Chapter 5
I apologies for the late, very late chapter, but at least I've finally managed to get this one done. I've been very busy, at University all day, so my time's pretty much limited. It took me more than a weak to write this chapter alone, but at least it's a long one to keep you satisfied until I manage to post the next one.
p.s: I've posted the translation to the the text written in Romanian at the end of the chapter. I know I put them in brackets next to the text in my last story, but i wanted it to look better this time.
Chapter 5
"Do you wish me conduct the same experiment? Same tests as before?" a male's voice said whilst coming distorted from the speaker of the small cell phone.
"Of course," McCoy answered as his car drove through the almost empty streets in London and his eyes were busy looking out the window. "A few measly subjects do not make convincing argument, or results for that matter. Make sure you have everything when I get there."
"Understood." The first voice was about to go out when the brown haired man stopped him.
"Wait." McCoy paused as if contemplating what to say. "Do not let anyone but the vampire notice you. And make sure, that too, happens to a minimum."
The line went dead. The man closed his cell phone grinning. "Take me to the pier." He told his chauffeur as his car had just exited the airport.
Screams and multiple gunshots filled the night air in the northern part of the docks close to the pier marked as 27 A. For about an hour now the Hellsing resident vampire had been busy cleaning the ground littered with undead filth as he considered it. The ghouls though many in number presented little if not any challenge at all and were dispatched by the devastating touch of silver bullets shot one after another with unmatched precision. He didn't need to raise his gaze beyond that of his tinted lenses to aim; it was far too easy even without doing so. Not even the freaks posed the threat they were made out to be. Of the three barely two had survived to be captured as demanded.
Outside the warehouse complex an elegant black car pulled sometime later and a man dressed in black business suit quickly got out slamming the door behind him. He made his way up and around a small flight of stairs after which he opened a metal door and stepped inside the complex. Four rows of large wooden crates filled the vast space of the large warehouse and formed three paths between them. The fluorescent light from above shone through his short brown hair changing its color as he moved along the middle path towards the figure at the other end and hidden underneath a set of two broken lights; only his knee high boots and the edges of his crimson coat gave him away.
"Jonah," he said whilst looking up towards the rafters above then at the great deal of blood staining the floor behind and all around the vampire. "Has done well it seems. Did they behave any differently than before?" His footsteps echoed in the empty space as he walked up to Alucard and the fingers of his right hand typed rapidly over the keys of his white cell phone. He finished by closing the lid and planting it back into his right pocket.
"You are late." Alucard spoke as if scolding the man in front of him.
"Apologies, but I was detained elsewhere." His gaze moved passed the creature's shoulders to the shadow bound freaks behind him. "They posed no problem?"
"None."
"Then you have decided and accepted my terms as presented? A wise decision." he stated a certainty within his question.
"We shall see how wise it is in due time." The vampire responded with a dramatic change in both tone of voice and appearance as the depth of his baritone turned into a medium one, quite average by many standards, and the anatomy of his entire body melted into something else. His overall height decreased about 5 to 6 cm in total, the length of his hair increased until the short raven strands became mid shoulder long and tied in the back by a brown ribbon. The red of his coat turned dark brown and only reached his knees while underneath it he wore black pants and shoes and a cream colored turtleneck sweater. By the end of his transformation the vampire presenting himself was in all aspects different from the one he was supposed to have been.
"Indeed. But I trust Alucard as the one to have come here, the one to be here and the one to leave this place once we're done. This matter does not leave these walls."
"It will not." Nicolae tells with a mischievous look within his crimson irises. "But I refer from mentioning the rest until further along the road. It is a somewhat dangerous game after all."
"In that case I'll resume myself to trust the notion that as long as the situation nurtured both of our curiosity and fulfills both our needs we shall have common ground to walk upon."
"Agreed."
"Excellent." McCoy said reaching for his cell phone once again. The gadget vibrated just as his fingers came in contact with it. Flipping it open the screen displayed a recently received message. It contained only one word: Done.
"Sooner than expected." He murmured under his breath as his expression changed from a surprised look to a much more devious one that suited his developing plot quite well. He raised his gaze from the screen to peer over it towards the undead creature. "Clean up won't you? And be free to tell Hellsing she can you what she wants. As for me, I shall take my leave. Until next time vampire."
With that said he watched as Nicolae nodded in acknowledgement after which he turned around and began retracing his steps towards the door he first came through. He didn't stick around to see the freaks lives end, their blood flow and stain the concrete ground and their bodies turn to nonexistent dust.
As he reached the door he pushed the metal doorknob down and opened the door to the raging storm outside. Despite the change in season and winter already upon them, it had yet to snow over the city of fog. Stepping outside not a single droplet of ice cold water touched his short light brown hair as a dark grey umbrella was immediately place over it. Jonah, the unknown accomplice he'd referred to earlier and the same man who had not only supplied the so called catalyst substance for their test but had also taken fresh samples from the now dead test subjects, appeared out of nowhere next to his employers side wearing the same dark pants and grey jumper with the hood over his face as to conceal the majority of it. His clothes quickly became soaked from the pouring rain.
"I will be expecting a full report in the morning." McCoy said lighting a cigar. A thin line of smoke rose from the incandescent tip in the small interval between the deep inhale of the cigar's contents into the man's lungs and its release once they were full. A third man, dressed in a chauffeur's clothes, stepped out of the black car and moved around it where he opened the rear door and waited.
"It will not be a problem." Jonah replied as McCoy started walking forward and eventually got in the car leaving him alone in the rain. Once the door shut he adjusted the umbrella over his own head and watched through concealed eyes as the vehicle drove off into the night. He too then descended the small flight of stair leading up to the warehouse's door heading towards his next destination.
Unknown to the neither one of the three men, a fourth party had been watching the entire exchange from afar. Not one had taken notice of him as he stood perched on the roof of the nearby building, his clothes soaking went and clinging to his skin as he made good use of the darkness to hide himself from view so that only the shape and form of his lips and chin gave him away in the far and dim light of a lone security light. The end bud of the crooked cigar between his lips was almost completely burnt. His keen eyes observed the two men interact below until the one wearing the black suite got in his car and drove off. The figure observed a few moments more until the second man, the one carrying the umbrella, also left. The figure straightened his posture and moved back from the edge of the building after which he took the cigar from his lips, threw it on the ground and stomped it with his right foot. He didn't waste anymore time standing there; he'd already seen everything considered to be of importance.
Quickened steps all but glided over the thin reddish-brown carpet sprawled in the exact middle of the long corridor so that its edges stood at equal distance from the base of the walls. The hour late, the owner made sure to remain as silent as humanly possible and not disturb the sleeping residence. The lack of lighting his features well allowing only the basic elements of his silhouette to stand out: tall and slim with broad shoulders and lean hips and left arm dangling parallel to his side carrying something while the right ran through his hair.
Reaching the lat door on his right he pushed the doorknob down opening the door and stepping into the dark room. Even now he made no sound whatsoever despite the slight creek the door usually made when opening, yet still, his presence did not go unnoticed.
"Walter?"
The suddenness of the resident female's voice had his shoulders cringe in response, a barely visible movement, but present none the less. His clothes, a dark grey shirt and black pants, the vest in his left hand, as well as his hair were soaked to the bone and had lingering droplets glistening from catching and reflecting the light from the nightstand lamp. The young teen forced a smile before he turned attempting to smile even brighter when facing her. "Sorry, I didn't think I would wake yo…"
And when it finally happened, the smile faded as quickly at it came to life. There was blood, fresh blood, on Integra's hands, the left holding her stomach and the right with her palm facing upwards and fingers spread.
"I…" she miserably tried to find the right words to explain as quickly as possible, but was given no chance to do so.
"You're bleeding." He stated just moments before shock gave way to anger, anger to concern, and he crossed the room in no time taking hold of her bloodied hand under her wrist. He dropped the matching black vest. "You're bleeding! Why didn't you call someone?"
"It's nothing, it stopped. I ju…"
"How long?" he interrupted yet again as though he hadn't heard a single word. "How long have you been bleeding? Does it hurt?"
"Walter!" Integra shouted back successfully stopping his ranting. His gaze finally raised to meat hers. "I'm not bleeding any more."
"I'm sorry." He sighed. "I shouldn't have yelled. I'll…I'll go get the doct…"
"There's no need. It's already stopped and I don't need to see someone every time it happens. I just need to change."
The knight moved to pass him but he quickly took hold of her right upper arm stopping her.
"Every time? You've bled before." This time he no longer asked; there was hurt in his voice, hurt due to the fact that, if it was true, he'd never been told till now. His hold subsequently tightened. "You're eighth months pregnant you shouldn't bleed."
"It's normal for me." She whispered in a way that had him hold his breath for a moment. What followed after was worse. "I'm sick. I have been sick ever since the first trimester ended. The placenta's not positioned right. A little bleeding means nothing every now and then."
"You…didn't tell me. Why?"
"You don't need to know everything! About me or this child." she replied rather cruelly freeing her arm from his grasp. All the while her mind was protesting to her path of action. She had to do this; she had to push him away just until the sun rose. She just needed a few more hours alone; she needed to do this alone.
"It's my child!"
"What of it?"
How badly the look in his deep violet orbs hurt her soul. They would have been enough to convince her otherwise had her resolve not been as strong. "What of it Walter? You're not the one carrying this burden, I am. The decision's mine to make. Mine, not yours!"
She was screaming in his face by now and turning her gaze from him and yet he still did not move an inch. His eyes unsuccessfully searched her face for anything other that cruel, heartless words and matching expression. It was a look he did not recognize, a look she had never once portrayed since the beginning of her pregnancy.
His grip on her arm loosened and his hand slid down to her palm which he tenderly squeezed. The black fabric of his fingerless gloves and the cold touch of the metal rings around his fingers caressed her skin in a shooting touch though not as pleasant as the actual feel of his warm fingers.
"Please...Look at me please." His tone was gentle and pleading, but the knight was not about to turn from this.
