A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Thank you for the kind offers to continue this for me, I am touched. However I'd feel more comfortable if I continued this myself, as I know exactly where I'm going with this and knowing me I'll probably change/add a few twists here and there as I go along.

Chapter 33: Diluted

He knew what was coming. His blood turned cold with the realisation of what was happening, he now knew how Erin had felt before.

The angle was uncomfortable but he'd bear it. He wasn't afraid of being bitten, he knew what it felt like he was afraid of being drained. He'd never had to fear that before but now he did as he waited to become a gene fang.

Vlad waited his eyes closing automatically. He felt the points of her fangs against his flesh, but then they lingered they didn't pierce – or rather it didn't pierce his skin.

Only one of her two fangs was touching his neck.

He cracked open his eyes, looking downwards out of the corner of them to look at her. He was confused at her lack of reaction. Her head was still as if she had decided to do nothing.

He felt her pull back away from him her eyes meeting his. Her eyes told him that she was thinking about something but there wasn't a struggle in them.

He breathed a sigh of relief a split second before she yanked his head down further.

Clearly she hadn't been able to reach before, that's why he'd only felt one fang not two.

He felt as if his muscles were being torn and his head was about to be ripped from his shoulders. He let out a sharp cry and to his surprise she darted backwards letting go of his head completely.

Erin gently stroked his neck as if apologising for hurting him. She looked at him before leaning in and kissing his neck lightly, apologising physically for her actions. He was surprised especially as she'd intended to drink from him.

She stepped back and shook her head the blackness slowly disappearing from her eyes as she came to her senses, looking at the way he cradled his neck. She forced her fangs back in and covered her mouth with her hands.

Erin shook with horror and physical sickness at what she'd almost done. She'd nearly killed him, now she knew why Vlad had chosen to leave when he had his evil inside him. She needed to deal with this before she hurt him.

Vlad knew what she was planning, he knew her too well. "Erin…" She shook her head.

"I need to go." She turned towards the door, desperate to bolt from him – from the hut, however she was too slow.

Vlad grabbed Erin's wrist before she could leave. He tugged her firmly back to her, he couldn't chase after her so he wasn't going to let her leave.

He leaned towards her and kissed her gently. Erin responded timidly, Vlad bit her lip lightly forcing her to gasp and open her mouth. Their tongues battled frantically as he made Erin forget about leaving him. He pulled her flush against him feeling her slightly rounded stomach against his, the sensation made him smile. He loved the fact she was carrying his child, he'd never tire of it.

Vlad pulled back when breathing became an issue for him. He pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closing. Erin couldn't get used to seeing his chest rise and fall naturally, she'd seen him imitate it or when he'd gasped but never like this. It was hypnotic. "It wasn't your fault." Her eyes flew back up to his with his words.

"I couldn't control my urges Vlad. I nearly drained you." Erin had always thought she'd be stronger. She was angry with herself that she'd succumbed.

"You didn't have a choice." Erin didn't believe that, there was always a choice but there was something in his voice that stopped her. Erin looked at Vlad in complete confusion. "The soy blood was doctored with true blood." Her resolve would have been greatly reduced.

As he said those words his gaze snapped to Octa who was pushing herself from the wall in pain. Gasping and groaning as her bones cracked back into place.

Erin's eyes widened in fear and disgust. "Human?" The only time she'd had anything like blood was when she'd bitten Vlad during their mating ceremony, she'd had a small taste of the still blood in his veins.

Vlad shook his head, "Animal."

Erin looked at him in fear, "Animal blood doesn't feed our kind, you said the effects are useless if drank too often." She looked down at her stomach. Vlad had said it didn't provide enough nutrition.

Erin flung her hand back and Octa flew back against the wall. The entire hut shook with the force of her blow. Vlad shook his head; Erin's temper always unlocked her true power. Erin had always been content with speeding and flying she didn't really access her others unless she had to.

Erin's voice was sob laden as the full realisation hit her, "The baby could have been killed." She was suffering from a lack of nutrition meaning the baby wasn't getting the nutrients it needed.

Octa shook her head, "It would help the baby grow." She was sure of that, although she hadn't actually seen it. "Soy blood…"

"Has more nutrients in it that human blood." Vlad snapped at her, "Its designed to keep us sated for longer. Its perfect for the baby." Not that a vampire child couldn't survive on human blood but with the fact Erin was burning off the nutrients quicker it was the best thing for them both until Octa had tampered with it.

Erin looked at him, her hand caressing her stomach lightly. She didn't feel unwell but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Is the baby…"

Octa closed her eyes and concentrated, they snapped open. "It's fine." Erin had forgotten about the visions Octa had, she wanted to ask her about them but at the moment there were more important things to deal with.

"How long have you been diluting the blood?" Vlad demanded,

"A few days, she wouldn't drink the human blood." Erin stood proud as she remembered knocking the cup from her hand. Octa looked disgusted at her.

Vlad was proud of his wife for doing that. "Do you even know what soy blood is?" He snapped at her, it was a fairly new thing. It had only been around for the last twenty years or so.

Octa answered his question with one of her own. "Do you have any idea the price Olga would pay for the Chosen One's child? She doesn't even know your wife is pregnant."

Vlad looked at her, there was only one 'price' that his cousin would offer her. "She'll drain you."

"Exactly."

