"Winn." His voice was commanding as he took the book from his hands.
Her head snapped up as she was taken out of her memories tinged with blood. "What is this?"
"This book is on blood magik. The most treacherous kind of all."
"The blood is right here, right on these pages alone. What is The Great Culling?" The book in swirling cursive held the title The Great Culling and beneath were two images, of rivers and of bloody wars with torn limbs and savage faces.
"Something the witches only wish they had been around for." Godric said.
"How much blood was spilled?" She asked quietly.
"Enough to make the Danube run red."
Winn processed for a moment. "Oh." She looked down at the book, and then back to the vampire standing across from her. "How do you know the blood in here is from the culling?"
"Because my own is on these pages."
She blinked once, then several times in quick succession.
"It's not enough to be of any use for any rituals. All magic requires fresh blood."
She continued staring at him.
Godric snapped the book shut. "You will not find anything in this book but ancient history." He pushed it back onto the shelf.
As Winn began processing the information she knelt down and picked up the card that had fallen out. Turning it over she was disappointed to see it was only half of the business card; all the valuable information as gone. A symbol remained however. A woman with a crossbow, seemingly shooting an arrow in midair. Artemis? She slid the card into her pocket.
"Are you just going to leave the book there?" She asked him.
"The blood in that book no longer has value and only a vampire would know from scent mine is on those pages, though what good it would do I do not know. I have become much more invested in finding out exactly where we are however." He began walking down the ramp and she followed him.
She glanced at the book as they left. Something about the business card was nagging at her. It was familiar, somewhere. Artemis. Why was Artemis so familiar? And why was it in a book about blood magic. It didn't seem right, that Godric had no care in a book that held his own blood when he was so guarded.
On the ground floor she sat on the opposite side of the oak table, spreading the books she had taken out. All the while she was dividing the bookload between finding anything to help her hunt down The Vampire and books that might help understand who Godric was, Artemis was being repeated in her head over and over again.
~0~0~0~
He took his time to look at her now. She set down the cup of tea. Winn was absorbed in a book, pupils flicking across the lines rapidly. From across the table he could feel the heat rising from her freckled skin. The blood sang just beneath the surface, tinging her cheeks a most desirable red. She pressed her lips together with impatience.
A moment later she rubbed her throat in a signal he recognised well: instinctual thirst.
What would happen if I drank your blood?
Hearing those words in his head made his hand curl into a fist beneath the table. Doe eyes full of curiosity and innocence waited expectantly for an answer. Nothing he could say would ever explain it. She turned a page. No, he could and would never give it to her. She belonged to Eric and was human, a fact he was painfully aware off.
A human with bravery and with a compassion unrivalled - but human. She tugged at her shirt in a move to take it off. Winn used the book to briefly fan her flushed skin, sending her scent through the air. Blood was an eternal vow. His son appeared to have forgotten that very promise. Godric had not. She had come with the question so unexpectedly he had not been able to stop the images in his head, so strong were they his fangs had nearly come out as if he had the restraint of a newborn. The fiercely stubborn and fearless human was just as dangerous as his own Son, if not more-so.
A tiny crease appeared before her brow as she found something of interest. Godric suppressed the smallest of smiles. Recklessness must run in the family. The corner of his lips turned downwards a fraction soon after. It was irrelevant. He was only here to ensure her safety until Eric could manage his own emotions. They both knew without discussion she was stubborn as a mule, and Godric had turned down the unacceptable idea of locking her in the Fangtasia basement.
A minute later she got up. His eyes slid back down on the book he was reading before she could register anything at all.
~0~0~0~
Finally she had found something that might just be useful at figuring out who he really was, and quicker than expected. He was engrossed in one of the books. Winn crouched down next to him, and he looked over his shoulder.
"Just hold still." She muttered.
The tattoo symbols did match up with the book. It was Elder Furthark. That had been why she had troubles deciphering them before; they weren't of Viking origin. Well . . . it was debatable how much contact and overlap there was with Norse. Her eyes flickered from one of the symbols down to the book, her finger trailing the symbols until she reached the right one. Othila Ancestral. Her lips moved silently as she read over it. An inherited or fixed wealth. But did it mean a materialistic inherited sum or inheriting spiritual powers? Was he of wealthy descent during his time as a human, or trained to be a shaman?
