Alucard… though she whispered the command, she knew he could hear it in the basement below her. I need you to report to me for a mission. And find Seras, she should be reporting… Integra’s line of thought trailed off as Alucard replied with an image of what he was doing with Seras. Rather, to Seras. Integra couldn’t quite make it out, but she could tell in involved lots of shadows in places where the sun does not shine.
She resisted the temptation to yell at Alucard, as vindicating as it would feel, out of concern that she would say something in earshot of her men that she’d regret later. Instead she just glared into the mirror on her desk, certain she could feel it staring at her, and marched downstairs to see the mission off.
It was another fifteen minutes before Seras arrived at the troop transport, trying to straighten her skirt and button her shirt as she ran. Integra performed the ritual prayer as the young vampire slid into place at the end of the formation. The unit turned and climbed up into the back of the transport, with Seras following at the end.
“Seras!” Integra called sharply.
Seras froze and turned, “Yes, sir?” She looked sheepishly down at her master’s Master.
“Next time, try to remember your knickers when you’re in a hurry.” Seras turned bright red as she realized that she’d given her boss a peep show. Then men in the vehicle laughed as she slammed the doors shut.
Integra spun on her heel and stepped back inside the house, her shoes clicking smartly on the marble floor. “Alucard!” The vocal shout was not necessary to get Alucard’s attention — her mental summons was more than sufficient for that. It was only to make herself feel better, though it seemed to fail in this respect as well. She stepped from the entry hall into the front sitting room.
Almost immediately, she felt her blood slow. This room had served to calm her since she was young. She remembered being dressed in cute dresses and pigtails, then paraded in front of her father’s business contacts. She’d grown up being the center of attention…
“Yes, my Master?” Integra jerked around, ripped suddenly away from her memories. Alucard stood in front of the mirror, smiling madly. The glass behind him was black, only giving the slightest reflection of the room. Integra tried to decide if he was being sarcastic, but the yellow glasses he wore showed only the light’s reflection. His eyes were hidden.
“What was the point of your little exhibitionist escapade this morning?” She leaned her head back slightly, knowing the angle would cause her glasses to reflect the light just as his did. Integra was determined to give him the same attitude he gave her.
A smirk crept across Alucard’s face. “You wanted to know where Seras was. That was the most efficient way to explain.”
“Cut the cuteness, Alucard, it doesn’t suit you. You’re supposed to be a horrible demon, not a dirty old man.” Integra advanced on him.
“Down to business then? Very well.” Alucard sat down on the dusty brocade of an antique chair. “Who do you want me to eat today?”
Integra hesitated for a moment, slowly removing her glasses. “I cannot have you going out of your way to disrupt some jealousy you seem to think I feel toward Seras.” She refused to admit there was any actual jealousy there, though the thought had clouded the back of her mind for days. “Alucard, I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to take me to bed.”
The look on Alucard’s face assured Integra that she’d not only caught him off-guard, but more than compensated for the morning’s insubordinate behaviour. It was only a moment before the vampire regained his composure, but that was enough for Integra. She knew she had rattled him.
Alucard stepped up to her, tangling his gloved hand into her blonde hair. “Shall I begin this mission immediately?” She quickly stepped back and slapped his hand away.
“These will be the rules of engagement…”
As he waited, Alucard set his hat down on Integra’s dresser. He hadn’t bothered to come into Integra’s bedroom in years, and was amused by how much it had changed. The little girl’s dressing table, the one her mother had brought back from Japan, was gone. So were the porcelein dolls and the curtains on the four-poster bed, but Alucard had expected that. Then it occured to him why he hadn’t checked on her room in all those years — there were no mirrors at all. Integra had had all of them removed.
Alucard smirked. “Smarter all the time…” Behind him, wood moved over carpet. Alucard turned as the bathroom door opened. Integra stood there, somehow looking as formal in her dark purple bathrobe as she did in her uniform.
Integra shrugged off her robe, first revealing bare shoulders. Then Alucard watched the robe drop past her luscious breasts, her cross necklace nestled neatly between them. It framed her well-muscled stomach for just a moment before falling away altogether. That was when he saw the holster, still buckled around her waist and dangling her pistol in front of her crotch.
“Why Master, what a big gun you have…” Alucard laughed. He reached for the pistol, but Integra slapped his hand away.
