Chapter 18

As soon as the two of them reached the training area, Eva almost wished they could go somewhere else. Her opinion of the place had soured somewhat. Thankfully, Adrian didn't give her much opportunity to worry about it. He turned to her with his 'instructor' face. "How much control do you have over the muscles that move your wings. Just getting that part down will be necessary before we can think about more."

Eva gave him a chagrined look. "Well, I'm still getting used to the idea of having them in the first place."

He gave her a look that clearly said he already knew that, but he wanted to see it as well. She resisted the urge to her wrinkle her nose at him, and instead closed her eyes so she could focus on feeling how her new appendages were supposed to work with the rest of her body. She was gratified when, after a few minutes, she was able to fully extend them a few times.

She opened her eyes with a grin but lost it when Adrian only nodded. "That is a good start, but it takes much more than that to keep you afloat. Why don't we focus on having you work them each day whenever you can, then we can tackle the idea of flying when you have better control."

Eva huffed in exasperation. She had been looking forward to being in the air, but he was right, of course. Instead of worrying about it, she gestured toward the practice sword. "Are we going to practice then?"

He shook his head. "Not with that. Even though you don't have the capability for flight yet, we still need to see what else you may be capable of. Although I am sure there is something written about it somewhere, it would probably be more efficient for us to just use trial and error."

Eva did not look thrilled at his suggestion, but he motioned for her to take a seat anyway. It was a little awkward to sit cross-legged, but she finally managed. Once they were both down, he had her close her eyes. "I want you to think about the times your power has come on its own. Try to recreate them in your mind and see if you can find the source or access to it."

Both times Eva had unwittingly used her power were not times she wanted to recall, but she did as he asked anyway. Surprisingly, it did not take her long. It was almost like a memory that she had forgotten until something reminded her of it. She opened her eyes to look down at her glowing hands with shock.

Adrian gave her a curious look. "That went better than I expected. The question now is, what can you do with it?"

Eva cringed internally at the thought of him asking her to spar with him using this power. She wasn't sure she could force herself to. Thankfully, another idea came to her, and she grinned before she hopped up. She then went to where a few spring buds had come up, but not yet bloomed. She tentatively reached out a finger and touched the first one. She fell over with a start when it blossomed instantly, though she laughed right after.

Adrian hadn't been sure what she was doing, but as soon as he saw the bloom, he stared at her in awe. He stood to help her back to her feet as he looked down at the perfect blossom. "Well, that isn't quite what I had in mind, but I suppose at least we have an idea of where to start."

Eva shook her head at him. "I know I need to figure out something defensive, but this was the first thing I could think of."

He cupped her cheek and smirked down at her. "I never said it wasn't useful. Sometimes we just need to use our imaginations to better grasp the definition of what that means."

Eva hadn't felt that her imagination was lacking, but she was still willing to bite. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, it might take some practice, but I think I have a few ideas. Let's go see if anything will work out." She frowned at his back slightly as he led her back to the center of the clearing. Though it wasn't long until she forgot her hesitance, and her mind was wholly occupied with the possibilities.


It had taken Issac longer than he expected to finish his tasks in this soon to be abandoned city. Still, he was ready to move. The old woman had not exaggerated when she claimed the mirror would be large enough to transport his 'troops' through. Still, he would need to plan carefully. They could stream through, but they would not go undetected long. He would need to plan the best spot so they would not be overrun before they all made it through. He just needed to do a little reconnaissance before he opened the portal.

He was not impatient, nor was he willing to forego what he felt was justice. His plans would simply need to be well laid out. With that in mind, he pulled out the smaller mirror. "Sir, show me the layout of the castle."

It was a matter of moments later that he started seeing images flash past. One section of the castle at a time. After a little more than a minute, he called out once more. "Stop."

The image was of a large courtyard. There were only a couple of guards. Though Issac was aware that would not likely stay the same, it was going to be his best chance to get them all across before they were interrupted.

With that decision made, he left to bring his troops down. There was no point in waiting. The line of them extended up the building as they all filed in to follow him. He then turned to the larger mirror and concentrated on what he wanted to see. It did not take long before the courtyard opened in front of them. He then turned to his troops. "Nothing in the castle is to remain alive, except for Hector. Bring him to me if you find him."

There was a calamitous roar from the gathered demons as they all pushed forward through the mirror with Issac in front. Once he was through, Issac watched with satisfaction as they tore the first few guards to pieces. He had no doubt this would not go perfectly, but some things were simply worth it. He then turned to make his way into the depths of this place. He had a wayward Forgemaster to find.

It was not long before an alarm was raised. Vampires in armor poured from all over to try and stop the invading army, but they did little good. There were too many, and in the narrower hallways, the defenders were being overrun.

Issac was blocked many times as he searched, but nothing stopped him for long. He was too focused to care past the moment. When he finally made it to the dungeons, he growled in rage to find them empty. Though that did not stop him for long. He recognized the place where he had seen Hector previously. He knew the other Forgemaster had to be nearby.

By the time he made it back up to the courtyard, the whole castle was a stinking mess of bodies and gore. Both from the defending vampires, as well as his own night horde troops. He was not pleased to see the number of them that were downed, but hell was far from empty. Not yet.

