The Blood Heiress

Come To

Evander

The soft beeping of her monitors played out in steady rhythym as background to my thoughts. I was all too aware that if that monitor had been hooked to me a very different result would occur. The vual pendant on the silver necklace I had retreived still faintly glowed.

I exhaled loudly, a vent for my exasperation, breaking the almost silence of the darkened room. The damn bartender had left after a few well placed threats and a good amount of indifference. While I had arrived here long before him, he had eventually came around, banging on the doors begging to be let in to see her. He only gave up when I promised to keep him updated. That and after calling me every nasty name he could fathom. Satisfaction spread through me. I had her now he could whine and carry on all he wanted.

She had been unconcious for fourteen hours so far. Her wound alongside her middle still open, but healing. At the very minimum speed, but healing. So the wasn't reason to worry, too much. I had been sitting in the seat from the very moment I could after she had been stabilized. Some twelve hours some odd minutes ago. I couldn't leave, didn't wish to leave but also felt oddly out of place by her side.

So, I had taken up my post across the room and waited. I had waited centuries for her, what was another handful of hours, even days? Nothing, they were nothing. Grains of sand falling from an neverending supply. What weighed my thoughts down had far more to do with her slow recovery and the why of it all.

By all accounts, she should have at least regained conciousness by now. Silver weapons would cause a slowdown in healing. As well as most certainly leave her with a scar. However, I had secured the best medical care available. Yet, there she still laid, unconcious. Wound still open. Alive, but not with us.

Perhaps, I was too greedy. It would not be the first time on of us would be labeled as such. Whether it was due to the sickness that gripped the minds of lesser among us. The sickness that grew due to the limitless nature of our time here. Or from the boundless nature of our power only matched by those among us that had the same training and amount of time accrued. Perchance it was only because those that label us as creatures of avarice were also those that cannot compare to us. Who looked from the outside in and drew their own conclusions pulling from their limited experiences to label the limitless.

The whiskey from my glass burned its sweet way down my throat. A rueful smile on my lips. There were limits, of course. Always a balance. I set the emptied glass down and fixed my eyes on her once more. Watching her chest rise up and slowly back down. A balance must always exist in order for life to flourish. Too much of one thing and not enough of the opposition would only breed chaos. For this purpose, The Collective had come together, at least initially.

Our prey had claws and teeth now. The Middle Ages had taught us, Creatures of the Night, that much. When our prey began to fight back we had to learn quickly or be annihilated. A first time for everything, we swerved outside our normal. In order to survive, we had to work together. It was the only way forward. Band together or meet your lonely end.

We made our pacts, allegiances, cohorts, rules and disappeared from sight. Underground, we built ourselves back into a state that we could emerge and move again amongst those that forced us to take them seriously. It had been a well played coup. Our comeuppance for throwing the balance off. We would never forget. But they just might. We would bide our time and take what was once ours little by little. And we had. And they had forgotten. Leaving the Collective to dissapate into the ether, or so I had been led to believe. Just as I had been told that the Collective had been comprised of human hunters after vampire quarry.

Yet, now vampires were after other vampires. That was quite the change but not a particularly new one. Poetic justice some might say. We had reached the pinnacle of civilization. Held nations in our palms. Why not turn in on ourselves? Maybe it had always been infighting. Anything to the contrary was simply a cover.

On that subject, I was becoming increasingly aware of many things that I had been told that just weren't exactly true. Adella let out a small moan but her heart remained steady. She was still under, held prisoner somewhere between waking and sleeping. That was progress though. Adella was a fighter, she would pull through.

Adella Beatriz Russo happened to be one of those very same matters that weren't adding up. It was apparent that something had gone amiss between Armand's and Madeline's death. Between our agreement and their daughter's disappearance. They had known their time was ending. Her birth signaled as much.

To be truthful, Armand had been skirting with certain death with his earlier endeavours. His forays into certain off-limits subjects. Angering the right (or wrong) people without regard. When Madeline entered the picture though, every single one of us watched with rapt attention. It had almost been enough. Their union. We relaxed for awhile. But then, Madeline fell pregnant and Adella's birth had pushed them over the edge. Her existence upset the tenuous balance we had created. It was exactly as Armand had desired but many had feared.

