She sat beneath the oak tree, staring out at the town. It was quaint, filled with all the small-town folk that were more superstitious than they had a right to be.

No one had seen a ghost, but they believed. Maybe it lay in the way the wind whipped through the low buildings, bringing with it inhuman moans that spooked even the tough-skinned farmers.

On rainy days, most of the villagers stayed inside, like today.

It gave her some freedom that was limited on sunnier days when the old retried bats wanted to know every, little, detail about her boring life.

Caitlin hated the gossip, she would’ve loved to get out but had no real money, not for city living, at least. There was, however, a new guy in town, passing through; he’d come from the city. The old ladies picked his brain, she’d heard, when he went into the local mart for supplies. Her mother said he was quiet, well mannered. Her age. Handsome.

The last two were more important. Over the last few days, gossip sprung up around him; he was a traveling salesman, he was a missionary, he was a college student. None of them seemed accurate, but when Caitlin tried to get a peek, she’d miss him by a hair.

There was no one in town her age, and she’d decided to wait on higher education, so it limited her options to nil unless she wanted to marry her second cousin. That was a no-go.

She’d never had a boyfriend, not really, and she hadn’t given up her V-card either. Leaning against the tree, she groaned. At this rate Caitlin would become an old maid like Joanne down the road, never marrying, never having children. Not even a dog to keep her company.

Just slowly going insane, alone.

Then this stranger rattled the town with his newness. He was a curiosity, a window to the outside world that fascinated and bewildered the council. They weren’t prepared for the culture shock that he would bring with him, a ripple in an otherwise stale existence.

It brought Caitlin to life a little inside, a heart that seemed to pump dirt and gravel lifted. She had hope again, something that used to come from Sunday mass; but slowly, even that became a monotonous chore.

“Good morning.” A full, gentle voice interrupted her train of thought.

She nearly leaped out of her skin at the intrusion, standing and brushing down her blouse, “You’re the newcomer.” Caitlin stared at the lanky, well-built man leaning against the tree she’d just vacated.

“I am." He inclined his head, “I apologize for the interruption. Caitlin, is it? I’ve heard a lot about you.” He smiled and held out a gloved hand, “The name’s Dale.”

She shook it. “Nice to finally meet you.” He was handsome, reserved in his own way, but friendly. With kind eyes. “What are you doing all the way up here?”

“Mrs. Sampson said I could take a walk around her orchard, I seemed to have gone the wrong way.” He amended, dressed far too nice to be plodding through a field.

“I’ll say, you’re clear across the way, her orchard is over there.” Caitlin pointed nearly a mile away. “This is my family’s land.”

His eyes went large, “Oh, will you show me the way back? I didn’t mean to intrude.”

She smiled, he was easy, likable; the old women were right. “No problem, I assume it’s a puzzle to outsiders.”

Dale smiled. “Much obliged.” He bowed slightly and followed.

They walked together in silence for a few minutes, he didn’t press her with anecdotes, and the quiet was welcome. She didn’t point out where her dog was buried, or where she’d kissed a schoolmate for the first time. No, this silence was good. It kept her from making a fool of herself.

A question arose in her mind as they rounded the last bend. “What were you doing out there in the rain?” she asked him, looking up into his dark eyes.

“I could ask the same,” he mused but answered, “I enjoy the rain, it reminds me of home.”

She nodded in agreement. A June shower was uncommon and accepted with mixed emotions. As if the council could control the weather. But it was good for the crops. “The old ladies can’t stop talking about you,” Caitlin teased. “It’s so boring out here, no one has anything else to say to each other.” She was rambling, so she shut her mouth.

Her traveling companion laughed. “Glad to be of some use.” He reached out and parted a branch from her path, one she’d moved countless times herself.

“Thank you.” She ducked beneath and into the clearing. Around the corner, her mother’s farmhouse lay just out of sight.