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Her answer startled them both; Octa knew that Olga would kill her if she tried to see her. She wanted to escape this life. Vlad straightened, rolling his tongue in his mouth as he fought to choose one thing to say as a million ideas filled his head. He focussed his gaze on the blazing fire as he picked through his thoughts.

Octa looked up at Erin, fury seemed to pour out of every fibre of the Queen's being. The fact that this woman had dared tried to use their child as a bargaining chip to see Olga infuriated her. Their child wasn't a pawn in anyone's game.

"Why aren't you a vampire anymore?" It was about time they had the entire truth from Octa, not the censored version. "You were bitten, you were a half fang." Erin looked at the young woman's neck to stress her point. Octa's hand brushed it.

"I turned on my Master." Octa told her.

Erin shook her head, "Killing the clan that infected you doesn't stop you becoming a vampire."

"Not while you're still transforming and you don't have to kill the entire clan. The half fang has to kill the vampire that transformed them – fight that loyalty bond to be free completely."

Vlad had never heard of it before, "You killed your Master?"

"It wasn't easy but I did it." Octa snapped at her. "Do you have any idea what it was like becoming a demon?"

Erin immediately leapt to Vlad's defence. "Vampires aren't demons. I'm a half fang, I wanted it." She saw the surprise on her face, why did everyone look at her like that. It had taken Vlad nearly two years to lose that look as well.

"I didn't! I was promised to be married, I had a family. Do you know what they did when they found me with the marks?" Erin shook her head silently, "They stoned me at first but it didn't kill me because of the," She cursed in Transylvanian, "healing powers of vampires. They tried to slay me, make an example of me. The pain of exorcism because that's how they thought it would be removed back then. They looked at me with disgust, the transformation was slow making it more unbearable."

Erin and Vlad shared a silent look; they didn't want to comment on that.

Octa snorted seeing their looks, "I suppose yours was quick and easy." It had been quick but it hadn't been easy. She continued sinking down into a chair, the chair creaked under her weight. "When I became a demon I just cared about drinking blood. I didn't have what you have; you never had to fight the bite because of love. I had no choice, I was a slave to the bite. I miscarried three times by the end of the third one I had enough I gained enough sanity to fight the bite. I slew him in his sleep, not with a stake far to quick. I made him suffer like I did, I poisoned his blood with odourless garlic. A slow and painful death." Vlad winced as he knew how slow it was, his father had survived his reflection trying to kill him with garlic.

"I'm sorry, but it wasn't our fault." Vlad told her. Vlad looked at his wife kissing her temple, "Erin only became a half fang because she was dying, I wanted to wait until just before our mating ceremony. I would never have forced her into anything."

Octa looked at both of them, Vlad's arms were tightly wrapped around his mate's waist holding her close to him. Erin's face had a look of peace on it that she herself had longed for.

"How old are you?" Erin asked her quietly.

"Two hundred and nine. I was transformed when I was fifteen. I broke away eleven years ago." Octa had been a half fang for one hundred and eight three years, but those memories haunted her constantly. It was something only death could release her from but the values instilled in her from the date of her birth forbade suicide at her own hands.

Erin pulled from Vlad's arms, her heart going out to the older former vampire. "You were engaged?"

"A match like yours." Erin looked at Vlad, who shrugged in confusion.

Erin could only draw one conclusion. "You were in love?"

Octa shook her head and laughed, "It was arranged like your match to Vlad. I was supposed to be married to the local lord, he needed a young wife to bear him heirs." Erin winced as memories overcame her, Vlad squeezed her waist offering her comfort, which she was grateful for. "You were lucky that love came from yours, mine gave me security and the hope of love." She had a wistful smile on her face as she spoke.

Erin was now confused, "What do you mean an arranged match for us?"

Octa scrunched up her face, "The slayers and the vampires arranged it didn't they. It was the reason you were mated." As she spoke she shook her head.

Vlad's mouth opened in an 'o' shape and he looked down at the floor, unsure how to answer that one. Erin looked at him her eyebrows raised, as she wanted him to answer, he was the negotiator she was only new to it.

"We weren't exactly an arranged mating. We chose to create the contract." Vlad told her softly unsure how she'd react to the fact they'd chosen each other from the start. If anything Octa's face fell further, she'd just assumed it had developed naturally, the vampire world didn't know that they'd chosen to create the contract. They'd assumed that it was because they already knew each other it was created.

Octa looked away, tears glistening in her eyes. They truly were mates from the moment they'd met; she would never have that feeling. She had no one left; everyone she knew had died out two centuries ago.

Erin looked towards the door, the dawn would be breaking soon, and they needed to get away from here soon. Vlad would be protected but she wouldn't.

Vlad sensed her worries and nodded. "We need to get you some pure soy blood." The castle had some; she could have the bottles that had been bought for him.

"I'm sorry." Octa muttered under her breath, she couldn't apologise enough. She buried her head in her hands and prayed for forgiveness.

Erin stepped closer to Vlad and the pair seemed to communicate silently, they knew each other too well to bother with telepathy. Vlad took her hand and led her towards the door, limping all the way.

The sound of Vlad's shoes scraping against the floor as he limped made her look up. Desperation filled her as she watched them slowly leave. "There's still something you need to know about Vlad!" Octa called after them, they couldn't leave before she told them.

They didn't care all they wanted was to get as far away from her as possible.

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.