Good Evening,
I start school this upcoming Monday, so there is a chance that updates might slow down a little. It depends on how much time I have to write. So far, I have chapter fifteen done for Little Mistake, and I'm currently working on chapter sixteen. I also have a good six chapters done for Darling Daughter. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep updating once a week and be able to write enough so I can continue this through the semester. If not, I'll have to resort to updating every two weeks. But we'll see.
I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
Oxford Not Brogues
Chapter Fourteen
"Let's...get it over with." The small blonde sighed with a defeated look in her eyes. Cool air wrapped around them, but she knew it was only her master's powers. Their surroundings changed. Instead of standing below a gorgeous night sky, they were in the middle of Seras' bedroom. Nothing had changed since her arrival here at the Hellsing Organization. She had no real personal belongings, besides the lonely coffin that stood several feet from her bed. She rarely ever used her bed anymore; she mostly slept in her coffin because it always made her feel so refreshed when she woke up.
"It would be best if you removed your top. We don't want to shred it." Sebastian instructed her. Seras glanced down at her uniform. Her eyes displayed fatigue and sadness, like she was just completely done with everything.
"Why do you keep saying 'we', Michaelis?" Alucard questioned with an annoyed look in his eyes. "It will be me performing the punishment."
"Unfortunately, Alucard, Sir Integra had ordered the both of us to set a punishment for Miss. Victoria. I still don't understand her motive and why we were both required to do it, but orders are orders." The demon responded. The elder vampire sighed in displeasure.
"It is highly suspicious." Alucard agreed. "You may be a part-time mentor for Seras, but that doesn't explain why Sir Integra would involve you in a punishment that should be done by the master."
"Then again, your Childe did say something rather peculiar." The demon stated. Since the men were completely ignoring her existence, Seras decided to start working on her top. "Miss. Victoria said that us punishing her was the punishment." Simultaneously, Alucard and Sebastian glanced down at the small blonde to question her further, but they ended up not uttering a single word. Both men went deadly quiet as all of their attention centered on Seras' chest. They were bewildered to see that she was unbuttoning her shirt while they were standing right there! The males' eyes widened when she revealed her soft pale flesh and a bit of cleavage. Sebastian absently bit deep into his bottom lip as his entire body straightened as if someone had just thrown a bucket of ice cold water on him. Alucard's eyes went lower when another button popped free, showing them her lovely laced white bra. Her breasts looked so beautiful cradled in that bra, but it only reminded them that she's never been touched. How they craved to share intimacy with her, but that will only ever be a fantasy. She would never fall for the likes of them; they were unworthy of her. Touching her, tainting that purity in anyway, would be a sin. But temptation was getting the better of them. Alucard clenched his hands into tight fists while his demonic eyes burned with lust.
"Miss. Victoria, I hardly think this is appropriate!" The demon lectured her as he hastily snaked around her to grab the comforter from her bed. Immediately afterwards he hung the blanket in front of her, hiding her from their line of sight. "Undress in privacy, please." He begged of her lightly.
"I hardly think it matters, Sebastian. It's not like you and Master aren't going to see anything." Seras muttered. "I'll be half naked as a whip shreds up my back."
"But we're not taking your dignity." Sebastian corrected her as he proceeded hiding her behind a blanket. "You can still be decent and we will avert our gazes from your intimates."
"Sebastian, will you help me with my bra?" The little vampire asked unexpectedly. Thrown off guard by that request, Sebastian dropped the blanket.
"What?!" The demon exclaimed in disbelief. Redness actually spread across Sebastian's pale cheeks, showing his bashfulness towards what she asked. The little vampire jumped slightly when the blanket was dropped so suddenly. Michaelis was as stiff as a board as he stared at Seras who stood there in nothing but her bra and skirt. Her blouse lied on the floor at her feet.
"You've been wearing and unclasping bras for almost half a century. Why do you need assistance?" Alucard questioned. His Childe glanced up at him.
"It got him to drop the blanket." Seras answered with a light shrug. This caused her master to bark with laughter.
"Come again?" Sebastian muttered in confusion as he glanced between Alucard and Seras.
"I'm already feeling not that terrific, Sebastian. You're making me feel worse by hiding me behind a blanket, like you find my undressing to be…appalling or something." The little vampire whispered before she self-consciously wrapped her arms around her body. Her gaze drifted to the floor. Was that it then? She was unattractive? Is that why Alucard and Sebastian didn't want her?
"Out of respect, Miss. Victoria!" The demon quickly defended himself as he attempted to hide his blush with his hand. He tried incredibly hard to keep his gaze on her face and not her chest. The elder vampire glanced over at Sebastian who looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack.
