A/N- Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I'm glad that no one minded me skipping the whole rape description. I've done it before, but that was in an M rated fic, you understand. Anyways, let's continue, shall we?
Chapter 26- Damsel in Distress
The silvery sound of D's sword passing through flesh rang around the room, followed quickly by two very separate thuds. After that, there was a moment when only the breaths of D and L.H. could be heard in the corpse-filled foyer. L.H. stood stock-still, finger still aptly placed upon his blaster's trigger. D was bent forward, as if injured. However, he had not a scratch upon him, and instead looked—upon closer inspection—like a feral animal. His face was downcast and he had yet to remove the blood from his sword. Both stood in this way for several moments before, finally, L.H. broke the silence.
"Oh my God," he muttered, shoving his weapon into its holster. "Oh my God, D…Lilah! He has Lilah!"
Panic was clear in the former-parasite's voice as he began to pace in a small space left between the monsters' corpses. He ran a hand through his red hair, grown shaggy and framing his face now. His eyes were wide and he was talking ceaselessly.
"Your father has Lilah, and God only knows where he took her! We have no way of knowing! D, he could kill her…or worse. D, what if it's worse? What if he turns her? I couldn't take it, not if we had to put a state in the little toots's heart. That would tear me apart, and I'm a cold, cynical bastard."
But D was not answering, nor was he looking up. He was still poised, locked, in his feral position, blood still running down his shining blade and dripping—slowly—onto the floor. However, he heard every word his former appendage was saying. His father did indeed have Lilah in his grasp. And it was no less true that they had no way of knowing how to find her, or where to look. After all, hadn't finding Dracula been his life-long goal after he had sworn himself to stop the vampire king? And hadn't he had to wait for an invitation to fall right into his lap to succeed?
He had to think. There had to be a way, some tiny little way, to save Lilah. But even for his steely concentration, it was growing harder and harder to think with L.H. panicking and pacing back and forth.
"This is all your fault, D!" he said, suddenly rounding on the dhampire. "We tried to tell you that this was a trap! Never once, not one damn time, did you consider that your father probably had grander plans than just killing you!"
"I know," D growled, straightening finally. "We'll get her back."
But L.H. did not appear to even hear him as he continued on his rant. It was quickly growing in volume, and his eyes were almost wild with worry now.
"We should have known, D! All of us! Lilah and I should have never agreed to this…we should have stopped you. Oh, but D, you should have really known. I mean, it's amazing that that whole Prophet thing didn't turn out to be a trap. After all, it nearly played out the same way…the mysterious letter and all that…"
And D's eyes suddenly locked on L.H. with such ferocity that he stopped his pacing, staring at him.
"What is it, D?" he asked, breathing heavily having now finally taken a rest in his ranting.
"We can't save Lilah…not alone. But I might know someone who can. Let's go," D said, striding quickly past his former appendage.
L.H. shook his head, moving quickly to catch up, only muttering, "I hope this plan of yours works, D…for Lilah's sake."
…………………
Lilah awoke with a groan, aching horribly. Her eyes were watery from tears she had yet to shed, and she gathered the covers around her still-naked form. Her clothes were in tatters on the floor, making her want to cry even more. She shoved the covers into her mouth, fighting against the sob that had hidden itself there. She felt just sick, physically and mentally sick.
Grayson had left hours ago now, having done his "part," leaving Lilah with her own questions, worries, and shames. But now, as she lay on her side glaring down at the stone floor, there was of one thing she was absolutely certain about. Step one in the experiment was a success. She was pregnant.
She could feel her child's presence in her womb. It was not yet big enough to move or to even show on her…but she knew it was there. She slid a hand under her covers, laying it slowly upon her stomach, closing her eyes. Her chin quivered, threatening to finally release the tears she had done such a good job of keeping at bay so far. Being a dhampire gave her a mastery over her body that no human could ever have. She could simply feel when something was different and wrong. And she could feel that an…addition had been made. She pressed her hand down hard, closing her eyes and gasping—not realizing she had been holding her breath.
The sound of the bedroom's door opening caused her eyes to fly open as she sat up, careful to use the blankets to keep her naked form hidden. Dracula entered, carrying a covered tray of what smelled like the most delicious meal Lilah could have ever imagined and a simple, white cotton dress that look more like it would go under an elaborate gown that it would be worn on its own. He smiled at her, closing the door behind him. He sat the tray upon the vanity's dresser, removing the silver lid to reveal a succulent roasted chicken breast with three different vegetables to accompany it. Across the back of the vanity's adjacent chair, he laid the dress.
"I figured that Grayson might have played a little rough with your clothing, hence the dress. I also thought that you might prefer a human's meal to a vampire's at present. Besides, I only want you to feed off the best blood. I'll be back later, after I've obtained just that. I trust you are feeling well?" he said, again acting the role of a gracious host.
"Get out," she growled at him, looking away.
