Hey all! I have been wondering for a while what might happen if someone Drake turned had survived to the present day where Blade was hunting. I wanted to write how Drake and my OC met, just a background before I write the actual story that will take place during Blade Trinity!
Hope you like it!
~!DDM!~
I tended to the wounded soldiers that lay in my tent. Some would make it, some would not. I cared diligently for them all. Comforting the infected, consoling the amputees, chatting with the shot and the stabbed and held the hands' of those who knew they were not long for this world. War was an ugly time for all but I did what I could to shine even the smallest rays of hope for those I could.
The day was coming to a close and most of my patients were sleeping thanks to a special tea I brewed from herbs found in the fields near by. I hear a commotion outside and went to investigate. I exited my tent and looked around at the rest of the camp. People were screaming as they ran in every direction. Several men slammed into me as they ran and I was knocked to the ground. The sound of people dying reached my ears, violent screams of fear and pain being cut abruptly short. I forced myself to my feet and ran back into my tent, hoping to protect the men I was working so hard to keep alive. I didn't know what I would or could do but I knew I wasn't going to hide beneath a cot and hope to be over looked by whoever was attacking the camp. I picked up a bow leaning against one of the cots and notched an arrow from the quiver on the ground. I was proficient enough with the weapon to be able to feed myself when necessary but in combat I was unsure of how I could fair.
Still I had to try.
I jumped when blood splattered across the canvas flap of the tent entrance and the last scream died away. Leaving behind an erie silence. I was thankful that the men around me were in a drug educed sleep so they felt no fear of what may come. As I waited I saw a shadow of a person becoming larger as they came my way.
I breathed slow and deep as the shadow got bigger. I crouched next to an unoccupied cot and aimed at the entrance. A large, bloody hand took hold of the flap and drew it back. I drew back my arrow at the same time. The hand gave way to a muscular arm that then transitioned into an equally impressive chest. When put together, the parts made up the very large form of a man that I would guess was in his mid-thirties. He took up the entire tent entrance as he looked around. His face was covered in blood and he appeared to be sniffing the air.
I let the arrow fly and it sunk into the man's shoulder. He let out an inhuman roar the made me shake as I notched a second arrow as quickly as I could. He spotted me just as I let the second one loose and it sunk into the opposite shoulder. I glanced to the side as I reached for my third arrow, when I looked back...
He was gone.
I froze as my eyes scanned the area around me. Trying to locate him but barley moving myself. Then I felt it, I presence behind me. I whipped around and there he was! Before I could scream he was on me, knocking the bow out of my hands and pinning me to the ground. I blinked as stars filled my vision, trying to regain the breath that had been knocked form me.
When I was finally able to focus, I looked up into a handsome, blood smeared, face that was hovering over me.
He leaned down and sniffed my neck as I cringed, feeling his breath fan over my skin.
"Strange, to find a woman in such a place." His voice was deep and smooth, his accent unknown to me. He pulled back slightly and looked my in the eyes. His were a unique coppery color I had never seen before.
"Why are you here, woman?" he asked, cocking his head slightly to one side. I glared up and him. He bent down and sniffed at my neck again, I could feel blood form his face being transferred to mine as his cheek rubbed against me. "I smell no fear." he murmured near my ear. "So much braver than all of the men that were here."
He let my hands go and they instantly when to his chest, trying to create some space between us. One of the men around us coughed in his sleep and I looked around, wondering who was in pain.
"These men don't even know what has happened around them. They sleep while their brethren die, how is that possible?" he looked around, seeming merely curious.
"They are all in pain." I whispered.
"This is a medical tent. You are a medic?" he sounded pleased and even more curious.
I nodded, unsure why he was asking and even more unsure why I was answering him.
"How do you make them so unaware of the world around them?" he asked. His weight shifted so he was settled more comfortably on top of me, making it easier for me to breath and leading me think we would be here for a while. He seemed very unhurried.
"Tea made from special herbs." I said softly. "It allows them to sleep through the pain." I glanced at his own wounds, my arrows were still sticking half way out of his back. He appeared otherwise unscathed, the blood covering him must not be his. The thought made me shudder. He followed my gaze then looked me in the eye again.
