Keeria
stood in the large bedroom she had come to share with Alucard.
Although their relationship was simply platonic, she still
felt a sense of security when sleeping next to him. But
she would never tell that to him. Her sleek dress fell to
the floor as she stepped over it and continued to walk towards
the vast closet, it's shelves brimming with fine clothing
from Europe. Alucard shook his head gently, walking behind
her and retrieving the crumpled material from the floor.
"You should really consider how you treat your clothing,
meid," he spoke, tossing the dress neatly onto the
huge bed. She shrugged her slender shoulders, pushing her
hands through the racks of clothing until she came across
her usual leather attire. "Like I care what it says
on that label," she replied, her Russian accent thicker
than usual. He stared at her a moment, noticing how she
stood only in a black pair of underwear, but felt perfectly
comfortable. "You did look nice tonight," he smirked,
sitting on the bed as she pulled on the form fitting pants.
"Nice enough to kill? Because I think Chupa would have
if he had found the chance to." "Chupa was too
busy concerning himself with Anallee to worry about you.
But I agree, you're not safe yet," he answered, pulling
the dark robe from around his shoulders and laying it across
the bed as well. Keeria nodded, zipping the black leather
vest over her breasts as she let down her long, raven hair.
"Who's luggage is downstairs?" she asked, pulling
the onyx earrings from her ears and sitting them aside.
"You're daughter's," he replied, pushing his white
hair out of his crimson eyes. Keeria stopped, looking at
Alucard slowly for a moment, "What?! Darvian is here?
Why have I not seen her?!" "Relax Meid, she is
probably doing the usual teenage thing."
Keeria took her sword
from where it had laid in a dark corner, sheathing it behind
her as she stormed towards the door. "Where are you
going?" Alucard asked worriedly. "To do the usual
motherly thing," she replied, slamming the door behind
her.
"You wore my ring tonight," Chupa smirked, watching
from his place on the dresser as Raynee packed. "I
don't really have time for this right now, Chupa,"
she replied bitterly, throwing as much as she could into
the large suitcases. He watched as Anna kicked gleefully
on the center of the bed, her dark hair smoothed along her
face as she toyed with the satin end of her dark blanket.
He smiled at her, remembering his own time as a parent to
a small child. "For an immortal, you seem to have little
time for anything." Raynee stopped to finally look
at him, her eyes narrowed into a bitter glare. "I have
little time for games. I have a plane to catch, so tell
me what you want and let's get this over with," she
snapped. Chupa pushed himself off the dresser, walking towards
the bed and lifting Anna from where she laid. One hand held
her gently at the base of her neck, the other supporting
her small back as she smiled at him cheerfully. He blew
gently along her belly, smiling back and babbling in familiar
German. Raynee watched the two carefully, nervous that Chupa
held her daughter so close. "Your husband is a fool.
He sees only what he wants and not what he has," he
began, cradling Anna in his arms as he turned to face Raynee.
"I have no husband," she replied, slamming the
suitcases shut and tossing them to the floor. "Liebe..."
Chupa began, chuckling softly as he shook his head, "You
love him and he loves you." "Oh yea? Then why
is he protecting your wife right now?" Chupa arched
a brow at her, rocking the baby gently back and forth. "As
I said, your husband is a fool. But none the less, I have
brought you the money promised and I will take my leave.
I hope that you and
the child have a safe flight." He handed her the baby,
making his way from the room, stopping only a moment to
look at her once more. "Running away does not suit
a beautiful woman like yourself. You have money, power and
a clan that stands behind your every command. Use them..."
She watched as he shut the door, his last remark dwelling
in her head.
Her vision spun, her
eyes blurring in and out of focus as she tried to lift her
head. Dried blood caked around her nose and mouth, her tongue
tasting metallic as she swallowed hard. She tried to speak,
but her words only muttered from her mouth, inaudible to
whomever was listening. She pushed herself off the cold
concrete of the floor, her face having grown numb and stained
in blood. She sat on her knees, staring at her hands as
she began to remember what had happened to bring her here.
"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty," a voice from behind
her called. She recognized the tone from earlier in the
evening, turning slowly to see the man behind the voice.
"Have a nice sleep?" Razvan asked, one hand leaning
against a metal pipe. Darvian shook her head slowly, wincing
in pain, "No...I want my mother. Where is she?"
