Shadow Blooded-Once Bitten

Marcella, Marcella, Marcella Oriana Delaney, if you don’t get, you're but up out of that bed and in here in the next five minutes, I will have the shadows drag you in here by your ankles. Twelve-year-old Marcella threw the blankets off of her head with a huff. Pushing her long straight black hair out of her face, she groaned in exasperation. She reached her hand out over the edge of the bed and smiled at the cold tingling feeling of the shadows brushing against her fingers. Do me a favor, please will you tell his royal high ass that I’m up and getting ready? Thank you" she yelled out as she felt the shift in the shadows. Climbing out of the oversized canopied bed, she padded over to her giant walk-in closet filled with hundreds of Roman-styled dresses. She pulled out a black and grey dress that shimmered when she moved and a silver wrap-around cord with her favorite matching silver sandals. When she was done, she wandered lazily over to the vanity where she piled her long black hair on top of her head. The stray pieces that fell stylishly around her face matched the silver crown of leaves that now adorned her head. She completed the look with some smokey eye shadow and black eyeliner that made her light green eyes stand out. Truthfully, she despised dresses. Unfortunately, no amount of complaining, arguing, or tantrum-throwing seemed to change her family’s mind on whether or not she was allowed to wear pants. Her brother would tell her," Little M, you’re a princess and, as such, you must look and behave like one at all times. If you asked her, being a princess was vastly overrated. She left her room and made her way down a short hallway to the suite’s kitchen area. They’re her brother had already set the table for her meal. Marcella frowned at the beautiful chalice full of blood sitting on the table. I won’t drink that, so I don’t know why you bother preparing it for me. Little M, you need it as much as I do, her older brother stated casually as he leaned back lazily in the chair next to hers. Is he going to be there tonight, Marcella asked as she took her seat, purposely ignoring the revolting liquid. She picked up a piece of sausage and bite into it before she could lose her appetite completely. Her brother sighed dejectedly. Look little M, don’t take it personally OK baby girl? You know, as the king of our realm he has a lot of responsibilities. I’m sure he wanted to be there. You’re a terrible liar, she said nonchalantly. Her brother scoffed, faking hurt. I’ll have you know, little girl, I am a terrific liar when I want to be. He hates the fact that I even exist. Please tell me why I shouldn’t take that personally. Baby girl's father well he. Leonidas love there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. Regina’s high-pitched voice echoed through the room as she walked in unannounced. In some ways, she was glad they were getting rid of her. She couldn’t stand Regina’s two-faced hypocrisy anymore. Gina, baby, my brother said, pulling his mate and wife into his lap. I told you I would be with Marcella this morning. I know, but why is it taking so long? I can’t possibly see why you waste so much of your time on that thing. My brother’s face contorted with anger as he reprimanded her. My sister is not a thing and I will not tolerate your disrespect, Gina. She is your princess Gina and you will treat her as such. Oh, please Leo Gina snapped as she stood up angrily. Everyone knows that she is nothing more than a housepet that your family can’t seem to get rid of. She’s nothing more than a mangy stray, no matter how nicely you make her dress. Marcella watched as her brother stood up swiftly and went to smack her. She reached out to stop him with barely enough time to hold him back. M he snarled let me go. She’s not wrong, Leonidas. Just let it go. None of this will matter after tomorrow anyway. Grabbing an apple, Marcella hopped off her seat and kissed her brother on the cheek. I’ve got to get to class, anyway, Leo. Just let it go OK. I’ll see you later tonight at the ceremony. Marcella left before he could reply. Truthfully, she could care less if they fought. It happened enough. It didn’t phase her anymore. She just didn’t want to hear it. She wasn’t stupid and was old enough to understand what was going on around her at least. She knew witches and vampires hated each other. She knew the only reason her father hadn’t killed her mother was because of the mate bond they shared. And she was all too aware that the reason her father despised her existence. It was her understanding he had hated her since before she was born. She knew that she might have grown on him had she acted more like a vampire, but unfortunately for her, she seemed to be more witch than a vampire. Her eyes were the same pale green as her mother’s. As far as looks go, that was the only thing she got from her mom. Her long black hair and pale complexion came from him. She was on the taller side and even though she was just starting to fill out, it was obvious she was going to be on the curvier side like her mom. She didn’t drink blood like the other vampires, and she could handle the daylight for a few hours in the morning and the evening. Her speed and reflexes were slower than a vampire’s but better than a witch’s. She had some healing capabilities, but they were slow and paled in comparison to most. What she lacked in vamp genes she more than made up for in magical ones though. She was born with a natural affinity for the elements. Which was rare for a dark witch such as herself. Spirit magic oozed off her in waves and was why she was able to communicate with the shadows so easily. Something most vampires could only dream about. Only royals had the ability to control the