So, long chappy! Yay! :) It's crazy, without this little A/N, the story is nearly 2,500 words…pretty crazy! BUT, I hope you guys enjoy and I hope that I hadn't kept you waiting too long…WARNING: This chapter is kind of dramatic and thing will begin… ;) enjoy!
Three Months later…
"Darren…Darren, wake up." I whispered furiously, shaking his shoulder. His eyelids fluttered and he stared at me for a long time.
"Vanessa…what do you want?" he asked harshly, but quietly. My palms were sweaty as I went over the plan in my head. I rubbed my fingers over the smooth, cold surface of the throbbing object I held behind my back. My heart was heavy, not only because of what I was about to do, but because of what I'd done.
"Darren…Darren, I'm so sorry. I…I just couldn't stand getting you hurt—"
"So you thought it better to ignore me for three months straight?" He was angry now as he sat up, staring straight into my eyes. "Vanessa, I don't care. I'm a half vampire; physical pain isn't new to me." He spat. I took in a shaky breath.
"Good, because that's what you're about to feel." I said, my voice stronger than I thought it would be. He stared at me, confused. I took my hand behind my back and opened my hand, revealing the object to him. His eyes widened.
"The Stone of Blood." He whispered. I nodded and sliced a small cut in the palm of my hand with my razor sharp nail. I took Darren's hand and did the same thing. "Vanessa…what are you doing?" He asked me quietly.
"Darren, did Mr. Crepsley or Kurda ever tell you how one becomes a Vampire Prince?" I asked him, staring into his eyes. He nodded. "Yes, a current Prince and the Prince-to-be place their blood into the…" he trailed off as the realization of my plan dawned on him.
"No, Vanessa, I won't let you do it." He hissed. I glared. "Darren, you must. I have to stay here or all hell will break loose between the clans, but you…Darren, you must go. You have to give the stone to the clan and tell Mr. Crepsley that I'm alright, and the only way that will happen successfully is if you return a Prince. Princes are above the law." I whispered furiously.
"Tell him that you're alright? Vanessa, look at you! Your clothes have been torn to shreds, you have bags under your eyes, I can see your ribs, and you're so pale! Even for a Vampire!" He hissed, shaking me. "Mr. Crepsley would not be proud right now." He whispered, pushing my thick, greasy hair out of my eyes.
I stared at him, hard. "No, he wouldn't be. I made him a promise and I haven't yet kept it." I said sternly. Darren stared at me. "And what was that promise?" He asked. I held his face and pressed my lips to his forehead. "I swore that you'd return to Vampire Mountain, alive and well. Please, Darren…I need you to go…I know he doesn't always show it, but he needs you; always has and always will." I whispered.
Darren quietly snorted at this. "Yeah right, he never wanted me as an assistant anyways. Besides, he always had you." He whispered. I stared at Darren for a long time before speaking. "Darren, to him…you're the son he's always wanted but never had. Don't take that away from him." I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks. Darren stared, shocked.
We were silent for a long time as we stared at each other and he soaked in what I was saying. "Okay…I'll do it." He said. I nodded and stretched my bloodied hand out to him, the stone throbbing harder now that it had been in contact with my blood.
"Okay, ready?" I asked. He nodded and placed his hand on top of the stone. I pressed his hand down with my free one when I heard a sharp intake of breath. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a surge of life flow through my veins. I could feel the blood and spirit of all the Princes before me, and of my fellow Princes. Soon, I felt a familiar presence, one that sent my stomach flipping. It was warm, strong, and selfless.
It was Darren.
I opened my eyes and took my hand off of his. His eyes opened and he stared at me. I placed the stone in my pocket and licked my hand, sealing up my cut. I stretched out for his hand, intending to heal his wound as well. He shook his head. "Vanessa, drink first." He ordered. I froze and stared at him, my mouth forming a little o. I had forgotten that Darren knew that I could drink the blood of another vampire.
"Darren…I don't know…I've only ever drunk from Mr. Crepsley…and you have a long journey ahead of you." I whispered. He shrugged. "Yeah, but so do you, and you won't be able to drink as much as I'll be able to when you make yours." He said. I hesitated and finally gave in.
