Bad Blood

A Betrayal Most Hurtful

~~~52 Years Ago~~~

The Von Gravenreuth Estate was livelier than usual as every person in the house busily prepared for Marie’s twenty-fifth birthday. Her mother, a tall, regal woman with raven black hair, strictly oversaw all the preparations. Her father had escaped into his office to stay out of the way of his wife. Marie and her friends were excitedly getting ready in her bedroom. Beautiful dresses and various sparkling accessories littered the spacious room as the girls chattered and gossiped. Julia was holding a lilac dress against her body and twirled about the room, humming her favorite waltz.

“Tonight, I will surely find a man!” Julia exclaimed as she eventually tossed the dress across the bed and sat back down with the others.

“Tonight isn’t about you, Julia, it’s about Marie,” scolded a red-headed girl.

“A girl can dream, Rebecca!” Julia huffed.

“Well…it would be nice to find a man…” A timid, strawberry blond stated.

“Please Ingrid, we all know you like Thomas,” Julia stated. Ingrid simply blushed as the others giggled.

“Julia, don’t tease her like that!” Marie said, shifting her body towards the shy girl. “Ingrid, why don’t you wear the pink dress tonight. You always look so nice in that color, and I’m sure Thomas won’t be able to look away from you tonight.” Ingrid blushed an even brighter red but excitedly nodded.

“Who do you want to attract Marie?” Rebecca asked while carefully brushing through her curls.

“At the moment, no one.” The others looked at her a bit dumbfounded, even Ingrid.

“What do you mean, no one?” Julia asked. “You have boys lining up, waiting to attract your attention, and you are telling us that none of them attract your attention?” Marie simply nodded, and Julia made a noise in disbelief.

“It’s true!” Marie started. “At the moment I’m not interested in them. It would be nice, but I’m not in a rush. We have an eternity to find our partners, and I don’t want to marry someone simply because of my family name. I want them to marry me, not my family.”

The other girls slowly nodded, understanding the situation. Despite the modernizing human world, the noble families of the vampire world stuck to the ways of old, and arranged marriages were the norm. The Von Gravenreuth family was old and powerful, one of the few true, royal vampires left in the world. Their power and influence extended past the underworld of vampires and into the human world. They had established numerous wineries that supplied wine to the humans and hospitals that helped the humans. Since hunting humans was risky and something lowly rogues did, the hospitals around the world helped supply a vast amount of fresh blood via blood banks. This made the Gravenreuth incredibly rich, along with the power that came from being royal. This made Marie an extremely sought out for match. But she yearned to marry for love, not because of an arrangement. Although the creation of a bond would allow for love to grow exponentially, she wanted that love to exist before then.

“Well…” Julia mused, “it’s not totally uncommon for marriages out of love to occur. That’s what happened to the Hollen girl. She and Cedric fell in love, bonded, and then got married.”

“Angelica and Cedric bonded before marriage!?” Ingrid asked, shocked. Julia simply nodded, and Ingrid shook her head. “That’s so scandalous!” Julia simply shrugged.

“Don’t shrug! A bonding is such an intimate process. How can you bond before marriage?” Ingrid asked, quite flustered.

“Why do you have to wait until marriage if you already love each other? Why should it matter when the bonding happens?” Rebecca chimed in.

“Exactly! It only makes sense to wait if the marriage is arranged. But if you both already love each other, why wait?” Julia responded, fiddling with her hair.

“What if you fall out of love before marriage?” Ingrid asked.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Ingrid. Everyone knows you can’t fall out of love after bonding. Once two vampires create a bond, they are forever tied together. Unless one dies, the bond is unbreakable.” Julia stated.

“Well, I remember reading somewhere that although a bond is unbreakable, there were some cases that, over time, a bond weakened, especially if the other decides to sleep with another. But it is rare.” Rebecca informed the girls while inspecting her hair in the mirror.

“How in the world does a bonded vampire sleep with another!” Julia exclaimed. The others shrugged while Marie stood up from the ground and walked over to her dress on the bed.

“We could talk about bonds all day, but we do need to get ready for the party soon. I don’t want Mother to come in and scold us for taking too much time.” Marie stated, picking up a soft, satin, sea-green long dress.

