Here is chapter 7. Thanks for your reviews! I do not own Seraph of the End, or it's characters. Just my OC. Enjoy.
Chapter 7: Intruder
Waking up was not a pleasant experience. The main reason being that Ferid had launched himself into my bed and landed across both Mika and myself. Being jolted awake simply was not pleasant. To make things worse, I had to hear his voice first thing upon entering the living world. My dreams had not been pleasant, and he was involved in quite a few of them. Despite seeing red, I tried my damndest to put a smile on my face. It probably looked more like a grimace. Mika didn't even bother with pleasantries, he was glaring at Ferid. If only looks could kill. Ferid put on a look of mock hurt at our less than enthusiastic responses.
"You two are so boring," he began, "I was just trying to have some fun!" he insisted innocently. Suddenly, he had us both around our necks and pulled us to him in a crushing hug. "I do love you both so much!" he continued. Pushing my rather large amount of anger down, I put on my acting face and jumped into playing this odd game once again. Reaching behind me until my hand met what I was searching for, I shifted myself so that I could place a quick kiss on his cheek. Mika looked at me like he was disgusted and I leaned back as far as I could before smashing the object in my hand into the side of Ferids head. Feathers from my pillow exploded and floated gently around the room. Dead silence followed. Ferid was looking at me in genuine curiosity. Mika wasted no time grabbing a pillow and attempted to follow in my footsteps.
"PILLOW FIGHT!" I bellowed and grabbed another, launching myself off of the bed. I heard Ferids laughter, and just as I had found my footing, a pillow slammed into the back of my head. It had been thrown with considerable force. I flew forward and face planted into the carpet. Bastard. Gathering myself quickly, this time with two pillows, I spun and launched them both in the direction the one had come from. To my shock, Ferid was absent from the bed, and one of the pillows smacked Mika square in the face and knocked him flat backwards. He remained unmoving for a few moments. I was starting to worry that I had knocked him out. Approaching him cautiously, I reached out to poke his side when he suddenly jumped up and hit me in the side of the head with a pillow. Growling, I snatched it from him. "You little sneak!" I snarled and smacked him clear off the bed with my next hit. He did not attempt to get up, but I remained there waiting. I was not about to fall for the same trick twice. Ferid was suddenly next to me laughing with a pillow raised in one hand. I flitted away to the living space and flipped one of the couches over, using it as a barricade and shield. Popping my head over, I squealed as a pillow was already flying in my direction. Ducking back behind the couch just in time, I turned to put my back to it to catch a breath and let out a scream instead. Ferid was crouched on his hands and knees and was so close his nose almost touched mine. He was looking at me with amusement all over his face, but I could see just a hint of cruelty flashing in his eyes.
"You put an awful lot of force behind those pillows," he murmured. I rolled my eyes. I knew for a fact he probably had barely felt the hit, I didn't do it that hard. Although it was a good way to blow off some steam, but I would never tell him that. "I think you owe me an apology," he said. His voice was dripping in his signature fake sweetness. I glared at him, causing a smirk. "You are such a feisty one, Serenity. I wonder if your taste reflects that?" he asked. My eyes widened as he leaned towards me. I could feel his breath on my neck. When I felt his tongue slide against my skin, I was done. Putting all of the force I could from the angle I was in, I shoved him in the chest and pushed him away from me. Surprisingly, I had moved him a good distance away from myself. He was leaning back on his hands watching me curiously, legs crossed in front of him. "I will taste you yet," he promised. My hand flew to my neck and I wiped his saliva off vigorously. Like hell. Before I could respond, Mika came out of nowhere, launched himself over the sofa, and threw pillows at both of our faces. I flailed my arms as the force of it sent me sprawling backwards. He had missed the little exchange between Ferid and myself. For that, I was grateful. Ferids voice rang out with laughter in it. "I think you win the pillow fight, Mika," he stated. "You both should get ready now. We need to head over to the castle soon. Crowley and his aides should be arriving in due time." With that, he jumped up and gave us his usual, charming smile and glided out of the room.
