I was originally going to split this up into two chapters, but decided to keep it as one. Hope you guys like it. Thanks for reading, and for the reviews as well!
Lightning streaked across the sky once more as I finished my sentence, and if I were a believer in omens, that might have been a bad one. Gone was Lilith's indifference and in its place a look of incredulity, and an anger that made her body tremble. The goddess did not move, but the world around us raged in her place, tree limbs trashing about in the strong winds, leaves stripped from their place on the branches. Dirt kicked up into the air, little stones pelting our skin and colliding with the marble.
"My blood is sacred, I will not—"
"As is my own, given my line, and the only difference about the two of us is that I'm not uptight about it. All that he needs is a miniscule amount, just enough to give him an edge." I said. "Give him that much and I'll do whatever you ask of me."
"You're obligated to do whatever I ask of you, Hound. There are no deals to be made." Lilith said.
A choice was something I didn't have. I owed Lilith my life, and if I hoped to continue on the rest of my days with my head attached to my body and not a spike in the ground, it would be wise to be on my best behavior and simply do what she asks. But when it came to following orders and making smart decisions, my track record spoke for itself. And in the spirit of maintaining my foolish tradition, I pressed on, digging my grave deeper and wearing her patience thin.
"I'm not obligated to do anything. You aren't my Keeper, therefore your problems aren't something of concern to me. We've known each other long enough, and I think by now you would know the way things work with my kind." I said. Lilith glared in response, keeping her lips pressed in a tight line. She had to know that I was testing her. I wondered if she'd break.
"But," I continued, "if Eric has enough of your blood, the two of you will share a bond. And if you use him as a vessel..."
"You'll have joint custody over Adrian, so to speak." Dante finished. "Which will then make her truly obligated."
Lilith circled the fountain, silent as she thought over my words. The goddess' movements seemed out of place, so graceful as her world was coming apart. The gown she wore covered her feet, making it look as though she were gliding above the ground and I watched as her body floated around the decaying structure's perimeter. My eyes focused on her face, looking for any change from her blank expression, something to show she found my proposition even of slight interest. Lilith showed nothing, and her voice gave away nothing. She was not only the mother of all vampires, but an absolute pro when it came to pretending like she couldn't possibly give less of a shit.
"If your Keeper drinks my blood in a quantity great enough that he and I would be bonded, he would become the new prophet." Lilith said. "The Moirai made it very clear that not long after I was reborn in the body of another my progeny would return."
"Your point being?"
"We would be changing the course of things. Your Keeper wasn't meant to have my blood."
"If the Moirai see all, wouldn't they see this as well?" I asked. "We all know that nothing is set in stone. Even fate can be altered, sometimes for the better."
"This could be the path you were meant to take, Lilith. Consider it," Dante said. "I've met Northman and the fae, and they both wield considerable power. Your blood would be in a worthy vessel."
"That's high praise coming from someone who tried to have us both killed." I said, shooting a glance at him.
He shrugged. "Adversaries or not, I still hold respect for you."
"You've a funny way of showing it." I said. "Anyway; please, think about it. Between the witch and Dante's Hounds, we haven't got much time."
Time was slower here in Eden and while it may only be mid-morning in this realm, back on earth, where my physical body lied, it had to be close to sundown. Eric would be waking soon and the supernatural world as a whole would be more active. To leave them alone, even in the relatively safe space the Streams provided, was a risk not worth taking. Vampire nor human could find the Streams, but a Hound could easily and if they came in great number, Atibon would be unable to hold them off on his own. That was the least of my worries.
No one knew when the witch would begin her crusade, and in the dying light she would still be able to kill off a large amount of vampires, Pam and my Keeper among the casualties. If I could feed Eric upon his rising, within an hour's time we could be back in Shreveport with Riggs and the others and set on burning that building to the ground.
"You're the only thing standing between the survival of both humans and vampires. This could be the catalyst to the war you speak of, and if we hope to avoid even greater bloodshed, do this for me. And yourself." I said.
It didn't take long for Lilith to make her decision and I was relieved that we were no longer wasting time. I didn't want to stay here any longer than I had to.
"Drink from me. My blood will flow through you, and when you wake, have him feed. Your Keeper possess the strength he needs to survive alongside you and in your absence." Lilith said, holding her arm out for me to take.
I grabbed her wrist. "If your progeny is to return, won't your plague begin soon as well? It won't help your kind any if I'm gone." I plunged my teeth into the soft flesh of her arm.
"Then see to it that your Keeper protects you now."
The blood gushed from the wound and poured into my mouth, tasting sweeter than what I had drank earlier, but the effects had not changed. I released her and fell to the ground, writhing as the fluid burned through my veins, bubbling from my pores and coating my skin. Lilith spoke and I couldn't make out the words in my haze. Eden crumbled away and plunged me into nothingness, the peaceful black and the freedom from pain I longed for.
