-CHAPTER 6-
Eric had called Lilith to bring an SUV down from the estate to bring Clara, Sora, and Kurt's things as well as take them there. D refused the ride, saying he'd take his horse.
"Who's the new guy?" Lilith asked.
"A man. I hate him," Sora snarled.
"Sora, you barely know him," Clara told her.
"I don't care."
Clara shook her head at her friend's attitude. "My parents hired him to look after me and to kill my brother..."
"Sounds pretty serious," Lilith observed. Clara shrugged. She looked down at the locket, which hung around her neck. What would Taryn want with the locket?
"What will you do about school? Taryn might come after you there, too," Kurt said. Clara nodded.
"He could come after all of us just to get to me," she replied, "We'll all have to pull out for the rest of the semester. The school knows about Eric and me, and if we or anyone close to us is in danger, we'd have to pull out. This is the first time though."
Kurt nodded in agreement; now that he knew what they all were, he understood the precautions they had to take to keep their loved ones safe. Throughout the entire ride to the estate, Kurt could see that Clara was in silent mourning for her family, but didn't express it.
Sora twitched as she remembered something and turned in her seatbelt to look at Kurt. "Oh, again, don't worry about your looks at the estate. Alucard is the son of Dracula and he's living with the Belmonts; how worse can you be?"
Kurt grinned. "Point taken."
Lilith entered the security code at the gate and entered, pulling up and letting everyone out. Everyone grabbed what they could of their luggage, and Eric and Lilith grabbed what was left over. D was right behind them, and Eric said he'd send someone out to take his horse to the stables and to just leave it out next to the car for now.
Alucard came out to greet everyone, looking worriedly at Clara. "Is everyone alright?"
"We're fine, we just need to stay here until this is all over. That okay?" Clara asked.
"Yes, of course, tell me about it later, until then, all of you get settled," he looked up to see D, and his sympathetic expression faded. "...Except him. He is not welcome."
"I'm liking you more everyday, Al," Sora told him as she went into the estate.
"You know each other?" Eric asked.
Alucard narrowed his eyes. "Unfortunately."
"He has to come. My parents hired him to watch over me. I'd be breaking my parents' wishes by turning him away. Please, Alucard, despite whatever past you've had, let him in," Clara told him.
Eric nodded. "Yeah, and besides, you're not in charge of this estate, and since Julius was the head Belmont before he left, that makes me next in line. I say he stays."
Lilith grimaced as he said that, said nothing more, and went inside. Alucard and Eric exchanged glares for a moment before Alucard left and went back inside.
Kurt swallowed, having watched all of this silently. "Um... oh, forget it, I'll just shut up," he murmured, trudging inside.
Eric looked back at D and nudged his head towards the estate. "Come on in; don't mind Gramps."
*
That evening, everyone had settled in. Clara was still afraid, even with the intense security. She was afraid Taryn could have followed them, and would attack while they all slept. Mazier and Lilith were out, but promised not to go too far, Sora was in her room, Alucard was in the library, and she didn't know where D was. Eric had offered him a room, but he had declined the offer. Kurt was probably already asleep in his room, which Clara couldn't blame him; the day had been more than hectic.
Mazier hadn't even met D before he left; Clara just hoped that there wasn't any surprise confrontation when he returned.
She jumped when a knock sounded on the door, but calmed down, exhaled heavily, and shoved her glasses up on her nose. "Come in."
"You're not getting dressed for bed, are you?" a voice called out.
Clara smiled; at least Eric learned to ask before he came in. She didn't want to go into detail on that. "No, I'm not."
He came in slowly, closing the door behind him. "Hey... you look tired..."
"I don't feel tired," she replied dryly. The side of Eric's mouth twitched a smile, and he moved over to hug her, letting her lean against him, murmuring gibberish into his chest, something she did whenever she was stressed. Sora got her into the habit.
"I'm gonna sleep in the guest room just across from yours, so if anything goes bump in the night, just scream for me, alright?"
Clara nodded, and looked up at him. "Why doesn't Alucard like D?"
Eric shrugged. "I tried to talk about it, but Gramps wouldn't say anything, so I told him to lay off, and that he had a job to do, which is to make sure you're safe... I feel like I'm being fired."
She giggled. "I think Sora feels that way, too. Don't worry, we three are the defenders of Transylvania; nothing's gonna break us up. Not even my mean ol' brother."
