A/N: This is probably one of my favorite chapters of this story so far. It took a while to get right, but I had a great deal of fun writing it. I do hope I'm not sounding too much like our dear Lana when I tell you 'you're going to love it'... but I certainly hope you do.
As before, my life is still busy, so updates will continue to be slow. Still, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me, and for continuing to favorite, follow, and leave reviews, even if they're just to beg me for updates. We've hit 400 reviews so far with this story, and that number just blows my mind. Thank you so much. Those little notification e-mails are one of the things that keep my enthusiasm for this story going.
Enjoy!
As always, my thanks to my beta, killer-elephants.
~M
Chapter XV: Just One Kiss is What You Need Tonight
. . .
"Anita," Granny began as calmly as she could, her hands outstretched in a sign of faith, "what are you doing? That's your daughter."
"Only biologically," Anita growled. The tip of the bolt only tightened against the pale column of Ruby's throat, pricking the skin enough for a faint line of red to trickle down. "I have no real daughter. I have no mother. I have only My Queen."
"You know Cora's only using you," Granny murmured, as gently as she could. "You know she doesn't love you."
"You said all this the last time, when you went home with this one," she tightened her grip a little further around Ruby, "in a bundle dangling from your jaws and your tail between your legs." Anita laughed hollowly. "Love is a weakness," she pointed out. "From her or either of you, why would I want it?"
The burn of that memory- of leaving her daughter behind to the less than tender mercies of the Queen she'd chosen, burned in Granny's mind, vivid as it had ever been. She swallowed it back, insistent on her goal. This time, she would get her daughter back. "You know you care for your daughter, Anita," she entreated. "At least a little. Else you'd have given her to your Queen and not to me."
Anita swallowed visibly, but the tip of the bolt pressed a little more firmly into her daughter's neck. "...Thirty seconds."
A quiet yelp slipped from Ruby's lips, her hand gripping the arm that held the weapon to her neck, trying to yank it away. "...Mom..." she whimpered. "Mommy... you're hurting me."
The anger burning in Anita's eyes faltered, her grip loosened for a half second. It was enough.
Ruby stomped down hard at the instep of her mother's foot, at the same time bringing her elbow jamming down into her stomach. As Anita howled in pain, loosening her grip just a little, Ruby twisted, wrenching herself out of her grasp.
Before Anita could regain her hold, she was barreled into by a transforming blur of grey. Granny bared her elongating snout, hands becoming paws as she batted her own weapon away from Anita's hand. The crossbow bolt fell to the ground, clattering down the hill past the still-unconscious form of Hook.
Cora's Alpha snarled in a mix of anger and pain, her eyes yellowing. Her voice lowered. "So much for talking," she growled, and began her own change.
Rearing back, Ruby slammed into her, forcing Anita down, mid-change. Granny leaped atop her, forcing the transforming woman's midsection into the ground. Ruby whipped a syringe of something out of the pocket of her bag, and before her mother could fight off her grandmother, she plunged it into Anita's neck.
The Alpha snarled beneath the bulk of her mother, her eyes flashing vibrantly back to their more usual color as she writhed and fought, before her motions slowed, the drug pumping into her all the faster for being mid-transformation. Finally, she stilled completely, chest heaving as the drug worked to revert her back to human form and leave her blissfully unconscious.
Releasing a deep breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding, Ruby removed the syringe, taking a moment to wipe her neck of blood with the back of her hand. Her grandmother shifted back beside her, and she looked at the old woman with a lump in her throat and wide eyes. Anita's head lay in her lap, the rise and fall of her chest the only motions she was making now. Ruby subconsciously ran her fingers through her mother's hair. "What now?"
Granny's jaw was realigning, so she had to wait a moment before responding, and settled down on the hill overlooking the dampening field, next to her granddaughter. "...Now we wait," she sighed. She reclaimed her crossbow, tugging it into her lap and holding it gently, as if for comfort. Together, she and Ruby looked below to where the magic field shimmered.
