Sacrifice
The doors would only last at most ten minutes. I knew I should have planned the defense of the castle when I had the chance, but now was not the time for regrets. We had to come with a strategy, a good one in a very short amount of time.
"Marcus," I said, "take three fourths of the new Guard and attack them from the side. You'll need numbers since our talents are useless against wolves. Aro, take the rest of them and half of our existing Guard and ambush them from behind." The commander in me immediately took control and before I knew it I was ordering everyone around.
"And you?" Aro asked, "Can you protect the inside with only half the Guard?"
"If you two do your job efficiently then there should be no problem," I said. Aro nodded, and then left, along with Marcus. I waited with half the Guard behind the doors, and before long we could hear Marcus's attack from the intruders on the side, and shortly after that, Aro attacking the wolves from behind. Even so, there were enough wolves to get past them and break down the door.
There, they were met with a lovely reception of me and the rest of the Guard. So, while the battle took awhile to end, due to the difficult nature of killing werewolves, our numbers barely suffered. What did suffer, however, was the entire front of the castle which was completely destroyed. We took account of all the Guard and found that we had only five casualties…all new members of the Guard so the loss wasn't quite so important.
We repaired what we could, but mainly were just waiting. We didn't call our wives back in case a second wave of attacks would come. Marcus helped put together a few vampires; Aro was gleaning information from one wolf he saved for that very purpose. I simply lectured the Guard on what had happened, what they had done well, and bad, but overall congratulating them. I knew firsthand how hard werewolves were to fight.
It was obvious that even though we were preoccupied, Aro, Marcus, and I thought about where I wives currently were. That question was answered soon enough when we heard the door to the back entrance fly off and two pairs of feet running at inhuman speeds down the hall. More disturbing, was the fact that one of them was screaming, rather loudly.
I left the group of vampires I was talking to and ran out to the hall. There I was met by Didyme, Sulpicia, and in a way, Athena. Aro and Marcus were quick to join us and as soon as they saw what lie before them they stepped back. I probably would have too, except it was my wife who it had happened to.
Didyme was holding Athena who was writhing in pain. It looked like a bloodbath of the worst kind.
"What happened?" I asked, not looking away from her.
"We were ambushed," Sulpicia said, answering my question but speaking to Aro. "We ran, but were slowed by carrying her, so the wolves caught up quickly."
"We couldn't do anything," Didyme murmured quietly. "And they knew, they knew all about her, her humanity, who she was mated to…" Though I listened to what Didyme said, it all seemed to blend together into a buzzing noise. Marcus finally stepped forward, analyzing Athena with me.
"Her wounds look worse than they actually are," he said. Athena was completely unconscious, I guessed from pain. Her wounds still oozed fresh blood, which under any other circumstances would have made me go crazy, but I was too concerned about her well-being to care. She had gruesome scratches on her right cheek, and several deep cuts on her stomach, legs and arms. There was blood…everywhere, smeared all over. I was surprised she was even alive…it didn't look like it.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, bowing my head to hers, knowing she couldn't hear.
"I don't understand," Marcus furrowed his brow, placing to fingers on Athena's wrist. I looked at him questioningly, but he was too concentrated to notice. "What is keeping her alive?" he asked himself. So much for the wounds being 'better than they looked'. If she should be dead that definitely didn't calm me. Venom oozed in my mouth, ready to be used to change her if the situation called for it.
Marcus was still examining her when suddenly, out of nowhere, her eyes flew open and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her glassy eyes held mine for less than a second before she collapsed back into silence while writhing in pain. I held her cold hand in mine, infuriated at how long Marcus was taking, yet grateful that he actually was checking.
"Oh no," Marcus gasped, interrupting my thoughts.
"What?" I asked.
"You need to change her. Right now." He picked her up and put her in my arms.
"What is it?" I asked. In response, he simply pointed to her left shoulder, where it seemed the most gruesome injury was. Her blood seemed to bubble and boil there, and the skin surrounding the wound was an assortment of colors; pale white, green, purple, black, red, clammy yellow. But I knew what this meant, one of the wolves that had ambushed them had bitten her. That dog had bitten my Athena.
