The Sapphire Tapestry

The reflection staring back from within the confines of the mirror smiled at the rosy glow that lit her cheeks.  Her blue eyes twinkled with a merriment that she could barely contain.  She finally gave herself a slight nod of satisfaction.  He was very particular about the way that she looked, especially on nights like tonight; nights that he took her out and about the town.

It had been a while since he had let her leave the estate.  He usually  took one of the other girls out with him: Sherri, Kim, or Emma.  Most of the time she stayed home reading, waiting on him to return; waiting for him to come to her.  And he always did, regardless of whom he had chosen to spend  the evening with.

It almost felt as if he were afraid to take her out into public; like he was constantly checking over his shoulder expecting someone to sneak up and steal her away.  She knew that these thoughts were incredibly silly; he had nothing to fear from anyone or anything.

There was a light knock on the door, she knew who stood on its opposite side.  She put on her best smile as she opened the door and he stepped inside.  The towel that draped across his waist dropped to the floor as he closed the door behind him.  "Change of plans; we're staying in tonight."

A brief flash of disappointment fluttered through her mind, but was quickly replaced by another feeling.  They were going to spend the entire evening together.  She laughed and threw herself into his arms.

He smiled as he moved across the room and took a seat in a plush, highback chair.  She moved toward him, but he held his hand up, stopping her progress.  "Not yet, not yet."   Her smile faltered into a pout.  He reached out to the bedside table and pressed a button on the CD player, "Dance for me Lorelei."

Her smile returned ten-fold.  She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of the music.  She listened to the  intermingled sound of their slow, steady breathing, the whispers that came from within the walls of the old   estate house.   Her mind reached out and grasped the tendrils of the primal and she began to move, her body gyrating as if controlled by some force other than herself.

He watched her from across the room as her body built into a controlled frenzy.  He concentrated, pulling the energy she created with her dancing deep within himself.  She exuded a wild joy for life that burned like an atomic  explosion.  And her joy was enough, more than enough, to fuel the rituals, that would under normal circumstances, drain him and leave him useless for weeks at a time.  All he had to do was keep her happy.

He stood from the chair and went to her, lifting her in his arms and carrying her to the big, canopied bed.  As he pressed her down into the blankets he breathed deeply...lilies.  Images of the one who slipped through his fingers flashed through his mind.  He had expected her to come seeking her daughter. He had expected them all to come, but they hadn't;  none of them.  He had almost quit looking over his shoulder and in the shadows when he took her beyond the walls of the estate; almost.

Afterwards, when she slept, he stood and walked to the door.  He had very little time for women and their needs.  They  had always simply been a means to an end to him.  His opinion had changed very little in the five years that Lorelei had resided here with him.  He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest and his eyes moved down to the huge swell of her belly.  He already knew, a son, coming soon.  It seemed, perhaps, women had their uses after all.