Good evening,
WARNING: THIS FIC DEALS WITH HEAVY ISSUES. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A LIGHTHEARTED FIC, THIS FIC IS NOT FOR YOU. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO HANDLE DARK SITUATIONS (SUCH AS RAPE), THIS FIC IS NOT FOR YOU.
I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Oxford Not Brogues
Chapter Five
It was hours before Alucard and Sebastian returned to the manor after successfully finishing their mission. The coven they were sent to eliminate had over thirty strong and powerful vampires that were nearly as old as Alucard. But despite their age and rank, none of them were a match against them. It took some time, especially since most of them put up a good fight, but the Hellsing's monsters left no one behind. Upon hearing this, Sir Integra was quite pleased and granted them the remainder of the night off.
Not wasting any time, Alucard and Sebastian instantly went to the security room to meet with Officer Weber. The man did exactly as he had promised.
"The security cams in the training room and armory are back up and running." He announced with a proud smile. "There was also a cam down in a meeting room over in accounting. The cams were definitely sabotaged; somebody had clipped the wires. I got someone in there immediately to replace the cameras."
"A camera was down in accounting?" Sebastian asked with furrowed brows and a look of suspicion in his eyes.
"Yeah," Weber answered as he swiveled in his chair to glance up at him. "You think the culprit has been harassing the one of the ladies down in accounting as well?"
"It's possible," The demon muttered while he studied the video footage displayed on the small monitors. "If it's the same man, he apparently has a history of acting inappropriately around women. In Captain Pickman's words, he got handsy with a maid."
"Fucking dickhead," Weber grumbled under his breath. "I hope he gets everything that's coming to him." Picking up a paper from his desk, he held it out to the tall males. "Here," Alucard took it without question and found that it was a very long list of rooms. "Every blind spot and room without a camera or, at least, every room I could think of." He grimaced at the list. "It's bloody long; too long. Far too many spots for a person to get away with whatever."
"We'll start checking these spots for any evidence." Sebastian responded as his eyes glided down that long list of rooms. "Thank you,"
"Just let me know when you find the prick." The soldier replied. "I'll keep an eye on the cameras for you and let you know if I see anything fishy." Abruptly, Weber's walkie talkie hissed with static before a familiar voice came through on it.
"Gimme an update," Pickman demanded. "Does anyone have eyes on her?"
"Negative," Another voice came through. Not long, other soldiers on the same channel were responding.
"Nothing here," A man reported.
"No, Sir." Another answered.
"Bloody hell! If we don't find her soon, Alucard and Sebastian are going to tear each and every single one of us a new one. If you don't want a second asshole, then one of you best find Victoria fast." Pickman warned his men. Weber's face automatically paled and he slumped down in his chair to become as small as possible.
"Officer Weber," Sebastian spoke, causing the man to jump in fear. "What are they talking about?" The monsters stared the officer down, waiting to hear what became of their mate. She was lost? How? What happened? Such anger bubbled inside of them. The need to kill was most definitely rising. If Seras was hurt again because of these oblivious imbeciles, then heads will roll.
"Is my Draculina lost?" Alucard questioned the shaking soldier that practically sweated bullets. Quickly, he turned in his seat to look up at them.
"I don't know much, I swear! I was taking care of the cameras and making up that list! A few hours ago, Pickman ordered us over the walkie talkies to help him find Officer Victoria! I guess…nobody has found her yet!" Weber explained. "I've been watching the cameras for her, but there's been nothing!"
"She's been missing for several hours?" Sebastian repeated in disbelief. "And we're learning this now? Why weren't we informed earlier?" Where had she gone? Was she hurt somewhere? Was she hiding?
"Where's Pickman?" Alucard raised his voice while he clenched his fists tightly.
"I don't know!" Weber replied hastily.
"Radio him!" The elder vampire demanded the foolish soldier. The man fumbled as he grabbed his walkie talkie, dropped it, anxiously snatched it back up, and pressed down the button.
"Captain Pickman, Sir!" The soldier called for him over the channel. The Captain responded seconds later.
"Did you find her?!" Pickman asked with the sound of hope in his voice.
"No, Sir. Alucard…is here and wants to know your location." Weber replied. There was a long pause before the captain responded.
"Shit. They know, don't they?" Pickman asked, now sounding completely defeated.