My anger was even greater than it had been first thing this morning. How dare he attempt to drink from me! I had never had another vampire drink from me, save Mikas little slip up the other night, and that was more like a sloppy sip than anything. Mika could sense something was wrong with me, but I put a genuine smile on for him and stood up to get ready. When I made it to a mirror, I was horrified at my appearance. The braid I had slept in had come loose and my hair was a nightmare. It was sticking up everywhere, and tangled in spots. Sighing, I got to work on it. Mika ended up having to help me brush it out since I was already irritated. Once it was smooth and manageable, I decided it would be best to just throw it up in a ponytail, leaving a few wispy strands hanging here and there. I would be more than likely fighting after all. More clothes had appeared in the bathroom for both Mika and myself. Mine consisted of some black ankle length yoga pants, a black and white sports bra, and a flowy black and white spandex tank top. Another pair of boots had shown up, to replace my ridiculously tall ones for today. They were like a girly version of combat boots, complete with silver studs in certain places. How cute, although this outfit left little to be desired. I blushed at the look of such form fitting clothes on my body. Even with a sports bra on, the amount of cleavage showing thanks to this low cut tank top was ridiculous. Who the hell had picked this out? Surely not Krul? Although, Ferids tastes were much different than this, so it had to have been her. What was she playing at? I frowned at the mirror. The humans had worn stuff like this all the time on the surface, before the end. I would have felt comfortable in this then. But this place was different. And after Ferids little episode earlier, I wasn't sure I was comfortable showing off this much skin around him. I wasn't sure if I needed to tell Krul or not. On one hand, if I was able to obtain some of Ferids blood, I wouldn't have to drink human blood for quite some time. The thought made my stomach turn. I'd rather have anyone elses. Fuck that. Mika had gone into the other room to change. He was in clothing similar to Ferids. The realization that he was in the clothing of the nobles seemed to irritate him, but he didn't voice it. A knock at my door caught our attention. I went to go open it to let Ferid in. I was sure he was here to collect us. What I did not expect was to see Lacus and Rene. Mika was eyeing them both wearily. Rene had the typical bored look on his face, nose upturned. Lacus however, had a polite smile on his face when he spoke.
"Hey Serenity! Lord Ferid had some business come up, so we came to escort you to the queen instead!" he informed me. He was glancing at Mika curiously, but said nothing. I felt immediate relief knowing the Ferid might not show up for this little rendezvous after all. I was still angry, but that was starting to recede slowly with the delivery of such good news.
"Awesome!" I declared loudly. Lacus seemed to think I was glad they were escorting me, because my declaration made him look even happier. I turned to Mika and held out my hand to him. He ran forward and placed his hand in mine and we shuffled past the two in my doorway and started making our way out of the manor to go to the castle. Lacus scrambled to catch up with us and Rene walked slowly behind us. I didn't need an escort, I knew where I was going. They were just along for the ride at this point. Lacus was in a chatty mood and I listened to him talk about all the things he does as a soldier. It was clear he had the typical livestock outlook on humans. It would also seem that he took pleasure in drinking them dry. At least it was a quick death, and he wasn't as cruel as Ferid. Politely, I made the proper responses and chattered back where appropriate, but my mind was elsewhere. My nerves were getting to me once again. I had successfully made a decent relationship with Krul. I didn't really care much for Ferid. Ok, I hated Ferid. Eventually I would get over what he did, but until them, I was going to hate him. I'm sure the more I was around Lacus and Rene, the better we would get along as well. And then there is Mika. I loved him like a sister would her baby brother. I was sad for him, but glad we had the chance to meet, and grateful he was a part of my life. Almost as if sensing my thoughts, I felt him squeeze my hand. His blue eyes met mine and I felt my heart constrict with a medley of emotions. His eyes widened slightly. He must be getting little whispers of all the emotions running through me, even though I was not trying to project them. Our mental bond was growing stronger. I smiled at him and put my finger to my lips in a hushing manner. I felt his need to encourage me and I started to calm down a little. Thank you Mika, I thought. A twitch at the corner of his mouth was my only response.
When we arrived at Kruls castle, we were led down one of the halls to the large dining room. Krul was seated at the head of the table. Ignoring all etiquette I bounded down the length of the table. She stood as I got close, and gave me a big hug. As we held onto one another she leaned in and whispered softly in my ear.
"I will take care of new living arrangements for you today. It will be even easier with Lord Ferids absence. He won't be here to argue." As we separated, I gave her a grateful look. I wondered if I would be staying here in the castle with her. She had turned to Mika and was hugging him gently. She bent down and whispered to him as well. I caught tail end of her conversation with him. She would be supplying him with her blood for as long as he needed it. He was to drink what was served to him by the waiters as to not raise suspicion. She invited Lacus and Rene to stay for the arrival of Lord Crowley and his two aides. They politely obliged. Krul sat back down at the head of the table and Mika and I each took a seat beside her. Lacus and Rene both sat to the right of Mika. We were all served large glasses of blood. I was getting tired of drinking so much when I had no need to. I sipped mine very slowly. Krul and I were chatting about random things when she made a comment about my attire.
"You certainly fill out those clothes nicely," she teased smugly. I glowered at her.
"I knew it was you that put me in this!" I hissed. I could feel the heat on my cheeks. "What are you trying to do to me Krul?!" She was tickled that I was a blushing mess.