Then and there, just before leaning over to bite her, I made a vow to exterminate the entire werewolf species for what they had done to Athena. Then I easily bit through the thin, fragile, membrane of her skin, and tasted her sweet, but contaminated blood under. I suppose the werewolf's poisonous saliva that was killing her helped me not to be lured into the temptation of sucking her dry.
After putting my venom in her neck, I bit her in her wrists, and ankles. I hated myself for adding more wounds to her already torn and broken body. At the same time, I anticipated her changing so that at last we could be together. However, as her screams grew louder and her thrashing more violent, I hated myself for wanting to bring this pain upon her for my own selfish desires.
I left Marcus, Didyme, Sulpicia, and Aro as I took Athena to my room. I laid her out on my new bed, a wonderful first time to be used if I may say, and then sat down beside her.
I whispered comforting things in her ear, yet apparently I had no calming effect, she was going through the changing process like every other newborn. Except for her, the pain was even more intensified because she had two poisons in her. The werewolf one killing her, while the vampire one would first stop the werewolf one, and then kill her. No matter how many times I said I was sorry, I couldn't forgive myself for subjecting her to this.
For three days I didn't leave her side, until in the middle of the afternoon, on the fourth day, she sat up and looked over at me.
She was beautiful.
I had cleaned her up with a wet towel on the second day, not only so she would 'wake up' fresh, but because I knew inside, it felt like it was a raging wildfire. Sulpicia brought in some of her clothes and helped me get a violently thrashing newborn get in them. So know, she was the very image and likeness of a goddess, though perhaps not the one her name suggested, but more like Aphrodite.
I was absolutely speechless as to what I should say to her, so I smiled, hoping she would be the one to break the silence.
"Good afternoon," she said. She had the voice of an angel; it complimented her beauty with its melodic, hypnotic, yet attractively womanly grip it had.
"Hi," I said, at the moment not having enough IQ to say anything nicer; I was absolutely dumbstruck. "How are you?"
"Good," she glanced down at herself, "and you?"
"Speechless, well I was worried, and then well you're okay and…" I spoke much to quickly because I was nervous her this new Athena. "Sorry," I slowed down, calming myself,"Are you okay?" she asked, teasing me now.
"I can't form coherent sentences when you're around," I said truthfully. She laughed, and I lost my train of thought again, loosing myself in her musical voice. "Sorry," I apologized again, "but really, you went through probably the most painful thing you'll ever go through and you're worried about me."
"I'm fine," she reassured, "though, I suppose I'm rather thirsty but I'm not paying attention to that right now."
"We can go eat if it gets to unbearable. Tell me and I'll go with you. Just so you know, after what happened I won't be leaving you alone in awhile." I meant every word I said.
"I have no problem with that," she said evenly, though I could tell she was trying not to smile. "Really, I'm just distracted from my thirst."
"Distracted by what?" I asked.
"You," she murmured.
"Well, I feel so special," I shrugged, going along with her.
"Can I try something?" she asked, eyeing me with a semi-seductive expression.
"That'll come later," I said, "right now, your priority is not hurting me."
"I wasn't asking for that," she laughed, "but something else."
"Okay," I nodded, "do what you want."
"Thank you," she said, and smiled. Then she leaned closer to me and I suddenly realized what she wanted to try. She knew I wasn't quite doing everything I could when she was human so I guess this would be a test kiss.
She curled her arm around my neck and gently placed her lips on mine. She murmured something that faded into nothingness as I kissed her back, taking advantage of the fact that I didn't have to restrain myself at all. She didn't either, because she was almost…hurting me. To my surprise, she was the one to end our kiss and pull away.
"Wow, I really have been missing out," she said.
"You have no idea," I agreed, standing up and taking her hand in mine, forcing her to get up with me. "Ready for your first hunt?" I asked. She nodded and walked with me down the hall until we met up with Aro, Marcus, Didyme, and Sulpicia. Upon Aro moving forward to greet Athena and I, the two small children behind them became visible.
"Hello Jane," I greeted her, "Alec."
"Hello Caius," she and her brother said at the same time.
"Hunting?" I asked.
"Yes," Sulpicia answered. "Want to come with us?"