"You did insult the young woman." Alucard agreed with a snicker while gesturing a hand at his Draculina. The demon's eyes practically bulged out of his head as he looked over at the No Life King in bewilderment. "Any woman would feel that she is unsightly when a man trying to hide her behind a blanket."
"I hadn't meant any offense!" Sebastian exclaimed in a panic before looking back at Seras. Her eyes remained off of him though. "It truly was out of respect, Miss. Victoria. I was not insinuating that you were unappealing to me." He attempted to explain himself.
"Would you be stalling, Police Girl?" Alucard questioned while he stared at the girl in suspicion. Seras curiously glanced up at her master from the corner of her eye. Even though she didn't answer, her eyes and that frown on her face said it all. "Seras," Her master sighed in disappointment. "I can understand your lack of self- esteem when Michaelis covered you. But I think you started undressing in front of us in the first place to distract us from punishing you. You're stalling because you're scared." Seras' frown deepened and her gaze lowered once more to stare at the floor. Her master was way off target. While she was absolutely terrified of what was about to happen, she hadn't started undressing to distract them, but to see their reaction. Would they stare at her with desire in their eyes? Would they want her?
At first seeing their reactions, silent and wide eyed, she had felt a moment of brief pride, like she was actually something that was desirable. But then Sebastian had covered her with the blanket. Perhaps it was truly out of respect. Or maybe Alucard and Sebastian just didn't see her in a sexual way. She wanted to discuss it with them. She wanted to ask them if she was as pretty as that brunette she had killed, the one Alucard had 'fond' over and lay with. She wanted to know if...either of them would ever take her to bed. Maybe even just share a kiss with her? Love her? Was she pathetic? Seras lowered her head in exhaustion from all the emotions that were coming over her and how badly she craved for their attention. It truly was stupid and childish of her to want it so much, to want their love, but she couldn't find it within herself to let go of that desire. It took all of her strength not to speak her mind and ask them what she has been dying to know.
"Yeah, I was stalling." Seras murmured under her breath. Sebastian naturally drew his head back and his brows furrowed together in confusion. From the tone of her voice and that look in her eyes, he knew she was lying. If she hadn't been stalling then what had she been doing? Why else would she undress in front of them? Even though the answer seemed to be staring him in the face, Sebastian didn't understand it one bit.
"Well, let's stop stalling and get on with it." Alucard gently lectured her. Roughly, he grabbed the little vampire by her shoulder and turned her around. The girl stumbled a little, but followed his lead and faced away from him. Seras stiffened when she felt her master grab the clasp of her bra. With ease, the man unhooked all three clasps in one swift motion. The small blonde jumped with an audible gasp, causing her master to snicker.
"I do have some experience, Police Girl. You don't have to act so surprised." He tried to lighten the mood. But his fledgling didn't find humor in his comment. She proceeded to frown while she worked on getting her arms out of the straps so her back was completely bare for her punishment. With her arms free, she kept her breasts in the cups of the brassiere, that way she wasn't totally nude in front of them.
"What do you want me to do now, Master?" Seras asked softly as she glanced over her shoulder, but didn't truly look at him. It was like she was too ashamed to look at him. He would have guessed it was because she was partially in the nude, but something told him that wasn't it. Or maybe even the huge possibility that she was going to be whipped, but he felt like that wasn't it either. Then why wouldn't his Draculina look him in the eye? What weren't she and Sir Integra telling them? There was so much more to this story than they were letting on. When will he be told the truth?
"Before we do this, Seras, would you like to tell me why I'm punishing you in the first place?" Alucard asked her.
"You know why." The Draculina responded. "I attacked and killed a human." The elder vampire enclosed the space between him and his Childe. He took a step forward and leaned in close until her hair brushed over the side of his face.
"Tell us the truth." He begged her in a whisper. "Why did you kill that human? What happened?" Seras drew away from his lips and that warm breath that wafted over the shell of her ear.
"No," She said simply. Before he could question her further, she was raising her voice. "Please, can we just do this?! I just want to get this done and over with!" The small blonde closed her eyes tightly when tears started to develop and burn. Frowning, Alucard hesitantly pulled back. "What do I do next, Master?" She repeated once more.
"Brace yourself." The No Life King answered in a whisper. He then took several steps back, getting some distance between him and his Childe. Sebastian lightly placed his hands on top of the girl's shoulders.
"Seras," The demon spoke softly before he led her forward a step or two closer towards her bed. "If you need to, use the bed post for support." Seras nodded her head in agreement as she swallowed hard due to a large lump that had formed in her throat. It was becoming hard to breathe as the fear inside of her amplified. Her stomach hurt, like she was going to be sick, and her heart physically pained from beating so hard. Keeping one hand on her bra to keep it in place, Seras used her other to grab the post in front of her. Her body trembled as she waited anxiously to feel the first lick of pain from a whip. Michaelis left her side to stand beside Alucard. In the No Life King's left hand a whip formed from his shadows.
