My Immortal Hunger

Sixteen

Saying that the car ride was tense would be an understatement. There was dead silence in the car. Lucius opened his mouth a couple of times but didn't say anything. He was hoping Thea would say something but she didn't even look at him.

"How is your foot?" Lucius asked.

Seriously, he is asking me about my foot, she thought.

" OK" Thea replied causally.

"Good, try to ice it more when we get there ..."

"It’s fine” she snapped, and again there was silence.

"Thea we really need to talk," Lucius sighed.

"We are talking, what is there more to say?" Thea said icily.

"You know well enough what we need to talk about."

"Nope, nothing comes to ...."

"The kiss" Lucius cut her off and she tensed.

"What about it?" Thea asked.

"We need to talk about what it means to us, I need to explain myself" he said softly.

"Oh no that's fine Lucius, it was just a simple kiss. You don't have to explain why you ran out on me like the room was on fire" Thea said sarcastically.

"I am sorry for reacting that way", regret clear in his voice which made her frown.

"Why DID you react that way?" she asked softly.

"It is an answer that will require more than a car ride to explain. Have dinner with me, Thea. Allow me to explain myself", Lucius said, smiling.

"You want to have dinner with me?" She asked, somewhat shocked.

"Yes, that is so hard to believe."

"Yes, especially since after this afternoon."

"Please, tomorrow night, do me the honor of having dinner with me", Lucius said, pulling into an apartment complex parking lot.

"Fine, only because I want to hear what excuse you have to make me feel like crap." she said causally.

"Thank you, I am glad you accepted. Oh and wear something formal" he said with a lopsided simile, and exited the car, leaving Thea with her mouth slightly open.

"Damn him and his sexy smile" She mumbled and was opening the door when Lucius opened it for her.

They stood in front of a door. Lucius was about to knock when the door clicked open by itself. He opens the door further and steps in, Thea following in closely. She expected to find a candle-lite place with weird-looking things hanging from the walls and having dead animal's bones or skulls stuffed in jars. Instead, she stepped in to a nice and well-kept apartment with modern chic decor.

"What took you so long, old man?"

Thea gasped and whirled around to see a very beautiful woman with raven black hair. Lucius turned to the woman with a smile. Since she had known him, she had never seen him smile at anyone, except of her. A pang of jealousy went through her. She wondered if they were ever together or if she was the reason Lucius reacted so badly when they kissed.

"Sienna" Lucius said, his smile widening as he hugged her. Thea frowned at his behavior.

"Hello Thea, I have been waiting to see you again" Sienna said, pushing away from Lucius and came to stand in front of her with a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you, um what do you mean by again?" Thea said with an uncomfortable smile.

"Why don't we sit first, shall we" Sienna said, clapping her hands together. She led them to the living room and sat down, asking them to sit. Thea looked around the place, waiting for the old hag to come around the corner at any minute.

"Are you looking for something sweetie?"

"Um, isn't the old hag coming?" Thea asked hesitantly.

Lucius and Sienna gave each other a funny look.

"I apologize,. This is Sienna, she is the one everyone calls the old hag", Lucius said. Thea was shocked, to say the least.

"B-but you aren't old or ugly" Thea blurted out in amazement, making Sienna laugh.

"I sure hope not. I am only four thousand years old after all."

"Waa! you got to be shitting me! You don't look a day older than thirty" Thea exclaimed.

"Good, that means my magic is still strong" Sienna smiled.

“Sienna, we should get started."

"No need I already know what you came here for and I have the answer too, tea anyone " Sienna said casually, leaving both Thea and Lucius tense and waiting.

"Well, what is she?" Lucius asked. Thea looked at Sienna tensely.

"I already know the answer to this, but do you want me to tell you in private?” Sienna asked Thea, looking at Lucius, who stiffened at Sienna's question. Thea looked at Lucius, who was staring at her expectantly. Despite all that happened between them, Thea knew that Lucius would never put her life in danger. She trusted him.

"I trust him" she said out loud,

Lucius was visibly shocked and relieved, her words were like beautiful lyrics to his ears. He never in his entire life felt as happy as he did at that moment. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her, her cheeks reddened at her statement. Thea looked away, trying to act natural, but he could hear her heart beating fast. He knew he was making her uncomfortable.