"Oh, don't be such a prude! You'll thank me later," she muttered and winked. I looked at her in confusion. What in the hell was she going on about?
"I am not a prude!" I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, which only squeezed my breasts together more. This seemed to gain the attention of Lacus who blushed slightly and looked away quickly when I caught him gawking at me. "Eyes up here, soldier boy!" I snapped and pointed to my own eyes with two fingers. Krul was doubled over in laughter at my embarrassment. A servant soon entered the room and announced the arrival of the three vampires. My cheeks were still flushed when the three vampires walked in the room. The first two to enter the room were females; the seventeenth progenitors. I began to feel even more self-conscious as both were beautiful and extremely well endowed. The one introduced as Chess Belle was about my height, with short iris colored hair that framed her face in thick waves. She was wearing a cute white and black off the shoulder low cut dress. I could feel playfulness and hyperactivity rolling off of her in waves. Her eyes were bright and childlike; she seemed very cheerful. The next vampire to enter the room was called Horn Skuld. She had blonde hair that fell in two twin spirals over her shoulders. Her hair was not near as pale as Mikas, and had more of a yellow gold hue to it. She had lusty bedroom looking eyes. Her dress was mostly white, and slit all the way up on one side to her hip and had long flowy sleeves. She wore thigh high socks with lace at the top and heels. She oozed calmness and old fashioned properness. Chess and Horn had matching headbands. They were exact opposites of one another it would seem. When Lord Crowley walked in, I had to keep my mouth from popping open in shock. He was nothing like I was expecting. Instead of the lean and delicate beauty of all the other vampires I had met so far, this man was rugged. Rugged and LARGE. He was well over six feet tall and built like a brick shit house. How the hell was I supposed to fight with that?! While he did not possess the delicate beauty that some such as Ferid, Lacus, and Mika possessed, he was roguishly handsome. He was well dressed, like that of an army general. His clothing was mostly white, with one black sleeve, black trim and black boots. He also wore a purple cape. Crowleys bangs were maroon, and the rest of his long hair dark brown. It hung over his shoulder in a neat braid. He had a pleasant smile on his face. He seemed friendly enough. Krul stood as they made their way over. All three filed in next to me; Crowley beside me, Chess next, and Horn last. I wanted to shrink into my chair and disappear. Crowley took up a large amount of space and I felt like an ant next to him. I glanced up at him to see he was observing me with an almost childlike curiosity, still smiling pleasantly. One of his fangs was poking out on his bottom lip just slightly. How odd.
Krul was watching the exchange with a smile on her face. She grabbed everyones attention when she started to introduce me. "It's nice to see you all again Crowley, Chess, Horn," she said nodding at each one as she spoke their names. "The reason I requested your presence here today is because you are all decently skilled fighters. Especially you, Lord Crowley." Krul motioned in my direction. All eyes were on me now. "This is Serenity. She has become a very dear friend of mine. She hails from the west, and has never been with other vampires until just recently. I was hoping to be able to test her power level with your help. I am fairly certain she has had to hold her own against Ferid, in order to be with us today." My eyes widened slightly. Nothing escaped Krul. I know Ferid intentionally left out our scuffle. I glanced over at the three newcomers nervously. They were all three observing me curiously. Crowley was the next one to speak.
"She sure is a cute little thing," he said to Krul. Horn nodded in agreement and Chess put on a slightly pouty face. I felt my face flush once again. Cute?! Are you serious right now?! I heard a soft snicker. Sounded like it came from Mika, but he refused to make eye contact with me so instead, I raised an eyebrow at Crowley who was looking down at me again. His eyes met mine and he cocked his head to the side. He reached forward and cupped my chin in his large hand, fingers squeezing into my cheeks gently as he brought his face closer to mine. His eyes were like garnets. Both dark crimson reds and bright maroon reds laced his irises. He was equally intrigued by my purple ones. His thumb traced my lips until it snagged a fang, much like Ferid had done when we first met.
"Find what you were looking for?" I muttered under my breath. He smirked at my smartness, but looked pleased rather than irritated by it. Curiosity fulfilled, he released my face and I looked away fast. By now, you would think I would be used to the touchy feely crap. I wasn't. And I could still feel his eyes on me.
"We'd love to help you Krul," he said. "Should be interesting to see how strong a foreign vampire is," he added. "If she's up to it, of course." Crowleys voice was very interesting to me. It was smooth. He spoke almost slowly, for lack of a better word, and he was articulate. I was happy to note that it was not laced with fake emotion, but seemed genuine, and almost playful. He was waiting for a response. I met his eyes with determination.
"Absolutely," I stated. Krul clapped her hands together.
