A/N: I wrote this a few weeks ago and got distracted but now I'm inspired to write the next chapter I figured I'd post this one now...
Enjoy.
Chapter Twenty-Six
~Revenge is Best Served as a Vampire ~
Leaf whimpered, pressing her palms against her ears.
It was all too loud.
She crouched in an alley, squeezing her eyes shut.
What happened?
The question ricocheted in her mind. She strained and strained her memory, desperate to put the fragments together. The last thing she remembered…
The blue-haired man. Not man. Vampire. The blue-haired vampire attacked me. No. I approached him?
She groaned, her thoughts spinning just out of reach again. Her mind was a blank slate, as if everything important had been wiped clean.
There was a pounding in her head, and when she tried to stand she felt dizzy.
He drank my blood.
The image of his fangs in her neck fizzled into clarity as if she'd seen it happen from outside her body.
She struggled to focus.
I've lost too much blood. I'm going to die.
Panic seized her heart with iron claws.
She fought to open her eyes and take in the street.
I'm in the city. Not far from Slayer High Command.
That brought back the memory of what happened with Red. She already felt sick; why couldn't that memory be the foggy one?
Focus, she told herself. If you don't get blood soon, you'll die.
She swallowed, grimacing at the metallic taste in her mouth.
At least she was too weak to panic properly. She didn't have the energy to waste on being scared. Everything she had, she poured into thinking of a way to survive.
A quiet sound reached her ears - the tap-tap of shoes hitting the stone pavement on the street adjacent to her alley. It quickly grew louder, becoming a crescendo of thump-thump, thump-thump-thump-thump.
How many people are walking past? She moaned, needling her hands into her ears to no avail. With every footstep, her headache worsened.
Until she couldn't take it anymore.
Her head snapped up. The person responsible for the noise stepped into view, a mere few feet from where she perched on the ground.
He was male, tall, wearing a long coat.
None of that mattered.
She could hear his even breaths, in and out. She saw the small rise and fall of his chest even with the coat he wore. And the vein on his neck stood out against his skin, looking like a lagoon in the desert.
She was thirsty.
So, so thirsty.
She rose on trembling legs, weak and empty.
If she could just get to him, she knew she would be okay.
Her lips parted, a vague ache in her gums.
This would be easy. He was walking so slowly.
Then another man appeared as if from thin air, walking directing into the path of the first. The second man wore a black shirt with bare arms, and his brown hair was gelled into large spikes. He canoed into the first man's shoulder, causing the first man to grunt and hurry onwards.
The second man's head swivelled around, pinpointing her.
"Leaf?"
The sound of her name from his mouth jolted her. "Gary?" She felt faint again, and fell towards the wall.
He was by her side in an instant, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders.
"Well," he said casually, "this certainly isn't the predicament I expected to find you in."
"I've lost too much blood, I need blood," she slurred, closing her eyes and collapsing against him. "If you're here to finish the job… I can't stop you."
"In any other circumstance, Leafy, I would love to take you up on that offer," he purred in her ear. Her eyelids fluttered at the feeling of his breath on her neck. "Alas, you haven't lost too much blood. You've lost all your blood."
"What?" she mumbled, barely registering his words.
"You're white as death, Leafy. There's no blood in your veins for me to suck out."
"Impossible… that would mean… I'd be dead…"
With great effort, she opened her eyes. Gary's chocolate brown irises gazed at her with delicious amusement.
"I'm not… I'm not…"
He raised his eyebrows.
"I'm not dead…"
"No…" He grinned. "You're in transition."
"No," she said, mustering her strength. "I'm dizzy and weak. Not dead. I just need blood and I'll be all right."
"You'll be better than alright if you drink blood."
"Never," she hissed, hearing her own heart pound weakly inside her chest at the strain.
She realised she could hear his heart, too. Beating slowly and steadily away.
"Leafy, Leaf, Leaf," Gary drawled, pressing his nose to hers, gazing at her with unblinking eyes. "Your blood thirst is showing."
"What do you mean?" she muttered, the slur returning to her voice.
He whipped something out of his pocket and leaned back, holding it up.
Leaf found herself staring at a face both familiar and unknown.
The mirror reflected bright red irises and death-coloured skin.
When she opened her mouth, she found the source of the aching.
Gleaming white fangs poked out.
When Drew, Ash, N, and Paul dragging Ursula trooped back to the castle, they found Mars and Saturn waiting for them in the entrance hall, thunderous looks on their faces.
