Chapter 12: "My Sweet Prince"
Octas bite did barely hurt, and when the poison spread through her, it felt like she had been doused with cold water.
Now Gillian could not move, and the light went out.
She heard nothing, and it was almost as if she had fallen asleep, but then she felt a sharp pain in her arms and legs and she wanted to move, but was as set in stone.
But that was still bearable compared to the pain that followed.
Again she felt her precious blood being sucked out of her, but this time she could do nothing to defend herself against it.
All of her senses screamed at her, that she was in great danger, that she would die if she looses more blood. But she was unable to even lift a finger, or open her eyes.
She was dizzy and the pain degenerated into a throbbing beat.
She felt very light and very cold now.
This is dying, thought Gillian.
It was not that hard.
In the impenetrable darkness around her, there was nothing to perceive.
Gillian had always felt good in darkness and shadows. Even as a young child she had never been afraid of the dark, but on the contrary, always insisted that all the light was turned off, when she wanted to go to bed. And later as a teenager, she had longed for the dawn every day and when it was dark, she had always felt much freer and more confident.
And Larten had taken her in the circus, after he had discovered her extraordinary ability to collect shadows around her. For Gillian it was, as if darkness was matter, not merely the absence of light, but an element, like fire or water, and she could gather it around her or send it away.
Now, as she lay there in complete darkness, it was as if the shadows were her friends, even when there was nothing what she could see or do: The shadows still obeyed her.
They gathered around and covered her, and filled the emptiness inside her, that was created when all her blood was gone.
Gillian was filled with darkness, and as her last drop of blood left her, shadows flowed through her veins, darkness through her arteries and night through all her nerves.
It was a high feeling.
And someone still sucked, was striving to squeeze even the last drop from her. And her friends, the shadows, whispered to her, that they would be absorbed, and thus kill the attacker, if she wishes so.
Gillian saw in her minds eye the attacker Murlough, how he hung at her throat, and she bathed in disgust and hatred at the thought that he only touched her. And yes, she wanted Murloughs death.
Suck on, just drink my hatred and my blackness, suffocate by my darkness ...
For a moment Gillian gave in to this illusion, when suddenly an image flashed into her mind: Lartens red hair hovered over her, and his scarred face looked sad and worried.
Larten.
Then the understanding flashed through her: Not Murlough was the one hanging at her throat, it was Larten!
NO!, Gillian screamed inwardly, and ordered back all the shadows.
Reluctantly, the darkness broke away from her, whispered to her that she would die if she did not allow that they killed the attacker.
No, don`t, let him, back away.
Then you will die.
I trust him.
You die.
Then it should be.
Larten Crepsley sucked strong at the throat of his student, spat out every time a gush of blood on the carpet and went on.
The frail woman did not move, because she was paralyzed from Octas poison. He could taste both the poison and the bad blood of the vampaneze Murlough in her veins.
He tried hard to clean her body of both of it.
Her condition was now critical: Her heart and breathing were standing still, and there was hardly a drop of vampire blood in her, that kept her alive.
Larten stopped.
It was enough.
If he took more, she would die.
In fact, she was already dead at this moment, and Larten prayed that what he was doing now, would bring her back.
He reached a hand into an inside pocket of his jacket and conjured up a small vial with a green liquid: Octas antidote.
With one hand he uncorked the vial with the other he felt for the dagger.
He put the antidote to his lips and threw his head back.
He drank the liquid in one gulp, while he made a deep cut on his own wrist with the dagger.
He had no time to lose.
Gillian's heart stood still, and every second could be too late.
While he felt the antidote running down his throat, he put his sliced wrist at Gillian's mouth and let blood drop into her.
He lifted his other wrist to his own mouth, slit it open with his sharp teeth and put it on the still open wound at Gillian's throat.
I should have closed her wounds first, he thought, and quickly tried to lick the cuts on her arms and legs.
He did flit in order to get everything done at once, and still had the feeling of being too slow.
When her wounds were closed, he pressed his bleeding wrist to her neck and took Gillian, who was as light as a feather, in his arms.
Then he pressed the second wrist to her mouth and prayed her to gulp. Drink!
But Gillian was not moving.
The curtain of the entrance was pushed aside and offered a gruesome sight to Darren Shan.
His master vampire Larten Crepsley was sitting on the floor, the carpet had been soaked in a puddle of blood.
In his arms he held the snow-white Gillian, who was limp and her head hang powerless to the side.
From a deep cut on his left wrist Mr Crepsley's blood was running into her mouth.
But the worst was the face of the vampire: he was pale and had deep shadows under his eyes.
Darren had never seen him so desperate and helpless.
As the vampire discovered Darren in the entrance, he became restless.
He started to rock the lifeless woman in his arm, and whispered pleadingly: "You have to drink. Drink, Gillian. Please!"
Darren heart twisted.
It was unbearable to see how much Mr. Crepsley was suffering.
But it was obvious that Gillian was dead.
Then Gillian took a deep swig.
Both the half-vampire and his master stared at the throat of the woman who was moving again, and greedily absorbed the liquid, which flowed into her.
Excited the vampire pressed his hand firmly on her mouth, as she opened her eyes.
Mr Crepsley held Gillian like a baby and beamed at her, while she sucked greedily on his wrist.