I jolted upright, cringing in pain at the sudden movement. It was a struggle to hold myself up. In the time that I had been in Eden it felt like my muscles had begun to atrophy. I clambered around the room blindly, searching for the small clay jar Lilith's blood had occupied. I found it on the floor near the hearth and with a claw, slit my wrist wide open and let the red spill into the container. When the jar had become heavy with the weight of my blood, I rose, and like a newborn deer I stumbled through Merula's home, blood soaked and delirious, searching for the viking.
Riggs and Nils were the first to find me and the only ones who dared lay a hand on me. I shoved them both aside, ignoring their pleas to rest before carrying on. I could barely see, but my nose lead me to the old woman. I hunched over Merula's seated frame.
"Where is he?" I asked, holding the jar close.
"Underground. Riggs sealed the doors to the catacombs to keep them safe. Nothing could have gotten in unless he let them." Merula said. She looked past me at Riggs. "Take her down. It's late enough now."
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Ady."
. . .
Someone was pounding on the other side of the door. If it wasn't sealed shut, the wood would have been splintered into hundreds of pieces and the vampires on the other side would be free. Riggs and Merula were smart to keep them here. Surely the Hounds would be seeking retribution for their fallen leader, and god forbid they found Eric, those mongrels would do much more than simply extinguish his life.
Riggs placed his hand on the center of the door, a warm glow radiating from his palm. The light radiated outward and revealed patterns that had been etched into the wood, the seal that made the aging wood impenetrable. The shapes flashed and within seconds they disappeared, and the door opened, releasing two angry vampires.
Eric and his progeny darted from the catacombs like rabid animals released from their cage, just a few snarls short of foaming at the mouth. They relaxed slightly at the sight of us, though still clearly agitated. I would have been too if I was imprisoned, but it was for their own good, at least while Eric was still in his weakened state. In a few minutes time his strength would nearly match my own.
I could have smiled at the thought of all the chaos we could create, but the situation didn't call for smiles, and I pulled the viking back into the room. He stumbled back and landed on a bench seated below shelves of dusty skeletons and cobwebs, and I sympathized with them even more. This wasn't even close to the luxuries Eric and Pam had back home; I promised him silently to bring them both home safely and out of the depths of this dank, decrepit hole.
Before I could return them to the comfort of their decadence, there were more important things to be done, and I held the first of them out to Eric.
He stared at the jar in confusion. The clay shook in my hands, little drops of blood spilling over the edge and onto my hands.
"What am I supposed to do with that?" he asked, eyeing the container suspiciously. Eric leaned forward and sniffed the contents, as if he doubted it were just blood. "This smells...off."
"There's nothing wrong with it, I promise you. But I need you to drink it." I said. "And fast."
Eric pushed the jar away. "No, not until you tell me what that is. It can't just be blood."
"That's because it's not." I said. "This belongs to Lilith, your Creator, and if you drink it you'll be powerful enough that you can fight along with me when we go after the Hounds."
It was still early enough that we could kill enough of them to lessen the threat we faced. I just needed him to accept the blood, and so far, it was more difficult than I anticipated.
"My Creator?" he asked. "My Creator is dead, and I'm strong enough on my own. I don't need whatever shit you scraped off of yourself into that jar."
"Your maker is dead, yes, but this is the progenitor, Eric. She's allowed you to drink her blood and absorb her power. Do you know what this will do? It will make you a damned god." I said. "Now drink."
Eric stood up and I blocked his path, cornering him. He flashed his fangs at me. "You look like a junkie. Get that shit out of my face."
"I won't, and if I have to, I'll pour it down your fucking throat. Don't be stubborn, Eric. For the love of god, just take it already."
I lurched forward and pinned him against the shelves, clutching the clay so hard I thought I might crack it. My grip eased on the jar but remained firm on his throat. Our eyes locked and I squeezed tighter, cutting off air he didn't need, and I knew that I was acting irrationally. There were easier ways of convincing him to drink the blood, ways that didn't involve me nearly decapitating him. I had thousands of years of practice when it came to being persuasive and promising all sorts of tempting things just to get my way.
I couldn't kill Eric, but I could promise him something that would make the blood impossible to refuse.
I took a deep breath and considered not taking this route. This was something I had planned on doing in the event I could not avoid death, and fearing the loss of our bond, I needed something to tie me to him. A piece of myself that would be at his side when I could not be, something greater than my company alone could ever be.
It was either this or continue to fight him and risk being released, and I wouldn't put either of us through that pain. There was no other choice.
"If you drink the blood, I swear to you, I will give you your maker back."