"What do you want from me?" Integra said removing her hand away in a hurtful gesture. Her eyes remained unmoving and cold as ice despite her comply with his request. "I can't tell you things if you're not here."
"I wasn't gone that long. And even if I was, you think I do this for me? You don't know where I go." He subtly raised his tone emphasizing the word 'know'.
"I don't care where you go or what you do!"
Once more she started to move and once again he stopped her this time by raising his left arm in front of her. His forearm brushed against her swollen abdomen and, as the two touched, he felt a light kick from inside.
"Please don't do this. I don't want to argue, not again."
"Let me pass Walter." Integra demanded.
"Why don't you tell me things any more? You used to, all the time."
"Well I don't want to anymore!" she hissed angrily, her breathing increased. "Stop being such a stubborn fool!"
"I have a right to know."
"And you made sure of that, didn't you?" her tone turned accusatory. "First time together and you had to screw me over, didn't you? All in a good day work for the angel of death!"
"You're acting like this is my fault! I never heard you complain!" his patience had grown thin, too thing to bare such unjust accusations any more.
"Well I'm complaining now!" With those words Integra went straight into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. A light click followed signifying she'd locked it as well.
"Integra!" Walter shouted banging on the door with his right fist.
"Leave me alone! I have nothing more to say to you!"
"Open this door!" he demanded no longer wanting to be gentle.
"No!"
"Will you just listen to me damn it?"
"I don't want this child!" she suddenly screamed from behind the door causing the teen to stop midway to hitting the wood a fourth time. His breath hitched inside his chest just as his words did. "And I don't want you!"
"Wh…"
"Now leave me the hell alone!"
"Please what a…."
The gun shot piercing the wooden structure of the door just passed his side silenced him in a far worse way that her precious declaration. The bullet embedded itself in the patting of the living chair on the other side of the door. She had a gun, why? For a moment, it was all that could pass through the former angel's mind.
"I said get out!" Integra shouted. "Next time I won't miss and you know it my angel. Get the hell away from me!"
By now Walter was already backing up, his feet acting on their own accord, while his mind had temporarily shut down. He swallowed with great difficulty still staring with a blank expression at the damaged door in front of him. And as he regained his senses he was already in the middle of the room with his hands tightly balled into fists. He left without saying a word; didn't even bother to shut the close behind him.
Hearing only silence as the seconds turned into minutes following her most brutal verbal assault, the platinum haired knight dropped the small back gun she'd hidden earlier that day and turned around, leaning her back against the door, and collapsed onto the floor. Her right hand immediately went up to her mouth stopping any sob from coming to life as many hot tears dripped, one after another, down her reddened cheeks. Her beautiful face looked as heartbroken as she felt inside. She drew her knees up as far as they would go given her child and hugged it with her other arm in an attempt to sooth the growing activity within her womb. The baby kicked as though utterly displeased and unhappy regarding the actions of its mother.
Integra let her head follow the example of her back and lean into the wood for support. She took a few calming deep breath struggling to control her body. Unfortunately, the tears still kept coming though not as strongly as in the beginning.
Caressing her belly one last time she moved her right hand behind her and pulled a journal bound in black leather from beneath the shirt of her pajamas. It was the same journal Alucard had given, thrown despicably at her feet, the night before.
She opened it precisely where the drawing of the vampire's former runes lay and raked her bloodied fingers over it. The dark red liquid was instantly absorbed and the symbol glowed one single time as the ink sustaining was replaced with her blood. That done, it returned to its normal, black, color.
"I'm sorry Walter." She hugged her child with even more desperation. "I'm so sorry."
It needed to be done.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away somewhere in the vast mountain range of the Carpathian Mountains, the two vampires stood outside the main entrance leading into the grand structure of the ancient stone carved castle. Two large doors at least two and a half metes high and one and a half meters wide each made from thick, dark wood a palm's length in width with intricate carvings from top to bottom greeted them. The carriage and horses were no longer behind them at the bottom of the stairs.
Seras had her head tilted back and facing upwards towards the dark heaves above. Despite the falling white flakes so vast in number each and every cloud was a color ranging from light grey to dark grey, hardly any white at all. They seemed as if to match the distinct coloration of the ancient stones making up the castle. The structure itself had a massive center piece with a tower around which three somewhat thinner ones resided as to form the adjacent wings. Several smaller towers, mostly decorative, completed the entire ensemble. Two were placed on the northern point of the castle while the last stood a solitary one to the east. The inner courtyard was vast and empty if not for the thick blanket of snow covering the ground and a few lone buildings in the far west corner. The walls surrounding it were thick and sturdy though, in someplace, with crushed and broken rocks lined up before them no doubt as part of the former walls which most likely had fallen prey to the passage of time.
Alucard continued to study his child's features and aura. The sudden and intense moment of the thrill, of a new discovery had passed from her system and she seemed awfully calm. There was a silence about her, an eerie and alone sentiment.
"Seras." He called drawing her attention.
"Yes master?" she replied sounding far more eager than normal, yet very much like her old self. His eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion as he studied her form the corner of his eye. She in turn shifted her gaze to face him with a smile gracing her lips. The vampire indulged in the moment a little longer before he removed his glasses with his left hand and lifted her chin with his other one bringing it close so that they almost touched. A light blush adorned her cheeks.
"Do you wish to enter little one?" Her blush only intensified as he attentively brushed their lips together, his husky tone pleasing to her sensitive ears.
"Please…" she whispered confessing immediately.
"This way." He purred quite satisfied with her reaction. The door began to open creaking as it went. Darkness greeted them inside before several candles on the chandelier high above their heads flickered to life bathing the entire room with light. The entrance hall was huge with black square shaped stones lining the mostly barren floor and inner walls. A few carpets, nothing more, decorated the ground and several banners the walls. A grand staircase rose up from the opposite side of the large wooden door. It was wide enough to have 4 people climb it shoulder to shoulder and stood at least 7 feet above the ground in total. It ended in a small walkway around 2 feet wide which in turn split into two branches far smaller than the main staircase. Both of these in turn lead up and ended in two tone archways leading into various wings. Three more doors lined the ground floor, two large dark brown ones and a small black one partially open but sufficient as to offer a glimpse at yet another set of black stairs behind it which would no doubt lead to one other three impressive towers rising into the sky. Torches lit the walls and a long thin crimson carpet lay over the middle of the grand staircase. Its balustrades were thick with rounded, cylinders like pillars supporting it.
"Come draculina. There is more to see." Alucard said placing his right hand on her left shoulder. He pulled her away and led her in the direction of the farthest dark brown door situated to his far left.
"We're not going up?"
"No little one." He chuckled in amused. Why was it, that anyone who enters a castle immediately assumed they had to climb the stairs?
"I wish to show you something else first. It is important."
As the door opened a new room came into view; smaller in size and dimensions but with a large archway on the right wall which let into a third room. This one had many long crimson curtains decorating the walls, reaching from the ceiling down, and in between them various oil paintings mostly depicting portraits of figures long since forgotten or various landscapes. A wide and long wooden table occupied the center with at east ten chairs on both sides and one solitary, throne like one, at the head of it. A fireplace as high as a man and 1.5 m long lay on the wall left of the table with its fire already burning and warming the room. Two more doors opened in the room behind the throne like chair. The elder vampire led her towards the fireplace and stopped in front of the left side curtain. He pushed it aside with his left hand and placed his right upon the cold stone. Red streaks erupted from under his palm and spread out seeping into the cracks binding the stones together. The wall opened up revealing a hidden set of stairs.
"Iți mai aduci aminte de o lecție pe care ai invățat-o cu mine?"(1)
The vampire changed the subject diverting her attention from the newly discovered passageway.
"Lecție?"(2) Seras questioned in return as she mimicked his actions by reaching out with her right arm and brushing her finger tips against the rearranging stones. Alucard placed his over it lightly squeezing. And although his face did not show it, he was quite pleased with the notion that she remembered this part of his legacy: his language.
"E posibil ca ceva din ce vei vedea să-ți facă rău. E important să-ți amintești, cum să-ninvingi ceea ce-ți face rău, ceea ce doare. Propria ta frica."(3)
"Şi dacă nu pot?"(4) her gaze was entirely focused on their jointed hands.
"Atunci iți voi arăta din nou."(5) He whispered tenderly against the left side of her face, his lips mm apart from her closed eyelid, as he crossed his arm in front of him and cupped her right cheek with his gloved left hand. He gazed into her eyes and he let his hand drop. Afterwards the two vampires climbed up the stairs passing two lit torches on their way. A second door soon opened on its own as Alucard reached it and led them into a small room hosting 5 medium sized bookcases, three on the left and two on the right, and three large windows on the wall directly in front of them. They were high enough to almost touch the ceiling and were framed on each side by dark brown, velvet curtains. The bookcases were spaced apart so that walking in between wouldn't be problematic. And except for them the only other item in the chamber was a small round black table with a thin leg curved at the end and a rectangular shaped reddish brown carpet in the middle of the room itself; its width lay parallel to the wall before them while its length faced the sides of each of the five bookcases.
Closing the door behind her Alucard placed both his large palms over her shoulders and gently guided her forward towards the middle window. Unlike the night before, the snow had yet to fall and so the moon shone uninhibited, its light passing through the crystal clear glass of the furthest window on the left. Around a quarter of the distance from the now disappeared door Seras stopped abruptly, grounded her feet to the carpet and floor and refused to take another step forward. Her eyes stared blankly with small, fixed pupils and dilated irises at the middle window.
"Seras…." Alucard spoke whilst maintaining a low, husky and careful tone not meant to scare or frighten her. His actions brought little comfort though, as she immediately stepped back crashing into his hard chest gasping for breath with frantic eyes searching the room from left to right as they moved at rapid pace. His voice fell on deaf ears as she began to see blood, fresh blood, run along the cold stone in between the cracks then over the entire length and width of both the walls and the floor itself as the liquid moved closer and closer towards her feet. There was a cry: a low whisper belonging to a tormented cry from a face she could not see. She had a mere glimpse, a fleeting shadow of something, perhaps someone crouched down above all that blood that came and went as quickly as a bolt of lightning. Her body unconsciously started to tremble beneath the safety and support of his hands causing her to push even further into him. She could see the trickle of blood spread around and beneath her right foot darkening more and more until it completely turned raven black and slowly rose as if ready to grab her ankle.
