~Bite of Blindness~ Minyadagniriel

Ch 13: Drain

Sorry for not updating as fast as usual, my Internet was shut off for a few days, damn bills…

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Following night…

Cele wandered throughout the mansion, not doing anything in particular. She just wanted to enjoy herself for once, alone. She walked along the hall, viewing the paintings and portraits that hung along the walls. Several were landscapes, beautiful scenes of the countryside. Why had she not noticed these before? It must have been the fact that she may not come out of the situation 'alive' tonight. So, like a little old lady, she admired the brushstrokes and careful details put into each lovely picture. The mansion could have been considered its own museum; so many artifacts and treasures lie within. She slowly passed by a suit of armor, glancing up at the helm. Oddly stylish for the time period, she chuckled as the empty suit stared back at her. If only the manor was enchanted, the armor could leap off its pedestal for a sparing match with her. What a crazy imagination she had tonight, knowing she was going to 'die' had a strange affect on her.

Soon enough, she came across a set of double doors and she pushed them open. It was a fairly empty bedroom, save for the queen sized off to the left and a table and chairs. There was very little else. She stepped inside, "I recognize this room, funny I never gave it much thought before now," she said to herself. It was her old room, the one Integra had given her over ten years ago. Then, she was still blind and helpless, always in need of someone's assistance. She walked over to the bed and touched the satin comforter. It was so soft and smooth; she'd forgotten how nice it was to sleep in a real bed. Her coffin served her well but maybe she could, just for a moment...

She crawled up onto the mattress and lay flat on her belly, letting her face flop on the pillows. "So nice." She rubbed her cheek against the cool fabric, "I should get a pillow for my box." Then she flipped herself over and stared up at the ceiling. A pale pasty white color greeted her eyes. She focused on one spot, where the stucco seemed to be making a swirling pattern. Her thoughts wandered from admiring the room to her friends and master. Walter…what an honorable man, if he was a bit younger, she could have gotten to like him romantically. He was so sweet and took very good care of the mansion's residents. Integra, she was stern and always carried a hardened expression, but she truly cared about her soldiers. The head mistress also took her in when she had no one else. Last, Alucard…oh how she could describe the vampire king. He was cold, conniving, calculating…but he had a sense of passion and justice. There were times when she wanted to throttle him for all the torment and pain she goes through, but she knew why he did it. He wanted her to be stronger; to be able to tolerate any form of punishment, whether it is from him or an enemy. Then, there were other times where she wanted to throw him down, tie up his arms and…well, it was just a thought after all.

Her eyes closed, the darkness behind her lids brought a sort of comfort as she thought of her master. She would always be his underling, nothing more. When he wanted her in his arms, she would say, "With or without clothes?" If he wanted her writhing in agony on the floor, she would provide the spear. She hated him so, but loved him just as much.

It was only two hours before Alucard would begin the ceremony, taking away the life that he'd given her, maybe permanently. She was frightened for once of the consequences. A solitary tear dripped down her cheek and she carelessly wiped it away. Only two hours…

Fifteen minutes went by and Cele didn't even realize her time was shortening. She was too busy, caught up in her thoughts about her master. He'll be the last person she sees before her 'death'. Why did Robyn have to do this to her? She must have died under a lot of anger to become a poltergeist. It was up to her master to send her best friend to the other side.

She must have spoken out loud or telepathically, because she was no longer alone in the room. Cele opened her eyes and above, floating overhead was her master, just staring at her.

"Did you need something master?"

"What are you doing up here?" he asked, no hints of anger in his voice.

Not knowing what to say she blurted out, "Nothing."

His expression did not change, "Nothing, just thinking?"

"Yes," she replied.

His body slowly lowered closer to her, "Why wander up to your old room?"

"I'm not sure, I stumbled on it after looking at some paintings and came inside…no particular reason. Do I have to have one?" She glanced up at him, curious to know what he was thinking.

"No, you don't. I just found it odd that you would come up here after all these years." His body softly landed on top of hers. "It's been a while since I've laid in a bed myself."

She adjusted her legs; tight leather pants were not very comfortable when you were pinned beneath someone, not to mention her red corset was slightly worse. The laces in the back were pulling the heavy fabric tighter. She arched her back into her master and reached behind to unbind them. But Alucard stopped her hand, "Let me," he said.

He then tucked his hand beneath her, reaching around to the laces and he pulled them loose. She dipped her back into the mattress once again, much more comfortable. "Master, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Do you love me?"

Alucard's eyes widened, never in his life has a woman asked him that. He always took what he wanted from women, no questions asked and they were usually willing to give it up. He never had attachments to anyone, well at least until he met Integra and that was strictly servant and master. His relationship with Cele was the same and he needed to make sure she knew this. "Girl…"

"Cele," she corrected.