She could feel a hot blush spreading all over her body. All she wanted to do was spring out of the bed and wring his neck. However, she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to act or say anything more. Dracula sighed.
"As I expected. Well, Lilah, your pregnancy should only last about six weeks, and I intend to make you most comfortable for that time. And, who knows? If all is successful, you might be a permanent guest here. I'll leave you to eat and rest, my dear. You must keep up your strength, you know."
He had turned and swept out of the room by the time Lilah had grabbed the pillow behind her and hurled it at the door. With a growl, she threw the covers off, placing her feet gingerly upon the cold floor. She pushed herself up, marching across to the dress. She picked it up and lowered its rough fabric over her form. By the time her head re-emerged, the tears were already silently falling.
…………………
"I don't understand what we're doing," L.H. said from his place astride his mount.
He eyed the strange new "passenger" that D had picked up, unconscious and lain across the back of the dhampire's black stallion. The two were currently in the same forest that the aiders had held L.H. in. For that same reason, the former parasite was uneasy, despite that they were now much closer to the forest's center and far away from the aiders' hunting grounds. D held up a hand, signaling silence, as he dismounted. L.H. followed suit, taking the reins of both his own horse and D's.
"Stay here. I'll signal for you," D said, stepping through the barrier of trees before him into what appeared to be a small clearing beyond.
"All right," L.H. muttered, leaning against a nearby tree. "But if I get carried off by the aiders again, we'll all know who to blame."
D ignored him as he stepped into the center of the clearing. He stood, neither moving nor saying anything. He did not even reach for his sword and seemed to just be waiting for something. Suddenly, from the other side of the clearing, a figure appeared. She swayed her way through the trees, her long, almost glowing, white gown trailing around her. She paused her lithe figure just feet from D, a smile shaping her pink lips. She pushed a lock of her long, floor-length, ebony hair behind her shoulder and laughed lightly, the sound like that of softly tinkling bells.
"Gatemaster," D said, simply.
"Master D," she said, bowing deeply, spreading her long, porcelain arms open.
She was ever smiling as she upturned her face back to the dhampire. She cocked her head, a curious look on her face as she straightened her slender body once more.
"Since you seemed ever so determined not to be the one who speaks first, I suppose I'll ask: what brings you back so soon, my dear darkling dhampire?" she said, her voice cheery and smooth.
"You said you had seer abilities. Was this true?" D asked, his voice even and deliberate.
She arched a charcoal brow. "Stranger and stranger. Yes, it was, and is, very true," she answered.
"Then how did you not see me coming?"
She shrugged her shoulders, which looked more like an angel sighing. "I wasn't watching for you. I'm not omniscient."
D did not speak for a moment, seeming to take in this information. Finally, he locked eyes with her.
"Would you still have those abilities, if you were not bound to this place?"
The Gatemaster's blue eyes widened, and she blinked several times. Then, she smiled a small smile, looking away from her guest.
"Magic has a way of making itself apart of its bearer. Especially if the two are connected for quite some time. I believe I meet those conditions, so…yes. They might not be as strong as I am used to…but I would still have them."
"Would you like the opportunity to explore them, to be free of this position?"
The Gatemaster looked as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. She stood, stony faced, unable to speak for several moments. Finally, her eyes grew sad, and she put her back to D. She shook her head, her hair sweeping the forest floor as she did so.
"I would love to…but there is no replacement. And I can think of no one who would deserve such a…limiting life that the life of a Gatemaster is. I'm trapped here. And I've made my peace with that, Master D."
"But if I could free you, would you agree to help me?" D asked, taking the slightest of steps forward.
She whirled on him, her brow furrowed. "How could you possibly free me?"
"Would you help me?"
She nodded. "Without hesitation…if you could free me."
D raised a hand and signaled, and L.H. led both D's horse and his own out from the trees. D went to the large form on the back of his black stallion, lifting it effortlessly. He then deposited it on the forest floor at the feet of The Gatemaster. She knelt, her pale hand hovering over the brown burlap material for a split second before finally pulling it back. She gasped, shocked to see the blonde haired, purple-scaled female form of a naga before her. She looked up at D, her eyes wide.
"And alive…" she muttered before adding, a bit louder, "how did you know?"
D ignored her question, only replying, "Will this suffice?"
The Gatemaster grinned. "Yes…just one moment, boys. I'll be free in a jiffy."
A dagger materialized out of thin air and landed in one of her hands. She flipped the naga woman onto her back, lifting up one of the half-snake's wrists. She muttered some quick words in a language that neither D nor L.H. recognized, ending her strange speech in the slitting of her own wrist along with the naga's. She then held the two cuts on top of each other and gasped.
The light that had always seemed to surround her faded and seemed to be running down her arm onto the naga. And D and L.H. watched as The Gatemaster's hair shortened itself—not losing its color—to just past her waist and her white, ethereal dress changed to one that was worn and torn at its hem that did not seem to flow in the least. All of this seemed to pass to the naga woman, whose snake tail changed into two separate legs and were covered by a flowing dress. Her hair extended to the length that The Gatemaster's once had been. Finally, by the time it was over, the now former Gatemaster stood.
