Nadia drew a deep breath as she approached the front door.
The simple act of going home had never felt like such a monumental task. Usually, the sight of the large glass entrance to the Godfrey house filled her with a sense of comfort and familiarity—this was the only home she had ever known, she had grown up here, and most of her childhood memories were undeniably good.
But it was amazing how quickly things could change.
Sixteen years of security and happiness had been rocked by the events of last night. She hadn't forgotten all that had gone on behind those doors, of course—the bedtime stories, the joyful holidays, the epic games of hide and seek with dad and Uncle Peter, the nights when she had curled up between them in bed, afraid of the lightening outside. Now, however, it was what was inside that scared her the most.
On some level, she still knew that she was being irrational. Dad would never hurt her, no matter what, and she had seen the undeniable look of pain and regret on his face during their last confrontation.
He knew he had messed up, and she was fairly certain that he wanted to make amends. Wanted things to go back to normal.
Normal...
Nadia wasn't sure what that even meant anymore. It felt as if the world she had always known was gone. It would probably take a while to get back into some sort of routine. To establish a new norm.
And, as much as she still wanted to curl up into a ball and hide at Aunt Shelley's, she figured it was better to start down the path to recovery sooner rather than later. Despite it all, the thought of pushing her father out of her life was too terrible to bear.
Sure, he had lied—and yes, he had a terrifyingly dangerous side that unnerved her greatly. But she would always love him and she refused to go down the same path of Godfrey dysfunction that he and Olivia had.
That was simply unacceptable.
"It's okay, sweetie. You don't need to be afraid."
Nadia felt Aunt Shelley's hand on her shoulder. It was as if the woman had been reading her mind.
"I know." Nadia replied softly, looking back towards her aunt with a soft smile before redirecting her gaze towards the front door.
Squaring her shoulders, the girl took one more deep breath before placing her hand on the knob and pulling it forward.
The world around her seemed to slow as the foyer came into view. As expected, dad and Peter were waiting anxiously, both of their faces filling with relief as they laid their eyes on her. But, as usual, her dad managed to keep his emotions in check more effectively than his companion.
"Nadia!"
Before she knew it, Peter had his arms around her and had drawn her into a tight hug. Although she was slightly shaken by his quick advance, Nadia still managed to return the gesture. The comfort of his arms filled her with warmth and reassurance.
"Hey." She said, as Peter finally relaxed his grip and have her a chance to breathe. "Don't worry, Aunt Shelley took good care of me."
"Of course, of course." Peter replied, smiling up at the other figure who had just entered the house. "Thanks, Shell. We were so relieved when we found out she was in good hands."
Shelley returned the gypsy's smile, but Nadia could see that her eyes quickly moved towards her brother. Roman had barely moved since they had entered, and she had no idea what to make of the steely expression on his face.
Nadia had expected him to rush over as well but, instead, it seemed as if he was clinging to the wall, his intense blue eyes starring resolutely ahead.
It was almost as if he was afraid of her.
Afraid of making any sudden movements.
Perhaps upirs did have weaknesses after all.
"Dad."
Her voice was barely a whisper, but she could have sworn that he flinched ever so slightly as she spoke.
For a second, Nadia marvelled at how he managed to look so stoic and yet so vulnerable at the same time. His face looked as if it had been carved in stone, eternal and ageless, but his deep set eyes looked scared. He had never looked quite as young to her as he did right now. It was a wonder that she had never questioned his youthful appearance before.
Although her throat felt dry and her legs were unsteady, Nadia took a step towards him, turning her back on Shelley and Peter. Thankfully, neither interfered—they both knew that father and daughter needed this moment.
"Dad, I—" Nadia began again, trying to keep her voice calm and controlled. "I'm sorry I ran off last night. I just needed some time."
After a brief pause, Roman nodded, his expression still set.
"There is no need to apologise, Nadia." He replied, standing firmly in his spot several feet away. "All of the apologies should be mine. I never should have lied to you and I never wanted things to come out like that. You have every right to be afraid—you were right about what I am. About what I am capable of. And I know there is nothing I can do to change things. Believe me, I've tried."