"She'll find you soon enough. But, here's what you're
going to do for me, precious. You're going to tell mommy
dearest that you're fine, we're having a good time and you
will be home tomorrow. Got that?" he demanded, dragging
the pipe beside him as he walked closer to her. She winced
again at the sound of the pipe, her eyes slamming closed
as her head pounded in pain. "I'm not telling her anything,"
she replied, wiping a little of the blood from her mouth.
"Fine, have it your way," he shrugged, slamming
the pipe into her arm with quick, precise force. Darvian
screamed loudly, falling forward and rolling onto her back
as she held the broken arm against her chest.
"Oh, don't be
such a drama queen! You're a pure blood, it'll heal eventually,"
he snapped, standing over her. "How can I tell my mother
I am fine when I look like a mess?!" she sobbed, holding
her wounded arm tighter as she looked up at him. Razvan
rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, crouching over her as
he spoke, "Listen brat, we'll clean you up, then you
pretend to be so overwhelmed with pleasure that she can't
possibly force you to come home." Darvian continued
to sob, turning on her side as Razvan stood again. "Well,
can you handle that or do I just kill her when she comes
looking?!" he yelled, growing tired of the sobs. "Yes!
Yes...I'll play along..." her words choked through
her cries, her mouth filling with the tears that streamed
down her face. "That's a good girl. Now...let's get
you cleaned up," he replied, grabbing her by the hair
once more and dragging her into the back of the building.
Loeki fumbled for the
door knob, almost too afraid of what lay inside to turn
it completely. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness
of the entrance way, the silence almost unbearable. He looked
down at the suitcases as his foot kicked against one, a
small sigh escaping his lips. "Raynee?" he called,
traveling further into the mansion. His head bowed slightly
as he received no reply, knowing too well that she had already
gone. He sat on the couch, his hands rubbing his face as
another sigh escaped his lips. "What are you doing
here?" Raynee asked, watching as Loeki's head snapped
up quickly. "You haven't left yet," he replied,
standing and walking towards her. She backed away slightly,
holding Anna tightly in her arms as her eyes held a cold
glare. "Raynee..." he began, his words pleading
to her sadly, "Don't go. Don't take her away from me."
"You brought this on yourself, Loeki. You pushed us
away," she replied bitterly, turning towards the front
doors.
"Wait!" Loeki
called, grabbing her gently by the arm and turning her to
face him, "Just listen to me a minute...please."
Raynee stared at him, tempted to turn and walk away forever,
but curious as to what he had to say. She nodded slowly,
sighing slightly as she shifted Anna into the other arm.
"I love you, and only you. I have made so many mistakes
that I don't expect you to forgive me, I just don't want
to lose my daughter because of what I have done. Please
Raynee, if you love me at all, don't take her away from
me," he pleaded, his navy eyes holding a weakness inside
them she had never seen. "And what about me, Loeki?
What am I to do if I stay? I can no longer trust you and
my love for you has begun to dwindle. I feel it's better
for all of us if Anna and I leave tonight." "What
do you want from me, Raynee?!" he yelled, becoming
desperate to save the life he had created, "I have
given you all that I have.. my body, my life, my heart.
What more can I offer?" "You have given me nothing
more than pain, cruelty and heartache," she replied
softly, turning away once more. Loeki grabbed her quickly,
his hand grasping her arm much tighter this time as he pulled
her into a long kiss. Anna squirmed restlessly between them
as Raynee broke away, staring into Loeki's eyes with a startled
expression. He did not let her stare long, pulling her into
yet another kiss. "I love you...I couldn't love you
more," he pleaded, holding her close to him as his
lips traveled along her face. Raynee froze, her heart beating
too fast for her mind to catch up as she held him as well.
Ana threw the long
skirt of the wedding dress onto the couch, standing nearly
naked in a black corset and small black underwear. She looked
around the darkened house, seeing no signs of Epic having
been there recently. But why would he be here? She pondered
a moment, knowing that it was only the guilt speaking now.