"Aye, that they do, Sir." The young soldier answered.
"Alright, Alucard. Stop bullying my soldier. If you want to talk about Seras' disappearance then come talk to me. I'm outside by the fountain." The Captain informed the seething monsters.
Pickman sighed heavily as he unwrapped a stick of gum to immediately shove it in his mouth. He was already anxiously chewing two other pieces before popping that third in his mouth. He hasn't had a cigarette in a month, but after the day he's had today, he was yearning for one of those sweet cancer sticks. He was sure that if he did have a pack on him he probably would have smoked all of them by now. He was not looking forward to meeting with Alucard and Sebastian. Unlike the average man, Pickman didn't fear them. The 'relationship' he had with them was quite complicated. He wasn't friends with them, but he did have great respect for them, despite what they were. Just as the Captain threw his gum wrapper on the ground, the Hellsing's monsters appeared in front of him. He could practically see the anger boiling in their hellish eyes. Even though he was nervous, Pickman didn't show an ounce of fear.
"I can't find Seras anywhere." The Captain was the first to break that silence.
"You were supposed to watch her!" Sebastian raised his voice while clenching a fist. He had half a mind to punch the foolish human in the face for losing track of their mate. "You had one job! How could you've messed it up so badly?!"
"That job I'm doing as a courtesy, Michaelis." Pickman reminded him through gritted teeth. "I'm doing this for Officer Victoria, not for you."
"Where have you looked?" Alucard interjected.
"Just about everywhere." The Captain muttered as he glanced over at the elder vampire, ignoring the fuming demon entirely. "I asked my men to inform me if they spot Victoria anywhere. But it's been hours. Nobody has seen her."
"And what of her possible perpetrator, the man who spread those rumors? Do you know where he is?" Sebastian asked while he proceeded to give the human a withering glare.
"I already took care of him. He's been suspended for two weeks." Pickman assured him with a nod.
"But where is he?!" The demon raised his voice once more.
"He was escorted off the property." The Captain answered. "Seras was last spotted in the lounge." Something clicked in the demon's eyes before he hastily grabbed the paper Alucard was holding. His eyes flew down the list as he desperately looked for something that he could have sworn he saw. "She was watching a movie. After that…poof. She's gone and nobody can find her." Pickman rubbed the back of his neck then. "The soldier who spotted her in the lounge, he said that she looked real upset." The Captain paused, hesitant to share what else he knew. Sighing, the man proceeded. "He said that her shirt was torn and she was bloody in some areas. He assumed that she just got back from a mission, I didn't tell him any differently." Sebastian lowered the list to look back at Pickman.
"Are you saying that Seras was assaulted again because you failed to watch her like you promised?" The demon questioned him.
"Don't pin this on me, Michaelis." The Captain warned him while shaking his head in disapproval. "I have no idea where she even ran off to! I've been looking nonstop since you both departed for your mission."
"You can call off your search." Alucard growled with a wave of his hand. "Michaelis and I will find her." The elder vampire then turned his back on the human. His red coat flapped behind him from the strong wind. His hair whipped about while his dark red eyes glowed in the dark. He gave Pickman one job: watch his Draculina while they were on a mission. But the human had failed and because of that failure, Seras was…
Alucard gritted his teeth as he dug his nails painfully into the palm of his hands. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the man who violated his Draculina. He wanted to hear that filth scream like the pig he was. He couldn't wait to hear her perpetrator beg for death, but he would receive no mercy. No, his death will be slow and he hoped Seras enjoyed watching every second of her violator suffer. She deserved closure and Alucard intended giving it to her on a silver platter.
"Alucard," The demon broke that silence as he caught up to the fuming vampire. Holding up the list, Sebastian pointed at one of the rooms. "The lounge is on this list. That's where Seras was last spotted. We should check this room for evidence." The look in Alucard's eyes darkened with hatred and disgust. The need to torture and murder was rising while that animalistic beast inside of him raged. No mercy will be granted. Was all the elder vampire could think about. "By any chance, do you know where Seras might be hiding?"
"I don't." Alucard responded roughly. "All I know is that she's somewhere here on the property. I can feel her."
"Well, that makes me feel a bit better." Sebastian murmured. "At least she didn't flee to the woods or to London."