"No," I said, I didn't want Athena's first time to be a communal event. She squeezed my hand in gratitude and I couldn't help but smile a little.
"Well, good luck," Didyme said wryly.
"Same," I said, and I left relieved that we wouldn't have to go with them. Athena and I left through the back entrance to the castle and ran through the forest surrounding Volterra.
"I just realized something," Athena murmured.
"What?" I asked.
"For once, I can run alongside you, not in your arms," she said. "I don't know which I prefer." I laughed and simply kept on running while thinking which I preferred. Halfway through the forest I stopped her.
"You won't be able to stand the scent of human blood in a city," I said kindly, "I'll bring back something for you."
"If you say so," she sighed, and leaned back against a tree. I took that opportunity to kiss her and tell her I love her. After that I ran to the city and tried to find the sweetest scent to make this more pleasant for her. Two children were playing in a dark, desolate alley and were positively mouthwatering. Before they noticed anything, I took them in my arms and ran back to where I had left Athena. I placed the young girl in front of her while I drank from the boy.
"Mamma?" the girl asked terrified, staring with wide blue eyes at Athena. Athena's face crumpled and she turned to me for comfort.
"I can't," she murmured, "I can't take her life."
"It's what we do," I said, "We need their blood to live."
"There's no other alternative?" she asked, hopeful.
"There is animal blood," I said, disgusted at the very thought.
"We can live off that?" she asked.
"I wouldn't call it living," I muttered, still repulsed. Then, the girl began to cry; loud, wet sobs that broke Athena's heart. Athena took the girl in her arms and calmed the girl down until she stopped crying.
"Shhh," Athena cooed to the girl, "it's alright." I scoffed, that girl already had seen too much, she would die, if not by my or Athena's hands, but by Aro's. Then, Athena cuddled with the girl, cradling her until the girl's neck was right by her lips. I thought Athena had finally given in and decided to drink human blood, but to my surprise, when she kissed the girl's neck, it was a kiss of death, one that would seal the girl's fate for eternity. Why? Because Athena hadn't begun to drink her blood, but just injected a teensy bit of venom to change the girl.
"Are you crazy?" I asked, throwing the child out of Athena's arms.
"I want her," Athena murmured.
"That's impossible," I hissed, "she's just a child, she'll be wild and reckless."
"I think there are enough members in our coven to control her," she said.
"She'll be stuck in that form forever," I said, "She'll never grow physically into a woman, she'll want things she can never have. She'll never be able to love…capably as just a girl."
"What about the child you changed the day you left me in Volterra?" she asked, "Jane, I think was her name."
"I changed her because Aro wanted it so," I confessed, "I didn't want to change her, or her twin, they will be eternal children, never able to be taken seriously as adults even though their minds will be mature."
"Please," Athena begged, "Please?" She stared at me with her wide crimson red eyes and beautiful face and my resistance disintegrated.
"How can you possible expect me to refuse you when you plead with me like that?" I asked, closing my eyes to try to think without her face looming in front of me.
"Don't refuse," she said simply. I opened my eyes again, but this time stared at the six year old girl whose life had been cut short.
"If Aro demands her presence gone," I said, "I won't fight him."
"So does that mean she can stay?" Athena asked, overjoyed.
"By my part, I can't believe I'm saying this," I sighed, "yes."
"Thank you," Athena said, smiling and ran to me, giving me a tight embrace. She kissed me all over before I, using every ounce of strength I had, made her stop.
"I think this might be a little obscene for such young eyes," I said motioning to the girl who was looking at us with confused yet curious eyes. Athena laughed and moved away from me.
"You're right," she said, "I suppose we'll have to watch ourselves more carefully around our daughter."
"Our daughter?!" I screeched.
"Why, yes," Athena giggled, "are you afraid of being a father?"
"Not afraid," I contradicted, "it's just a…shock. I'm surprised; I don't think I'd make a good father."
"Don't worry, love," Athena whispered, "you have forever to work on that." I laughed, realizing that I was practically getting lectured on vampirism by a newborn; the irony was just too much.
"I suppose," I muttered. Athena went over and picked up the child that had been thrown on the forest floor and then looked up at me, smiling.
"So, have you thought of a name?"