Nadia took a shaky breath and took another cautious step forward. Despite his façade, she could hear the pain in his voice and she knew that Peter and Shelley had been right. He had never asked for this life, and he had spent years fighting against it. Perhaps there was nothing he could do to change what he was—what she was—but desire and effort certainly counted for something.
"I now you've tried." The girl said, her eyes suddenly burning with unshed emotion. "And I don't need you to change…" She trailed off, looking up to meet his gaze. "I just need my daddy."
"Nadia, I—"
She could see him falter and, before he had a chance to choke out another word, she took another step forward and cut him off with a much-needed hug. For a second he stiffened, but as she burrowed her head into his chest she felt him wrap his arms around her.
For a blissful moment, nothing else mattered. Her dad was holding her close, as he often did, as he had so many times before.
Upirs. Blood. Family curses.
All of it seemed to fade away.
For the first time since everything had begun, father and daughter shared a smile.
"My little princess." Roman murmured as the girl finally released him from her embrace. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."
Both of their eyes had welled with tears, but neither seemed to care. The joy of a reunion had now overcome the tension and fear. With a small chuckle, Nadia gave him a playful punch in the arm.
"Don't be so mushy, dad." She admonished, attempting one of her patented eye rolls. "I thought vampires were supposed to be all tough and badass."
Roman snorted back, before brushing a stray lock of blonde hair from her face. For a second, he looked amused, but as he continued to gaze down at her his expression grew serious once more.
"I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."
"I know." Nadia replied.
She heard the sound of footsteps and, soon after, she felt Peter place a hand on her shoulder.
"Why don't we all get out of the hallway?" He suggested helpfully. "We've sent the staff home for the day, but I can whip us up some tea and snacks in the kitchen."
The girl nodded eagerly. She had been too anxious to eat much since breakfast and an evening snack in the kitchen sounded like the perfect way to readjust to being home and start talking things though. Although Peter and her Aunt had told her quite a bit, she had a feeling that there were more Godfrey stories to be shared, for better or worse. And she still wanted to know more about how Peter had become wrapped up in all of this.
Perhaps he had some secrets of his own.
"That sounds—"
BANG
Before Nadia could respond, a loud noise echoed through the room. Startled, she turned just in time to see the front door fly open forcefully to reveal several darkly clothed, and heavily armed, individuals.
"Nobody move." One of the figures shouted, her voice thick with a European accent.
Momentarily stunned, Peter and the Godfrey's obeyed, watching as two of her lackeys pushed an unconscious individual into the room, tossing her lifeless body roughly down onto the floor.
Nadia's breath caught in her throat as she looked down.
The body was Olivia's, and she appeared to have a wooden object protruding from her bloodied chest.
With a spiteful sneer, the ringleader moved forward, giving her grandmother's body a rough kick as she stepped over it.
"Who's next?" She asked.
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Roman's head was spinning. What had begun as a happy reunion with his daughter had suddenly devolved into a confusing mess.
He had no idea who had just bust into his house, or how they managed to subdue his mother. Olivia was many things, but she was always a fighter—if these people had injured (or killed?) her like this, then they certainly posed a threat.
His body tingled as his protective instincts began to kick in. He may not have cared deeply for Olivia, but there was no way in hell that he was going to let them come any closer to the rest of his family.
He was going to end this.
Now.
"Get the fuck out of my house." He growled, his eyes flashing with a deadly determination.
Ignoring the woman's order to stand still, he took a daring step forward his eyes locked on the intruder's dark sunglasses. He felt Peter at his side, and he knew that they would both be willing to strike if these scum made any stupid moves. They clearly had no idea who, or what, they were dealing with.
"Get out. Now."
Perhaps he had been foolish to think that it would be that easy. Instead of backing away, compelled by his upir mind control, the woman simply smirked.
"Nice try, Roman." She said, her voice calm and cool as she gestured towards her dark sunglasses. "But we are prepared for your parlour tricks."
Roman felt a chill run through him. Although he still probably had an upper hand, the woman clearly did know what he was, and had anticipated some of his most obvious moves. As he took a second to examine her and her companions more closely, he could see that all were armed with a variety of archaic looking weapons.