"What is wrong draculina?"
Alucard's voice brought shooting comfort as did his long arm snaking around her middle just under her breasts. His lips brushed against the shell of her ear as his mouth moved in the slow manner required to utter those words to their full advantage.
"It hurts…" Seras whispered, lips quivering in growing intensity. Her left hand immediately took hold of his forearm but then suddenly released it going for her chest instead. "My chest hurts." Her entire body shook and trembled as though suddenly stricken by intense hypothermia. The atmosphere around them darkened, the air becoming increasingly cold so that their breaths turned into small white clouds, and the glass of the three windows began to freeze from the inner corners towards the outer ones. And as the latter passed half of its structure the middle panel started to crack forming a long, irregular groove that rose along the surface of the glass in segments of different sizes at a time, each one accompanied by a unique sound and intensity.
"Bad things…" he heard Seras whisper over and over with increasing fear. "Bad things…happen….in the dark…"
Without warning the blond bent over gasping for air and vomited blood all over the floor. Searing, stabbing pain shot through her causing her knees go give way and be rendered useless; she fell despite Alucard's strong arm wrapped around her.
"It hurts…it hurts…" she had so little strength to speak. Her right arm struggled to hold her as she used it to prop herself up while the left desperately held onto the vampire's wrist. Trails of blood began to leak from her eyes, but instead of being tears, they were quite simply blood and nothing more. Her mouth opened wide as her head dropped to the floor, forehead touching it, and her fangs grew dangerously long. Her gums too began to bleed.
Alucard moved with her as she bent; his upper body partially hovering over her right side and eyes intently focused on her left limb which once again had a bright glowing pattern all over it underneath her sleeve.
"There is nothing to hurt you here." The vampire whispered into her ear while gently pulling her up. His right hand moved, innocently enough, over her chest but the moment it reached the valley between her breasts the pain she felt increased tenfold. She immediately straightened, her back crashing into his chest and head hitting his left shoulder in a silent scream. Alucard's eyes widened at the feel of cold steel penetrating the back of his gloved hand and going in all the way through skin and bone alike as if purposely seeking her flesh. Blood burst from the wound and dripped down the length of his forearm and her abdomen as he quickly came to the conclusion that is wasn't his blood alone that had been sought.
Laughter filled his ears just before he felt Seras's head fall like a rock on his shoulder and her hand lose its grip on his wrist. The vision of a running body flashed through his mind: a dark grey coat long to the floor, white gloves and a long chain with a cross around his throat, face hidden behind white bandages with blazing orbs and an unusually evil smirk. The appearance of the blades came just before the figure's existence disintegrated one step away from reaching them. He no longer felt the searing sensation of blessed silver burning his flesh, but the wound it inflicted remained.
"Master…." Seras's tired voice broke his concentration. His eyes immediately fell on her lovely pale face, turned in his direction, with just a hint of her old sanity struggling to stay on the surface. A fresh, thick trickle escaped the right corner of her lips and her entire mouth was stained in the blood she had thrown up.
Alucard remained silent as he pried both her white shirt and raven jacket open revealing her frail skin and black lace bra. The vertical cut directly over the thin strap of fabric holding the two cups together matched the one on his hand in every way, yet far more disturbing was the gaping hole across from it. He knew of but one thing that could have caused such a horrific injury over her right breast: his hand and his gun the night he turned. And in that moment, he finally realized what was happening to her.
"Listen to me servant!"
He remembered, all too well, what had once taken place in that very room.
"Release me…Release me so I can save her."
"Why am I bleeding?"
Seras's question brought an end to the lingering sound of his own voice inside his head. His eyes fell of her face while she was busy looking at her herself and towards her chest. She had raised her left hand and had placed her fingers over the large quantity of crimson practically flowing out of her like a torrent of water from a dam.
"Nothing. Do not worry about it." He quickly responded placing his bleeding appendage over hers. The consequence of his touch and blood gave a shooting and warm sensation than took most of the pain away. The liquid seeped between their joined fingers and mixed with hers. "Relax you body Seras, relax and let the pain flow from you. Adu-ți aminte."( Remember)
"Where am I?" she asked breathlessly while attempting to do as told. "What…what is this place?"
"Home draculina. Do you not remember?"
"No." the whisper to pass her lips was a very faint one. Her eyelids started dropped. "Is it nice?"
"Yes." He replied into her golden hair kissing her temple. It wasn't long afterwards that he felt the tension in her system leave her bit by bit and the muscles relaxing despite the still vivid blood flow. The edges of the twin wounds slowly shifted beneath the fabric of his glove and her palm reforming inch by inch.
"What are you doing to her now?"
Unexpectedly, the all too familiar French accent of the one-eyed mercenary reached his ears full of loathing and sarcasm. It preceded the unmistakable sound of metal hitting stone and that of his body taking shape from the foot of the draculina's shadow. The metal object revealed itself to be a round yellow-brown doorknob which, after touching the floor, spun around twice in a small circle next to Pip's left boot. The overall image of the mercenary was distorted as row upon row of spear shaped tendrils escaped his body at various intervals apart: arms, legs, shoulders, hair, from anywhere and everywhere like clockwork.
He didn't allow the ancient vampire time to respond. "There are no rooms, no more rooms at all left in her mind. She's screaming inside. What are you doing?"
"She's reliving pain. For once, I am not doing anything to her."
While speaking he attempted to search Pip's accusation for himself. Unfortunately, her mind was devoid of the possible answers he could have found. He found nothing but a dark and empty void with the occasional speak of light shinning from time to time like a dieing star in the cold, vast emptiness of space. There truly were no more rooms whatsoever. The familiar pattern of her mind, senses and powers were slipping passed him like grains of sand in an open palm.
Everything he'd wanted to share with her was going awfully wrong and nothing was happening as he'd wanted to, or had at least planned to.
Straightening his back a little he removed his large hand from her chest content to at least find the large gunshot wound gone from her smooth skin and the latter flawless and intact once again. Had the same also been said about the first vertical one, he may have looked and felt less worried and concerned. He trailed it with the tips of his index and middle finger removing some of the crimson pouring out, but it refilled not a second later.
"Stop touching her." Pip threatened despite his best efforts to keep his voice neutral. Even so the rest of his body tensed and his hands balled into fists that tightened more and more until the brown leather of his gloves screeched. He wasn't at all demanding or screaming at the vampire, yet, unfortunately for the latter, his lack of response, be it verbal or physical, ended up enraging him to the brink of collapse.
Alucard was busy biting into his wrist to give his child some more of the blood she required when the wind was knocked out of him by a hard punch to the right cheek. He fell backwards on his back, mouth bleeding from his cut lip. T the same time, due to the suddenness o the assault, Seras's body dropped on its right side and her temple hit the floor rather hard causing her to grown in pain. She had barely had a taste of her master's blood against her lips before the sweet offering was brutally plucked from her mouth and her ears picked up the sound of the two men fighting. Her crimson eyes blinked twice focusing her distorted vision and saw as they came at each other, fists raised and ready, and struck at the same time hitting each other time and time again in the face, chest and jaws.
"I've had just about enough of you mercenary!" Alucard shouted licking the blood running from his broken lips and nose as he pulled back. He didn't demand, he ordered. "Stay out of this!"
"Unless you make me you can go fuck yourself vampire!" Pip spat in return. There would be no turning back, that much he'd already decided. He too straightened his posture, wiped the blood from his face with his left sleeve and cracked his knuckles. "I say we put an end to this, here and now, you and me and unless you kill me I'll continue to be a fucking thorn in your side salaud!"
"Is that so?" the vampire started to chuckle then laugh with pure evil delight. His shoulders shook from the effort as his head continued to remain down, gaze cast to the tips of his boots, and face hidden behind his ebony locks. "Then I shall enjoy watching you suffer." His lips retained their frightening smirk as the twin molten lava orbs peered up at the victim before him burning with savage, raw emotion.
The clothes over the right side of his body morphed together with the former into a swirling black mass which then grew into a huge black shape with blazing eyes and large, sharp teeth protruding from his mouth. The demonic beast came growling, roaring to life with his jaw opening wide and tongue falling from his mouth. Both dripped saliva and, as the hound finally acknowledging Pip's presence, he growled once again, a deep and menacing sound from the pit of his unformed chest.
The mercenary stood his ground completely unaffected.
"Is that the way you want it?" he asked his opponent in a cocky tone smirking as well. Afterwards he moved to remove the brown hat from his head tossing it far away. "Don't think you're the only one." His own right arm began to morph, but unlike Alucard, he chose from the very start to fully change his body. His legs, arms and upper body gave of lager waves of slow moving shadows which then rapidly moved encasing his human form head to tows. The mass grew in size until, lastly, a large leg and paw matching in color that of his reddish brown hair stepped forward with outgrown nail scratching the otherwise smooth surface of the stone tablet beneath it. The rest of the shadows parted revealing the large body of a wolf while both Pip's voice and face partially appeared over its head in the last remaining parts of the disappearing mass. "If she can do it so can I!"
The wolf screeched and charged as the very last tendril of shadows disappeared and the two beasts clashed against each other violently. Both their mouths opened wide, teeth at the ready. They bit each others jaw in that very first strike and then, almost simultaneously, let go and went for a different body part just as fast. It seemed that both were a match, but then the brown wolf changed his strategy and allowed, in a rather dangerous move, to be wounded in order to gain advantage. Baskerville's mouth clamped onto his left hip while his front paws raked over his ribs and hind leg dragging his claws without mercy all the way down exposing raw and bleeding flesh.
