“Tori will not be digging out the latrines, dear, that’s a grad student’s job.” Maxwell let out a chuckle. “No, Tori is working with me on digging out the midden.”
“So you still know how to show a girl a good time.”
“Of course, I’m letting her drive the mini-digger!”
“And are you finding anything interesting among the rubbish?”
“We have already found some great stuff. Enough to know that both cavalry and infantry were here. I can hardly believe it, but we also dug out what looks like the regimental scribes’ waste. There are wax tablets, styli, rotted sheets of papyrus, and a few worn seals. The tablets and papyri need specialist work to try to recover anything, but the seals look promising. I’m pretty sure all or part of three regiments were here – the first Thracian cavalry, the fourth Gaulish infantry and the first Batavian Equitata.”
“Goodness,” said Amanda, surprised. “That’s getting on for eighteen hundred men, if they were all here. Roman Governors were usually wary of concentrating so many non-Romans in one place without a legion nearby.”
Maxwell chuckled. “Especially in a fort that wasn’t square.”
“Right. Well then, it sounds like progress, even if you haven’t been keeping me posted like you promised.”
“Amanda, darling, I will try harder.”
“Remember what I said about tangible progress? Now I know where you are, I’m coming out there to see for myself. You’d better have some decent footage, Max.”
“Maxwell. When can we expect you, darling?”
“It’ll be a surprise. No, I’m joking, I’ll be with you tomorrow sometime. See you then.”
“Indeed, Amanda, I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”
Maxwell thumbed the red button to end the call, and shouted, “Owain! Over here, mate, and bring the camera. We need to string something together to show our producer, tout de suite.”
Tori stood and stretched. “While you’re doing that, I need some fresh air,” she said. “I’m going to stroll around the village.”
Maxwell smiled up at her. “It’s getting dark out there, so take a light and be careful, darling.”
“I will.”
Tori was hungry. Very hungry. Human food was OK as an experience, but she derived little nourishment from it. No, she needed to feed in a different way. Maxwell was off-limits because she needed him alert and vigorous to pursue his objectives. Owain was, too, for the same reason. Gilda – well, Gilda just was not to her taste, and besides she was not sure about the relationship between the two students, which was puzzling and unusual. If Gilda turned sickly, the effect on Owain would be unpredictable. She could snack from Maxwell during sex, but she was left unsatisfied by that. Maxwell was, frankly, too gentle and considerate; too cerebral a lover to generate a quantity of energy capable of satisfying her hunger. She wished he would just forget himself in lust; take her roughly in every way possible; lick, scratch and bite; and let his life’s energy gush out in invisible billows that she could draw into herself. But he was just too nice for that.
She made her way through the camp site gates and headed for the village pub. She was going hunting, and experience said that a pub would be likely to yield some prey.
She could hardly believe her luck, because two young men were just leaving the pub as she drew near, and their gait indicated a level of intoxication that would make them easy targets. She stepped behind the shelter of a bus stop and waited for them to pass by, walking along the road away from the village. She followed, silently, alert to any sound or movement that might pose a threat. Satisfied that she would not be disturbed, she began to close the distance to the two men.
“Boys,” she spoke softly, and was amused to see them jump, surprised by her quiet approach. “Can you help me with something?”
They turned and stared at her. “Where did you come from?” asked one, a little agitated.
The other seemed more at ease. “Help? Of course, babe, I can help, what do you need?”
“Sex,” she answered, simply. Her pheromones wafted towards them, and she tugged down her low-cut top to expose her breasts. “Come and get some.”
One of them sniggered, the other made a noise half way between a growl and a purr, and both of them followed her into the trees. Out of sight of the road, she stopped and pulled the boys closer into herself, inviting them to kiss and squeeze her breasts, and run their hands over her inviting curves. She projected images into their heads, of her lips on their cocks, her nipples hardening under their fingers. Her hands found first one zip, then the other, and she drew out their swollen members. As soon as she leant down and her hot breath wafted over the shiny exposed head of the first one, it spasmed and spat white fluid into her face. She giggled as the boy mumbled an apology, and turned to the other cock, sliding her hand along its length and engulfing the head with her soft lips. She could feel the energy radiating off the boy as he groaned in pleasure. She gently toyed with the first boy, but his member stayed obstinately flaccid, prompting him to whisper another apology.
“It’s the thought that counts,” she murmured. “Believe me.”
She pulled the sexual energy out of the air and absorbed it. It was rich and satisfying, vibrant with the vigour of youth. Even the one who had erupted prematurely was radiant with desire – the thought did, indeed, count. She let the two of them run their hands around her, exploring beneath her clothing, prospecting for the wet gold mine of her sex. There was a long drawn out moan that climaxed in a geyser of semen and a dramatic flare of energy, which she absorbed into herself with an audible gasp of pleasure.
She gave a little push, both mentally and physically, and the premature ejaculator landed, limp, on the ground. Tori concentrated on the other boy. She stood up and held his head in both hands, clamping her lips to his. He made winsome little mewling noises as her tongue penetrated his mouth, and his tongue reciprocated. She bit down on his tongue with her sharp teeth, so sharp that he felt nothing, and she began swallowing blood. Suddenly his eyes opened wide, as he realised something was wrong. His tongue was caught between her teeth. She increased the suction, and he began to struggle, and moaned – this time in pain – as her teeth bit down harder. He was unable to move. She shifted her hands down to his chest, and he felt pressure build as her claws extended and her fingers punctured his skin. Through her mouth and her fingers, she tapped directly into the essence of life within him, using his blood as a conductor to direct the flow into herself. It was still saturated with delicious lust, but after a few minutes she began to taste the metallic bitterness of his death. She dropped the body to the ground.
The other boy was awake, wide eyed, his head shaking from side to side in disbelief. He managed to say, “No, please…” Then her claws tore his throat open and he could say nothing more. She clamped her mouth to the gaping wound and drove the claws of both hands into his groin. Tapping into his essence was less pleasurable – she could taste his fear and mortality – and she finished him off quickly.
She lay on her back for a few minutes, gazing up at the stars, simply enjoying the feeling of satiation. With a sigh, she stood up, tidied herself, picked up the two corpses and headed into the woods to hide them.
Their bodies were not found for months.
Chapter 10
Amanda had arrived at the Roman camp early in the evening, to the annoyance of Maxwell and Tori. Maxwell had sent Owain and Gilda off to dig into the ditch where the latrines had drained, so the day was not a complete bust, but he and Tori had waited for Amanda rather than continue work digging out the iron fort’s middens. She was later than expected – Maxwell was sure she was doing her best to irritate him – but arrive she did, and insisted on foregoing the inevitable cup of tea in favour of watching the hastily edited video. Her expectations had not been particularly high, but she had to admit to being quite impressed. Maxwell had not lost his knack. He had a gift for conveying information that was vivid and clear, with infectious enthusiasm and charm. Most of his “talking head” pieces to camera would be usable in the finished product. Nor, she mused, had he lost his knack of picking up a sexy woman. She had to admit that Tori Bandra had the blonde hair and generous curves that would tick most men’s boxes. So to speak.