shadows and most had to pay a high price to do so. Her ability to communicate directly with them and have them do her bidding at will was something even her father was unable to do. The best part was it didn’t cost her much energy to do so. No mass murders or blood sacrifices either, thankfully, she thought, as a shudder of disgust ran through her. She wasn’t sure about her capabilities as far as dark magic went, since she wasn’t allowed to practice dark magic. It was forbidden for obvious reasons, seeing as it required the witch to siphon the energy of demons to power their spells. Since her clan of vampires coexisted in the shadow realm with the shadow demons, it made since they didn’t want their souls being drained. Marcella’s attention was brought back to the present when she saw a precarious shadow filtering in and out the grand arched windows that looked out at the forest that ran behind their castle. The shadow was shaped like a beautiful blue-black butterfly. It danced there on the breeze, beckoning for her to follow it. She felt torn for just a moment as she contemplated her options. As much as she would have loved nothing more than to go to her classes and earn her father’s approval deep down, she knew his approval was something she would never be able to earn. Marcella had a hunch as to who had sent her the butterfly and there was no way she could resist meeting him. She had always felt drawn to him, but it wasn’t until recently that the thought of being drawn to such a man made her blush and her heart race. She hurried over to the window and climbed out onto the edge. She hopped down into the silvery moonlit courtyard and hid amongst the trees and bushes until she reached the forest edge. There she was greeted with a path of playful butterflies that led her way deeper into the dark, shadowy forest. She squealed happily as she ran excitedly through the pine trees that tugged and pulled at her dress and hair as if they were urging her to go back. She let her heightened senses guide her as she playfully jumped over and under branches. Happy to feel completely free if only for a moment. She didn’t even slow down when she was faced with the formidable wall of shadows that marked the border between territories. Marcella had heard rumors that the shadows beckoned to their unsuspecting victims. Whispering all the ways, they would torture them as they feasted off their sorrows. How the cold void that lingered around them from where they sucked the energy from a place dry was enough to freeze one to death on the spot. Those rumors were enough to make even her father and brother approach the border with caution. Marcella giggled gleefully at the thought of the high and mighty indestructible shadow king backing down to a quivering mass of hissing shadows. Especially since she never received anything other than playful tugging and pathetic simpering from them. Honestly, the whole lot of them reminded her of playful pups and not the vicious flesh-eating soul-sucking beings they were. Still, she always treated them with the utmost respect and genuine gratitude for their assistance. Most members of her race thought it unnecessary, but she found it to be cruel to treat them with anything less. Greetings beasties she sang out happily as she ran through them excitedly laughing as they reached out to her mischievously. Some pulled at her hair lightly, others tickled her and some weaved around her as if they couldn’t wait to greet her. Upon exiting on the other side, she paused long enough to turn and bow deeply as if she were a gentleman wearing a top hat. She straightened happily and shouted," you’re the best" before she took off at top speed through the forest again. She dashed through the trees frivolously as she mindlessly followed the shimmering butterflies. Eventually, she reached a clearing with a grand waterfall that cascaded into a large pool of water. The water gave off what some may have called an eerie fog but to Marcella, it was breathtaking. The moonlight seemed as if it had been captured inside it causing the whole clearing to be lit up ethereally. The brilliant white cloud was only broken up by the stark contrast of the lone shadowy figure standing by the water’s edge studying a beautiful silver-blue and white lily. Marcella didn’t realize when she slowed down or when she stopped moving completely. Her breath caught in her throat and she was suddenly very aware he could hear the change in her heart rate as she stared at him in admiration. At six-foot-tall with long black hair and piercing red eyes, dressed in a custom-made fitted black suit stood Caesar Domitianus Augustus, cursed ruler of the southern shadow realm. Marcella simply knew him as Tag, a nickname she gave him when she was three that just seemed to stick. Marcella looked down and blushed as she tried to hide her newfound attraction to the man. When she looked back up, he was staring at her with an amused look on his face. Almost as if he was laughing at her. Marcella didn’t know how to handle such intense feelings and chose to simply push them away as she skipped joyfully into the clearing blissfully unaware of the danger she was in. Dom’s Pov He knew she had come well before she had stepped into the clearing. The shadows had alerted him to her crossing into his borders. After that day in the church a couple of years ago, he had left an open invitation for her to cross unharmed into his realm. Not that she did it often without his summons. As he made it a point to push her away as much as possible currently. Something his demon was unhappy about. For some reason, he could not begin to comprehend why his beast decided to imprint on a little girl. If it was in the days of old. He would have simply claimed the girl