She thought about the
hours she had spent with Loeki, telling him in great detail
of her past and how she had managed to end up reliving it
all this very night. She walked slowly to the bar, grabbing
one of the bottles of scotch and pouring a small amount
into one of the crystal glasses. Her eyes winced shut as
the burning liquid poured down the back of her throat, igniting
her stomach with bitter flames. "How does Epic stand
this stuff?!" she yelled into the silent room, pouring
another glass and drinking it just as quickly. Pushing the
bottle away, Ana leaned across the marbled counter of the
bar, the memories flooding her mind once more. Epic approached
her from behind, noticing how she seemed too lost in thought
to hear his silent footsteps. His hands wanted to reach
out to her, to grab her so tightly not even death could
release his grip. But, it remained balled at his side. "Beautiful
night for a wedding, isn't it?" he asked, his expression
never changing as she startled and turned to face him. "I
thought you were gone!" she gasped, her hand clutching
her chest tightly. "Where would I go, Ana? I do not
have the resources or the friends that you do. In fact,
now that I don't have you, I am pretty much alone,"
he replied bitterly. Ana quickly wiped away the tears that
had escaped to her pale cheeks, her hand quivering as he
spoke. "Epic..." she began in a weak voice, "I'm
so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Epic scoffed,
almost amused by her apology. "You didn't mean to hurt
me? You stood with me in front of all those people, pledging
your love to me as you lied to my face. You were married
Ana!" "I didn't know he was alive!" she yelled,
defending herself as best she could. Epic shook his head,
shocked at how easily she seemed to take the whole situation.
"You didn't know he was alive?! I didn't even know
he existed! What else haven't you told me?!"
Ana shook her head,
quickly looking to the floor as she spoke, "Nothing...I
have hid nothing else from you." "Lies!"
he yelled, unable to control his rage now, "I want
nothing more than to rip you apart, to crush your lying
little heart until you die so painfully that not even death
will be a blessing!" "Then why don't you, Epic?!"
she yelled back, no longer pushing back the burning tears
that flowed along her pale cheeks, "I wish you would
just kill me and end all of this once and for all!"
Epic raised his hand, watching her eyes as the defiant flames
rose inside of them. His hand wavered in the air a moment,
unsure of what held it back from hitting her with all the
force he could muster. He turned quickly, grabbing large
pieces of his hair as his breathing seemed to come rapidly.
Ana stared at Epic, her heart racing inside of her chest,
her body wanting her to run as she remained seated at the
bar. She listened to his breathing in the silence of the
night, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he turned
once more to face her. He pressed himself against her as
he spoke, pushing her back painfully against the counter
top. "You didn't find me suitable enough to caress,
to share a bed with, but you certainly found me foolish
enough to marry." Ana turned her head away from him
quickly, his breath smelling of hard liquor and cigarettes
as he pushed himself onto her more. "Stop Epic!' she
begged, trying to push him away, but to no avail. "You
made me feel things for you that I had never felt for anyone,"
he spoke, grabbing the small elastic band of her underwear
and ripping it loose from her hip. "Epic!" she
yelled, pushing him harder. He grabbed her by the thighs,
throwing her onto the counter top as he grabbed a small
dagger from his side pocket. Epic slashed at the thick corset,
tearing away pieces of the material until the whole thing
fell from around her torso, leaving her completely bare
to him. His lips ran along her skin roughly as Ana's hands
pushed at his head, trying to force him away from her.
He held her legs open
tightly with both hands, the heavy weight of his body pinning
her to the counter. Ana stopped moving suddenly as she stared
at his face. She noticed that for once, Epic's blue eyes
were stained with the trails of sad tears. Noticing how
she stared, he looked away from her, almost ashamed of what
he was about to do. Still, he pressed on, his free hand
fumbling with the zipper of his pants as she watched in
horror. Terror filled Ana, her hands reaching out for anything
to protect herself with, yet she found nothing.
"Get off her!"
Chupa yelled, pulling Epic from the bar. He hit Epic hard
in the jaw, watching as he fell against the couch. "You
can have her, I was done with the bitch anyway..."