"Well, then, one thing is sure, you are not all human, there is a very old magic running through your veins, but it seems to be sealed. Do you have any birth marks?"

Thea just nodded, slowly she lifted her shirt and right above her right hip bone was a mark no bigger than an inch. Everyone that saw it would think it was a tattoo. She had eventually stopped trying to prove it was a birthmark.

"The house of Pyro!" Sienna whispered, sounding as if she knew it was going to be what she said. Lucius's eyes widened, he knew immediately what Siena was talking about.

"You know what this is?" Thea asked him.

"Yes, that's the elemental seal of the pyro coven but they were all wiped out, over two decades ago!" Lucius looked amazed.

"Not all of them," Sienna said softly. Thea sat in her seat frozen.

"I was able to save one" he said, looking at Thea.

"What are you saying?" Thea asked, finding it hard to breathe.

"The battle between me and my brother is over thousands of years old. I was there when his coven attacked your coven."

Thea's eyes teared up and she was feeling very uneasy. She started shaking.

"I think I will go make some tea" Sienna said and went to the kitchen, leaving them alone.

"Tell me" Thea said after a few seconds.

"Thea ..."

"Please" she looked up at him pleadingly.

"I do not know why Viktor attacked your coven, I was following his movements for a very long time, he was after something in your coven, and I still do not know what it was." Thea nodded for him to continue.

"Thea, if you are who I think you are, then I knew your mother". Lucius saw all the color leave her face.

"She loved you, I do not know why I did not see it, but you have her eyes", Lucius said softly.

The tears that were building up in Thea's eyes finally fell down her cheeks.

"How did I end up on the road?"

"The coven was outnumbered. Even with my help, we were losing fast. Even though your mother was a very powerful witch, when she saw that it was a losing battle she told me to protect you."

She started at Lucius, lost for words. She got up and walked to the other end of the room. Lucius flashed back to the moment Danica placed Thea in his arms. The beautiful little girl of three months was wrapped in her blanket, fast asleep. Lucius looked at the same girl, now a grown woman. He had snuck her out and away from the battle. The screams of the witches being slaughtered had made him hide her and go back to save as many as he could, but he was too late. When he got back, Thea was gone. Lucius had felt guilty for leaving that baby girl for years.

"What was her name?" she asked.

"Danica" he replied, getting up and standing behind her.

She turned towards him. It broke his heart to see her tear-stained cheeks.

"What about my dad?"

"I am sorry I did not know of him."

"They didn't abandon me?" she asked softly.

"No" he replied, wiping away her tears.

"She loved me?"

"Till her dying breath", Lucius replied, cupping her face.

Thea broke down and threw herself in Lucius's arms and cried into his chest. All Lucius could do was hold her close.

"I am so sorry" he whispered into her hair and placing a soft kiss, she pulled back after a few seconds and wiped her eyes like a small child, making Lucius smile.

"I am sorry, I got your shirt is wet" Thea said.

"It will dry"

Everything Thea learned was making her question everything she ever knew. She always thought she was an unwanted child. Now she learns she wasn't abandoned but loved. Many questions were gathering in her mind.

"Why did he attack them?" she asked.

"I do not know, Viktor attacked before Danica and I could figure it out," Lucius was still holding Thea, his arms loosely around her lower back.

"It must have something to do with the house of Pyro, since I am the only one left from it."

"Not just any pyro witch" Sienna said as she carried a tray to the coffee table.

"He is after a specific bloodline" she continued, while making a cup of tea.

Lucius led Thea back to the sofa.

"You know what he wants," Lucius stated.

"Yes I do," she handed Thea a cup.

"Well, will you care to tell us what it is?" He asked impatiently.

"He wants to drain her of her blood" Siena said, casually pointing at Thea.

"To be precise, on the Noh Ek, when the day and night are equal and when Venus is across with the sun."

" What is when exactly?" Lucius said, agitated. Sienna comically started counting on her fingers.

“In one, two, um, three weeks” she said causally. Lucius’s hands tightened around Thea’s.