Surprised by her demanding tone, "Cele, you know our relationship is nothing more than master and servant, same as my duty to Integra. We only have…"

Before her master could finish, she pushed him off her body and dragged herself to the side of the bed, sitting on the end. Frustration radiated from her. To be told you're nothing more than a servant…it really ripped her heart in half.

Alucard felt slightly guilty, but it was the truth. To lie to her would hurt her much worse, however, it tugged on his strings just to make it clear. He never allowed someone to get close to him. He scooted to the side of the bed to sit next to her, maybe even attempt to comfort her, but it seemed she didn't want it. Her corset was sliding down her back, but she did nothing to fix it. He touched the laces, wanting to retie them, but she shooed his hands away. "Leave it. It's time," she said, a mix of anger and sadness in her voice.

"Time?"

She sniffed and quickly wiped her eyes, "Yeah. Do it now, master." She put heavy emphasis on his title. "Kill me now." She then lay back down on the bed, her legs hanging off the edge.

Alucard closed his eyes and sighed. It was almost as if he didn't want to do it…he truly didn't because he wasn't sure if he would be able to bring her back.

"Do it!" she yelled at him and she turned her head to the side, her pale flesh exposed to him.

The no life king hesitated for a moment. He had to do this, to free her from the enraged spirit known as Robyn.

"NOW ALUCARD!" she shouted at him once more.

She was right, he needed to do this now and he quickly grasped her, one hand on her left shoulder and the other pushed her jaw back, stretching her neck as far as it would go. His open jaws flew to the front of he throat and he bit down harshly, a whimper left her lips. Her delicious blood flowed into his mouth and he swallowed with heavy greed, never stopping once. Cele's arms flew up to his shoulders and she held him tightly, ensuring that he wouldn't try to back away. His tongue lapped away at her life essence, keeping the blood circulating. Some spilled out onto the bed, but a lot more was to come if he drained her.

Her body was weakening; about sixty percent of her was drained. She had to grip onto his duster to keep her hold on him. The world around her was becoming fuzzy. Her master's face was blurring, but she could still hear his soft gulps and tiny moans as he drank. She could barely see his eyes as they were looking elsewhere. What was that running down his cheeks? Were they tears? Red streaks were draining down his face. His eyes! They were bleeding!

"Ma…ster…" she squeaked. Her voice was cracking, not able to form words properly. Her hands fell away from his coat and to the comforter.

Alucard looked up as he continued to feast upon her. Her eyes were darkening, the clouds of death neared to drop its sheet of rain upon his protégé. Her irises filled with blackness and it spread out to the whites of her once scarlet red eyes. Is this how a vampire looked when they died? Her lips turned the darkest shade of red and eventually a black sheen spread across them. He wanted to pull away, but that wouldn't help her at all.

Ten percent of her blood remained.

She was completely unconscious.

Two percent…

One percent…

Alucard then pulled away from her. She didn't look peaceful at all. Her eyes were wide open, blacker than the gates of hell with a matching pair of lips. She resembled a banshee or just a plain human, which had been frozen to death. It was terrible to look at and he wanted nothing more than to give her the blood that could revive her. He wrapped his arms around her and carefully lifted her to his chest; her head fell limply to his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said into her ear, "Forgive me." As he held her, the blackness of her eyes began to glow pale sea foam green. He lay her back down and watched as his pupil's lips parted; a ghastly white vapor poured from her mouth and rose into the air.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for and he got up from the bed. The vapors swirled around in the air, forming what looked like a partial human figure. The features slowly materialized; red flowing hair, green eyes, pale white skin, and a menacing expression. As expected, Robyn's spirit could not survive in a dead body and left Cele the moment she died. Alucard did not have much time to fight and he quickly taunted the spirit. "I'll put you into the depths of hell, you who desecrated the body of my protégé."

The poltergeist floated close to the vampire king, staring at him with those emerald orbs. He pulled Jackal from his duster, like hell this would work on a spirit, but he needed to show that he meant business. "Come for me you bitch!"

Robyn's face became all grotesque and twisted. She had become quite the monster since he last saw her alive and this new change of face, was the result of dying by the hand of a ghoul combined with hatred, likely hatred directed at the vampire king. The spirit then let out a terrifying scream and rushed forward, forcing her way into him. Alucard fell backwards to the floor, allowing the spirit entrance into his body. He then went unconscious as well.

The inner turmoil he felt was a mixture of feelings, some from Robyn at the time of her death, and the others from Cele. They were fighting within his subconscious. Robyn's spirit was toying with him, trying to overcome his physical body so she could be in control. It was difficult, no wonder Cele struggled so hard to regain her body.

Alucard was still holding Jackal in his hand. Perhaps, even in his subconscious, he would be able to fight as if he were in the real world. The poltergeist floated above him, her laughter ringing out. Her hair flew around her like snakes on the head of Medusa.

"If you really were Robyn, you'd never have put Cele through so much misery," he said. He pointed Jackal at her and fired, but the shot passed through her skull like it was nothing. "Damn."