"Do you worry for my own pain?" he asked. He shifted his weight onto one forearm near my head and gripped the arrow shaft with his other hand and gave a mighty yank. I let out a surprised cry as his blood dripped down on me. My eyes widened as I watched the wound in his shoulder begin to heal almost instantly. Despite myself I found my hands reaching up to inspect where the arrow had previously been. He shifted again and did the same with the second arrow.
"How?" I whispered. "How is that possible?" I thought of all the men I could have saved if I had access to a skill like that.
"I smell your wonder." he breathed deeply. "No fear, only intrigue. You are a strange human."
"You say that as if you are not one." I frowned.
As he looked down at me again, I watched his eyes turn from that odd copper color to match my own vibrant green. Before I could say anything further, his weight was gone and I was on my feet without even realizing he had moved. He wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, my back to his broad chest.
"I am so much more." he whispered in my ear. "And soon, you will be as well. Just as soon as I finish what I started."
I was still processing his words when he disappeared again. The men around me gave ragged screams and I turned in quick circles. Everywhere I looked in the tent was more death. All the men I had been trying to save had their throats torn out or their necks snapped, heads tilting at impossible angles. Then, he was behind me again, holding me close as I began to struggle. He had moved so fast I never even had the chance to take more than a couple of breaths, let alone react. He turned me to face him and I gasped in surprise. Half his face was covered in fresh blood, it dripped from his mouth and down his chin.
"What are you?" I asked in barley a whisper.
"I am the past, the future and everything in between and you, my lovely, will be my companion through it all." he stroked my cheek gently with the back of one of his bloodied hands.
I felt no fear, only anger as I glared at him and continued to struggle. How dare he! I had worked so hard to help those men!
"You had no right to kill them!" I shouted at him.
"They were nothing." he said casually.
"They were people!"
"Humans, they were of little consequence Soon, you will see this." A thick arm caught me behind the knees and he lifted me off my feet to be held against his chest, he carried me easily, even though I struggled and fought as best I could. When we exited the tent, my entire body froze in shock. I had heard the men scream but I never imagined such carnage.
Broken bodies littered the ground. Stray limbs were scattered around, tissue and bone clearly visible from where they were ripped from their owners. Blood stained the grass and canvas tents deep crimson. The color would have been beautiful if not for the fact that it dripped from the bodies of men, some I had known. I turned and buried my face in the shoulder of my carrier, taking little heed to the blood that was transferred form the contact, only focused on hiding myself form the death around me.
"Have no fear, soon such things will not even give you pause. Soon you will see yourself in your true place, above them."
I could feel him walking but gave little thought to where we were going. My mind was still reeling from what I had seen. I have witnessed the aftermath of battles before, seen men from both sides lay with vacant eyes staring unseeingly up at the sky. Of all the men I have tended to while they lay broken, waiting for assistance, I have never seen such total, mindless destruction. It was clear just by a mere glance that none of the dead men even had a chance to fight back before they were torn apart by their new enemy. An enemy I was allowing to carry me further and further from their unfortunate grave sight.
I am certain I must have passed out because I was suddenly startled when I was placed gently onto the ground, leaning against a large tree. I blinked as the man crouched down in front of me, watching me curiously. The blood that had coated him was now dry and crusting off revealing slightly stained skin beneath. I heard the sound of running water near by and looked around for the source. I spotted a river close by, the current running swiftly.
"Do you have a name woman?" My eyes cut back to his own copper colored ones. "Or am I to name you myself?"
"My name is Kalia." I whispered, mouth dry, tongue clumsy.
"You may call me Draco."
I glance back at the river once more, breaking eye contact. I wanted nothing more than to stick my head in the water and drink then clean myself of the dried blood that graced the places on my skin the man, Draco, had touched with his own blood stained ones. He followed my gaze before turning back to look at me again.
"Do you require water?"
"Yes."
"To drink or to bathe?"
"Both." I croaked, throat horribly dry.
