“It’s Catherine.” She told him softly and when he repeated her name it sounded like the most gloriously wonderful name in the world. “Catherine.” He reiterated. Catherine smiled. It hurt to smile, she winced beneath the bandages and as he spooned more broth into her mouth she told him it was good soup. “Well tell him his abilities are appreciated.” Catherine told him.

“I will.”

Silence befell them for a moment as Vincent continued to feed Catherine until all the soup was gone, “Last one.” He told her as he placed the spoon against her lips, she thanked him before swallowing showing her appreciation with a generous smile.

“You’re welcome. You should sleep now. Your body will heal if you let it rest.” Catherine’s eyes were already closed, had been throughout the whole exchange, but he was right, the small excursion of eating had tired her and she nodded showing her agreement.

She slept fitfully, too many memories washing over her like thundering waves, and from a corner of his chamber Vincent watched and wondered about the young woman and her life, what had happened that someone should brutalise her so. The way she spoke, and from what he had noticed of her garments as he had helped his father treat her wounds while she had lain unconscious, he had gathered that she came from the wealthier side of town, a world apart from his and knew that people would be looking for her and he mentioned this to his father when the older man hobbled in to visit his patient some time later.

“Yes,” His father told him squeezing his shoulder, “I’ve seen the papers, it appears she is Catherine Chandler the daughter of a wealthy attorney, it’s a pity that we cannot contact him and tell him that she is safe, but to do so…” the old man shrugged and Vincent understood. To do so would open up a hornet’s nest and one that would bring desolation to the people that relied upon the tunnels beneath New York City for sanctuary, not least himself.

“When do you think she will be well enough to leave?” Vincent asked his father.

“Three days, maybe four, we will know more when I remove the bandages, but that won’t be for another two days at the very least. They were deep cuts Vincent, and you don’t need me to tell you that.” Their whispered words though light were heard by the young woman lying on the bed and she moaned visualising scars for the rest of her life, and Vincent seeming to understand her fears told his father, “Yes but nothing cosmetic surgery cannot correct.”

Catherine relaxed, and both Father and Vincent noticed and knew for a certainty that she was listening to their conversation. Father stepped nearer the bed and lifted up one of her hands from where it had lain on the cool white sheet, “My dear, I know that you can hear us, and Vincent is right, after cosmetic surgery no one will ever know of your scars.”

“I will know.” Catherine whispered, “The inner scars are not ones that will heal so easily.” She sounded bitter and Vincent told her, “But you are strong and you will succeed and the experience will make you a better person, more compassionate to the plight of others.” Father thought he might have gone too far since neither knew what kind of woman she actually was, but when Catherine replied, “You could be right,” Both felt relieved.

Taking her temperature Father was soon satisfied that nothing but rest was needed now, and moved away bidding her farewell till later. Vincent stayed, he was interested in the young woman, in ways he had never been with anyone else, not even Lisa.

“What are you thinking?” Catherine asked him softly. Vincent smiled, how had she known?

Catherine laughed, “You are so silent and broody, I can almost catch it.” And as if to demonstrate she reached out a hand and snatched at nothing, then a moment later tossed that nothing away from her, “See it has gone. Now you can be happy.” Vincent marvelled and told her, “My life has never truly been a happy one.”

“Why not?”

“I am different. I’m not like other men. There is a defect.”

“Oh?”

Vincent detected her interest but it wasn’t an easy thing to discuss. “When you see me you will understand, for now…” He laid his hand upon the bed in front of her, “Touch my hand.” Gingerly, Catherine lifted one of her own and fumbled for his, what she expected she didn’t know, maybe scars of some kind, old burns, missing fingers, she wasn’t certain, but nothing prepared her for the touch of long hair. She snatched back her hand but very quickly returned it again as if that first touch her mind had played tricks on her and she had been mistaken. But no, that long coarse hair grew on the backs of his hand and she traced the length between thumb and forefinger as her heart thudded with anxiety. Finally her fingers swept along his right to the tips where she expected nails to be and instead found these to extend beyond the normal length for a man and culminating in sharp needle like points. “Are these what I think they are?” Catherine whimpered, a slight catch to her voice identifying her apprehension.

