Lust For Her Master's Blood

When I woke that day I had a feeling of calm about me, as if I knew something good was to happen that night. I was thankful that my emotions had settled although the fear of the Master and what I was feeling towards him was still hovering in the back of my mind, but I focused my attention on my work and on the letter Eva had sent me.

The news Eva told me was relatively good. Vasco knew about Clare’s predicament although how he reacted nobody knew. However whether or not Vasco comes to rescue Clare from the ‘game’, it made no difference. Both Vincent and Viorel were going to appear in the next few days and then the mission ‘assassinate Morrigan’ will go into play. It was that thought that made me calm, knowing that I was not the only one who wanted her dead and was going to act on it.

I was also happier knowing that the Master was no longer angry with me. When I reached out to his mind earlier in the evening he happily opened up to me, showing me that the dark thoughts were fading as his mind searched mine and saw no soft thoughts about Viorel, only respect. But he sensed the guarded nature of my mind as I firmly placed the thoughts of Morrigan and Eva in the far back of my mind, out of his reach. If he found out what I was planning and what I knew, everything would be ruined. It was vital that neither Lucius or Al found out. As they were tied to Morrigan through blood they would retaliate quite violently. It was inconvenient but unavoidable.

I was humming tunelessly as I carried my broom to my next destination, going over my thoughts carefully as I kept those irritating emotions in check. I was determined that they would not be a nuisance today and not turn me into some sort of mood yo-yo.

It was as I was striding through the smaller hallways that I heard the distinct sound of snivelling.

I paused before the small glass door that shed beams of moonlight into the dimly lit hall and turned to see a pair of feet poking out from behind one of the ridiculously large flower pots. I shuffled round and raised my eyebrows when I saw Clare curled up with her face buried in her knees. I would’ve shuffled away again but she looked up the instant I decided to leave and caught me with her blue watery eyed stare, almost silently pleading for me to stay. I sighed irritably. People crying was not my strongest point.

“Why are you here crying Clare?” I asked bluntly whilst I leant on my broom.

Clare snivelled and wiped her nose and eyes then hiccupped loudly. I looked at her levelly as I waited for her reply. For a pure blood she was emotionally weak.

“I am so stupid Susan.” She wailed out eventually, setting off a new wave of tears.

Resisting the urge to not roll my eyes, I approached her and allowed myself to slide onto the floor beside her. I stared at the window in front of me, checking for any specs of dirt with my sharp eyes as I waited for her to calm down. Slowly the crying calmed and returned to a strange snivelling weep. I leaned my head back against the wall and watched Clare from the corner of my eye.

“Why do you say you’re stupid?” I asked.

“Because he won’t come.” She mumbled and hid her hands in her face. “I don’t know why I even thought he would.”

My eyes narrowed. “You mean Vasco Sinagra, don’t you?”

She nodded sadly and a pang of annoyance echoed inside me.

“And why don’t think he will come?” I asked, slightly dreading the self pitying woes that would follow.

“Because he would not feel obligated to, would feel no emotional need at all. He has shown me no indication that he loved me at all in the past.” She moaned.

“So why suggest him at all then?”

“I wanted to see if he would come to my rescue, to prove that he did love me but it was stupid and wishful thinking. It has been over a week now and Morrigan is really starting to push for the ceremony to happen. Lucius and I can only hold up for so long.”

A little flutter of happiness flittered about in my chest at the mention of the Master’s name alongside a small slither of pain. I did not see him as often as I used to these days. There was no reason for me to be around him so much and with Morrigan around it was risky for him to give her the appearance that he had a favourite. The only time I see him is when he asked me of something personally or was needing to speak to our little ‘troupe’.

“Eva has passed the message on and even she could not tell whether or not he reacted to the information. There is no telling whether he loves you unless he shows up.” I said in reassurance. “In the mean time you have to be strong. I am relying on you to look after the Master while I cannot be close to him.”