“Before we continue,” he hesitated before reaching for her, guiding her to him, “I wanted to thank you.” His breath was sweet and warm as he clasped his mouth over hers. Caitlin went rigid momentarily, shocked by the show of affection. His trained tongue danced into her mouth, and she sighed, pressing into him. The kiss was good, it brought a flush to her cheeks.

Dale’s hands were careful as they explored her back, not going further than the base of her spine. The fever pitch heightened, and she was pressed between an oak and his solid frame, his hands running through her auburn hair, and hers through his dark waves.

He pulled away almost abruptly, streaking back his hair. “I’d better go.”

Caitlin’s eyes dropped to the ground. “Sure.” She never remembered being so simple, her mother might make her repent on Sunday.

A finger touched her chin as he lifted it to meet her gaze. “Thank you, Caitlin. I would have been lost without you.” The affection brought a new blush to her cheeks.

She nodded mutely as he turned onto the main road, watching his well-dressed figure disappear behind a set of trees. Her heart was torn in two, one side wanted more, for him to show her everything he knew. The other side screamed foul, what would her mother think? What would the town think? Dale would leave soon, and she’d be left behind, the hussy, the whore.

If he told anyone, that is.

Something made her think he wouldn’t, though. He was too polite for that. But he was from the city, and that came with it something new and unknown. She didn’t know what he was capable of.

Caitlin touched her lips, remembering the softness, the gentleness. Could a gesture so pure and real turn into something awful? She plodded through the mud home, hoping her mother had already started breakfast.

~~~~~~~

Dale was leaving tomorrow morning. That was the gossip, at least.

Caitlin hadn’t seen him since that day, and over a week had passed. He was like a specter, she could never catch him in town. On sunny days he didn’t make appearances, and it had been bright since mother nature pounded them with the sudden rain shower.

He’d come into town in a pig truck, and he would likely leave on one. Mr. Garner had been paid handsomely for the trip, and she expected the other men were lining up to be an escort out of their middle-of-nowhere town.

She didn’t blame him, what did she expect? But the memory of that kiss stuck with her every waking moment.

Even though she never told anyone, her mother noticed the change. Caitlin took part in cooking and cleaning with renewed vigor, trying to scrub the memory from her mind. To banish his scent. Dale was with her whether she wanted it or not. Every moment of their encounter was diligently cataloged in her mind.

When she heard the news, her heart dropped. If he left, she’d never see him again, and all those hours unable to sleep, thinking he’d come to her when she least expected, would be for nothing. She’d be stuck in her little town, alone again, miserable.

Tonight, she washed her face and dried off, looking in the mirror. She saw her own reflected back but could never discern if she were pretty or not. Her mother was gorgeous, age didn’t touch her as it should have, approaching her 60’s. She even had several widowers from town pining after her.

But Caitlin?

Nobody said anything, one way or another. The old women shot her wrinkled looks of dismay as if her face might bring upon them the wrath of God. The men stared sometimes but glanced away as she made eye contact.

What did Dale think?

Clearly, he thought she was good enough to kiss, but not to follow up? To have lunch? Why hadn’t he called upon her at the house? Maybe she was only worth a kiss-and-run. Perhaps that’s why the old women looked at her the way they did.

They knew what she thought: she was easy.

Rolling into bed, she peered out the window. The twinkling lights of the bar were still bright and would be until well past two in the morning. She wondered if Dale partook, maybe he found some solace in the night-life. Not that there was one in their town, just a handful of drunks around a keg.

Her mind began to let go of her troubled thoughts as a rap on the window caused her to jolt from sleep. A figure was silhouetted outside, obscuring the lights of town.

She recognized instantly, it’s him.

Despite her exhaustion, she dashed to the window, and upon seeing Dale’s kind eyes, unlatched it, “What are you doing up here?” She let him in and peered out the window. They were on the second floor, and the only way up was climbing the trellis.

His long legs stepped through the frame. “I couldn’t leave without seeing you again.”

She looked up at him, dressed only in a long nightgown she was relieved to have put on. On hot days like this, she tended not to wear anything. “You’re leaving.” Caitlin watched for a reaction.

“I am,” he admitted, verifying her fear. He lifted her hand and cupped it. “Come with me.”

Her thoughts ground to a halt. “Come with you?” it was the last thing she expected. “My family is here, I grew up here. How can I simply leave?”

Dale circled an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “It’s easier than you think,” he murmured, brushing a lock of her hair back. “I’ve thought about you constantly since that day…”

She felt the same. “But where would we go?”

“Who knows?” he shrugged. “I have business in the city, then the sky’s the limit.”

“I can’t leave… I… well…” he tilted her head up and kissed her again, her adrenaline spiked. He was good at this, she thought as she let him lead. Caitlin couldn’t resist his warm touch that explored more this time, his hand trailed over her rump and clamped her upper thigh, too close to her sensitive womanhood. “…wait…” she breathed between kisses.

He pulled his head away slightly, eyes burning with desire, “Yes?”

“I- I don’t want you to leave.” She wanted him to stay, to display his commitment.

“I have to go,” he admitted, “but you’ll come with me.” For the first time, she saw something else in his eyes, not desire, not kindness.

Something wicked.

“Dale. Wait.” She tried to unlatch from his long limbs, but he wouldn’t let go, “Stop right now or I’m going to scream.” Caitlin demanded, raising her voice.

A smile spread across his face, “I dare you.” The slight shink of a knife and he touched it to her breast, “Don’t make me run it through you. If you’re good, you’ll be safe.”

Time slowed as she glanced down at the knife at her breast. “You wouldn’t…” she said it, not believing herself.

“You doubt me?” Dale’s eyes glazed over as he clamped a hand over her mouth and brought the knife to her arm, nicking the delicate flesh. “Don’t let looks fool you.” The knife went away and he brought the cut to his mouth and… kissed it.

Caitlin’s muffles went unheard beneath his iron grip. Fear lanced through her as she struggled to pull away in vain, she was helpless in his vice. Keeping a hand securely over her mouth, he dragged her to the window. “Be a good girl, now,” he hissed in her ear as he leaped with her to the earth below.

The blood drained from her head as they fell, she fainted before they hit the ground.

