Raynee tapped on the
door gently, calling to Ana as she watched the guests brush
past her, engaging in witty conversation. "Ana? Are
you ready? Everyone is waiting." The door opened slowly
as Ana appeared, holding her chest with one hand as she
stared at Raynee. "I guess this is as ready as I will
be," she replied, stepping into the hallway and looking
around. "It'll be fine. Look, I'm going to walk you
to the door, then take my seat so that this can begin,"
she looked at Ana quickly, noticing that she was more pale
than usual, "Ana...everything will be ok." Ana
forced a smile as Raynee patted her hand, then led her along
the hallway to the large black door. Ana grabbed her arm
quickly, pulling her back inside before she could leave.
Her eyes darted over Raynee, her stature much smaller than
Ana's own. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
she asked, her voice concerned as she spoke. Raynee smirked,
pulling her hand gently away from her arm, "Because
I can be. Now, take a deep breath and let's do this."
Ana nodded and straightened her posture, inhaling deeply
as Raynee left her side and sat down with Loeki. She watched
as Loeki patted Raynee's knee, kissing her gently along
the neck. Her breathing quickened, her heart sinking with
each moment that she stared at him. Shaking her head, she
quickly rid her mind of the thoughts that lingered and stepped
through the doorway, staring at the many faces who had turned
to look at her now. Each guest seemed to gaze at her in
awe, taken in by the decadent beauty that stood before them.
She watched as the priest motioned her forward. He had been
summoned by Raynee from an elder council, his only service
in the coven was to marry those who wished to spend eternity
in marital bliss. Bliss...she scoffed to herself, how could
she feel any kind of bliss when she lost her heart a long
time ago?
She walked slowly,
no music played as each row of guests rose to their feet.
She almost chuckled aloud as she watched Raynee elbow Loeki
into a stand, watching as his eyes remained on the floor.
She looked past Alucard and Keeria, noticing his proper
gaze did not fit her smug smile. She glanced at Eilian and
to the many others who were gathered...many whom she did
not recognize. Small, pure blood children skipped before
her as they tossed black rose petals to the ground. She
found them almost charming in a disgusting way, pondering
who many of them belonged to. Near the front, Epic took
her hand in his and helped her onto the step. The priest
stared at each, his blue eyes casting a warm glow over their
pale skin. She could tell he was old, older than many in
the coven that night. She thought of how her life would
be if this were not happening, where she would end up. She
lost herself in those thoughts as the priest spoke, listening
only as Epic turned to her and smiled. "I do,"
he spoke softly, his eyes not hidden behind the dark glasses
for once. She noticed how they seemed to sparkle, never
having really seen them before. She looked over his dark
suit, the crimson shirt accenting his blonde hair. "And
do you Anallee, take Epic?" the priest asked, turning
towards her. She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut
short by the slamming of the large back door. "No,
she does not," Chupa spoke aloud.
Loud gasps and whispered voices filled the room as each
guest turned to look at Chupa. He stood midway down the
aisle, his black leather pants and dark shirt hugged him
tightly. His dark hair fell into his eyes, masking the emotions
that poured freely from them. "What in the hell?"
Loeki asked, grabbing Raynee by the arm and jerking her
closer to him, " Did you have anything to do with this?!"
Raynee pulled away angrily, smiling slightly as she too
looked Chupa over, "No, but now I am wishing I had."
"Who the hell
do you think you are?!" Epic asked angrily, meeting
Chupa half way down the aisle. "I think I am Anallee's
first husband. Just who the hell do you think you are?"
he replied, crossing his hands over his toned chest. Epic
snapped his head quickly to look at Ana, his eyes were full
of shock and dismay. "Man, this is worth paying to
see!" Morpheus exclaimed excitedly as he sat upright
behind Raynee. She turned quickly and patted her brother
hard on the upper arm to quiet him, wanting to hear all
the conversation between the two men. Morpheus quickly took
a long drink of scotch, sealing the bottle back as he watched
with excitement. "Ana was never married, so who are
you really?" Epic asked, balling his fists at his sides.
Chupa chuckled loudly, wiping a hand across his cheek, "Wow...she's
good. You see, there's something your pretty bride forgot
to mention about her past. I am Anallee's first husband
and contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead." His
eyes drifted to Keeria who sat beside him, her heart almost
racing out of her chest as he spoke. She tried to stand,
to run from the confrontation, but found herself pulled
back into the seat by Alucard. "Patience, Meid. He
cannot kill you in here." She sunk beside him as close
as she could, feeling Chupa's gaze still on her. Epic quickly
turned to look at Ana, his rage building as his embarrassment
grew. She ran to him, grabbing him roughly around the arm
as she spoke. "Please Epic, let's do this in private,"
she begged, pulling him towards the back door, "I don't
know who he is, so let's do this outside." Epic shook
his arm from her grasp, slapping her away as he stepped
closer to Chupa. "Wow Ana, I see you have found a quality
man in this one. He beats you almost as much as I did,"
Chupa chuckled, reaching out to touch her gently. She quickly
darted behind Epic, glaring at Chupa angrily.