“I know. I am sorry for crying.” She said apologetically and rubbed her eyes hard before she looked up at me with a weak smile. “At least you know that Lucius loves you.”

Anger boiled as my lovely calm emotions shot up into the air like scared birds, confusing my mind and making my face turn red. I could not deny it though. The Master’s anger and jealousy at my closeness with Viorel that I saw in his mind could only be caused from feeling something...soft towards me.

Clare seemed to realise my grudging acceptance and lit up almost instantly. She swivelled around so she could face me with her hands clasped together in joy.

“You have finally accepted it?”She asked joyfully.

“After what I felt in his mind I don’t know what to think anymore, let alone accept.” I snapped viscously.

Clare took it in her stride and smoothly let my tone fly over her head.

“And you? Do you also love the Master?” She demanded.

Holding back a growl but not the glare, I stood sharply and silently shouldered my broom. I may be willing to come to terms with whatever soft feelings the Master may have for me but I refused to accept that I felt anything but loathing and respect for him.

“If you are okay Clare you might as well return to the Master.” I said coldly.

I sensed her flinch slightly but she did not press the subject any further. Instead she stood and almost sadly headed back down the hallway, forcing me to say something to make her feel less depressed.

“Whatever happens with Vasco I will not let you or the Master be trapped by the Mother. You have my word.” I said firmly and less chilly.

Clare turned back and smiled warmly, thanking me before she shuffled back into the depths of the house. After watching the gloom that had enveloped her for a moment I turned and exited the house to sweep the cold stone steps and patio that met me outside.

For a while I was content as I swept away the dead leaves, letting the cold autumn breeze blow away the stupid emotions and thoughts Clare had unintentionally brought to the surface again. However that all came to an abrupt stop when I felt something enter the grounds.

A strong sensation of power flooded my senses and one that sent a strong sense of danger through my spine. I gripped my broom handle and rapidly found the source coming in from the main gate. Quickly I ran towards the front, not liking this feeling at all. It was powerful, far greater than the Master’s and possibly even the Mother’s. I ran fast over the gravel of the drive way and soon the form of a human shape loomed in front of me.

I slowed to a stop and waited for the approaching figure, letting out a strong aura of hostility as he grew closer to the house. However, as he came close enough for me to see his features and the striking white hair, I knew exactly who he was.

“Took your time Vasco.” I snapped.

Vasco hissed at me but that was all he needed to do to let me know he was not the happiest man in the world. That and the anger that he did not bother to hide.

“Who are you?” He snarled.

“Susan.” I replied simply.

A flitter of annoyance flashed over his emotionless features. “That is not what I meant. How is it you sensed me?”

It was then that I realised I was alone. None of the other vampires had not appeared, not even the Mother or Lucius which I now found very odd.

“I sensed you as soon as you entered the ground. How anyone else cannot feel that rage is beyond me.”

“No other creature can feel a Silver blood’s emotion, not even another Silver. You must be a Witch to be able to sense that.”

I stiffened and scowled with a low threatening growl rumbling from my throat.

“And what if I am?”

“If you are then it is none of my business. It just explains why you were the only one to come greet me when the Ancient didn’t appear.” He said then suddenly started moving forward purposely. “Anyway, I didn’t come to chat with a Black Blood. Take me to Clare.”

I didn’t bother to argue. He was not the type I should be pressing buttons with. While I knew I was far stronger than him physically, I would not be given a chance to harm him if he felt threatened due to his strong telepathic abilities. It was those mental strengths that made the Silver blood so strong. They could kill with just a thought.

I nodded to him in agreement, feeling a little relieved that he seemed to not care at all that I was both a Black blood and a Witch.

“Come with me.” I said and turned to lead him back to the house.

Mentally I unblocked the bond and reached out quickly to the Master who was instantly alerted by my urgency.

'What is it Susan?' By the tone of his voice he assumed I was in danger, preparing himself for the worst.

'Calm down master. Is Clare with you?' I asked firmly, ignoring the shiver of pleasure at hearing his voice.