A bright point of light suddenly burst from the base of the field, blinding to the point of pain as both wolves had to shield their eyes.
When they lowered their hands and the spots no longer danced behind their vision, the field was gone. The Hive itself, no longer hidden behind its magic, sprawled lazily below them, a giant, imposing fortress of stone and wood.
Ruby glanced nervously at her grandmother, supporting the unconscious form of her mother. "...What was that?" she whispered.
Shaking her head, Granny rubbed at her glasses with the hem of her dress before resettling them on her nose. "...Regina and Emma, no doubt," she muttered.
. . .
Down the Hill
"So this... Anita... is Ruby's mother. And you didn't think to tell me this before?!" Emma demanded, her eyes hard and so angry they were almost glowing, reflecting the shimmering blue light of the dampening field that pulsed inches away from them.
"It wasn't pertinent," Regina waved a hand, as if to end the conversation. As if it didn't matter.
"Not-'" she began loudly, only barely remembering to keep her voice down. "'Not pertinent'?!" As though it had somehow slipped her mind that they were only inches away from sneaking into a hive full of who-knew how many vampires and a supreme bitch of a Queen. "How the hell was it not pertinent?!" she hissed.
"This isn't the time for this, dear." Regina sighed. Her hand extended, a solitary finger barely brushing against the edge of the shimmering wall of magic until it rippled around them. Gasping a little, she pulled it back, staring at her hand as if it burned. From her fingertip rose a faint wisp of smoke. Swallowing visibly, the vampire Queen regarded the wall with a little more trepidation. "...This is going to hurt," she muttered, and took a breath, readying herself to step through.
Her foot had barely moved before Emma's hand clamped down hard on her shoulder, halting her progress and whirling her back to face the blond Hunter. "Regina," she growled, low and hard as any wolf could. "Explain."
The Queen was thrown back by the sudden turning, and she stumbled far less gracefully than she would ever admit, colliding with the blonde briefly before regaining her footing once again. "Miss Swan," she snapped out, fangs bared before she could think better of it, watching as the curt title brought just a hint of pain into Emma's eyes. She closed her mouth, forcing her fangs to retract. It took much more effort than usual. She shot another look at the dampening field before them, as if judging their relative safety, and sighed. "Can we please discuss this at a later date? Anita is the concern of Ruby and Eugenia. Our concern, in case I have to remind you, is Henry."
Looking as though she was about to start swearing up a storm, Emma had the sudden urge to find the nearest tree and kick the hell out of it. A Hive full of vampires would have to do. She closed her eyes, expelled a long, deep breath, and ran the hand not currently holding her gun through her hair. "Fine," She breathed, and finally holstered her rifle back behind her back, pulling a pistol out instead. Better for close-range. "Fine. We get Henry back. But when we get home, you and I are going to have a talk." She stepped directly in front of Regina, a breath away from touching her.
Regina took a long look at her, regarding the Hunter before her as if for the first time. The light of the dampening field danced over her features, casting soft blue shadows over her brow. Strands of blonde hair fluttered in front of her face, appearing almost white in the light. The Queen's head tilted slightly to the side. A soft, sad sort of look came into her eyes. She gave a slight nod. "...Yes, I imagine we will."
Aware of the sudden scrutiny she was now under, Emma squared her shoulders, shuffling a little awkwardly. She brought both hands to her pistol, leveling it in front of them, holding at ready, and stepped past Regina to the very edge of the rippling plane of magic. "Right... I'll go first."
Regina seemed hesitant, raising a hand as if to stop her, but Emma shook her head and took a deep breath. Exhaled. She stepped through.
It was a curious sensation. Emma had had her share of encounters with magic, even before she started living with someone who practiced so readily. But this was a wholly new feeling. She could actually feel the magic around her, pulsing and inching up her body. Her skin buzzed, her hair felt suddenly too tight. The gun in her hands felt both hot and cold against her palms, and then it somehow pulled, as if fighting against the magical field. The blue light around her flared, more of it circling around the pistol as though the magic was attempted to seep its way into it.