The other girls nodded and stood up, taking up their dresses, and continued to get ready. Marie slipped on the dress that hugged her curves. She decided on wearing her hair down, letting the locks flow all the way down to her lower back in soft, black waves. Her only accessory was the new diamond necklace that her father gifted to her this morning. Once everyone was ready, they headed out of her room.

A crowd of guests were already pouring through the front doors. Her parents stood near the bottom of the stairs, welcoming each one. As the group neared the bottom, Marie joined her parents while the other three left, following the crowd. She stood with her parents and graciously thanked everyone for coming. The flow of guests seemed to never end, and she grew a bit impatient at having to stand here instead of enjoying her party. When a break in the flow of people finally came, Marie turned to beg her parents of setting her free from her obligations. Her father simply smiled.

“You can go after you greet the Vulpe Family. They are coming up right now.” Her father nodded towards the approaching group. In no time, the Vulpe family came close. She had seen the Vulpe family plenty of times but didn’t recognize the young man that accompanied him. He was quite handsome, with striking dark eyes. His hair was a soft brown, with hints of golden highlights throughout. He was tall, broad shouldered, and looked muscular underneath the burgundy suit that he was wearing. When their eyes met, Marie felt an unfamiliar tug in her heart, which caused her cheeks to flush. She quickly looked away and turned her attention to Mr. Vulpe, who wished her a happy birthday. She thanked him as calmly as she could, making sure not to meet the eyes of the stranger whose gaze she could feel boring into her. When the family finally walked away, she let out a slow, deep breath. Who was that man, and why was she feeling such a way towards him?

“Now you may go, child,” her mother said affectionatly. “Enjoy the party.”

“Thank you, Mother and Father, for putting all of this together for me,” Marie said, embracing her parents in a tight hug before running off to find her friends. The entire party itself was being held behind the house. Since the property included at least fifty acres, it was quite easy to fit about two hundred people. It was a warm and splendid summer day, and all the guests were chattering and walking around the well-manicured lawn. Large canopy tents provided ample shade as guests twirled, laughed, and drank to their hearts content. She finally spotted her friends at the far corner under a canopy and quickly made her way to them. They had already found their other friends and were chatting up a storm. Ingrid was timidly conversing with Thomas, as Julia and Rebecca laughed with Andrew, James, and Patrick.

“Ah the birthday girl finally makes her appearance!” James exclaimed, embracing her into a bear hug. His large, muscular arms engulfed her small frame and crushed her into his chest. James let go as Julia swatted his arms.

“James! You’ll ruin her dress!” she exclaimed as Marie shook her head smiling.

“Don’t worry. Thank you, James. I’m so happy you all could make it!” Marie exclaimed, genuinely happy to be in the company of her friends.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Patrick said with a smile, his voice quiet and deep. Andrew simply nodded in agreement.

“Did you see Adam Vulpe come in?” Thomas asked as the entire group formed a small circle.

“Adam Vulpe? The younger brother? Is he back?” Andrew asked. Marie stayed quiet, certain that they meant the stranger who came in with the Vulpes.

“Adam? Wasn’t he the one who was sent to Denmark for school instead of being tutored at home like the rest of us? Isn’t that a school for rich humans, not vampires?” Julia asked.

“Yea, that’s the one,” Andrew confirmed.

“Father said his family sent him there upon his request, even if it was a human school. It’s certainly strange, but I assume since he’s here, his schooling is done with.”

“Where is he?” Rebecca asked while craning her head to see above the crowd. “Wait, Marie, you saw him come in, point him out!”

“Well…I guess I could,” Marie responded while turning to the crowd to scan.

It was a bit hard to see among the crowd at her height, but she spotted him under the same canopy that they were in. His back was turned towards them, but she recognized him instantly.

“There, in the burgundy suit. He’s standing next to the table with his father.” The entire group turned to look where Marie had mentioned with a scrutinizing eye.

“Oh, he’s quite tall!” Ingrid mentioned. Thomas puffed his chest out a bit and stood a little straighter.

“He’s not that tall…” he muttered. Julia snickered as Rebecca elbowed her to hush.