"Okay…tell me if it hurts." I said. He nodded and extended his bloody palm. I licked my cracked lips and placed my mouth to the wound, drinking his blood. It was sweet, like spring water, and pure…so pure.
I licked the cut and sat up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Thanks Darren." I whispered. I stood up slowly, getting used to the strength that was now building up in my body. Darren stood as well. I looked up at the sky illuminated by the full moon. I took a deep breath in and turned to Darren.
"I'll take you to the edge of the forest and give you directions to the Cirque. Mr. Tall will be able to find Mr. Crepsley's mind and direct you to the Mountain." I said gently. He nodded and took my hand. I smiled slightly and intertwined my fingers with his.
We walked silently through the towering trees, listening to the crickets chirp, the owls hoot, and the grass crunch beneath our bare feet. I need to hurry…what if Steve wakes up before I get back…
I heard a crunch in the bushes and Darren stopped, fear in his eyes. He clutched my hand tighter. "Vanessa…you don't think…" he trailed off. We stared at the bush and, soon enough, a doe came out. I smiled and shook my head, releasing a shaky breath. "Oh, thank the gods." I whispered.
"Yes, thank the gods indeed, for showing your true intentions." A voice from behind us said. We whirled around to see Steve flanked by Gannen and R.V. I froze. Steve smirked. "Get the Stone, keep Vanessa alive. I couldn't care less with what you do with Darren." He said. The gears of my body whirled into action as I shouted.
"Darren, run!"He didn't need to be told twice. He yanked my arm and we broke into a sprint, Gannen, R.V., and Steve hot on our trail. I concentrated, trying to find Mr. Tall. Suddenly, my mind flared and I felt the haughty, caring, and wise presence of Mr. Tall.
We are 30 miles to the West, Cormac and Evra are on their way to retrieve Darren. His voice said in my head. I smiled. "Thanks." I whispered breathlessly. I stopped and flung Darren over my shoulder. "Hang on!" I shouted before bursting into a flit. We crashed just outside of the forest. I looked up to see a van driving madly towards us.
The van swung in and arc, the side doors sliding open as it came to a stop. Evra jumped out. "Vanessa!" he shouted. I hugged him and pulled away. I jumped into the van and grabbed the sword that I had left in Mr. Crepsley's coffin back at the Cirque.
"The Big Man though you might need it." Cormac said with a wink. I grinned. "Thanks Cormac, much obliged." I jumped out of the car and faced Darren as I heard Steve's shouting getting closer. "Time for you to go Darren…. Look don't worry about me, I'll be alright." I said, sticking the stone in his pants pocket. He nodded and crushed me to him.
He pulled away and stared into my eyes. "Just make sure you come back." He whispered. I nodded. "I swear." I whispered back. He nodded and hesitated. I smiled. "Just do it, you idiot." I laughed. He smiled slightly and brought his lips down to mine.
This was our first kiss, and it was amazing. It was better than the first time Steve and I kissed. I realized that this was how it should be…but it was too late. I heard shouts as Steve, Gannen, and R.V. came out of the forest. I shoved Darren into the van and whirled around, sword in hand as I prepared to protect the ones I loved.
Steve was enraged. "What was that?" he snarled, jabbing his finger in the direction of the van that was speeding away. I glared at him. "Something that should have happened a long time ago." I snarled. His eyes widened. Then they were filled with rage. "Gannen, give me your sword." He snarled. Gannen hesitated. Gannen and I had gotten close in the past few months and I knew he was having difficulty making a decision.
"Give it to him, Gannen. I'm a Vampire Princess; I know what I'm doing." I said, my eyes still trained on Steve. Reluctantly, he gave it to him. As soon as Steve's fingers were wrapped around the sword, he charged. I swerved out of the way and slammed my sword into his.
I kicked him in the chest, temporarily stunning him, and flipped backwards, putting distance between us. "How could you?" he roared, charging at me again. "It was easy, you never cared! All you cared about was killing off my clan and that stupid Stone!" I shrieked, slicing his arm.