"Why did you come
here?!" she snapped finally, all attention now turned
onto her, "You know I told you that it was over when
Keeria plunged that dagger into your lying, emotionless
chest, you bastard!" The room grew completely silent
as she spoke, no soft whispers to be heard this time as
all sat in shock. Ana looked around the room slowly, brushing
long bangs from her eyes as she returned each gaze with
a glare. "What?! You all think you sit in this little
room and prove how perfect you are?! Well, you're not perfect!"
she began to yell, turning in a circle as she looked at
each face, "I gave my life away when I was seventeen
years old and for what? A child I would never know? A husband
that I had to kill to get away from? That's right...judge
me..." she spoke, grabbing the front of her dress as
she began to storm down the aisle away from the crowd. Raynee
stood and followed her quickly through the large black door,
slamming it shut behind them. She grabbed Ana by the arm,
spinning to face her as she spoke, "Just what in the
hell is going on Ana?! Who is that?" "Like you
don't know!" she snapped, jerking her arm away from
Raynee's grasp.
"So...are you
a friend of the family or what?" Razvan asked, leaning
his arm against the concrete wall outside the small building.
Darvian rolled her emerald eyes, exhaling a small cloud
of smoke as she spoke. "I am the family," she
replied, her tone was sarcastic and bitter. Razvan nodded,
a small smile creeping slowly across his pale lips. "So...wanna
ditch this place and find some fun?" "And what
would you call fun?" she asked, handing him the cigarette.
Razvan took a long drag, shrugging lightly as he handed
the smoke back to her, "I dunno, depends on what you're
up for." Darvian shrugged as well, tossing the cigarette
to the ground as she began to walk. "I'm up for a lot
of things," she replied, turning to look back at him
briefly.
Razvan smirked, following
her closely. "You have an accent, is it German?"
"Russian," she answered, not bothering to turn
around as she began to walk along the curb of the street
like a tight rope. Her feet stepped one in front of the
other delicately, her balance perfection as she continued
her trick as they walked. "Russian...not too many in
this city really. Is it your mother?" "Yes, my
father is German." "Odd pairing, but I can sympathize.
My mother is Russian of sorts and my father was a German
national," he spoke, still following her closely. "That's
nice," Darvian said, showing little interest of what
he had to say as she stepped from the curb back onto the
sidewalk. Tired of the games she seemed to play with him,
Razvan grabbed her by the arm and pulled her quickly into
an old alleyway near the heart of the city. Pushing her
against a wall, he pressed his body close to hers as his
lips met with the soft skin along her throat. His teeth
punctured her flesh, the warm blood flowing into his mouth
as his eyes began to glow a warm blue color. "Rough,"
she gasped with a smile, "I like that in a man."
Razvan chuckled as he pulled away from her, running his
index finger along his stained lips. "Cerulean blue,"
she smirked, touching her finger to his lips. He arched
a brow at her, kissing her fingertip lightly. "Your
eyes, they're cerulean blue." Razvan smiled, speaking
gently to her as he stroked her hair with the back of his
hand, "They are my father's. My mother has emerald
eyes, they remind me of yours." "Who is your mother?"
she asked, pressing her head against his hand as she closed
her eyes slightly. "You might know her, I mean she
is your mother's cousin after all." Darvian's eyes
opened quickly, her body trembling against his touch as
she tried to pull away. "What kind of inbred pervert
are you?!" she yelled, trying harder to free herself
from his hand. "The kind that will beat you and drag
your lifeless, whoring body to the harbor where all the
trash belongs," he responded, holding onto her tighter.
"You wouldn't
dare!" she snapped, feeling overly confident of herself.
Razvan chuckled slowly, raising the hand that had petted
her hair so gently and slapped it hard across her face.
Darvian fell onto her hands, laying against the cold ground
as blood pooled into her mouth. She whimpered softly, trying
to push herself onto her feet, trying to escape the torture
she knew that would soon come. But Razvan was too quick
for her. He grabbed the back of her hair, slamming the side
of her face into the brick wall, rendering her unconscious.
Tightening his hold on her hair, he began to drag her along
the alleyway into the shadows of the night.
"Well, that was
delightful," Morpheus spoke, lighting a cigarette.
Loeki glared at him slightly, sighing heavily as he leaned
back across the bench beside his brother in law. "You
find everything to do with someone else's pain amusing,
Morpheus." "Yes...yes I do. And my night would
be complete if you would please go die painfully now,"
he replied, staring at Chupa and Epic as he inhaled the
cigarette smoke deeply. Loeki rolled his eyes, finally turning
to fully face Morpheus as he spoke, "Don't you have
to go be drunk somewhere?" "Don't you have to
go be whoring somewhere?" Morpheus replied, smirking
as he too turned to look at Loeki. Loeki's frown spoke volumes
as his mouth tightened in a silent reply. Morpheus turned
slightly as his sister emerged from behind the dark doorway,
her face showing signs of distress and pleasure at the same
time. He watched as she walked towards Epic, whispering
something softly into his ear before backing away to avoid
the wrath of his fist upon the wooden bench seat. Chupa's
laughter echoed through the building, many of the guests
having made their way outside. Epic glared at the man, his
eyes narrowing as he placed the dark sunglasses back over
them.
