Author's Note: Oh dang, Dooku why are you treating her like this?! He's being nuts! O.O
Arvanna's POV
Dooku awakens first, his head ringing and throbbing. He leaned up, groggy and disoriented, not sure where he even was. As his vision cleared he saw he was his room.
Suddenly there was a pain in his neck and he raised his hand up, feeling the two bumps. He had forgotten she fed off of him.
He looked down and saw her laying naked next to him, sleeping.
He frowned as he sat up. This was not good... he hadn't seen a blood drinker in his lifetime, he had thought they had died out years ago. This was good and bad, having a powerful being on their side was good, while such a powerful being could be considered a threat by his master... and what he'd done with her? Oh, Sidious would not be happy.
He played with her hair while she was passed out asleep. He had always wanted to before but never dared to. He knew when she awoken, they would have to have a serious talk. She began to come too, instantly she grabbed her head because she was dizzy.
He pulled his hand away and rearranged his face. They would have to have serious talk now. One what they did, and what he did inside of her.
"Oh god, my head," she said softly.
He waited for her eyes to open, to see if the predator inside of her was sated. She felt... normal for once. There were no heartbeats, no burning in her stomach, and her body wasn't as cold anymore. And just like that, she remembered last night. Her eyes shot open as she looked around, and saw Dooku right next to her. His golden gaze met her soft blue eyes. Good, he thought. She was her normal self.
"Arvanna." He said evenly. "You care to explain these?" he asked, pointing to the two marks on his neck, there was a good amount of bruising too.
His eyes casually roved over her figure, looking at her beautiful body as he waited her explanation.
"Oh god..." she mumbled.
She was terrified. What would he do? What would he say? Especially after what they just did. She leaned up so she was in a sitting position and propped herself up with one arm. Arvanna knew she had to explain everything to Dooku now. There was no turning back.
"I.." she took a deep breath,"...am a Sanguine. Well, the last Sanguine actually." She was scared to meet his gaze.
She wasn't sure what was to happen now.
"Interesting," he said in a low voice. "Is that how you gained control of the flagship over Both?"
As he asked, he was looking at her eyes and glad to see they were blue again. He wondered how often she had to feed.
"As for what happened last night..." Dooku trailed off, giving her a meaningful look.
She was still a little cautious, but answered. "Yes, that's how I overpowered them. And the guards Grevious sent with really helped. I knew I could use my 'ability' to make it a faster mission."
She looked at him after his last comment and was surprised by the soft look he was giving her. He let his guard down completely with her, for the first time.
"I-I know we weren't supposed to do that. Honestly I respected your words. B-but you were being so caring of my hand, and you were really close to me and petting my wrist.. and that's a trigger for me in two different ways," she blushed. "Then I could hear your heartbeat and I lost control. And when I gained some control, we were just starting, um, relations and-" she kept nervously rattling on.
"Yes we slept together... while it was enjoyable for me this cannot happen again. There are rules we must follow to be at the peak of our strength and this is one of those weaknesses that cannot be allowed to flourish," Dooku said firmly, standing up and preparing to get his clothes on. "For now you will keep your heritage a secret. When you feel the need to feed you will come to me alone and I will obtain such for you. Tell no one else." He said the last part threateningly. "In the meantime I suggest you dress and start the day with meditation. You need to center yourself again Apprentice."
"I understand," she bowed her head. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Especially worrying over me."
He froze and looked at her, surprised by her understanding and care. "And if we were to get closer and completely let our guard down, we may end up feeling more than we should. Maybe even love... and that would make us weak," she smiled.
Something dug at his chest when she said that.
"I will not tell anyone about my heritage as you say, master. And I will come to you when I need to feed. I'm not sure when I will, so it my be erratic. And I will meditate as you say, master. I want to go out onto the planet if that's okay. I'm a little bored of my room," she was still smiling.
"I will see about letting you to the surface. Go meditate and I will send a droid to tell you of my answer," he told her simply.She pouted, she was being so reasonable. Why was he being mean suddenly?
"Yes, master. I hope you will allow me. Now that I am properly fed, I won't have the dizzy spells I did before. I think it was because of so much sunlight," she dressed and stood, looking at him for a moment, as if debating something.
Suddenly her hand went up to the marks; they were inflamed and the skin around was bruised.
"Does it hurt?" she asked. "Did.. it hurt?"
"The initial bit did, and it is sore today." He told her calmly, taking his own hand and removing hers from him. "Now go. I have much to do today," he told her turning to exit via another door.
Flashes of images flew through her head all of a sudden. They were images from Count Dooku, from drinking his blood. She forgot when she drank, she could access memories and thoughts, or at least read the top of his mind. She also forgot how long it would last. She left his quarters and didn't feel like going to her room right away, so she went to see the chef for some food. She sat down with the plate and played with it more than she ate it; she was deep in thought.
She trusted him to not tell on her... really she had no choice, now she was completely at his mercy for this. Outside in the hall she heard he now familiar sound of wheezing and B1's desperately trying to please an ever cranky general.
She wanted to go talk and listen to his reports, to have company, but she was worried she would get in trouble with Dooku for not being in her room. Or worried she would annoy the General, but he did like to tell her about his reports and analysis. One of the B1's went into the little mess hall, trying to move from Grevious' way.
She became lost in thought again, now getting angry. He can't treat me like this, she thought. He was terrified of me, and I could drain him in a moment. She tried to calm down. Even if he does tell people, I'll just leave then. He wouldn't risk losing her, now that he knew her strength. At least he didn't put two and two together with the Holocron yet.
