A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
It's strange being able to post two days in a row.
Thank you for all your support during that difficult time. You all really inspired me to carry on and struggle through even though at times I felt like giving in. Thank you once again.
Chapter 49: Reflective
Erin instinctively pressed her hand up to her head, feeling the sharp edges of the crown. She'd forgotten to take it off after dealing with the reporters. She felt a wave of disgust flow over her but she managed to squash it, she wiped her fingers on the leather instinctively feeling as if her fingers were now tainted.
"I won't take it off." She spoke slowly and deliberately, she might hate the crown but she wasn't going to take it off. "You can't wear it if you remember, I can. How does that feel knowing two other Draculas can wear it Olga?"
That seemed to make the youngest – for the moment – Dracula bristle, she looked away from it completely fixing her eyes on her cousin who was slowly turning a light shade of blue as he struggled to breathe. Erin rubbed his chest trying to calm him, if he grew anxious it would only affect his breathing further as he'd tried to breathe faster.
Her father and one other vampire backed up Olga, clearly she didn't see them as a threat. A mistake on her part.
"Bertrand get out of here." Ingrid told him, Bertrand shook his head, "Now." She ordered again but he remained where he was. He stood tall and stared down Olga.
"Come to me Bertrand." Olga cooed sweetly towards Bertrand, her face turning sickly sweet. Ingrid could see straight through her. Bertrand quaked and shivered. His leg lifted up as he prepared to move behind her.
His head dropped as he fought to remain in control, his fists shaking with the force of his concentration. He couldn't let her be in control. If the Nobles' treatment had worked, only a little but just to give him the edge then it would be better than nothing.
Ingrid placed a hand on his arm, 'You can do this.' She whispered into his mind. She felt him nod mentally making sure that he didn't move his head in any way.
"Come to me Bertrand." Olga repeated louder and with a lot less sweetness in her tone, her smile was becoming more and more forced as she spoke.
Bertrand clenched his teeth, his jaw moving slightly. He could feel his eyes blackening. 'Don't let her win, you're stronger than she is.' Ingrid spoke again, hoping that her words were encouraging him rather than hindering him.
The older vampire finally looked up. With stiff steps he moved backwards towards Vlad and Erin, standing guard protectively over them.
"You can't control me." He spoke, his voice shaking from the exertion of trying to overcome his instincts.
Olga looked at him outraged, "I am your Master, I bit you." She stamped her foot and gestured with her arm for him to get by her side immediately. Bertrand closed his eyes as he felt another wave of 'needing to be by her side' flow through him.
"He's half mine!" Ingrid snapped at her, "Bertrand's stronger than you think either that or you're just weak." Ingrid clicked her fingers in a patronising way, as if she was remembering something. "That's right you are, that's why you had to remove my brother's reflection." Ingrid folded her arms and smirked.
Erin felt Vlad's heart begin to slow at first she frantically pressed her hands to his chest trying to feel his heart rate. She relaxed as she felt it settle into a steady rhythm once more, clearly his body had fought back this time.
She didn't care about anyone else in the room as she pressed her forehead to his in relief, her eyes closing they had beaten it this time but there was no telling for how long. She felt the crown slip forwards but didn't make an effort to reposition it.
Vlad glanced up at Erin, nodding as the pain slowly dissolved from his chest. It felt like fire was racing through him, spreading all over his body growing weaker and weaker as it did so before fizzling out completely. His breathing returned to normal slowly, his chest rising and falling more steadily. Erin spread out her hand across his chest feeling his rib cage move gracefully. The faint pink colour was returning to his cheeks slowly, erasing the blue tinge from his lips and face.
Olga watched their interaction with a mixture of disgust and jealousy. They always seemed to be stronger together. Olga couldn't take their affection for much longer, she needed to dispel it before she was sick.
"He still isn't a gene fang yet?" Olga smirked glancing over at her cousin. "He's stronger than I thought."
Erin stood sharply; Vlad would have fallen if he hadn't had the consciousness to balance himself on his elbows. She went to charge at her but Ingrid held her back. With a strong grip on her elbow.
Olga froze looking down and noticing what Erin was wearing, a smirk crossed her lips. It was a man's jacket and looking at the way it was tighter around her stomach told her all she needed to know.
"She's breeding then." Erin let out a hiss. "She's finally doing what she was born for then."