He pulled the black
jacket from around his arms, throwing it at one of the benches,
his hands fumbling along the buttons of the shirt. "Let's
go, now!" he demanded, waving Chupa up. Chupa stared
at him, arching a brow at Epic's sad attempt for restitution.
Sighing, he stood slowly and faced Epic, "Come now,
need we fight over Ana?" "Why not? You obviously
wanted a fight when you stepped inside this building tonight,"
Epic snapped, rolling up his sleeves. "Epic...I just
wanted back the woman who had given me so much pleasure
in my life. You know, beds can be quite cold on nights like
this," he leaned in, speaking softly to Epic in a smug
tone. Epic's blue eyes burned fiercely behind the dark glasses,
his fist drawn tightly at his sides. "When Anallee
and I made love...Man!" Chupa called out, arching his
body as he smiled, "I couldn't walk for days! That
woman is one wild beast when she gets in the right mood,
lemme tell ya!" "You son of a-" "Epic!"
Raynee yelled, stepping between the two men, "It's
not worth it! Let's just go outside for some air."
"I don't want any god damn air!" he yelled back
at her, pushing her aside. "Hey! Hands off the wife!"
Loeki yelled, grabbing Raynee gently by the arm and pulling
her close to him. "Yea German, take your issues somewhere
else and don't lay another hand on Ray!" Morpheus yelled.
All eyes shot to him, Raynee rolling hers as she pushed
her brother to the back of the church. "What?!"
he yelled down at her, staggering away from the fight. "Morpheus,
when you defend me next time, please make sure that you
are not too drunk to remember that this wedding is nothing
but Germans and a handful of Russians," she replied.
"Right..." He sat down in a bench, laying against
the back as his lips found their way to the bottle of scotch
once again. Raynee turned her attention back to Loeki, walking
down the aisle to stand next to her husband once more.
"Like you have
any need to be here, Loeki! You were screwing Ana more than
I was!" Epic yelled, his pain now very much apparent.
Raynee shook her head, not wanting to listen to what Epic
was about to say, but unable to walk away from the whole
situation.
"Always fighting
over Anallee! Gods, don't you men ever get tired of rotating
the same woman around between the city and yourselves?"
Keeria asked, stepping into the vastly growing circle of
tension and hate. Alucard stood confidently at her side,
choosing to remain silent for the time being. "Great,
the Russian police are here," Epic stated, rolling
his eyes as he turned his back on the group. "Joke
now, German, but it is your life that has just ran from
this church and left you with this mess," she snapped.
"Yes, but it will be her life that I take once I catch
up with her," he replied, turning once again to look
at everyone. "I won't allow you to harm her, Epic,"
Loeki snapped, stepping closer to his cousin. Raynee stared
at Loeki in shock, her mouth agape as no words found their
way onto her tongue. "Raynee..." Loeki began,
turning to her with pleading eyes. "Bastard!"
she yelled, hitting him hard across the face before storming
from the church. "Get your ass up Morph, we're going
home!" she yelled as she stormed past her brother,
throwing open the large door as she exited the building.
Morpheus followed obediently, saddened that he would not
get to see the fight conclude. "Looks like you have
enough trouble on the home front, cousin. Better go find
your wife before the milkman does," Epic chuckled bitterly.
Loeki followed Raynee from the church, jogging down the
hallway and into the cool night air as his eyes darted around
for a glimpse of her image. He found only darkness. His
ears began to pick up elevated voices coming from the other
side of the small building, screams of a bitter fight. He
walked silently around the building, keeping a safe distance
as he watched the heated discussion between Ana and Chupa.
"Why did you even
come back here?! How are you even alive?!" she yelled,
confusion and uneasiness settling into her voice as she
spoke. "I am alive, Liebe, that's all you have to know.
I came back for you...didn't I make it obvious inside?"
he replied, holding both sides of her face gently in his
hands. Ana closed her weary eyes, the features of her young
face growing old and tired. Chupa gazed at her, his soft
smile fading as he noticed the weakness that spread through
her. "Ana..." he began, his words almost whispered
as his lips drew near to her own. "Please Chupa, I
am tired." He lingered near her a moment, resting his
forehead against her own as his eyes gazed over her face.
"I have some unfinished business here, but I will return
and we shall rekindle the flame that once burned so brightly
between us," he spoke, backing away from her slowly.
She did not care to look up at him, simply pulling the veil
from her head and allowing it to drop to the ground. Chupa
sighed, turning his back on her once again as he walked
down the dark road towards the heart of the city. "Wanna
tell me what's going on?" Loeki asked loudly, lighting
a cigarette as he stood near Anallee. She looked up at him,
startled that she had not noticed him there earlier. "What
is there to explain?" she replied softly, pulling the
satin gloves from her hands and tossing them to the ground,
"I believe everything was pretty much said inside."
"No Ana, I want the truth now." She watched as
he approached her, his dark clothing masking him against
the night, his blue eyes paler than usual. She sighed once
more, ripping the choker from her neck and watching as it
fell into a small pile at her feet. "Alright...I will
tell you everything..."
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