He nodded and stood to his full, considerable height and offered me a hand. I took it and allowed him to pull me to my feet. He followed close on my heels as I approached the rushing water. I knelt and scooped handfuls of the precious liquid, drinking my fill. I stood again and contemplated the speed of the current. I would surely be swept away if I were to venture in to bathe myself but the thought of attempting to do so one scoop of water at a time on land was equally undesirable.
"What gives you pause?" asked the deep voice behind me.
"The water." I said softly.
"What is wrong with it? You did not seem to have issue with it just a moment ago."
"Its not the water itself, its the current that carries it."
"What of it?"
I turned to face him, frowning.
"I wish to bathe but the pace of the current would never let me stand still long enough. It would whisk me away to drown the moment I set foot in it." I explained what I thought to be obvious.
He just looked at me for a long time, apparently thinking deeply about something before finally taking a step toward me.
"I will hold onto you while you wash, then you will wash me as well."
"I will do no such thing!"
He laughed at me.
"Things will be much simpler if we do them this way. You will not be swept away and we will both be clean once more. It is what you want, is it not?"
"Yes, but I wish to do so on my own."
"You have said yourself that that is not possible without drowning in the process."
"Yes, but..."
"But what?" he crossed his thick arms over his chest and I searched my mind for more reasons.
"The current, even with your...size, you are still no match for it. If you go into the water with me, we will both drown."
He laughed.
"I would not drown, to drown you first need to draw breath."
I just stared at him, blinking stupidly. He chuckled at the look on my face.
"I will not drown and as I have claimed you, I will not let you drown either. Come." He held out a hand and I bristled with indignation.
"You have...claimed me?" I asked furiously. "How dare you! I am not a pet to be claimed! I am a..." I broke off and screamed loudly as I was suddenly drenched in cold water. I began to panic as I felt water rush around me until I realized that I was stationary, the only thing moving was the water. I felt myself being turned around until I was face to face with a smirking Draco. Instinctively I wrapped my legs around his waist, hands going to his shoulders and realized he was without his shirt but I was still wearing my dress.
"You are an awful man!" I spluttered, wiping water out of my eyes with one hand. He full out laughed at me, his entire frame shaking.
I looked away from him, seeing that we were in the very middle of the river, the water came up just above Draco's waist and I knew if I were standing on my own it would be high up my chest.
"Be calm, Kalia. I will not let you drown." he continued to laugh at me. "Once you finish washing yourself you will clean me as well, unless you want me to let you go so I can do it myself."
"Don't you dare!"
He laughed again then went silent, watching me intently.
"Fine." I huffed irritably and began slowly washing the blood and grime from my skin. When I was finished I began to lean back slightly, wanting to wash my hair as well but I was unwilling to completely let go of the man, who had yet to speak again, that was holding me. He quickly caught on to my hesitation and readjusted his grip, moving from my hips to my lower back.
"Go ahead." he said simply. I looked at him wearily before taking a deep breath and deciding to risk it.
I slowly leaned back and arched so that my long dark hair was submerged. I sighed happily as I gently scrubbed my hair and scalp. The large hands moved slowly as I continued my cleaning, one staying on my lower back, the other moving up to my shoulder blades giving me more stability to lean into, bringing me closer to my work. When I was satisfied a reached up with one hand to grab the thick shoulder in front of me and pull myself up again, the hands on my back helping to guide me. When I looked at Draco, the look in his coppery eyes made me pause and swallow thickly. I quickly averted my eyes and looked the rest of him over and noticed that the rushing water had cleaned everything it touched, leaving only his chest, shoulders and face left to be cleaned. I decided to just get it over with and began using handfuls of water to scrub away the blood that had obviously seeped through his shirt. A strange sort of rumbling purr came from his chest as I rubbed my hands over his shoulders. I hesitated, glancing at his face before focusing back on m y work. When I was finished I once again returned my hands to his shoulders and faced him, studying his now clean face, looking for anything I had missed. He leaned forward and pressed him face against my neck, breathing deeply and all I could do was hold on and wait, I was stuck as long as he wished to stand there. I leaned closer to him as the temperature of the water began to get to me.