Her skin brightened marginally in the dark for a hopeful moment. It caught my attention and I let a little relief run through me. It was of no use dwelling on the should have's in regard to her upbringing. Waste of time. Damage control was the best way forward. I would still honor the agreement even if her parents had not. Getting her able to defend herself would first be the on a very long list. Followed by completing her transition. And somewhere on there would be establishing the neglected blood bond.

A throbbing began to pick up behind my eyes. Even I needed to rest. I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned my focus to the uptick in her vital signs. It couldn't be too much longer now before she would wake. Looking at her now, with the earlier consumption of blood working its magic, one could scarcely see her humanity. It was there though, assuredly there, in the beating of her heart. The fresh blood in her veins.

Once her transition was complete, she wouldn't need to partake of blood again. But could. And though untested it is believed that she would never match a true vampire ability for ability. But each time she consumed blood it would impart to her a small boost to her abilities. The best of both worlds.

Balanced, but yet so out of balance. Light and dark in one vessel with the power to bring forth life. A Tribus Quartem was a being that embodied all the hopes and dreams of the oldest of vampires. The purebloods. Vampires like her father Armand, like me. A way by which to continue forward a vampire bloodine in a more nautral manner. To have a lineage of vampires, a dynasty. Each generation more alive than the last without sacrificing the best of what being vampiric had to offer. This had previously been only hypothesized, searched for, thirsted after. Our Holy Grail, whispered about in dark corners. Never before found to be a living and breathing fleshbearing being. I knew better than anyone that the last part was not quite true. There had been a few tribus quartems throughout history. I had known at least one other.

I moved to her side and checked her wound. It had newly closed, knitting together new skin as if there hadn't been a gaping gash. My eyes traveled from her wound to her angelic, still face. I would do whatever was necessary to keep her from the delayed fallout of her birth. It had claimed her parents but had yet to fully reach her. Once news of her survival reached the corners of our world more dangers would come her way. Beyond just the cloaked vampires with a vendetta. This is, after all, what I had worked for. What gave my hollow time a purpose. She was finally here and I wouldn't let her leave me that easily.

***

Adella

I wasn't strong enough to keep my head up above the waves. Dark crimson waves hit me down again and again. I kept pushing up and gasping for breath for my lungs. There was a tug on my leg, I tried to shake it off but whatever was grabbing onto me kept a tight grip and that was enough to stop me from being able to keep the breaths coming. My lungs screaming I began to sink under the water line.

Peering down at my leg I saw a hand wrapped around my ankle. Attached it was a cloaked man. My heart, already beating erratically from the lack of oxygen was now going faster. How did they find me here? Wherever this was? I tried to use the remaining energy I had to kick him off. He dodged, having some supernatural ability to be underwater and not need to breathe, he moved faster than I thought possible. When I had to give up he swam upwards. He stopped when his eyes were level with my own. Their red, glowing depths almost hypnotizing me. My lings screaming, before the lack of oxygen could claim me, he leaned forward and in one motion sank his fangs into my neck. Then my world faded to black.

I was falling. The black void all around me with not a single source of light. I forced my eyes to stay open though it made no difference in what I could see. The falling sensation was all that anchored me in time and space. Eventually when I thought it impossible, I hit bottom. The impact knocked my breath out of me. Still no light. But now I had a surface to work with. My hands led the path forward feeling for pitfalls and danger as I moved. I crawled until the knees on my pants were worn through and my hands had started bleeding. Bumping my head against a solid wall I ran my fingers up the face. There were strange lines and crevices that I found along the way. They went to height and width of the wall as far as I could feel. I pulled my feet under me and stood. I began to follow the wall down, my fingers using the lines as a guide. The lines guided for a ways in the darkness until I came to a part of the wall that did not fit. I felt it and found it to be a curcular protrusion. It reminded me of a door knob. A way out. Eagerly, I turned it to either side and was immediately discouraged when nothing happened. Tears started to fall at the hoplessness of my situation. I gave into the dejected feeling and sank to me knees, leaning back against the wall.

Exhausted I waited, for what I couldn't tell, but I waited. I couldn't go anywhere anyway. With no nothing I could look at my mind took to wandering. I thought back to the boring ease of my life before. My school years, my orphanage friends. Suddenly, a cool hand out of nowhere grabbed my arm, bringing a scream from me and I jumped up.