"Why is it you can keep a cheerful attitude even when there's something coming for you?"
Clara shrugged. "I know people will be there to rescue me."
Eric reached up and touched her cheek. "I won't be a failure for you, Clara..." He then leaned down and softly kissed her, feeling Clara instantly relax as she responded, putting her arms around his neck and opening her mouth slightly.
Another knock sounded on the door and Clara and Eric instantly broke away from each other. Sora came in, leaning against the doorframe. "I need to go back to the house."
Clara's eyebrows pinched together in disbelief. "What? Why?"
"I forgot my damn cigarettes."
Clara and Eric both rolled their eyes. Clara folded her arms over her chest. "So buy another pack."
Sora shook her head defiantly. "Fuck no! I have seven packs hidden all over your house back there, and they all cost money! I'm not leaving them behind!"
Clara stared blankly at her. "...You've been hiding cigarettes in my house?"
Sora scoffed. "Yeah, I have, and now I'm going to get them. Later." With that, she left. Eric and Clara both stared at the empty doorway before looking at each other.
"Think we should send someone after her?" Clara asked.
"She's asking for trouble; let her get it," Eric replied. Clara just shrugged.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Using the spare key Clara had given her, Sora unlocked the house and went in. She didn't plan on retrieving them all, just maybe about three packs. Clara and Eric may have thought them trivial, and Sora could quit with no problem at any time, but she liked smoking in tense moments. Especially around other people; it gave them something else to think about.
She shoved her possessions into her jacket pocket and went to check in Clara's room to see if she had forgotten anything. She had the locket with her, Sora was sure of that, but what about any spell books or family things that she had forgotten? She walked over to Clara's bookshelf, scanning it over. All of the books here were spells that Clara had mastered. Sora found it humorous that Clara could be at Sorceress status, but she wasn't only because she couldn't master the ice spell, which Sora thought was a load of bull.
Finding nothing, Sora began to head downstairs and out the door. A man was passing across the sidewalk outside, and stopped when he saw Sora.
"Excuse me," he said, "is Clara Belnades here?"
Sora stopped on the front steps, and folded her arms over her chest. "No, she's out with a friend right now. Can I help you?"
"Oh, I was just absent from school today and came to ask what our assignment was."
"What class?"
"Algebra 2."
Sora looked him over; he could pass as a teenager, but Sora could tell he was at least 20 years old. He was dressed casually, shoulder-length dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. And he was a liar.
She walked to the sidewalk and began to walk back to the estate. "Sorry, don't know you; I have every class with Clara and I've never seen you before. Nice try."
Warning bells should have been ringing in her head, but she couldn't hear them.
"Oh," he said, "You're the Dunpeal, eh?"
Sora immediately stopped, turning around to face him, the corner of her lip raised into a snarl. "Stay away from her, Taryn."
"Wow, so you're not as stupid as I thought," he replied. Sora was about to answer to that, but he extended a hand, and suddenly Sora was brought forward, right up to him. She couldn't move her arms or legs.
He reached up and took her chin in his hand. "You really do love my baby sister, don't you?"
"Go to Hell."
"Been there."
"Then they'll welcome you back."
Taryn smirked, and something that felt like a hot, wet towel smacked against Sora, sending her to the ground, and she had to brace herself or else get her head smashed open.
"Here's a word of advice," he began, "Don't stand between my little sister and me. And tell the hunter that my beloved parents sent to stay away also. I don't know what Clara's told you, but you don't want to fuck with me, Halfbreed."
Sora lifted a hand up to her head, pressing her palms against her temple. That attack hurt like hell; D wasn't kidding when he told them Taryn had become stronger, and Sora felt that this wasn't even his full power.
She stumbled to her feet quickly and launched herself at him, roaring, but was thrown back as she hit the magic barrier he put up around himself. It was more powerful than his last attack, and she hit the hard concrete, scratching up any skin and clothing that she landed on. She didn't cry out, lest let Taryn know she was in pain, which was probably what he wanted. Truthfully, Lucian had put her through a lot more pain than this could ever hope to be, but dammit, it still hurt.
Taryn raised an eyebrow as she managed to stand again, even though she had sprained both her right knee and ankle. "Tough one, aren't you?"
