13

Chapter 12: The Siege Begins

Sybil and Lilly sat in the vestibule of Ruthven Manor, patiently watching the door. They weren't great friends with each other, but had always been on good terms, and Lilly had harbored a minor crush on Sybil for quite awhile. Sybil's long mane of red hair and curvy, buxom figure made her stand out from most of the slender, dark-haired members of the coven, and Lilly longed to get to know her better. Lilly thought that Sybil was a bit more guarded and reticent than usual tonight, but chalked it up to worry about the war. For her part, Sybil found Lilly to be pleasant and relaxing, especially since she was willing to keep up more than her share of the conversation.

There came a knock on the door. Lilly opened it a crack; it was Drusilla.

"Where's Sally?" she asked, as she let Drusilla in to the vestibule. "You guys were supposed to stay in pairs!"

Drusilla looked sour. "I guess she ran off on her own," she said. "I can't be expected to keep watch on that little trollop." She stomped off down the hall. Lilly looked at Sybil, who could only shrug.

Moments later, there was another knock, and Lilly let Sally in through the door, quickly bolting it again behind her. She was about to reprimand Sally for running off on her own, but then saw her face.

Sally, usually so jovial and full of life, had tear streaks on her cheeks. Her eyes were red. "Sally! What's the matter?" asked Lilly.

But Sally just shook her head and ran off down the hall. Sybil and Lilly both shrugged. Lilly signed both of them back in on the sheet. She looked down to the next row of names. "Zelda and Persephone are scheduled to feed next," she said.

"I'll go get them," said Sybil, and trotted off to find the pair. Lilly watched her shapely buttocks appreciatively as she receded down the long hallway.

Lenore came in to the vestibule to check on things. Lilly looked up.

"All is quiet so far, Lenore," she reported. "Sally and Drusilla just returned, and Sybil has gone off to get Zelda and Persephone for their turn to feed."

Lenore looked grim. She always looked grim lately. She peered out through the peephole in the great oaken door. The quarter moon was just setting toward the western horizon. "The moon is setting," she said. "There's just a few hours of night left, and this is the darkest part. If there is to be an attack, it will be now. Maybe we should suspend the feedings."

Just then, Sybil returned with Zelda and Persephone. "What?" said Zelda. "Suspend the feedings? Oh, Lenore, is that really necessary? We promise we'll be careful. Right, Perse?" Persephone, not wanting to miss out on her feeding either, nodded vigorously.

"Well, all right," said Lenore. "But be extra careful. And stay together every moment." She strode off, her scowl deeper than ever.

"Okay you two," said Lilly. "I've got you signed out for feeding. You've only got a couple hours, so be quick about it. Just feed, no stray sex along the way." Zelda stuck her tongue out at her as she and Persephone stepped out into the night. They stood momentarily on the veranda as the strong oaken door was locked behind them.

"Where do you usually like to feed, Perse?" asked Zelda.

"Well, my favorite is the wharf area. The sailors there are strong and horny, and nobody ever misses them. Of course, we're not supposed to waste any time on sex tonight, so..."

She stopped suddenly. She thought she heard a low whooshing sound. "Did you hear that, Zelda?" she asked, peering into the darkness. But there was no answer. She whirled.

"Zelda!" she screamed. Zelda was standing beside her, her eyes like saucers, the end of a thick wooden shaft protruding from between her breasts.

Alerted by the muffled sound of Persephone's scream through the thick oak, Lilly swung open the door. She grabbed Persephone by the arm and yanked her inside. Both watched in horror as Zelda's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, her face a mask of surprise and confusion. Then her body convulsed, shimmered, turned to a fine gray dust, and fell to the ground in a conical pile.

Lilly slammed the door shut as fast as she could, and none too soon. There immediately came the sound of three loud thuds as three more wooden stakes slammed into the strong oak panels of the door from outside.

Sybil, who had seen Zelda's demise through the crack of the door, was going into hysterics. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she was muttering, her teeth chattering in her head. "Oh my god, oh my god..."

Lenore came running in at the sounds. "What the hell!" she yelled.

Persephone sat in a nearby chair, still frozen with fright. Lilly went to comfort Sybil, putting her arm around the frightened girl's shoulders, trying to calm her down.

Lenore yanked Persephone to her feet. "What happened out there? What did you see? What did you hear?"