'Yes. She is reading in my study. It worries me that she seems to be down. Do you know anything about it?'

Doing my best to smother the sharp pang of anger in the pit of my stomach, I ploughed on with informing the Master of our long awaited guest.

'She will perk up in a few moments. Vasco is here.'

Surprise rippled out from his mind. 'Really? Well I will go inform Morrigan. It is time for this game to end.'

Swiftly he shut of the link and instantly left me feeling a little irritated. I hated that whenever I felt him in my mind, saw him or even heard him would leave my face red, my body tingling and my brain over run with happy feelings. It did my health no good, nor did it do my reputation any good. At least Vasco was behind me and had decided to ignore me completely.

By the time we reached the steps, Arnold had already opened the door and was waiting for us patiently. As I guided Vasco past him, I glanced at him and saw he was feeling as apprehensive as I was. It was now up to Vasco to now release us from the Mother’s game and he was not even aware the fact.

I stepped aside to stand further away from Vasco as he wondered into the main entrance, glancing around with his stony expression. It was only when footsteps could be heard did his attention focus solely on the large corridor entrance that was yawning in front of us.

Rapidly a felt anger disturb the air, adding to the rage already boiling from Vasco. I watched with guarded interest as the Mother came out from the gloom with a fake bright smile forced onto her face as she stared icily at Vasco. The Master followed her while guiding Clare by the hand, keeping her close to him and out of the Mother’s reach.

I had to force down the small pang of happiness at seeing the Master’s face for the first time in couple of days and ignore the strange clawing feeling in the pit of my stomach when my eyes found his hand firmly gripping Clare’s.

I instantly forced my attention onto the two powerful vampires when Morrigan spoke, her face a strange twisted mask of rage and kindness.

“It is an honour to have a Silver blood to come to my household, Vasco Sinagra. May I ask as to why you came?” She asked lightly with the hint of a threat in the undertone.

I glanced at Vasco and for the first time emotion was on his face. His eyes were fixed on the Master and Clare, who was looking utterly confused and even shocked, and had a very dark expression on his face. I knew then that the Master was in danger more than Morrigan. I squeezed the broom handle tightly, not liking that Lucius was now being threatened by the man we were relying on setting him free.

I did not take my eyes from Vasco when finally replied after a heavy pause, making sure he made no move for the master.

“I came for Clare Ulrich.” Vasco said darkly. “Eva Sinclair informed me that she is being duped into a union.”

“I wouldn’t say duped Signara. Clare is the only female pure blood alive who is not in a union with another and old enough to be. Lucius is one of the few pure blood males we have left who had not chosen a bride. It is only logical, to protect the pure blood and keep them alive, that the two unite.” She said simply.

Vasco turned his glower onto Morrigan and stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets.

“And what if I wanted Clare for my own?” He stated. “I am Silver blood which means I carry only pure vampire blood. It also means that the only children that the woman I chose would bare for me would either be pure bloods and carriers of the Silver or Silver themselves.”

I allowed myself to glance at Morrigan and Clare in that moment. While Clare seemed to be holding back tears of joy, Morrigan was holding back the urge to launch herself at Vasco and tear him to pieces. Like myself, she knew she would not get close enough to harm him.

“So you want to take Clare for yourself?” Morrigan repeated.

“That is what I am here for.” He growled.

Grinding her teeth, Morrigan turned to the Master and Clare and scowled at them.

“What say you, Lucius? Will you hand your bride over?” Morrigan hissed, her anger now starting to slip through into her voice.

Lucius shrugged then looked down at Clare who seemed to still be in shock.

“I will not decide for her. Clare,” She looked up at him frantically when she heard her name, “Who will you choose? Do you want to stay with me or do you want to leave with Sinagra?” He asked gently although everyone knew the answer already.

Blushing and refusing to look at Vasco’s stern gaze, Clare stared at the floor as she forced her voice to work to give her answer.

“I choose to leave.” She said in a small voice.