The lower half of Pip's body went down, hind knees touching the ground, as the upper half of his body tensed, muscles tightening, in order to stand his ground. His jaws clenched growling with savage furry as he fought off the sudden pain until it ended. Seizing the moment, he turned on the man controlling the beast and attacked his left leg. He bit, pulled and jerked to his head to the side ripping both flesh and bone alike. Alucard's leg was severed in half making him loose his balance and grown in pain. The severed limb went long with Pip's head as he maneuvered his body away from the black hound and around the vampire's form; he clenched his jaws and bit the limb in half spraying crimson all over his muzzle. Everything happened in the span of a few seconds.
Unfortunately, Alucard quickly regenerated his leg and smashed it into the floor while wrapping his left arm around the wolf's neck in a chocking grip and throwing it halfway across the room. Baskerville move immediately after and the two creatures began their dance anew long before Pip's paws even touched the ground and his claws raked deep grooves into it stopping his momentum. Only his hind feet stayed stationary to accomplish said feat as the front on tangled with those of the black hound.
"Is that all you've got?" Alucard mocked in a terror inflicting voice which added depth to his natural baritone. "We've barely just begun. The evening is still so young." Every word held the promise you future pain, destruction and personal enjoyment. He allowed the rest of his body to join with that of the demon dog's and the end result was a far worse creature than a mere, simple, hellhound: a black beast almost double in size to the large brown wolf, at least 7 feet on all fours and another half foot or so taller when on his hind legs, with four pairs of hellish eyes focused solely on its prey. The top three were far smaller than the dominant pair and partially hidden by long strands cascading down either side of his throat above the shining ebony coat covering his flesh. The imposing wolf like shape of his body stood tall and proud and imposing: a large chest cavity with broader shoulders than hips and a thin, lean waist, vibrated with the force of his growl while his own claws, far larger and sharper, cut straight through the stone of the floor instead of simply scratching at its surface. His long, elegant tail rose in dominant fashion. The first time in more than a year since he'd used this particular form and now the wild and demonic features of hound from hell shone far greater. He was all beast this time, hardly any human traits at all.
Bleeding from the inflicted wound, Pip rose uninhibited as Baskerville disappeared completely, and quickly mended his injuries. A thin black mist covered the gashes like bandages healing them instantly. He growled and the vampire followed his lead not a second later; their joined voices echoed within the entire castle shaking it to the very core.
Once again they charged, but now the advantage belonged to the vampire as his much larger size easily dominated the smaller reddish-brown wolf pushing him backwards until both passed though the wall like shadows finally leaving the room and the draculina alone. Pip's back crashed against the thick stone railing of upper left branch of the grand staircase cracking it as the two resurface from the darkness on the ground floor of the castle. With a second to spare immediately after contact was made, Alucard pushed even harder and forced the mercenary's back to brake through the structure completely. The two fell crashing down from the platform onto the floor below. His front paws pushed his entire weight onto the smaller wolf's form allowing his claws to sink all the way and even crack the floor under the latter's spine from the force of the impact. His jaws clamped shut and his upper lips pulled back releasing a powerful snarl born from the depths of his chest as his exposed teeth faintly sketched the appearance of a satisfied, devilish grin. The brown wolf, however, despite the shock of the fall used his hind legs to push against Alucard's abdomen and threw him over his head whilst turning on his side afterwards and backing up in the space beneath the left branch until his hind legs and tail touched the room's wall; his mouth opens dripping blood from his injured gums as he breathes in raged breaths.
The black hellhound advanced, the strong muscles in his forearms and shoulders rippling beneath his fur as he took one step after another.
"Now you die." He spoke with unwavering certainty, yet so lost in the moment he failed to notice the shift in Pip's good eye and the true meaning of his words. He replied in smug fashion with words spoken in a far too confident tone for even his own good.
"I wouldn't."
Alucard launched forward snarling most ferociously refusing to listen. Pip moved to the side, attempting to crouch down and avoid the set of deadly jaws, just as fast in order to get out of the way, but the sudden yelp not belonging to either of them brought everything to a screeching halt. Beautiful pale blond hair instead of reddish brown fur filed in the gaps between the large hellhounds sharp teeth that had deeply embedded themselves into the soft flesh it covered. All four pairs of eyes widened at the sudden taste of the draculina's blood all over his large tongue.
"No." his ears picked up the mercenaries light voice coming form the brown wolf. "No!" he then made to shout as the severity of the situation became apparent.
Pip had seen her coming, had seen the pleading look written all over her face from over Alucard's right shoulder, yet had immediately presumed her presence would make the vampire stop as it always had in the past. His first reaction was to run towards her and shout her name.
The terror inflicting growls fully woke Seras causing her crimson orbs to snap open once the image laid out before them focused enough to differentiate in between the various shapes and colors. They were shortly followed by other howls, growls and yelps as the vampire and mercenary continued to fight. Her pupils decreased in size quite dramatically while the overall shade of her irises darkened to a point where they seemed entirely black. Her head turned in the direction of the wall the two creatures disappeared into and she turned on her right side supporting her weight on her elbow. Her golden hair cascaded down her shoulder and pooled at her side as she slowly raised her gaze towards the wall in question. She went to move when a frail voice stopped her.
"Don't." the voice had a melodious tune and a yet developed tone appearing as though a mix between average and baritone; still, a child's voice. Seras got up on her knees regardless either ignoring the voice's plea or not truly hearing it.
"Seras no." this time she stopped. This time a small, pale hand held onto her left wrist and she felt the touch of fabric brush against the outer side of her left thigh. The hand applied gentle pressure pulling her backward. She went along with it and repositioned her legs under her so that she was able to sit upon them without problems. "Please do not."
The draculina turned her head, but only just, and peered at the hooded silhouette next to her. Several strands hindered her view, yet as long his features were also carefully hidden, she wouldn't have seen much without them in the way either. Her gaze dropped to their joint hands and the small, pale skinned hand incredibly warm to the touch. She hesitated at first, but then boldly began to turn her wrist around so that her palm could attentively touch his.
Unfortunately, as fate would have it, she never got to. Their fingers barely brushed against each other when the truly profound growl erupted from the hellhound's chest reached her ears. It came seconds after the sound of cracking stone had. Her eyelids immediately dropped, head leaning forward, and a new, thin trail of crimson liquid fell from her bleeding mouth. She pulled her hand away covering her mouth with it and before he knew it she was gone from his sight and disappeared in a trail of gold.
"Stop!" the figure pleaded one final time without success as he immediately recognized the haunting look in the golden haired draculina's distant eyes. Regrettably, it was already too late to act: he lost both his hold on her hand as well as her presence before his eyes.
It was then that the bone chilling yelp echoed louder than anything else trapped ever trapped or condemned to an excruciating end inside those ancient walls. Within seconds the cloaked figure appeared leaning down over the collapsed part of the balustrade and looking down, hidden irises wide and disbelieving, at the bloody scene laid at his feet. The mercenary's cry came before he had a chance to say anything at all and so he could do nothing more than watch the wolf charge at his opponent and smash into his right side thus breaking the strong iron hold the latter had on Seras's body.
And as Alucard's jaw relaxed she slipped out easily, yet the edges of his fangs till managed to cut her skin from the simplest of movement and added fresh new flavor to the already intoxicating taste of her flesh. Distancing herself from his mouth, Seras caught a mere glimpse of the hound's head turning and drooping so that it effortlessly grasped a patch of fur over Pip's shoulders and hurled his body away from his in a semicircle towards his right. His side brutally struck the corner formed from the joining of the room's back wall and the large base of the staircase's body. That accomplished he released his hold but quickly repeated his actions by grabbing the wolf's left hind leg, sinking his teeth all the way, and swinging him back and fourth a few times like a rag doll in need of cleaning.
Pip dissolved his leg after the third blow, turning into a black shadowy mass, thus permitting his escape from the savage onslaught which had already successfully broken most of his ribs. He had no other alternative than to return to his human form. He knelt on the floor, panted heavily and he raised his lowered head, bangs over his eyes, just as Alucard moved in for the kill. He saw his teeth glisten; saliva drip, jaws open wide and his throat distend as his tongue fell out moments before the point of impact. He never expected another set of colors to flash before his eye: gold.
In a split second the image reflected in all eight crimson orbs no longer matched that of the brown haired male but frail, pale skin and a sad and distant look. The vampire barely had time to stop himself, turn his head and shut his mouth halfway prior to the right side of his head pressing against Seras's ample chest and flat stomach. Her right arm lay sprawled over his muzzle a few cm under his eyes and trapped between his ebony fur and the base of her throat while the left hung lifeless by her side dripping crimson from the tips of her fingers. The warm red liquid ran in spiral fashion underneath the stained sleeve of her opened white shirt. She made no further movement and her forehead tenderly resting over the space in between the hound's pointed ears but not quite touching it.
"Mignonette move!"
Pip shouted in anger getting to his feet while the monstrous creature responded in kind by snarling viciously through clenched teeth. His chest vibrated with the effort turning the simple snarl into a deep rumble and he pushed forward as if ready to attack once again despite the draculina's presence by his side holding him back. Luckily, he had no further reason to be hostile as the mercenary fell back down on his right knee before he was even halfway up. His shoulders shook and his body bent over failing to respond to the simplest of commands.
"Mignon…." He could speak no further as the moment he raised his gaze he saw the long, black and crimson tendril with jagged edges and irregular movement that swayed in a nonexistent wind and took up the space her left limb should have normally occupied. The final segment of said appendage was bent at an odd angle and touched the floor where their two shadows met. Only after he followed its trail did he notice the tendril was slowly swallowing him up.
"Merde!" he cursed under his breath feeling the rest of his body start to fade just as his legs had long since started doing. "You're loving this aren't you, you bastard!" He continued to speak as calmly as possible, but in the end could not go the distance and hissed those last two words with as much hatred his dieing breath could muster.
As for the transformed vampire, he refused to further acknowledge the mercenary's existence and instead focused all his attention towards the frail creature leaning so dependently against him. The warmth of her breath caressed the top of his head as she softly sighed and finally allowed her left cheek to be buried in his ebony fur.