Crossbows. Wooden stakes. Daggers.
Clearly, they had come with a plan and a clear target in mind.
"Who are you? What do you want?" He demanded, taking a quick glace behind him to ensure that Nadia and Shelley were still safely out of reach.
There were only six intruders. He knew that he and Peter could probably take them alone, but he was quite sure that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the fight until he knew that the girls were safe.
He needed to stall. He needed to get them out of the way.
"I am Maria Coretti, and we are Il Cacciatori." The woman replied, looking towards him with disgust. "The Hunters. It is our ancient mission to rid the earth of upir filth like you."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Roman felt the sudden urge to roll his eyes. He had had quite enough of vigilante groups over the years. The Order of the Dragon had not been the only crackpot supernatural fighters to cross his path and, although he had not had to deal with any serious threats in nearly a decade, it seemed as if this would be a recurring theme in his life.
These sorts of people always came with abstracted ideas about upirs and werewolves, never once stopping to think about the other side, about the human desire and emotions they all shared.
Needless to say, his patience for such things was incredibly thin.
"I am giving you ten seconds to escape with your lives." Roman replied, giving Peter a subtle nod. The gypsy nodded back before crouching down beside him, his eyes suddenly glowing a dangerous yellow. "I highly recommend that you take me up on my very generous offer."
In truth, he did not think that any of them would take their chance for escape. In his experience, people who joined these groups were usually too far down their delusional paths to ever back away. They always went to their deaths, strong in their misguided convictions.
But it was worth a shot. He was not in the mood for bloodshed, and a fierce fight was the last thing that he wanted Nadia to see after the trauma of last night. Sure, he would rip all of their throats out if it came to it, but that was not the side he wanted to put on display right now.
Not after she had just come back.
As Peter let out a moan of pain at his side, signalling the start of his transformation, Roman put a hand behind his back, frantically gesturing Nadia and Shelley towards the safe room upstairs. It was too risky to turn around or shout out instructions to them, but he hoped that they would understand his silent plea.
"Leave? Ha!" Maria let out a cold laugh as her hand moved towards one of the stakes strapped to her belt. "I have tracked Olivia Godfrey for months. Slaying her is a sweet victory in itself, but the discovery of this upir hive is too good an opportunity to pass up. There is rumour back home that other Godfrey abominations existed, but I never expected to find you all in one place." Her eyes flickered towards Peter for a second and her sickening smile widened. "And such company you keep too. Disgusting creatures, all of you. Many will praise my name for this."
Roman felt his anger surge as she spoke. The ignorant bitch had no right to speak about him and his family in that way.
"This is not a hive." He spat, his stance even more aggressive than before. Peter let out another cry at his side, his skin now falling off to reveal the beast below. It was only a matter of time before the wolf was ready to fight. "We are a family that just wants live in peace, safe from psychos like you."
"Roman Godfrey—Upir." Maria began calmly, as if reciting something as mundane as a multiplication table. "Shelley Godfrey—a crime against nature. And Nadia Godfrey…" She paused, looking towards the girl who was now cowering behind her aunt, terrified by both the invasion and Peter's shocking cries. "Not a full upir yet, but it's only a matter of time before she turns. Trust me, child, you are better off dead by my hand than condemned to the life of a bloodthirsty, monst—"
Before he fully knew what was happening, Roman let out a roar of rage and lunged towards Maria, his eyes flashing and his fangs barred. The words she had directed at Nadia had been the last straw, and he was no longer able to hold himself back.
The bitch was asking for it. And he would deliver.
The room around him instantly exploded into chaos. Maria was fast, and apparently well trained, but while he missed making fatal contact with her neck she let out a scream of pain as he tore a sizable chunk of flesh out of her left arm.
The blood and skin slid down his throat, instantly energizing him. His appetite was awakened, and he sprang forward for more.
But this time, Maria was more prepared. As he tackled her to the floor, she drove her stake into his leg. Although he knew it was not a fatal blow and would quickly heal, he was taken aback long enough to be pulled away by two of the other intruders. The men flung him to the ground next to his immobile mother, grasping at their own weapons as they prepared for another attack.