"How could you possibly feel better after learning that our mate just had another traumatic moment that caused her to go into hiding?" The No Life King snarled. "It infuriates me knowing how terrified she must be right now. All I can envision is her tearstained face and it's killing me. I want to tear apart the man who did this to her."
"We'll discover who did this sooner or later, Alucard. In the meantime, we'll collect evidence to prove that Seras is the victim and be there for our mate. We'll protect her…" The demon was abruptly interrupted.
"We have failed to protect her twice now, Michaelis!" Alucard reminded him. This instantly silenced Sebastian. "We keep feeding Seras these…empty promises that we'll be there for her and promise her that nothing will hurt her, but we haven't lived up to those promises. We have let Seras down twice. What we have failed to do is unforgivable. I'll understand completely if Seras shows contempt towards us and never trusts either of us again. Our promises mean nothing." Beneath all that anger and hate was a twinkle of sorrow in the old vampire's eyes. He wanted nothing more but for his bride to have utter faith in him and understand that he would do anything to protect her. He wanted her to know that he loved her more than anything in this forsaken world. But how could she understand any of that if he kept failing her? She had every right not to trust them; to never have any faith in their promises. He was not worthy of her. Neither of them were. He could see that now.
"We may have failed her twice, but our promises were never empty or meaningless. I meant every promise I ever made to her. I will watch over her." Sebastian vowed.
"You'll be her shadow? Is that it, Michaelis?" Alucard scoffed. "What kind of relationship would that be, watching her every step and being cautious of every single person she talks to out of fear that it will happen again? It's unhealthy and we'll be sure to drive her mad from being too overprotective."
"Then what are we supposed to do, Alucard?!" The demon growled in agitation. "When she's out of our sight she ends up hurt! We promise to watch and protect her, but that's considered overbearing and unhealthy for our relationship!"
"You demons," Alucard muttered with a shake of his head. "I guess you wouldn't understand boundaries or respect for another being. Your kind only takes what it wants and is extremely possessive over the things they claim."
"Boundaries and respect?" Sebastian sneered while he glared at the elder vampire. "What do you know about those things? You're self-centered,"
"That's like the pot calling the kettle black." The No Life King interrupted once more. But the demon ignored him and proceeded to rant.
"You've had three brides, all you threw away the second a new, shiny toy came into the picture. Was that being respectful?" Sebastian questioned him.
"Unlike you, I've experienced a multitude of relationships over the centuries. But, much like you are, I'm still learning. I want to do right with Seras." The elder vampire responded.
"As do I, Alucard." The demon practically growled. "I want the best for her."
"Which is why we must be respectful towards her and her boundaries. I want to protect her as much as you do, but following her every move and approving of the people she talks to is being overbearing; it's overstepping boundaries." Alucard explained.
"Then how are we supposed to protect her? How are we supposed to keep true to our promises?" Sebastian asked.
"We'll discover the right balance with Seras." The elder vampire replied.
The dark haired males entered the vacant lounge. Almost instantly, Sebastian detected strange dark blotches that nearly blended in with the red carpet. His eyes narrowed on one of the blotches near the couch while his nose wiggled. It was faint, but he picked up the sweet scent of Seras' blood. His eyes scanned the carpet, taking a mental note of each blotch of what he could only assume were blood stains. As he was trying to construct what could have possibly happened, Alucard wandered over towards the couch. In such an elegant and fluid manner, the elder vampire bent at his hips to grab something that was peeking out from beneath the couch. It was a dark brown belt. The leather was a little worn, currently stuck in a curved position from having been tightly wrapped around something or someone.
"Is this Seras' belt?" Alucard asked out loud as he inspected the belt. His thumbs ran over the cool leather while imagining how it could have ended up on the floor. Had her violator removed it from her body and had thrown it down? Had Seras been instructed to remove it herself and it had been kicked under the couch some time while she was being attacked?
"I'm unsure." The demon admitted as he continued studying the blood stains. He then pointed at the carpet, bringing the subtle red blotches to the No Life King's attention. "Seras was injured, possibly because she was trying to fight back or run." His eyes and finger followed the red blotches to the doors. "I'm thinking she reached the doors before being attacked. She was then dragged back over to the couch."
"What makes you think that?" Alucard asked as he too studied the faint blood drops.