"Good, let's go to the gymnasium and see what you can do Serenity!" She jumped up and we all clambered out of our seats to follow. Well, I clambered. Everyone else proceeded gracefully, even Mika. As we entered the absurdly large room, I found myself wondering once again why vampires needed such living amenities. When we were all settled, Krul turned to Crowley and spoke. "I'll let you handle it from here. Do as you see fit," she said sweetly. She turned to me and winked when no one was looking. Crowley motioned for Chess and Horn to follow him and they crossed the room. I stayed where I was and waited for orders. When all three turned back in my direction, Crowley began to explain what he wanted.
"We will start by putting you up against these two," he motioned to the girls standing in front of him. "They will both attack you at the same time, as they do best as a team," he informed me. I frowned. He wasn't going to make it easy for me to hide anything. The next best thing I could do was simply use my speed to my advantage and take them down quickly, if I was even able. If I understood the progenitor rating that Krul had explained to me some time ago, they were nowhere near as strong as Ferid. I did not want to appear weak, in fear that I might lose my usefulness around here. I nodded my agreement at him. "Do you have any skill with weapons?" he asked suddenly. I bit my lip.
"Not really, no," I admitted. "I'm great at throwing daggers. That's about it," I finished. He nodded, face still keeping a pleasant smile. It really suited him, and seemed so genuine.
"Then we will stick to hand to hand combat," he responded. "Begin," he said to the girls. Chess immediately came at me, with a kick to the head. I ducked to dodge it and found Horn waiting on me with an attempt to plant her fist in my stomach. I quickly threw myself backwards to dodge her. They weren't significantly fast, so when Chess thought she was being smart by trying to catch me off-guard from behind, I flitted out of the way and her punch went through my after image. Her eyes widened in shock as her balance left her while I appeared behind her. With a well-aimed hit to her neck, she crumpled to the ground. Horn took advantage of my distraction with my victory to attempt a hard kick to my torso. I knew I wouldn't be able to doge so I planted my feet firmly and took the hit to my ribs, biting my lip to keep from yelping, and latched onto her leg as hard as I could. Spinning with as much force as I could muster, I did a 360 and released her. She went flying, but was able to correct herself and land on her feet. Despite my throbbing ribs, I didn't give her any longer to recover before I was on her. She was taller than me, and had a longer reach, but I was much faster. We traded blows for a while, preformed some acrobatics to distance ourselves from one another, and then came at each other all over again. She was a little stronger than Chess, but I was trying to give a little show. I didn't want to finish too quickly. Chess had gone down a lot easier than I thought she would. Horn managed to clip my cheek with her knuckles and I growled in irritation and managed to hit her right under the chin with an uppercut. I heard her teeth smack together and I grimaced. She had split her lip when her teeth came together and blood was pouring out of her mouth. Oops.
"Sorry!" I said shrilly. I paused temporarily and she looked at me with shock and then nodded. We went at each other once more and I started dodging her blows, but not hitting back. I felt a little bad for retaliating in the manner that I had..
Crowley and Krul were sitting side by side talking quietly to one another while they watched our violent dance. I didn't do well when I felt like I was being observed like a tool, so I decided to finish this fight. As Horn came straight at me with another kick, I dodged this time and jumped up to be above her, using enough speed that she too was dealing with an after image. To ensure that she would go down, I landed a kick to the back of her neck and landed next to her after she joined Chess on the ground. I was holding onto my side and breathing a little heavy. I did not heal quite as fast as normal vampires and my ribs were throbbing painfully. My eyes widened and I was barely able to raise my arms in time to defend myself against the next attack, which was a roundhouse kick from Crowley. I could not contain my yelp this time, as the force of the kick sent me flying fast across the room. I felt the ulna bones in both of my forearms fracture, and I hit the wall and crumpled to the ground. There was a small crater in the wall where I hit it. He did not hold back and flew at me with speed as great as my own. It was everything I had in me to get up and move as his fist the wall with such force that it was destroyed. I gritted my teeth in pain and kept dodging him while my arms slowly healed a little. My only saving grace was that his large size slowed him down just enough for me to get by. I was getting pissed at this point. I decided to use just a bit of my power so that I might actually accomplish something when I hit him. As he continued his punches and kicks, all the while a pleasant smile on his face, I waited until he got cocky. As he pulled back to deliver a heavier blow, instead of dodging his blow by moving away from him, I moved into him. Placing a slight barrier around myself, I crouched between his slightly bent legs, and with all the energy I could muster, launched myself off the ground and with the force of my whole body behind me, I head butted him in the chin. It was jarring. I saw stars and my teeth grinded together uncomfortably. What's worse is that he only moved back a few feet and paused to look at me while he rubbed his chin. His smile was gone, so it must have hurt.