"I've had worse." She ran at him again, but this time, before he attacked her from the front, she jumped up, flipping over his head and landing right behind him, happy there was no barrier. She kicked his legs out from him with her sprained leg, pulled the small dagger she always kept with her out of her boot, and was at Taryn's throat before he could blink. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to cover your ass?"
Another mental attack sent her flying into Clara's yard, kept her in the air for a moment, and then slammed her down. This time she cried out as her spine cracked against the hard dirt and grass. Taryn stood and dusted off his back. "Yes, and she also told me to never hit a lady."
Another attack made Sora feel like she was under a gigantic boot and she was the bug being crushed. She felt her bones straining under his mind; she couldn't move. She knew Taryn wouldn't hesitate to kill her, but for some reason, the pressure stopped after a few seconds. She weakly lifted her head to look at him.
Taryn slowly approached her. "Where is Clara?"
"Piss off."
He smiled calmly. "I'm sorry you feel that way... but I won't torture you any longer. I'll be watching this house, Dunpeal; anyone who comes back here will have to face me until Clara comes to me with the locket either here, or at my hideout, which I'm sure the hunter told you about."
Taryn then turned and left, leaving Sora there. She was helpless now, and couldn't move. He made sure to break her right leg, but sprained her left one, making it near impossible for her to move. Sora squeezed her eyes shut, keeping back tears. "You'd better watch over her, D..."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Everyone had fallen asleep after Sora left, but kept the gate's intercom on in case she came back and couldn't get in. When Clara woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was go to Sora's room to see if she was back. "Sora?"
She wouldn't have been surprised to not see Sora in her room back at her house, but here, Sora hated moving around the estate, claiming she got lost easily. Clara knit her eyebrows together, and scanned the estate. No Sora.
Clara hurried downstairs, seeing Eric and Kurt. "Hey, did any of you see or hear Sora come back?"
Kurt shook his head. "I thought she would have come back by now. Could she still be at the house?"
"No," Clara replied, "she's too protective of me to stay away from me for an entire night, especially now..."
"You want D and me to go see if she's still there anyway?" Eric offered.
"That'd be nice, I want to talk to Alucard anyway about that demon we encountered the other night, if no one else has."
Eric shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. Anyway, I'm outta here; D's in the main hall, I'll grab him, and Gramps is in the library. Bye."
"Be careful," Clara called after him as he left, grabbing his whip off of a table on the way.
*
"Silver Wing?" Alucard asked, closing his book. Clara nodded. "Yes, from what Mazier told us, he was stealing souls in a vampire nightclub. Have you ever heard of him?"
Alucard narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Unfortunately, I do; I had an encounter with him just five years after I defeated my father."
"What is he? He almost killed Kurt," she said, urging her head towards Kurt who sat in the chair next to her.
Alucard sighed. "I'm surprised you survived your encounter, Miss Belnades; Silver Wing is the father of all Incubi and Succubi. He can take any human form, and steal souls with merely a display of physical affection. It does not surprise me that he was taking souls so easily."
"Do you know his real name?"
"Every demon and normal human calls him Silver Wing, but in reality, his name is Markus. Clara, take my advice, and urge Mazier to do so as well: Do not approach him again. He could kill every member of your team with ease, even Mazier. If you feel the need to approach him again, take me with you. I know one way that can defeat him," Alucard advised.
Clara nodded slowly and headed towards the door. Kurt began to follow but stopped and turned around. "Alucard?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you hate D so much?"
The room was quiet for a half minute before Alucard replied, "I do not wish to elaborate upon that, forgive me."
Clara reached out and grabbed Kurt's arm. "C'mon, Fuzzy, let's go wait for Eric to come back."
Walking out of the library and into the entrance hall, Clara heard Eric's car pull into the driveway quickly, followed by a quick car door slamming. Kurt looked like he was about to teleport outside to see what it was, but Clara put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait."
Eric swung the front door open as D carried a barely-conscious Sora in. The first thing Eric did was shout for Mazier, Lilith, Alucard, or anyone as he hurried D to take Sora to the med bay. Kurt teleported to the library to get Alucard, and Clara ran after Eric and D. "What happened?"
"We don't know; Sora hasn't said anything other than a protest that D was carrying her since we found her," Eric replied quickly. Clara ran ahead, opening the doors to the med bay, looking behind Eric to see Alucard and Lilith running to meet them. D laid Sora on one of the beds, and the first thing Clara did was feel her neck for a pulse, feeling a really weak one.