Mars crossed her arms tightly over her chest while Saturn's fists were balled at his sides.
I haven't seen them lose composure like that in forever.
Drew kept his face carefully neutral. His survival - May's survival - depended on his ability to keep a cool head now. Mars and Saturn weren't at the ball. They didn't know what happened there. They'd been preparing for the ceremony back at the castle with most of the newly-turneds.
"Mars, Saturn," Paul spoke first, greeting each of them with a nod. "We have to report-"
"Not. A. Word," Mars hissed. Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Where is Gary?" Saturn asked icily.
Good question. Where is Gary? Drew remembered May telling him Gary had pushed her up against a wall to threaten her. I have a promise to keep about killing him.
Thinking about May caused his heart to accelerate. If he hadn't been dead, his skin would be flushed with a red tinge. He needed to push her to the back of his mind. He couldn't afford to be distracted now.
"He didn't come back from the ball with us," Paul answered stoically.
"The next time he deigns to show up, your orders are to stake him on sight."
Astonishment widened Drew's eyes before he got his emotions back under control. Mars and Saturn weren't playing any more. The mood they were in, he'd be lucky if they let him ever leave the castle alive again.
The surprise rippling through Drew and his friends seemed to appease their commanders a little, for Saturn's fists un-curled and Mars dropped her arms.
"I don't need to tell you that this is the worst loss we've experienced in over a hundred years," Mars said. "You're big vampires, you know how long we've striven for immortality. It was all but in our grasp, until a few hours ago. Somehow that blasted slayer escaped. We have everything else ready, all we need now is an unconscious slayer to draw blood from. We will not waste time mourning what we should have achieved. We are going to pour all our efforts into rectifying this immediately."
"Wait," said Paul. "How did the slayer escape?"
Mars's irises flared. "Isn't that the question of the night," she hissed.
Drew stared straight ahead, at a spot in-between the commanders, to avoid giving away his thoughts. But in his peripheral vision, he noticed N and Ash shifting slightly towards each other.
They know something. I'm not the only one to leave the ball with a secret.
"We're not going to pass blame around," Saturn said. Another shocking statement.
"I know exactly who to replace the last slayer with," Paul announced, his tone dark and vengeful. "I almost got her tonight. I will capture her. I will not let you down."
"Good," sneered Mars, not sounding like she thought it was good at all.
But then, another voice piped up. A voice Drew had forgotten was in the room with them, standing off to the side because she wasn't supposed to be part of this.
Ursula.
"I didn't know capture was a synonym for kiss."
Drew couldn't help it. He cast an incredulous look at his violet-haired friend. Paul kissed a slayer? Were any of them free from sin anymore?
"I didn't kiss her," Paul snarled. "It was a technique to lower her guard."
No matter how he tried to defend himself, Mars and Saturn became furious.
"You're the one we've always implicitly trusted," Saturn growled. "What is this treason the she-vampire speaks of? You chose her as your companion, is this not true?"
"Of course it is." Paul strode over to Ursula at the edge of the room.
Drew knew exactly what Gary would say if he were there. A small smile quirked his lips up while everyone else's attention was on Paul.
"I did what I needed to save your life," he spat at Ursula. "You are the treasonous one, ignoring the will of your companion."
It's going to take more than that to make Mars and Saturn believe you're still loyal. Drew willed Paul to amp up his performance. As much as he and Paul may have clashed heads in the past, Paul was the much lesser evil of him and their commanders.
"Well… Paul… I saw the way you…" Ursula whimpered under Paul's glare.
And then he lunged towards her. She flinched back until she realised he was kissing her, but by the time she leaned into it he had already pulled back. He whipped back to Mars and Saturn.
"She is my companion. I will put her first, always."
Drew had never heard those words spoken more robotically, but it seemed to be enough to lower Mars and Saturn's hackles.
Drew smirked to himself. He folded the image of Paul kissing Ursula away, storing it so he could tease Paul about it later. It wasn't often Paul accidentally gave them ammunition to mock him with, but this memory was a goldmine.
Drew lost his amusement when he realised Mars and Saturn were latching onto him.
"As for you…" Saturn smiled coldly. "You need something to keep your focus inside this castle, to stop you being tempted by the world beyond."
Drew did not like the sound of that.
Mars beckoned towards a dark corner on the opposite side of the room to where they all stood.
Slowly, a girl walked into the light.