“Well, he seems like he would be handsome,” Rebecca remarked.

As soon as the last word left her lips, Adam turned around. The entire group quickly turned around, pretending to be deep in conversation.

“He is handsome!” Rebecca exclaimed in a hushed tone. Everyone tried to steal a quick, unassuming glance towards Adam, but it all ended up quite awkward as the group managed to look at him all at the same time. Thankfully, Adam had noticed Marie among them and had his eyes trained on her. Flustered, Marie turned around.

“Looks like you’ve hooked yourself another suitor,” Julia remarked, noticing his gaze.

“Don’t be silly. What makes you say that?” Marie remarked, steading her breath. Julia simply narrowed her eyes a bit, not one to pass over her friend’s unusual reaction.

“Why don’t we call him over. He’s the same age as us, right? Plus, I doubt he has many friends here since he’s been gone,” Rebecca suggested. James simply folded his arms across his chest.

“Well from what I remember, he was a decent guy before he left. Who knows what the human school taught him.” James pondered.

“Well let’s find out, shall we?” Rebecca said as she had already begun to wave to grab Adam’s attention and then beckoned for him to join them. Adam’s face had a flash of surprise before he turned to his father to say something and began walking towards them. Marie cursed internally, hoping he would decline the offer. She focused on maintaining a calm and cool composure as he approached the circle.

“Are you Adam Vulpe? The one who went to study abroad?” Rebecca asked as soon as he joined.

A small smile played on Adam’s lip as he nodded.

“Yes, that is indeed me.” Adam confirmed, his voice deep yet smooth like honey.

“Good to have you back in Edenvale. You…are back, I assume?”

“Yes, correct again. I am back.” Adam replied. The small hint of sadness went undetected by the others.

“New friends are always so exciting,” Ingrid chimed in cheerfully.

“Adam, I’m James Dubrovski. You might remember me from a while back before you left. We have here Ingrid Marceau, Thomas Blackworth, Andrew Sherbakov, Patrick Hallahan, Rebecca Veski, Julia Chiarelli, and the birthday girl herself, Marie Von Gravenreuth.” James introduced the group, and Adam turned his head to each and everyone as they were introduced.

“Thank you for the introductions. I am truly surprised at the warm welcome,” Adam mentioned before turning his attention to Marie.

“And happy birthday to you, Marie,” he said as he took her hand into his and placed a soft kiss upon it.

She slowly took her hand back, her heart beating a bit quicker. She was quite confused as to why she was having such a reaction from a gesture that she had witnessed thousands of times from other men. With a bit of difficulty, she maintained a calm composure and smiled sweetly up at Adam.

“Thank you, Adam. I’m sure I speak for everyone else in saying that we hope to see much more of you soon with all the spring and summer events coming up.” Adam blinked a few times, seemingly flustered from the smile she gave him.

“Yes. I look forward to seeing you,” he paused. “You all. I hope we can become good friends.”

At that moment, the music picked up from the large orchestra, causing many people to flood to the edges of the canopy, freeing the middle for the dancers who rushed to the middle. Thomas asked Ingrid for a dance while James and Rebecca paired off to dance. Julia hauled Patrick to the dance floor while Andrew asked a passing girl for a dance. This left Adam and Marie alone, standing in silence. Marie watched her friends twirl around, and Adam debated on whether to ask her to dance or if that would be too bold too soon. A few young men began walking towards them, their eyes on Marie. Adam noticed and realized he would miss his chance. He turned to her and took her hand in his again, surprising her.

“Marie, may I have the honor of dancing with you?” He asked, those dark eyes boring into hers. A soft pink shade hinted at her cheeks as she smiled and nodded. He led her to the dance floor, joining the others. The two spent much of the night together dancing, laughing, and exchanging soft glances. As the night went on, the party slowly came to an end, and the two separated. The house full of mirth fell silent as guests made their way home, and the servants began to clean up.

Marie retreated to her room, heart about to burst in joy and happiness. She sat by her vanity and brushed her hair idly as she replayed the night over and over, dancing with Adam. Was this what love felt like? Did she have feelings for this man? Did he feel the same after this night? There were so many questions and emotions that swirled in her mind as she finally made her way to the bed and closed her eyes.