“You know as time comes near, Viktor will get desperate. If he doesn’t get Thea by the next equinox, he will have to wait for another year” Sienna said, sipping on her tea.

“Why me?” Thea asked.

“Because you, my dear, have the blood of the witch that cursed him to walk in the shadows in the first place” Sienna said.

“Fiona?!” Lucius gasped.

“Bingo” Sienna said, lifting her cup to her lips.

“Who is Fiona?”

“The woman who made me the monster I am today” he whispered. Thea’s eyes widened, realizing that it was her ancestor who cursed Lucius.

"What will he get by draining me in the first place?" she asked shakily.

"with the help of a sorcerer, he can alter one part of the curse, his weakness. Your blood will give him the ability to walk in the sun with all the vampire perks but..."

"none of the weakness", Lucius finished for her. He was shattered at the thought of Viktor with so much power, the havoc he would cause, all the bloodshed.

“Are you sure I am from her bloodline? I mean, I don’t have any magic, and even if I did, it must be pretty weak. since I have never experienced it before.”

“You do, sweetheart; I know because I sealed your magic when you were ten” Sienna explained.

“What!” said Lucius and Thea said at the same time.

“Yep, to hide you till the time was right, I concealed your magic but I couldn’t conceal it all. Since your magic is very powerful. That’s how Viktor found you in the first place.” She continued as if it was no big deal.

“You knew all this time, you knew what Viktor was after and you didn’t tell me!” Lucius said angrily.

“ Oh come now, you know I can never reveal what I know before its time. It goes against the cosmos.”

“But people died, my family died” Thea whispered.

“I know sweetheart, but everything has its place and time, nothing I could do to change that, it’s a burden I have to live with every day.” Sienna’s eyes showed wariness, guilt and helplessness.

“I don’t understand”

“There are three different factions of witchcraft, sorcerers, oracular like me and elementals like you”, Sienna explained.

“A sorcerer’s magic comes from blood sacrifices. In other words, it's pure black magic. My magic comes from everything living, their aura. If I were to alter anything, the results would be catastrophic. By saving one life, I could doom millions of others”, she explained.

“ Now do you understand why I can’t interfere? My powers are a blessing and a curse.”

“ Where does my magic come from?” Thea asked.

“You are an elemental. Your magic faction can be divided into the four elements: water, earth, air and fire. Your powers are derived from fire.”

“ Why did you seal her magic?”

“Because the poor child didn’t know how to control her magic, she was hurting people without meaning to, and drawing too much attention.”

“What!” Thea asked shakily.

“Thea what you need to understand is, I did what I did to keep you out of Viktor’s grasp. In order to do that, I felt that if you lived concealed within the human population, you would be safer and I was right.” There was silence in the room, everyone deep in thought.

“I can reverse what I did, and with Viktor as a threat, you need your magic."

After thinking for a few seconds, Thea looked up at Lucius to see what he thought she should do, but after meeting her gaze, Lucius looked away without saying anything. His action made her heart clench. She couldn’t blame him; she was, after all, from the bloodline of the woman that made him a vampire.

“ Do it” she replied. Lucius snapped his head towards her. This time Thea looked away.

“I should warn you, with the seal gone, your powers might be uncontrollable, not to mention all the suppressed memories will also resurface” Thea chewed on her bottom lip.

“I understand, do it.”

Sienna nodded, she got up and moved behind Thea.

“You might want to keep some distance,” she said to Lucius, who got up and moved to the farthest corner he could find.

“Close your eyes and relax,” Sienna instructed Thea, who closed her eyes and tried to relax.

“This might hurt” Very soon Thea felt pressure building in her head, causing her to wince. Soon it was unbearable, causing her to scream out in pain. Lucius rushed to her, but some invisible force threw him across the room and into the wall.

“Sienna, STOP”, Lucius bellowed, but she continued what she was doing. Lucius’s fangs elongated, his vampire side took over and he tried again to get to Thea, but it was no use.

“Sienna, I am warning you” he hissed.

Then everything stopped, and Thea collapsed, her eyes closed and face pale on the sofa.