“Someone somewhere felt fit to meddle with my conception.” He told her, “Yes they are claws.” Catherine sucked in a breath but though he saw panic rise and fall in her breast he also saw it peter out and recognised the moment that she relaxed. “Had I not have come to know you…” She told him.

“Yes I know you would have been terrified.”

“Yes. And you say that someone meddled with your conception, do you know who and why?”

“No, I was abandoned at birth, there are many speculations but I fear many fall short of the actuality.”

“I’m so sorry.” Catherine was quiet a moment but she did not withdraw her hand from his, rather continued to stroke at it idly while her concentration was elsewhere until finally she asked him, “What of the rest of you? Does it show signs of this?” She tapped his hand.

“It does. Don’t be afraid.” He lifted her hand to his face and she touched him with reverence feeling his warm spasmodic breath first upon her palm. With tiny touches withdrawn and back again Catherine examined his face, and what she imagined was that of a large cat. “It’s feline?” She asked him.

“Yes.”

“I’m so sorry Vincent, I don’t know what else to say.”

“It’s alright, I understand.”

“And there I was worrying about a few scars well you certainly put me in my place.” She laughed and he liked the sound, smiling in response and with her fingers on his face she felt his smile and told him, “I can see that you have not let your features stop you from enjoying what you have of life.”

“I do have limitations,” Vincent explained, “I cannot go above in daylight, I remind people what they are most afraid of, but generally I have a good life and I am loved.”

“Oh?” Catherine asked without prying further.

“Yes, there are children here.” Catherine smiled, “Ah yes children, willing to accept everyone at face value, giving us all a chance.”

“Yes.” Vincent told her smiling again before telling her, “And my father loves me, and I have a brother, not fleshly you understand, but he is Father’s son. He is my knight in shining armour, my protector when we were young.” Vincent chuckled and in it Catherine felt the brotherly love between them. “Is he here?”

“Not now. Devin left us a long time ago, but he visits and tells me about the world and all I am missing, in the nicest possible way of course.” Vincent smiled.

“Of course.” Catherine reiterated also with a smile, “And is there anyone special in your life Vincent?” What she expected she didn’t know, but when he told her she could not help but be stunned.

“Yes, I am engaged to be married.” He told her softly.

“Really!” She could not help her stunned reply.

“You seem shocked?”

“Yes, and I shouldn’t be. I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright. Lisa and I have grown up together, I believe she sees me as her best friend and that friendship will now extend to marriage. I am lucky to have found someone that has pledged to love me like that for the rest of my life.”

“But?” Catherine detected there was a slight hiccup but Vincent was unrelenting, “There is none. I love Lisa and we will be happy together.” Still, why the guardedness? Catherine felt it and couldn’t understand but said nothing. She did however think about it and especially after he had gone leaving her to rest, she gave it a great deal of thought. It seemed to her that Vincent wasn’t as happy about marrying Lisa as he ought to have been, but then she hardly knew him so how could she assess a situation without all the facts? And strangely there was something else, from the moment he had told her about his fiancée a light had gone out in Catherine’s world and she couldn’t understand it one bit, but suddenly she felt awfully miserable and uncomfortable and hoped she would soon be well enough to leave, move on and put it all behind her. Even so would she ever forget the feel of a cat like face upon the body of a man beneath her fingertips? Catherine doubted that she ever would.

Sitting by the waterfall that evening Vincent pondered the latest turn of events in tunnel life. He felt somewhat miserable, and that wasn’t a new feeling, but what concerned him the most was that with it came a feeling of desolation like he had been trying to squash for some time. It had nothing to do with Catherine, yet at the same time it had everything to do with her and he couldn’t comprehend why that was so. As he thought he was startled by a young feminine voice he recognised calling a greeting and as she plonked herself down at his side she told him, “Thought I’d find you here. Is something wrong? I missed you at dinner.”

