Elisabeth
by Liviania
Disclaimer: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote the book Shattered Mirror, and as such everything contained within it is her property. This is just me having fun with the story-it is not intended to infringe her rights or to make me money.
Prologue
Nikolas closed his knife in a smooth motion, studying the inlay pensively. Tonight had gone badly because the two hadn't been careful enough. He glanced over at his brother with no slight concern. Kristopher was sharpening his knife now without seeming knowledge of his twin's gaze. Despite that, Nikolas knew there was know way his brother didn't realize he was watching him. Kristopher had almost gotten hurt tonight, and that thought would weigh heavy on Nikolas's mind. It was in his nature to be protective. And his twin had always been his highest priority. Without his brother, Nikolas wasn't even sure he could exist. They were Nikolas and Kristopher, a set, a matched pair, together for eternity. They were bound together not only by their human existence, but the vampiric blood that flowed through their veins.
A woman drew her keys shakily, barely able to open her own front door. Not bothering to close it, she stumbled straight onto her couch. Red blood seeped out her side, determined to stain the piece of furniture. Beyond even trying to hold the precious liquid in, Elisabeth merely murmured a soft "Help," and tried to keep from losing consciousness.
When she saw the vampire, reflexes had taken over before common sense could assert itself. One knife, even wielded by a Vida, wasn't enough to safely take on a leech as strong as that one had been. Still she had won the battle. Her mother had always been proud of her skill and speed, if disappointed by her foolhardiness. The young woman wondered how the matriarch of her line would take her death.
Ian was approaching his house calmly, when he noticed the front door wide open. Elisabeth! he thought with alarm. There was no doubt of his wife's talent, only her ability to assess risk to herself. She was single-minded in her pursuit of vampires. But she was almost as dangerous to herself as the vile creatures she hunted.
Reaching out with his mind before he even entered his home, he made contact with the closest Smoke witch. Annoying, but useful, the entire line. 'Anna?' he asked with his thoughts.
'Yes?' was the testy reply of the witch, entering his mind even as he first saw his wife lying there. Something akin to shock filled his body. 'What is it you feel the need to bother me with?' Anna made no pretense of liking the Vidas. They were killers, and she had a holier-than-thou attitude.
'Elisabeth is hurt and dying.' He pushed the thought through his mind with force, trying to show a bit of his own dislike of the witch. Despite the mutual rift, he knew she would come quick. Not just for the ties of blood, and her obligations as a healer. But because she wouldn't let a child grow up without a mother.
It wasn't long before Anna reached the house. From the force of Ian's call though, it was longer than necessary. Once inside, a surreal tableau greeted her eyes. Elisabeth lay on the couch in a pool of blood that was no doubt her own. Her baby daughter sat on the floor burbling, strangely gleeful from whatever game the dispassionate Ian was playing with her. What kind of man could sit there, not three feet from his dying wife, and act like there wasn't anything extremely wrong going on? Perhaps, in his Vida mindset, there wasn't.
The witch bent over the younger woman, taking careful note of the damage. Only one wound marred Elisabeth's body, but it was deep and long. Anna desperately hoped the slash didn't reach any internal organs, the way it moved so smoothly over the witch's ribs. Carefully she placed her hands over the heart and wound, calling up her magic. A painful sensation tugged at her physical body. Anna ignored it and focused at repairing the damage done to the girl below her.
She wouldn't die, but she wouldn't be active for awhile. If she managed to be smart enough to stay and home and out of trouble, Elisabeth would be ready to hunt again in a little less a month.