Lilith’s laughter sounded lovely, like wind dancing through tiny bells.  After everything that had happened to her, Nikolai was amazed that she could laugh at all.  Clearly, she possessed great inner strength, even if she didn’t realize it.  Despite all his cruelty, her master hadn’t yet crushed her spirit.   But how much longer could she last?  How much longer until the light in her eyes flickered out forever?<br/><br/>“They are the stories of my people,” Nikolai explained.  “My cultural heritage.  A link to something I used to be, before I became<span style="font-style: italic">this</span>.”  For a moment, Nikolai’s thoughts drifted far away.  He remembered reading the letter, begging for a doctor to come and treat the strange plague that had broken out in a distant village.  He remembered the looks of fear on the villager's faces when he arrived to help.  He remembered the jail where they’d imprisoned their sick neighbors and he remembered going inside.  And what happened next...well, he remembered that too.  But he knew better than to dwell on it.<br/><br/>The feel of Lilith’s fingers brushing against his hand brought Nikolai back from his dark reverie.  A strange warmth spread through him, originating from the spot she’d touched -- it had been so long since someone touched him.  Smiling, Nikolai clasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “You are most kind to feel sympathy for me.  But my suffering seems very small compared to yours.  Time took my family, as it eventually takes all humans.  And, while it is true that I was turned against my will, my transformation has not been all bad.  I have seen a world that I would never have lived to see otherwise.”<br/><br/>A world that he hated and feared.  But still, it was better than oblivion.<br/><br/>Nikolai waited patiently while Lilith removed her dress.  Being a doctor, he’d seen lots of naked people.  But even as Nikolai tried his best to remain professional, he had to admit that Lilith was exceptionally beautiful -- and that beauty made the scars covering her all the more horrible.  Nikolai could scarcely imagine her suffering as such sensitive regions were pierced with blunted fangs.  It made him want to kiss each inch of ruined skin, heal her wounds and give her pleasure instead.<br/><br/>Lightly, Nikolai ran his fingers over the worst scars, evaluating their age and severity.  Then he stooped to pick up Lilith’s dress.  But at the last moment, he changed his mind.  Leaving the dress where it lay, he walked to a cupboard and retrieved a soft blanket, which he gently wrapped around Lilith’s nearly naked body.  “There.  That will be more comfortable than the dress, and keep you warmer.”