When he turned to go look through a new part of the castle, he was stopped by a familiar voice. "What the fuck is going on!"

He turned with a low growl. "Carmilla. I should have expected to see you. Perhaps this is a better day than I expected. I have yet to find Hector, but for now, you will suffice."

The vampire queen paused and gave him a smirk. "Issac, is all this just so you can rescue your friend?"

Issac could not hold back his snarl. "Friends are overrated. I came to take what was due. I will be happy to have you make a down payment." He then leapt up to where she had been standing. He wasn't worried about her guards, those would be taken care of by his own troops. His focus was on the bitch that betrayed his master. Her master.

His first blow did not connect, as she had jumped out of the way. That did not stop him from trying again and again. After several minutes of their cat and mouse game, he growled. The bitch was fast, but he was determined. He ignored her when she laughed at him.

"Poor Issac. You came all this way for revenge? Is it really worth it?"

He focused on distracting her with a feint and managed to come around with his strap to capture her arm. He yanked her closer and for a moment thought he had her. She ripped away from him with a snarl. Her fangs were bared as she growled at him. "It's too bad you were unlucky enough to come too late. Hector is gone already, and you will be soon."

She then pounced at him but was knocked from the air by one of his demons. It was at that point that she realized she was the only one left in the courtyard. All her retainers had been killed, and she was facing off against a horde of demons, and a psychotic Forgemaster with a grudge. "Well, fuck."

Instead of landing and going after Issac again, she flipped so she could launch herself off the wall. The maneuver allowed her to get to one of the upper walkways. She snarled at the thought of running from her own home, but the others were only a few days away. She could grab Morana and meet up with Lenore and Striga soon enough. They would seize their empire, and Issac would pay. Her home would not be his playground for long.


It had been nearly three weeks since Eva had gotten her wings. During that time, she had learned more about her power, but it had taken them half that time just to get her airborne. Once she was, however, flying lessons became a regular part of their training.

It had been amusing at first, at least for one of them. Adrian had levitated with her in his arms and held her there until she could eventually make her wings work the way she wanted. She nearly cursed him the first time he let her go, and she almost fell. Even though she was able to right herself before she hit the ground, she was unhappy enough not to speak to him for a whole five minutes. It might have been less if he hadn't laughed at her.

Despite the rough start, Eva picked up the basics quickly. It helped that her trainer had his own form of flight. Though it was not quite the same, it was still enough that he could help her. At least to be there, so she didn't crash.

In addition to flying lessons, they also determined at least a little about her innate power. After experimenting some, they came to the conclusion that it was what they could only describe as holy light. Eva rolled her eyes when Adrian first called it that, but she had to admit, that was a rather accurate name. Even if it felt weird applied to her.

What that boiled down to was the fact that she could heal and grow, but it also worked in a similar way to consecrated items. They found that out when they were ambushed by a small group of demons before they could make it back to the castle one evening. By that point, she could call the light at will. Although, the first time she used it, it had been instinctive again. She had been pounced on by one of the demons. She held out her hands to defend herself, but the light was instantly at her fingertips. The beast hadn't even had time to try and avoid it before it was burnt to ash in seconds.

Adrian had given her an impressed look, but they were not given long to appreciate the turn. The rest of the small swarm was on them in a flash. Though, between the two of them, they were able to dispatch them quickly. When it was all over, Eva wanted nothing more than to collapse right there. Only the smell of demon guts pushed her to walk back into the castle on her shaky legs. It ended up taking her almost an hour before her nerves calmed enough to go to bed. In the end, Adrian had to help her forget how scared she had been, despite how well she did.

It was a few days after that incident, and the two of them had moved on from just flying lessons to learning maneuvers in the sky. Adrian wanted to make sure that Eva was capable of at least getting away if it came to an aerial battle. Some of the night horde had wings, so the sky was not necessarily safer.

Currently, she was trying to evade his pounces. She cursed when he came at her from the treeline once again and barely managed to roll to the side in mid-air. Her balance was off afterward, and it took her too long to recover. Although she had evaded him once, when he came back around, she found them both falling.

He stopped them from hitting the ground at full impact, but he still had her arms pinned as she hit the ground with an oof. He smirked down at her. "Still not fast enough. You need to work on rolling so that you don't lose your balance. It does you no good if you are vulnerable afterward."

Eva swallowed a growl, but she did pin him with a dark look. "You say all that, but it is incredibly unfair that you have had your whole life to learn to use your power, and I've had weeks. That gap makes a huge difference."

He chuckled at her complaint. "Oh, come now. Grumbling about it solves nothing. Besides, I caught you fairly. Are you such a poor sport?"

She did growl at that point, but her glare soon disappeared as she smirked up at him. "Fine. You captured me fair and square. Now, what do you plan to do with me?"

His answering smile was slightly predatory, but he had barely dipped his head to capture her lips in a kiss before his head jerked up, and he frowned. It took Eva a moment to realize why he had pulled away. By then, he was frowning back down to her. "I'm afraid I will have to claim my reward later. We have company."