~~~Present time~~~

Marie stood still for what seemed like a century as she stared into Adam’s eyes. There he was in the flesh. This feeling that she had inside her had been a sign that Adam would return. She felt happy yet unsure as to what would happen next. Everything was different now, not only had she changed, but she noticed that he, too, was not all the same. He had grown a bit older, losing the soft boyish looks he once had. His hair was a bit longer, and he had grown a bit of a beard.

She slowly took a step forward towards him, the crowd quickly hushing around them as they noticed the situation. Whispers arose all around as she took careful steps after step towards him. When she was just a foot away from him, she smiled and looked into his eyes but received a pained glance from his. She narrowed her eyes slowly. Perhaps it was nothing.

“Adam…you’ve returned,” Marie started. She continued to smile until a peculiar scent hit her nose. It smelled of human and took her aback a bit.

“Adam, who is this?” An unfamiliar voice asked.

Marie turned her head to the source of the voice and recognized the source of the scent. A young, human woman peeked out from behind Adam. She wore a green dress, and her brown hair was pulled up into a soft updo. Her blue eyes flickered between Adam and Marie. Marie turned her gaze away from the human to Adam as she narrowed her eyes. Why was there a human with him? Why had he stood still as she walked towards him? Why did it feel as if guilt radiated from his body?

Adam quickly pushed the human back behind him, protecting her. That single motion from Adam spelled it all out for her. Anger began to bubble inside of her, but Marie simply smiled as her heart began to break into a million pieces as utter heartbreak took over her emotions. She looked into Adam’s eyes as he felt the same sadness that transpired through her.

“You’ve returned, but not to me” Marie said coldly.

She turned around and walked away from the pair, the crowd spreading like the red sea as she headed towards a door that led out and onto the terrace and into the fresh air. As she reached the stone railing, she stared out into the darkness. Her heart grew colder and colder as she mentally chastised herself for allowing herself to be so foolish. She had noticed the bond breaking and weakening, but she had stubbornly held onto her love for Adam in fear of losing more loved ones. Realizing that she still clutched her glass in her hand, she took a slow sip. All she felt was pain and the ever growing need to numb it before it overtook her in a raging flame.

She had hoped to be left alone outside but sighed in frustration as she heard footsteps behind her. Without looking, she knew who it was as her heart tugged sadly at the bond that still held them together. The scent of human meant he didn’t come out alone.

“Marie…” Adam began but stopped as she straightened up and finished her glass in one quick swig.

She looked at now empty glass for a few long seconds before turning around to face him. Pure coldness emanated from her as she placed a steely gaze upon him. She watched as his face expressed sadness with a smirk. No matter what, the bond will always make itself present.

“Welcome back to Edenvale, Adam,” Marie remarked, her tone like a sharp knife. It took a bit for Adam to reply as he had never witnessed her in such a way.

“Marie, please, you must understand,” he began.

“My, my, has your time among humans made you forget your manners? The appropriate response is to thank me,” she scolded him.

She watched as Adam shifted nervously. Marie turned her gaze to the human who looked at her with fear in her eyes.

“You slept with her, didn’t you?” Marie asked.

“Please, Mar-” he was stopped short as she raised a finger.

“Did you or did you not sleep with her Adam Vulpe?” Marie asked him once more, her tone now laced with power and authority. Unable to deny a question asked by a Royal, Adam nodded.

“Adam, who is she?” the human whispered.

“Yes Adam, please explain to your human who I am,” Marie smiled coldly.

Adam stayed silent.

“Well since Adam is a bit tongue-tied at the moment, allow me to explain. It seems that Adam perhaps never mentioned to you that he was engaged. Specifically engaged to me,” she explained, as she began to slip a ring off her finger and take a step closer to him.

“You know Adam, I waited for you. I waited fifty years for your return out of pure love and trust. I spurred away every man who attempted to court me because being engaged meant something to me. We bonded Adam. I let you leave so you could travel the world and return happy. Do you know what I went through all those years? No, why would you. You never cared about me enough to even send me word of your travels,” Marie chuckled to herself from the pain, trying to cope with her world crumbling around her for the second time in her life. She took his hand and dropped the ring into his open palm. The touch caused a spark to flow through her body.

“Did you feel that? Unfortunately, for the both of us, a bond can never be fully broken.” She let go of his hand and took a few steps back, turning her back to him and leaning against the rail once more. “Don’t worry, I won’t try to win you back. You no longer need me, and I shall no longer hold onto the hope that I once had. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Vulpe.” Marie ended the conversation with a wave of her hand, dismissing Adam. She listened as they both walked away from her, leaving her in silence again.

She couldn’t help the memories that painfully flooded her mind.

~ 51 Years Ago~

Adam had begun to court Marie, sending flowers and handwritten letters persistently for months. Marie accepted his advances wholeheartedly, falling deeply in love with him. Many secret meetings between the two happened, where whispers and soft kisses were passed underneath the moon and the stars. Much to the dismay of Marie’s suitors, it seemed as though she had made her decision to be with Adam one year after their fateful meeting on her birthday.