She held it tighter, gritting her teeth, and took another step forward. The sensation burst, a shock wave of force powering around her gun hand and sending Emma reeling. The ground lurched beneath her. From behind, she would swear she could hear Regina calling her name, but the sound was low and twisted, like shouting through a kazoo. She stumbled forward, catching herself only just before she would have fallen to the ground, and regained her footing.
The gun suddenly felt very light in her hand. Puzzled, she cast a wary gaze around her, eyes darting frantically about in search of danger. Before her, the Hive loomed, daunting and ominous and nothing like the surrounding hillside. She swallowed the rapid dryness of her throat, and looked around once more for threats. When none seemed immediately apparent, she took a closer look at her gun, popping the safety on and checking the magazine. It was empty. It had not been before she stepped into the field. More confused than ever, she quickly reloaded the gun. Her fingers fumbled a little, and she realized that she hadn't had to reload this particular weapon in a while.
It was the one Regina had enchanted. Apparently, as Emma had stepped through the dampening field, her spell had been removed. This field didn't just prevent magic from being used. It prevented all magic. Her eyes widened, and she turned, desperate to warn Regina.
On the other side of the field, the Queen was looking rather frazzled. Her eyes seemed wild, and were peering in Emma's direction, but not directly at her. Her lips were forming words, calling out the Hunter's name, though Emma couldn't hear her. It took a moment of frenetic waving to realize that Regina couldn't see her.
Shoulders squared in their leather vest, and with only a small amount of hesitation, the Queen raised her hands guardedly in front of her, and stepped forward. Emma could only watch, helpless, as the field rippled around her Queen. Regina's voice echoed around in her mind- her mutters from shortly before, when Emma had been so angry at her and Regina had seemed to pay her no mind. "This is going to hurt." The Hunter felt her stomach drop. Regina had known the field would rip her magic away. She had known, and was stepping in anyway.
The blue light suddenly twisted around Regina, the gentle ripples giving way to violent, tearing spikes of magic. The field enveloped Regina, cocooning around her like a spider with prey, all the while sending shooting bolts of light directly through her core.
"Regina!" Emma reached out her hands, trying to wrap them around the vampire Queen, to pull the other woman in physically if she had to. The magic propelled her back, but she tried to force her way through it. She barreled in, kicking and pounding and clawing at the waves of magic around the other woman, desperate to reach her.
Face contorted in agony, Regina's mouth opened wide, but no screams could be heard. Another light burst from within her, this one dark purple. It spilled out in waves, drawn from the tips of Regina's fingers and her open mouth.
Emma stretched closer to her Queen, clawing through the soupy, clinging blue field until her fingers finally clasped around Regina's arm.
The moment they touched, a sunburst of gold burst around them, spreading out in all directions, tearing through the field. The clinging magic gave one last tug at Regina, but Emma held fast, pulling the other woman towards her. The blue light fell away, retreating in a blur to the very top of the Hive. Around them, the dampening field broke, chased into nothingness. The gold shock wave ebbed, feeding into the remains of the purple magic still lightly seeping from Regina, before slamming back into the vampire Queen. Regina gave a breathy, choking gasp, her eyes flashing violet and then gold before slamming back to brown. She fell into Emma's arms in a heap, and they both tumbled to the ground.
Emma's lungs burned, her body contorted as she tried to support the brunette landing atop her. Regina gave a gasping grunt, her eyes blinking woozily. Worriedly, Emma ran her hands over the vampire's back, holding her tightly, faces once more only inches away.
Slowly, Regina seemed to come back to herself, bucking a little roughly when she realized she was still being held down. "Let go!" she screamed.
"Ow!" Emma grunted, releasing her hold just a bit. "Jeez, Regina."
Ceasing her thrashing, the vampire blinked again, eyes coming into focus on blond curls and green eyes. She relaxed, falling against the Hunter's chest. "...Emma? Are you... did I hurt you?"