Eva's heart lurched as he stood and helped her to her feet. After the last time, she wasn't so sure she wanted the company. She was whispering when she spoke again. "Do you think they are dangerous?"

His frown hadn't faded entirely, but he turned to her with a twist of his lips that almost looked like the beginning of a smile. "Not to you or I."

It was only a few seconds later that she also heard the clatter of hooves and the creak of wagon wheels. Her eyes got wide as hope took over. She pulled out of his arms and looked toward where the sound was coming from. A wide grin split her face when she heard a familiar voice. "God, I had hoped never to see your ugly mug again, but here we are."

Eva grinned at Trevor's comment, but her eyes had already landed on the woman next to him. "Sypha!"

Trevor had barely pulled the cart to a halt when Sypha jumped down. The women grabbed each other in a tight hug. Eva's voice held excitement. "I am so glad to see you!"

"Yes, of course, it's not like I'm here too."

Trevor's voice dripped his sarcasm before Eva looked up at him. "It's good to see you too, Trevor."

By that point, Adrian had come to her side. "Speak for yourself."

Eva was laughing at their mutual dislike/weird friendship when her attention was drawn back to Sypha. The woman was grasping her shoulders and giving her a shocked look. "Are those wings?"

Eva grinned at her as she stepped back a little. "Yes! Look!" She then launched herself into the air.

She only got a short distance before Adrian grabbed her ankle and tugged gently. "Alright, little birdy, it's time to perch. You aren't leaving me to deal with the company alone."

Eva gave him a dirty look as she landed, but it was quickly erased as she grabbed Sypha. "Come on. You have to tell me everything that happened while you were gone. I'll make us some tea."

Both men watched them walk away with bemused expressions. Finally, Trevor turned to Alucard. "What was that?"

The blonde shrugged. "I have no clue, but I get the feeling we shouldn't leave them alone too long."

Trevor sighed in agreement before he finished leading the cart to the front of the castle. Adrian walked beside him with a curious expression. Despite his greeting, he did wonder why the two of them were back. He had the impression they would both go off and do their own thing, and he would never see them again. Still, he was glad, and perhaps a bit jealous, to see Eva smiling for a reason that did not have anything to do with him or how he treated her. He knew it was unfair to keep her isolated, even if it was for her own good.


Eva was happily listening to Sypha go on about the adventures she and Trevor had while they were away. It wasn't that she had been lonely, per se, but it was nice to have another woman to talk to that she respected. There were several times Eva found herself laughing at some of the stunts the two pulled.

When they got to the kitchen, Eva immediately moved to gather the things for tea. Sypha watched with interest. "You have become comfortable here."

Eva looked back over her shoulder with a grin. "Yeah." She then felt her face heat a little, but her smile never faded. "It almost feels like home."

Sypha's eyes widened as she got up and grabbed Eva's shoulders again. "Truly? Are the two of you, you know, together now?"

Eva's blush deepened as she turned to face the other woman. Her voice lowered but was still full of excitement. "I love him. I never thought about love before, you know? It was all about figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, how I was supposed to move past all the bad stuff and start over. Then this happened, and I honestly thought I was going to die. But I didn't. I don't think he would allow anything close enough to try ever again."

Sypha grinned as she hugged her again. "This is great!" She was glad to see the two of them happy, even if it was not what she was expecting to find when she arrived. She hadn't gotten to know Eva as well as she had Alucard, but from what she did know, they seemed well matched. It was good that they found happiness together beyond the heartbreak.

It was only as she pulled back that she finally noticed something else, and her heart chilled. She gave Eva a shocked look. "What is this?"

Eva looked confused for a moment before she realized Sypha was pointing at her neck. She unconsciously put her hand over the bite marks that were not entirely healed from that morning. Her resulting blush was enough for Sypha to step back with a gasp. "Alucard did this? But he is not, he would not! Why?"

Eva grabbed her arm and gave her a pleading look. "Don't. Don't accuse him of anything. This isn't what you might think. He isn't using me to feed on. It's just-" She cut herself off as she thought about the reason for it. She doubted he had ever bitten anyone like he did her, just for pleasure and not for feeding.

Thankfully, Sypha seemed to understand. "You agreed to allow it? He did not force you or coerce you?"

Eva's blush brightened to the point that her ears were red as she shook her head. "Not at all. Trust me when I say I have no problem with it."

Sypha raised a brow at the woman's reaction. There was much more to this story. She would need to ask more later, but for now, there was something else. "I understand. I will say nothing, but until it heals, you might not want to let Trevor see."

Eva sighed. Of course. The last Belmont, hunters of demons- and vampires. There was no way he would readily accept that it was Eva's choice as much as Adrian's. She nodded. "It won't be there for much longer. I heal quickly. Not as fast as Adrian, yet, but he did say he believes that the more I grow into my power, the quicker my recuperation will be."

Sypha gave her arm a squeeze as Eva took the boiling water from the stove, and they both sat to talk about better things over a cup of tea.

A/N: Yay! The gang is all back together, and we see another reunion, though it was less heartwarming lol. We are firmly in events that are past canon, so it's all AU from here (not that it wasn't before) Still, I hope you enjoy! Cheers!