A Curse of Fate

“You know you can’t run from me” He mocked as he used the darkness of the room to his advantage. I glared at the echo of his voice. Of course, he’d pick the ballroom, a romantic to the end. I spun around when I felt a breeze touch the back of my neck, swiping my blade into the darkness. I was not willing to go down without a fight, not this time. “You should make this a fair fight,” I called into the darkness. His following laughter was insulting and grated on my nerves as musical as it was. “Come now you don’t think that this is actually a fight, even if it was what makes you think you’d win?” I stiffened at the words he had said so long ago, You are a weapon!  I shook myself to regain my stability. The words that were my purpose since my birth rang through me to bring back my rage. I began to slowly slide back towards the wall that I know was closest to me, “You shouldn’t even be here to fight me, beloved” he whispered in my ear. You are only a weapon to serve the Council. My rage returned again with the words ringing again. “I am not your beloved, sick monster” I screamed as I kicked at him or rather the place he had been. “Yes you are”, he said the laughter gone from his voice, in its place was sadness. I am breaking his heart. I thought as my movements began to slow to a stop, the wall within an arms reaches from me. You belong to the Council, You are a part of the Armory! My head began to ache, “You know that what they ask of you is wrong” He said as he wrapped his arms around me pressing his body into my back. You are a weapon! My vision began to blur, my limbs were shaking and growing weaker. “Why are you making this so much harder than it has to be?” I nearly sobbed as he began to pull me closer to him. He laughed “You want me to sit in front of you so you can take my head and bring it to your “Father””. He spate the last word his voice dripping in disgust. “He loves me he has all my life, you don’t understand.” my voice breaking, the heartache to grow in my chest rivaled the pain in my head. You are the Council’s weapon, you belong to the Council. The massive pain spreading through my brain made everything harder to concentrate on, “You are not their weapon, I will never hurt you.” With those words the flood gates of my mind broke, I began to sob and sink to the floor. He sensed my legs giving out keeping me in his arms, he slid to the ground with me. “I am a weapon, only a weapon. I belong to the Council.” I sobbed as he gentled me into his chest. “You are not their weapon, you owe them nothing. The stole you at birth from your mother, trained you to kill for their crusade, brian washed and tortured you.” He said as he held me through my sobs, “They will you use until you break and then make you a broodmare for the next generation of mercenaries. Let them go.” My world shattered around me, the years of damage they did to me breaking me to my core. All I was was because of them, but I was nothing more to them than a pawn. My whole life was nothing more than a building block for their perfect weapon. I was destroyed, “But we are wrong Max, we are not supposed to be” the last grips of their trauma spreading through me like it was a final death through in wounded animal. “We are meant to be, Elaine you know that.” He sighed “They tried to break you, they wanted you to their perfect little weapon, who never questioned them and did anything for them.” I nodded knowing that he was right, “You need to come with me beloved, I will protect you and love you, we can find your mother and I will give you the life you deserve.” He kissed the side of my neck slowly working his way up to my jawline pausing there “Please just come with me” He begged me. For the first time in my life, I made my own choice, “ Yes” the word slipping out before my brain could tell it too. Is that speaking from your heart? Max sighed in relief, the lights flared to life around us, blinding me. “Then be prepared daughter you are now a member of the Temps family from today on. Fitting that you came to us this way.” Boomed a familiar voice from across the room, I blinked up at the Count himself smiling down at us. Why is he so happy, how can he accept me into his family so easily, I was trained to kill him and all others like him. I was confused and a bit scared but the Count helped me up, pulling me from the arms of his son standing me up. I barely came to his chest, Well that explains Max’s height my brain numbly thought. “All Temps are wanted and hunted daughter, you will fit in well. And we are the greatest of killers in history.” He laughed at his twisted joke. He began to walk to the door my hand in his max following directly behind me, laughing at his father’s joke. I was utterly confused, “Don’t worry beloved, father has long awaited the day I bring you to meet him, he has always wanted a daughter like you.” I looked at him in confusion and utter disbelief. Still, laughing Max held the door for us, leaning in he whispered “ He likes thicker females, something I in her tied, you remind him of his first life.” He grabbed my hand from his father and began walking beside me. “Well your mother was beautiful and unlike your sister's was not a twig, she was sturdy” the count stated in a serious tone, without turning around. Max laughed held me closer, the thought of my body size being desirable was new to me as the Council had long ago taught me that my thickness was not ideal since puberty. Dracula a chubby chaser gave me a whole new fear of him, and respect.