"It's a neat little trail from the doors to the couch. If she was injured at the couch, ran to the doors, and was brought back to the couch then the pattern of blood would be different. There would be at least a second trail of blood. Not to mention, the blood here would be smeared into the carpet from people walking or being dragged across it. But, as you can see, there's only a single trail here and it's neat. One can only conclude that she was harmed at the doors before being dragged back to the couch, leaving one neat trail." Sebastian explained. Heading towards the couch, the demon's sharp eyes picked up more evidence. Imbued in the fabric of the arm of the couch was bits of dry blood. His eyes darted to the folded blanket over the arm of the dark blue couch. The demon was livid when finding a section of the black blanket still wet with blood. "She was placed here. Her wound hadn't healed; she bled out onto this blanket." Sebastian's eyes scanned the room once more. "Is there anything else you see, Alucard?"
"Nothing." Alucard grumbled while he clenched the belt tightly in his hand. He stared menacingly at the blanket coated with his Draculina's blood. What did that filthy human do? How did he hurt her? Was she still hurt and unable to regenerate? Did she need his help, his blood, to heal? "I need to find her." Turning, the No Life King left the room.
"Where could she possibly be?" Sebastian asked. He quickly grabbed the blanket that held clear evidence before he followed after the elder vampire. "Do you have any idea?"
"Somewhere she would feel safe, but I have no idea where." Alucard replied.
"Her bedroom?" The demon considered.
"Wouldn't have Pickman searched there first before sending out a search party?" Alucard asked, though the question was very much rhetorical. "No, we won't find her there."
"It's possible though. Who knows the last time Pickman searched her room. She could be there now." Sebastian figured as they descended the stairs to the basement. They walked through the cold, damp and poorly lit halls. Every so often they passed a door that led to some dusty bedroom full of cobwebs or a room that held storage.
"No," The No Life King responded. He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling that his Draculina wasn't in her room.
"Why are you being so stubborn?" The demon sighed in frustration. "Why are you assuming that she's not there?"
"Seras is probably terrified right now. Do you honestly believe she would be sitting all alone in her room where she could be easily cornered?" Alucard asked him.
"Her door locks." Sebastian reminded him. The dark haired males stopped outside of the Police Girl's room. Despite both of them being able to sense that nobody was in that room, Alucard pushed open the door. No Draculina. The demon's frown deepened in disappointment as his eyes anxiously flickered about her room. Where was she?
"She's going to be hiding somewhere she believes is a safe place. Somewhere no one will find her." The elder vampire wracked his brain, but couldn't think straight. Where would she hide? Where would she feel safe?
"Or somewhere no one dares to go?" The demon wondered out loud. Both males looked at one another then as realization struck them. "She could be hiding somewhere in the depths of the basement."
"It's possible," Alucard murmured, though he had his doubts. "Apart from my master, no one has been brave enough to venture there."
"I'm aware Seras hasn't ventured that far in the basement, perhaps out of fear, but where else would she be? That could explain why nobody has been able to find her." Sebastian responded. "Have you tried telepathy?"
"I have," The master vampire answered. "But she's either ignoring me or is unconscious because she hasn't responded yet." Alucard and Sebastian proceeded, going further into the basement that permeated with their dark essence.
"She could be unconscious from blood loss." The demon considered. Instinctively, Sebastian sniffed the air in hope to be able to track her scent. Instantly that ambrosial scent of her blood crept into his nostrils, causing his eyes to dilate. For a single, brief moment he hungered for a small taste of her mouthwatering blood. Licking his lips, he buried that hunger and reminded himself that Seras was bleeding from an injury. Now was not the time to think about satisfying his hunger with her blood. He scolded himself. "This way." Sebastian informed Alucard before he quickened his pace. Following the scent of her blood, the males came to a door that wasn't far from the demon's bedroom. Michaelis furrowed his brows in clear confusion. It was clear Seras wasn't in that room, they would have been able to sense her presence. Why on earth would her scent lead them here?
"This is a room used for storage. What would Seras have been doing here?" Sebastian asked before he pushed open the door to peer inside the dark room. It was nearly filled with old, dusty boxes, pole lamps, an old, scratched coffee table, a queen size mattress leaning against one wall, and other useless objects that had long been forgotten. It was an absolute cluttered mess, nearly impossible to navigate through without running into something. "What would Seras have been doing here?" The demon repeated, feeling utterly lost and confused. The scent of her blood was strong in this room. It lingered in the air, forcing them to breathe it in. With every breath it was a reminder that she was hurt again because they weren't there to protect her; screaming at them that they had broken their promise and were utter failures.
