Chapter Three
Suddenly coming out of her memories, she noticed the figure of a man stumbling towards her direction. He was dressed in a fine suit, like most of the men coming from the direction of the Opera House, as well as a cloak and a wide brimmed hat. This one looked a lot worse off than the rest, he looked very injured.
He looked like he might have been mulled by a vârcolac itself. He might just have well been for all the injuries he had. But then when he lifted his head, she could see what lay hidden by his hat. His was corpse-like with no nose; sunken eyes and cheeks; white, parchment-like skin.
It was the masked man that had run away from the camp so many years ago. Though his mask was no longer hiding his face. And by the looks, he must have worn a wig as well all those years. She did recognize those eyes all too well.
"Erik!" She exclaimed as he reached out to her.
"Help me…" he managed to get out before collapsing.
"Oh god, what has happened to you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer seeing as he was out cold lying in the street in front of her.
He was heavier than he looked, but somehow she managed to drag him the sort distance back to her meager flat. Dianna could not remember how she managed to get him into her bed.
She had to remove his jacket, shirt, tie, and vest, to get a look at his wounds. Save for the old, and what would be new, scars he was not really too bad to look at.
She then began to look over his wounds, the worst of that was on his right shoulder. Something seemed to have taken a chunk out of him. She muttered a prayer when she realized the vârcolac really had gotten to him.
She had a choice to make right then. He really should die right then by her hand. He would not be a true danger until the next moon, right now he was weak. It would be the best thing for everyone. But how could she kill him after he had saved her those many years ago.
He groaned a little in his sleep. By his color he looked to have a fever. Dianna went into the washroom and grabbed a cloth, wetting it with cold water. She went back to Erik and placed it on his head.
She then went back to the washroom to get another rag, this time wet with warm water to clean the rest of the wounds. She knew why the one on his shoulder looked almost healed all together all ready. Soon the rest would do the same, save for the very old marks and his face of course being that he was born with that.
He was talking in his sleep as she sat down in a chair next to the bed to watch over him.
"Christine…" he muttered.
"No Erik, it's Lilith," she said not noticing that he was not really speaking to her.
His eyes opened and he looked over at her. The look in his eyes caused her to shiver a little. He studied her for a moment before speaking again.
"Lilith?" he questioned.
She nodded and pulled her hair back, like it was tied up. That was the look he was most likely to recognize. Dianna noticed a flash of recognition cross his eyes. Not much had changed about her, save for the fact she was wearing rags, and living in a very modest flat.
Erik tried to sit up, but he was still weak. Dianna did her best to help and placed the pillow behind his back. She did not dare to tell him about his shoulder at the moment. It would be hard for him to believe what she was telling him.
"I guess this will make us even," she said as he coughed a little.
She saw him smile a little. It was then he realized that he did not have his mask anymore. He almost freaked out in front of her, but stopped when he figured out that she had not even mentioned it since she found him out in the street.
That and she placed a hand gently on his shoulder, trying to make him see it was alright. Her touch almost sent a jolt through him; he was still not used to much human contact, let alone female.
"Still not afraid?" he asked looking down at his hands that were twisting the edge of the blanket trying to keep himself from pushing her hand off of him.
She slowly removed her hand and placed them both in her lap and smiled at him a little. There was a sense of tension in the air, and her eyes looked weary.
"Again, you have never harmed me," she reminded him. "Your face holds no horror for me, now or ever."
He just might though, soon, if she did not tell him the truth. There was something that they could do, but it would take time. And they only had about a month. She was just glad that he would heal fast; they would need to be on the move soon.
"In a couple of days we have to leave," Dianna said leaning back in the chair and closing her eyes.
"Why?" he asked watching her.
"You have been bitten," she started to explain. "Bitten by a vârcolac."