The hound lowered his tail in submission and curled it next to his right hind leg as he simultaneously closed the three smaller sets of eyes; the dominant pair regained both their sanity and ruby red color and returned to normal. The slit pupils rounded, hard and tense muscled relaxed and the sharp, curled claws retracted into the large, soft pads of his paws. His chest rumbled very differently than before as the sound it emanated was meant to soothe and not intimidate.
"Answer me damn it!"
Alucard hadn't expected the Frenchman to raise his voice one final time. Neither had he seen his actions follow such words.
Pip grabbed hold of the mass once representing Seras's left arm and pulled her from her master's embrace before vanishing into nothingness. With no time to react the vampire could only watch her fall like a lifeless doll, the fingers of her right hands brushing against his fur as it all happened, and part the mass of shadows left behind in two.
"Ca…." the figure above began to shout demanding he catch her. His body tensed and his small hands gripped the shattered outer edge of the railing so hard they lost all color and even cut themselves in the sharp edges left behind. The swiftness of his movement exposed a little more of his face, especially the somewhat wavy raven hair almost shoulder long in length. His posture relaxed and his mouth closed the moment he saw Alucard catch the draculina in the last possible moment. The latter's body appeared from the darkness leaving the imposing form of the hellish hound behind as the familiar shape and color of his red leather coat and gloved hands formed in his place. His right arm curled around her waist and lower back, fingers spreading wide over its surface, while the rest did the same around her slender shoulders. The golden strands of silk like hair mixed with the crimson staining the floor as it pooled like a halo around her form and over his forearms.
Seras's left arm slowly, painfully slow, regenerated retaking shape as she whimpered with little strength. Much of the crimson in the overall black of her powers turned out to be blood now that her body had no further use of them.
Alucard stood hovering over her and watching as a heightened sense of inadequacy, helplessness and self-loading washed over him from his lack of self-control. Not only had he damaged her, but he'd acted in full awareness of the situation, in control and lust for pain and death. His smoldering eyes watched her so intently that the sudden presence of a foreign hand in his line of sight actually startled him.
Hesitant fingers reached out carefully touching the top of Seras's head despite her unconscious pull from even such a light and tender touch.
"What did you do?" the unknown person asks raising his hooded head whilst maintaining his identity hidden. There was genuine concern within his words.
"I had no chance of doing much of anything. Not what I wanted to at least." The vampire replied setting her down very carefully.
"Think that would have saved her?" the haunting tone of Pip's voice echoed in a dieing breath spoken from one of the retracting pools of blood beneath her left arm. It chuckled at the irony of the situation. "There is nothing left to save, don't you understand? You think pumping your blood into her will save her? The single flaw I can find in that is…I too had hoped for it." The voice broke off for a moment. "And yet the truth is you can't and you know it. She will never be….there is no escape any longer and not for the likes of you." he then shouted with his final breaths. "All that talk about making her strong will die as such, as 'talk' and nothing you do will change it. Thank you, because of you Seras is no more. She's been washed away by the tide you created."
The last flicker of his flame died like a blown out candle.
"The room was no meant to save her." Alucard whispered, as though offering reply to the Frenchman's words, in a tone hardly suppressing the sound of a hummingbird's wings and with such a distant look in his eyes that it betrayed his distant thoughts. Next to him the draculina showed a small sign of awareness by turning on her side towards the youngling and curling her body in a protective fetal position with her knees drawn halfway up and her arms acting like a pillow for her head; her breathing was slow and steady but the floor she lay upon soaked in her blood.
"She won't last till morning." The figure said brushing a few out of place strands form her peaceful face. His actions allowed the right half of his cloak to partially cover and shield her legs like a blanket. Except for the trickle of crimson still running for the left corner of her mouth and the ever glowing spiral wound marring her finally regenerated left limb, nothing else brought either pain or discomfort; nothing bled.
"Then keep her alive." Alucard warned dangerously before he spared but a glance more and then stood up and left the room by dematerializing.
/Force her familiar, it will heal her./He went and sought the only help he could find. The situation was no longer in his hands; it had long ago left them entirely bare.
Seras sighed, weak as though awaking from slumber, yet instead of waking curled further in the protective embrace of the ball, cloak and unknown touch. The hooded child sat beside her, legs bent at the knees and next to her head and leaned over her head just enough for the line of his jaw, chin and lips to touch the light. A solitary, rebel strand of raven hair joined then as if defiant and was shortly after followed by the flash light revealing a quick glimpse of his face: eyes still hidden but glowing in a blue more vibrant than the deepest of oceans; more so when his lips curled upwards sketching a smile.
.
.
.
"It this all you require my master?" a young female voice echoed in a beautifully decorated bathroom with marble floors and walls. Located at the edge of a large two story high house the room had three out of four walls replaced by windows, the last of which was actually a double door leading out into a small terrace, thus offering a gorgeous view of the night sky. Thin and transparent light green curtains framed each window individually while between every four lay a tall black candle stand each one carrying three candles; a total of twelve candles excluding the three small ones which lit the edge of the tub. The girl in question had short light brow hair barely reaching the tips of her shoulders when straight, but now curled outwards and held on either side of her face by two beautiful gold pins in the shape of lilies. She wore a pair of loose fitting dark brown pants with black sandals and a form fitting golden-brown colored turtleneck sweater. Her eyes were crimson, her skin as pale as ivory and her lips coated in a pale rose. Her right hand diligently stirred the warm and scented water checking the temperature.
"Yes, thank you Madalene."
A second melodic voice answered just before an even more stunning woman entered the room. With far longer hair to match the color of the young woman's sweater, she held it up in a loose bun with many stray strands sticking out from it, the largest of which cascaded down her left sounder. Only her hands and feet were bare as the rest of her pale skin was covered by a silk cream colored robe.
She walked up the tub and waited for her fledgling to stand and leave before getting into the awaiting water. The latter smiled in acknowledgement and left closing the door behind her.
The auburn vampire's bath was uneventful as she leaned back to bask in the warm water and relax her body. It was only some time later that the unusual flicker of the candles surrounding her caught her attention. After that just a few more seconds passed before the double windowed terrace door burst open violently causing all the lit candles within the room to blow out due the strength of the accompanying wind. Both hinges crashed against the stone while the chamber simultaneously went dark all except for the frail light of the night itself cascading through the remaining windows. A blanket of shadows entered through the now open doorway and rose along the walls covering everything in their wake. Regardless, the auburn haired vampire wasn't fazed in the least despite the sudden sense of impending danger, the drop in temperature or the sound of quickened footsteps rapidly approaching the room's main door. Two knocks and a concerned female voice came from behind rising out the eerie silence associated with the frightening shift in atmosphere like a ray of hope. The door opened a jar.
"Master is…"
"Stay where you are." The mistress vampire commanded softly without demanding and without taking her eyes, even for a moment, off of the unlocked terrace door and the long, light green swaying curtains halfway above the ground. Something else had made its existence known during the short time frame required for that particular exchange of words. The mysterious figure took refuge in the cover of darkness: a tall and imposing silhouette whose essence seemed to move as one with the material of the curtains while keeping up to their exact rhythm. Above the blanket of shadows one stood out most as belonging to the unexpected visitor: long and thin and reaching the other end of the room with a far larger base than tip, a base that danced with the cold winter wind. As the unmoving crimson irises of the female vampire narrowed, its silhouette reformed into three basic elements consisting of the dark crimson leather coat, flowing raven hair, long and straight that passed the man's lower back, and lastly the black leather knee-high boots adorning his feet. The mesmerizing dance of his ebony colored locks contracted greatly in color against the curtains, black against pale green, as he remained stationary like a statue: unmoving, unaltered, un-aging, and patiently waiting for acknowledgement to cross his path.
"Have you come calling Count?" she asks in a melodious voice worthy of any great opera singer. Her hands start to move once more scooping up water as to wash away the reaming soap from her left shoulder. "It has been quite a while since our last encounter," she purposely ignored his presence while talking and did not turn to look at him once. "Has it not?"
Alucard stood his ground hidden behind the cloak of the night with only his eyes as beacons of light and said nothing.
"You are welcome to join me."
"I am not here for pleasure." He eventually found his voice and moved forward stepping over the threshold of the balcony. He did not go further.
"Then what are you here for? You are not someone to simply appear after such a long time. Centuries, was it?"
Gesturing with her left hand she showed him a vanity table and mirror where a crystal pitcher filled with blood wine and several empty glasses next to it lay.
"I fear I may have lost my taste for virgin blood." He spoke with indifference not bothering to glance in the direction of the liquid. "I require something else, assistance."
It wasn't so much what he said but the tone and manner in which he said it that caught the female vampire's attention. Her shoulders tensed but hardly noticeable.
"Assistance?" there was mistrust in the sound of her voice. "You call, in the dead of night, requiring assistance? It that all?"
"I have not changed that much Elena." He grinned at her displaying emotion for the first time. "My secrets are still my own."
"So it would seem."
Elena studied his profile a moment longer before placing both hands over the edges of the tub. She rose uninhibited out of the water, her flawless pale skin glistering as the light got reflected off of the crystal clear beads running down her skin. Her feet dripped small amounts of water as they touched the bare floor and her right hand went up to the piece of jewelry holding her hair up and removed it. Her beautiful auburn locks, long, curly and shiny, cascaded down her back in a breathtaking movement meant to shatter the strongest of wills. She was tall, at least half a head taller then the draculina and easily reached Alucard's face without having to stand on her tows. That done she scooped up the cream colored silk robe and put it on in a slow deliberate fashion.
The elder vampire did not react and his cold stared remained as such, cold and emotionless. He neither blinked nor turned from her whilst gazing upon her exposed flesh from the corner of his left eye.
"There is more, isn't there?" Elena asked him as she pulled her hair from under the robe and ran her fingers through it straightening it out. She smiled at him displaying knowledge forged in a vampiric bond. "I've seen that look before, a look that precedes something difficult to accept, to decide; perhaps, even troublesome to accomplish. If so it begs the question: what is it and are you prepared for such an act?