"Was she hiding here?" Alucard questioned.
"Where?" Sebastian asked with a click of his tongue. "There's barely any room to move. How could she have possibly…"
"She's small." The elder vampire interrupted. "She could squeeze her way through easily."
"No," The demon muttered. He handed the blanket off to Alucard before he carefully stepped over some boxes, following that scent of blood. "This is a good place to hide, but not for herself." Alucard arched a brow while he watched Michaelis snoop through boxes of junk.
"You think she's hiding something in this room?" The No Life King asked.
"It's not a ridiculous thought. She already tried throwing away evidence once. I won't be surprised if she's trying to hide it now." The demon responded as he moved boxes to the side to look beneath stuff. He did find something that appeared out of place with the rest of the items in the room. It was a fluffy throw pillow. It wasn't discolored, nor did it smell of must, nor was it covered in dust, unlike everything else in that room. Was this what Seras was trying to hide? How peculiar. Why hide a pillow? Taking hold of it, the demon turned the pillow in his hand to further inspect it. However, when flipping it over, he found out why Seras had decided to hide it. The pillow was marked with fresh blood and dark stains.
Were those tears? He wondered as he gently ran his fingers over the strange dry streaks. Lifting the pillow to his face, the demon sniffed. Once again, Seras' sweet blood filled his nostrils. He slowly lowered the pillow as a look of repulsion crossed over his features. He stared at those stains on that pillow as he allowed his feelings of hate to grow.
"She must have…buried her face in this pillow while he…" Sebastian was unable to finish that sentence. Instead, he clenched his jaw as his grip tightened around the pillow. "These tears…She must have been so scared and felt…so powerless. Too afraid to be seen as a villain and be put down like some dog, she…didn't fight back."
"He will get what's coming to him." Alucard whispered, trying to reassure the demon…or himself. The No Life King was only capable of glowering at the floor, unable to find the courage to look at the blood and tear stained pillow that was a clear sign of his mate's suffering. Looking back at where he found the pillow, Sebastian's heart stilled when finding more evidence. Setting the pillow on top of some boxes next to him, he picked up a pile of bloody clothes.
"Alucard," Sebastian murmured before he turned to face the elder vampire. "This is what Seras was wearing earlier tonight." Hanging the pants over his arm, the demon held up her carnation pink blouse. The right side of the blouse was torn and stained with dark brown blood. Alucard's dark, hateful gaze locked onto that tattered, bloody blouse. Who had spilt the blood of his Draculina? Who had his way with her? Involuntarily, the elder vampire kept thinking back to his childhood. He scowled at the repeated reminder of what happened to him, and now it was happening to her. He knew the feeling of being powerless, the physical pain of being forced, and he was all too familiar with the self loathing that follows. He was positive that Seras was experiencing all of what he once felt. The difference between them, however, is that she had someone who could relate, someone who would be there for her to console her, and someone who would do anything to help her.
"It appears he cut her achilles tendons, more than likely to keep her from running or fighting back." Sebastian announced. Emerging from his thoughts and memories of his horrific childhood, Alucard focused his gaze on the pair of pants the demon was holding up. The back of Seras' pant legs had been slashed. Blood coated the area around the slash marks. Sebastian frowned as he lowered the pants. "Ordinarily, muscles and tendons are somewhat difficult to heal for a normal vampire with a consistent diet. Seras hardly drinks blood. She's either still severely injured and bleeding or…"
"She had to drink a large volume of blood in order to heal." Alucard naturally finished the demon's sentence.
"For the time being, let's keep the evidence here until we talk with Sir Integra." Sebastian suggested as he placed the set of bloody clothes on top of the stained pillow. "Right now, our only priority should be finding Seras. I need to see if she's alright."
