The Bride and Her Bloodlust

Two days had passed since Eva’s arrival and, while my hope glowed for Lucius, frustration also bubbled. While I slept in my unconscious state with the sun high, Eva worked hard in the make shift lab Mo and her own maids had set up for her. And, while she worked tirelessly, she was not making much progress.

“It took my four years to create an imperfect cure for Vincent, Susan.” She reminded me softly. “You have to have patience.”

I knew that it was going to take a while but I found myself becoming increasingly restless. The idea of Lucius becoming his normal kind self, to have his embrace and kisses again, was making me fidget with eagerness. I desperately wanted Lucius back but, not wanting to show it, I simply left her and returned to pacing without saying another word.

When not hunting with Alphonse, I would pace outside Eva’s lab. My bare feet would slap against the carefully cleaned floor while my claws would rap against my skin. All fellow slaves would avoid me at all cost as I stalked. They would always turn around and walk back the way they came, rather taking a longer route through the house than pass me. I did this alone for a long time until Mo or Ella stumbled across me and tried to get me to stop.

Alphonse continued to watch the graveyard along with a couple of youngsters and so far none of them had found anything. I had double checked earlier that evening and also found nothing. As predicted, the witches that had congregated there had fled. No doubt they had found another hiding place and littered it with blinding wards. The thought didn’t perk my mood up.

I stalked up the driveway, ignoring the ear shattering crunches of gravel beneath my boots. I was agitated. My fingers curled and un-curled, my teeth were bared and low guttural sounds rumbled out of my throat. I knew that when Al and I found the activity in the graveyard the witches would flee. They would sense I had broken the wards and refuse to go near the place. I had hoped they would come back though, so I would know the faces of these women and if they were known members of the traiter Family. They hadn’t though and I hadn’t found any new leads. I had managed to sniff them out. It made me wonder how many more of those wards were littered around the city. Silently I decided to hunt these wards instead but it would have to wait. Dawn was coming in a couple of hours. There was no time for me anymore tonight.

The doors flung open as I swept up the river of stone steps and light slashed over my face, making me cringe as my eyes burned from the brightness. My Matter curled away, bringing down the sensitivity of my senses rapidly. I hadn’t realised I had them so highly strung. I was paranoid and wary, I realised, listening to everything in case that witch crept up behind me once again.

I barely took several steps inside when loud clicking came swiftly towards me. I looked up and became a little guarded as Dana’s tall form loomed over me.

“The Lady wants to see you.” She said in her thick German accent.

My heart fluttered warily in hope but Dana simply frowned. “Don’t get your hopes up, Susan. The Lady hasn’t completed her task yet but she is progressing.”

“How well?”

“You’ll see. Come.” Dana whirled around and strode away, giving no pause to check if I was following.

Batting down the urge to instinctively ignore Dana’s curt instructions, I followed her grudgingly. I smelt Eva’s lab before we even reached the door. The scent of cleanliness of a hospital mixed of chemicals and blood filtered out between the cracks of the locked door. It stank up the hallway and was a scent I always forgot and chocked at when I left my religious pacing.

Dana ushered me inside quickly and locked the door behind her. Inside was littered with papers and numerous utensils and appliances. I was ignorant of what nearly everything in the room did. All I knew was that they would create a cure for Lucius. That was all I cared about.

Eva sat in a thick leather chair in the far corner of the room, the one place that remained untouched by her lab. Her thick white hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she looked up at me smiling.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” She said happily.

I grunted and I approached, only noticing then that Vincent was behind her, enveloped by shadow and utterly unmoving. Only his dark eyes followed me.

I didn’t sit as Eva instructed with her hand and opted for standing with my arms folded, trying my hardest not to gather hope.

“What is it?” I asked stiffly.

“I have managed to re-create the cure.” Eva said and held my confused scowl easily at her unsure tone. “The only thing is that I don’t think it will be permanent. Vincent was different to Lucius. The poison in him was weaker and he had me constantly pushing it back. The poison used for Lucius however is incredibly potent. In only a few days he has been engulfed by it and I can’t reach him.”

“You doubt this old cure will work then.” I stated numbly, very aware of my hope shattering painfully in my chest.

“I doubt this will cure him entirely. It may push back the poison though and give me time to create a more powerful antidote.” She said and smiled weakly. “I will be honest with you, Susan. I don’t think I can cure him.”

Rage ignited instantly and a savage hiss escaped my mouth before I could stop it. While Dana remained perfectly still behind me, Vincent moved and growled threateningly.

“You promised you would help him.” I snarled.

“I am a trying my best.” Eva sighed softly. “This is just far stronger than the last one I dealt with and Lucius won’t last much longer. He will be gone before I can help him properly.” She paused and looked at me carefully, noting the rage but also the utter terror in my eyes. “Susan, I’ll help him as much as I can. I promise you. But be prepared if he goes before I can chase the madness away. That’s all I ask.”

I nodded very stiffly. I didn’t like this fear in my chest. It whirled about with my rage, gnawing and biting, making me want to rip someone’s face off. He was going to die. He was going to go mad. He was going to lose him. I couldn’t help him.

“Come with me then. We’ll try out this antidote and see what happens.”