as his the moment she crossed willingly into his land for the first time. Trespassing on his property gave him the right to do with her as he saw fit. Even if that meant locking her up in his castle until she was old enough to be officially claimed as his at the age of thirteen. An archaic practice his beast pushed for every chance he got, such as now. Fortunately for his young friend, it’s a practice they have moved away from in an attempt to keep up with the laws of modern society outside of the shadow realm. As interactions between the two worlds must exist to maintain a constant source of blood. Something the primal urges of his demon couldn’t understand. His fortitude to fight against his beast’s will was slipping and he feared what a loss of control would mean for the young girl. Hence the need to push her as far away as possible at almost all times. The limited interaction he allowed himself was for the sole purpose of placating his beast, if only temporarily. Tonight, at midnight, marked her birthday and the ceremony that bonds us to our demons would begin for her. Usually, a grand feast and masquerade ball would be held in honor of the occasion. All the royal families would be invited, and all the elders of our race would be called forth and the council would gather to take note of such a momentous occasion. Especially for royalty, such as the little princess. The Northern king was a proud, narcissistic, egotistical ass with a sadistic streak that knew no bounds. He feared what would happen to the girl if she didn’t receive her demon. Part of him was tempted to keep her here afraid she wouldn’t survive what she had to face later. He looked down at the lily he had picked for her, contemplating it for the millionth time. He listened as her soft steps sounded through the forest.  He couldn’t help the smile on his face when he heard her breath catch and her heart rate spike. It seemed even the princess wasn’t immune to his charms. Something he was sure would work in his favor later on when she was older. When he looked up and saw her innocent smile and cute blush, he knew he could never forgive himself for condemning her to live the life he did. Cursed to live eternity alone in the shadow realm, unable to feel any real peace from his demon’s constant restlessness. Always hungry. Always Angry. Never sated was his need to consume. She deserved better than him, so as much as he wanted to hold on to her, he would let her go. After today he would stay away for good if he acted like this now. He knew what little self-control he managed to maintain would be completely gone as soon as she started to fully mature. After this, he was determined to walk away for both their sakes. He smiled down at her as she came to a stop in front of him. La mia bella salvezza. You should be more careful. One of these days that bleeding heart of yours will get you into more trouble than you can get out of Little Witch. Why do you call me your salvation, she asks me for the hundredth time. Ask me when your older Mia Bella. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouts. You always say that. Why can’t you just tell me now she whines? As usual, I gave no answer to her protest. Instead, I gently reprimanded her. You shouldn’t question my authority, Little Witch. Now quit pouting and I’ll give you your birthday present. I watched her sulk for a few more moments before her desire for her birthday presents outweighed her want for answers. What did you get me, she asked excitedly, practically vibrating in anticipation. I kneeled down from standing at my full height, so I was kneeling in front of her. Offering the lily, I was holding to her. Her eyes lit up as she grabbed the flower, ever so carefully afraid to hurt it. Thank you, she gushed as she examined it contently. I also want you to have this Mia Bella. I told her as I took the delicate ring of my pinky finger and the simple gold chain from around my neck. I slipped the gold ring which had an intricate heart-shaped box-like setting, from the top onto the chain. Really, she squealed as I turned her to face away from me. I placed the necklace carefully around her neck. From my position behind her, I could smell the faint scent of mint and lavender with just a hint of vanilla. I could see the soft spot on her neck where the beating of her pulse called to me. I could feel my fangs elongate as the urge to feed and claim her as my own started to overwhelm my senses. The sound of my demon’s feral snarl, Little Witch, echoed through my head. Compelling me forward until my fangs hovered precariously close to her neck. I jerked back upright and stood turning away from her so quickly it caused her to fall on her bottom. The necklace Bella must not be opened at all cost. Do you hear me? It’s for emergencies only. It’ll open a portal to summon me if you’re ever in serious danger. Do you understand me, Bella? He looked over at her getting up off the ground. She grabbed her wilted, sad-looking flower and glared at him.  Go home, Marcella, before they send out a search party. I’m sure someone has noticed your absence by now. He could see the hurt flash in her eyes at his sudden mood change. It was obvious she had no clue what had almost happened. Still, she stomped over to where he stood angrily and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. Taking him by surprise, it wasn’t something she was usually daring enough to do. He felt her stick something in his pocket and mumble her goodbyes before she was disappearing into the forest. Goodbye, little witch, he said to the now empty clearing. He turned to stare at the waterfall for a while longer until the silence became deafening and he could no longer take the emptiness that was slowly consuming him.