Thankfully, before either could move towards him, a black blur tackled them both to the ground. It was Peter, now in his wolf form and ready for the ensuing fight. The nearest man let out a cry of pain as the wolf sank his teeth into his throat.
Roman felt some of the red liquid spray onto his face and his mouth turned into the smallest of smiles.
Now recovered, the upir lunged towards his second assailant, his fangs making contract with his neck. Roman barely noticed his cries of pain as he frantically consumed the swiftly flowing blood. His own heart was pounding rapidly in his chest—despite it all, he could not remember the last time he had felt so alive.
The fresh human blood made him feel as if his body was in hyper drive.
He felt strong.
Invincible.
Incredible.
Knowing that he did not have time to drink his fill, Roman released his unexpected meal and quickly snapped his neck before letting the lifeless body fall back to the ground.
As he looked up and wiped some of the blood from his face, he could see that Peter was taking on another of the intruders, while Shelley was fighting off two of her own in the corner of the room.
He was about to cry out for Nadia, who was not in his immediate line of vision, when another sound momentarily distracted him.
Beside him, Olivia let out a soft moan and, as he looked down, he could see her eyelids flickering. A strange combination of irritation and relief passed through him as he realized that Maria had not achieved the victory she had been gloating about. Perhaps the attack had wounded Olivia, but it would take more than a crazed vigilante and a piece of wood to take her out for good.
With a rough sigh, Roman pulled the stake from her abdomen to speed up the healing process and shoved one of the assailants dying bodies towards her.
He knew that this was no time for family vendettas— they could use all the help they could get. He would never really trust Olivia, but he knew that she would protect her granddaughter in a fight. He could not afford to be dismissive of that right now.
"Drink." He growled, before getting to his feet and doing another frantic survey of his surroundings.
He still didn't see Nadia and he instantly called out her name.
"Monstro."
He heard Maria shriek from behind him and he turned just in time to see her surge forward once again. Apparently, no one had managed to subdue the miserable bitch yet and, caught off guard, Roman toppled to the floor.
She was on top of him now, a maniacal hatred in her eyes.
"Morire, mostro." Maria hissed, her weapon poised dangerously over his undead heart.
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Nadia had stumbled into the dining room just as the fighting had begun to heat up.
Her body was numb with shock as she tried to steady herself against a chair—it took all of her energy not to crumble onto the floor.
Perhaps she should have known that her return home had been too good to be true. For a second, she had seen a glimpse of the dad she had always known and loved, and he had promised to keep her safe.
But she knew that his promises could only go so far.
The intruders had bust in, her grandmother was dead, and they had announced their intension to kill everyone else as well.
That woman had called her an abomination.
A monster.
Nadia had never seen anyone look at her with such intense hatred in their eyes. For a second, she had even wondered if the words were true. Sure, she hadn't done anything to anyone—until yesterday, her sixteen years had been relatively normal.
But now, she knew what was inside her. Somewhere, deep down, an upir lurked. She had even felt something stirring within when the people had bust in. A certain, unnerving, instinct.
For a second, she had wanted to see them bleed. She had wanted to tear them apart.
But the sight of her dad doing just that had broken her out of her trance. There had been blood. So much blood.
And Peter. She had held back a scream as she saw him become…something monstrous. It had all been so fast, so surreal. All she could remember clearly was the sight of his tattered and bloody skin falling to the ground as something emerged from beneath.
Nadia had never seen anything so horrific in her life.
She had been frozen in shock until Aunt Shelley had pushed her into the dining room. "Lock the door." She had whispered fanatically. "Try to get to the safe room upstairs."
Nadia had been too dumbfounded to protest, but now that she was alone in this room, listening to the sound of screams outside, she wasn't sure if she could obey her aunt's command.
Could she really cower in the distance as her family fought for their lives?
On the other hand, she wasn't sure how helpful she could be. She didn't have fangs, she wasn't seven feet tall, and she couldn't transform into anything dangerous. Nadia had never fought anyone in her life, and she understood why the others wanted to keep her safe.
Another scream echoed from the foyer and Nadia felt her eyes welling with tears.