"Sora?" Clara called loudly, putting a hand on her cheek. "Where was she?" she asked to Eric, not turning to look at him.
A loud 'bamf' echoed through the bay and Kurt appeared, as worried as Clara. Lilith saw the swelling in Sora's right leg before anyone else and moved to get medicine and a splint.
"She had moved off of the property of your house," Eric replied. "Dunno why, though..."
Alucard touched her leg, pulling back instantly, as if he would break her. "Her leg is broken... she was attacked by magic, I can feel it. She needs to feed. How long has it been since her last feeding, Clara?"
"About two or three weeks, and she fed off of me, she always does."
"The magic in Clara's blood makes Sora heal faster," Eric explained to those who didn't understand.
Clara didn't hesitate, reached onto Eric's person and pulled out one of his daggers before he could stop her. She slit the side of her hand just below her pinky finger, and held the wound over Sora's mouth, letting her blood drip onto her lips and tongue. Alucard grabbed a roll of gauze for Clara's hand when she was finished, and everyone waited. They wouldn't start treating her leg until they knew she had enough strength to begin healing on her own.
Sora moved slightly, lapping at the blood. Clara lowered her hand to Sora's lips and she immediately began to suck on the wound.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Kurt asked, a grimace on his face. Clara shook her head slowly.
Sora stopped feeding after a little bit, and Clara pulled her hand back, and cleaned it before letting Alucard wrap it. Sora's eyes fluttered, slowly opening, looking around at everyone. Lilith moved to start treating her leg, tearing away her torn pant leg and injecting an anesthetic. Sora hissed at the sudden pain, and Clara moved back to hold her mouth shut as she started to scream as Lilith moved her leg, listening as the bones moved back into place, and put the splint on her, tightly, then went to get a knee and ankle brace for her left leg.
"Wasn't that a little haphazardly done?" Kurt asked, worried.
Lilith shook her head. "No, she'll start to heal immediately when her cell structure realizes that her bones are together again. She'll need to feed more frequently, though."
Clara looked up towards Eric and D. "Did she say anything at all other than what you told me?"
Eric shook his head. "The only thing she said when we found her was 'Taryn.'"
Eric had called Lilith to bring an SUV down from the estate to bring Clara, Sora, and Kurt's things as well as take them there. D refused the ride, saying he'd take his horse.
"Who's the new guy?" Lilith asked.
"A man. I hate him," Sora snarled.
"Sora, you barely know him," Clara told her.
"I don't care."
Clara shook her head at her friend's attitude. "My parents hired him to look after me and to kill my brother..."
"Sounds pretty serious," Lilith observed. Clara shrugged. She looked down at the locket, which hung around her neck. What would Taryn want with the locket?
"What will you do about school? Taryn might come after you there, too," Kurt said. Clara nodded.
"He could come after all of us just to get to me," she replied, "We'll all have to pull out for the rest of the semester. The school knows about Eric and me, and if we or anyone close to us is in danger, we'd have to pull out. This is the first time though."
Kurt nodded in agreement; now that he knew what they all were, he understood the precautions they had to take to keep their loved ones safe. Throughout the entire ride to the estate, Kurt could see that Clara was in silent mourning for her family, but didn't express it.
Sora twitched as she remembered something and turned in her seatbelt to look at Kurt. "Oh, again, don't worry about your looks at the estate. Alucard is the son of Dracula and he's living with the Belmonts; how worse can you be?"
Kurt grinned. "Point taken."
Lilith entered the security code at the gate and entered, pulling up and letting everyone out. Everyone grabbed what they could of their luggage, and Eric and Lilith grabbed what was left over. D was right behind them, and Eric said he'd send someone out to take his horse to the stables and to just leave it out next to the car for now.
Alucard came out to greet everyone, looking worriedly at Clara. "Is everyone alright?"
"We're fine, we just need to stay here until this is all over. That okay?" Clara asked.
"Yes, of course, tell me about it later, until then, all of you get settled," he looked up to see D, and his sympathetic expression faded. "...Except him. He is not welcome."
"I'm liking you more everyday, Al," Sora told him as she went into the estate.
"You know each other?" Eric asked.
Alucard narrowed his eyes. "Unfortunately."
"He has to come. My parents hired him to watch over me. I'd be breaking my parents' wishes by turning him away. Please, Alucard, despite whatever past you've had, let him in," Clara told him.