"Ouch, that wasn't very nice," he murmured. He prepared to attack again as he spoke. "Hasn't anyone ever told you, nobody wins with a head butt," he grunted and I was barely able to dodge this time as the force behind this punch grazed my cheek and blood spurted out of the cut that formed. Still not fully recovered from my stupid attack that did nothing, I had moved closer again, rather than trying to get away from him and lost my balance. My face smacked into his chest and I bounced off of him and fell on my ass. He came at me to deliver another blow but as he got close, his eyes suddenly widened slightly and he disappeared from my sight. Looking around in confusion, I saw that he was on the other side of the room, looking at me with that same childlike curiosity. His eyes slid over my body, and then he glanced down at his shirt and my eyes followed. I had gotten my blood on it when I bumped into him. I could feel the gash in my cheek slowly closing up. I felt like crying. My body hurt like hell. I was starting to think I had fractured my skull in the process of trying to get a hit in on him. The fact that he had me cornered hurt my pride just a little. The difference in power between a thirteenth and seventeenth progenitor was a lot more than I thought it would be. A thoughtful look crossed his face and his pleasant smile was back. "I think that's enough for today, you did fairly well," he said cheerily. I looked over at Krul to see that she was pleased with my performance. She sent a dazzling smile in my direction.
"You're no weakling," she said. She turned to look at Crowley, who was rubbing his jaw again. "It looks like she managed to dislocate it," she smirked at him. He was attempting to get it set so it would heal right. I smiled when I realized I had indeed managed to do something after all. He nodded and laughed.
"It didn't tickle, that's for sure," he complained. Movement in my peripheral vision caused me to turn my head. Chess and Horn were both conscious again. Crowley was suddenly in front of me again, and I flinched unintentionally. My adrenaline was still pumping. When I looked up at him, he was looking unsure of himself, but held his hand out to me. I stared at it for a moment before reaching up and taking it. His large hand practically swallowed my petite one. He pulled me up off the ground and turned to Krul. "Let me train her," he stated. His tone was almost demanding. I gawked up at him. He was kidding, right? I looked over at Krul and I saw a sassy smile appear on her face.
"But Crowley, I am pretty attached to her. I love her company," she said. "If I let you train her, I won't get to see her very often," she stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "You just want her all to yourself," she whined. A smirk appeared on his face. Was I missing something here? He looked down at me and I felt heat rise to my cheeks at the look in his eyes. He looked almost… hungry? What. The. Fuck. The look was gone in an instant. I must have been imaging things, surely. I'm not a human, they didn't want my blood. I decided to put my eyes elsewhere and they ended up on Mika. He looked kind of sad and I frowned. "Serenity, I think it would be a good thing for you to have some training and learn how to fight even better," Kruls voice rang out. I tried to give her a look of desperation. I tried to tell her with my eyes that Crowley would kill me and that I didn't want to train. She ignored me, or she didn't care. One of the two. Crowley looked pleased with her decision.
"You'll have fun," he said kindly. "Chess and Horn could would love to have another girl around," he said and then bent down and whispered in my ear, "and to be honest, I think I would too." At this point, I probably looked like a tomato. What a womanizing PIG! I glared at him and he laughed quietly. Oh, screw him. I glanced over at the large chested girls and wondered if he treated them like that, or if he was just trying to get me flustered. One thing I have learned is that vampires like to fuck with each other. It was entertainment to them.
I huffed at him. "Fine," I snapped. He gave me a sweet smile. For as large as this man was, he sure acted like a gentle giant. Unless you were fighting him. Then he tried to pulverize you. Krul approached us and hugged me.
"We can leave in the morning," Crowley murmured. "If that's suitable for you, Krul," he added politely.
"That's fine. How long do you think she will need training?" She asked.
"It's hard to say," he shrugged. "Six months to a year, easily. She has no skills in weaponry and I think it would be beneficial for her to master at least a few kinds. She can come back here can come visit any time she wishes," he said. Krul nodded in agreement.
"I expect you to treat her as if she carries the same rank as yourself Crowley. The same goes for your aides," she informed him. Her statement made me feel a little better. He nodded in agreement. Motioning for Chess and Horn, he turned to me and smiled.
"This is exciting. We will see you first thing tomorrow." Turning back to Krul he kept speaking. "We are going to retire for the night." She waved him off and turned to me.
"Lacus and Rene will escort you back to Ferids. Pack your things, you will be staying with Crowley for quite some time," she said with a smirk on her face. I pouted. These were the living arrangements she had planned for me. Crowley played right into her hand. Sighing, I nodded and walked over to Mika to big him goodbye. He looked like he might cry. I will come visit often, promise. I scooped him up in a big hug and held him for a few minutes, memorizing his scent. I would miss him most of all. Deciding I should leave before I starting crying like a baby, I set him down and walked over to Rene and Lacus. Lacus was giving me a leery look.