"No, my Draculina is far from alright." Alucard muttered as he subconsciously draped the blanket over a box of junk. Afterwards, he turned out of the room and proceeded down the hall. He focused intently on Seras' presence and nothing else. He needed to find her. Seras, where are you? He wondered, but didn't send that message out because he knew that he wouldn't receive an answer. Alucard descended further into that dark basement, heading towards his chambers. Sebastian followed close behind, though his gaze was fixated on his hands. The blood on her clothes had stained a couple of his fingertips. He used his thumb to try and wipe the blood away, but that only caused the blood to smear more into his skin.
The males, completely locked on target, blindly followed their senses that guided them to the one person they yearned to find. Among their dark, heavy essence that permeated through the depths of the basement, there was a faint presence of a weaker, less powerful vampire. Her aura was so different from theirs. While theirs was dark, powerful, and almost toxic enough to be suffocating, hers was more like a soft and warm caress. Feeling it normally comforted Alucard and Sebastian, but this time around all they could think about was reaching her. Their hearts quickened while Alucard's stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. Finally reaching his chambers, the No Life King pushed open the old iron door to reveal his barren room. They were shocked to find that Seras had chosen Alucard's room to hide in, a place most people feared to go.
The little vampire was sitting on his throne. Her feet were on top of the seat as she hugged her legs to her chest. Exhausted by everything that happened tonight and having lost a considerable amount of blood, Seras was passed out. Her head rested on top of her knees. Her pale face expressed just how tired she truly was. The males were surprised further when seeing what she was wearing. Instead of being in her own clothes, she wore a white button up shirt and black pants, clothing that belonged to Sebastian. Since the clothing was a little large on her, Seras had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the pant legs rolled up to her ankles. Next to her on the small table by his throne were two empty blood bags. It was clear that those two blood bags weren't enough to fully rejuvenate her considering she was deathly pale and passed out from the lack of blood in her system. Looking closer, the demon saw that her side was slightly damp with blood, indicating that she hadn't fully healed either.
"Seras," Alucard whispered before he approached her. His footsteps echoed off the bare walls, but didn't disturb his worn Draculina from her deep, restless sleep. When reaching her, the elder vampire frowned while pain and sympathy glistened in his eyes. What has been done to her? He reached out a hand, but stopped midway. What could he do to help her? How can he console her? He didn't even know what to say. Hesitantly, Alucard placed a hand on top of her head and gently ruffled her hair. Unfortunately, his action startled Seras half to death. The little vampire jolted so high in her seat as she released a sharp gasp that nearly choked her. One second she was 'sound' asleep and the next the afraid fledgling was leaning far back in her seat with her eyes practically bulging out of her head. If possible, her face paled further as they listened to her heart race in her chest. However, when seeing who was before her, all that fear drained from her eyes and there was nothing but relief and gratitude. Had she thought her violator had snuck up on her?
"Master!" Seras exclaimed before she jumped right out of that seat and flung her arms around his neck. Despite his height, the Draculina clung to him, refusing to release him from her unbelievably tight hug. What bothered Alucard was that he could still smell and taste her fear. Fighting back tears, his mate buried her face in the crook of his neck as her arms tightened further around his neck. The elder vampire accommodated her short height by bending a little at the hip, allowing her to rest her feet comfortably on the floor. He then wrapped his arms around his Draculina's shaking body.
"Seras," He whispered, feeling nothing but sorrow for her.
"I'm sorry!" She immediately apologized. "I'm sorry for coming to your room without permission and I'm sorry for drinking your blood bags. I just…I don't want to be alone right now. Would it be alright if I stayed the rest of the night and…day with you? Please?"
"Yes," Alucard whispered. "You don't ever have to feel or be alone when you don't want to be."
"Thank you, Master." Seras replied softly.
"Seras," Sebastian spoke. The Draculina wavered for a second, unsure if she was ready to leave Alucard's arms. She only needed a few seconds to make up her mind. Reluctantly, the girl pulled out of her master's surprisingly warm embrace to look at the demon. There was a clear look of discomfort on Sebastian's face while he frowned at her. To lighten the situation, Seras gave him a small smile as she nervously played with the sleeves that had rolled back down her arms.
"I'm sorry," She gave a little laugh and rolled the sleeves back up to her elbows. "I…raided your wardrobe. I…didn't have anything clean to wear." She lied to them. Sebastian wasn't sure of why Seras was wearing his clothes. Perhaps his scent soothed her. Or maybe she was too afraid to go alone and get clothes from her room. Or perhaps there was another reason altogether that he just wasn't seeing. But it saddened him that she continued to lie to them. Why? His frown deepened and he sighed softly under his breath. He knew that what they were about to discuss was going to be incredibly difficult for her. He just hoped that she started to be honest and trust them to help her.
