Chapter 62 - True Confessions

In the early morning hours, after Vladimir went to work and Hope went to sleep, Delia went back down into the hidden basement to make another batch of Elixirs. She had some excellent ingredients and was anxious to make some of her "good" potions. In her rush to get downstairs with her arms full of plants, she accidentally left the bookcase door open. 

Delia quickly became engrossed in what she was doing. She didn't hear her husband come home earlier than normal that morning. 

The first thing Vladimir noticed when he walked in the front door was that the bookcase was pulled away from the wall. He went over to see why it was moved and that is when he saw it wasn't just moved. It revealed a hidden passageway. He looked inside as saw a spiral staircase. He was shocked.  He had no idea this existed. Vladimir walked quietly down the stairs to investigate further. 

The hair stood up on the back of his neck as he walked down the stairs and saw his beautiful, delicious Delia in this eerily strange room pouring and mixing strange concoctions in what appeared to be a cauldron of sorts and totally oblivious to his presence.

Vladimir stood silently and watched as Delia mixed, measured, stirred and finally completed a yellow potion which she carefully poured into several bottles.  It wasn’t until then that she became aware of him standing there. 

 

Delia almost fainted when she saw him.  Her heart was pounding out of her chest. No one, no one alive anyway, knew her secrets.  Now he would.

“What are you doing Delia? What are you? Who are you? What is this?” demanded Vladimir getting louder with each question.

He frightened her so much.  She had never heard him so angry before and she couldn’t blame him.

“Vladimir, I – I don’t – it’s just –oh God,” she mumbled and started to cry, “Please, let me try to explain." When he ignored her stammering and began to more closely inspect his new surroundings, Delia continued, "Oh no! Vladimir – don’t …please." He no longer heard her. 

He saw the pictures hanging on the wall. They were of Delia with and a man and three boys – a toddler, a child and a teenager.  The man and two oldest boys had stained purple faces. It appeared to be a family portrait from some event they attended together. Then there was another one of her and the man arm in arm looking very happy indeed. There were pictures of teenagers at proms. “Delia! Who are these people?” he demanded.  “It’s a long story Vladimir,” she said quietly as tears silently streamed down her face. “Well I have time. What else is in here?” he said as he continued his investigation of the basement.

There was another set of framed pictures and a single rose sitting on a desk with an old computer. The man in the picture had eyes that were the exact same blue as his Delia's. He would know those eyes anywhere.  “And who are these?  Relatives I assume?” asked Vladimir.  “Yes, I think….I think it’s my father and mother,” whispered Delia.  “YOU THINK?” yelled Vladimir, “and you keep them here like a shrine? And these Urns! Whose ashes are they?" Delia just cried softly to herself. She knew she should have read her mother’s journals. The computer had been broken for a long time and she was simply using that as yet another excuse not to know.

He continued around the room stopping next at the collection of exotic insects.  “Why, Delia? Do you make magic with these – are you a witch?  I thought you were part fairy, not part witch too,” he blurted.  Delia just stared at him.  She didn’t know what he meant or what to say. 

Next Vladimir opened the chest that held some of her most precious gems and seeds.  

He looked at the cabinet that contained even more of her collections.  The gold bars that Goodwin had created along with some of the more ‘evil’ potions she refused to sell or ever make again.   “What do these do Delia? Do you use them to hurt those you no longer want in your life?  To change people you don’t like into toads – to make people do what you want them to do?” he asked.  “NO! Of course not; I would never hurt anyone!” Delia vehemently replied at the outrageousness of his accusation.  

“And look over here…a fairy house," said Vladimir. Then he looked at her and muttered, "You ARE a fairy. But perhaps an evil fairy – how could I have missed that?”  “I am NOT a fairy – why do you keep saying that?” said Delia, “It’s only a doll house.  There is no such thing as fairies anyway.”

Then Vladimir saw the Philosopher’s Stone and said, “Well, and here we have the grand finale; The Philosopher’s Stone.”  “NO!” screamed Delia when he looked like he was going to try to use it, “Don’t touch it.  It is dangerous – please don’t – please Vladimir!” and she started to cry even harder.

Vladimir heard her this time and, taking her at her word, stopped what he was doing . Then he really looked at Delia for the first time since he began the tour of the basement.  She was a mess, crying and shaking and seemed to be very frightened.  He calmed himself. He needed to understand what he was dealing with and who all of the people in the photographs were and who’s ashes those were that she had kept down here.  He didn’t want his to among them.