Vincent didn’t have to turn to see who addressed him, he’d know that voice anywhere, but he did turn and looked her directly in the eye, “I’m sorry Lisa I had some things on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with?” She asked tucking her arm through his. She leaned against his side loving the solid feel of him, even now it amazed her that they would become closer someday soon, closer than they were now, it didn’t seem possible.

“No, I don’t think so. The problem is not mine,” he gave her a half truth, “It lies with Catherine, you know the young girl I found in the park.” Lisa nodded, “Yes I know although I have yet to meet her. Is she receiving visitors yet?”

“Only Mary, she sees to her personal needs, but as to that only Father and I watch over her.”

“So what worries you so, Vincent, don’t you think she’ll keep our secret? Perhaps you shouldn’t have acted so rashly in before bringing her down here. Perhaps you should have tapped for help and have Father come above to treat her, or perhaps you should have left her where she was.”

“I couldn’t have done that.”

“No, guess not. But in hindsight it might have been better.”

“No, I think our secret is safe with her, and I can’t put my finger on it, but she bothers me and yet I trust her, is that difficult to understand?”

“So long as you aren’t attracted to her, I know that she is very beautiful, have you seen her picture in the papers? Lets just hope cosmetic surgery restores that beauty.”

“No I haven’t seen the papers, but I did see her, although her face was very swollen it was clear that she was once very beautiful and will be so again. I don’t know Lisa I don’t know what it is, but with some kind of power of perception I can see something developing from her encounter with us, yet cannot pinpoint what exactly that might be.”

Vincent drew his legs out in front of him, Lisa watched idly, the way his boots scraped at the pebbles beneath him plopping them into the water below. The ledge where they sat had in fact been shaped over the years to fit a bottom or two by being a favourite among the tunnel dwellers, Vincent more than most. Here she would find him whenever he was missing, it was his roost, his nest, his place to fly when things were bothersome. Lisa tried to take his mind off the subject at hand, “I thought of a new dance routine tonight, would you like to see it?”

“You’ll fall if you try here.” He told her with a grin.

“Not here silly, in the music chamber. Come.” She scrambled to her feet and pulled at his arm but she could sense his reluctance to go with her. “Will tomorrow suffice?” He asked, “I would like to sit here awhile longer.” Lisa pouted, “I suppose it will have to do. Do you want my company Vincent? I can leave you in peace if you’d rather?”

“No stay.” He asked her and pulled her down into his lap placing his arms around her “I see so little of you.”

“And whose fault is that?” Lisa scolded. “It’ll do.” He replied as his lips melded with hers and he resolutely forced all thoughts of Catherine from his mind. This was his reality, here with Lisa the girl whom he was to marry, the girl whom he had grown up with and loved, that was his reality, not some strange feeling with a young woman that he had only just met even if she was so beautiful that he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

“Mm.” Lisa wound her arms around Vincent’s neck, “I love you, Vincent.”

“And I love you.” He meant it. It was no half-hearted gesture, he did love Lisa, but why did there have to be a but? There was something missing he felt its sting deep inside. Vincent forced the feeling away, now was no time for doubts, it had been a too long since he and Lisa had had privacy like this, generally they were….

“How did you lose our chaperone?” Vincent’s head rose and looked around him only just realising that Lisa had come there alone. Lisa giggled, “With the greatest of difficulty I can tell you. I slipped out on the pretence I was using the loo, Aunt Natalie is probably wondering what’s taking me so long.”

“It’ll backfire on you.” Vincent chuckled, “She’ll tell Father you need a laxative, you’ll see.” Lisa giggled, “That reminds me, heard a joke up top yesterday, a girl asked her boyfriend, hey do you want to go steady? When he replied yes, she told him, then eat prunes.” Lisa laughed out loud and Vincent a second or two behind her chuckled loudly. “Good wasn’t it?” Vincent agreed it was and added that Devin would enjoy such a joke. “Then I’ll write it down somewhere and give it to him next time he visits.” Lisa told him. She snuggled against Vincent then her tiny frame sitting perfectly in his lap and kissed his eyes, his nose and finally his lips, then pulling back a little stunned him when she asked, “I know we seldom talk about it Vincent, due half the time to Aunt Big Ears being around, but how much thought have you given to you and me after we are married?”