The voice had sounded like her father's, and she hated that she didn't know what was happening. Hated that she didn't know if they were okay.
There had to be something she could do.
Growing desperate, Nadia looked around the dining room, her eyes resting on an item she had rarely given a second glance.
Above the mantle, her father had mounted a strange medieval-style double sided battle axe. It had been there for as long as she could remember, and she had always dismissed it as one of his many strange artistic acquisitions.
But now, she could not help but wonder if it could be more than just decorative.
Heart racing, she ran over to the mantle and reached up for the strange item. It was heavier than anticipated, but a cautious brush against the metal head told her that it was, in fact, sharp and ready. Still terrified, but attempting to psyche herself up, Nadia have it a few swings, attempting to familiarize herself with the item.
It was cumbersome, and much too long for her to use comfortably—but, before she had a chance to rethink her plan, a loud noise from the other side of the room caused her to jump back defensively.
Much to her surprise, a man who was dressed like the other intruders burst through the back door, weapon in hand. Apparently, the attackers in the hallway were not alone.
"I see the little upir has found herself a big weapon." The man sneered, clearly not intimated.
Although she felt as if she was about to vomit, Nadia did her best to look intimidating. "Don't come any closer." She shouted, waving the weapon in front of her.
Annoyingly, he simply scoffed before charging towards her, as determined as ever.
Surprised by his swift motions, Nadia let out a yelp and frantically swung the weapon. Her eyes were barely opened and she was too startled to really take aim but, miraculously, she managed to slice the front of his leg.
The cut was deep, and the man stumbled forward with a shout of pain, missing his target and toppling onto the floor.
"Stupid bitch." He cried, waving his arms towards her.
Nadia jumped back, surprised by her marginal success. He wasn't fatally wounded but he was, at least, incapacitated for the moment.
The scent of fresh blood filled the air as the wound continued to gush. She was struck, for a moment, by how sweet and alluring it smelled.
A loud thud from the kitchen quickly broke her out of her trance. She was willing to bet that more attackers were about to come through the back door and she knew that she needed to warn her family about the new surge. Thinking quickly, Nadia shoved a heavy cabinet against the back dining room door before picking up the axe again and running back towards the hallway.
She could still hear shouts and screams, and she had no idea what sort of scene awaited her.
As she rounded the corner, Nadia's heart began to pound even faster. She could see several lifeless bodies on the floor, but a quick survey of the room showed that they did not belong to her family. Shelley was engaged in hand to hand combat with a female assailant. A giant wolf (Peter?) had tackled another to the ground…
…and her father, his face bloodied and his fangs exposed, had just been pushed down by the ringleader herself.
She was hovering over him now, somehow managing to look more terrifying and deadly than a fully grown upir.
Nadia saw Maria draw her weapon as she shouted something in Italian. Her father, apparently surprised by her attack, looked up in shock.
The wold seemed to slow as Maria readied her weapon over Roman's heart.
Mortified and full of fury, Nadia cried out and took off across the room, the axe held firmly in her hand.
Her only thought was saving her father.
With a strength she did not know she possessed, Nadia swung the mighty weapon at the woman, lurching back as she made contact with Maria's abdomen. The large head of the axe struck hard, piercing the woman's flesh and spraying Nadia with a fresh wave of blood.
Maria fell back, away from Roman, her own weapon falling harmlessly to the floor.
Shocked by what she had done, and by the look of fear and contempt in Maria's eyes, Nadia maintained her grip on the double-sided axe. She was too stunned to let go and, as her target crumpled to the floor, the weapon was released from the flesh and the girl stumbled back.
For a second, Nadia smiled, looking over at her unharmed father as he scrambled to his feet.
"I did it, dad." She said softly.
For some reason, rather than returning her smile, her dad looked terrified and he rushed towards her, tears instantly filling his eyes.
She heard him shout "no" and Nadia finally looked down to see that the small end of the axe had embedded itself into her stomach.
When she had swung at Maria with one end, the other end had pierced her own flesh.
A white hot wave of pain suddenly flashed through her.
And the world went dark.
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A/N Please tell me what you think! More to come!