Epic replied, holding his jaw as he leaned against the couch
with one arm. "You never had her to start with, drunk,"
Chupa snapped, throwing his coat around Ana as he helped
her to her feet. He looked her over a moment, concerned
that she had been hurt, but satisfied that she wasn't. "No...I
guess I didn't," Epic began, standing slowly from the
floor, "But you are no better in her eyes, Chupa. She
left you once, she'll leave you again." Chupa glared
at Epic, his temper finally surfacing as he spoke. His truthful
words plagued Chupa, forcing him to remember the past. "In
fact," Epic chuckled sadistically, "She'll probably
go screw Loeki as soon as your back is turned." "Shut
up, Epic!" Ana yelled, turning to stare pitifully at
Chupa. "I think we're done here," Chupa snapped
quietly, grabbing Ana as they stormed towards the door.
Epic watched as they left, not bothering to say another
word as the door slammed shut and his future slammed shut
with it. Ana watched as Chupa walked ahead of her down the
small driveway, his eyes seemingly focused just above the
road. She did not dare to speak, her heart racing still
as they walked in silence towards town.
Eilian sat on the rooftop of the old warehouse, his long
raven hair blowing past his face as he stared into the dark
abyss of the harbor. His keen eyes scanned the darkness,
looking for any who dared to tread near the vampire haven,
but also looking for one person in particular. His keen
hearing picked up the sound of footsteps, one, maybe two
people. His head turned slightly, watching as two figures
emerged from the fog and entered the large building he perched
on. He dropped gently to his feet, stepping carefully towards
the entrance of the building, but keeping enough distance
so that he could better mask his scent against those of
the others inside. "Why did you bring me here?"
Ana asked carefully, pulling the coat tighter around her
slender frame as she scanned the inside of the warehouse.
"Because, I have business to take care of. Would you
rather I left you back there with that barbarian?"
Chupa replied, walking away from her momentarily. "No..."
she began softly, walking slowly around the windows of the
warehouse. She stared at the black waters of the harbor,
noticing how they seemed to flow away from the docks. "Here,
put this on," Chupa called, throwing a pair of black
jeans and tank top towards her. She turned away from him,
pulling the pants on first then dropping the coat to pull
the shirt over her head. "Modesty," he chuckled,
turning away from her once again, "It never was your
style." "And how would you know my style?"
she snapped, quickly turning her face away as fear began
to set into her. Chupa smirked, staring at her from behind,
"Because I never forget who you were." Ana closed
her eyes, he face was old and tired now. Her youthful features
faded like the memories she carried for so long. Chupa stared
at her a moment longer, finally breaking his gaze away and
walking towards one of the small loading docks near the
rear of the warehouse. Ana watched as he spoke with their
son, noticing how he held a young girl tightly at his side.
She listened carefully
as he spoke, finally realizing that the young girl was Darvian.
"She's a mess, Razvan!" Chupa yelled, taking Darvian
gently by the face and turning her head side to side. "I
cleaned her as much as I could...I thought we could put
some make up on her," he answered quickly, knowing
his father's temper could be very hard to control. Chupa
sighed as he released Darvian, looking her over once more,
"I don't think make up could fix what you have done.
We'll just have to fix it as best we can and hope her mother
is too big of an idiot to realize that she's in trouble."
Razvan nodded, glancing to his own mother before quickly
turning his gaze to the ground. "Razvan, next time
I tell you to do something, do it exactly as I say or else,"
Chupa demanded, turning away from the boy and returning
to Ana's side.
Eilian made his way
quickly into the mansion, having only heard the conversation
between Anallee and Chupa, leaving before his sister was
brought into the quarrel. He found Alucard in his usual
chair, reading the pages of an old, forgotten book. His
red eyes seemed to glow slightly as he looked up at the
approaching Eilian, waiting for him to speak. "I did
as you asked," Eilian began, kneeling to face his father.
"And?" "And she was there...she spoke with
Chupa and she seemed genuinely frightened." Alucard
nodded slowly, closing the book as he laid his hands on
the cover. "Something tells me it was not Chupa she
feared," he replied, standing as Eilian stood and backed
away slightly, "But, I don't believe she knew of his
existence." Eilian nodded, waiting for another command
to be given. Alucard brushed a hand through his white hair,
pondering for a moment before speaking again. "You
need to find Keeria... Chupa's arrangement with her was
for him to not be seen by Anallee, but to merely make her
think she was going mad. The whole plan has been destroyed
and it is time we took ourselves out of it." Eilian
bowed his head a moment, worriedly thinking of his mother.
"I will find her
tonight," he replied, leaving the mansion once more.
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