"I'm going to put a clamp on your healing abilities; otherwise a lesson won't be learned if you keep regenerating." Her master announced.
"You can do that?" Seras questioned with a tone of surprise.
"Of course," Alucard nodded. "I created you; you are my fledgling. From the moment you drank my blood and became a vampire a part of me has lived on inside of you. I can do anything I wish to you if I truly wanted to, including putting a lock on all of your abilities. But what kind of master would I be if I did that to you? Left you defenseless and weak? It would be cruel."
"And what you're about to do, the punishment you have chosen, isn't cruel?" His Draculina questioned without looking back at him. Alucard's fingers tightened around the handle of his whip just as Seras was digging her nails into the wood of the post.
"I never said that, Draculina." Her master stated loudly. "It is, no doubt, a cruel punishment, and I will understand perfectly if you never forgive me for it." Those old eyes trailed down her bare back. "I'm sorry, Seras." He whispered once more before he pulled his arm back. For the first time in a while, Seras got a taste of what real pain felt like. The tough, cold leather cut deep into her back, just beneath her left shoulder blade. A long slash followed the end of the whip; the skin yielded and broke open to create a fresh wound. The scent of her blood was so quick to permeate the air, inviting itself into the males' nostrils to flare their senses. That one lash happened so quickly. The sound of it snapping in the air greeted her ears first before she had felt the pain. But the second she felt that harsh sharpness, she had involuntarily let out a just as sharp cry. Her eyes snapped shut and her whole body tensed up as she pressed her breasts up against the post of the bed. This pain was certainly different and so very new to her.
On missions, the Police Girl was used to getting shot, stabbed, clawed, and bitten. She was even used to getting her bones broken. After dealing with that same pain over and over again, she had grown desensitized to it. She barely noticed anymore whenever she got shot. But still, there were still certain pains that Seras had never felt; things she had never experienced before, such as the feel of a whip on her exposed back. And the pain lasted too. It echoed through her trembling body because her master was keeping her from regenerating. Normally, when healing, the pain would melt away in the matter of seconds. That was a perk of regeneration; a perk she had taken for granted. She was greatly missing it. Seras' body shook as she waited in fear for the next strike. She didn't have to wait long. There was a moment of hesitation on her master's side that she had noticed; a split second of him questioning if he should continue or not. But as soon as he came to a conclusion, his arm was pulling back and he was striking her again.
Seras did the best she could to muffle her cries, but she couldn't help it. Each time she felt that excruciating pain, a cry would escape. The small blonde leaned forward to place her forehead against the post as she kept her eyes closed so incredibly tight. The third strike came, causing her to latch onto the post with both hands. She grabbed at it desperately, as if it would save her from the pain. With nothing holding her bra in place, it fell to the floor to land on top of her feet. But she barely noticed. She was too preoccupied trying to deal with the agony. Her breasts heaved up and down as her breathing quickened. She felt lightheaded, like she would pass out if this continued. Her knees were shaking, but her legs continued to support her, thankfully. Alucard struck for a fourth time. The cry that left his Draculina's lips shot through him, making him physically jump when hearing it. Hurting her was only causing him pain, but he knew that she would never believe him. She thought he was a cruel master, that he didn't have a heart and that he didn't care about her. She was wrong. He was only doing this because he loved her and wanted to keep her safe.
The end of the whip met with her torn, bloody back for a fifth time. Her entire body lurched forward to press up against that post, relying on it completely to support her. Hot tears slipped out from beneath those long lashes. She sobbed while her breaths came out as raspy. When the sixth strike came her legs gave out from under her. Seras' slumped body slid down the post and she dropped to her hands and knees. Her back was covered in six long slashes that wept with blood. Those thin blood trails traveled down her torn flesh to soak into the material of her crimson skirt, darkening the color. Tears completely blinded her as they ran down her pale face to drip off of her chin and land on the floor. She was having such trouble catching her breath from the pain and from crying so hard. Her throat felt tight, like it was closing up on her, which caused her to choke and cough. Alucard lowered the whip when he lost all strength to continue. He just couldn't hurt her anymore. He didn't want to.
"Enough." The elder vampire whispered, drawing the demon's attention onto him. "I'm through."
"Alucard," Sebastian sighed with a look of dismay. He refused to look back at the sobbing Draculina and instead focused his gaze on the floor. "It must be done. Six lashes aren't enough." Fury bubbled in Alucard's hard red eyes while he unintentionally glowered at the little vampire. His lips tightened into a scowl before he directed that horrid gaze onto the demon.
