“With her family I was expecting one of our own to eventually do something like this…yet it’s still a bit surprising.”The tall woman shifted in her chair, her silky black skirts hissing against each other as she moved the light of the room reflecting off of her pure white skin.
“And we do not even know who changed her.”
There were murmurs throughout the room in agreement with their leader while the other council sat silent, their nerves on edge with the presence of these people and yet they were sitting casually, simply talking amongst themselves.
“Director?”
Leon looked away from the gaze of one of his fellow hunters to look at the woman who had spoken to him her dark green eyes resting on him. She was a figure of immense beauty, as was most of her kind, her long ebony hair falling to the ground around her chair and mixing with the long silk material of her skirts.
“Yes Lady Diana?”
He regarded her with cool respect his emotions in check as he spoke to her keeping his voice low knowing full well she would hear it.
“I’m sorry to bring up a subject like this, but your hunter, were there any markings besides the ones of the infected bite?”
Her voice was lilting; the sound of tinkling bells almost high pitched enough to sound forever joyous.
“There were claw marks on her neck as well as bruising, and from what we can gather…she had a little run in with a liken.”
The room went silent, the quiet murmurs hushing instantly at the final word.
“Lycanthropy has been…disbanded...it is against our code”
“I know.
But they were for sure that way, fortunately though it seems the vampires poison was strong enough to eliminate the poison of the werewolf in question.”
“Your kind is able to have a since of morals and even intelligence, theirs does not.”
She gave a slight not pleased with his answer as she leaned back in her chair.
“Thank you for your honesty, so do you wish to send her with us or perhaps you can use her…ailment to your advantage.”
His side of the room started whispering to each other wondering how the vampires knew of their plan, did they have spies, or were they just expecting it.
“Actually we were contemplating it, but we would need an occasional visit from one of your own to ensure she can keep her new disease in check.”
Her own council swarmed around her talking to her is hushed angry voices; very few keeping their designated seat. Then from the corner of the table on her right side a voice interrupted in the chaos.
“I’ll be glad to keep watch…and besides…we all know they won’t keep her long she is one of us now after all.”
The air grew thick with tension, each member of the hunter group glaring at them all most gritting their teeth and putting their clenched fists to their sides.
“I think it can be arranged than. He is my right hand and certainly capable, so what say you Director?”
He barely looked at his fellow members knowing their answers were not the best for the academy’s welfare.
“Agreed”
She sat on the ground holding her bandaged, useless arm to her chest staring at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes the cat sleeping by her side.
“I still don’t see why you won’t let your wounds heal; they’d heal so quickly to. And then denying my blood like that.”The man hmphed as he moved around closing the barred door to her cell and making sure the lines of the ward were in place on the floor.
“I refuse to drink humans blood…I’m supposed to protect them not drain them.’
“What if the blood wasn’t in the human…I think it would be perfectly understandable...you know if it were donated.”
“I especially refuse to drink your blood. It’s probably dust and ash by now.”He let out a wheezy laugh going back to his things and searching through his many drawers tossing things aside as he looked for something.
“You need to drink you know, it’s pointless to keep drinking from animals, your body can’t fully function on just that.”
“Wow, what a pity.”
“Your sarcasm is wasted. Besides your death is not wanted by the academy at the moment.”
He walked back to the door one of the medical packets full of blood in his old gnarled hands.
“Willingly donated by your two favorite twins.”She turned away from him to stare at the cat letting her arm fall to her lap so she could pet its thick chocolate colored fur with her working arm.
“Perhaps if I got you a cup.”
He walked away from the door again humming an odd dissonant tune as he searched through his many cabinets and shelves for a cup. She continued petting the cat mentally weighing her options in her head.
‘This disease has a need for survival.’
She remembered her words from earlier and let out a sigh,
‘So if I try to kill it, it will lash out attacking who knows what…damn.’
Looking back up at the bars where the old man stood again she watched his lips upturn into a smile.
“So you finally get it huh, I was thinkin’ there for a minute you were getting stupid.”
He stretched his arm out though the spaces in between the bars with the glass cup held firmly in his hand, the dark liquid making her eyes glow faintly. She reached for the glass taking in her finger numbly looking at it. Then she looked at the cat who cracked an eye open then closed it again. She let out a shaky breath and brought the rim of the glass to her lips, her newly formed fangs scraping the glass as an ever present reminder. She pulled her head back and let the thick liquid run down her throat in a burning trail. Her other hand twitched, the skin luminescent as the blood ran through her body, her veins darkening and her skin regaining a healthy color. She let the cup fall from her hand, the nail marks on her neck closing up along with the lacerations on her back and sides.
“I should have tricked you…put my blood there instead. Ah but I thought of it too late.”
She ignored his comment as she leaned against the hard stone wall of the cell her eyes drifting closed as the cat walked to her curling up on her lap her hand going up to stoke the spot between his ears. The doctor exited the room entirely, his footsteps echoing down the entire chamber.
“I’m surprised at your will Eve.”
The velvet smooth echoed through the chamber, no footsteps heard against the cold stone. Her eyes shot open searching for the bearer of the voice, she recognized it, the sound pulling at the edges of awareness. Then she felt it, the burning prickling sensation in the punctures in her neck. She brought her hand up to it her nails digging into the skin around the holes as she looked frantically around.
“And you haven’t even drank directly from someone.”
He stood in front of the bars still as stone his shaggy reddish hair slightly covering his dark violet eyes from view.
“Your blood it has a strange taste…I’m guessing it’s the whole family thing. You know, coming from vampire eaters and all.”
He grabbed one of the bars, the magic imbued in them not strong enough to repel him, and then moved through it. His body seeming to shift in the light as he walked forward slowly.
“Not a bad taste really…just different.”