She was short, with chin-length reddish-brown hair and large, dark green eyes. She moved timidly, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
"This is Brianna," Mars announced. "When we found her among a batch of newly-turneds, we realised she seemed like the perfect companion for you, Drew. Look at her. Isn't she perfect?"
Drew studied her, pushing down his displeasure at the attempt to meddle in his life and keeping his expression carefully neutral. If he rejected this female vampire, Mars would suggest May was the reason - and that would give her and Saturn motive to go after May and kill her. For May's sake, he had to pretend he agreed with them.
Brianna was pretty, he could admit. The tentative way she stood and refused to meet anyone's eyes reminded him of May a bit, when he'd first seen her.
But she isn't May. She never will be.
"Brianna here has only just become a vampire," Saturn continued, examining Drew closely. "She needs someone to show her the ropes… to take her under their wing."
If I'm going to make them believe I have no feelings for May, I need to sell this.
With every step feeling like stepping on sharpened stakes, Drew walked towards Brianna.
"Hey," he said softly. She glanced at him from under her eyelashes. "I'm Drew. I know how confusing all this must be. I would be honoured to help you become assimilated with your new life, if you're agreeable."
Her head bobbed in a nod, and she finally looked up at him properly. Her eyes were wide and nervous, but her anxiety eased with his words.
"I-I'd like that, thank you."
"Excellent," Mars said.
"I should thank you," Drew said, his throat dry. "Brianna is exactly who I've been looking for." He dragged the words out by the tails, but it must have been believable because Mars looked happier and Saturn became fixated on his next target.
"N," Saturn said, scarily calm. "You were assigned to guarding our slayer. You must have an idea of what happened to her."
"I don't have the faintest-" N began.
"Lies!" Saturn shouted. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but his eyes flashed murder. "I have no proof now, but as soon as I get the faintest inkling that you had anything to do with White's escape, I will put a stake through your heart myself. Do you understand?"
N nodded.
Then Ash made it worse. "It's not N's fault. We shouldn't be doing this anyway. What did White do us? What have any of the slayers we've tried to hurt done to us?"
Drew closed his eyes briefly. He was furious at Ash's stupidity in going against their commanders when they were already in the worst mood possible, but as he dug deeper inside himself, he knew he was also envious that Ash had the courage to speak up for himself and what he believed was right, when Drew had just lied through his teeth all because he couldn't stand up to Mars and Saturn alone.
"If I truly believed you understood the implications of what you just said, I would stake you right now," Mars growled. "However. Paul."
Paul nodded.
"Ash has one chance to prove his loyalty. The moment he disobeys, I trust you to kill him. Do I have your agreement?"
"Yes, Mars. Yes, Saturn."
Paul dipped his head so low it was almost a bow.
Mars and Saturn regarded them all a moment longer, and then with a whirl of their cloaks, sped away to some other dark part of the castle, presumably to bide their time until the next darkness fell and they could resume searching for a new slayer to use for the immortality ceremony.
Drew looked around the room, seeing reflected on everyone's faces the feeling he tried to hide.
Resentment.
For the first time, they were all unified, and all against the commands of their higher-ups.
None of them wanted to continue doing Mars and Saturn's bidding.
The question is, what are we going to do about it?
Gary regarded Leaf with sadness. It was the first time in his life he'd pitied a newly-turned. But looking at the brunette in front of him spin around, desperate for it not to be true, he couldn't help it. It was sad.
"Stop fighting it," he said. "You can't make it not true."
Once getting into the city it hadn't been difficult to find her. He'd suspected Saturn had something to do with the reason Leaf hadn't returned to her friends. The day Saturn returned from the city, he'd looked satisfied; like a cat who got the cream. The last time he'd seen Saturn look that smug was the last time Saturn had managed to drink a slayer's blood.
The question was, how had a slayer like Leaf let herself get into that situation? She was the last one out of the five of her friends he'd expected would ever let herself get bitten by a vampire - let alone not fight the vampire off. Even if the vampire was as old and experienced as Saturn. Something didn't make sense here.
And the fact that it was Saturn who'd bitten her... it curdled Gary's blood.
"I can't become a vampire," Leaf choked out, turning away from him and looking down at herself. "I can't hurt people, I can't…"
Gary tilted his head. "Hurting people can be fun, Leafy. I can show you-"
"No!" She whirled back to him so quickly he didn't have time to react to her fist flying towards his face.