"Aren't enough?" The No Life King repeated. "You don't think she's had enough?"
"You've grown soft." The demon stated as he expressed his annoyance.
"And you're as cold as ever." Alucard retorted.
"Need I remind you why we're doing this in the first place?" Sebastian sighed heavily as he fully faced the elder vampire. His look darkened while he attempted to refresh the fool's memory. "If Sir Hellsing thinks that Seras got off easy, she won't be pleased. She'll step in and take care of it herself. Then what? How will Seras be punished? It could only get worse, Alucard." The No Life King frowned before looking back at his vulnerable Draculina. Her body was still shaking as she waited for another strike, but he didn't want to be the cause of her pain. He wanted it to end for her. He could give her the next four strikes as quickly as possible, but…he just couldn't. He was done. When seeing that Alucard wasn't going to budge, Sebastian decided to take over and deliver the punishment himself. With ease, he pried the whip from the No Life King's hand. The second the Prince of Hell found that he was holding the whip, the demon paused. His red eyes narrowed on that hard leather that had shredded the Draculina's back. The end of the whip was smeared with her blood, reminding him of her pain. Sebastian's gaze flickered back to the small blonde that was hunched over on the floor. He didn't want to inflict pain onto her, but he must in order to keep her safe.
"I'm sorry," The demon whispered for the very first time to a victim of his. The familiarity of pulling his arm back and knowing the pain he'll cause didn't bring him any form of joy this time around. Biting deep into his tongue, he struck Seras. The little vampire's back curved as a scream sounded from deep within her throat. From the sound of how loud the whip snapped in the air and the scream that left her lips, they knew that Sebastian had struck her much, much harder than Alucard. Blood flowed from the fresh wound, creating a mini waterfall instead of a thin river like the other lashes. The elder vampire was unable to help himself from wincing in sympathy. He wanted her suffering to end, but the demon wanted to see it through. Should he put a stop to this once and for all? Hadn't she enough? From the corner of his eye, Alucard watched as the demon pulled back his arm to strike the girl for an eighth time. The end of the whip sliced down her back, looking as if it traced the length of her spine perfectly. The scream that left Seras' lips drove Alucard to his limit.
"Enough!" The No Life King bellowed before he swept the whip right out of the demon's hand. "She's had enough, Michaelis!" He threw down the whip that had only brought pain, never having taught the one he loved the pleasure it could bring. Hastily, the master vampire moved across the room to get to his Draculina. He lowered onto his knees and, as carefully as he could, he scooped the trembling body into his arms and placed her on his lap. Instantly, Seras was curling up into the warmth of his coat. She hid her face in his chest as she freely cried. Her delicate fingers curled into his black charcoal suit, clinging to him as he did his best to comfort her. "Seras," He whispered and buried his nose in her hair.
"I forgive you." Seras whispered through sobs and coughs. "I forgive you, Master." Alucard closed his eyes when hearing those words. But he didn't feel any relief from it. How could she forgive him? Was it out of fear that she was saying those words? Was she afraid that he or they would hurt her more if she let it be known that she actually hated them for what they did? Or maybe it was her fledgling instincts forcing her to be alright with what he did? He wasn't sure, but he knew for a fact that he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for what he had done. It didn't matter if he did it to protect her from the Hellsing's wrath. He had tortured her just to appease his master. How could you do that to someone you claim to love? He hugged her little body to his, pressing her up against his tightly.
"Careful, Alucard." Sebastian murmured as he kneeled beside Seras. His eyes were trained on the harsh lines on her once perfect, pale back. Hesitantly, the demon reached up to brush his fingers over skin that hadn't been shredded. But the little vampire ended up hissing and tried pulling away from his touch. "Sorry," He whispered. Her body curled up tighter in Alucard's hold. It was like she was trying to bury herself to stay hidden from the rest of the world.
"I'm sorry, Master." The Draculina cried. "I'm sorry I disappointed you."
"No," Alucard answered in a soft tone. "No, you didn't disappoint me."
"But…" His Childe attempted to argue, but he interrupted.
"I am incredibly proud to be your master, Seras. You could never disappoint me." He finished. His eyes flickered open to look back at her bleeding wounds. "You're still so young and new to this world. Pain hasn't become your friend yet. Give it time, Draculina. One day, you won't be in agony; you won't suffer or have to endure. You'll live to feel it; to twist it and turn it into pleasure. One day, pain will become your ally. I promise you that."