"Would you like to inquire?" Godric questioned.
"It wouldn't sound like you to be forthcoming about information. I'll figure it out on my own."
Her eyes were trained on the book again, trying to decipher the next one. But his shirt was covering half of the symbols. Her hand reached up to readjust his sleeve before retracting it. He seemed to understand what she had been trying to do and he rolled up the sleeve so she had full access.
"How is it possible for a vampire to have a tattoo?" Her hand hovered above his arm, wanting to reach out and glide her fingers across the inked skin.
"They will fade over time." He answered.
"How do you know?"
"Just as my tan has faded, I can only presume my tattoos will as well. It is just a longer process than with humans."
She looked up at him in surprise. "You had colour?"
His lip quirked. "I was not always this pale. But yes, I now fit my kind's stereotype." Then he turned back to the book he was reading.
Winn continued examining the tattoos, eventually coming to a crouch at his side. Before she had dipped down again she had seen he was reading a book in another ancient language, one long gone. The letters hadn't gone the uniform horizontal way, but instead seemed to follow a circular route.
Being this close to him made it difficult to concentrate. Once again, despite herself, she felt no threat in his presence. Winn shook her head, focusing back on the task at hand.
Her eyes narrowed, forcing herself to circle her thoughts back to the tattoos and deciphering them. There were symbols of interdependence, most likely about his tribe; symbols on protection; on increasing something - what she wasn't sure - ; and one of fertility. Her lip tugged upwards at that. Too bad he was a vampire. Then a question pervaded her mind and all she could do was asked, breaking the silence.
"Can vampires have children?" She asked.
"No." He replied. "We are for all intents and purposes dead. We do not belong here." His voice was resigned and contemplative.
She didn't know how to respond to his confession. Instead her finger came up and traced the Othila symbol. His eyes flickered down to look at her. It felt like electricity dancing beneath her finger tips. "This one . . . were you wealthy, or is it spiritual?"
She hadn't expected him to come with another answer other than vague and without use. Instead her turned around in his seat, closing the distance between them. The intensity within his azure eyes pulled her in. For a moment neither spoke.
And then, remembering to breath again she took a crouching step back, freeing up room between them. Already, she had been too close.
"It means both, in this case. I was the Chieftains son. But I was in training to become the next shaman within our tribe. Back then being a spiritual advisor was on par with being a warrior; it would have been my duty to become both. I believed strongly in the gods. There had been none more reverent than I - perhaps with the exception of the current shaman. Every decision I made, all that happened within our lands was guided by the deities. So I thought."
She was kneeling now, looking up at him. "What made you change your mind?"
"Many things. My faith was eroded little by little, but being a vampire . . . " He trailed off, then turned a page and added, "It was not helped when I was taken from G- Winn are you alright?"
She scratched at her chest again. "I wouldn't mind air conditioning right about now, but otherwise I'm fine. Why?"
"Stand up." His tone gave no way for argumentation.
With a sigh she grudgingly did as she was told. Godric got out of his seat and flipped through the remaining books on the table in a blur.
Then five books of different sizes and bindings were left open. On each were scrawling and shapes. Slowly, as if not wanting to know the ending, Godric began pushing them together.
The books came together to create a large looping symbol of blue and green hues, swirling around the pages. Winn pressed her lips together as she saw the look on his face.
He glanced up at her, "Move over to the wall, Winn."
She didn't argue as she quickly moved backwards.
Godric began lifting the giant oak table that was unmovable for humans in its weight. He carried and dragged the table as if it weighed nothing more than an empty bag. Winn hadn't seen his strength until now. And somehow she didn't think even that required any effort. She hoped she wouldn't find out how much strength he truly had.
Finally the space was cleared up on the floor. He yanked the maroon rug out of the way.
On the ground was a large black circle. He knelt down. Without figuring out the system he pried the doors open, leaving finger indents as he pulled them back. As they opened up Winn crept closer. Below the ground was a large brass bowl with a black symbol etched in it.
His face turned dark. "Druids."
"Druids?"
"Witches."
"Wh-" But she stopped talking as he disappeared. She flinched as he suddenly stood in front of her. His eyes flickered to the cup and then to her. "It's empty." He stated, so quietly she barely heard.
Her brows flashed up in alarm. "What does that mean? Why's that important?"
