Impaler

Night

Angelina and Vlad were silent as they were alone; the flickering of the candles was the only sound they heard. Angelina looked down out of respect and fear. She was afraid that Vlad would try something worse. The image of those impaled bodies still plagued her mind. Her mind would play tricks on her and make her imagine one of those impaled. "I have to think of something that will save my ass," she thought.

Vlad, however, looked up from the paperwork he was doing regarding his kingdom and reports of the Ottomans and their movements in different parts of Europe. He had a severe headache from dealing with one stressor to another. Stress made him very bad, and he would use women to let out his anger and frustrations. He had his mistresses, the last one being Daciana, but he was bored of her. The Voivode would usually get bored and would get a new woman once in a while. Angelina was the new one in his group, but she differed from the others. She acted and dressed differently; she also had a different character that he was not used to. Angelina did have a hint of fearlessness but had her vulnerabilities when the time called for it. She was a mystery that he couldn't solve; it frustrated and intrigued him at the same time. 

He then looked at the dress he ordered her to wear, which made her skin glow even in the darkness. "The dress suits you, as I knew it would."

Angelina flinched, her legs slightly trembling from the nervousness. "Th-Thanks. You have good tastes, I guess." She wanted to face-palm herself; she thought she sounded ridiculous. 

Vlad chuckled as he stood up from his seat. "I know what I like." He noticed the young woman would still not look at him, and it pleased him that she knew her place. Yet, he did enjoy a bit of rebellion. "Look at me, woman."

She slowly looked up as she had her hands together. "It-It's Angelina."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Exucse me?"

"Please call me Angelina. I have a name...Voivode." 

When she called him by his title, it made him excited. He wanted to rip the dress off and take her in that moment. However, he gave his word that he would not touch her tonight. However, there will come a time when Vlad will do so. Angelina intrigued him, and he desired to know more about her and her homeland. Also, the things that they had. "Well, it seems you do. Very well, I will call you by your name, but only when we meet one another. However you will address me by name in secrecy but by day you will call me by my title. Understood?"

"Perfectly...Vlad."

Vlad put his hands behind his back; he played with his finger to help contain his lust. "Sit." He motioned her to sit on his bed, which made Angelina flinch.

"You said that..."

"I have you my word. I will not touch you now, but you will eventually fall beneath me. As my new mistress, you will obey my command. Now, I want you to sit on that bed."

His eyes were emotionless, making it difficult to tell whether he was lying. Angelina wouldn't be able to escape if she wanted to, and Vlad would punish her if she did so. There was no other option but to trust him. She took a deep breath and walked toward his beautiful bed with a soft mattress and a pillow; the bedpost was made of dark brown wood with dragon carvings and leaves. There were dark red curtains that were nicely folded; beside the bed were two wooden cabinets with a couple of candles. Angelina slowly got on the bed but sat upright as she put one of the pillows on her back; she refused to lie down. A chill went through her spine as she watched Vlad slowly get on his bed and go to her. She looked away and felt her heart beating rapidly. "Please don't do anything! Please don't do anything!" The young woman closed her eyes and thought the worst. Suddenly, she felt something on top of her lap. Angelina opened her eyes and looked down; her eyes widened. Vlad put his head on her; his eyes stared at her. "Wh-What in the-?"

Vlad chuckled. "I did say that I would not have you yet. Although, I am curious about you."

"I see," she said, confused. So, what are you curious about, Vlad?"

"I want to know more about where you come from. You brought things I had never seen before. Is there more things like that contraption?"

Angelina slowly nodded. "That phone is considered technology. In my time, we had things such as television, which showed us plays, shows, and other forms of entertainment. People don't have to leave their homes to find amusement elsewhere. We also have toys that can fly and communicate with others from long distance." She continued talking about other things from her time. Angelina eventually soothed down her anxiety as she talked about different sports, different types of transportation, amusement parks, and much more.

Vlad lay on her lap as he listened to her speak. At first, he thought everything she said was ridiculous, but the more he listened intently, the more intrigued he became. The descriptions were well-said, and there was no hesitation; he realized she spoke the truth. Angelina spoke of many things that made him curious, and he wished to see. 

Angelina eventually finished as she cleared her throat from speaking too much. She realized the duration of her speaking and slowly looked down at Vlad, who had a slight smirk on his lips. "I think I overdid it."

"It seems you did." He then got one of her hands and put it on his hair. "Touch my hair." His actions surprised her once again. Never in a million years would Angelina imagine that Vlad wanted affection. When she felt his hair, she found it soft. Angelina put her nails on his scalp and began to soothe his scalp and then his hair. Vlad lay there and slowly closed his eyes. "Sing to me."

The young woman stopped momentarily. "You want me to sing to you?"

"Must you repeat everything I say?" he asked, annoyed.

"Right, my bad." Angelina thought of a song to sing. She didn't want to sing a long song since long lyrics were difficult to remember. A song came to mind from a movie she watched a while back. It was the Phantom of the Opera from 1989 with Robert Englund. She took a deep breath and imagined a piano playing to help her make the song flow. 

Vlad slowly opened his eyes and watched her sing. Angelina had her eyes closed while singing. Her voice was low and soft, and it felt soothing to him. The words to the song may have been short, but they held meaning; everyone has an authentic side to them, and it could be dangerous. However, the way Angelina sang made it seem as if one wanted someone to see them for who they were. She eventually finished, slowly opened her eyes, and looked at him; they were silent for a while. Angelina was afraid that he wasn't happy with the song she sang. "D-Did you like it?"

"It was short but soothing. You have calmed my mind." Angelina sighed in relief and continued tickling his scalp and hair, but then Vlad sat up. "You will sleep here tonight."

"What? Excuse me?" Vlad eyed her; she gulped. "S-Sorry. It's just that, I find it strange to sleep beside a man."

The Voivode smirked as he took off his shoes. "Well, you will grow accustomed to it. My word is final. I will sleep on that side. Get the bed ready." He stood and waited for her to do what she was told. She groaned in annoyance and undid the bed covers and blankets. Vlad waited for her to lay on the bed, which she slowly did; he followed suit. Vlad then turned to his right side to get ready to sleep. Angelina lay on her back and waited until Vlad fell asleep. She waited for a while until Vlad's soft snores were heard. She let out a quiet sigh of relief and looked up at the ceiling. She was safe for now, but the thought of eventually having to sleep Vlad made her shiver in disgust. However, the young woman was still grasping what Vlad asked of her.

She glanced at him and was slowly falling asleep. "Maybe there is another side to him."