That bothered him and pricked his pride, but not enough to keep him from partaking. A little voice in his head told him that he’d be taking advantage of her, taking advantage of her dire situation, and that he shouldn’t. Another drink, he thought. Another drink would drown that noisome little voice.

Zinka felt the fool as she clawed at the buttons on her dress with fingers made numb from excitement. With a loud sigh of disgust at her ineptitude, she yanked the dress over her head. Who’d have ever thought that it would be the gawky Karlo who would make her a woman? She’d played games with him for most of her life, flirting with him just enough to keep his attention, just enough to make her feel good about herself. She’d always had her pick as pretty as she was so she wasn’t about to choose Karlo, but fate stepped in and took her father before he could marry her off to a better man. Her eyes turned misty thinking of what she’d been reduced to. Looking her nakedness over in the full-length mirror, she felt like a harlot luring a man she didn’t love to her bed.

Perish the thought.

Zinka twirled around to the sound of a smooth voice and found herself face to face with a handsome man dressed all in black—a man whose image she should’ve seen in the mirror, but strangely did not.

He spoke as if he could read her mind. Do not think yourself a whore. You are a gift from God—a gift to me.

He ran his long fingers ran across her back, over her shoulders, and then buried their tips deep into her breasts. Zinka winced, wanted to object, but an invisible force held her vocal cords fast. She could barely manage a squeak, even when the stranger ripped her dress from her body like it was of no more substance than a spider's web. He, with his narrow nose and slicked back hair, lifted her as if she were a doll and placed her upon the bed.

Now pleasure me.

The stranger spoke with an air of authority Zinka hadn’t felt since she’d last heard her father’s voice. She became lost in his black eyes and became one with him in the night

Karlo placed his empty mug on the bar. He’d downed enough liquid courage to bolster him and now it was time to do his work. He began to trace his soon-to-be lover’s steps when he heard the barkeep’s voice.

Where do you think you’re going?

Where do you think?

The barkeep was right behind Karlo on the stairway, club in hand, when the latter chanced to look back over his shoulder. And just what are you going to do with that?

The barkeep saw blood in the young man’s eye and swung wildly in the air. I was just swatting at a fly.

Karlo noticed his hand shaking as he reached for the doorknob. Maybe one more drink would steady him, he thought. No, it was now or never. He entered the room and shuddered not from nerves, but from the cold. Heavens, Zinka! You want to catch your death?

Zinka was hid under the bedcovers and must have fallen fast asleep while waiting for him to summon enough courage to come to her. Once he closed the balcony doors, the damned little voice in his head said not to wake her. But his organ, which spoke ever so loudly, convinced him otherwise. He’d wake her with a kiss! Yes, that’s what he’d do! And she’d be all over him! He slowly pulled the cover back from her blonde hair, her pale forehead, and then her eyes. He flew backward at the sight of them, for they glared up at him, void of the light of life.

A voice from out of nowhere said, Indeed, there is nothing quite like a virgin.

Karlo spun toward the balcony doors, now open. A man dressed not unlike princes of old had materialized out of thin air.

And you would have ruined it for me.

Karlo’s jaw dropped as the man—or was it a man—straightened his cloak in the mirror despite his casting no reflection.

Vampire!

Like a wild bull, Karlo rushed headfirst at his adversary. He didn’t consider what it was he faced. All he could think about was what was stolen from him—his Zinka, his dream. The vampire stepped aside like a bullfighter and Karlo crashed headlong through the mirror.

The vampire backed out onto the balcony with the grace of a seasoned dancer and admonished his attacker. Young fool. I should rip out your entrails for such impudence. But I must be away, for the sun fast approaches. He leapt backward and landed on the narrow rail like a cat. Perchance we shall meet again. Then we can settle accounts.

He dropped from the rail, emitting a laugh that reverberated throughout the streets and bounced around inside Karlo’s head, threatening to drive him mad. He rushed the balcony and looked down. He saw nothing besides the early morning gloom. The vampire had vanished!

The Peeping Tom of a barkeep jerked his eye away from Zinka’s keyhole. He ran to his room, hid under his bed, and didn’t emerge until well after daybreak.

Chapter Two

As twilight approached, a wagon made its way down a deeply rutted road that cut a swath through the deep wood. A weary couple, newly wed, stopped to make camp. The man was an average sort of fellow and set about to find firewood. His wife, in contrast, was an utterly extraordinary woman. She released their ox from its yoke and tied it to a tree. The beast was oblivious to the fact that she was almost a caricature of the hourglass figure desired by most men and women alike. Her rump was round and firm, her waist weensy, and her cleavage colossal.

