A/N1: I will add more notes at the bottom, but I wanted to say two things upfront. First, I promise I will have the next chapter out tomorrow. The only reason I won't is if the tornados actually touch down lol. Second, have faith in me :) Seriously, please.
Chapter 15
Eva was glad that she didn't have to look hard to find Adrian. Unfortunately, he had already gone to the kitchen to help make lunch for Sumi and Taka. She slid in beside him silently, and he gave her a smile for the help. It wasn't until he noticed she wasn't smiling back that he realized something was wrong.
He lowered his voice, "Are you alright?"
She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Not really. I think I might be coming down with something. I'm going to go lay down for a bit. Would you mind checking on me after you're done here? A nap might be all I need."
Adrian frowned at her. She had only been there for a couple of months, but other than during her cycle, she had never shown any signs of sickness. She seemed to have a strong constitution. It helped that she was a fanatic about staying clean. He wiped his hand off on a nearby rag before he put it on her forehead.
"You don't seem to have a fever yet. Perhaps you should go lie down. I'll bring up something shortly."
Eva felt terrible for worrying him, but it was the first thing she could think of to get him alone without arousing the suspicion of the other two. She gave him a nod and headed up the stairs. Despite her worry, she doubted he would take long before he came to check on her.
Thankfully she was right. It was maybe twenty minutes later that he came into the room they shared carrying a tray. He stopped when he saw her pacing and gave her a frown. "What is going on? Why are you not lying down?"
Eva shook her head. "I apologize. I needed to speak with you without letting Sumi and Taka know. I overheard them earlier and-"
He cut her off. "So, you are not feeling ill?"
She grimaced back at him. "I wouldn't say that, but it's not because of any sickness. They were talking about the two of us. You, in particular. They kept talking about how you must be lonely with just your pet for company, and maybe that was why you were hiding things from them. They were saying you must be miserable and that they needed to give you some sort of reward for all the things you have done."
Adrian took a few steps closer to her, but his frown had only grown. "While I do not like the fact that they seem determined to see you as my pet, it isn't shocking. They come from a vampire court. All they know is vampires that kill humans for food. Any they don't kill are probably those they want to play with, or perhaps, like a pet, any they are fond of. They will see in time that you are more than that to me."
Eva sighed. "I'm glad to know you don't see me like a little puppy barking at your heels, but that isn't the point here. They think you are hiding things from them just to keep them here longer. And that reward talk, they said they had to be careful because they didn't want to offend me." She made a frustrated noise and looked away. "I can't really explain it, but the way they said it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I don't like this. We need to talk to them. I know we have already told them that the castle is closed for their safety, but maybe they need to hear it again or see proof. I don't know, but I do know this whole thing makes my skin crawl."
At that point, Adrian took a step back and gave her a frown. "Perhaps they said that because they see how jealous you act, and didn't want to cause a rift between us."
Eva stopped pacing and looked over at him with shock. It was several seconds before she could even make her voice work, and it took all she had not to yell. "How jealous I act? Please! If I actually acted jealous, I would have slapped a bitch already. I won't deny that I think they are both too handsy, Sumi in particular, but I know I don't have any reason to say shit about it. We may be sharing a bed, but you haven't said anything past that. I don't have any delusions that this situation can't change. I also know that if you do feel as though I am worth staying loyal to, then you will. No matter how someone else tries to catch your eye. You wouldn't go behind my back. I have no reason to act jealous, even if I can't help the feeling sometimes."
She took a few steps forward and glared at him. "All that being said, this has nothing to do with how I feel. I am telling you exactly what I heard. You can take it or leave it, but I am telling you now that I won't let them cause problems."
Adrian watched her with a frown for several seconds while he tried to figure out what to say. His first response was to get angry with her, but her last words had him flummoxed. She trusted him? Even though she was willing to admit she was unsure of his intentions in the same sentence. It made no sense. However, that was just part of the problem. His voice was low when he finally spoke. "We have never discussed what this is because you are actively looking for a way to leave. What point would there be in doing so? No matter what I say, you still don't belong here. This is not your home. I have seen the way you look at the pictures of your past. I have heard the way you speak of all the things you miss. I welcomed you into my castle, knowing that. Knowing that getting back was the only reason you stayed."
Eva felt like he had slapped her. He wasn't wrong. It was just that somewhere along the way, she had quit looking for information about the mirror and focused on her heritage. She missed the luxuries of her life, but she hadn't actively thought about going back since before Sumi and Taka showed up. His words highlighted that, but more than that, they showed her how he really saw her.
Her shoulders had drooped, but she squared them once again and looked back at him. "Do you really think that was the only reason I stayed?"
His eyes flashed with something unnamed for a moment before he nodded. Eva swallowed back a snarl at the expression and tried to force herself to show nothing. "It might be a good idea if I sleep in one of the guest rooms tonight. That is what I am, after all."