She needed to get a hold of her anger, if she got two angry she'd lash out and definitely drain any living being on this ship. She decided she better to go her room, that way she could say she was there and then left.
She went to her room and sat down, trying to calm herself. Images flashed around her head again from Dooku's memories but she couldn't pinpoint anything specific. She decided to use her old power and skimmed the top of Dooku's mind as he was working. It was focused on his work, as she expected. She remembered what happened last night, and how because she couldn't control herself now she was in this predicament.
Her anger started to seethe again and she picked up a jar and threw it. Her door opened right as the jar flew and hit Grevious in the chest and shattered. She gasped. He just looked surprised, the jar didn't hurt him, it was a light object.
"General Grevious! I'm so sorry!"
"What exactly was the meaning of that? Another training technique?" He asked dryly.
He stepped on the shards making a harsh cracking sound. "Or perhaps is this punishment for yesterday's exploits?" he asked, studying her.
She seemed confused by what he said. "Punishment?" For what?"
"For allowing you to fight in the battle," he rephrased. "Sometimes the Count does not like freethinking ways."
She sighed, relieved. She thought he somehow knew of what happened.
"He and I got into an argument yesterday. He was a little angry about my hand, but I said it was my own fault. I blacked out and ended up killing everyone..."
Grevious was intrigued by that. She changed the subject.
"He told me to meditate in my room, so I asked if I could on the planet since I'm bored of my room. And he told he would consider it. I'm just pissed off because of how he's being," she softly growled. "I didn't mean to hit you with that, I meant to hit the wall."
She bawls her hands into tight fists.
"I see. If he allows you out, you may come to me and I will offer my magma guards as I did before," he told her.What was odd was he had yet to give a reason for being there. And that did take her mind of being mad.
"Maybe if you accompany me he'll let me? I don't know if he would trust the guards."
She was starting to feel trapped again. Like she was a prisoner again. She breathed to calm down and looked at him.
"Do you think you could come with me? So he'll let me out?" she asked him.
If he had eyebrows he would have raised them. "I can accompany you to see, yes," he said after a long pause.
Grievous moved the glass out of the way with his foot and motioned her to follow him back to the Count.
They walked back and met Count Dooku in his work chambers, right next to his bed chambers. He was looking at some Holo reports and writing things down when he looked up, surprised to see General Grevious escorting Arvanna.
"I told you to meditate Arvanna." He said sternly, ignoring the General for the moment.
Grevious stood there, surprised that Dooku was actually acting in the way Arvanna mentioned. He just stood and listened, unsure what to do.
"If General Grevious goes with me, can I please go meditate outside?" she asked nicely, keeping her temper in check.
"Perhaps later you can, I told you to go to your room," Dooku said, slightly aggravated.
"He said he can bring reports with him to do while he watches over me. The droids can bring them out," she said not backing down.
Grevious was surprised, he didn't say that, but it was a good idea. But he also was intrigued by the argument.
"I told you to go to your room," Dooku raised his voice.
"I don't want to stay inside!" she yelled back, getting angry.
The more she thought about how he was being, he was acting over the top. Jeez, it was just sex! It wasn't like he harbored feelings or anything. Or he didn't want to anyway...
"You would be smart to not yell at me, young one," Dooku glared, now angry.
"Why is it I can't just go outside?!" she growled. "The planet is secure, and it's beautiful outside! I mean, it's a Separatist planet even!"
Her breathing became a little uneven.
"If I told you no, I meant no!" he hit his fists off the table and stood fast. "Secure or not, it's my order and you will obey it!"
"You can't keep me like a prisoner!" she screamed and her anger took over. He saw her eyes turn red and she balled her hands into tight fists again.
Suddenly the pot on his table exploded, and the table flipped to the right, scattering things. Grevious was standing behind her, luckily he couldn't see her eyes. Dooku could see she was about to lose control, and he wasn't prepared to be fed from again. Grevious was lucky he was more machine than flesh.
"Arvanna!" He snapped loudly, trying to get her to snap out of it. "Arvanna, calm down!"
She breathed and calmed herself, her eyes going back to blue. As he looked in them, she looked hurt and betrayed and he felt awful for it. He's the one who initiated things with the kiss, and he couldn't get too attached. He had feelings for her, but it would weaken him if he indulged. Her words echoed in his head. He was treating her like a prisoner. He was punishing her for what he did, and he shouldn't. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Very well, go outside."
She left the room, a menacing aura around her as she did.
"She has quite the temper," Grevious said, surprised.
"That she does," Dooku agreed. "One thing that will be hard to tame and get her to control."
He calmed himself from the argument and looked at the General. "Watch her, very carefully."
"As you wish, Count Dooku."
Grevious walked out and left Dooku. The Count used the force to upright his desk and put it back where it belongs. He looked at the mess, sighed, and sat down, slumped into his desk while resting his face in his hands. He had not expected this kind of power from her. What should he do? He couldn't treat her like that again, it obviously was a trigger for her abilities.
Grievous sighed and went to find his new charge. She would be in a wonderful mood…
He saw her walking in the distance, then noticed when he heard the sound of something snapping and saw a tree fly away. Oh great, that's angrier than he thought. A few droids followed behind him, afraid to go forward because of how angry she was. He continued to follow until he didn't see anymore footsteps. The droids thought the worst and she ran away, but Grevious knew that wasn't true. He looked up and saw her laying on a tree branch, one arm hanging as she swung it softly.
~Continued in next Chapter~