Before long the couple was cuddled up next to a fire, eating dinner, and dreaming of their future together.

I’m so glad your uncle gave us some of his land for a wedding present, the young woman said. I just wish it wasn’t so far away.

The man put his arm around his wife. We’ll get there. He nodded toward the wagon. And we have the wedding gifts our friends and family gave us to help us get started on our new lives together.

The woman put her hand in her husband’s crotch. "And when we arrive you can do more of that wondrous thing you do with this and we can start a family of our own!" She jerked her hand away when she realized what she’d done and looked around to see if anyone was watching.

The man placed her hand back where it was. There is no one here but us and the wild beasts.

Unbeknownst to the love struck couple, a pair of highwaymen was watching them from the bushes like hungry animals.

The huskier one of the two beasts wiped dripping saliva on his sleeve. Those be the biggest milk pails I've ever seen!

The other, who was the thin and nervous type, rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Same here! Let’s have at them! I want to suck them dry!

The husky one put his filthy fingers over the other’s loose lips. Be still. You will, but let's await our moment.

Severinna gave Antun a peck on the cheek. I’m turning in for the night. Won’t you join me? Her gaze fixed upon the area between his legs. "And bring it along." She then climbed into the conveyance with the lantern.

Antun poured water on the campfire and it went out with a hiss. An entire ocean, he thought, couldn’t extinguish the fire he felt for the form that graced the side of his wagon. His wife was inside, brushing the knots from her long, golden hair. The sumptuous silhouette of her sultry body was cast upon the canvas for all to see.

And all did see. Close behind Antun crept the husky highwayman. He raised a thick stick high into the air. Like his intended victim, he was also mesmerized a moment. So much so that he almost lost his chance to bash his quarry while his back was turned. Almost.

Severinna jerked her head toward a weird whacking sound. Then she heard another. Outside the wagon, both highwaymen stood over their felled prey.

The nervous one bit his lip as he hovered over the unmoving man. Did you have to hit him twice?

His cohort grabbed him by his grubby collar. Do you want him maybe to wake and sneak up on us before we’re through?

The nervous one waved his hands in the air. Oh no!

Then shut up before…

It was too late. She’d heard.

Severinna tried to convince herself everything was all right over the objections of her churning stomach. Darling?

A burly, black-toothed man popped his head in through the rear. Yes dear?

Severinna screeched and threw her brush at the offensive ogre. The heavy wooden handle hit him squarely in the forehead and he fell out backward. She burst out the other end of the wagon and right into the hands of yet another ruffian. Her eyes probed the darkness for any sign of her husband. Antun? Where was he?

The nervous highwayman wasted no time shoving her back inside. He giggled like a madman then suckled her breasts like he was a milk-starved babe.

The wagon jerked as the other, larger monster jumped back into the fray. He massaged an already forming welt on his dirty forehead. Hit me with a brush will you? He ripped Severinna from his cohort’s clutches and pushed down his pants.

The other ogre objected. Hey!

Wait your turn, fool! There’s enough for the two of us!

The fool imagined what it would be like, what it would be like to go outside, to get the stick and, whack, have the goddess all to himself. But, no, he was a follower and he needed a leader even if it always meant having to settle for scraps.

He needn’t have worried. A more heavenly angel would likely never again drop from the sky in their lifetimes so the felonious friends shared Severinna, hour upon hour, the whole night through.

Chapter Three

Something stung Severinna’s eyes through their closed lids. She opened them to the light of the morning sun. The nightmare was finally over. It had gone on so interminably long that after a point she pretended that it was just that—a nightmare. It wasn’t over, though. She rose naked from the ground, feeling like she’d been dragged ten miles by a wild stallion. Then, she saw him. Antun lay still and cold not far from her feet. She took his blood caked head in her hands and wept.

Severinna peered up at God’s home in the sky. How could you let this happen? she asked. What did we do to deserve this?"

All the horrible highwaymen had left behind was a single dress and that was only because they’d torn it in their mad haste to leave the scene of the crime. Severinna fashioned a roadside grave of stone for her deceased husband then offered a perfunctory prayer, for she was too angry with He who would allow such a horrible thing to pass. That done, she plodded barefoot down the rutted road.

Several miles and two sore feet later, Severinna came upon a village. The main thoroughfare was bustling with activity as the morning market was in high swing. Despite her being part of a mob, she still attracted plenty of attention. Anyone who caught a glimpse of her beauty stopped dead in his tracks, whether male or female. A group of awestruck boys followed her around like a pack of lost puppies, watching in wonder as her rounded calf emerged from her torn dress with every other step she took.