“Okay Delia,” he said in a much calmer tone, “let’s get out of here before Hope wakes up. We obviously need to talk.”  She just nodded and followed him out of the basement into the living room.  They sat on the old yellow couch and Delia began to tell Vladimir everything. They talked for hours. Delia cried and Vladimir tried to be calm as he listened to her crazy story. She was worried he would leave her, but it felt good to share the secret she had been keeping for so many years. Valdimar thought it had to be true. He saw the evidence downstairs. When she got to the part where they met, he realized she must indeed have made herself younger. He just hadn't really thought about her age.

When Delia could hardly talk anymore, Vladimir thought for a minute. He needed this woman in his life. She had been to Hell and back if her stories were true and that daughter of hers, well she would be a good treat to have no doubt. But Delia had to know about him. It looked like tonight was going to be true confessions, well almost true.  He wasn’t going to tell her he was trying to take over the vampire nest in Bridgeport. But he had earned it. He was going on 400 years old. It was rule or be ruled in the vampire world. Yes, he thought, this was the perfect time to tell her. She had no choice but to accept him as he was going to accept her. He had no choice as far as accepting her was concerned; but now that he knew her secrets, he would be able to control his beautiful, delicious and mysterious little blonde wife.

“Come here Delia, let me hold you,” he said soothingly. "I can't believe that I actually believe everything you have told me." He put his arm around his wife to calm her before he could let her know his secret.   

Vladimir held Delia for a few minutes and then he kissed her sweetly. He felt tension leaving her body as they kissed.

Delia was tired and he was VERY thirsty. As she extracted herself from his embrace and got off the couch, he stopped her. He gently wiped the tears from her face and told her he loved her. Then Vladimir told her he had his own secret to share. This scared Delia as she thought of Pierre’s words to her just weeks before his wedding. She prayed it wouldn't be as awful as what she had just told him .  

Vladimir started, “Delia, remember the girl in the Elixir shop you turned into a vampire?  Well, darling, that is what I am. That is probably why I am buying your story. I am a vampire. And yes, before you even ask, I need to drink blood to survive.”  Delia just stared at him unbelievingly. How could she not have known?

While Delia tried to process what he just told her, he continued, “Let me drink from you sweetheart, I promise I won’t hurt you - or turn you into a vampire. You will only feel my love.” Delia didn’t know what to do or think. This was not at all what she expected to hear. He was still talking to her and looking straight into her soul.  “Come darling, come closer to me. If you love me, let me do this. I could never hurt you.” 

Delia began to feel light headed as he touched her face again.  Then before she knew what was happening, he leaned into her. It was a very familiar feeling somehow. He moved her hair away from her neck exposing her vein that was pulsating widely as her heart was beating so hard and fast. When he bit her, at first it hurt and then she just floated away with him. It was erotic -somehow.

After he drank from her he didn’t need to erase her memory this time. He needed her to have it and to want it again and again. Then, he picked her up and carried her up to their bed where they both had dessert. The two of them slept like the dead that night.

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Chapter 61 - Pierre and Hannah

Delia was not surprised when Pierre told her he had asked Hannah to be his wife. What did surprise her was that he had taken on an internship at the hospital. He told Delia he had always wanted to be a surgeon. She couldn’t have been happier for her young man.  He had turned out to be everything his father wasn’t; good, loving, caring and honest. And Delia could tell he was very much in love with Hannah.

The next morning, before Pierre had to leave for work at his new job, he told Delia he needed to talk to her; it was important.  He told her that he and Hannah wanted to get married right away.  “I love you very much mother,” Pierre told Delia, “and I know you must love the cree - I mean Vladimir - but we just don’t see eye to eye.  We have very different ideas. Do you even know where he really works? Huh – thought not! Well, I do. I followed him the other night and he works with an underground mob.  Why do you think he works late nights?”   

“Pierre, stop this nonsense now! What am I supposed to say to that?  You are spying on Vladimir. I am speechless…why haven’t you told me this before now?” demanded Delia, “you can’t really believe Vladimir is evil. He is the sweetest man I have known in a very long time.” (A VERY long time indeed thought Delia to herself) “And, yes Pierre,” continued Delia, “he does make me happy; very happy.  As for you and Hannah, I am happy for the two of you as well and hope you can be as happy as Vladimir and I are. Please leave him be. He is working as a private investigator - as if I have to justify his whereabouts to you.  In fact, we figured you and Hannah might be getting married soon and your step-father wants to set you two up in an apartment downtown.”  “Uh, well, I am sorry, mom,” stammered Pierre, “There is just something about him that I can’t seem to shake.”  “I am sorry about that, but at least we have cleared the air. I don’t want to hear about you spying on him anymore. Now, Pierre," smiled Delia, "It looks like we have a wedding to plan and a house to buy!”  