He ground his teeth together. "And where is the Stone? Did you give it to that precious assistant?" he sneered. I grinned. "No, I gave it to that precious Prince." I spat. He froze. "WHAT! You blooded him? That…that weakling!" He screamed. I ground my teeth.
"He's a lot stronger than you! He gave up his life to save you!" I yelled, my blood boiling. No one insulted Darren. "You're still spinning that lie? I know what happened! He went behind my back and stole what was rightfully mine in spite of me! He took the life I wanted… he took you!" he screamed, running at me. I was too slow though, this time he tackled me to the ground. I struggled to get up, but he only shoved me in the chest, leaving me breathless.
"I bet that's when it started, wasn't it? You two have been off together, all this time, behind my back!" he seethed. I glared at him. "For him, maybe. But I was in love with you! Maybe I always had feelings for Darren, it would make sense if I did, but I didn't realize that I loved him until the morning after we came back from Vampire Mountain!" I shouted.
He slapped me. "Don't talk like what I did was wrong! He was my best friend and he slept with my fiancé! Even after I was gracious enough to let him live!" he snarled. I kneed him in the chest and rolled over so that I was now pinning him to the ground.
"How many times must I tell you? Nothing happened! We slept together, yes, but in the literal sense! There was nothing sexual! We used to do it all the time before that stupid madman of a Vampaneze ruined everything!" I screamed. He stared at me.
"What Vampaneze are you talking about?" He yelled, pushing me off of him and standing up, glaring at me. I started shaking. "Murlough." I hissed between my teeth. Steve's eyes widened.
"You killed a Vampaneze? That was against the Treaty!" He yelled at me. "What do you care of the treaty? You had your men kill my cousin! And the only thing that I regret about that monster's death is that I wasn't the one to kill him!" I screamed.
He kicked me. "He deserved to die! He was a traitor!" he yelled. "No he wasn't!" I choked out. "He was trying to get the Stone of Blood so he could kill you!" I cried out, trying to ignore the throbbing in my side. I was sure that he'd broken something. I rolled up onto my stomach and looked up at him. "Why do you need the Stone?" I asked demandingly.
He smirked. "Well, you see, love," he sneered. "There's a vampire that has the ability to give birth." He said. I glared at him. "She's dead. She was killed in the battle." I said, my voice dead now. He grinned. "I know, that's what the battle was for. You see, Mr. Tiny said there were two, but one of them could only give birth to Vampires. We needed the second one, who could give birth to both races. But, the thing is, as long as the first one was alive, the second one couldn't use that ability." He smirked at me. My eyes widened.
Arra was killed on purpose…she was just a pawn in Mr. Tiny's game…just like me, just like everyone else. Steve picked his sword back up and walked over to me. "Mr. Tiny also said that I would be the one to kill you." He looked up at the sky. "Huh, Orion's belt. He said that's the constellation that would be in the sky when I killed you." He looked down at me, a horrible look on his face.
I'm going to die…my time is up. I don't even get to say goodbye to Evra…Larten…Paris…Seba…Mr. Tall…I couldn't say goodbye to Darren. I shuttered as Steve came closer, raising his sword. I closed my eyes and waited for the sword to pierce my flesh.
One minute…
Two minutes…
Ten minutes…
Finally, I looked up. Steve was staring at me and I knew at once that there was some part of him that still cared for me. He dropped the sword and yanked me to my feet. I stared at him, confused.
"Leave, before I change my mind." He said, shoving me off in the direction that the van went. I hesitated and then slightly bowed to the Lord of the Vampaneze.
"Thank you." I whispered. He snorted. "Don't be, because next time I won't care, and I will kill you." He growled. I nodded and walked towards him and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Goodbye, Steve Leonard. This is how I'll remember you, as the boy I first met…the boy who was crazy for Vampires and who taught me that people can never be replaced."
I played with the ring on my thumb. He looked down. "Keep it." He said.
I nodded and turned, walking away from what was left of my first love and towards the Prince I had only just begun to love.