She didn't wait for his response before she turned and walked out the door. No matter how hard she willed it, her eyes still filled with tears as the door closed behind her. Had they not, she might not have missed the fact that there were a couple of extra shadows around the corner.
Sumi and Taka shared a look as they watched the woman walk away. It was several seconds before they felt it was safe to move, and they tread on silent feet back to the room that Taka had been given to use while they were there. Once the door was closed, they shared a worried look. Sumi was the first to speak. "She heard us talking earlier."
Taka shrugged. "They both already know we know there is more going on here. It is as Alucard said, she is showing her jealousy. And we didn't even do anything yet."
Sumi frowned at him. "No, but even if Alucard doesn't tell us to leave, he will watch us. He may say that he does not see her as more than his bedmate, but he listens when she speaks. We need to address her first. If we do not, there will be no way to convince Alucard. We may have an alternative plan, but we don't know enough to implement it yet. He must trust us explicitly."
Taka sighed and grabbed his hair in frustration. "Yes, I know. If he did, then maybe we could convince him to share it all with us too. We will do what we must, but only as a backup."
Sumi gave him a dry look. "You are only thinking of your stomach."
Taka grinned. "Well, food is much better when you don't have to cook it yourself."
"You need to focus."
He stuck his tongue out at her but jumped back when she tried to swat at him. His expression then turned serious. "I will go speak with the woman. Try to convince her that our words did not mean what she fears they do."
Sumi frowned. "Then, you will have to tell her we were eavesdropping."
Taka grinned. "Not really. While I speak with her, you will also talk with Alucard. We each tell them we ran into the other and heard about it. You can explain why we are frustrated and ask to see more. If he asks about the reward, you can tell him whatever you want. Anything that would help him relax with you. I'll take care of Eva. Problem solved, and hopefully, we will be able to see the rest of the castle by tonight."
Sumi still didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded. "Fine. I'll go find Alucard." With that, the two of them walked back out and split to find the other two occupants of the castle.
Eva had not really been paying much attention when she walked out of Adrian's room. She did, however, do what she said she was going to and picked a random guest room. One far away from where the others were staying. It didn't even matter that it was full of junk. She plopped down on the bed and finally let her tears fall.
Damnit, she hurt. Much more than she thought she could. Even with the little jealous spikes she had been feeling, she hadn't realized how much she had come to care for the man she had just walked away from. It was bitter irony that it only took him telling her he was keeping his distance because she was leaving before she figured it out. She felt utterly disgusted with herself. She knew there was more that needed to be done, but she just couldn't face it yet.
She was shocked out of her misery by a knock on the door. She sat up with a start and wiped at her face. It shouldn't have shocked her that Adrian figured out where she had gone. It wasn't as though he couldn't smell her anywhere in the castle. She took one more deep breath before she opened the door.
However, she was shocked to find Taka instead of Adrian. She scowled at the young man, but he held up both hands before she could slam the door in his face. "Wait! I come to apologize."
Eva gave him a hard look. "Apologize for what?"
Taka gave her a chagrined look and scratched the back of his head. "We ran into Alucard when we got done with lunch. He told us you had an argument about something you overheard us say, and Sumi asked if I would come to talk to you. She said you might not be as comfortable talking to her."
Eva's glare deepened for a moment before she worked to clear it off her face. As much as she could anyway. "I don't have anything against Sumi. No more than I do you."
Taka chuckled awkwardly at her words, but he still pressed forward. "About that, can we at least talk?"
Eva sighed and opened the door a little wider. "I guess."
Taka took one step into the room before he stepped back out again. "Actually, can we walk and talk? That room smells."
Eva sniffed and wrinkled her nose. It did smell. Disgusting. That was a testament to how distracted she had been that she didn't notice until he pointed it out. "Fine. But we are keeping this short. I'll tell you up front that Adrian has never kept anything from you that wasn't to keep you safe. He has never lied to you and planned on getting it all to you eventually. He isn't just keeping you here for companionship. I won't lie and say he doesn't enjoy it, but that isn't his motivation. What you are studying is dangerous, so he is doing what any good teacher would do, and giving each level to you as you advance from the previous one."
Taka gave her a weak grin. "What you say makes sense. It's just we have been so used to people that just want to use us. Please forgive us if we have overstepped. We don't want him to stop teaching us. Or you even. You are smarter than any woman we've met before. You may not be a fighter, but as a scholar, you are amazing."
Eva looked into his eyes for several moments. She was hoping to find something, anything that could either convince her this boy was lying, or that he was just lost, but honest. She nearly growled when she could see nothing but the apologetic look he was giving her. "If that is the case, then what did you mean when you said you wanted to reward him? What kind of reward would you give that would offend me?"