"Dude, Chill!" Verity's welcome voice came through the darkness to my left.

"Ver!?" I looked through the inky blackness but no luck. The sound of my own voice too loud to my ears.

"Yep, I am here and so is Evander and Cass." Verity's voice came from the right now.

"All of you...together?" I wasn't quite sure what to make of that but turned to her.

"We can leave if you don't like it." She teased. I reached for her. Instead my hands found a firm stomach.

"Dells, I am so glad we found you." Cass's hand came out and felt for my face. His other hand located my waist and pulled me towards him. I readily grabbed onto him.

"How did you guys find me? Do you know where we are?" Cass was peppering kisses through my hair now as I laid my head against his shoulder.

"It was simple." Evander's voice came from right by my exposed ear. I jumped a little in Cass's arms. "We simply followed your blood."

"My blood?" I pulled my head off Cass's shoulders and tried to face where I thought Evander's might be.

"The smell is quite unique." I could feel his breath on my face now. My eyes searched and searched but still couldn't discern a single one of my friends. So it came as an utter surprise when his lips came crashing down on mine. Cass's hands left my waist and my hands went out in front of me to push Evander off. I didn't want Cass to get the wrong idea. Evander instead wrapped his arms around my waist now and pulled me flush against his body. His hand went to my hair and yanked my head back, exposing my neck. He began to give me long, wet kisses from my ear to my collar. A small flame danced under my skin where hisnlips traveled. My breathing was coming in short bursts now.

"Please...stop." My voice was cracking and soft but I knew he still heard me. His grip tightened regardless.

"I am simply helping Miss Smith." Right, helping. His voice was in my ear again. I felt the sharp points of his teeth as he continued to kissed my neck. I held my breath now hoping to pass out. What had my life become? A sharp pain came when he quit playing and pierced my skin with those needle sharp points. He pulled away then. Yanking back, I brought my hand up to the bite.

"HOW is this HELPING?" I shouted at him.

I felt his hand on my arm, prying it away from the bite. I fought him, angry and hurt.

"Miss Smith, if you will allow me to show you." His voice carried some light amusement. Was he laughing at me? After he hurt me.

But I believed him. Bastard. Despite everything feeling so wrong, something in me called out that he could be trusted. I allowed him to take my arm then and guide me back to the wall. Moving his grip to my hand he placed my bloodied hand against the knob I had found in the wall. I felt it grow hot under my touch, faint light emitting from it. Upon instinct I tried to take my hamd off but he held it there.

The longer I kept it there the more the glow grew and spread but the heat did not intensify. The lines etched into the walls were slowly coming to life. I looked in his direction and saw the light reflected in his features. Finally I could see something.

He smiled at me softly. Removing his hand from mine he then stepped a little back and behind me. The intensity of the glow exponentially growing now as the entirety of the wall illuminated. The outline of a door became clearly visible.

Feeling that the time was right, but not understanding how I knew, I turned the knob and this time the door opened. I felt a hand slip into my free one. Evander stood now to my side.

I looked all around me both Verity and Cass had disappeared.

"Where have they gone?" He raised an eyebrow and a wry expression overcame his face as he gestured toward the open door.

"They cannot follow you."

"What are you talking about? Where did they go?" The wall was lighting up the surrounding area but they were still nowhere to be found. "Cass! Verity!" I wasn't sure if I could take my hand off the knob and still have light so I turned my head and shoulders to throw my calls around.

"Adella, they cannot follow you here." Again Evander gestured to the door.

"But you can?" He nodded and squeezed my hand.

"Will I see them again?" I couldn't stop the urge to call for them again.

"They are not gone. But they cannot follow." I had one last question before I felt like I could step through the invitingly bright doorway.

"Are they going to be stuck here?" I didn't want to leave them behind.

"No" He paitiently watched me and waited.

I moved to the door and put one foot through. I still didn't know why I trusted him so implicitly but he had been right so far. I looked back at him, ready to follow me through. I squinted against the brightness of the other side. Bringing my other foot through the door I left the strange dark room behind me.

I opened my eyes on the other side and immediately the bitter taste of betrayal hit me. There was only darkness on this side too. And beeping, a steady beeping filled my ears. I turned to ask Evander what was going on but my hand was empty. The room, however, was not.