Vladimir overheard the conversation between Pierre and Delia. He could hardly stand the sight of that brat and was thrilled he wanted to get out of the house sooner rather than later. Vladimir really needed an ally now so he had to make nice with the sister. He went to Hope and he began to tell her he didn’t think that Pierre liked him very much. Vladimir said he felt bad for not being a better step-father to him or her for that matter and wanted to make it up to her by training her with her ballet, if she wanted. 

Hope had such a sweet disposition and wanted to sooth Vladimir. She told him not to worry about Pierre. He had been the ‘man of the house’ for so long and was therefore a bit overprotective of their mother. When Vladimir told her he would help with her ballet she was thrilled. Then she made what was almost a fatal mistake.  She reached in to give him a hug. 

When Hope touched Vladimir, his fangs involuntarily came down. He could smell the sweetness of her blood; almost as sweet as her mother. He could have drained her right then and there, but that would not have served him well in the long run. He already knew how hard it was not to drain Delia. She had the sweetest nectar he had ever tasted. 

Vladimir quickly composed himself and allowed her to hug him. Then a delicious thought occurred to him. He could now have two sources of nourishment. Hope for an amazing appetizer and his sweet, sweet Delia for the main course followed by her sumptuous desserts afterwards. Yes, he would become good friends with Hope and when she matured enough for him to feed from her without harming her…well, he couldn’t wait for that day

. 

That night the moon was full when Vladimir arrived at home following work.  His mind was solely on Delia and his conversation with Hope earlier that day when he was attacked by one of the ridiculous zombies that roamed every time the moon was full. It managed to bite him because his mind was completely preoccupied with his thoughts. All he wanted to do was see Delia and taste her. Stupid zombie he thought and just pushed it off and rubbed the spot clean where it bit him. 

Vladimir composed himself and went inside.  When he saw Delia he went straight to her to fulfill his needs first and then theirs together after erasing her memory of his bite.  

 

They quickly planned the wedding for Pierre and Hannah.  It was to be held at one of the exclusive nightclubs that Vladimir used to frequent. He hired a caterer, musicians and bartenders and reserved the club for only the wedding guests. Vladimir wanted to be sure Delia was not suspicious of him in the least and she seemed very happy planning the event for her only son (her only son as far as he knew).

The night of the wedding came and the happy couple said their vows and sealed them with a kiss as everyone clapped and cheered and Delia cried. 

Hannah cut their cake in fear that Pierre might make a mess! They sat down together and ate their first meal as husband and wife.  By the time they finished, it was already time to shut down the club.  Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Goode left for their new home in downtown Bridgeport.

The wedding and the new home for the newlyweds put a bit of a strain on their budget even though Delia was finally a Five-Star-Chef and made great money. Vladimir contributed as well, but they were still short of cash. Delia hadn’t been down to the basement in quite some time and decided she would create a couple of batches of potions to sell in order to help pay for Pierre and Hannah's new home.  She forgot that she actually enjoyed making the potions.  

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Chapter 60 - Husband Number Four

Hope

The next few years flew by and Hope blossomed into a beautiful young girl. Vladimir had been keeping his distance and didn’t come by the house as much as he did when he and Delia first met. He and Delia still went out every couple of weeks and he called her often. When they were together, it seemed to Delia that he adored her and wanted her very badly. As far as she was concerned, the feeling was mutual. He was the main reason she had taken the Youth Potion and now, his actions confused her. She still wanted him and thought about him constantly, that hadn't changed.

Suddenly he did a 360. Shortly after Hope started high school, Vladimir called Delia and said he needed to see her. When he got to her house, he told Delia he couldn't live without her anymore and asked her to be his wife. Delia was taken aback. He had been staying away and now he wanted to get married?  But she found herself helplessly saying yes to him. She simply melted under his gaze, and would do anything he asked of her.   

Then he surprised her again and said, let’s do this – now Delia – I can’t wait another day, another hour or even another minute. I must have you. You must be mine. Again, she had no willpower to refuse him. They had a private ceremony right then and there. Even her children didn’t know. Delia was in a whirlwind, not sure what had just happened to her. She was not impulsive. She would have wanted to have a ceremony and have Pierre give her away, but here she was suddenly married to this mysterious man that seemed to control her very soul.

And then, Vladimir tasted the sweetest plasma he had ever tasted. When he leaned into her, Delia thought he was going to kiss her or nuzzle her neck like he so often did but then she felt him begin to bite her neck and just thought he was being a little rough and started to push him away. But then her knees went weak and she had to grab him to keep from falling to the floor. He had waited years for this moment and almost overdid it. He was now positive that she had fairy blood. He stopped abruptly as not to take too much from her. He knew he wanted her every day for the rest of eternity. He had no idea how he got so lucky as to find her.


Afterwards, Vladimir looked into her eyes and erased her memory of his bite. He would need to tell her but not today. He wanted her to want him to do this to her as much as he wanted it. There were other ways to win her confidence. 