"We do what we must, in this life or the next. We do as we must."
Elena's lips curled in a brighter smile as she fully turned to face him still tying the cord around her waist and then began to walk towards him. She had expected those words just not so soon.
"Preaching the same speech I see? I would have though you outgrowing this by now."
"My freedom will not be ripped from my hands by far greedier ones. That is one reason."
"But not your motivation, of that I'm sure. You would have long since done something bout that." She confirmed the look in his narrowed eyes. Her right arm reached out to him allowing her palm to spread over the surface of his chest as she closed the distance between them. "So, is there truly nothing more?" she almost brushed their lips together without needing to stand on her tows as she moved her hand up his broad chest, over his heart and well defined muscles beneath his clothes, and then the inner part of his left shoulder. It moved along the shape of his clavicle and then followed along the path of his neck muscles until it reached its final destination: his left cheek. Applying the right amount of pressure she pulled him in and fully joined their lips together in a lingering kiss that her eyes close of their own accord in order to savor the long forgotten taste.
"Your price." the vampire pressed on wanting to resume previous matters without further delay. He remained utterly unaffected by Elena's blatant display of affection towards him.
"You know my price."
The soft, creamy robe fell off her right shoulders in plain reply that required no further explanation. Alucard's eyes unconsciously twitched as his mind processed the information. There was no easy decision to be made despite the already obvious reason as to why he should unquestionably deny such offer.
His hesitation failed to go unnoticed as Elena quickly picked up on it and pulled away from his face. It surprised her, no doubt about it, yet she made neither reference to it no any other move than to raise her right and brush a stray lock of perfect raven hair behind his left ear.
"Then were are done."
"No." Alucard raised his voice while wrapping his right arm around her middle and crushing her to his chest. She could practically taste the struggle consuming his eyes.
"What do you want Vlad? What has you so t…"
Alucard crushed his mouth to hers pushing all thoughts aside. His lips ravaged hers in a searing and passionate kiss which left her panting and moaning as she just as eagerly responded. He moved but the momentum of his movement wasn't felt, just the coldness of the stone wall against her barely covered skin the moment she lay trapped in between its structure and his body. Her bare legs no longer touched the floor as they wrapped themselves around the vampire's lean hips.
The creamy robe fell off her shoulders, the cord pooled at her feet and the rest of the fabric soon joined.
His leather coat was not far behind…
A good while later, the hour close so dawn, and the two vampires had still not passed the preliminaries of their earlier discussion. Elena comfortably leaned against the headboard while her left arm lay across her lap, her left leg fully extended and under the cover of her robe, the right drawn to her chest and exposed. Her right hand was busy moving black and dark green cards back and forth in various arrangements in front of her.
"How much longer?"
Alucard's deep voice made Elena turn her eyes from her cards for a moment and stared at the scantily clothed creature of the night: shirt, pants and boots all present, yet the black pants were somewhat creased and his white cotton shirt, though tucked in, had all buttons except for the very last one open. Ad that to the god like appearance of his beautifully pale, flawless skin and chiseled chest, the grooves well defined although the muscles themselves were anything but bulged and overgrown but lean and wiry and just begging for attention. The large 'v' formed by the shirt's edges brought them out even more especially after some of his untamed, ebony tresses went so far as to cove small parts of both his broad shoulder. The vast majority of the soft mane, however, lay over his back covering both the curve of his spine as well as the dents his shoulder blades made in the thin piece of fabric. The base of his thick throat was framed by the open collar of the shirt which then led up to his Adam's apple, well-defined jaw line and somewhat parted lips showing off just a hint of deadly fangs.
He faced her in profile, not two maybe two and a half feet from the edge of the large bed, gaze seemingly far, far away.
"You haven't told me what you wish to see. I need purpose before giving results."
"I have nothing to see. It is not what I want from you." as he spoke he raised his left arm producing something in his out stretched gloved hand. Both the shape and size of the black object surfacing out of swirling darkness resembled that of any card in Elena's possession. The small rectangular box had crimson markings upon it near to the edge, a pattern to match that of grape. Whatever card the sorceress vampire had currently held in her right hand dropped from her fingers and fell to the floor at the sight of it.
" Ah yes, assistanc…" her back broke the contact it had with the headboard as she moved forward, turning her upper body slightly so that her raised right leg moved over the edge of the bed and touched the bare ground one cm next to the discarded card. The male vampire's movements became incredibly slow, as did her own, from the mere sight and presence of said little box. It was as though time itself opposed its existence. And the closer he got, the more intense Elena's breathing became.
"You cannot have that." She whispered in disbelieve standing on both her feet. Alucard stopped half a foot in front of her and presented the offending box.
"I present merely what you have given."
"This is your reason then?" she questions with an ironic upward curl of her lips. "The reason you came into my bed? You dare…" she raised her voice as she took hold of the ebony box and threw it out of the elder vampire's hand so that it crashed against the wall to her right. Her irises bled with justified anger whist their color burned like wildfire.
"I come on behalf of something I need!" he reproached.
Someone….on behalf of someone…He had been so close to saying it and yet uttering that word somehow seemed so utterly wrong: at that time and in that place…in his current state. The long strands of raven hair hid his eyes well and with them the flicker of hurt which had dared to rise to the surface the moment he spared a solitary glance back at the partially nude vampire just before he made the mistake of throwing the thin rectangular piece of cardboard to her.
"Something you need?" she repeated as her anger began to grow. She then chuckled shaking her head twice while readjusting the cord of her silk robe. Her tone somewhat calmed. "Yet you not only come here but to my bed as well. How nice for that someone, real nice..."
"I'll do what needs be done." when he turned to look at her his face no longer held emotions what so ever. "So should you."
"And should I refuse what then? I named my price but that doesn't make the harlot you take me for! You appear bearing nothing but the gift of offence! We parted on terms you would so easily dismiss for something that is someone you don't even care about and a bond that means absolutely nothing to you!."
"You know nothing!" He hissed baring his fangs at the sudden accusation. "Your only concern should be the debt you owe me. I offered you life when only death hanged above your head and now I need it back."
"Then you should have demanded such terms form the beginning! I saw the look in your eyes!"
"You dare refuse?"
"If I did I know enough not take such threats personally."
"You'll learn!"
The auburn vampire never saw him move let alone grab her right wrist and nearly crush it under his fingers while he pressed her back relentlessly hard into the part of the wall above the wooden headboard. He hovered over her in pure, predatory fashion whilst his magma dyed irises swelled and burned with an unnatural glow. There was no trace of patience left within them; a sentiment further enforced by the rumble and vibrations of his chest. She stood facing a monster.
Alucard held her by the front of her throat strangling her windpipe and creating indentations and cracks in the structure of the wall where the latter touched her body. He was in her face, irises alive like a raging fire inferno ripping her skin apart in a manner far worse than his grip did. The darkness he emanated spilled out from the tips of his raven hair surrounding them completely, so dark the ivory white of his flawless skin shone like a lighthouse's beacon caught in a deadly storm. Nothing but his eyes and the gleam of his monstrous fangs shone brighter.
"The same way you'll understand I am not the vampire you once met!" His whispered words through a hoarse voice accompanied the added pressure on her throat. There would be a clear bruise for each one of his fingers and the female would not doubt his threats in the future.
Alucard gazed into her seemingly brave face as if waiting. Then, with no warning, released his hold and backed up two steps. Elena's body fell on its knees then sideways over the two large pillows propped up against the wooden structure she hit her back against during her sudden descent. "I make no more requests." He set that word free in a poisons fashion as though despising its very existence.
"You do not command me!" Elena retaliated baring her own fangs and blazing eyes. She made a gesture to move but reconsidered it in the last possible moment. She sat up bending her knees and pushing her upper body up with her hands so that her back remained parallel to the headboard and her curled autumn colored locks cascaded down the front of her shoulders. She released a strained sigh before touching the front of her throat with her left hand voicing her thoughts out loud.
"After all this time you return merely for the sake of another. Why stoop so low?"
She didn't get the response she hopped for; she got none at all. Alucard just stood there, opposite of her, and watched until the silence between them grew to be unbearable and weighed more than any eternity ever could. Inadvertently, with nothing but his silence, he had answered her.
"It is true then. The eyes of the beast have been tamed." she whispered sarcastically attempting to lower her gaze away from him, but failing to do so. She had to look into his eyes.
"Did you even see me at all? Or was it her you saw and pleased the entire time?"
"I have, yes, but not as you saw me." He crouched to her level but quickly decided against it and sat on the bed instead. He kept his right leg up and bent in front of his chest and moved the left behind it. His right elbow went covered the same knee.
"Ai juat pe existența acelei cărți indeplinirea unei cerinte oricare ar fi ea. Pe lângă asta, viața ta oricum imi aparține."(6)
"Pentru o faptă de mult săvârșită. Ea nu mai este de datoria mea."(7)
"Chiar to ai prezis un astfel de drum, o șanșă la viață intr-o situație fără scăpare. Nu multe se pot întâmpla in viața celor ca noi, insă cele care da au mare semnificație. Ştii asta."(8)
"Nu asta mă deranjează ci faptele tale. Puteai să-mi fi spus de la inceput adevărul."(9)
Elena reached out with her right hand and touched his face. The soft pads of her fingers caress the thin, yet full lines of his lips then broke away pulling a solitary raven lock with them. It slid uninhibited out if her grasp. Afterwards she summoned the discarded box herself. The crimson vines glowed under her touch then disappeared completely as the lid changed into black mist and revealed the carefully guarded card hidden underneath. This one, like her sisters' still spread over the surface of the bed from the vampire loosing control over them, had dark green markings over the black background of its back.
Her voice sounded of pure, genuine amazement when she asked the decisive question after pulling the fable card out of the box. The representation of water in Temperance became blood while the angel's white robe turned black and ripped and his wings featherless, demonic and more like a dragon's than a birds.
"How did one do it?"
"Te rog ajută-mă."(10)Alucard pleaded in a heart retching tone matching the sudden change in his eyes only confirmed it.
