A.N: So it snowed again while I was writing this, you've gotta love that Christmas feel in March. Anyway, I was looking at my drafts for the future of Carmine Bride and guess what guys there's only a few chapters left. I don't know if this is exciting for you or sad. But on the bright side chances are that thre'll be a sequel at some point
Thank you to cappuccinocat92, xCrescentMayFluffynessx, foxypyro775, Sephira1, SeleneAlice, Kasumi Isumi, doctor3378, tensing, Vampkitten18, CalicoKitty402, breannapierson1990, harudha558, AnimexGoddess, redhoodfan, bluevamp, EdibleCandy83 and Overlord of Pies for following this story
Sanders was pacing through the library, if she kept it up she'd probably wear a hole through the hard wood. The guards that had been alerted when the shouting match was underway were long gone. In their place was a pile of ash. She hadn't set the staff or the wild geese on fire but the antique looking table they had been standing next to… There was no proof and as far as Sanders was concerned there would never be any.
Her hands sparked with the need to scorch more furniture and her throat itched with the need to scream. It was funny how fast sadness could turn to anger; "angry was easier to deal with than heartbreak". Maybe it was because Sanders was used to feeling angry, it was a dangerous state of mind that had proven useful when stalking targets and tearing them apart.
She sucked in some air in an attempt to calm down before her mind had the chance to go completely dark side. Heavy breathing wasn't doing much in the sense of relieving all that pent up rage, aside from making her lightheaded. In an attempt to distract herself from all the inner turmoil she began reading the spines of different books. The letters slipped in and out of focus and began squishing into incomprehensible blobs. She forced her eyes to keep readjusting; reading was a far safer pass time.
One title jumped out at Sanders, most likely because she had read the book maybe twenty or so times. Dracula was one of her longtime favorite books along with many other gothic horrors. It sat on a carefully dusted shelf just out of reach. Climbing up on the bottom most shelf she hoisted her upper body high enough to pull it down. Vampires, she found, were much easier to deal with on paper than the arrogant self-loathing bloodsuckers that were living under the same roof.
The copy wasn't as battered or worn as the one Sanders had back home. No pages were dog eared or accidently torn; it was hard to believe that it had ever been read before. It was bound in warm brown leather with the title embossed in gold print. She cracked the spine and forced herself into the book as a last ditch effort at distraction. Trying to switch attention from one vamp to another probably wasn't the most effective idea. Every time Sanders made to flip a page she had a moment of mental blankness that soon filled with the memories of lips on hers. Gods he was aggravating and intoxicating. Growling under her breath Sanders snapped the book shut and made her way to the very large guest room Sir Integra had left at her disposal.
Not caring that the Hellsing's pet vampire may be lurking nearby Sanders stripped down as she crossed the bedroom floor and stepped into the tiled bathroom. She set the small book down on the marble counter and cranked the shower to scalding. When the mirrors had accumulated enough steam to draw with she stepped past the glass walls and under the relentless stream of almost uncomfortable water.
Alucard watched against his better judgment and because he had no choice in the matter. He chose to distance himself from her but god she could be so alluring at times. Never before had he viewed another, let alone a woman, on equal footing as him. He tried to look away but found himself glancing back at the young beauty. He was fighting a loosing battle.
Sanders stayed in the shower far longer than was probably healthy. Her fingers and toes had gone all pruney and the water was turning cold. The cold didn't bother her it only made her body compensate by sending out waves of heated magic that filled the small space with steam. She emerged some time later feeling drowsy. It was good to be tired right now, it was a better alternative than feeling constantly peeved. It was probably a heck of a lot safer to all the other Hellsing occupants as well. She bundled herself in as many thick towels as she pleased and picked up Dracula. Sanders noticed something before she stepped back into the guest room and mentally face palmed herself almost instantly. The title of the book was flipped in the mirror and there was no denying what it spelt. A-L-U-C-A-R-D.
"Really? How did I miss this? Well now the nick names will never end!"
Sanders found an appropriate set of clean clothes. Clothes that had not yet been tainted by Alucard. Soft blue pants and a black and white stripped sweat shirt that's sleeves were a little to long to be considered practical. She wasn't about to face other humans, vampires or spineless low lives *cough Rowan*, she was giving up acting sexy, proper or anything in between. So it was a no to the little black dress and sequin covered belt for the time being. She wiggled her toes as she made herself comfy in the plush queen bed. Blankets and pillows cocooned and encased her small body. Sanders stretched and yawned like a sleep deprived kitten before settling down deep in her cushiony thrown and opening Dracula back open again.
She read until she was falling into the words from exhaustion. The letters were blurring together until the paper between her fingers was turning to one swirl of grey that slid in and out of focus.
The book made a muffled sort of thump when it slipped from Sanders sleeping hands. She made no effort to close it, so it rose and fell with each breath.
Alucard-ish POV~
He watched from the shadows, something he felt he had done for centuries.
Always watching. Always skirting around the edge of light, never to be fully embraced by the day.
Alucard reached for the book. He just wanted to move it aside but he found his fingers lingering on her warmth.
That warmth was his reminder of how different they were. A difference bigger than simply living and dead. They were much like different species.
"No man knows till he has suffered from the night how sweet and dear to his heart and eye the morning can be," Bram Stoker.