The poltergeist lifted her hand and sent several waves of energy towards him, knocking him off his feet. The spiritual realm of his inner being was slowly becoming consumed. He pulled himself up.

Outside of his inner being, the body of Alucard was rising to its feet. His eyes were heavy with a wash of emerald. The power behind the color filled the bedroom with a bright green glow, like a jack-o-lantern being lit for Halloween. Robyn had him by the collar, controlling his every move and she took him back over to the bed where Cele was still laying. She used his right arm to materialize an oversized serrated edged blade. She was planning to take out Cele once and for all.

Alucard couldn't see what was happening outside his body. Cele could be in danger and she couldn't defend herself. Quickly he summoned upon the familiars within his collection. Arms and eyes materialized from his body and he sent them towards the cackling poltergeist, hoping he could catch hold of her. She should be a physical object while inhabiting his body. He managed to get to her, his arms spread around encasing her body, but she refused to be taken into his trap. Her soul dissipated from his grasp and reformed outside his familiars.

"You're a slippery one," he mused. How was he going to kill a ghost?

She brought up the jagged sword and positioned it, ready to bring it down on the unconscious vampiress.

Robyn's maniacal laughter filled his ears, "You're too late," she said in a cold, terrifying voice. "Cele will never wake up." She then allowed Alucard the pleasure of viewing his outer body and the enormous sword he was holding. It was about to come down on his pupil. Alucard's violent temper began to show and he quickly let loose the hounds of hell. The darkness surrounded him and Robyn, bringing them close together. She was smothered in the biting and tearing of his familiars. However, every chunk he tore from her would reform and she retaliated with misty clouds of spiritual energy. It burned his skin and ripped through his hounds. Something was amiss…she wasn't dying, these blows were like mosquito bites for her.

Alucard thought back to the day he was forced to kill her mortal body. He'd shot her with one of his guns and she died with an enormous amount of rage. He'd done it with Casull, perhaps if he shot her again with the same gun...

He ripped out the revolver and quickly pointed it at her…

The sword came crashing down onto Cele, piercing her heart, but no blood sprang forth.

Three shots rang out and struck their mark. Robyn's screams were loud and full of anguish. Alucard was correct, the only way to weaken a spirit was to injure it with the weapon or spell used to kill him or her during their life. Robyn's spirit body started to dissolve but it was a slow process. So he decided to send his hellhounds in to finish the job. She released a blood-curdling scream as the hounds shredded her to pieces and absorbed her into his body. She was gone…

Alucard found himself lying on top of Cele and he climbed to his hands and knees, slipping off the bed. She lay before him, still motionless and eyes blacker than black. Only now, she had an oversized chest wound which did not bleed. "Shit!" Robyn managed to injure her badly while she had his body under her control. He needed to do something and fast. He bit hard onto his left wrist, tearing away the skin and letting his blood leak out. It splattered onto the floor in a large puddle. He put his wrist to her parted lips and let the blood seep down her throat. Not once did she move or even try to bite down on him to get more.

After a few minutes of having to constantly reopen his wound to feed her, Alucard stopped. A touch of relief came to him when he noticed the chest wound slowly healed up. "That's a good sign." The blackness of her eyes disappeared and her mouth returned to normal. He tapped her on the cheek hoping for a response. She didn't give any signs of revival, so he decided to give her a bit of time to recuperate. He picked up her legs, which were still hanging over the side and swung them up onto the mattress. Her corset loosened even more and nearly fell off as he adjusted her, so he just removed it altogether and decided to cover her up in the sheets and blankets.

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He stood guard at the bedroom door all night. Integra and Walter had approached him several times, asking about Cele's condition. Integra was thoroughly pissed off that Alucard decided not to wait for her and Walter's assistance.

"She insisted that I go ahead with it. Besides, an exorcism wouldn't have worked. I found that out the hard way."

Integra sighed, "Whatever…just make sure she is up and running in two days. You both have had a long enough vacation." She stormed away.

Walter remained behind for a brief moment, "Is there anything I can bring for Miss Cele while she recovers?"

Alucard thought for a second, "Can you place fresh packets of blood in the basement. I'm going to move her downstairs shortly and try to feed her."

"Very well sir," Walter said and he took his leave.

About a half an hour later, Alucard went back into the bedroom to remove her. She would recover much faster if she were to sleep the day away in her coffin. He kept her wrapped up in a sheet as he carried her downstairs. Walter had already been in their room because new stashes of packets were placed on the table and Alucard was in need of them. He was drained after that 'unique' battle inside himself.

He put Cele inside of her box, leaving the lid off so he can watch her and he grabbed one of the ice-cold packets from the steel bucket. The cold drink was exactly what he needed and he felt invigorated. Three more bags later; he was very much 'alive'.

To be continued…

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Like I said, my apologies for making you wait for this installment. But the story is coming to an end soon so I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Happy reading!