Shaking her head, Emma forced a smile. It wasn't necessarily hard, with Regina apparently okay. And in her arms. She swallowed. "...I'm good. You okay?"
Regina nodded, head braced against Emma's shoulder, and she gave a tiny sigh of what almost sounded like contentment. Emma tried not to enjoy it too much. She failed. But then dark eyes snapped back open, and Regina was scurrying off the blonde, looking around them, eyes wide as saucers. The remains of the dampening field were still crumbling away, eaten by gold threads of magic.
Grunting, Emma pushed herself up onto her elbows. "What the hell was that?" She got to her feet, reclaiming her gun from where it had fallen and automatically checking it.
Regina shook her head, at a loss. "...I have no idea." She turned away from looking at the field, instead moving her gaze to the immense fortress of a Hive that now lay before them. "...But I suggest we worry about it later." Giving it only a moment of thought, she pulled off the satchel full of blood bags she was carrying, rummaging through until she hand one in each hand. Ripping them open, she downed first one and then the other in rapid succession, attempting to return the strength that the field had taken out of her.
With another little furrow to her brow, it seemed as though Emma were going to object, as if adding one more thing to the rapidly growing pile of 'things to talk about later' was the final straw. But as she watched Regina eat, the Hunter just groaned and shook her head. "Okay," she sighed. She took a moment to take stock of all her guns, making sure that they were still attached after her tumble, and then waited, pistol at the ready.
When Regina was finished, she left the satchel there, not wanting the scent of so much blood to immediately betray their position. Though, undoubtedly, someone inside had to have seen their little light show, or at least noticed the field had been destroyed. Still, they proceeded in relative silence, each poised and on their guard for whatever attack would come. But nothing came, all the way up to the main entrance of the Hive.
Regina was still walking stiffly, and as her booted heel made contact with stone, she slipped, her balance failing her.
Giving a soft cry, she waited to hit the flagstones, but never did. She hit flesh instead, as Emma rushed to support her weight, a line of worry in her eyes. "Regina...?" she asked, concerned, "how badly did that... field thingy hurt you?"
"Most of my magic was forcibly ripped away from my body, Miss Swan," she hissed, eyes closing as her hand reached to steady herself yet again. Her fangs were exposed, now, and Emma had to wonder how long that had been the case. Or if she was just so used to seeing Regina with fangs now that her mind no longer deemed it odd.
"Regina..."
Grimacing, the vampire braced herself against the stone wall that raised before them, just in front of the entrance to the Hive. "...I'm fine," she insisted. "Your only concern right now should be Henry."
Emma's eyes shone, staring at the injured Queen, teeth worrying her lower lip. She swallowed, her mind screaming at her that she did have a retort to that, but her mouth refused to say the words. Instead, she brought her gun back into readiness, checking around the doorway of the Hive, keeping watch.
"...Emma," Regina murmured, her eyes darting towards the looming doorway of the Hive and what undoubtedly lay inside of it. "...Should we get separated inside... don't look for me. You find our son, grab him, and go. Do not wait for me. Understand?"
The Hunter refused to show her back to the Hive, and so did not turn to face Regina directly, instead hissing at the Queen over her shoulder, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Regina's face was unreadable, her eyes dark with emotion. She was staring at her hands, as if expecting them to burst into flame at any moment. Which, Emma realized, maybe she was.
"Regina..." she began, slipping closer to the brunette while still keeping a wary eye out for danger, "...you said it yourself: you don't need magic to beat her."
The vampire Queen was shaking her head, her hands trembling lightly. "...I've never beaten her before, Emma," she confessed. "And that was with magic. Now... I'm only as powerful as any other vampire. The odds are even now."
"No, they're not. You've got me." Emma grinned at her, and the cocky assurance in her eyes was enough to bring a tiny smile to Regina's lips. "Besides," Emma continued, "you're Regina Mills. Mayor of Storybrooke, Queen of the vampires, adviser to the werewolves and head lady in charge of everything, remember? How can anyone have even odds against you?"