Elena stayed quiet and instead of verbally answering him, recalled her cards and stacked them in a neat pile between them. The bright, illuminating rays of the sun came to life on the blank and black face of the first card she drew and presented. The Sun revealed himself upon it. The next two showed a woman wearing a white gown decorated with pomegranates, a crown of stars over her head and a rod in one hand and a man hanged upside down by his right foot with his arms behind his back and his left leg bent so that together with the right they formed the sign of the cross: the Empress and the Hanged Man. The vampire laid all three on the blanket next to the stack.
"The fruit of all labor requires attendance, sacrifice. But to do so…the burden will be hard to be bear, for both of you."
She placed Temperance above them.
"Tell me what you have done; Temperance should not look like this. Nor should it ever top death in reference to power. It is a path not a means." The representation of death followed: a man in black armor riding a pale white horse on a field of desolation and carrying a black flag featuring a white rose. "Unless you tell me the truth I will not do or show you anything else."
"Very well."
Meanwhile, back at the ancient castle, the sole movement betraying the presence of life in centuries was that taking place on a large double bed with a beautiful dark brown to reddish comforter covering the sheets. It was limited to one of the cream colored pillows partially propped against the headboard of the bed and consisted of rapid up and down motion of a tiny fur covered chest and the light, irregular twitch that accompanied it from time to time. During the approximately one hour after the vampire's departures Seras had reverted to her familiar form, the last link of sanity and tie to the former existence she held. And yet, in a strange and unexplained twist of fate that form failed to survive for longer than a few minutes at a time. The long and beautifully elegant shape of the fox's body gradually decreased in size and color. The unique shade of her fur, a pale blond, changed becoming ivory white just as the tips of her ears had always been from the very beginning. The tiny body, curled in a ball, took up the space in the middle of said pillow making a small dent into it.
Knelt on the floor on the right side of the bed was the hooded figure whose right index gently traced the shape of her head stroking one ear at a time before moving onto the next. He did not face her as his head was turned towards one of the uncovered windows in the room; the night sky was getting brighter and brighter as the new day slowly approached.
"I'm sorry for waking you." he spoke in a gentle manner while removing his hand from her head and bringing it up to his mouth where he bit the pad of his thumb drawing small amount of blood. Afterwards he moved it back smearing a little of the crimson liquid over her pristine fur. The substance was absorbed without delay and in a matter of moments the white kitten opened her large, round, bright blue eyes peering at his form. Contact made, they closed and her tiny form began to shift; Seras changed to her human form. Her hair stayed long and golden but her clothes changed to a light blue nightgown with thin straps that reached her knees. She was still on her belly with her arms underneath both her head and pillow and lower body turned towards the right so that her left leg was bent at the knee and under the right that was fully extended. Her half lidded eyes, still blue, shifted color until they turned crimson red as she blinked once, twice and finally a third time. She raised her head a few cm above the pillow.
"They will be here soon. I cannot stay much longer." The boy spoke while standing up and running his hand through her hair. "Perhaps we'll see each other soon."
He offered a small smile bowing his head slightly then made to turn.
"Wait." He heard he golden haired draculina speak just seconds before a hand took hold of the back of his cape and a slender arm wrapped itself around the front of his throat pulling him backwards. He heard the mattress shift under her weight as her head came up behind his left shoulder and her chest pressed against his shoulder blades. There a tremor in her embrace, hardly noticeable, as though moving had been an intense effort on her behalf.
Seras then brought her right arm from around his front up to his face, almost on the verge of touch his lips, when he dematerialized.
I'm sorry…
His voice was left behind in a sincere apology. As it faded, a loud bang as though doors had opened, resonated in the lower level of the castle. The draculina heard it, but could do nothing as the sudden disappearance of the boy left a gap between herself and the floor below that, added to her precarious position over edge the of bed, ended in her loosing her balance and almost falling out of the large bed.
Fortunately, she only just dropped a cm or two from her current position when a far larger body than hers pressed up against her front pushing her back and stopping her fall.
Alucard's long red leather coat touched the floor gathering in a small pile as he sat on the bed beside his mate, his right leg under him and the left dangling over the edge of the bed so that the sole of his boot maintained sole contact with the floor. He held a sideways position to the headboard which allowed his legs to be spread apart as to accommodate Seras's presence between his thighs. Both his arm wrapped themselves around her waist and back pulling her against his chest in a comfortable position; her head fit perfectly in the space between his right shoulder and neck as he moved his gloveless hands over her heated skin in slow, shooting strokes.
"I am here little one."
The girl wastes little time in molding her body against his. Her arms move under his and grip the fabric of his red coat as strongly as they can while her head, safely buried between his jaw and right shoulder, began to nuzzle his flesh affectionately. She made no sound whatsoever as the vampire rests the right side of his head against her temple and slightly turns it so that, when his eyes reopened, they could easily gaze upon the silhouette of their guest. Elena stood not five feet away wearing a beautiful orange gown with a 'v' shaped cleavage, the shade of elder leaves in the fall, accentuated by a long cream shall over both her shoulders and a choker with a handmade Cameo in the middle. Her auburn locks were neatly up in a roman style bun and decorated with pearls to match those in her ears and around her the left wrist. A touch of makeup brought her natural pale beauty while the red of lips made them look fuller than they already were, her left hand lay motionless by her side and her right grasped a part of the shall over her right breast.
Shifting in his embrace as his eyes are busy beholding a goddess like creature, Seras bit down on his throat with very little force. She didn't break the outermost layer of his skin let alone the vessels underneath.
"Seras…" he seeks her attention by placing his right hand over the back of her head stroking her silky locks and moving his throat from her teeth.
"Let her feed. It will make things easier."
Elena tells him with a gentle smile gracing her lips.
[Wastefulness doesn't become you and it's obvious she needs you badly. Death should be a kindness you fool, don't take that from her should her path take her there.]
/She will not die!/
The vampire responds in kind, his tone incredibly confident and undeterred.
"Then let it be over and done with." She says just as coldly and turns from them in a gesture meant to offer one final moment of solace. Still, she looks back over her shoulder one final time so that their image returns to the corner of her left eye. "I don't mind waiting longer but if you wish this done it must happen before the sun touches her. Every second counts, I am sorry." A hint of regret eventually enters lining her words at the sadness of the scene before her old eyes.
There is no warning to the immediate smell of fresh blood suddenly filling the room. Seras whimpers while moving away for Alucard's throat as crimson spills from her mouth and drips over the skin of her thighs. The scent it carried was completely of and nothing like the normal, mouthwatering and delicious fragrance it usually held. Her teeth clenched behind her barely parted lips as her hands lowered from his shoulder blades and took hold of his sides instead.
Elena's pupils dilated as the smell reached her despite the abnormal aroma lingering in the air. The scent had remained incredibly strong and potent and her fangs outgrew her bottom lip in seconds responding in kind. Her entire body started to crave it with an unnatural desire, so much in fact, it took a great deal of resolution on her part not to turn around and attack the younger vampire.
She exhales deeply attempting to calm her reaction but fails miserably as the aroma only got stronger the moment she inhaled it in once more. She was forced to gasp loudly, grip her sides and call the ancient vampire's name loud enough for the confused draculina to understand it as well. Her voice held adequate warning given the circumstances.
"Vlad!"
Seras instantly reacted at the sound of her lover's name on another lips. She attempted to raise her head and find the source, but was stopped by Alucard cupping her face as sealing their lips together. He expertly used them to open her mouth and let some his blood flow into her. The exchange of blood between them altered the room's fragrance so much Elena had to shut her eyes completely and place her right hand over her mouth to stop herself from doing something reckless and dangerous. What on earth had he done to that girl? She could not help wonder the nature of the circumstances which led that child in the arms of such a unique, for lack of a better word, vampire. The count's blood had always been deadly in not just scent alone. Good God how she longed for a taste of that blood. The whimper passed her lips with no warning while the craving just go stronger when she heard a similar noise from the young blond woman held in his strong embrace. An embrace she had once been intimately familiar with.
As the vampire breaks the kiss a trickle of crimson liquid as thin as the thread of a spider's web spreads between both their stained lips seconds prior to Seras's head falling backwards and her body completely at the mercy of his hands holding her up. He cleaned the blood from her lips with tender, gentle caresses and a low, passionate rhythm to which she weakly responded kissing him back. She opened her sleepy eyes, glazy orbs once so full of life, stared weakly into the soul robbing blazing twins of the elder and smiled lovingly to the best of her abilities.
"Inchide ochii."(11)Alucard asks of her with such kindness it succeeded in shocking the other resident vampire. The depth of voice released a sensual tone further accentuated by the natural flow of his words spoke in his native tongue. He leaned in once more capturing her lips in tender kiss as his left hand trailed over her smooth skin until it reached her right cheek where it lingered for the entire duration of the kiss. His long fingers moved to brush some of her golden hair behind her ears then back over the length of her cheekbones as he pulled away. Once done he used his right hand to grab hold of the intricate knot of his crimson cravat and undid it with a single gesture.
"Te rog."(12) He adds, no, pleads unlike ever before in the six centuries he'd walked the earth, four of which spent in his homeland. It went beyond that of a man of his station: a leader of thousands, a Count who bows to no one and an undead monster whose sole existence consisted in blood, gore and death. A man who did not plea for the things he desired but took them as he saw fit. And yet there he was, pleading to a mere child hardly in her twenties as a human and barely a creature of the night by vampire standards. It all happened in the same way that card was never meant to be drawn or seen by living eyes when referred to the most feared man, vampire, of them all.
In a strange twist of fate that simple sentence ended up confirming the auburn vampire's declaration. She had been right, so right, regarding his eyes. The hellish fire spawned inside the monster's soul had indeed found purpose, new accommodation and new meaning. It burned for a different master.
"Vreau acasă." (13)Seras whispered in response.