"Draco..."
He hummed against my neck, trailing his nose up to my jaw and back towards my ear.
"Draco." I squeezed his shoulder, trying to better get his attention. He nipped my ear as he nuzzled against me. "Draco, I am getting cold."
I felt him frown against my skin then I was suddenly sitting on the ground next to the water rather than standing in the middle of it. I pulled my wet hair over my shoulder and wrapped my arms around myself trying to ward off the shivers that were beginning to wrack my frame. I looked up at the male standing in front of me, water dripping off his impressive frame as he looked down at me.
"Cold..." he said thoughtfully. "Humans get cold...fire fixes that."
I was suddenly alone, he was gone. I looked around and frowned. It didn't startle me as much as it first did when he disappeared like that. Deciding not to sit idle, I stood and started to gather stones, using my sodden dress as a basket.
When I was done, I chose a spot away from the water and used a sharp rock to score the ground, making it more dirt than grass. I jumped when a large pile of wood was dumped beside me. Draco was standing there, looking rather pleased with himself. He dropped down next to me and pushed my hands out of the way, taking over building the fire's base. I watched as it only took him striking two stones together once to produce a spark. When the flame was at a healthy height I scooted as close to it as I dared, soaking in the wonderful warmth.
"So fragile." Draco said from his spot next to me. "Soon I will fix that." I turned and frowned at him.
"What do you mean?" I demanded.
"Humans are very fragile creatures. Soon that will no longer apply to you."
"You can't stop someone from being human, there isn't anything else to be." even as I said it I thought of his incredible speed, his healing, the color of his eyes changing and his ability to withstand the rivers strong current. He just smirked at me.
"I beg to differ." he began moving closer to me. I glared at him as he moved forward, refusing to be intimidated, I placed my hands against his chest to keep some distance between us instead of moving back as he knelt in front of me. Before I could say anything to make him back up I found myself once again, on my back beneath him, only this time he was not covered in blood and we were not surrounded by wounded soldiers.
The fire crackled happily next to us, casting dancing shadows over us both. For several tense moments neither of us spoke, just watching the other curiously.
"Still so unafraid." he said softly, shifting to settle more fully on top of me. "You are so delicate yet show no fear when faced with a predator that could easily tear you apart. Even after seeing what I am capable of, you do not fear me."
"If you were going to hurt me, you would have done so already." I said simply. He smiled down at me.
"I could make you stronger," he leaned down and inhaled against my neck, something he was beginning to do often. "I could give you the strength to back up your courage. Would you not like that gift, would you not accept it."
"I don't understand." I said slowly. He allowed me to shift slightly, trying to find a more comfortable angle to look up at him. He pulled me closer, curling a forearm behind my head and pressing his entire body flush against mine.
"You saw me heal," he said. "I have so many more things to show you than just that. I am far older and more powerful than you could ever truly comprehend. I wish to share these things with you."
"How?"
"Do you trust me?" he asked, looking me directly in the eyes. I thought of him holding me while I washed my hair.
"I am beginning to." I admitted.
"Full trust will come in time, and we will have an unlimited amount of it ahead of us."
He slowly trailed the hand not beneath my head up my arm, over my shoulder and up to my neck. He gently caressed the pulse on my neck with his thumb before gripping just below my chin and turning my head to one side, exposing the column of my throat.
"Draco...what?"
"Shh.." he whispered. I felt his lips against my skin then the light scrape of his teeth. I gasped and gripped his bicep as I felt the sting of his teeth sliding easily through my skin. I whimpered, confused and for the first time a little afraid as I felt blood leaving my body. He grip on me was nothing but gentle and I began to relax as I got a little light headed. I was dizzy and my world was beginning to spin as he pulled away. I saw my blood on his lips as he smiled down at me. He raised his wrist to his mouth and I watched his sharp teeth puncture the skin. Never breaking eye contact he leaned back down and pressed his lips to mine. His tongue parted my lips and warm liquid was transferred from his mouth to mine. I had a fleeting realization that it was his blood I was swallowing and that it was very gross before I finally passed out from my own blood loss.