Regina couldn't help herself; she smiled, as if to say: 'well, when you put it like that...' A soft little chuckle slipped past her lips, and she nodded at Emma gratefully. "How indeed?" she murmured.
Together, the two mothers entered into the depths of the Hive unimpeded. Though certainly not unnoticed. The way was clear. Which, honestly, Emma found worrisome. This place was obviously infested with vampires- their signs were everywhere. Windowless walls- sense of old time grandeur and opulence. She almost thought she could hear the faint screams of victims inside. And even to her nose, the Hive reeked of blood and decay. There was an almost tangible feeling of oppression and pain in the air. Emma felt the hairs on her neck raise, and held her gun a little more tightly. "...We're being watched."
"I know." Regina's eyes fell closed, her nostrils flared. "Six, maybe seven of them. They stink of her and of blood. They're young. Ridiculously young. I could probably scare them off with a growl," she scoffed, a scowl rising on her lips.
Emma hid a smile, glad to see her pep talk had returned some of Regina's humor. "Easy, there, your majesty," she teased. "Don't make them wet themselves before I get a chance to shoot them."
Chuckling, the vampire allowed herself a grin, though it did not quite reach her eyes. Together, they slipped into the keep of the Hive, moving along with the walls to their backs as much as they could. Now, the screaming was fully audible, along with the skitterings and far off whirs of whooshing vampires. They all seemed to keep their distance, though.
"So..." Emma murmured lowly, keeping her senses trained for any sudden changes around them. "Any thoughts on how we find Henry?"
Regina's step faltered again, ever so slightly. "...We'll have to deal with my mother first, Emma."
Together they continued forward, finally entering a wide, open chamber. Emma peered inside first, gun at the ready, and checked the corners. The room was dark, but appeared empty, so she slipped within it, sticking close to the wall, and waited for Regina to join her. "Okay... Any ideas on how to find her?"
Regina froze as soon as she entered the room, her nostrils flaring wide and hands raised automatically in front of her. She swallowed. "...I don't imagine it will be a problem," she whispered. The door slammed shut behind them. The Queen of Storybrooke did not so much as bat an eye.
Around the edges of the chambers, lights suddenly burst into being, circling the room in a cold sort of glow, illuminating the dark corners and revealing exactly how exposed the two of them really were.
Dark, chilling laughter filled the room, and Emma's gun was instantly trained on its source: a throne, raised on a dais in the center of the chamber. She fired- once, twice, and more, emptying her gun for good measure. Each shot was followed by the satisfying sound of metal tearing through flesh, but when the echoes stopped, the figure on the throne remained unharmed.
The same could not be said for the guards around her throne, fallen to the floor in various puddles of old blood and viscera. Emma tossed the empty clip away, smacking a replacement quickly into the chamber and firing again. It was met with the same result: vampire guards suddenly whooshing to fill the empty spaces, coming in from all sides. Emma's eyes widened as the room seemed suddenly overrun with vampires, and she had no idea where the hell they had all come from. "...Shit."
Another laugh echoed from the throned woman. Resplendent in deep red velvet and cream silk, she held an elaborate Venetian mask in front of her face, but it quickly dropped, revealing her face. She seemed to survey the carnage, and then clicked her tongue in distaste. "Really, dear. If you're going to keep trying that, I'm afraid you're going to run out of bullets." She nodded her head.
Above them, the ceiling stretched high, revealing that they were on the lowest level of what appeared to be an immense spiral staircase, every level filled to the brim with vampires. Cora clapped her hands. Another cadre of guards suddenly appeared from above, taking their places around the throne. Still more gathered around the edges of the chamber. There had to be dozens of them.
Pulling out another gun, Emma hazarded a glance above them, and then to the woman beside her. Storybrooke's Queen still appeared frozen, staring at the throne, her lips slightly parted. "Regina!" Emma hissed, trying to snap her out of it. "Regina, look at me!"