Present Day
Seras was driving her fangs deep into her bottom lip. Her eyes were closed tightly as she let Alucard and Sebastian feed on her blood and violate her memories. It only took them seconds to find those certain memories and look through them thoroughly. And when they did, when they saw what she did and why she did it, they extracted their fangs from her veins and flesh. Remembering the day they punished her and, finally, knowing why it had to be done after thirty-four years, Alucard and Sebastian were in anguish. If they had known then who she had killed and why she had done it, they probably would have confessed their love for her right then and there instead of…torturing her. But, instead, because Seras and Integra kept them out of the loop, they were forced into punishing their mate. Instead of just telling them outright why they had to punish Seras, it took them thirty more years to finally mate with her. But there was something way worse about this. Something they couldn't stop thinking about. Something that Seras didn't even know about. Alucard and Sebastian had inflicted a horrible, painful punishment on her that had all been for nothing.
2029
Alucard and Sebastian stood semi-patiently in front of Sir Integra's large, mahogany desk. She looked absolutely exhausted tonight, though neither of the monsters showed any sympathy for the human. There was a bag under her one good eye and her long blonde hair looked a little unkempt, as if she hadn't gotten to brushing it at all today. And perhaps she didn't. The entire day had been a nightmare of Round Table meetings, paperwork, overseeing rookies training, and dealing with the press and police that had been informed of the woman that Seras murdered. The Hellsing had been quite busy all day long. Since being called, the woman barely looked at her servants as she stared down at the paperwork in front of her. At first, she had told them to wait merely a second as she jostled things down. But now, she just stared blankly at her desk, deep in her own thoughts as her weary eye slowly moved about. The demon had cleared his throat to capture her attention, but he went unacknowledged.
"Sir Integra," Sebastian spoke up when he was so rudely ignored. The human called them here and told them to wait. Just how long were they supposed to wait for? It was aggravating him, more so than Alucard who looked relatively calm. It was clear that his mind was still on Seras. They had left the little Draculina in her room to recover from her punishment. Most likely, she was curled up in her bed and trying to keep from crying by sleeping this bad night away. She was still without her healing abilities, but that was for her own good. "Sir Integra," The demon tried once more to capture the attention of a highly distracted human. The Hellsing straightened a little in her chair before her eye flickered upwards to look at her pets. She stared at them for a moment or two as her mind fully resurfaced back to what was known as reality.
"What do you both want?" Sir Integra asked coldly, as if they had rudely interrupted her from working. On that note, she glanced back down at her paperwork and continued scribbling, as though she hadn't just been in a deep trance just a second ago. Sebastian sighed as he closed his eyes and hung his head in exhaustion from this. Humans, even the decent ones like Integra, will always have a knack of irking him. How their minds wandered so easily was questionable, considerably humorous depending on the occasion, and, no doubt, frustrating at times.
"You summoned us, Sir." Sebastian answered as politely as he could. At the moment, neither of her servants was exactly feeling friendly towards the Hellsing. Not after what she made them do. They'll probably be cross with her for quite some time.
"Did I?" The Hellsing murmured sounding and looking uncertain. Her brows were furrowed together as she proceeded to stare down at the papers in front of her.
"Age is getting to you, Master." Alucard commented with a rather cruel and mocking smile. "How much longer do you think until dementia fully sinks its claws into you?"
"Go to hell, Alucard." Sir Integra responded coolly as she gave him a foul look. "I'm not in the mood." Afterwards, she sighed deeply through her nose to calm her nerves. "Yes, I recall now why I called you both. I apologize," She muttered. The Hellsing slid off her glasses, carelessly threw them down in front of her, and rubbed her hands over her face with another sigh. "It's been a very long day and I'm tired. My mind escaped for a second, but I'm present now."
"What did you need us for?" Sebastian questioned.
"All I wanted to know is if either of you have thought of a proper punishment for Seras." She asked. After trying to rub away her fatigue, she picked up her glasses and slid them back into place. Looking a little more like her old, cold self, she sat up properly in her chair and looked back at her servants.
"We had," Alucard answered with a nod. "And I'm guessing that you still won't tell us why exactly we had to punish the Police Girl?" The Hellsing's brows furrowed together in confusion then, visibly showing her concern.
"Had?" She repeated. "Meaning, you've already punished her?"
"As you requested," Sebastian reminded her.
"You told us to find a suitable punishment, and we did." The elder vampire added.
"Without my approval though?" Sir Integra asked.
"You wanted to be informed of the punishment we had chosen before setting it?" Alucard questioned while his fingers curled into tight fists at his sides.
"Of course!" The Hellsing exclaimed. "I am still the master here, Alucard. I don't care if she is your fledgling. This is my home and you are my servants." She then leaned back in her chair as her gaze hardened. "So, what was the punishment you had chosen for the Police Girl?" Almost immediately, both of her servants avoided her gaze. Alucard stared hard at the floor, looking similar to a pouty, but shameful child.