The force of her punch slammed him down the alley. Like a cat, he kept his balance and remained on his feet. The surprise paused him for a moment, and then he stood up, raising a hand to his cheek. "Ouch," he said slowly.
Leaf's rose-red irises flared in panic. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to do that! I don't know how… What's going to happen to me?"
She sounded broken.
"Well, if you do nothing, you'll die. For good, this time. But I don't recommend that. I've heard perishing before completing the entire transformation is an excruciatingly painful process, and it's not an instant death."
He walked carefully back to her, treading delicately without making sudden movements. She watched his warily, her posture braced defensively.
"Or, you can complete the transformation, become a vampire, and make the most of your new gifts. Trust me, Leafy. It's much better than slayers will ever know. As far as I'm aware, you're the first slayer to ever have this opportunity. I recommend you make the most of it."
He flashed her a grin, and threw caution to the wind. With inhuman speed, he tucked a strand of heir behind her ear.
She gazed at him, wide-eyed and uncertain how to process anything he'd told her. He could read every emotion passing across her face.
"I can't become a vampire," she said hoarsely. "It's everything I hate. Everything I've fought my whole life to destroy. I'll just…" She looked around the alley. "I'll stay here."
Gary wasn't surprised. Her hatred of vampires had been vicious when she was a slayer. Most newly-turneds didn't remember much of their human life, but maybe it was different for slayers. Or maybe she wouldn't forget her past life until she completed the turn. Either way, he couldn't let her perish here. He had a chance to bring a wild card back to the castle - to throw a dog into a room of cats. What would the slayers do if they saw what Leaf had been turned into? What would Saturn do when he knew his little dalliance in the city hadn't stayed in the city?
Gary would only find out the answers if he convinced Leaf to complete the transformation.
"That's not the Leaf I know," he said confidently. Perhaps he didn't know her very well, but from what he did know, she was a fighter. "Are you going to let the vampire who killed you win? Are you really going to lay down and wait for death to claim you?"
Newly-turneds were volatile, with heightened emotions often overwhelming them before they could make sense of what was happening to them. Leaf was no different.
"I'm not like you," she hissed, anger crashing over her like a flash of lightning striking just the right place. "I'm not a murderer. I don't take pleasure in hurting people. I'm not a monster. I know what you're doing, Gary. You're trying to turn me into a weapon against my friends. I won't do it. I'm not a vampire yet. I still know my own mind. I will never complete the transformation." Rage boiled the red in her eyes to a dark, stormy shade of danger.
Gary had never been more attracted to her.
"Are you sure about that?" he murmured, stepping closer to her.
She didn't move away.
"What about the vampire who turned you? You don't want revenge? To kill him for what he did to you?" He didn't add how unlikely it was she would remember the vampire who did this to her once she completed the transformation.
Leaf hesitated. She met Gary's eyes, her anger faltering. "If I complete the change, will I remember who I was before?"
She was smart. Smarter than Gary had given her credit for.
"Who knows?" He had an agenda to persuade her to complete the turn, but he wasn't going to lie to her. The more challenging convincing her to change was, the more satisfying it would be in the end. "Most newly-turneds don't remember, but most are human. You're a slayer. You're already more lucid than most are at this point. There's a chance you'll remember everything."
She nodded. She was thinking about it.
There was one thing niggling at the back of Gary's mind he wanted the answer too, although he'd been trying to ignore it...
Curiosity got the better of him.
"I am curious, Leafy… How did you end up letting Saturn drink from you?"
"Why do you say I let him? Slayers are no real match for vampires, are we?" she replied snarkily.
"Because I know you," he replied instantly. "There's no way any vampire could bite you - let alone drain you - without a fight that ends with them being staked."
Leaf's frown deepened. "I…"
Her emotions changed again, suddenly and fiercely.
A guttural snarl ripped from her throat.
"This is all Red's fault," she spat. "If he hadn't kissed me, I would never, never have let Saturn approach me. He made me second-guess everything - made me not care what happened to me, for the first time ever." With a growl, she stalked away from Gary, towards the street. "Well?" she snapped over her shoulder. "Are you going to help me complete the change, or not?"
Gary's eyebrows lifted. He'd known revenge would be the key to getting her to accept the change; he just hadn't expected her to want revenge on a fellow slayer, rather than the vampire who drained her.
He ran after her, pushing to keep up with the pace her fury set.
Whatever happens next, I'm not going to miss it.