She blinked as he was gone again. Whirling around she saw the floor was empty. Craning her neck she saw he was already at the very top of the tower, hands running across the books. "What's happening?"
He didn't answer.
"Godric!"
One moment he was above the tower and the next at the table spreading several books across the table. His voice floated down from the top of the tower. "This entire building is nothing more than a large chimney for rituals. That is not a glass ceiling for decoration, but to be opened to allow the smoke out."
Her eyes flashed up to the ceiling and down at the brass bowl. Except it wasn't a bowl. It was a giant area for a bonfire.
In the blink of an eye he went from the top to the ground floor, pooling books over the table.
"Will you tell me what the hell is going on?" She cried. He was always composed. Not right now.
"Antidotes." He muttered, opening two of the books and pulling page after page as his eyes read over the texts are inhumane speeds.
"Antidote? As in I've been poisoned antidote? Oh my god." Her hands went up to her hair. "Have I been poisoned?" She turned in a circle.
"You must remain calm."
"Oh that's easy for you to say you're not the one dying." She spat. "So . . . I've been poisoned by some druid witches which now exist, probably because I took you along. That - that's great."
"Your accelerated heart rate will inevitable pump the poison through your veins faster." He snapped as he flickered through the pages.
"Oh that's great, that's real nice. So either I die now or later."
"It's possible you have not been poisoned at all."
"You just said I was!"
"No. I said you just control your heart rate as a precaution, just as I am reading through these books as precuation." He tossed a book to the side and took another. "Winn I need you to remain quite and calm, witches are nothing to be trifled with."
"You have had two-thousand years to master language and knowing how to speak directly still alludes you?!"
"Few things in life are certain, and speaking in absolutes oft causes more misery than joy."
"I swear one decade from now you will have fully transitioned into Yoda."
"What is 'Yoda'?" He seemed to only be half listening as he turned pages at a blurring rate. Winn took the bottom of her shirt and wafted it to create some airflow. It was too hot down here.
"It's not a thing, its a who, from Star Wa- nevermind. That's going to go down a very confusing rabbit hole of pop culture for you. And I refuse to have my dying words be about Jar Jar Binks." With a heavy sigh she went to look at the books he was flipping through. All of them were herbology books. She took one of the books he had already read through at inhuman speeds. "Moonflower. That was one of the things you smelled earlier, right?"
"Indeed."
She found the page with ease and traced her finger over the text. "Well it looks like I was poisoned then."
He didn't bother looking up. "I do not know if the quantity is large enough. However I am worried about the combinations."
Winn wasn't following. All the other herbs should be fine. "Care to elaborate?"
"Different herbs follow different rituals. But it seems there's no useful books in this section of the library." He stood up rapidly, face growing authoritative. "Do not leave this section under any circumstances."
She stuffed her hands into her pants pockets. "Fine."
"Winn." He stressed.
"Got it, the human stays here."
He looked at her for one moment more, seeming to want to say something before hurrying away from her and into a small tunnel under the book shelf. How he knew there were more books down there was beyond her.
She looked at the watch's hand moved at a glacial speed. One minute passed. A second minute passed. Shaking her head she put the empty cup down and headed towards the elevator. Godric hadn't returned and with every minute that passed may be a minute closer to death - and if the witches had poisoned her she was dead to them already. Having a conversation with them couldn't hurt. Probably.
As the doors rattled shut she felt a small pang of guilt for lying. And then she was upstairs.
She hurried through the building, peaking through various open doors to see if Gary was spotted.
She found Gary in the gardens. Intently cutting his bushes, he didn't notice her yet. "What was in that tea?" She snapped at him.
He looked up in surprise, the sheers frozen, just about to cut through a branch. Slowly he rose from his squatting position. "It was to protect you."
"I asked, what was in that tea?" Her voice had dropped low.
Gary closed the sheers. "It was herbs from the garden, as I explained before."
The anger she had kept up pent inside of her was threatening to explode as she stalked over to him. Seeming to sense this he took a step backwards. "It's doing something to me - I can feel it. What did it do?"
"It'll protect you in the future, is what it'll do. Emotions, human emotions all bubbling up to the surface and heightened empathy at the time are just side effects. They'll fade away by the end of the day. So will the sickness you feel."