“How soon after?” Vincent asked her.

“Our wedding night to be precise.”

To his chagrin, Vincent blushed, he had thought about it a lot, some days it hardly ever left his mind, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to discuss it even with Lisa, and certainly not at that moment, so he told her, “I expect we’ll go with the flow.”

Lisa rubbed one thumb to and fro over his chin as she gazed into his eyes, “I think about it all the time.” She confessed truthfully. “I know what to expect as far as seeing you is concerned, we used to skinny dip remember?”

“That was a long time ago, not since our early teens.”

“Even so, I’m sure with a little imagination we can know what to expect from one another.” And blatantly and without warning Lisa slipped a hand between Vincent’s thighs to emphasise her intentions. Vincent sucked in a breath, “Best not do that Lisa.”

“Why not?” She challenged him, “We are in love, due to marry, what’s so wrong in touching one another, how can we possibly make love on our wedding night Vincent, if we haven’t attempted to be intimate before? You have such strength and I do believe that we do not exactly need a chaperone that is I don’t, you probably do. If I had my way we would have explored one another very thoroughly by now, you though, I think you would have either stopped me or drawn on that inner strength of yours to stop yourself.”

“Marriage should not be taken lightly Lisa nor intimacy that should be reserved for when it is right and lawful, what would happen if one of us should change our mind and not wish to marry the other? We would be no different to those people that live above us, moving from one partner to the other without believing in sanctification. Fornication is wrong my love, even though we are to be married it still does not excuse us.”

“You oversized stuffed shirt, you.” Lisa poked her finger into his chest doing so lightly but leaving Vincent wondering if some annoyance of his belief was at work within her.

“At least you let me kiss you.” Lisa leaned in and took his lips beneath hers, “But what if I should deepen them?” She pondered and began to do just that, prising his lips open and before he realised what was happening she began sucking on his tongue and darting hers around the softness of his inner cheeks. In answer Vincent took both her arms and forced her from him, his eyes searching hers, his breathing heavy. Lisa laughed, “Huh not so strong now after all are we, baby? You can’t tell me the earth didn’t move then can you?” She watched him fighting for control and was elated when she noticed that a tell tale bulge had appeared between his legs. To cover his shame Vincent pulled his cloak more firmly around him but he said nothing.

“If I told you I was willing, if I told you that I wanted you to make love to me now at this very moment Vincent what would you do?” Lisa teased him sure she was on a winning streak. What she did not expect was for him to toss her away from him and make to stand, “We’d best go Lisa.” He told her, “We should not be together alone like this.” Lisa came up against him sliding one arm around his waist and used her free hand to grope him between the thighs, “I want you, Vincent. Stay and make love to me. I’m going to be your wife what does it matter if we don’t wait until its proper, who would know?”

“I would know!” Vincent flung her hand away from him, “And I hate it when you talk this way. It’s not like you Lisa, you have changed.”

“If I have its only because I’m giving myself a life!” She flared angrily. Her eyes flashed and Vincent gazing back at her scolded, “The people you are mixing with above are changing you, moulding you to their way of thinking, such ways will destroy what you and I have together if you let them, Lisa.”

“How can they destroy what’s not there already?” Lisa challenged him, “Vincent, I love you and I want you, it doesn’t matter about other people its what we want that matters and you can’t deny that you want me too, if you do you lie beyond the control of your body. It speaks the truth to me,” And to make her point she reached again between his legs touching him intimately, forcing a rasping breath to escape his mouth. “Come on, baby, you know you want me.” Lisa taunted, loving every moment of the game, wanting to know desperately how far he would go. Vincent drew on every ounce of control he had and almost succeeded, would have succeeded had Lisa not at that moment stepped back a little and before he realised her intention she had lifted her sweater above her head revealing her nakedness beneath. “See me, Vincent, all this is yours. Touch me, take me, please, oh please take me.”

