Chapter 9
Reno . . . let him go. . .
What the hell? The vampire released his hold on Vincent, letting the figure collapse against the stone wall. Turning around, he saw a figure standing in the doorway. A blonde woman with ripped-up and dark red stained clothes slowly stepped inside, her look turned more towards the wooden floor than the flowers ahead of her. She stopped, pulling her eyes to match his gaze. Reno felt his throat go dry as he took a small step backwards. This can't be happening . . .
What the hell do you think, Reno? She stopped, placing her hand against one of the pews to steady herself. As she fell, the vampire caught her before she fell to the floor. Her head fell against his shoulder, her red eyes closing for a moment. Reno swallowed hard, trying to suppress his shock.
"Elena, what are you doing here?" He noted differences in her appearance, ranging from pale skin to bright red eyes.
"I-I was looking for you." Elena winced, grasping his shirt collar. ". . . Ts-Tseng . . . he wants-"
"He wants me dead, along with the other vampires." She gave Reno a saddened nod, shutting her eyes. "What else does Tseng want?"
Her voice came out as a faint whisper. "I-I don't know . . ."
"Are you sure of this?" Tseng nodded, holding back a curse. Things were getting worse. Someone had to take the dead-weight blame. Usually, that blame fell on the Turks until it suffocated the life out of them. "I will not have rogue vampires scouring through Edge and the rest of this damn Planet!"
"I understand that, sir." He glanced at Rude, who nodded in agreement. "We both understand that."
The blonde president shook his head, leaning back in his desk chair. "Look, the main concern I have is that stirring up the public or letting more rumors leak out of this corporation will result in mass hysteria."
"Sir, all the rumors, old or new, have been eliminated by any means necessary," Tseng responded. By elimination, he meant 'crushed under foot and toe' through anything the lab techies and both he and Rude came up with. "There is a slight problem regarding one of the missing members of the Turks."
"By missing members, you mean Elena Starling?"
The dark haired man nodded. "She was reported dead in the file, but I have updated information that she may still be alive." Rude shot Tseng a stunned look, if the sunglasses were not covering his eyes. He was used to reading the bald Turk's glances through the shades.
"Alive?" Rufus cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"
"To put it frankly, sir, she's one of them."
Vincent handed the redhead a thick blanket. "So, she's been alive all this time."
"And I would've known that how?!" Reno snapped, draping the blanket around Elena, who held it with one hand around her. "It just doesn't make any damn sense." He shook his head, feeling her hand grasp his. "How the hell can 'Lena still be alive and breathing?"
"You didn't kill her in the first place." The dark red-cloaked man searched his pockets for two round vials of bright cerulean liquid.
"Valentine, I killed her at the Shinra mansion. I remember every last detail, from entering the room to leaving out an open window without any guilt of my actions." Reno sighed shaking his head. "A moment earlier, she walked down that aisle"- he pointed at the open wooden church doors - "and nearly collapsed." The pale blonde glanced at the red haired vampire, clinging to his arm. Vincent held back a small chuckle. Reno scowled irritatedly. Elena simply shut her eyes, sighing. "And she won't let go of me."
"You turned her into a vampire, Reno. Because of it, she's not going to leave your side until you've given her a taste of your blood."
Reno scoffed. "And how am I supposed to-" Vincent drew a deep laceration across the redhead's forearm.
"Oww!! What the hell are you-" A drop of blood fell from his arm, dripping onto Elena's cheek. She wiped the red bead with her finger and dabbed it on her tongue, then glanced at the red lines running down the vampire's arm.
"It'll heal on its own, Reno." Vincent shook his head, stood up, and started searching for where he left his weapon. The blonde vampire elbowed Reno in the ribs, earning a scowl from him. Elena, shaking her head, grabbed his arm, and sank her fangs into the laceration.
Elena, do me a favor and don't hang on for too long. The last thing I need is you drinking my blood. Reno sighed, glancing after Vincent. What do you suppose Valentine was searching for/i
I know as much as you about what the hell has happened so far. Elena pulled away, licking her lips. Reno pressed two fingers against the healing cut, feeling a little drained. "Ya satisfied, "Lena?" She nodded.
Ya know, you could've asked me first.