"Don't worry about it." Sebastian muttered as his eyes flickered down her body, seeing just how big his clothes were on her slender body. She looked cute in them, especially with that warm and endearing smile on her face. Oh how he wished that smile would stay, but he knew it wouldn't last for much longer. "Seras, you don't have to fake being alright around us." The smile fell instantly from her face. "You don't have to pretend. You can confide in us. Let us help you. Let us console you." Such mortification appeared in her eyes. Mindlessly, she took a step back away from them while she chewed anxiously on her bottom lip. "Seras," Sebastian whispered as he hesitated saying more. Taking a deep breath, the demon proceeded softly. "Alucard and I know what…happened. We know that…you were…"
"Stop," Seras demanded before he could finish that sentence. The pale girl looked absolutely sick to her stomach. "Please," Once more, the Draculina struggled to hold eye contact with either of them. Feeling shameful, she lowered her gaze to stare intently at the floor.
"I won't say if you don't want me to, but are you denying what I'm saying?" Sebastian asked her carefully. The little vampire opened her mouth, but couldn't find her voice. She kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She had such a tight hold of the hem of the shirt she was wearing. Her hands shook while her eyes filled with hot tears.
"I…" She was unable to tell another lie. She no longer had the strength to tell someone that she was fine when she was far from being fine. All she could think about was how badly she just wanted to be held by them; to be lost in their warmth and scents. She just wanted to be locked away in their arms where she felt the safest anymore. Unable to fight off the tears for a second longer, Seras cried. She felt terribly guilty for breaking down. She felt disgusted with herself and wanted to stop, but she couldn't find the will to stop her bawling. She was blinded by tears and couldn't catch her breath. She couldn't recall the last time she cried so hard; maybe not since she was a child. God, what this must've looked like for her mentors. Seras thought, feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed on top of her pain, guilt, anxiety, fear, and self loathing.
"I'm sorry," Seras apologized for her ugly crying as she desperately tried wiping her tears away. But she was crying far too hard and wasn't able to stop. God, besides her uncontrollable crying, she had so much to apologize for. A vampire raped by a human! She was a disgrace to their kind! An embarrassment towards her master! Arms wrapped around her and she was pulled against a solid form. A hand pushed against her head, leading her to bury her face in a warm chest. She was met with Alucard's comforting scent. The little vampire hiccuped from crying so hard, but being in his arms and smelling him did help soothe her some. Her master, ever so gentle and patient, stroked her hair while he let her cry freely in his chest.
"He said such disgusting things to me tonight while he did it!" Seras cried in her master's chest. "H-he said that be-because my plumbing doesn't work he can…cum inside of me all that he wants! And last night he kept making me call him master! I hated it! I hated calling him that so much!" She felt a little better telling Alucard and Sebastian; it made her feel as if some weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Even though she felt guilty dumping all of this on them, she couldn't help but feel relief finally being able to talk about it to someone. She didn't have to lie anymore! She didn't have to pretend that everything was okay around them. Having to hold herself together for the last twenty four hours had been absolutely exhausting. She was able to finally stop her bawling. To further calm herself, she took deep breaths.
"I'm sorry we didn't protect you from him." Her master whispered an apology. Stunned, Seras pulled back her head to look up at the tall No Life King. Such sadness glistened in her master's eyes as he stared down at her. His hand remained on the back of her head and even though he wasn't stroking her hair, his thumb continued to move to gently caress over the soft, yellow strands.
"It's…not your fault what happened." Seras told him through sniffs and hiccups. Using the back of her hand, she wiped at her eyes. "You didn't know." Once cleaning away most of her tears, she looked back up at her master. "You're not…mad or…disappointed?"
"Why would I be?" Alucard questioned her with a deep frown. "Do you think I'm so cruel that I would be angry at you for something that was out of your control?"
"I should've had control over the situation though! I'm a vampire! But…" Seras trailed off and grimaced. "But he threatened me. He said that if I tried…fighting back he would…kill me and that he would tell everyone that he had to kill me because I lost control and tried taking a bite out of him."
