A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
Only four chapters to go after this…
No one really said if they wanted me to reintroduce anything or whether there was anything else they wanted me to include in the final part so I've extended it until tomorrow (I haven't really had chance to finish the mind map today) so please let me know if there's something you want to see.
Chapter 26: Noise
Bertrand watched blankly as Olga attempted to circle him. Something at the back of his mind told him not to so this but he squashed it down. He swung out a hand and knocked her down easily, Olga looked up at him with fury in her eyes. She prepared to say something before remembering that this was all in aid of training her.
Olga looked towards the door and noticed her father hovering there. "Get a drink." She ordered Bertrand and he nodded, she needed him to have his hunger sated so they could train longer, she had a lot to learn and in such a short space of time.
"How is he coming along?" Ivan asked her, Olga had done something very few vampires had done in biting another vampire outside a mating ceremony.
Olga watched as Bertrand turned his back to them, "He's completely loyal to me, he'll do everything I tell him to."
"You haven't got long."
Her eyes turned the faintest shade of grey, "I know that."
"They'll be coming for him soon."
"He won't go back to them." Olga was sure of that; his bite wouldn't allow him to. "He's mine now."
"Have you found anything else out from him?"
"There's something he's not telling me, something he'd trying to keep locked away. He'll tell me soon enough." Olga grinned.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Ivan warned her, he didn't want this to go all pear shaped. He wanted this to work out for her sake. Vlad had killed his son, he wouldn't allow his daughter to be killed. She deserved the power she had, it was even sweeter revenge as she had taken it from Vlad.
"I know. Now I have training to do." She turned her head away from him, coldly dismissing her own father. Ivan gave out a sigh, Olga was letting the power get to her head somewhat.
Olga heard the soft whoosh that signalled her father had left the room. She turned her attention back to Bertrand.
She couldn't help but admire the bite mark she'd given him. That mark couldn't be undone now; a bite had never been undone. She'd enjoy watching Ingrid from a distance pine over Bertrand. She would have been tempted to take him as her consort if it didn't mean she'd have to give him equal power.
Olga reached up to caress the scar like she had done the previous night and like she'd seen her cousin do to his wife. Bertrand's reaction surprised her.
Bertrand jerked back as far away from her as possible. His hand flew to the mark, shuddering as he did so. Olga couldn't understand his reaction. He hadn't reacted that way before but their necks were a sensitive part of their physiology. Erin had never seemed to mind when Vlad had done it but there had been a bond, her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch, of love between them.
Bertrand's eyes still had no emotion in them even with his reaction to her touch, Olga didn't like that. He was too guarded for her to read. She'd always assumed that there would be adoration or something similar but that had been in creating a half fang, clearly turning a vampire's loyalty was different.
Olga didn't care for his reaction; she reached out and gripped his neck firmly. Bertrand didn't move, she knew he couldn't attack her. "You obey me now. You can't go against me."
Bertrand wanted to say something but he couldn't force the words out of his mouth, instead all that came out was, "Yes Olga."
Sickness boiled in his stomach, he wanted to retch from the disgust rising inside him but he couldn't do anything about it.
"Don't forget that Bertrand." She sneered at him, Bertrand nodded. Olga felt a small tugging at her lips, she enjoyed having a pet. She was tempted to kiss him, to see how he'd react. She didn't have any problem with his feelings being manufactured so long as it twisted the knife in Ingrid's stomach. "Shall we continue training?"
Bertrand nodded and took a stance opposite her, ready to talk her through the next steps in her training to defeat Vlad.
They had so much to fit into such a short time.
YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL
Everyone was asleep when it was first heard and felt. A metallic rolling sound, similar to a coin being dropped the floor, followed by a small bang then a vibration.
"Did you hear that?" Erin asked as she clicked open the coffin and shot up into a sitting position. Her head flew wildly from side to side as she tried to focus her hearing on something.
Vlad stifled a yawn, rubbing his hand across his face. "Hear what?"