Original POV~
Of course it was dark when Sanders opened her eyes. And of course the book was no longer on her stomach were she was sure it had to have fallen. She suspected a certain someone had moved it to the bed side table and honestly it didn't bother her. It was more worrisome to Sanders how comfortable she had become with the prospect of someone watching while she slept; obviously she was loosing her edge… Or her mind.
Sanders tugged at the blankets and tried to role over but the fabric was caught under something heavy. Actually now that her mind was beginning to defog she noticed that most of her lower body was trapped under something heavy. She half expected the weight to belong to Alucard. He had some strange quirks so it wasn't too much of a stretch.
Her guess was close-ish.
A large black dog was curled in sleep across her legs. Calling the beast, a dog seemed pretty inaccurate the longer Sanders looked at her new bed mate. This was a hound. Its fur was black and wild, its size impressive. She'd never want to cross this hound on a bad day. Not with claws that size and teeth that were designed to rip and tear through meat. Sanders assumed that if it opened its eyes they'd be red as those of its master.
Sanders wiggled her toes and did her best to flex her feet in some measly attempt to regain feeling in her lower limbs. She nudged the hound who snuffed at her but did not budge. With a deep breath to steel herself she gave her bedmate a hard push, but like a pile of stones he remained fixed to the mattress.
"Gods damn! Why won't you move." This was not how she wanted to wake. Her plan had been to sneak down to the kitchen and find a snack, or two, or three… Her stomach growled and Sanders was reminded that she had slept through dinner. Sanders yelled out a few choice words as she buried her hands in the wolfish fur and began pushing again. The hound snarled but kept its eyes shut. Sanders got a pretty decent view of saliva coated one inch fangs.
"MOVE!"
Sanders could feel the shape of her dominant arm changing form as she summoned up more strength. The necklace she had always worn warmed as its single charm began to glow.
First came the scales emerging from skin that appeared to blister from an invisible fire before becoming obsidian black and smooth. Next were the claws that rivaled those of the hound. She stopped the transition before bones broke and reassembled to further morph her body. By now Sanders new that her eyes could no longer hide how reptilian they had become. Using her new found strength she forced the hound to release her legs. It squealed and growled as its perch became more unstable. Its eyes slid open and it tried to stand, then quickly lost balance and flopped to the ground.
Sanders peered over the side of the bed and yelped when she discovered the hound was gone and Alucard was sprawled uncomfortably on his side instead.
"Why?"
Alucard looked up at her with what Sanders assumed he though was innocence.
"Why are you here?" He didn't answer. "figures" Sanders said with a sign.
The way he was looking at her was slightly unnerving. Sanders could feel the crimson creeping up her neck. She distracted her self somewhat by focusing back on her arm which had faded from black to deep carmine.
POV change~
Alucard watched Sanders examine her talons as one would inspect an expensive manicure for chips.
Any sane man would have been terrified knowing that she was essentially a living weapon. Any normal man would have cowered with the knowledge of her inhumanness. Sane and normal. "Had there ever been a time when those words could have ever been him?" Alucard wondered. Maybe when he had been younger? No those days were filled with pain and suffering; no place for sanity to keep.
Back to the normal POV + mini time skip (are you still with me?) ~
They kept a distance from one another though they weren't explicitly avoiding each other. Something was broken between Sanders and Alucard and for days on end the pair were ships in the night only stopping for the occasional "good morning blood sucker".
Seras greeted her master as her usual cheery self but was answered with an impartial grunt of acknowledgment. His lack of focus struck her as odd. Sure when it came to his fledgling the No Life King was not easily described as a friend but there was always a part of him that had shown care to Seras but now… Something was different, something was definitely wrong. Out of concern for her master the young vampiress tracked the only other person who could help.
She found Sanders aimlessly walking the halls. Seras raised her hand but but Sanders was more focused on carpet beneath her feet. She opened her mouth but Sanders was being whisked away by her young queen. Her sister was always nearby yet it was rare to see her out and about. The pair spoke in hushed tones then Sanders huffed loudly and Carmen started pulling her down the hallway. Seras followed partially out of curiosity, "it wasn't often that one could watch Sanders being pushed around."
They ended up in the library, a place for reading and in some cases, mainly this case, a place for sulking vampires. Sanders bristled when she saw Alucard and sent a scathing look towards Carmen.
"Why do you do these things?" Sanders asked.
Carmen shrugged and wandered off to make herself comfortable in one of the overstuffed leather chairs. Tensions were high between the shelves and no one was talking. Alucard stuck to the shadowy alcoves at the edge of the room and Sanders walked in circles out in the open to blow off steam. At first Seras was concerned for a bit, but with a reassuring smile from Carmen it seemed there was nothing that could be done. At the very least the two of them were tolerating each other, and no one had stormed out yet.
It was quiet. Aside from Carmen's side line observing everyone was minding their own business. All of the sudden Carmen screamed. She fell out of her chair and held her head. Her veil slipped and crumpled as she continued to cry and writhe in pain. Sanders rushed to her sister's side and Alucard followed.
"Carmie! What's happening?" Carmen could barely hear anymore, nor could she feel the hand on her shoulder attempting to steady and comfort her.
"Forbidden… Wrong. It hurts!" She wailed like a small child between her jumbled words.
"What do you feel? Carmen! Answer me, please." Her sister was shaking. A thin sheen of sweat coated her body.
"Death… It feels like death."