The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 14/ The labyrinth in the Library

"Greetings noble lord this is a most unexpected delight, I must confess to being undone by your presence." I said in the black tongue.  

Sadismann raised his eyebrows in surprise and nodded slightly and tweaked his mouth in a shadow of a smile.  

"You're looking well" said Sadismann  then he"my eyes cling to you, you walked unconsciously like an anthem of sensuality. You stand tall and moved a noble, so few can achieved this. You walk in and I feel like I have been raised from a coma of despair. Again you intoxicate the world with your presence Princess, come walk with me" he said taking my hand and kissing it formally. 

He showered praise on me like King midas giving gold in the rain.  I could follow most of it, and responded as well as I could. He was encouraging and complimented my speech where he could. 

We walked down the shelves to the central space and I  found myself chatting. He put book he had been carrying down it was titled 'The book of Erebus'. 

"I am glad you found your way in here, for I am sure there is much that will interest you. These companions" and he laid his hand on some of the books "have been good friends to me, and for some years past, have given me many, many hours of pleasure, but enough. How are you finding your reading?" Sadismann asked.

"Demanding and educational" said I "I never knew what a vixen's shower was. Although now, I know I wish I could unknow something. The swearing a curses are if anything original".

"Educational indeed. I have a couple of requests for you" Sadismann said. 

"It would be a miss fortune indeed if you require something found in your books.  I fear, if you ask then I will frame your disappointment" I said in the shadow tongue. 

Sadismann continued. 

"Well done. I would like to repeat my offer  I would find it of the greatest delight if you would accompany me to the the feast of fools."

I continued "It may be my delight to agree to such sir but I'm sure I don't know that of which you speak. So I must hold my err answer?  Gurt" I swore. It was a formal vampire swear word it meant drinking bad blood from someone's ass. Like most swear words it's not what it means it's more the sounds and force you give it. "that was going well but the words got away from me Sir."

"Very good princess It's like a ball, a party, a rave, a ceilidh in your terms. We have them at every high moon" said Sadissman in English as he spoke he moved closer and closer to me. Our faces were close and all I could see were his eyes. He suddenly stopped and  pulled away. 

"It would be my greatest pleasure to bend over to your request. Unfortunately,  I have nothing I believe the noble house would regard as having enough taste to wear Sir" I continued still practicing.

Sadissman looked at me. I think I was getting the words right but my pronunciation might have been wrong 

"I think you meant 'bow to your request' not 'bend over to your request'. " He said staring in my eyes. 

I switched back to English "The black tongue was as tricky as a snake covered in Vaseline and then covered again in baby oil". It was good if you wanted to flirt, each word generally had two meanings the sensible one and the suggestive one. It was quite possible to have two conversations at once on two levels all with the same words. 

 I started "Honestly I don't have anything to wear to a ball."

The duke leant back and smiled "You have my permission to go back to the market and purchase anything."

 "I have expensive tastes" I said smiling back. 

The Duke nodded  "As do I." 

I walked around the table on which sat the old book the Duke had been looking at "How expensive are your tastes?" I said. 

In a flash the Duke was next to me. 

"If you want bronze, I want silver, if you want silver I demand gold. If you want everything I want what cannot be obtained." with that he took my gloved hand and kissed it. "It has been a delightful time with you princess, I'm afraid my hour of digress is up and I must return to the task of ruling the coven. I pity the seconds until we meet again" 

"I pity the seconds until we meet again" I repeated back - it was a formal farewell. 

I leant back against the table and tired hard not to wave. I was uncertain about this. Did he love me? Was I just marriage fodder, did he believe that by marrying me I was going to inherit some part of the republic. His kind believed all this Kingdom crap not our people. Did he want me if so why? What apparent from an imagined royalty did I have he could not get from a hundred girls in the coven. 

As I leant back thinking Mary rushed up and grabbed me. 

"You can't touch the book of Erebus" said Mary pulling me away "it's sacrilege for a non vampire to touch it. They would kill even you" 

I looked back at the thick book. 

"You know what let's not touch the cursed book, just this time" I said. 

"That's a good plan and I'm so happy to be a member of the team doing it." said Mary. "I've never seen him act like this around any Vampire let alone human." 

One of the guards came along with a stack of six books. I looked at the titles my tightly bound stomach sank, more Vampire Erotica. 

"Could we get something your not expected to read with one hand?" I demanded. 

Mary paused "Well most of the books in the religion section are cursed,  there is vampire history which is mostly battles." 

"Please can we do one of those" I said. 

Mary disappeared into to the section marked History "It's going to be fairly gore-ish".

"I don't care. If I read more Vampire Erotica my head will explode" I said. The second guard watched me carefully in case I moved towards the book of Erebus. 

"Belive me once we pass the over 121 books then your head will explode, this is all very soft Erotica, you really don't want to look at what they think of as 'hard'core." said Mary pulling out a text. "Here we go recent history of the coven of the Meridian"  said Mary coming back "it ends with the birth of the Duke." 

"OK we will go back do an hour on the table and then when your ass is better go down to the night market to pick out a dress for a feast."