Severinna was aware of her following, but she didn’t concern herself with it. There was a more pressing matter to attend to. She required the means to return to her childhood home. She needed money, a job. Excuse me, sir.

A farmer, his face wizened by the sun looked her over, head to toe, with beady little eyes that sparkled at the most welcome sight.

I’m recently in town and am looking for work. Do you have need of…

She didn’t even have a chance to finish her sentence before he was offering her a job. Sure! I can use you!

Oh no, he can’t! His equally wrinkled wife shoved him in the direction of some willing customers. She looked at the newcomer like she was something too dirty to be touched, although her hands were already far from clean. Off with you!

It was the same story all over. Those merchants who had work for her also had wives who would have none of it. As she was about to lose hope, Severinna spotted an oasis in the desert. It was a dress store with a ‘help wanted’ sign in the window.

She’d loved designing and making clothes since she was a child. It was perfect!

The beguiled boys peered through the dress shop window. They watched as the wondrous woman pitched her skills as a seamstress to the storeowner. They celebrated their good fortune by slapping each other on the back after Severinna shook the owner’s hand. She appeared to have convinced him to take her on. Now she would stay in town and they would know where to find her in the future.

The storeowner pointed at some slow selling fabrics that occupied a space on the topmost shelf in the establishment. You can begin by straightening those.

He offered her a ladder and held it steady as she ascended. The boys gasped as a group as he jockeyed himself into a position where he could look straight up her dress. He licked his lips at the little forest of gold he beheld.

A lady carrying a parasol saw the assemblage of young boys gathered at the window and shooed them away. Begone, you ragamuffins, the lot of you! She looked in as they had and saw just what they had seen. The storeowner was looking straight up some girl’s dress! She stomped her foot. Why that wolf! There was a bell at the top of the entrance to the dress shop and the lady with the parasol practically knocked it off as she barged in. Jakov!

The shopkeeper let go of the ladder as if it were electrified. Vesna, darling.

Don’t ‘Vesna darling’ me! What is this?

The curvaceous creature on the ladder turned her head. Vesna almost dropped her parasol at the sight of the Severinna’s glistening green eyes and thick golden hair. She was beautiful. She was too beautiful.

Get down here this instant!

Severinna obeyed the authoritarian lady. She had to take great care descending the steps, for Jakov wasn’t about to get his hands anywhere near her in order to steady the shaky ladder.

He attempted to placate his mate. Why, my darling, I’m so happy to see you. This is our new employee…

I don’t care what her name is! We will not be needing her services!

Severinna pointed at the window. But the sign said…

Oh, it’s the sign, is it? Vesna took it from the window and tore it in half.

Severinna then pointed at the storeowner. But he said…

As for my husband, he says a great many foolish things! Vesna opened her leather change purse and took out a single coin. She handed it to Severinna with her arm outstretched as if she didn’t care to get any closer than she absolutely had to. Take this for your inconvenience. She opened the door. Now if you don’t intend to buy anything I must ask you to leave.

Severinna opened her mouth to tell the wrathful wife how desperately she needed the job, how good a seamstress she was. But she knew it was pointless. She opened her palm and let the coin drop into it.

As for you, you lecher! Vesna chased her husband throughout the store while beating him over the head with her parasol.

The main street merchants were closing up shop and heading for home as a thunderstorm approached. Severinna made a last minute purchase and bought a lump of bread then ran for cover under an eave when half-dollar sized raindrops began pelting her. Once the downpour got going full steam it seemed it would never stop. The bread dissolved in her stomach almost as soon as it had settled there and did little to quell the lion that roared within.

Severinna had always loved God. After all, He’d blessed her with unbeatable beauty and a supportive family. But lately He seemed to have something against her. Now, with this rain, it was as if He were spitting upon her. As she stood shivering, she thought she heard laughter. Was He laughing at her now?

No. It was coming from across the street. She strained her eyes to see through the torrent and spotted a tavern. Her mother and father warned me of such places. Drunken louts congregated there. No respectable lady would dream of entering. Only wanton women and serving wenches would dare to venture within. Severinna’s green eyes lit up. Serving wenches!

The boisterous bar patrons went silent as a rain soaked stranger strode into the bar. Not in their most erotic dreams had any of them even imagined a sight such as this. A perfect specimen of womanhood, a woman whose every curve was visible through her clinging dress, walked right in through their front door.

This is just a place of business, Severinna told herself. It couldn’t possibly be as bad a place as she’d heard it would be growing up. She stepped up to an open-mouthed