He was after all only human, and part of him was a beast, a creature presented with a female in heat, wantonly offering him everything. With a groan Vincent reached for her, kneading her soft warm breasts in his hands, his mouth lowering to snatch one rosy tipped nipple between his teeth, Lisa cried out from agony and desire and they fell down together to the stony ledge beneath their feet.

Smugly Lisa glorified in the feel of his hands and mouth and knew she had gained the victory she had sought, but if she thought that she would prevent it going any further she was greatly mistaken. Once the floodgates were open Vincent was insatiable and his need was great, greater than Lisa’s having been held at bay for too long a time. He wanted her, needed her desired her, passion rose and fell around him in dizzying spiralling waves until all power of reason was no longer his. “We should stop.” Lisa felt the rising tide of panic as Vincent unzipped her jeans and began pulling them down over her hips. “Vincent? I said we should stop.” Lisa panted now not from passion but from fear. Vincent appeared deaf to her fears he continued to suckle at her breasts like a man deprived of water for too long a time. Lisa panicked as her panties came away in his hands in strips, the ripping sound oblivious to him and his hand between her legs did not notice her resistance. “Vincent, stop!” Lisa cried as his fingers worked against her, his sharp claws catching the soft contours of her womanhood and something warm and wet gathered between her thighs. Lisa did not know what it was but she knew that the passion with which she had started this had long since left her, therefore it could only be…

Blood!

The scent was familiar and strong and Vincent revelled in it, bathed in it let it surround him, it took him back, far, far away to a time distant in his memory to a place he had never walked in this lifetime and in that moment he stilled, stopped and sniffed and at that precise moment saw…everything…Lisa before him stripped naked, the fear in her eyes the pain on her face and his gaze followed the scent and he peered down and saw what he had done. Aghast he flew backward away from her horrified by the streaks of blood around her thighs and the lips of her vulva and he apologised profusely. “I’m sorry, Lisa I’m so sorry.”

Had she not of instigated it, had she not been to blame, Lisa may have done any number of things at that moment, but she felt remorseful, she had taunted him and he had given in to her taunts and now she had paid the price, they both had. “Its not you’re fault Vincent, it was mine. It was stupid of me.” She laughed a little shakily as she pulled up her jeans, her tattered panties in no way fit for wearing ever again, these she stuffed inside the pocket of her trousers to hide the tell tale proof from view. “Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone Vincent.” She told him as she saw him watch her stuff them there, “This is our secret.”

“I feel terrible, what must you think of me I was nothing short of a monster?” Vincent told her pitifully, turning his gaze from hers.

“You were not, so quit thinking that way. You were like any other red hot bloodied male, you reacted to what I offered and I did taunt you Vincent, I got exactly what I wanted only I admit I never expected that I would. We should let this be a lesson to us, huh?” She pulled on her sweater and he watched her breasts disappear from view and strangely wondered if he might ever have the privilege of seeing them again. Lisa answered her own question when it appeared he was not going to comment, “We obviously both have needs my love, strong physical needs for each other, we just have to take it slow that’s all and not deny ourselves such pleasures before we are married. If we allow that that then our wedding night will be pure bliss Vincent, having taken in as much of the road to discovery in our stride along the way. Do you agree, baby?”

Vincent said nothing he was feeling queer as a sense of longing swept over him, a feeling he was unable to share with his fiancé, for the need, the overriding passionate need was not directed at Lisa, but strangely and for some unfathomable reason it was Catherine he had in mind. Catherine with her beautiful shapely body and deep compassionate nature and Vincent despised himself for what he had become and for what Lisa had forced from him, for she had unleashed the beast and he had no idea how to place that beast in chains again or if in fact he wanted to and the frightening thing was now that he knew what he was capable of he wondered if he would ever be able to love a woman the way a normal man would and that terrified him as he imagined that if he could not then he was doomed to a life of loneliness and one without the love of a woman.

To be continued in chapter two