"Protect me from what?" She hissed, eyes narrowed.
"Vampires. We've learned to protect ourselves agains their glamour. I see the way he goes about you. And these vampires - oh I've read most of them books down there - ain't nothing good comes from being around them. This will allow you to keep your humanity. I swear, it ain't nothing dangerous to you."
"Reverse it!" She wiped away the light sheen of sweat from her brow.
"It's been done, you drank it all, didn't ya?"
Winn crossed her arms and glared at the balding man. Damn it. For once couldn't she just catch a break and be in one situation where no one had ulterior motives? "I can and will use that library whenever I please. And if you don't allow me to, then I'm coming back with a whole army of vampires. That shouldn't be a problem, since I'm protected against them, apparently." Whatever protection meant.
He didn't seem scared by her threat. "For someone who claims to dislike vampires you should seem to have no qualms spending time 'round them."
"I don't like vampires, that doesn't mean I won't make use of them when I need too."
"Sure didn't mind that companion title."
She opened her mouth and closed it. "Look-" She shook her head, "What did you mean when you said I'll keep my humanity?"
"Hopefully you won't need to find out what it means. It's best you're long gone from their kind before then."
She placed her hands on her knees and lowered her head as the world titled.
"Sorry Ms. Vik, the side effects of our drinks aren't always the nicest. They sure are efficient, though. It'll be over soon and you'll be good as new." Gary said.
"What are you going to do to Godric?" She asked through gritted teeth as she tried to stop the world spinning.
"Don't care about vampires, is that right?"
In her peripheral vision she saw his feet move away from her. As she reached out to stop him she fell over. The smell of fresh earth permeated her nose. For a moment she relished the freezing earth as it battled her fevered state.
With willpower she managed to get back into a crawling position, slowly forcing herself to stand upright. The vertigo seemed to have passed for now. Gary was nowhere in site. Maybe he had decided to pay the vampire in his library a visit.
With a swear she turned on her heel and cautiously made her way back to the library, concerned the vertigo would come back in full force.
She came to the end of the hallway and stumbled into the elevator. The doors jerked down. The floor was empty. There was no sign of Gary, or Godric. She swore under her breath.
Winn quickly made her way towards the tunnel when she felt a gust of air behind her.
"I thought I told you to stay here." His voice was silky. She whirled around and took a step back, banging into the table.
"It was my life we were talking about." Upon the expression of displeasure on his face she hurried the information, "I spoke with Gary - wait! Before you do anything. He told me that whatever was in the drink was to protect me. It's to protect me from vampires. It can't be poison."
"You spoke to a witch. You trusted a witch." His voice was low. He took a step forwards towards her. She began moving around the table and then backwards.
Every step she took back he took one forwards, until she hit the bookshelf. He kept walking towards her with determination. "What are you going to do to me?"
"Test if the witch was telling the truth." He said. His cool palm came to touch the centre of her chest, feeling instantly as her heat rate picked up. "Whatever you drank has made its way into your blood stream by now, and with every beat of your heart spreads itself through your body. If it is there, I will know."
"How will you know?" She asked with hesitation. There was no way she was escaping the situation; her shoulders deflated in defeat.
The hardness in his eyes softened a fraction. He placed his other hand next to her head, caging her in. "Where's your favourite place to be in the entire world?" He whispered.
"I-in my cabin, after a night of heavy snowfall." She said. Winn tried to stare a straight ahead with laser focus. His fingers grazed her neck as he moved her hair over shoulder. "The world is blanketed a-and it weighs down the trees."
"What do you do when you wake up and see the snow?" He murmured, his breath fanning her exposed neck.
She swallowed. "Light a candle or two." He leaned in. "It's nice. Cosy." His nose brushed gently against her bare skin, light as air. She inhaled sharply.
The second time he dragged the tip of his nose from her shoulder up to the base of her jaw, tantalisingly slow. In no particular hurry he drew back, a hair width away as his eyes flickered between hers. His fingers trailed against her jaw before lowering and feeling her jumping pulse beneath her heated skin. "Your heart is racing."
"Probably the tea." She replied weakly.
"Whatever you took . . . I do not think its purpose is sinister. It seems the witch was telling the truth. But I would like to have a conversation with him."
"We should probably go then."
"Winn?"
"Yes?"