Her face was no less lovely, but a lot more human, even to the point of having a smattering of freckles across the nose and cheeks of her pale olive face. She smiled widely at the two.
"I'm free!" she all but squealed, her voice losing none of its beauty either.
She jumped forward, hugging L.H—apparently, and rightly, assuming that D was not the hugging type. L.H. hugged back, exchanging an odd look with D. When she finally stood back, her blue eyes were shining with happy tears. She whirled on D, crossing her arms across her form.
"What can I do to help you?" she asked.
"Dracula has got Lilah, and we don't know where. Can you show us?" D asked.
With an almost devious smile, she winked. "I can do you one better."
…………………
Lilah lay back on the bed, her hand covering her stomach. Her mind was a blank slate, unable to truly process anything. All that was running through it was the fact that soon, too soon, she was going to be a mother to a creature that had been…engineered by Dracula. She wondered, vaguely, if her child would look like any other human, dhampire, or vampire would. She closed her eyes, trying to image what her future child would look like. Would it be a boy or a girl? Would it be an uncontrollable monster or just a child to be raised? An odd feeling struck Lilah then, as she slowly opened her eyes. She stared down at her stomach, watching it rise and fall with her breath and imagined—for a moment—that it was the baby's breathing that she was watching. She laid her head back on her pillow, an oddly serene thought passing through her and relaxing her for the first time in this place.
Suddenly, a slight thud sounded, causing Lilah to shoot upright in her bed, for she had not heard the door open. The sight before her caused her heart to swell with such joy that she could never, in a million years, describe it. L.H. was smiling brightly at her, while D look as stoic as usual. In between the two stood a lovely young woman with long black hair, freckles, and a perfectly shaped mouth and nose, who had her hands in fists, resting them on both of her hips. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled at Lilah.
"And there you have it!" the dark haired, smiling woman announced.
"Lilah!" L.H. almost shouted, only quieting himself halfway through her name as the woman's quickly uttered "ssh!"
"Quiet!" the woman said. "This room was heavily warded. If my magic and I had been a hundred years less than what we were, I would not have been able to get in here. Lucky for you all, that is not the case. So, we should get her, and get out."
Lilah didn't need to be told twice. She bounded off the bed right into D's arms. She buried her face in his chest, only to have him hold her back. His eyes swept her, searching. Lilah shook her head.
"I haven't been bitten, D…believe me," she said.
L.H. raised a brow. "It sounds as if you almost wish that it had happened."
The woman stepped forward as Lilah opened her mouth to explain, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Explain things after I get us out of here. We haven't the time now," she said, solemnly, locking eyes with Lilah.
Lilah's eyes widened, but she nodded. However, D reached for his sword.
"Not yet," he said, heading for the door.
Gasping, Lilah threw herself in front of him. "D, please! I just want to go home."
A brief flash of crimson invaded D's eyes, but passed as he looked down at Lilah.
"Lilah…it was my fault you got captured…and I'm sorry. But he must be stopped," D said, moving to step around her.
But Lilah would not budge.
"D, please! Let's just go!"
"D," L.H. said suddenly, stepping up beside Lilah and sliding a protective arm around her shoulders, "it was because you wouldn't listen to us that she got captured in the first place. Let it go. There'll be another chance."
D shook his head a fraction of an inch. "No. Dracula must die."
He reached out, placing a hand on Lilah's shoulder, gently shoving her aside. However, before he could open the door, Lilah—tears stinging her eyes—bit out, "D, I'm pregnant!"
All eyes in the room fell upon her as she sighed. She took one deep breath and explained, telling them all about the violation that had taken place and the fact that her pregnancy had been altered to last a short while.
"Six weeks, to be exact," she finished with a sigh.
"You poor girl!" the woman that had yet to be introduced to her said, coming to stand by Lilah's side.
D did not speak immediately. But, finally, he locked eyes with Lilah.
"It's okay," he said. "We can abort the pregnancy, once we're at the manor."
But Lilah shook her head, causing all to arch a brow at her.
"It's not the baby's fault that this happened. I'm having the child, D…but Dracula will come for the baby. We have to run. Please…please understand!" she begged.
Again, silence for just a moment. D, after a long moment, approached Lilah, eyeing her.
"…Then we'll run," he said, simply.
"And not a moment too soon," the woman said. "He's coming…and he's not alone."
"Then let's make sure we're not here," L.H. said.
The door to the bedroom opened, anger in the Sacred Ancestor's eyes…but no one was on the other side of the door to witness it.
End Notes: Well, how was that? Poor Lilah's in quite a pickle. I apologize for all the talk in this chapter too...it just felt like everyone had something to say, huh? I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.
Song Listened to This Chapter: Hollywood Undead's "Circles"
Next Chapter's Title: Grave Thoughts