As Elizabeth opened her eyes, her eyes fell on the one man she hadn't expected to see. Rido, her master, stood at the edge of her bed. She scowled at turned her head away, "What do you want," she asked resentfully. Rido chuckled darkly.
"I've come to see you, naturally," Rido said. Elizabeth sniffed and sat up, resting her back against the large, fluffy pillows.
"Where were you when I had been captured by that Level E?" Elizabeth asked, "I was there for days, eventually giving up all hope of escape and rescue. Eventually, it was left up to Kaname to save me, the man I'm meant to kill! I see no reason to kill this man! I love him!" she declared through angry tears, pointing her finger at him. Before she could even think, Rido was on top of her, pinning her to the bed. He'd leaned down to her neck, sucking on it and kissing the beautiful stretch of skin, "No...stop it..." she whimpered.
"You belong to me, Riji-chan, not him. You will never be his." he growled. Elizabeth was so shocked, she didn't even react. She just laid there. Rido had pulled back from her neck and rested his forehead against a petrified Elizabeth's forehead, "You are mine, Riji-chan, not his." he ran his hands from her wrists, down her arms and down to her sides, giving them a gentle rub. Elizabeth whimpered as Rido kissed her lips roughly, leaving them red and swollen. He pulled back a little, to watch her chest rise and fall. He saw the tears glistening down her cheeks. He leaned back down to delicately lick and kiss her tears away. His hands moved back to her wrists.
"You will need to hurry up with this task. If you do succeed, there will be rewards..."
"What kind of...rewards...?" Elizabeth asked nervously.
"You will become my queen...my mate...my lover..." he whispered seductively in her ear. Elizabeth gulped loudly.
"Kaname is the man I'm in love with. Anyway, where were you when I had been kidnapped by a Level E? Why didn't you save me? It was left up to the man who I'm supposed to kill. I'd rather be dust than see him dead by my hand." Elizabeth said passionately. Rido growled.
"You are my puppet and I am your master. You have no right to disobey my orders. Do not forget who gave you your life as a vampire and eternal beauty and youth." he slowly ran his fingers down her cheeks, making a shiver going down her spine.
"I would gladly give them up if it meant that I didn't have to kill him. You say you love me, but if you did, you would adn me to kill the man that I love." she said venomously. Rido glared at her.
"It is the school dance tonight. Do what you can then." with that, he disappeared. Elizabeth lay there, not knowing what to do. She struggled to hold back her sorrowful tears. She sniffed softly and sat up again. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Elizabeth called. The door opened to reveal Maria Kurenai, the new student. She had a devious smirk on her delicate features. She walked up the side of the bed.
"Elisabesu-chan, how are you?" She asked as she sauntered into the room. Elizabeth gulped and wondered if she heard anything.
"Fine..." she answered quietly, "Thank you...Maria-sama..." Elizabeth tightly gripped the silk duvet in her hands, feeling extremely nervous.
"Well, that's good," she said airily. She flicked her lavender coloured locks from over her shoulder and sat on the bed, "Now, I hear you have an agenda," Maria had a sadistic smile on her face. Elizabeth went very pale.
"What ever do you mean?" She asked with a small shake in her voice.
"Don't play dumb with me, Erisabesu-san, I heard you through the door." she said with a edge to her voice.
"Well, what are you going to do? Kill me yourself?" Elizabeth challenged. Maria shook her head with a small smile.
"No, I won't kill you...I want to assist you, dear Riji-chan. I too want Kaname Kuran dead."
"But you don't understand!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "I don't want him dead; I love him."
"Love him?" she asked with a mocking smile. Elizabeth nodded, her cheeks bright red.
"It's true...I've fallen hard and fast." Elizabeth whispered.
"Ah, but I want you to do it as well. You won't be able to get out of this one." Maria said primly, "If you kill Kaname Kuran, I help you awaken those...other powers of yours..."
Elizabeth gulped, "But...how do you...?"
"I'm a pureblood, sweety, I can sense these things."
"But, how come the other purebloods cannot sense it?"
"They choose not look so deeply into it..." Maria said airily.
"I'm not sure that I tap into my powers as a "pureblood"..." Elizabeth mumbled, "I'm happy the way I am." Elizabeth gathered the covers up to cover herself more. A sadistic smile curved at Maria's lips.
"I've no intention of letting you or this opportunity to slip through my fingers. Of cause, if you absolutely refuse to do it, I might just have to involve Yuuki-chan..."
"Why involve her? She's only a human!" Elizabeth cried. To some extent, she couldn't believe what she was saying. She herself had been a human just over six months ago and now she was talking like a vampire.
"Because she's just as close to Kuran-dojo as you appear to be."
"We're not close at all." Elizabeth remarked, straight faced.
"Ah, but what kiss that you shared? It's been widely talked about. Kisetsu's been gushing about it all day." Maria said casually. Elizabeth's were bright red and she gripped her duvet, a little annoyed that Kisetsu was blowing it all out of proportion. But she couldn't deny that it felt nice to be cradled in his strong arms, his delectable blood trickling down her throat and his soft lips, moving and coaxing her to silently respond. That kiss, which had started out as a "kiss of life", became a kiss that made her feel a feeling which she had never truly felt before.
She felt tears welling up in her grey-blue eyes, "Please," she pleaded quietly, "Please do not force me to do this...nor involve Miss Yuuki Cross. I beg you!"
"No, I will not respond to your pitiful pleas," Maria said smoothly and dismissively, "I need you to do this because I need the powerful blood that runs through his veins; I need to avenge my lover..." Maria's voice shook with an obvious anger.
"So you're...wanting me to kill Kaname...to aid your revenge? You're despicable." Elizabeth hissed, swinging her legs out of bed and shakily standing up. She walked up to Maria, "In addition to that, I can sense...something...isn't quite right with you...it's as though you don't belong in that body."
"That is none of your concern, Erisabesu," Maria said with a venomous twist to her voice and this made Elizabeth gulp, "Now, the next time I see you, we will be at the ball...get dressed up...tempt him like a siren tempting a sailor and then strike when he least expects it."
"No." Elizabeth sniffed. Her throat felt extremely dry and she could barely speak.
"We'll see." Maria whispered. She gave her a wicked smirk before skipping away, closing the door behind her. Elizabeth fell to her knees, not having any strength left in her legs. Kuro, who had been hiding under the bed, walked over to her.
"What will you do now, Mistress?"
Meanwhile, Kaname was lounging on his lounging couch. He ran a hand through his chocolate tresses. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. He was trying, in vain, to recreate the feeling he had when his lips had touched hers and when her fragile body had fit snuggly into his chest and arms, as if she was made just for him. He longed to touch her, feel her and along with other things that he dared not mention. However, he didn't know if he could admit out loud, never mind to himself, that he felt affection for the Level C vampire who had completely entranced him. He didn't know what to do about Yuuki, feeling completely at a loss. But one thing he was sure about was his affection for Elizabeth Watson.