"For her punishment, she received eight lashings." The elder vampire answered a few seconds later. Sir Integra jerked in her seat as her eye widened in her head.
"I beg your pardon?" The Hellsing questioned in disbelief. "Did I mishear you, Alucard, or did you say lashings?" The No Life King lifted his head to show his seriousness towards the matter.
"Eight of them for going behind your back and killing a human." He responded. "She acted like a reckless newborn and needed to be taught a harsh lesson."
"A harsh lesson?!" Sir Integra raised her voice. Even though her tone gave away her anger, her eye only showed fear and concern. It made the men wonder just how much she cared for Seras. "You act as if you merely spanked her and sent her to bed without dinner! What you did, Alucard, was far from a harsh lesson! You tortured the poor girl!"
"You instructed me to find a suitable punishment for her. I did just that." Alucard immediately retorted. He will not be blamed for this! He will not be accused of torturing his Draculina when his master made it clear that she wanted Seras to be severely punished. As her master, how else was he supposed to act or feel? Seeing how angry the Hellsing was with what Seras did, he feared what would be done with his Childe. He did what he thought was right; he protected Seras. While it did piss him off that he was being scolded, he did feel a sense of relief. With the Hellsing believing that he went too far in punishing his fledgling and actually feeling bad for her, Seras was safe from any other forms of punishment. She won't be bound, she won't be starved, but above all, she won't be sentenced to death. She was safe.
"Yes, a suitable punishment!" Sir Integra agreed. "Not bloody torture, you barbarian!"
"Then what punishment would you have found appropriate?" Sebastian asked. The Hellsing pointed a threatening finger at him as she leaned over her desk.
"Don't scowl at me, demon!" She ordered through gritted teeth.
"Kind of hard not to do so when we're being chastised for something that we were ordered to do." The demon boldly talked back. Infuriated, the Hellsing balled her hands into fists and actually growled her frustration.
"I NEVER AUTHORIZED YOU TO USE TORTURE!" She shouted on the top of her lungs. Angrily, Sir Integra grabbed her stapler and threw it at the demon. It slammed into his stomach hard, but he barely budged or acknowledged the object that fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Then I ask you again. What punishment would you have found appropriate for us to use?" Sebastian asked with a sigh.
"Anything!" Sir Integra yelled while throwing her hands up in the air in a dramatic way. "A week without blood! An intense workout session! Make her run until she drops! Hell, even a damn spanking! Anything would have been better than what you did!"
"What we did was follow orders." Alucard raised his voice as he folded his arms over his chest. "Let's be clear that you never told us anything about you having to authorize this punishment. You merely said, Master, find a suitable punishment for the Police Girl. We did."
"Find," The Hellsing emphasized while she glowered at them. "Find a punishment. I never ordered either of you to carry out that punishment." The look in her eye only darkened. "There you go twisting my words again, Alucard. Only hearing what you want to hear. You probably just couldn't wait to punish Seras, could you? Did you enjoy doing it, Alucard? Does it give you some kind of sick thrill?" Her bottom lip quivered, giving off how disturbed she was by their dark and twisted behavior. "I have no idea what Seras is thinking." She murmured to herself, but Alucard and Sebastian had no idea what she was talking about. This only made them aware all over again that Sir Integra knew something that they didn't.
"Why did you have us punish her in the first place?" Alucard questioned.
"Miss. Victoria said that you instructing us to punish her were her punishment." The demon added. This instantly silenced the Hellsing. Going slightly pale in the face, Sir Integra slowly sat back in her chair and just studied them both. "Why would she say that?" He further questioned her.
"Just who did she kill?" The elder vampire asked. "And why did she do it?" The Hellsing's good eye flickered between the two of them as they asked her all these questions. But when she sat there refusing to answer any of their questions, he started to become enraged. "We're not fools. We know Seras didn't go through a blood rage. What really happened?"
"Get out." Sir Integra ordered calmly while gesturing her head at the door. "I don't know who either of you think you are speaking to me like that, but I will not stand for it. And I'll deal with you two later for what you both did to Seras. But right now, I want you out of my office. You both disgust me."
Present Day
Alucard cupped the side of Seras' face and ran his thumb over her cheek. His eyes shone with guilt when he was forced to remember that dreadful night. He still couldn't understand why she forgave him for what he did. It didn't matter if she loved him and that's why she forgave him. What he did had been horrible. He had tortured her. How could she stand even looking at him? Why didn't she hate him? Feeling his tender touch, his mate opened her eyes to stare at him.
"Why couldn't you have just left it alone?" She asked them in a whisper.