They consummated their wedding vows the only way Delia knew how. As far as Vladimir was concerned, he had already done that when he drank from her. The rest was icing on his gorgeous cake. 



Afterwards, he snuck out to the patio while Delia slept and played his portable piano and thought about what had just transpired. Lovemaking with Delia was almost as good as feeding from her. 

He had given up his penthouse apartment and his baby grand piano to move into Delia’s little hovel with her two brats so he could taste her forever. It had proven to be totally worth it.

The boy would be gone soon as graduation was in just a few months. Vladimir saw the way he looked at that girl and knew he would leave quickly and he planned to make sure of it. That just left Hope, who looked so much like Delia it was eerie, but unfortunately Hope didn't smell like her mother. Hope was still young; that might come with age.  In the meantime, he would just keep his distance.  What Vladimir worried about more than anything else was maintaining his willpower when he fed from Delia so he would not take too much.  If he did, she could become a vampire or worse die. 

When Delia woke the next morning she was sure she had dreamed everything, but Vladimir was right there with her in her bed cuddled up next to her. Delia broke the news to her children over breakfast as gently as she could. Pierre wasn’t too happy and asked her if she was pregnant. He was not a fan of the Creepster. 








Hope just saw how happy her mom was and was good with it.  She was just so naïve and unassuming. 

After Delia left Hope and Pierre talked about their mother's announcement. "Pierre, how on earth could you ask mother if she was pregnant!" exclaimed Hope. "I apologized," said Pierre. "It will be fine," said Hope, "just look at how happy mother is. I haven't seen her this glowing in a long time. It is good for her to have someone in her life." "Vladimir is a creep." replied Pierre. "You are just jealous because now there is another man in mom's life," said Hope. "Well, I plan to have a talk with the Creepster when he decides to get out of bed," said Pierre. "Well, don't be a jerk about it Pierre. Be nice," said Hope and she got up and got ready for school to end the conversation.  

Later that morning when "Creepster" got up, Pierre confronted him. He warned him not to hurt his mother or he would hunt him down. His real dad left her when he and Hope were very young.  He did not want to see his mom be hurt again.   

Vladimir couldn’t wait for this kid to get out.  He tried to make nice and tell him he would never hurt his mom. Pierre wasn’t buying it. The last thing Vladimir needed was for Delia to have to take sides.  He wanted this to be nice and easy.  “Look at me in the eyes” Vladimir commanded Pierre, “I love your mother and you will not defy me.”  Mind control was exhausting and a waste of time, except it was for Delia and her sweet plasma.

To celebrate their marriage, Delia and Vladimir had a reception at one of the local hangouts.  They rented it out and invited a few friends.  Vladimir was on his best behavior and he and the two brats actually started a little jam session and had a good time. The party seemed to help ease the tension of his presence in their home which was the result he was going for. 

Vladimir drank from Delia every chance he could. It was just so satisfying.  

When necessary, he would use mind control to keep her happy and unaware of his true nature.

Pierre

Pierre was soon a young man, no longer a teen and was graduating from high school.  Everyone was looking forward to the big event but for all together different reasons. Pierre planned to ask Hannah to marry him, Vladimir wanted the brat out of the house, Delia was simply proud of her son and Hope just wanted a chance to hobnob with the senior boys.

When Vladimir was presented with birthday cake for Pierre he just looked at it like it might bite him. He sucked it up and ate it knowing that his real meal was sitting right there across the table looking more scrumptious than ever. 


Vladimir was really trying to be the good husband and step father and went to Pierre’s graduation.  Delia was telling Pierre how proud she was of him, while Vladimir ogled her and Hope checked out the guys across the street.

As soon as they had a second alone, Vladimir couldn’t control his thirst any longer. He went to Delia and pulled her to him into a dark corner where no one could see and enjoyed a drink.

Pierre was tired of the Creepster’s constant sneaking around. Pierre felt like he was always creeping up behind him just to keep him unsettled. He had graduated and it was time for him to move on.

That night Pierre invited Hannah over to celebrate their graduation. This time, he planned to ask Hannah to be his wife.  He was pretty sure she knew he was going to ask her.  They had talked a lot about the Creepster and his mom’s apparent infatuation with him.  Pierre just couldn’t take his pranks anymore.  He wanted out of that house and to start a new life with Hannah by his side.  He just hoped she said yes.  

He warmed her up with roses which she loved.  Then he proceeded to tell her how much he loved her and wanted to be with her always.  

He had already taken a job with the hospital and planned to continue his studies to become a surgeon.

Then he did the traditional thing and got down on one knee and presented the diamond ring that he had been saving up for and asked her to marry him.  She said yes.








Pierre was so happy he dipped her down and gave her a big kiss.

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