"What?" I asked. "Is there something on my face?" I started feeling my face. Everything was all healed up. Rene was the one to gain my attention next.
"He's scared of you," he said in a monotone voice. Lacus glared at him.
"I am not!" he snapped. He looked at me apologetically. "I just didn't think you were that strong. You pretty well kept up with Crowley so if the queen were to decide to give you rank, it would be somewhere close to his, if not the same.
"Oh," was all I managed to respond with. I hadn't even thought about gaining rank around here. I wasn't sure I wanted it. My thoughts wondered on that topic as we walked slowly back to Ferids mansion.
"On top of that, you're untrained. I imagine you would end up being capable of a much higher rank, if given the same amount of experience and training that Crowley possesses," Lacus added. "How old are you, anyways?" I responded with a look of mock insult.
"Lacus, you never ask a woman her age. Or weight," I said sounding appalled. His eyes widened and he stuttered an apology. I can' believe he took me seriously. I giggled softly, and which ended up turning into a loud peal of laughter. When I was finished, Rene was looking at me like I was insane and Lacus looked sheepish, but gave me a grin. I shook my head at them and we continued in silence. When we reached the mansion, we said our goodbyes. As I travelled through the halls and up the stairs, Ferid was nowhere to be seen. I decided to just go into my room and start packing. It's not like I had a lot. I had obtained two or three outfits while I was here, so that would all fit into a sack. I grabbed my two daggers that I had deposited on a desk the day I arrived here, and threw them on top of the clothes. My mind was completely blank and at peace as I hummed to myself and bumbled about my room. Unfortunately, that peace was not meant to last. Very suddenly, my alarm bells were ringing and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Arms like steel wrapped around my waist, pinning my arms at my sides. I recognized Ferids chuckle and frowned. He pulled me against him and my back was pressed flush against his torso. Deciding to try and be nice, I let out a chuckle of my own.
"You scared me, Ferid." I said and went to turn around to face him. He wouldn't let me. I started to wiggle. He still wouldn't relent. At this point, I was getting irritated and a feeling of desperation that I didn't understand at the time, hit me. "It's not funny anymore Ferid, let go!" I demanded in a snarl. I was awarded with a cruel laugh.
Oh Serenity, dear, calm down," he said in his signature voice. He leaned his face close to me and ran his nose down my cheek. I shivered, but not in a good way. "Remember what I told you earlier today?" he asked pleasantly. As I thought back through the events of my day, I suddenly remembered that crap he had pulled during the pillow fight. My eyes went wide and I began to struggle even more. What the hell was up with his grip? I couldn't get loose!
"Ferid, please don't," I begged. Mika was the only one to have done this, and I hadn't meant for him to, nor had he really wanted to. It had simply been a response to his painful thirst. Sharing blood between vampires was often a very intimate thing, and I was far from willing, especially not with him. He laughed at me again. I felt desperation rise in me like I had never felt before in my life. I tried to let out a scream, but he caught on and clamped his hand over my mouth to silence me. I felt his tongue slide against my throat once again. Despite being muffled I still screamed into his hand. I screamed and pleaded and begged. His hand was squeezing my face uncomfortably. I felt him slide his teeth along my neck. He stopped at the juncture between it and my shoulder. I clenched my teeth together and attempted to get loose once more. It did not good. I cried out when his teeth sank into me, and tears began to fall silently down my face. The intrusion was nothing like I had ever felt before. From the area of his entrance, a cold began to spread through my body. It was so cold that it burned. I felt so violated. A sob escaped my lips when he removed his hand from my mouth, and trailed it down the front of my body, cupping my breast in it and fondling it. I felt my strength slowly ebb away as he drank his fill. My body went limp in his arms. He drank until spots begin appearing in my vision. Just when I thought he was going to drink me to unconsciousness, he removed his fangs from my neck and licked it sickeningly slow while chuckling.
"How interesting. Your blood is the most unique thing I think I have ever tasted. Far better than any human I have acquired so far. He released me and I crumpled to the floor, tears still streaming down my face. "It's a shame you will be staying with Crowley. However will I take blood from you when you are so far away?" he sighed in mock disappointment. "On top of that, who will be here to keep dear Mika safe and sound?" I closed my eyes as his voice grated on my ears. I understood his offhanded threat. Tell no one, or he would harm Mika. I hated this man. More than anything in this world. I've never felt this way towards any other creature before, and I hated the way it made me feel. I steeled myself, and stood up shakily. Ferid was still talking, but I tuned him out. I walked over to my bed, and snatched my bag up. He was so busy blowing up his ego and listening to himself speak, that he didn't notice what I was doing until after I threw open the balcony doors and jumped over the ledge. As soon as I hit the ground, I flitted off into the city, vision blurry with unshed tears. Ferid did not follow.