Persephone just stammered. "I, I, I'm not sure. It was all so fast. Just a whoosh, then silence, then I saw Zelda and I... I froze."

By now a crowd had gathered, demanding to know what was going on. As usual, Lenore took charge, her eyes slitted and yellow and flashing.

"The siege has begun," she announced. "Zelda has been killed." She looked from face to face. "We'll be fine as long as we all stay inside. Selene, Daphne, Lillith, and Victoria: you four stay here and guard the door. Let me know if anything happens, and I mean anything." She looked at Lilly, still holding Sybil. "Lilly, take her to her room and take care of her. I'm going to see what else I can get out of Persephone. The rest of you, get down to the basement or to your rooms and stay out of trouble. Go!" The vampires scattered.

*************

Outside, hidden in the bushes, sat four Feeders with crossbows. Their faces were painted with camouflage grease to help them blend in. From their hiding place, they commanded an excellent view of the front door of the Manor.

"I want the next one," whispered Mildred, a tough Feeder with a broken nose.

"There isn't going to be a next one," said Hilda, the leader of the group. Hilda had fired the shot that killed Zelda. She was a grizzled veteran, hundreds of years old, and was covered with tattoos. She was considered Elphaba's second in command. "Now that they know we're out here, they're going to stay holed up for awhile."

"Then what was the point of killing just one?" asked Ethel, a relatively young Feeder with yellow fingernails.

Hilda gave her a withering glance. "There won't be a next one tonight. But sooner or later, they'll have to come out to feed. And by then, they'll be weakened and scared and all the easier to kill." The others nodded at this wise strategy.

"Let's get out of here," said Hilda. "Gather your stuff; don't leave anything for them to find. And cover your tracks as you retreat."

With Hilda in the lead, the four Feeders stealthily crept off the Manor grounds and made their way back to the hive at Harley's, the bar on the edge of town.

Chapter 13: Sybil and Lilly

Lilly and Sybil had been assigned to share a chamber deep in the heart of Ruthven manor. Lilly, her arm around Sybil's waist, propelled her down the long corridors toward their chamber.

"Calm down, Darling; it will be okay," she cooed, trying to calm the hysterical young vampire. Lilly patted her hair. "It's all right, really, it will be alright."

Sybil continued to sob and wail. "No, it won't! I saw her; I saw her turn to dust! We're all going to be destroyed!"

"Sybil! Lenore will never let that happen." They arrived at the chamber. Lilly pushed open the thick wooden door. "Come on in, lie down. You'll feel better."

She firmly placed Sybil down on the bed. Sybil curled up into a fetal position, softly sobbing to herself. Lilly curled up behind her, pressing her lean body close against Sybil's curves, and stroked her hair. Eventually, Sybil's sobs lost their urgency, and finally stopped all together. She turned to Lilly with moist, reddened eyes.

"You're so good to me. And you barely know me."

"We're all in this together, Darling," said Lilly. She stared down at Sybil's puffy lips, her tear-streaked cheeks, her red eyes. She was scared, but she was beautiful. Lilly couldn't resist.

Lilly bent down, and pressed her mouth to those swollen, puffy lips. Sybil's mouth opened, accepting the gift that Lilly bestowed on her: the gift of sympathy; the gift of caring; the gift of need and flesh and want. She kissed back, with ever increasing urgency.

"Oh, Lilly!" she panted, as they locked lips and tangled tongues. Sybil's breath was getting frantic; she hadn't been intimate with anyone in a long time. Not since before she had been turned. Her hands roamed all over Lilly's back, her shoulders, and her breasts.

"Yes, Darling; yes!" said Lilly, as she returned the embrace and the caresses. They held each other closer and tighter, and Lilly's hands roamed further down Sybil's abdomen; down her tummy, down her thighs, feeling the gauzy fabric of her black skirt. Lilly slid a hand under the hem of the skirt, and began inching it up Sybil's thigh, across the creamy flesh toward her sex.

"Wait!" screamed Sybil, suddenly grabbing Lilly's wrist, a look of horror on her face. He eyes were wild and darting.

"What is it, Darling," said Lilly, gently. "Isn't this what you want? Isn't this what you need?"

Sybil turned away, her face red with shame. "I can't," she muttered under her breath, her voice scarcely audible.