He pushed himself off the shelf. "Next time you go somewhere with me, you won't need to carry this." He held up the gun. "Whatever damage you may believe your weapons can do, I will be able to do tenfold."
Quickly her hands padded her back where the holster had been. It was empty. She hadn't even felt him creep up her shirt and remove the weapon. As he walked away she went to feel for her knife in her boot. She gritted her teeth in frustration as she realised he had taken those too.
Winn stood for a moment longer before joining him at the elevator. "Give me those back! They're not yours."
As the elevator doors closed he turned to look at her. "How about a deal then, Winn? If you manage to retrieve your weapons by the end of the night, any future endeavours we find ourselves on, you may carry your gun and knife."
"That's bullshit."
He raised a brow.
"Fine." She acceded through gritted teeth.
As soon as the doors opened they began searching the building room by room for Mitch or any other sign of life.
"Godric?"
He turned to look at her.
"Thanks for telling me those things about your past. I know you don't trust me."
He seemed bemused. "Winifred Vik, it's not you I don't trust." He shut the door to another empty room. "But if you cannot restrain your desire for impulsive behaviour something will need to be done."
She stared at him blankly.
Before she could reply the sound of a wheels scraping across the ground hit their ears. Both of them looked towards the hallway.
It was the old woman. She had given Winn the tarot card earlier. As she began towards the woman Godric grabbed her bicep. "Stop."
"She might know something."
"She's a witch." The words came out in a soft snarl that sent a shiver up her spine.
"Godric she can barely move, I think we're fine. Plus, I have you now so I don't need a weapon against a little old lady, right?"
The atmosphere altered as his authority began seeping out from the very fibre of his being. "Witches are not humans. Any of them can do a great amount of damage that is not to be humoured."
"Then stay back while I talk with her." Winn ripped herself out of his grip. If she stayed around Godric any longer she'd lose their argument without a doubt. His authority was oppressive when eh wanted it to be.
The lady gave a beckoning smile. Winn went over and knelt down in front of her. With a trembling hand she reached out to hold the young woman's arm.
"Hello, I'm Winn. I'm hoping you know where Mitch is?"
The old woman seemed to be saying something under her breath. Winn leaned in. "Goodbye, Daywalker." The lady breathed.
Winn pulled back. "I don't understand."
With a small smile the old lady's eyes slid shut. Winn scrambled in panic to find a pulse on her wrinkled arm. Godric had flashed next to her. She looked up at him. "She's still alive, but she just fell asleep."
He pulled her up gently. "We leave now. Gary will be found later."
She stared back at him, and then nodded. "Alright."
Godric seemed ready to reprimand her for disagreeing but gave a nod of satisfaction when she didn't fight him. They walked hurriedly through the empty gardens towards the car. The van that had been in the parking lot before was gone. Wherever Gary was, he had decided to hide until the vampire was gone.
At the car Winn exhaled forcefully before lowering herself onto the ground. The vertigo had come back.
Godric went back to human speeds. The crunching of gravel alerted her to his arrival as he walked over to the passengers side. Placing his hand on her shoulder he knelt down. "You need food."
She couldn't help but smile. "I'm not a vampire. The solution to everything isn't just nutrition."
"And when was the last time you had anything?" He asked.
As she paused to think he nodded. "My point exactly. In any case, did you have other plans tonight?"
She looked up at him. "Alright. Let's find a diner then."
A/N: After 13 chapters of this M-rated story, as we finally getting towards more physical action? Well, I never!
If you like the story do feel free to drop a review!
Guest 1: Thank you! And I wish I had more time to update more as well, I try to as often as I can! :)
Guest 2: Maybe it was one of those drink to be polite and not stir the pot more than it has to be type of scenarios? But I do agree. But when is Winn ever not impulsive? And you're correct, I don't think Godric was happy because he likely realises he did get her into that scenario, but hey it turned out all well (or did it? Who says consequences have to be short term?). Regarding the blood, it sure seems he's been thinking of his blood a lot. *Cue some Marvin Gaye*
S.A.: Your review made me so happy, thank you! Don't worry, Winn's getting there with realising vampires are just as diverse as humans. Welp, in this chapter it looks like Winnie's going to have to stop relying on her weapons so much, and start relying and trusting a supernatural weapon instead. Winn is much too stubborn to get her act together! ha