I was about halfway through Sanguinem, when I turned a corner and smacked into something large. I closed my eyes and didn't even try to prevent hitting the ground. I ended up there quite often, and at the moment, I could care less and would probably wind up staying there. I felt so numb. When the impact never came, I opened my eyes to see who had caught me and was currently steadying me. Garnet eyes sparkled at me in the artificial moonlight. Crowley. A laugh rumbled deeply from his chest and reverberated through me. When I didn't so much as smile at him, he frowned.
"Are you alright little one?" he asked in concern. Normally, his nickname for me would have sorely pissed me off, but I was too absorbed in controlling my emotions so that he would not see my tears. I nodded curtly and went to stop around him. He reached his arm out, wrapped it around my stomach lightly and prevented my movement. I met his eyes tiredly. Whatever he saw in my amethyst depths caused him to remove his arm like I'd burnt him. I immediately flitted away. I felt his eyes on me until I was no longer in his line of sight. The city was silent tonight. There were no children out past the curfew and the guards were scarce. In no time at all, Kruls extravagant abode appeared before me. Luckily for me, she was sitting on her throne dozing off. Arukanu squawked and flew towards me, startling her awake. She looked almost irritated and I smiled sheepishly. When she realized it was just me, her irritation vanished. Arukanu landed on top of my head and started trying to burrow around in my hair. I snatched him out before he could tangle it too much and pet him gently. He quickly grew tired of that and nipped my hand. I released him and he flew back to Krul. Ornery little beast.
"What brings you here Serenity? Is everything alright?" She asked curiously. I nodded at her, and cleared my throat before I spoke.
"Yes," I thought quickly for an explanation, "I was just so eager to get started on my training that I thought if I stayed here through the night, Crowley, the girls, and I could leave sooner in the morning," I lied. It was taking some effort to keep control over my voice. She was watching me intently, but if she noticed anything, she didn't say. "Plus, I would get to be around you and Mika just a little longer before I leave," I added. A happy smile appeared on her face. She got up and motioned for me to follow her and we ended up in her hot springs again. It was a blessing on my tense muscles. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail and it fell into the water around me. I dipped my head back into the water and massaged my scalp, letting the natural perfume from the falling flowers infuse their scent into my hair. They currently smelled like honeysuckle. I felt my body start to relax and closed my eyes. Krul let out a sigh also.
"So," she said dragging out the o, "what do you think of the thirteenth progenitor?" she asked innocently. I cracked open an eye and looked over at her.
"He is very strong," I answered shortly. She pouted.
"And?" she said. This time she carried out the a. I sat up and huffed.
"And what?" I asked irritably. She laughed at me.
"Surely you have more to comment on than just his strength," she harped. I rolled my eyes at her. Yeah, he was some good eye candy, but I would never admit that out loud. Plus he already had two girls to occupy himself with. Deciding to change the subject from Crowley, she redirected the conversation. "Ok, what do you think about Chess and Horn?" I thought for a few moments and smiled.
"I think they are both very kind. They are polar opposites of one another, so it will be fun getting to know them," I responded. She seemed pleased with my answer. I continued. "They obviously both adore Crowley, so he must be pretty likable." At this point I was thinking out loud. In all fairness, Crowley reminded me a little of my father, who had always been rather laid back and calm, as well as playful and mischievous. I missed him so much some days, especially when I was in mental anguish as I was currently. I all but stopped talking and my thoughts turned dark once more. Krul must have sensed something off because her hand on my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts. She was looking at me with her head cocked to the side, and concern on her face.
"Are you nervous about going above ground to Nagoya?" she asked softly. I shook my head no, and quickly reassured her.
"No, not really. It's just something different. Plus, I'm sure I will get to meet even more vampires," I said. She nodded.
"Yes, many other progenitors and nobles live there. Though, not all are from our faction. Crowley is actually part of Ferids faction." My stomach turned at the mention of that bastard. "Lucal Wesker is a resident there. He is a fifteenth progenitor a member of third progenitor Lest Karr's faction His servants name is Esther Lee. Zane Lindau is a seventeenth progenitor like Chess and Horn, and Mel Stefano is a nineteenth progenitor." I nodded in response to all of the information she was giving me. "Since Crowley is the highest ranking one there, you will be well kept. No one should bother you," she informed me.
"Well, that's nice to know," I responded.