The sound and vibration came again, "That."
"I don't hear anything." He muttered closing his eyes again. She was imagining it he was sure of it.
Erin shook her head, considering he had the most advance hearing he really worried her sometimes.
Erin poked Vlad hard in the ribs, he shot up and he gave her the darkest look but she shrugged it off.
"Maybe something fell down." He suggested, it was a lame excuse and she knew it. Erin glared at him, her arms folded. Vlad got the message, "Fine." He climbed out of the coffin, dark bags under his eyes. Erin felt guilty but if there was something or someone in the manor they needed to find them.
Vlad blearily looked around the room, trying to find his shirt running a hand through his hair to smooth it down. He found it on one of the chairs, he quickly slipped it on, turning around to find Erin completely dressed – in one of his shirts and her jeans – looking far more alert than he did.
Then he fully became alert as he heard it this time. Erin gave him a smug look.
"Okay something didn't fall down." He sighed looking defeated, he was just too tired to think straight at the time. "I'll get Jonno, you get Mina and Ingrid." He moved towards the door, "We need to find out what that is."
YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL
This had turned out to be a waste of time, she knew they'd all be grouchy for the rest of the day thanks to her waking them at the crack of dawn. Jonno would be the worst out of all of them. She thought she'd heard the sound again but nothing since. Vlad was right it probably was something falling down in one of the rooms.
Erin let out a growl as her shirt snagged on the table yanking her backwards and knocking one of the bowls of bits and bobs that was stored on the table onto the floor. She regretted wearing one of Vlad's shirts now, they were far too baggy for her but she hadn't had the energy to rummage through her own belongings. She let out a frustrated growl and bent down to pick up the items and put them back into the metal bowl. She groaned as she realised it was another dent that the bowl had now, she hated that bowl now she'd have to position it so the dent couldn't be seen.
Something caught her eye in that moment and she stood sharply an angry look across her face. She couldn't have seen what she thought she had.
Erin glanced, she couldn't see anything from here.
She moved to investigate and began to regret it almost immediately.
YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL
Vlad walked down the corridor slowly, he didn't feel the need to rush anywhere. He could spend hours walking around these never ending corridors and this felt like one of the times as the corridor stretched out before him.
He hadn't found anything around the manor, nothing out of the ordinary. He couldn't account for what they'd heard. He needed to check with his wife see if she'd had any luck.
The long drapes were still open, the light filtering through the UV protective film and shining on the floor giving the panelling and drapes a natural glow.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw something come out of one of the rooms, closing the door behind her carefully. She turned and he smiled as he saw her, Erin's shoulder length golden hair shimmered and glistened in the light.
He didn't see what happened as his attention was distracted by her hair but he heard the growl and watched as she crouched down and began tidying something up. Considering the table was usually covered with a bowl he assumed the bits and bobs had been knocked over again.
He could see the symbol of Erin's mating to him clearly; he smiled when he saw it. She was his. It was clear for all vampires to see and it could never be disputed.
He went to call out to her but halted as he saw her stand furiously and march through another door. He began to follow her, he tried to speed but he couldn't, so he did the next best thing he sprinted after her. It was a strange sensation but he couldn't summon the power to speed towards her.
Vlad rounded the corner to see a small, flat, oval disk, it seemed familiar somehow. He raided his brain trying to think of all the devices he'd seen. Then he realised what it was he'd seen the older version, the chunky can sized one.
That was the source of the sound and the vibration, they'd developed it so it could be reused – he'd have a few choice words with a certain slayer about this.
Then a wave of déjà vu overcame him, he shuddered uncontrollably. He'd seen this before, he'd been through all this before.
He reached her just as it touched her skin.
There was no denying this, he'd seen up to this point but he hadn't found out how it ended.
That was three years ago…
TBC
A/N: What do you think?
Is there anything you want me to add into the final part or reintroduce before my mind map is completed tomorrow (for definite)?
Thanks for reading.