Eric nodded. "Yeah, and besides, you're not in charge of this estate, and since Julius was the head Belmont before he left, that makes me next in line. I say he stays."
Lilith grimaced as he said that, said nothing more, and went inside. Alucard and Eric exchanged glares for a moment before Alucard left and went back inside.
Kurt swallowed, having watched all of this silently. "Um... oh, forget it, I'll just shut up," he murmured, trudging inside.
Eric looked back at D and nudged his head towards the estate. "Come on in; don't mind Gramps."
*
That evening, everyone had settled in. Clara was still afraid, even with the intense security. She was afraid Taryn could have followed them, and would attack while they all slept. Mazier and Lilith were out, but promised not to go too far, Sora was in her room, Alucard was in the library, and she didn't know where D was. Eric had offered him a room, but he had declined the offer. Kurt was probably already asleep in his room, which Clara couldn't blame him; the day had been more than hectic.
Mazier hadn't even met D before he left; Clara just hoped that there wasn't any surprise confrontation when he returned.
She jumped when a knock sounded on the door, but calmed down, exhaled heavily, and shoved her glasses up on her nose. "Come in."
"You're not getting dressed for bed, are you?" a voice called out.
Clara smiled; at least Eric learned to ask before he came in. She didn't want to go into detail on that. "No, I'm not."
He came in slowly, closing the door behind him. "Hey... you look tired..."
"I don't feel tired," she replied dryly. The side of Eric's mouth twitched a smile, and he moved over to hug her, letting her lean against him, murmuring gibberish into his chest, something she did whenever she was stressed. Sora got her into the habit.
"I'm gonna sleep in the guest room just across from yours, so if anything goes bump in the night, just scream for me, alright?"
Clara nodded, and looked up at him. "Why doesn't Alucard like D?"
Eric shrugged. "I tried to talk about it, but Gramps wouldn't say anything, so I told him to lay off, and that he had a job to do, which is to make sure you're safe... I feel like I'm being fired."
She giggled. "I think Sora feels that way, too. Don't worry, we three are the defenders of Transylvania; nothing's gonna break us up. Not even my mean ol' brother."
"Why is it you can keep a cheerful attitude even when there's something coming for you?"
Clara shrugged. "I know people will be there to rescue me."
Eric reached up and touched her cheek. "I won't be a failure for you, Clara..." He then leaned down and softly kissed her, feeling Clara instantly relax as she responded, putting her arms around his neck and opening her mouth slightly.
Another knock sounded on the door and Clara and Eric instantly broke away from each other. Sora came in, leaning against the doorframe. "I need to go back to the house."
Clara's eyebrows pinched together in disbelief. "What? Why?"
"I forgot my damn cigarettes."
Clara and Eric both rolled their eyes. Clara folded her arms over her chest. "So buy another pack."
Sora shook her head defiantly. "Fuck no! I have seven packs hidden all over your house back there, and they all cost money! I'm not leaving them behind!"
Clara stared blankly at her. "...You've been hiding cigarettes in my house?"
Sora scoffed. "Yeah, I have, and now I'm going to get them. Later." With that, she left. Eric and Clara both stared at the empty doorway before looking at each other.
"Think we should send someone after her?" Clara asked.
"She's asking for trouble; let her get it," Eric replied. Clara just shrugged.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Using the spare key Clara had given her, Sora unlocked the house and went in. She didn't plan on retrieving them all, just maybe about three packs. Clara and Eric may have thought them trivial, and Sora could quit with no problem at any time, but she liked smoking in tense moments. Especially around other people; it gave them something else to think about.
She shoved her possessions into her jacket pocket and went to check in Clara's room to see if she had forgotten anything. She had the locket with her, Sora was sure of that, but what about any spell books or family things that she had forgotten? She walked over to Clara's bookshelf, scanning it over. All of the books here were spells that Clara had mastered. Sora found it humorous that Clara could be at Sorceress status, but she wasn't only because she couldn't master the ice spell, which Sora thought was a load of bull.
Finding nothing, Sora began to head downstairs and out the door. A man was passing across the sidewalk outside, and stopped when he saw Sora.
"Excuse me," he said, "is Clara Belnades here?"
Sora stopped on the front steps, and folded her arms over her chest. "No, she's out with a friend right now. Can I help you?"
