Read Online The Unknown Mistress - An Erotica and Romance Paranormal/Historical Novella by Dorian Mayfair - Free Book Online

without doing some research.”
    “You have read about these...things?” Jany asked. “I wouldn’t have thought you were so worried. You seem very calm.” That was a lie; Jany was sure that the baroness was concealing her true emotions. Underneath the polished and composed facade, the real woman was hiding.
    “Not many would suspect that of me.” The baroness grimaced and rolled her eyes. “Oh, I could not let anyone else know. Many would scoff at me if they saw how fretful I really am. But as it turns out, my readings have not been in vain.” Leaning closer, the baroness lowered her voice. “I know the remedy,” she said gravely.
    Jany blinked. “ Pardon?”
    “I believe I know how to save those who have contracted this disease. When I came across the... instructions , I doubted what I read, but then I found many more references. It seems there is a way to turn a vampire back into a human being. I suppose it could be called a reversal.”
    “Oh,” Jany said. Her palms felt clammy from the heat and the sudden, uncanny twists. A reversal? Not long ago, she had doubted the existence of vampires; now she was eager to hear how their curse could be lifted.
    By way of answering, the baroness gently put her hands on Jany’s shoulders and turned her around, making her watch the woman tied to the bed.
    “You see,” the baroness said in a hushed voice, “this illness is the devil’s invention. It is a nefarious condition. I suppose the fangs and the bloodthirst are rather obvious clues, but I was still shocked.”
    “I can see why.” Jany swallowed and tried to stand still but could not help trembling; she was acutely aware of the baroness’s touch.
    The baroness nodded slowly. “Once I had learned this, it came as no surprise that the remedy is the extreme opposite. After all, the devil is the master of spite and hate.”
    “I see.” The hairs on Jany’s arms stood upright from both fear and excitement. If what the baroness said was true, she was on the doorstep of the truly unknown. “But I don’t understand,” she continued. “What can negate hatred and malice?”
    “The cure,” the baroness said slowly, “is love.”
    *
     
    Speechless, Jany opened and closed her mouth. She had expected crosses, garlic or psalms, or more brutal and unpleasant methods. This was a complete surprise.
    Worse, the word love sank into her imagination like an anchor in a pond. Her lust for the captured maid took notice and immediately shot lustrous images through her mind, making her blush furiously. Loving a vampire. What would it be to make love to such a being? Silently, Jany berated herself for her depraved thoughts; the maid was a victim! This was outrageous. How base had she become?
    Jany’s subconscious, however, had no such qualms. On the contrary, her lust burned stronger by the minute. She had to comment on what the baroness had said before she looked too stunned.
    “Do you mean,” Jany asked, “that someone has to have romantic feelings for the afflicted person?”
    The baroness looked flustered and then laughed nervously. “If only it were that simple,” she said. “Feelings alone are not enough. I am sure there are one or two servants around the castle who have interest in the maid – I mean, a woman that appealing must have admires. But that did not spare her from the vampire’s attention.”
    Jany tried to keep her nerves in check. There was no doubt; the baroness had sounded a little breathless when she talked about the maid-turned-vampire’s beauty. That could mean many things. Only an idiot would be certain that the baroness’s hesitation meant that she, like Jany, was attracted to women. Nevertheless, there had been a hint of a suggestion. The tension in the room was so thick Jany could have reached out and touched it.
    “So a different form of love then?” Jany asked. An idea formed in her mind, but the notion was too far-fetched even to consider.
    “Indeed.” The baroness fidgeted with