One of their moonlight rendezvous ended with the two bonding, creating an even stronger attraction of love between them. Adam wished to keep this a secret for now, but Marie convinced Adam that they should tell the truth and a few months later, the Von Gravenreuth and the Vulpe family announced an engagement between Adam and Marie. Julia had always expressed her dislike towards Adam, not fully trusting the man but decided to keep quiet when the two announced their engagement.

Marie was beyond happy with how things were going and happily threw herself into planning a wedding. Adam, too, was incredibly happy, yet as time progressed ever closer to the wedding date, Marie noticed a strange, hesitant air that hung heavy over him. Two months before the wedding, Marie approached him as he wistfully stared out of a window in her home.

“Adam, something is wrong, isn’t it?” She asked him. As if her voice snapped him back to reality, he turned to look at her.

“What do you mean, my love?” He asked. Marie softly smiled.

“You know exactly what I mean. You’ve grown more restless the closer we approach our wedding. Something is bothering you.”

Adam stood silent as he looked into those green eyes that had bewitched him the moment he had laid eyes on them. Half of him wanted to embrace her and make love to her right there and then, yet the other half of him yearned for something else.

“Marie…my love. I do love you; I truly do. But…this is all happening so fast. You and I are so young for vampires. I wanted to travel and experience what the world has in store. It’s not that I don’t want to marry you. It’s just that…I don’t want to get married now.”

Marie listened in silence. Although her heart ached slightly, she understood his words. They were quite young, and Adam had always expressed his want to travel around the world and establish a name for himself. He never wanted to take part in the family business and be caught in the rigid loop that all the old families were stuck in. He had experienced what the modern world was firsthand, and coming back to Edenvale seemed as though he traveled to the past.

“Do you love me, Adam?” Marie asked quietly, looking up into his eyes.

“Yes! Yes, of course!”

“Then that is all I need. Don’t worry about the wedding. Go and travel. I want you to marry me without any regrets. When you return, then we will continue the conversation.”

In the week following their conversation, Adam had begun to prepare for his travels, and Marie carefully postponed the wedding until further notice. While the postponement and news of Adam leaving to travel did arouse questions among Edenvale, no one made a fuss, as this meant Marie could possibly still become available for their sons to marry. The night before Adam’s departure, the two spent the night entangled together in an exchange of love for the last time. The next morning, Adam made his way out of Edenvale, leaving behind Marie, who wholeheartedly believed that he would return soon, ready to start a family.

~Present Time~

The entire month prior to Adam’s departure replayed in her head repeatedly. It was self-inflicted torture, but she didn’t know how to stop it. There was no way she could stay here any longer. All she wanted was to be alone and staying meant she would be found by her friends and hounded by questions and concern. She stepped away from the railing and walked in one direction on the terrace until she reached a set of stone stairs. She continued her way down and onto a path that winded around the house and ended up at the front of the estate. A valet was leaning against a tall lamp post, relaxing since his work was paused until the party was over. As she approached, he turned his head at the footsteps and quickly stood up straight, bowing his head.

“Shall I fetch your car, Madam?” He asked a bit nervously, her presence and aura piercing the air with sharp coldness. She simply nodded, and the man ran off as quickly as possible. She didn’t have to wait long as her driver pulled up quickly in front of her. He got out, met her gaze, and quickly ran to open the door in slight fear.

Marie chose to ignore his reaction and climbed into the back seat as Angelo closed her door and began the drive home. Angelo drove as quickly as he could, and in no time, she found herself in front of her manor. Without waiting, she opened the door and climbed out of the car and headed to the door, swinging it open and startling a maid who was dusting the table located in the middle of the room. Ignoring the maid who scuttled quickly out of view, Marie made her way up the stairs in a slow manner.

“My lady?” Damien entered the room after being fetched by the maid and spotting Marie. She simply ignored him and reached the second floor, walking down the hallway. She heard him bound up the stairs and reach her quickly.

“My lady? Is something the matter? Why are you home so early? Are you hurt?” Damien asked, quite concerned. Marie simply scoffed at his last question and opened her bedroom door. Damien was growing increasingly worried as he had never seen her in such a state or mood. When she turned to face him, he noticed how her eyes, always so full of light, had grown cold and dull and completely black. It shook him to his core.

“Please Marie, what is the matter?” Damien pleaded desperately. She simply looked at him and began to close the door.

“I do not wish to be bothered or disturbed. Goodnight.” She dismissed her butler and shut the door.