"Tell your human to heel, Regina. You're clearly outmatched." The voice of the older Queen sounded pleased, as if she'd not been entirely sure that the younger Queen would show.
As if her mother's voice had broken a dam within her, Regina finally reacted. Spine suddenly ramrod straight, through gritted teeth, Regina responded. "...Miss Swan," she hissed. "Shoot her."
Emma's eyes widened in surprise, but Regina was no longer there to appreciate when Emma grasped a pistol in each hand and began firing. Storybrooke's Queen became a blur of motion, zipping around the room like a thing possessed, her hands tearing into the chests of the vampires who blurred, delayed, to fight for their own Queen. The chamber quickly began to run with blood.
Cora seemed amused by the bloodshed, at least at first. Emma's shots were always generally aimed at her, unless another vampire was more directly in her path. And as the shots kept coming, more and more vampires began to converge on the blonde. Eventually, though, the older Queen seemed to grow bored. "Enough!" she commanded. She waved her hand imperiously.
Surprised by the shout, Emma had only a split-second to react before dark tendrils of purple magic flew from Cora's fingers, clenching around her guns and dragging them to the floor. She shook against them, trying to fight it, but her brain seemed to stop functioning, backfiring over the sight of a vampire- not a Sunwalker, but just a normal vampire- doing magic.
Regina, wrist deep in yet another vampire's chest cavity, didn't seem to notice, and another wave of Cora's hand had the younger vampire suddenly forced against the far wall, hard enough for her body to crack at the impact. A trail of deep purple magic bound her at wrist and ankle.
"Regina!" Emma cried, her body swirling to follow the force of the magic. Her guns clattered uselessly from her hands, this magic stronger than most she had felt, and the Hunter suddenly found herself pushed down on her knees, though not by magic. Multiple vampires were now holding her down, one at each arm and leg, while another held her head. Frantic, she bucked against their holds, but even a Hunter with her amount of experience had few options, weaponless against five vampires. They leered at her with hungry eyes and toothy smiles, but made no moves to bite her. Not, Emma realized, without orders from their Queen. Helpless, her head was forced to the side, eyes falling on Regina's terrified form.
Storybrooke's Queen seemed frozen by far more than magic, staring at the purple bindings around her with wide eyes, and then raising them to her mother. "...It's not possible," she whispered, tendrils of fear creeping around the edges of her voice. "This is..."
"Yours?" Cora only laughed, finally rising from her throne like the Queen she was, daintily setting her mask down on the seat behind her. "Indeed. Did you like the little present I left for you at the threshold, dear?"
Shaking her head as much as she could, Regina only stared at her mother, desperately trying to keep her fear at bay as Cora's hands glowed purple. "Present? What are you..."
Emma's eyes widened, her brain finally catching up. "...The dampening field. You took Regina's magic."
She whooshed forwards, passing by Emma as if she were inconsequential until she stood directly in front of her daughter. "It's finite, of course- I don't know how long it will last. I had to drain out an entire fairy for this little trick, my love. But I do think it was worth it, don't you?"
Emma bristled, fighting against the vampires who held her all the more. "You're insane, lady!"
"I think that's quite enough out of you," Cora snapped, and waved her hand to her vampires. "Drain her."
Grinning with delight, the five vampires around Emma tightened their grips as she began to buck in earnest, her elbow coming into contact with the groin of one of them. He hissed in pain, but the others maintained their holds, bending heads towards her wrists. The one holding Emma's head yanked her hair, exposing her neck. Emma's gaze locked with Regina's, and the Queen could only yank her arms against the bonds of her own magic, her voice frantic. "Don't!" Regina cried out in her most imperious tones, struggling against her magic bonds. "Let her go!"
Faltering at the orders from a Queen, even one not their own, the vampires paused, one or two only inches away from sinking their fangs into Emma's flesh. Their grasps seemed to waver, and Emma bucked all the more, this time managing to knee another in the solar plexus until he doubled over.