A snarl of rage instantly ripped out from Morrigan’s throat and she gave Vasco a blood thirsty stare.

“Take your prize and leave Silver. Do not ever return here as you will not be welcome.” She snapped then whirled around to storm back into the depths of the house.

Slowly I felt the rage that was whirling around the room recede as Morrigan vanished and Vasco calmed after being chosen by Clare. Gently Lucius dragged her forward then pushed her towards the Silver who instantly reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and close to keep her safe.

“I suggest you leave quickly.” The Master said quietly. “Morrigan will not be happy for a while and will cause as much havoc as she can within her limitations.”

“I wasn’t intending to stay.” Vasco growled.

I scowled at him. “You should be thankful to the Master, not snarling at him. He has been keeping Clare safe for you while we have been waiting.” I snapped, not liking the hostility towards the Master.

Vasco growled quietly and glared but backed down all the same, grudgingly accepting the fact the master was not the enemy.

“I will go pack.” Came Clare’s muffled voice.

“No. It is better you leave now. We will send your belongings to Eva and from there they will be sent to you.” Lucius said firmly.

Clare pushed herself away from Vasco looking startled. “You mean right now?” She asked.

The Master nodded. “I can feel Morrigan’s rage. She is not happy that her game has been destroyed. You must leave now.”

“And what about you two?”

“We will be fine. She won’t harm us just yet. She needs to find our weaknesses first.” He said with a reassuring smile.

Hesitantly Clare agreed and stepped forward with her hand out. Gently the Master took it and squeezed.

“Thank you for keeping me alive.” Clare said quietly.

“You are welcome Clare. Just keep yourself and Vasco safe.” He said.

When Clare turned to me I flinched visibly from the look of affection she gave me. I would’ve turned to run but her attack was so sudden and fast I did not have time to dodge and ended up in Clare’s tight embrace.

“Take care of yourself Susan.” She said warmly when she pushed herself away and held me by my shoulders at arm’s length.

“I very much intend to.” I replied with a glare.

“And think about what I have told you please. Really think hard.” She whispered with a smile.

Scowling I did not reply and watched grudgingly as she ran up to Arnold and embraced him. With one last sad wave Clare left the house with Vasco following slowly behind. I was surprised when he stopped and looked back at the master.

“I thank you for looking after her.” He said hesitantly. “And I am sorry I can’t do anything more. I am too near the edge and if I kill an Ancient as strong as she I will be pushed over.”

Lucius smiled. “I was not expecting you to do anymore. As this is a family affair, we shall deal with the rest.”

Vasco looked doubtful for a moment, knowing no blood relation could harm Morrigan, before he turned and left without another word. Arnold closed the door firmly behind him, shutting out what light the moon was spilling in doors, and turned to the master and myself with a worried expression.

“I do not like this Master,” He said, the first time he had spoken since Vasco’s arrival. “The Mother is angry and she is currently capable of doing anything. I fear you will be her target to release her anger.”

“She will not go against her rules. She will not harm me, only my weakness.” Lucius said confidently.

“But the game has ended now. She is no longer needs bound by her own rules.” Arnold pointed out.

Alarm spread through me. He was right. Now the game was finished and in the Master’s favour, Morrigan could do anything now.

“What do we do?” I asked, hiding my fear for his life away from the bond and my face.

“We can’t do anything now. We just wait for her to calm down or create another game.” Lucius told Arnold and myself firmly. “Just keep yourselves safe. For the next few days everyone is in danger.”

And with his warning said, the Master turned and left, struggling to hide the concern for his clan away from me through the bond. I glanced at Arnold, seeing if he had anything to say and frowned when he sighed.

“He is right Susan. We have played our cards and won. Now we have to suffer the consequences, whatever they are. Just do not cross her in any way. She will only need a small push to choose you as her target.” He warned.

“I will be careful.” I vowed and then left him, looking frail and old, alone in the entrance hall to return to my work, mentally preparing myself for Vince’s and Viorel’s arrival.

But in my life things never do go as planned now do they.