"Ești."(14)
The draculina shuts her eyelids obedient to his whishes as he offers a final chaste kiss on her forehead. Her own lips parted allowing her to plant an open mouth kiss just over his Adam's apple causing it to bob down in response. Seeing her comply Alucard placed his cravat over her eyes, the soft fabric caressing her skin gently and filling her nose with his reassuring scent, and tied it behind her head.
"Vlad." Elena called his name bringing his attention back to the task at hand. She stood at the foot of the bed and faced them while holding her right arm up and bent at the elbow in front of her. She did not need to tell him again.
"Goodbye little one."
Alucard whispered right before Elena spread the fingers of her right hand making two different shaped and colored seals to appear on either side of her body and a third one, the smallest, in front of her. The first to leave her side were the two larger ones. They shifted into small yellow balls of light which then flew across the room and latched themselves onto Seras's wrists. They took the form of white metal shackles.
"You take great risk Vlad." She warned. "The shackles will irreversibly burn her skin should she attempt to leave the grounds of this castle. The pain will be great."
"See it done. That is your only task."
"As you wish." She sighed dispatching the last seal as well; it latched itself in the middle of the young vampire's chest and brought an immediate end to the unexplained flow of blood from her body. The very last crimson trickle to escape the right corner of her mouth was licked by the vampire away before he gently lowered her onto the surface of the bed and covered her flesh with the soft, light grey blanket hidden underneath the reddish brown comforter.
"She'll need a coffin and the soil of her birth for protection. But keep well in mind," she took a breath before speaking further. "You have forcefully embedded her life-force within these walls through not only what you did to her, but what you had me do as well. She'll outgrow this place sooner than you think. Do not, and I mean it, do not push aside that part of her existence as a vampire. Whatever coffin you may have already chosen for her cannot be without the original soil she first bled on."
"It has been arranged." The tone of his voice became annoyed at her persistent insinuation that he didn't know what he was doing.
"I am not saying this for your benefit!" Elena raised her voice in cause of the unconscious woman resting in the bed. She moved around the foot of the bed placing her left hand on the wooden board as she did so. "When I say she does not leave I mean it to the utmost extent. And when I say to keep her origins intact it will be done as such. You cannot be so ignorant as to willingly want to cause this sort of damage to a child such as her? Do not take the bond you share for granted when it has already been stretched to the limit. It won't survive such recklessness and selfish wants."
"I am not being selfish."
"You are by not letting me finish." She was taking risks with the way she was speaking especially when his gazed upon her held such unnatural promises. Yet the advantage of a prior relationship and a good number of years together, gave her the security and neutrality she required to see her words to an end. "You leave; she stays that is the deal. Your guardianship will pass to whomever you have chosen to watch over her until she gets better. The mark on her chest will offer her protection as long as remains within the boundaries of this sanctuary. Death will follow its removal regardless of how well she might recover. I cannot see any way surviving it, I'm sorry. The only chance she has is one she makes by herself in either death or life. Should you ever ask her life for yours and she accepts…"
"I will not."
"Should you, for the sake of argument," she continued regardless. "No power on earth will save her."
"You think me a fool?" he shouted standing from the bed and walking up to her. "I am risking my freedom to save her. It should tell you something."
"You don't feel love Vlad." She said it as a jest. "You can't tell me such thoughts see change in the span of a few years and a pretty face with golden hair."
Alucard leaned in close allowing his face to hover cm above hers. His tone became sarcastic. "You've already seen it, so why not tell me? Or have your cards finally betrayed you?"
Elena chuckled. "I think not."
"The do not presume things beyond reasonable comprehension." he paused finding his words. "It's hard…turning from something so pure. Why else would your very first card about her be that of the Sun? The most revered of them all."
"You've never desired the Sun Vlad. You have always been a Tower and the Fool seeking it more than anything else."
"Yet I have now, do I not? We may do as we must, but we also take what we get. Her life was once on offer and I merely took it. Since then I've had just one regret from doing so, yet that too has been a path I have successfully steered the both of us from."
"Then this is yours as well, truly yours?" she summoned the card in question but was no longer surprised to see it between her fingers: Temperance. It still held its unique appearance. Elena whispered sharing one last piece of wisdom with the elder vampire. "Many things can yet go wrong. I have yet to fully understand the circumstance of her future acceptance. She will give her life to save you, that much I have seen and you will be the one to ask such a thing of her. And it is that which you're not telling that holds the veil of darkness over my eyes."
"A burden you must live with." He responded coldly and without hint of emotion.
"Why do you do this?" she asks stopping him from leaving her side as attempts to do so. "Display such raw emotion then turn from it as though it were worthless? Love isn't shameful. Loving someone and showing it more so."
The raven haired vampire chuckled and grinned widely showing off his teeth. His expression became amused, almost playful as his lips quite tenderly brushed against hers in a very light kiss.
"Ah, but by your own admission, I do not feel love, do I? Something as fleeting as that holds little merit."
He then pulled away and walked passed her without another word.
"Why do you desire salvation for her so dearly? You saved me for far less and now your own actions contradict everything you're vainly attempting to tell me. You're trying to convince me to pay heed to my ears and not my eyes when in fact I consider both worthless at this point."
"Then there is nothing further to discus. I have asked something and you have delivered. All I still require from you is to return here when I leave tomorrow night, that is all. Anything else other than that is irrelevant. It is the only path I can walk upon and I will do so without regret."
"And without forgiveness."
"We rise in the fall of others. Seras will rise in mine."
Elena sighed taking a moment to find the right words and not those she would have wanted to say. She shuts her eyes for but a second or two after and reopens them displaying a most serious gaze.
"Then may the cards grant you the wisdom they have not shown me. You aspire to dangerous things. However, it is not my place judge her decisions regarding you. We are agreed."
Snapping her fingers the seal in the middle of Seras's chest faded and was absorbed into her flesh.
.
.
.
"You are sure there's nothing more wrong with her?"
Integra could hear both Walter and the doctor's voices through the partially opened door of the room she rested in pretending to be asleep. It had not taken the teen long to fetch the doctor despite their rather intense quarrel and she had had little choice afterwards. Both of them had escorted her to the small clinic located in the east side of the ground floor and once she'd been examined and tended too, Walter left without a word whatsoever. That was, however, until she heard him speak to the doctor. Regardless of what she'd said to him and the manner in which she'd done in, his tone still retained concern for her well being; and of course, for that of their child.
"The nurse will monitor her condition throughout the night, but she's stable and the bleeding stopped well before you came to fetch me. She should be alright providing she stays in bed and undergoes no stressful situations."
"She told me she bled before."
"That's true. But as she's told her condition there not much that can be done to prevent recurring episodes. She needs rest and not strenuous activities. Never the less, we stabilized her there is no immediate concern to either her or the little girl."
As he spoke the doctor failed to notice the slight twitch in Walter's left eyes at the mention of 'the little girl'. He continued without giving it a second thought especially when the child's own father made no further inquiry after he'd said it; he assumed the young man had already known.
"Thank you." Walter replied gratefully. "It's best we let her rest then."
"There is no need to worry. I'll be here all night should anything happen."
The former angel nodded before taking his leave. The doctor went to check on his patient one final time then retired to his office.
Integra waited for well over a half hour afterwards prior to deciding to see the deed through. She got out of bed taking the journal, hidden under her pillow, with her, and pushed the curtains aside to let some of the outside light enter. She opened her ancestor's diary, took the small razor concealed between its pages and used it cut along the length of her index finger. Her blood dripped staining the same page marred with the imprisoning seal and, once her first task was completed, she moved her finger away from the booklet and drew a circle around herself whilst kneeling down. Her lips began to form silent words which in turn made the ancient drawing glow and rise from the page before spreading around her so that she was situated in the very middle of the pentagram; that itself within a double circle. The more she continued to form words, the more new symbols began appeared one after another on the outer rim of the first circle.
Unfortunately, about three quarters in completing the ritual, she stopped abruptly as sharp pain gripped her stomach. Her left hand went to it feeling the baby's kicking increase in the same rhythm of the pain she felt.
Do you truly desire death Integra Hellsing?
Alucard's words came haunting back as another rune appeared by itself without her having uttered the necessary words. The sensation got so bad Integra had to let out a pained gasp, drop the journal and use her hand to steady herself instead of further holding it. She lowered herself in a seated position as best as she could, but the sensation was something she'd never encountered before in her life. It felt as though something was tearing her in two.
The moment you bind me the blood I gave will be rejected…rejected to the point of killing you…
She barely had a moment to look up and see the last of the symbols appear completing the circle before the entire thing disappeared in a burst of red light and she screamed alerting everyone in the infirmary.
Wetness pooled at her feet and the iron infused scent of blood reached her nose.
It will die…it will die….
It was so hard to keep her eyes open and focused any longer; the floor felt so utterly cold against her cheek and she could not even remember going down. Her sole comfort was that, just as she was on the verge of loosing consciousness, a warm hand made it all disappear: her head was cradled in the warm and protective embrace of a dark shirt. Something made out of metal pressed into her side as another hand raised her in the process. She did not see the arms holding her, but felt the touch of distinctive metal rings sown into the black fabric of Walter's fingerless gloves.
He screamed, most likely calling for the doctor, but the knight passed out never hearing it.
.
.
To be continued...
Translations:
1. Do you recall a lesson you once learned with me?
2. Lesson?
3. It's possible that some of the things you'll see will cause you harm. It's important you remember how to conquer that which you fear, what hurts. Your own fear.
4. And if I can't?
5. Then I'll show you how once more.
6. You swore on the existence of this card the fulfillment of one wish regardless of what it may be. And besides that, your life already belongs to me.
7. For a deed long since fulfilled. That is no longer a requirement.
8. You yourself where the one to predict such a path, a chance at life in a impossible situation. Not a lot can happen in the life of those such as us, yet those that do have unmistakable value. You know this.
9. That is not what bothers me, but your actions. You could have just told me the truth from the beginning.
10. Please help me.
11. Close your eyes.
12. Please.
13. I want to go home.
14. You are home.
Until next time, shadow out.
p.s. after all this time I would really appreciate your review, as small as it may be.