Taka actually blushed before he answered. "W-we had actually thought about asking you both to join us. For one night, at least. It is the one thing that is ours that we have to give freely."
It didn't take Eva long to figure out what he was talking about. By that point, her face was even redder than his had been. "While I can appreciate the gesture, I don't think we would want that."
When she turned to look at him, Taka's face finally lost the apologetic smile. His eyes turned hard. It was only then that Eva noticed they had gone up the stairs and to the end of the hall. She hadn't thought much of it since it was quieter up here, but now she realized what a mistake she had made.
His voice was as hard as his eyes as he ran toward her. "You should have just stayed quiet and obeyed, like a good pet. We might have had a use for you."
She tried to turn and run, but there was nowhere for her to go. She felt his body slam into hers before she was lifted and thrown out the broken window. Her brain couldn't even process the multiple cuts she received from edges of the shattered glass. It was too preoccupied as she twisted to look up at the glaring face of the man that had just tossed her out one of the tower windows.
Time seemed to slow as that thought hit her. She was falling. She was outside the tower and freefalling through the air. Her limbs didn't even flail as she kept eye contact with her murderer. The man that just killed her. She couldn't process the change in him when his eyes got wide.
Before Eva could wonder why, she heard a man's voice screaming out her name. It wasn't the man above her, nor was it a voice she knew. Though, it did sound hauntingly familiar. Her vision filled with bright white light and sudden pain exploded from deep within her body. That was when she finally screamed.
Sumi had not found Alucard inside his room, nor was he in the areas he usually went to. That left outside. Or so she hoped. She ran until she caught sight of his hair through some branches. She barely paused long enough to catch her breath before she ran to where he was leaning against a tree.
As soon as he saw her, he frowned. She didn't even get a chance to say anything before he spoke. "Sumi, now is not a good time. You should go back to the castle."
She shook her head and took a few breaths, so she was not gasping before she spoke. "I cannot. I heard about the argument. Taka is apologizing to Eva now, and I came to do so to you as well."
Alucard stood with a sigh. "Tell me, did she hear correctly? Did you call her a pet again?"
Sumi bowed and lowered her eyes as she spoke. "Yes, we have had a hard time not seeing the blood slaves that used to sit at the side of the vampires in Cho's court when we look at her. We know you are not like that, so we both apologize."
"Hmm." He stepped past her before he spoke again. "It isn't just me you are disrespecting. It is Eva as well. She is an honorable woman."
Sumi still had not moved from her bow as she spoke again. "It is as you say. Which is why Taka has gone to her too. We may have doubts about what is to come, but we would never disrespect you."
Alucard finally walked to face her. "If that is the case, then tell me what you meant. If she heard correctly, then what reward were you speaking of that had her so bothered?"
Sumi finally stood to face him with a look of sincerity. "You have done so much. Not just for us, but for the world. We know it could not have been easy to kill Dracula, and yet you did. We thought to reward you in the only way we could. With the only thing that is ours to give."
Alucard raised a brow at her declaration. His confusion didn't last long, as Sumi stepped forward and put her hand on his chest before she continued. "We had hoped to ask both of you to spend the night with us. At least once, so we could express our gratitude."
Alucard stepped away from her with a frown. "Sumi, that will never happen."
The young woman frowned up at him, but her expression cleared after a moment. "Do you not find us attractive? Do you believe we could not satisfy you?"
His eyes softened as he looked at her. "That isn't the case at all. You are both beautiful, and had I met you a few months ago, my answer may have been different. Now, I must refuse." He stepped forward with a smile. "Perhaps you two could join forces and make us a mea-"
He cut off, and his head jerked toward the castle. Sumi felt her heart hammering in her chest as she heard the vampire growl. "What is it?"
His eyes shot down, and she was shocked by the naked fear she could see. "I thought I heard Eva scream. I smell her blood."
Before he could take off, Sumi grabbed his arm. She was frantic. "Wait! Do not rush into an unknown danger! It could have been an accident, or it could be a trap!"
Alucard slowly turned to look down at the young woman. She didn't even realize the danger she was in before he had her hanging in the air by her throat. "What have you done?"
Sumi tried to reach down for her dagger to make him release her, but he knocked it away. He then pulled her in close, and his voice dropped into a whisper that promised violence. "If she is harmed, you will regret it." That was the last thing Sumi knew before his other hand came up and knocked her out.
A/N2: So, I don't usually like to leave chapters on real cliffhangers, but this one lent itself well to doing so. That being said, I promise you won't have to wait for the conclusion of this arc for long. Tomorrow will be the next one. I promise. I hope you have all enjoyed the way it has played out, and look forward to more to come. We will be headed into the big stuff soon. Thanks for reading, and cheers!