"Oh, I was just absent from school today and came to ask what our assignment was."
"What class?"
"Algebra 2."
Sora looked him over; he could pass as a teenager, but Sora could tell he was at least 20 years old. He was dressed casually, shoulder-length dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. And he was a liar.
She walked to the sidewalk and began to walk back to the estate. "Sorry, don't know you; I have every class with Clara and I've never seen you before. Nice try."
Warning bells should have been ringing in her head, but she couldn't hear them.
"Oh," he said, "You're the Dunpeal, eh?"
Sora immediately stopped, turning around to face him, the corner of her lip raised into a snarl. "Stay away from her, Taryn."
"Wow, so you're not as stupid as I thought," he replied. Sora was about to answer to that, but he extended a hand, and suddenly Sora was brought forward, right up to him. She couldn't move her arms or legs.
He reached up and took her chin in his hand. "You really do love my baby sister, don't you?"
"Go to Hell."
"Been there."
"Then they'll welcome you back."
Taryn smirked, and something that felt like a hot, wet towel smacked against Sora, sending her to the ground, and she had to brace herself or else get her head smashed open.
"Here's a word of advice," he began, "Don't stand between my little sister and me. And tell the hunter that my beloved parents sent to stay away also. I don't know what Clara's told you, but you don't want to fuck with me, Halfbreed."
Sora lifted a hand up to her head, pressing her palms against her temple. That attack hurt like hell; D wasn't kidding when he told them Taryn had become stronger, and Sora felt that this wasn't even his full power.
She stumbled to her feet quickly and launched herself at him, roaring, but was thrown back as she hit the magic barrier he put up around himself. It was more powerful than his last attack, and she hit the hard concrete, scratching up any skin and clothing that she landed on. She didn't cry out, lest let Taryn know she was in pain, which was probably what he wanted. Truthfully, Lucian had put her through a lot more pain than this could ever hope to be, but dammit, it still hurt.
Taryn raised an eyebrow as she managed to stand again, even though she had sprained both her right knee and ankle. "Tough one, aren't you?"
"I've had worse." She ran at him again, but this time, before he attacked her from the front, she jumped up, flipping over his head and landing right behind him, happy there was no barrier. She kicked his legs out from him with her sprained leg, pulled the small dagger she always kept with her out of her boot, and was at Taryn's throat before he could blink. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to cover your ass?"
Another mental attack sent her flying into Clara's yard, kept her in the air for a moment, and then slammed her down. This time she cried out as her spine cracked against the hard dirt and grass. Taryn stood and dusted off his back. "Yes, and she also told me to never hit a lady."
Another attack made Sora feel like she was under a gigantic boot and she was the bug being crushed. She felt her bones straining under his mind; she couldn't move. She knew Taryn wouldn't hesitate to kill her, but for some reason, the pressure stopped after a few seconds. She weakly lifted her head to look at him.
Taryn slowly approached her. "Where is Clara?"
"Piss off."
He smiled calmly. "I'm sorry you feel that way... but I won't torture you any longer. I'll be watching this house, Dunpeal; anyone who comes back here will have to face me until Clara comes to me with the locket either here, or at my hideout, which I'm sure the hunter told you about."
Taryn then turned and left, leaving Sora there. She was helpless now, and couldn't move. He made sure to break her right leg, but sprained her left one, making it near impossible for her to move. Sora squeezed her eyes shut, keeping back tears. "You'd better watch over her, D..."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Everyone had fallen asleep after Sora left, but kept the gate's intercom on in case she came back and couldn't get in. When Clara woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was go to Sora's room to see if she was back. "Sora?"
She wouldn't have been surprised to not see Sora in her room back at her house, but here, Sora hated moving around the estate, claiming she got lost easily. Clara knit her eyebrows together, and scanned the estate. No Sora.
Clara hurried downstairs, seeing Eric and Kurt. "Hey, did any of you see or hear Sora come back?"
Kurt shook his head. "I thought she would have come back by now. Could she still be at the house?"
"No," Clara replied, "she's too protective of me to stay away from me for an entire night, especially now..."
"You want D and me to go see if she's still there anyway?" Eric offered.
"That'd be nice, I want to talk to Alucard anyway about that demon we encountered the other night, if no one else has."
Eric shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. Anyway, I'm outta here; D's in the main hall, I'll grab him, and Gramps is in the library. Bye."