"We didn't know." Sebastian answered while lightly shaking his head. "I am sorry about that night, Seras."
"It doesn't matter." She whispered and shook her head. "It was thirty years ago and I'm all healed." She licked over her dry lips before she continued. "Besides, you and Alucard were just scared that something worse would happen to me if Integra thought that I got off easy."
"Why didn't you just tell us then that you had developed feelings for us?" Alucard asked her softly. He lowered his head to press his lips to her warm forehead. It was like he was back reliving that horrible night. He had such an urge to comfort his mate and take away her pain, even though she was perfectly fine and no longer in pure agony.
"I was scared." Seras answered. "I didn't know if you or Sebastian would feel the same way. I didn't want to get hurt." The frown on her lips deepened as she shamefully looked away. "And I killed your lover. I didn't know if you would get angry at me over that."
"Well, that explains why we never saw her again." Alucard chuckled with a look of amusement glinting in his eyes. "I was actually quite offended and a little pissed. I thought she stood me up." His Draculina gave a weak smile.
"No," She giggled softly. Finally, his little bride looked back up at him. "To this day I don't know what you saw in her."
"I could feel how much you loathed her." Sebastian breathed sensually as he leaned in to kiss her exposed throat.
"She was just an easy lay, Seras." The elder vampire snickered. "After thirty years of being in some form of hell, I was aching for physical contact and sex. Anyone would have sufficed." A crude grin grew on his lips then. "I was beyond tempted to seduce you. Several times, I had to restrain from throwing myself at you."
"I'm almost certain he came close to molesting you in your sleep." The demon laughed, causing an adorable laugh to escape from their bride.
"I wish you had." Seras responded, but only got strange looks from her mates. "I mean seduce me! Not molest me!" She clarified with another sweet laugh and a blush.
"Like you, Seras, I feared of rejection." Alucard told her. "I didn't know how you would feel about my advances. For all I knew, you saw me as a fatherly figure or strictly as a master. Or perhaps, you viewed me as a monster and would be sickened to know how badly I wanted you."
"Stop," The little vampire demanded as she gave him a stern look. "I would never, Alucard."
"What I don't understand is how you were able to forgive us after that night." Sebastian whispered. Her pretty red eyes flickered to his face. "Why did you forgive us for torturing you? How could you forgive us?"
"Torture?" Seras murmured, looking absolutely sick to her stomach afterwards. "I never…saw it like that. I still don't."
"We physically abused you with a whip, Seras." Alucard reminded her. He frowned at how lenient she was being with this serious issue. "Most would consider this torture."
"I was being punished." The little vampire corrected him with a shake of her head. "I had to be punished for killing someone. It was the right thing to do." A look appeared in her eyes, but the males weren't able to decipher that look. Was it of disgust? Hatred? Anger? It was definitely a negative expression, but they just couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion she was feeling. "It didn't matter how much I hated the person. She was an innocent human being. I had no right to take her life away, especially over pure jealousy. What I did was stupid and wrong."
"You believe that you fully deserved that punishment?" Sebastian questioned with a look of bewilderment.
"Of course I do." She answered with a nod. "I hate that I took advantage of Sir Integra's trust like that. I hate that I betrayed the Hellsing Organization. But, most of all, I hate that I went behind your guys' backs for every little relationship you both had." On cue, Alucard and Sebastian drew their heads back with a stunned, but confused look in their eyes.
"Excuse me?" The demon muttered while he blinked stupidly at her. A blush tainted her cheeks while she bashfully stared downwards, avoiding their gazes.
"I feel bad doing it, but…the jealousy…overtook me every single time I saw one of you with a girl." Seras admitted to them in a whisper.
"You corrupted every single affair we had?" Alucard asked. Excitement appeared in his eyes while the corner of his lips started to curl into a sadistic smile.
"Maybe," His mate muttered timidly under her breath.
"And exactly how did you do that without murdering them?" Sebastian teased her and chuckled.
"Hypnosis," Seras answered with a shrug. She still refused to look at them. Instead, she played with a loose string on the demon's shirt. "I made them believe different things. I mostly made them believe that they hated your guts. But sometimes I had fun with it. Sometimes I made them think that you guys were just unattractive or an awful lay."
"It suddenly makes sense why one minute a girl will be swooning and the next she'll be shooting daggers at me." Sebastian mumbled to himself.
"Do you know how many times I was slapped across the face and was called a creep?" Alucard asked his mate with an arched brow. "I believed that I had lost my touch during my thirty year long absence. I couldn't believe how rusty I had gotten. But now it suddenly all makes sense."
"Just when did you find the time to do this?" The demon laughed.