"Please, don't think negatively of yourself, Seras. He put you in a terrible position; threatened you. There was very little you could have done." Sebastian attempted to get through to her. "Neither Alucard nor I are blaming you. I wish you wouldn't blame yourself either." The Draculina didn't respond. Instead, she frowned and stared glumly at the floor. It was apparent that she wasn't going to take his advice and will proceed to belittle herself.
"Let me check your wounds." Alucard whispered as he gently pushed her backwards. When the back of her legs met with the seat of his throne, she instinctively sat down.
"What?" She murmured as she watched her master kneel in front of her.
"He hurt you, did he not?" Alucard asked as he lifted her right leg.
"How did you…" Seras started, but was cut off.
"We found your bloody clothes you stored away in the storage room." The demon responded. "Please, tell us what he did. We need to make sure you have properly healed. If not, you will have to consume more blood." Gingerly turning her leg, Alucard rolled up her pant leg to check where her achilles tendons had been slashed. She hadn't fully healed, but thankfully it had stopped bleeding. There was nothing but a thin scar left behind.
"Um…" Seras murmured, looking embarrassed and shameful once again. It was clear she didn't want to discuss what her violator had done to incapacitate her so he could take advantage of her.
"Please be honest with us, Seras." Sebastian lightly begged before he knelt down beside Alucard in front of her. His hands automatically reached out to take one of her hands. His warm brown eyes pleaded with her to be fully and completely honest with them. Licking her lips, Seras briefly found her courage to talk about it.
"Um…" She whispered, unsure of where to start. Alucard was already gently grabbing her left leg to see if her tendon had fully knitted itself back together. The Draculina placed her free hand on her right side. "He stabbed me about…three times with a silver knife." She admitted to them. Her master brushed his finger over the tiny scar on the back of her leg. "And," She again licked her lips before proceeding. "To keep me from screaming, he stabbed me in the throat."
"That explains the blood on the pillow." Sebastian muttered under his breath. "And the blood on the blanket and arm of the couch."
"How is your side?" Alucard asked as he placed her left leg back down.
"It's fine," Seras answered with a wave of her hand.
"It's bleeding." The demon corrected her as his eyes flickered to the red stain on her side.
"What?" The Draculina blinked stupidly at him. "Is it?" Seras lifted her arm and looked down to gaze at her side. Seeing the blood seeping through the shirt she hissed a naughty word under her breath. "Shit," Seras then clicked her tongue. "I'm sorry, Sebastian."
"For bleeding on my shirt?" The demon questioned with a raised brow. "It hardly matters. I don't care about the shirt. I'm more concerned that you're hurt."
"It doesn't hurt." Seras assured him. Anymore. She thought to herself.
"You'll need at least another blood bag or two to fully heal yourself." Alucard told her before he lifted her chin so he could check her throat. There was nothing but a thin scar left behind from the knife.
"Or you could drink my blood to heal." Sebastian offered with a small, pleasant smile. "I can assure you that my blood will be far more appetizing and satisfying than the cold blood you'll get from those vile bags." The Draculina's face suddenly heated with a blush. She stared at him, looking so unbelievably bashful and cute.
"You wouldn't mind?" Seras asked.
"No," The demon whispered as his hand moved from hers just so he could cup her cheek. He brushed his thumb over her soft, warm cheek. "Not at all, darling." Nervously, Seras lowered her gaze.
"It's…morbid, I know…but…I've been…curious about drinking blood…straight from the vein." Their mate admitted to them in a whisper. It was charming to them seeing how innocent she was being towards it. She was a vampire and she felt shameful for having thoughts about drinking straight from the vein? The girl's eyes then widened. "I would never hurt or kill someone! I promise! I'm not…out of control! But…it would be okay to drink from…Sebastian, right?" Seras asked as her blush darkened. "You can heal and…I have your permission to do it?"
"I am giving you permission to drink from my veins, Seras." Sebastian confirmed with a nod. "We know that you're not out of control. And it's perfectly natural for you to be having these thoughts."
"You don't need to worry about Michaelis. He will heal, and we know you won't overindulge yourself." Alucard assured her with that trademark grin of his. Her eyes still puffy and red, Seras gave them a small smile.
"Okay," She whispered.
End of Chapter Five
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Oxford Not Brogues