"I think you will fit right in with Crowley and the others," she assured me. I smiled at her. Once we were done in the hot springs, she let me know what room to find Mika in. I shot off towards the guest rooms like a bullet. As I barged into Mikas room, I was a little shocked to find him in a deep peaceful sleep. Deciding not to wake him, I carefully climbed in the bed next to him and lay facing him. His lips were parted slightly as he breathed evenly. This poor little creature. I loved him something fierce. As I lay there watching him sleep, my emotions began to swirl and torment me. Despite that hot springs, I still felt cold from Ferids intrusion. My neck still hurt, even with the evidence of what happened being long since healed. But most of all, my heart hurt. The fact that someone would take something from me without my permission, and it being something so personal, well, it really tore me up inside. I finally felt the tears come. I bit my lip to muffle my sobs so Mika would not wake up. I did not cry myself to sleep. No, I wasn't going to get that lucky. I laid awake, tears pouring down my face until the pale color of the artificial sunlight began to just barely peak through the windows. It was then that my tears slowed and finally dried up. The realization that I was getting far away from Ferid very soon made me feel better.
Crowley stared after Serenity as she took off through the city. He was trying to be playful when he kept her from leaving right away, but when she had looked up at him, he knew to let her go. For only a split second, he had seen a deep and profound pain flash across them. Naturally, he was curious to find out what it was, but knew better than to pry. As he continued on his path, he found himself pondering over their brawl earlier that evening. She had done very well against the Chess and Horn. She thought she was doing a good job putting on a show, but he had seen through it. She was able to beat the girls with ease. If she had been trained prior to this day, he knew he would have been in for a world of hurt. A feeling of excitement went through his body at the thought of having a worthy sparring opponent. Having the opportunity to train and mold someone into a very powerful ally gave him reason to get excited. Since he secretly was strong enough to be a seventh progenitor, she was also very powerful in her own rights. Ferid still had him beat, but barely. Speaking of Ferid, he had finally arrived at his destination. Ferids mansion loomed in front of him and when he went to knock on the door, it was pulled open before he could rap his knuckles on it. Ferid looked up at him with a smirk.
"You requested to see me Ferid?" Crowley asked politely. Ferid nodded and let him in.
"Yes, thanks for being so punctual. You came shortly after I sent out the request," Ferid said and led him to the den. Ferid walked over to the fireplace and stood facing it, watching the flames jump around. Crowley sat down in one of the chairs, propped his legs up on the coffee table in front of him, and crossed one ankle of the other. He laced his fingers together and placed them behind his head, leaning back to sink into the chair. "I have orders for you," Ferid continued.
"Ok, let's hear em," Crowley said cheerfully.
"I want you to study Serenity very closely, since she will be under you care from now on," Ferid stated. Crowley could hear the irritation in his voice. This peaked his curiosity. Ferid rarely got annoyed. "There is something different about her, although I am not sure yet what it is. I want you to find out. I don't believe she is a regular vampire."
"What makes you think that she isn't normal?" he asked. "Is it something easily noticeable?" Ferid didn't respond right away. When he did, Crowley did not like the tone that came with his words.
"It's a hunch I have, but a pretty solid one. She has a very unique flavor," he said. Crowley bristled. Come to think of it, her scent had affected him adversely when they fought. Her scent intensified when she had gotten cut on the cheek, and his urge to drink had flared up stronger than he had felt in some time. Her blood had awoken feelings in him that he had not felt in hundreds of years. Normally, only human blood was thirsted after. But did that mean Ferid had drank from her? "Find out everything you can about her. I want to know all her little secrets." It was a good thing that Ferid was not facing him, because he was scowling at him. Something inside of him wanted to refuse his orders, but he knew better than to voice it. So instead, he stood up abruptly and turned to leave.
"Is that all?" Crowley said, maintaining his usual cheerful tone.
"Make sure she becomes loyal to you Crowley. If she is loyal to you, then that means she is loyal to me," he added. Crowley decided he would be more than happy to accept that part of his orders. The more powerful the followers he had, the better.
"As you wish," he responded, and left the mansion hastily. He would do as Ferid wished, but only the parts the benefited himself as well. She was definitely unique, but he could tell that by just looking at her. He had never seen another vampire with the color of her hair, nor that did not have crimson colored eyes unless they were incomplete. He had his own curiosity to fill. Ferid could wait for a while.
Well, there ya go. I'm gonna leave that there. Glad to finally have Crowley in the mix. Gosh, I just love him. He's so much fun! By the way, any of you guys playing pokemon go? I'm addicted, just saying lol It's a lot of fun. As always, please favorite, follow, review or whatever. Your thoughts are appreciated! The story has about 400 views, so I am going to assume more people like it, but I don't know unless you tell me! Until next time.