"Erin…" Vlad whispered trying to get her to see sense, she had to remember the baby.
Erin only saw red and instead of letting it consume her she let it flow outwards instead.
YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL
This time Erin didn't charge forward instead she launched a fireball of sizzling and burning electricity. Vlad watched her in shock, she shouldn't be able to use that power, she shouldn't even have that power.
The fireball pulsed and glowed as it raced towards Olga, increasing in speed every millimetre it travelled.
Olga couldn't stop it and Erin had no intention of doing so. Olga tried to move out of the way but she was too slow, and Erin's eyes narrowed as it seemed to alter its course slightly as if she was nudging it telekinetically to stay on course.
A scream filled the air as it clipped Olga's hip. She dropped to the floor in complete pain, clutching at the large wound in her leg. A leg for a leg as far as Erin was concerned. Olga deserved this injury, it was fitting considering it was the room that Vlad had been injured in.
She gasped at the pain, looking up at Erin in shock.
"You missed out again Olga. You're not Grand High Vampire." Erin marched towards her, Ivan and the other vampire stepped back in fear. "I am Vlad's Queen, his mate. There is no way I will let you have our crown and while his heir lives you will never have the crown."
Olga looked up at her, "We're… at… war…" She forced out through clenched teeth.
"I know that." Erin snapped at her, "We don't use clans to defend us, we fight our own battles. We have enough support to win but this is between us. I will fight you all the way." Olga looked at her with wide eyes.
"You can't…"
"I'M GRAND HIGH VAMPIRE!" She shouted at her making Olga quiver, "I have the resources and I have the power or do you need another demonstration." She flung another fireball, this time deliberately missing Olga as a warning. "I'm giving you a chance like Vlad did – I don't want to – but I want to make this an official chance by the newest Grand High Vampire. Give up Olga and go back to America."
Olga knew she was in far too deep to back out now. "Never!"
Erin hadn't expected anything else. She nodded to Olga, showing her that she accepted her answer. She held her hand out again letting the electricity build up.
Once the fireball was big enough she aimed it at Olga, prepared to launch it. She drew her arm back… then hesitated.
The hesitation cost her as Ivan and the other vampire to the chance and grabbed Olga before vanishing into the air.
YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL
Erin collapsed to the floor, landing on her knees. Her hand was still outstretched as the fireball dissipated in her hand.
"ERIN!" Ingrid cried angrily, she couldn't believe Erin had hesitated and let Olga escape.
Vlad scooted along the floor towards her, ignoring the glass on the floor digging into and ripping his leather. He pulled Erin into his arms.
"I couldn't do it." She whispered as she looked at Vlad, her eyes glassy as she looked at him. "She was there, I could have destroyed her but…"
Vlad cupped her jaw, "You're not a killer Erin." He whispered pressing his forehead to hers. "I've killed, I've executed people before you've never done it directly." He added remembering her involvement in Sethius' death. "She was helpless, self defence is one thing but it wouldn't have been in self defence." He kissed her forehead lightly, "Its nothing to be ashamed of." He looked at Ingrid fiercely telling her not to challenge him on this.
Ingrid nodded, Erin couldn't kill in cold blood, she never had been able to.
YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL
Ingrid twisted to look up at Bertrand as she watched him relax. She cupped his face with both of her hands and brought his head down to kiss him softly. It was only a short kiss, neither of them were able to be as affectionate around others as Vlad and Erin seemed to be capable of.
She stroked his cheek lightly making him lean into her touch. "You beat her."
"I wasn't going to last much longer." He admitted softly to her. Even if that were true Ingrid was proud of him, more than he'd ever know.
"You still beat her." There was nothing that he could say to make her ignore that. She looked around the room, the journey had been for nothing. "This was a waste of time." Ingrid muttered angrily.
Erin watched their interaction before burying herself closer to Vlad. She felt something impacting against her temple. It wasn't painful just uncomfortable. With a slight 'huff' she pulled back and looked at the source of her discomfort.
Then an idea came to her. She felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before.
"Hang on… a reflective surface?" Erin questioned. "When you say 'a reflective surface' is that any reflective surface? Not just a mirror?"
Bertrand nodded slowly, "As long as there its reflects somehow…"
Erin's smile widened, relief filling her. She closed her eyes and sighed before turning to Vlad with a large smile.
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading.