~~~~~~~~

Caitlin woke in a room she’d never seen before, wrapped in strange smelling sheets. Her nightgown still draped over her thin frame. The cut still burned, but she was otherwise unmolested.

Dale was nowhere in sight.

She rose from the creaky bed and shook her head. A tray of food sat uneaten on a bedside table, Marjorie’s beef stew with house-made bread, still hot.

Caitlin was at the Inn.

Someone could help her before Dale returned. They’d known her all her life, they’d never seen Dale until last week. Of course, they’d help her. But what gossip would arise, she couldn’t guess.

She tried the door, but it was locked tight.

Inhaling to scream, a voice from the shadow interrupted her, “I wouldn’t do that.” His voice.

“Dale.” She exhaled. “Let me go.”

“Too late for that.”

“What are you talking about? Why did you kidnap me?!” Her hands shook, never having to raise her voice over anything but the horse.

Dale sighed and stood up. “I didn’t want it to come to this.” He shrugged, looming over her. “But there’s something about you, something in your blood. It draws me to you.”

Caitlin backed into the bedside table, disturbing the soup. “Stay away from me.”

“As I said, too late.” He gripped her by the shoulders. “And the name’s not Dale.”

Stunned, she couldn’t move as his mouth descended onto her throat. A pierce. A draw from her neck that made her light-headed. He pulled away before she lost consciousness again.