She made strong swigs and Larten noticed, that he was very hungry himself.
His gaze fell on Darren.
He nodded his head to the closet. "Darren. Bring me blood."
Darren stared at him, startled, and the vampire had to ask him growlingly a second time. Only then Darren did react.
He quickly stumbled over to the little cupboard and threw open the doors. This kept blood bags in a small refrigerator, and Darren took out some.
He tried to remember what Gillian had taught him what to be done to ensure that the blood did not congeal. He reached for a glass carafe with sweaty fingers and tried to open the lock.
Behind him Gillian made terrible smacking and sucking noises and Mr Crepsley moaned.
Forget the carafe, Darren scolded himself, took several blood bags under his arm and ran back to Mr Crepsley.
He knelt beside the vampire, holding out a pack.
He took them quickly from his hand and tore it open with his teeth. He emptied the bag in one gulp and then tossed it carelessly behind him.
Gillian looked at him with big dark eyes.
Suddenly she gave a growl like a wild beast and jumped. She pushed Mr Crepsley to the ground and drove her teeth into his throat.
She bit tight.
The vampire put one hand into her neck and grabbed.
He hesitated.
He gritted his teeth and told Darren: "Darren. Go, get more blood. " And when the halfvampire did not react: "Go!"
Darren hastily retreated and ran away.
Relieved to know his assistant no longer around, he focused on the woman at his throat. His instincts cried out to him, that he should tear her away from him, because with every sip she took of him, he was more weakened, so that if Gillian should be no longer herself, he would have with every passing second less odds against her.
He saw a terrible vision: he remembered again, how the vampaneze Murlough had the small Gillian joined to his throat and tore her from himself, while she had bitten him so hard, that she tore the muscles and tendons open in his throat.
Larten did not want to experience the same.
Not that he had such qualms about getting hurt, no, he didn`t want Gillian's new life to begin as it had stopped.
"Do you want to you kill me, Gillian?", he growled.
Her bite on his throat hurt, and he felt his blood leaving him.
She had her arms and legs wrapped around him and held him clasped, as if he was the saving buoy in a harsh sea.
"Gillian ...", he whispered, his voice was fading. "You have to stop."
Larten groaned.
Gillian let go from him.
She looked with great dark eyes at him and licked her lips.
She wanted more.
But something told her that it was enough.
Something ... that has been Larten.
Slowly she realized how weak he had sounded. And looked.
He lay on the floor, and she lay on him, her legs wrapped around him. She now leaned her arms on the floor so that her long black hair fell like a curtain on either side of his face.
On his throat was a large bite wound.
Did I do that?
She licked her lips and again took advantage of this unique flavor.
I drank his blood!
Larten beneath her groaned and moved.
His blood roared in her ears and spread hot from her throat into her stomach.
He smelled so good!
She felt her whole body was getting warm first, then hot.
Larten, he gave me his blood.
He has transformed me!
The vampire looked at her and put his arms around her waist.
And while his blood exuded in her, his feelings spread in her as well.
Gillian drew a sharp breath, and noticed now that it was her first breath.
Her lungs filled with air and a tingling sensation like a thousand crawling tarantulas spread through her body, and crept through her veins to the tiniest tip of her finger and underneath her scalp.
Smiling Gillian leaned down, and tenderly embraced the wound in Larten Crepsleys neck with her soft lips.
A hand from Larten moved to her neck and held it firmly, ready to pull her away.
"Gillian ...", groaned the Vampire, and Gillian felt a delicious tingling in her, when he said her name.
She carefully licked the wound, and at the end breathed a kiss on the once more smooth skin of him.
She shoved herself on the man's chest, so that her face was only inches away from him. A wave of heat flooded through her again when she read in his mind, that he was not sure, if she would attack again. She almost laughed out loud with joy, to be able to read his mind so directly and genuinely.
Finally.
Finally she felt, no, she knew what he felt, what he thought, he was inside her, there was nothing that he could hide from her now.
Gillian pursed her lips and a shiver shot through her body, as she delved into herself, into a very specific thought into a very specific feeling: into the emotions that Larten had for her.
And yes, they were there.
And they were strong.
The student lay on the vampire Larten Crepsley, her eyes closed with pleasure, wrapped one leg around him.
The vampire also held her closely, and ran a rough hand gently down her back.
Gillian opened her eyes and looked the man with the scar in the eyes.
Then she leaned a few inches forward, her lips almost touched his.
She inhaled his scent, and the vampire opened his mouth slightly.
Gillian pressed her lips to his and kissed him passionately. Larten Crepsley answered the kiss slowly.
In her body sherbet powder tickled.
They kissed long and deeply, and when they departed, both were out of breath.
Gillian was smiling at her vampire master, and then lounged comfortably in his arms.
Larten swallowed.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment," he said huskily. "But please, prepare yourself for the fact, that it will hurt again. When my blood reaches your heart. "
"Hmm", Gillian muttered. She could not imagine anything, that could destroy this indescribable feeling that she had now.
Nothing could be better than to feel this close to Larten Crepsley.
She had never felt so strong, beautiful, invincible and immortally great.
She still lounged comfortably in Lartens arms, when a pain closed around her heart like a claw.
With one stroke all the beauty was gone.
Gillian screamed.