"It was hard at first." The little vampire replied with another shrug and a small smile. "It was especially hard trying to conceal my presence so you guys wouldn't know I was there."
"But how did you manage to hypnotize the woman successfully without us knowing?" Sebastian asked.
"Long distance," Seras sighed, being reminded of the effect it always had on her. It was quite difficult and always drained her of energy so fast. "I first practiced long distance hypnosis on the Hellsing soldiers. And once I accomplished it, I started using it on all your little girlfriends." She said with a scowl. "Of course, I wasn't always successful. Some girls still got to lay with you both." The anger and jealousy was only welling in her eyes. "But I made sure that they never came back." After a moment of stewing in that anger, she spoke again. "I'm sorry for cock blocking you both, but…I don't think you guys understand how…hard it was for me to see you with all those women throughout the years."
"You truly believe that we don't understand?" Alucard questioned. His eyes became cold and hard while his voice deepened a little to depict his annoyance.
"Who do you think stopped you from sleeping with Bernadotte?" Sebastian asked her. Immediately, Seras' head snapped back to look at them in astonishment.
"What are you talking about?" She muttered. She was being given an almost dark look by both of her mates. But it wasn't anger or hatred, it was pure jealousy. "I didn't sleep with Bernadotte because I didn't want to. I was never attracted to him." She corrected him. The demon merely arched a brow at her.
"Are you sure about that?" He questioned. The Draculina furrowed her brows together in confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, but not a single word came out. She just left it open as she tried to think desperately of what she had felt towards the Captain all those years ago.
"Admittedly, you had the better idea." Alucard spoke, drawing her attention back onto him. "You simply hypnotized our lovers and made them believe that they didn't want us. Perhaps if we had done that, it would have saved us the trouble of getting jealous every single time Bernadotte flirted or even talked to you."
"I don't understand." Seras admitted with a light shake of her head. She was so confused of what they were telling her. Her feelings for Bernadotte, or what she had felt for him, were completely lost to her. She remembered seeing him as a good friend. She remembered caring for him. But…had she…found him attractive? Would she have fallen in love with him? What had been her true feelings towards the Captain of the Wild Geese? What weren't her former mentors telling her?
"Seeing you and him together, seeing the way he made you laugh and smile, it sickened us." The elder vampire practically snarled as he showed a hint of fang. His eyes glowed ominously, but Seras wasn't scared.
"And you were only growing closer to him. We knew we had to do something before your feelings for him developed, if they hadn't already." Sebastian added.
"When it came to you, Michaelis and I may have bumped heads a lot. We always fought over you and argued. But the second Bernadotte waltzed into this Organization and you became enamored by his 'charm', Michaelis and I reached an agreement." Alucard told her. "We were determined to push him out of your life completely."
"Hold on," Seras interrupted. "Did you…hypnotize me?"
"I convinced you that you weren't attracted to him; that you just wanted to remain friends." The No Life King answered with a nod.
"You hypnotized me?!" The small blonde exclaimed in disbelief. "Why don't I remember this?!" She asked stupidly as she cupped her forehead. She desperately tried searching her memories for when they could have possibly hypnotized her. Was it buried in her subconscious, along with her feelings for Bernadotte? Grant it, it's been decades, the man was dead, and she currently didn't feel any form of love towards the Captain. But still, it made her wonder if things would be different if Alucard and Sebastian hadn't hypnotized her. Was it because they hypnotized her, forced her to fall out of love with that human, that she became aware of her feelings for her mentors far sooner? Her head was reeling.
"It's hypnosis." Sebastian snickered. "You wouldn't be able to recall this." The demon then shook his head at her while he frowned. "We couldn't have you be tempted to sleep with him, Seras. He would have been a dead man if we allowed anything to continue happening between the two of you."
"And you think that we weren't ever jealous." Alucard scoffed with a small smirk. "There were plenty of times you drove us crazy when you were around other men, Seras."
"Wait! Did you hypnotize me to fall in love with you guys?!" Seras asked, looking terrified that her life was a lie.
"Don't be foolish." The demon laughed. "If we had done that, don't you think we would have mated decades ago?"
"Of course we didn't force you to fall in love with us." Alucard snickered. "We only kept you away from Bernadotte and prevented you from falling in love with him." The little vampire groaned as she dropped her head back onto the pillow. Closing her eyes, she rubbed a hand over her face.
"I can't believe you guys hypnotized me just to stay away from another man." Seras mumbled to herself.
"I can't believe that you had the same idea as us and hypnotized all of our lovers." The elder vampire cackled.
"This just proves what jealousy does to a person." Sebastian purred while he lathed his mate's throat in kisses.
End of Chapter Fourteen
I hope you guys enjoyed.
Oxford Not Brogues