Cora snarled, her gloved hand backhanding her daughter's cheek until thick blood dripped down from her lip. The older Queen's eyes blazed with fury. "Hold her!" the she ordered, giving her daughter an irritated but knowing look. The vampires froze, their grasps reclaimed, and stretched Emma out tight like an animal to slaughter. Cora chuckled. "...I'll do it myself."
"Mother, no! Let her go!" Regina commanded again, pushing herself out from the wall with an arch of her hips, frustrated and furious when her own magic refused to budge. Her eyes locked with Emma's, apology wide within them.
With a swagger in her hips and a grin on her face, Cora slipped away from the form of her bound daughter, moving with slow grace towards the human kneeling on the floor. Her leisurely pace was intentional; she wanted Regina to watch, and wanted Emma to know what awaited her. Emma's arms rippled as she fought against her captors, their long fingernails digging into her limbs so hard that her blood was already beginning to well. Cora closed her eyes as she knelt before the blonde, inhaling the sweet scent. She shot a look back at her daughter, and bent her head. Her fingers lightly caressed down Emma's cheek. She watched her reflection loom in Emma's eyes.
The Hunter spat at her, a wad of saliva coming to land on her cheek. Snarling, Cora wiped it away, her hand flying to slap cruelly against Emma's face. A growl rose, low and imposing, from her throat. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that," she hissed and bared her fangs, bringing her head down towards Emma's throat in a single strike, like a cobra.
Emma's eyes squeezed shut, her nightmares become real, and just prayed it would be over soon. Regina murmured her name, and she could have sworn there were tears behind it.
With a jerk, Cora's entire body spasmed, the barest tips of her fangs brushing against the blonde's throat, but going no further. Snapping her head back, the old Queen stared at the human, disbelieving, and tried again. Another quake rocked through her core, her fangs physically unable to bite. She tried again, and again, and then a wave of golden light shot out from Emma's chest, blinding the vampires and forcing all six of them several feet back.
Emma blinked. "What the hell-?"
Cora landed in a heap next to her, a sneer on her lips. She shot a nasty, hate-filled look at her daughter, and rushed to fist her hand in Emma's shirt. "She's Claimed!" she spat, thrusting the human away from her, utterly disgusted. Emma's skull smacked against the stone floor, bones meeting with a sickening crunch.
That, more than the threat of her being bitten, cause Regina to scream. "Emma!" The blonde stayed down, her eyes glossy and body motionless.
Cora kicked at her still form, and then wheeled, rushing back to her daughter in a blur and grabbing her by the throat. "Really, dear, Claiming humans again? I thought I'd rid you of that habit."
Regina stared her down, nothing but hate in her eyes. She was tempted to follow Emma's example and spit directly in her mother's face. Instead, she merely snarled. "You did, Mother," she hissed through a strangled windpipe. "I just never learn from my mistakes."
Thrusting her head back until it, too, knocked against the wall, Cora bared her fangs at her daughter, but then stopped, considering. "Still," her grip loosened just a bit, "at least you're drinking from the source again. I can't tell you how much that pleases me. Or how surprised I was to see that your son," and she spit the word out as if it physically disgusted her, "knew how to do the same, when I forced it of him."
Regina's eyes were instantly aflame, all traces of fear or tears vanished from them. "Henry," she breathed. "What the hell have you done with my son?!"
"Oh, really, my love," Cora clucked. Her eyes were hard, the backs of her fingers running, almost tenderly, down her face. "Not half as much as I'm going to do to you." She waved her hand again, and the purple bonds holding Regina shifted, dropping her down from the wall and instead binding her arms behind her back,legs hobbled together, not unlike how Cora had had her fairy trussed up a little while before. "But since you're so concerned, I'll show you to him. And then, my dear, I'll show you exactly what was done to him."
With a delighted grin, she pushed Regina forward, stumbling, out of the throne room. The rest of her vampires dispersed, their entertainment gone. Little further thought was given to the crumpled form of the blonde on the floor. Or the fact that she was clearly still breathing, her guns scattered around her body, within her reach.