“You’re tired,” he cooed, wiping away a trail of red from his chin, “rest. I’ll take care of everything.” Caitlin found herself doing as he said, drawing the covers back. She didn’t remember her head hitting the pillow.

~~~~~~

“Good evening.” A hand stroked her hair gently.

Caitlin’s eyes fluttered open, and she saw only him. She was too weak to retort but noticed that they were moving. The clop of hoofs against a cobbled road. There were no cobbled roads in her town, they were all packed dirt.

“Who are you?” she managed through the fatigue.

Dale, Not-Dale’s eyes saddened. “No one.”

All at once, she realized they were far from her little town, she might never see her family or friends again. “Please,” she implored weakly, “let me go. I won’t say anything. I promise.”

“I’m sorry, Caitlin,” was all he said.

A tear trailed down her cheek, her neck was sore and her eyelids could barely remain open. “Why?” she asked, knowing he would understand her meaning.

“You know what I am.” He watched her. “If nothing else, believe that I do not intend you harm. You’ll be safe where we’re going. That I promise.”

Caitlin turned her head away, refusing to look at her captor. He permitted her this simple defiance.

“We’re almost there.” He stood from her side and approached the driver. They were in a wagon, and she was laid out on a cot within. Her energy level would not allow her to appeal to the driver, and no doubt Dale… Not-Dale, had paid the man enough not to bother.

She had nothing to offer.

If it was evening, then she’d been gone an entire day. Her mother would have tried to wake her, finding her room empty, the window wide. Gossip would spread if the stranger had gone missing at the same time she did. They must have eloped… She could hear Joanne whisper at her knitting circle. None of it would help her mother or her aunt in their grieving. She would never return, Caitlin knew, not if this man had a say in it. She didn’t even know his real name.

He returned to her side, “You’re still awake,”

She ignored him.

“You’re upset, of course.” He reached to place a hand on her arm and she pulled away weakly.

Caitlin glared at him through watery eyes. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“As it should be.” His once-handsome features made her cringe, his expression of sadness seemed phony. She hadn’t been worldly enough to see his deception, but she knew better now.

The wagon shuttered to a stop beneath her.

“We’ve arrived. Can you stand?” He reached for her again, gently, so gently she almost didn’t feel his assistance. Her bare feet planted onto the planks and she rose with his help. Caitlin nearly stumbled out of the back due to blood loss; he scooped her up in one motion and stepped down onto the cobble.

A huge mansion rose above the grass in front of them. Caitlin was almost intimidated enough to hide in his lapels, she’d never seen a building so large. What would be the function? To house air?

The grand door opened upon his arrival, a withered old man greeted them, “Master. What a welcome sight, you’ve returned intact.”

Not-Dale responded with a curt nod, “Have you got the room ready?”

“Yes, Sir. The second suite is prepared.”

“Good.” He brushed past the servant and into a huge foyer.

Caitlin couldn’t help but gasp at the size of everything, the staircase he ascended could fit ten large men side-to-side. The banister had ornate, gold-painted cherubs rising periodically from the woodwork. Nothing prepared her for the intricacy that went into the workmanship.

He never looked down at her in his arms, gliding up the stairs as if she were merely a parcel.

The hallway continued with a small troupe of armor sets, complete with large swords clasped in the gauntlets. Her small town had taught her enough to know about these things but seeing them was entirely different than looking them up in an encyclopedia.

He swung a door open to a large room, well furnished and bigger than her mother’s master bedroom. He deposited her gently on the bed and was about to leave.

“Wait-” Caitlin called, her energy strained.

“Yes?” he turned coolly.

“How long must I stay?” she asked, hoping for anything but the truth.

He slowly responded, giving her a pitiful look, “Marianne will be with you soon, she’ll bring you anything you need.” He bowed. “Good evening.”

Long after the door shut, she stared at is as if he would return any moment. She wondered what she’d done to deserve this. Where had she gone wrong? Was it taking an interest in the imposter? Or letting him through the window? At what point had he soured, making it impossible to resume her insignificant life? Now, she saw, a small one was better than none.

Caitlin wept hard, sobbing into the pillow until exhaustion weighed on her chest. She wasn’t going home; her life, in all its simplicity, was over.