“It’s the very latest in chastity belts, Alucard. Just because I want you doesn’t mean I trust you.” Integra wrapped her hand around Alucard’s necktie and pulled him to her. “Now, lets see if you have anything other than eyes under your clothing…” She tugged on the red silk, releasing the knot and freeing his neck.
Alucard smiled at her, twisting his lips away from his fangs, and slipped out of his coat. He placed his gloved hands on Integra’s softly-curved hips, then picked her up easily and carried her to her bed, laying her gently down on the bleached linen sheets.
“There. I believe that’s how it’s generally done in Seras’s romance novels…”
Integra glared at him as he stood above her. “Dammit, Alucard, this is supposed to be my fantasy. How am I supposed to get it out of my system if you don’t do it right?” He knelt over her on the bed and laughed softly as he kissed her. Integra gasped and started to pull away as he reached her ear. His hands tightened just enough to keep her moving. She froze, then, waiting for the bite, trying to anticipate…
Something pressed against her leg, and Integra kicked reflexively. “If I feel anything so much as twitch down there, I will use my gun. Sometimes it’s good to know I can’t kill you.” The movement stopped, and Integra let herself relax just enough to enjoy the situation. Alucard’s lips were strangely hard as they brushed down her neck, lingering along the gentle curve of her collarbone.
“Now that’s more like it. Good boy.” Integra looked down at him approvingly. She noticed that his Victorian clothing was gone, leaving him bare-chested and wearing only tight black pants. Maybe, she pondered, she could get him to approximate a Hellsing uniform one of these days. Giving half her attention to the acts themselves, Integra watched Alucard lean down and kiss her nipples. She shivered a little from the touch of cool lips on sensitive skin. He ran his tongue over the areola and Integra was startled to notice his tongue was at least six inches long. A sheen of red marked where he had been, the faintest touch of bloody saliva. Despite herself, Integra moaned.
Alucard’s hair fell gently around her chest, and Integra found herself enjoying its soft touch, the way it seemed to move on it’s own. Then it tightened, suddenly, forcing her breath from her chest. She realized that it was moving, and holding her tightly. In an instant, her body seemed to be crawling with the appendages, black and matte as the shadows themselves.
In her panic, she even thought she felt something squirming inside of her, but Alucard shook his head. “I can’t imagine deflowering you, dear Master, either with or against your will. I much prefer torturing you with the thought of eternity spent next to me.”
Integra took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She refused to give Alucard the satisfaction of her fear. Instead, she made herself focus on him. Shadows seemed to be clinging to his body, absorbing all the light from the room. The edges of his body were insubstantial, like vapor rising from dry ice. Fascinated, she worked one of her hands free and reached for him. Her fingertips passed easily through the side of his torso.
The vampire’s eyes grew wide and Integra felt his hold on her body become similarly insubstantial. Integra’s left hand was on her gun in an instant, while her right drifted through his chest. Her fingertips brushed something solid and Integra seized it instinctively.
Alucard’s face twisted. Integra slid her hand over the cold, slightly squishy object. His heart, she realized. Of all the crazy damn monsters in England to have a heart… She squeezed. He winced. She pressed the gun into his chest and smiled.
“Now, boy, play nice.” He growled slightly. She tugged on his heart, pulling him against her. As the cold weight came to rest on her chest, she moved the gun around to the back of his body. She eased up her hold on his heart, slipping her fingers from his chest. Integra smiled at the feeling of his gaseous body against her bare skin.
Alucard slowly solidified, his arms around her, his face alternating between anger and pleasure. Integra allowed herself to think that there was just a chance that she had tamed him. Slowly, she nudged him until he rolled over. She traced her free hand down the smooth skin of his chest. He was quiet, watching her. She thought the look in his eyes reminded her of a caged animal.
She held up the gun so he could watch, and then laid it on the bedside table. Her holster followed a moment later. Alucard began to open his mouth, but she reached for the gun. He got quiet, watching her. Integra laid her head down on his chest and pulled his arms around her. For a minute, she thought she heard his heartbeat. Then she realized it was her own blood rushing in her ears.
She wished, just for a second, that the sound was coming from his chest.
Then she closed her eyes and, telling herself that a good commanding officer lets her men know she trusts them, drifted off to sleep.