Lilly watched her shoulders, again spasming with sobs. She gently touched Sybil's hip. Sybil recoiled.

"I don't understand, Darling."

Slowly, Sybil turned back to face her. "I... I should explain," she said. "You've been so kind to me." She pulled herself up to a seated position, leaning against the ornate headboard of the giant four-poster bed. "It all started thirty years ago. Before I was turned." She was looking down, toward her lap, not making eye contact.

"Go on," Lilly said gently.

"I.... I wasn't always like this."

"None of us were...."

"No! That's not what I mean. I was... I was a man." She paused. Lilly's eyebrows shot up, but Sybil continued. "I was born a man, but I always knew that I was meant to be a woman. When I was twenty five, I went to Romania, to a clinic, to have a gender reassignment procedure."

"Darling..."

"No," said Sybil, firmly. "Let me finish. I had the procedure. I had the breast augmentation, I had the hormone treatments, I had the psychological counselling, I had all of it... except for the final part. I was scheduled for the penectomy, it was to be the very next day. I was so happy, the end of my long journey was within sight. I went out for a walk in the woods, celebrating with nature. But I stayed out too late. It got dark, and I got lost. And then... I was attacked. I never saw him, never met him. But he bit me, he drained me, and then he disappeared. When I woke up, days later, I was a vampire. I didn't know what to do! I wandered for months. Eventually, I ended up here, and Lenore took me in. I've never told anyone my secret. I suspect Lenore knows, but nobody else does." She looked down at her lap, then up into Lilly's eyes, pleadingly.

"Darling, it's okay," said Lilly. "We all love you. We all accept you." She paused. She licked her lips. "May I?" She reached for the hem of Sybil's skirt.

Sybil tensed, and grabbed her wrist again. But then she relented. "Okay," she said meekly.

Lilly lifted the hem, slowly, gradually, tenderly. Inch by inch, she revealed Sybil's creamy smooth white thighs, higher and higher, until the tip of her penis was exposed, flared and erect. Higher went the skirt, until the shaft, long and thick and strong, was bare to Lilly's sight. Lilly gasped. It was beautiful! Strong and proud and covered with purple veins. As she watched, it pulsed, and bobbed, and lurched upward.

"My god, Sybil; it's beautiful!" Lilly exclaimed. "I haven't seen a penis in so long, I can barely remember what they feel like." She licked her lips once more. "May I?" she asked again.

Sybil, confused, just gulped and nodded. Lilly reached out a pale hand and gently touched the head with the tip of one black-nailed finger. The penis jerked. "Oh!" she said. Then she touched it again, more confidently. She encircled the shaft with two fingers. She began to stroke it, slowly and tentatively. Sybil shuddered, then sighed, then moaned with pleasure. Lilly stroked with more confidence, faster and harder.

"Oh my god, Lilly, that feels so good! Please, don't stop!"

Lilly used both hands. She cupped Sybil's testicles, she stroked her shaft, she massaged the flaring head with her pale moist palm. Finally, she bent her face down and sucked the purple cockhead into her mouth. Sybil squirmed with delight.

"I haven't enjoyed a cock in so long, this is wonderful!" exclaimed Lilly, between sucks. She got up on her knees. "I have to. I really have to....?"

Sybil, biting her lower lip, nodded her consent. Lilly threw one knee over Sybil's lap, hiking up her own skirt. She placed the lips of her sex at the tip of the stiff, pulsing cock, now slick with pre-cum. Slowly, she settled herself downward. She felt Sybil's proud flesh enter her sex, split her, penetrate her. She forced herself lower and lower, taking the cock deep within her body. She felt the fullness and the heat penetrating her being. Sybil felt herself engulfed, and nearly swooned from the sensation. They were both in heaven.

"Oh, Sybil, I love your cock!" moaned Lilly, as she rocked up and down, back and forth, feeling the proud tube of flesh filling her every need. Soon they were both rocking in unison, building up a rhythm, increasing in speed and intensity. Both of them felt the heat and the passion welling in their bodies, until they were screaming in pleasure and thrashing in ecstasy.

All thoughts of the coven, of the Feeders, of the war, were gone, at least for the momentary eternity of their blissful coupling. Eventually, they lay in each others' arms, slumbering peacefully with divine smiles on their faces.