"Be careful," Clara called after him as he left, grabbing his whip off of a table on the way.
*
"Silver Wing?" Alucard asked, closing his book. Clara nodded. "Yes, from what Mazier told us, he was stealing souls in a vampire nightclub. Have you ever heard of him?"
Alucard narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Unfortunately, I do; I had an encounter with him just five years after I defeated my father."
"What is he? He almost killed Kurt," she said, urging her head towards Kurt who sat in the chair next to her.
Alucard sighed. "I'm surprised you survived your encounter, Miss Belnades; Silver Wing is the father of all Incubi and Succubi. He can take any human form, and steal souls with merely a display of physical affection. It does not surprise me that he was taking souls so easily."
"Do you know his real name?"
"Every demon and normal human calls him Silver Wing, but in reality, his name is Markus. Clara, take my advice, and urge Mazier to do so as well: Do not approach him again. He could kill every member of your team with ease, even Mazier. If you feel the need to approach him again, take me with you. I know one way that can defeat him," Alucard advised.
Clara nodded slowly and headed towards the door. Kurt began to follow but stopped and turned around. "Alucard?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you hate D so much?"
The room was quiet for a half minute before Alucard replied, "I do not wish to elaborate upon that, forgive me."
Clara reached out and grabbed Kurt's arm. "C'mon, Fuzzy, let's go wait for Eric to come back."
Walking out of the library and into the entrance hall, Clara heard Eric's car pull into the driveway quickly, followed by a quick car door slamming. Kurt looked like he was about to teleport outside to see what it was, but Clara put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait."
Eric swung the front door open as D carried a barely-conscious Sora in. The first thing Eric did was shout for Mazier, Lilith, Alucard, or anyone as he hurried D to take Sora to the med bay. Kurt teleported to the library to get Alucard, and Clara ran after Eric and D. "What happened?"
"We don't know; Sora hasn't said anything other than a protest that D was carrying her since we found her," Eric replied quickly. Clara ran ahead, opening the doors to the med bay, looking behind Eric to see Alucard and Lilith running to meet them. D laid Sora on one of the beds, and the first thing Clara did was feel her neck for a pulse, feeling a really weak one.
"Sora?" Clara called loudly, putting a hand on her cheek. "Where was she?" she asked to Eric, not turning to look at him.
A loud 'bamf' echoed through the bay and Kurt appeared, as worried as Clara. Lilith saw the swelling in Sora's right leg before anyone else and moved to get medicine and a splint.
"She had moved off of the property of your house," Eric replied. "Dunno why, though..."
Alucard touched her leg, pulling back instantly, as if he would break her. "Her leg is broken... she was attacked by magic, I can feel it. She needs to feed. How long has it been since her last feeding, Clara?"
"About two or three weeks, and she fed off of me, she always does."
"The magic in Clara's blood makes Sora heal faster," Eric explained to those who didn't understand.
Clara didn't hesitate, reached onto Eric's person and pulled out one of his daggers before he could stop her. She slit the side of her hand just below her pinky finger, and held the wound over Sora's mouth, letting her blood drip onto her lips and tongue. Alucard grabbed a roll of gauze for Clara's hand when she was finished, and everyone waited. They wouldn't start treating her leg until they knew she had enough strength to begin healing on her own.
Sora moved slightly, lapping at the blood. Clara lowered her hand to Sora's lips and she immediately began to suck on the wound.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Kurt asked, a grimace on his face. Clara shook her head slowly.
Sora stopped feeding after a little bit, and Clara pulled her hand back, and cleaned it before letting Alucard wrap it. Sora's eyes fluttered, slowly opening, looking around at everyone. Lilith moved to start treating her leg, tearing away her torn pant leg and injecting an anesthetic. Sora hissed at the sudden pain, and Clara moved back to hold her mouth shut as she started to scream as Lilith moved her leg, listening as the bones moved back into place, and put the splint on her, tightly, then went to get a knee and ankle brace for her left leg.
"Wasn't that a little haphazardly done?" Kurt asked, worried.
Lilith shook her head. "No, she'll start to heal immediately when her cell structure realizes that her bones are together again. She'll need to feed more frequently, though."
Clara looked up towards Eric and D. "Did she say anything at all other than what you told me?"
Eric shook his head. "The only thing she said when we found her was 'Taryn.'"