Her body shook and trembled as she started to scoot back pushing herself as close to the wall as possible, her body curled up in on itself. Then he looked at her directly, his violet eyes locking with her gray ones, and she was rendered immobile. Her body completely stopping except for the occasional tremor of her limbs. Her eyes wide, unwavering, and fearful as she watched him walk closer a wide grin on his face.
“And now here you go, making me feel bad. Why don’t you spit at me like before, or threaten to kill me and my race…oh wait you can’t now. You’re just like me now, a blood sucker.”
He leaned down next to her turning her head from side to side letting his hand slide to the bite-marks he had made three weeks earlier.
“They won’t fade. They’ll be with you for the rest of your life. And seeing as now your life has been extended a great deal, you will have them for a very long time.”
He leaned down his face right next to her neck as his gingery hair twisted and danced against her skin.
He moved his hand away from her neck and licked over the spot, once, twice, then again. Her brain reeled, trying to throw pictures of revulsion and disgust into her eyes, but she didn’t feel the need to gag and shudder, and this scared her. His fangs grazed her skin slightly her eyes still wide and plastered on the darkness behind him, unable to move or speak by an unseen force that pulled on her psyche. Then ever so slowly his mouth clamped down on her neck, each small piece of his fangs sliding into the wound, the sound of breaking flesh filling her ears. He crouched next to her like that for a while longer, her face growing paler and her eyes more dull until he finally pulled away somewhat regretfully, the blood running down him chin and covering his teeth as he spoke.
“It seems to taste even better than before.”He cocked back down to lick up the blood that had smeared down her neck his hands clenching and unclenching as they rest against the wall. When he pulled back again she noticed his eyes had changed, their tone taking on a bright liquid red that almost glowed. He smiled at her again.
“You really should have blood directly from the person. It really tastes much better that way Eve.”
Then his eyes suddenly seemed to brighten, his smile growing wider by the second as he brought his hand up to her chin.
“I think I can give you something close right now.”
Her eyebrows knit together as she tried yelling for someone, her mouth stayed shut and her voice unheard.
Then without warning his lips were on hers forcing and almost mechanically hers went to his, her mind torn as to why her own body would literally not obey her, every movement she tried to make weighted down by an un-seen force.
‘I control you Eve.’
His voice rang through her head crystal clear as if he’d spoken the words aloud, but he hadn’t, right now he was shoving the metallic salty taste of blood into her mouth.
‘I hate you vampire…’
‘Now that’s the ticket.’
She could hear him laugh inside of her head as he pushed her hard against the wall, the cat letting out a harsh meow when it was knocked to the side, but it did nothing except watch as Eve was shoved hard into the cold stone behind her.
Her limbs stayed plastered against her sided, her eyes wide and unmoving as she stared at his face on hers. He opened his eyes slightly looking at her for a moment before thinking another command.
‘Close your eyes.’
Her eyelids suddenly snapped shut squeezing out the tears she had been holding back making them run down her face and against his.
Then his weight was gone, and the pull of control was gone with him one final command left echoing in her mind.
‘Forget my face, and don’t tell anyone I was here.’And so he said it, and so it was; the image of him instantly disappearing from her mind leaving her angry and frustrated on the floor her fist slamming into the ground.
“So Leon what did the two counsels decide?”Leon looked back to Darren who sat waiting in his office sitting in the chair meant for him behind his desk.
“She will stay with us for now.”He walked to the other side of the room standing by the window then resting his head against the cool glass.
“They actually agreed to it?”
“Yes, but we get to have a guest in the academy. Some uptight a*****e vampire their letting stay…we prompted for monthly visits, but he feels he needs to be here as long as possible to ensure the safety of us and her.”Darren sat quietly his booted foot tapping against the wooden desk as he stared at the ceiling biting his lower lip in thought.
“Well, I hope he’s strong cause if not he’s going to be beaten to a pulp constantly and what kind of protection is a bloody pulpy vampire? About as much as a pulpy orange if you ask me.”Leon let out a short laugh shaking his head at Darren’s words knowing they were meant to cheer him up with the cliché joke at the vampire expense, and they had worked slightly.
“He’s the right hand of the leader of the vampires, some vampire lord, we are to simply address him as J. Apparently his name is a well known one through the vampire and hunter environment so his real name is being kept silent.”
“J huh…Must stand for joke.”
Leon snorted his head still resting against the cool glass as Darren rambled on with other cliché insults unable to think of man good one since he had never seen the vampire.
“Leon there is quite a few who will try to kill this man and her. I heard there have been four assasination attempts on just the vampire council. What makes you think their lives would not be in danger?”Damien stood leaning against the doorway his right arm sporting a Band-Aid with a small spot of blood already showing through matching the hidden one on Darren’s arm.
“I know. And their life will be forfeit if they do. It has already been decided and agreed upon. A blood oath set to it. Even we hunters can’t break that…Darren get out of my damn chair and get your feet of my desk.”The was a loud thunk as Darren’s feet fell to the ground and he stomped away from the large leather chair to stand next to his brother by the door who let out a quiet laugh at his brothers pouting face.
“I’ll tell this nuisance off of your hands Leon…but I want a ward on Eve.”Leon’s looked at the brother quizzically crossing his arms over his bulky chest.
“Why?”
“Because I want to avoid anything unnecessary happening, because for her own sake she needs to continue going on missions, and it would help the academy keep her under their control for a while longer anyway.”“It’ll be done then…but I know you have something else planned Damien, I can see it in the way your eyes are shining.”Darren turned away from the two walking out of the office entirely knowing full well what his brother was up to, unfortunately he couldn’t keep a straight face in a lie like his brother could and he knew it.
“Why director don’t you know…lust isn’t limited to blood and sex…there’s more than just Bloodlust…”