Eva stood and I stepped back, letting her and Vincent take the lead. I followed them, failing to ignore the savage livid bloodlust in my stomach, and constantly clawed at my witch-suit. Dana’s shoes clicked after me and became increasingly irritating with every step. By the time we reached the dungeon, my head thrummed and my eyes were dark. My teeth gnashed together violently and guttural growls rumbled from my throat. Eva glanced at me worriedly and Dana kept her distance from me, giving me space, as Vincent approached my snarling mad mate.

I had heard of the natural instinct mates felt for one another but feeling it was entirely different. The rage I felt inside me, the frightful knowledge that I’ll be alone in the world, to live on without him, was black and hateful. I was instinctive. It made me want to harm anyone who went near Lucius. I constantly screamed in my head that Vincent was helping Lucius but my instinct said otherwise. I was going to lose him.

I watched, shaking violently, as Vincent approached Lucius. All I could see were the chains. All I could see was Lucius dead and lifeless. Panic and fear and unbridled rage were swarming my mind. As Vincent’s fist rammed into Lucius’ stomach, a darted forward, wanting to protect him, but a hand snatched at my arm.

“Susan, be calm!” Dana yelled at me with her face contorted in either rage or worry.

Instinctively I swiftly lashed out at her face, claws unsheathed and ready to rip out her throat. Dana stepped back though and instantly ripped her scythe free as I darted for her, unable to stop myself. But I came to an abrupt halt. I suddenly could not move, as if my body was made of stone.

I felt something soothing squirm in my mind, chasing away the panicked madness with a soft lullaby.

“Susan, you’re letting your fear and instinct get the better of you.” Eva said softly. I rapidly realised she had intervened. Her mind was holding me still. “Keep back that monster. It won’t help Lucius right now.”

Slowly I felt my mind calm and sanity return. Embarrassment and shame instantly replaced the draining rage and terror. “I’m sorry.” I stammered.

Eva smiled as she let me go, letting my shoulders sag and my head hang a little limp. “It is okay and only natural. Every vampire is technically a parasite, a creature of carnal instinct. Only when pushed to the limit or a mate or blood kin threatened will that instinct rule our minds and turn us into creatures of lesser minds. It’s happened many times before and, sadly, all Black Bloods are more prone to it.”

I grunted and continue to frown as I stared at the floor, refusing to look at her. “I am still sorry.”

“You have been pushed emotionally far as of late and your mate, who it tied far closer to you than normal, is dying. I was expecting you to fade into the beast side sooner or later.” She turned to Vincent when he called.

“Lucius is unconscious now. I’ve injected the cure.” Vincent said roughly.

Eva waved me over, encouraging me to come to Lucius. I stepped hesitantly forward, letting her gently propel me into the cell.

Lucius lay on his back with Vincent kneeling beside him. His hair had grown longer was now thick with grease. His skin was pale, his square jaw covered in black stubble and his shoulders and legs were littered in wounds. He had started to scratch at himself, tearing away chunks of flesh and leaving gaping wounds free to bleed. Because of that we had to chain his hands together to keep them still. I hadn’t been put in the best of moods when told that.

“I’ll check his mind.” Eva said and looked up at me curiously. “When will he need feeding?”

“Soon. In the next couple of weeks at the latest. He won’t go mad due to hunger yet.”

“We may need to force feed him your blood but I am concerned about you.” She said softly. “I am not comfortable with you feeding from him while he is poisoned. I don’t know if it can spread.”

“It doesn’t matter. In two weeks’ time he’ll either be cured or gone. If he’s cured, I’ll feed, if he’s gone, I’ll be dead.” I said calmly and bluntly.

She nodded sadly and returned to focus on Lucius. She closed her eyes and signed softly as she entered his mind.

Being on the outside and not knowing what was happening in his mind made me fidget terribly with impatience. I constantly probed the link between myself and Lucius, wondering if the nightmarish gloom would lift and that soft warmth of Lucius would return.

“Susan, be patient. This takes time.” Vincent instructed sharply.

I scowled at him but tried to do as he said. It was hard. Eventually I hunkered down beside Eva and buried my head in my knees. I clung to the link of Lucius, waiting eagerly for some kind of familiar shine in the darkness.

Eventually, I sensed something. My eyes snapped open and my hope stuttered. I felt it. That familiar golden warmth. It was growing. The darkness was thinning.

I glanced up sharply as Eva’s eyes fluttered open. She turned her icey blue gaze onto me with a soft happy smile. “I’ve pushed it back but that’s all. I’m not sure how long he will remain like this and I wouldn’t risk him coming out of the cell but he’s there.” She said and stood, tugging at Vincent’s collar. “Let’s go. Susan is safe for a couple of hours I think. I’ll keep the worst of it away at least.”

I couldn’t say anything. All I could do was stare up at Eva with shock in my eyes. She smiled and dragged Vincent away with Dana trailing after them. The left me alone in the cell, the door open, and Lucius who was slowly waking.

I turned my gaze down at his face, noting how his face twitched. It was familiar. I had watched this many times before.

Joy was fluttering in my chest, my heart was hammering and my body shaking from adrenaline. Very slowly, his eyes opened. The dark blue eyes stared about blindly. He furrowed his brow and blinked hard as he tried to bring some focus back. And then they landed on me. His gaze narrowed and then he slowly grinned in recognition. His eyes warmed instantly with affection, making me shudder with hunger. I have been starved of that look for so long now I had nearly forgotten it.

“Susan.” He murmured. “I’ve been looking for you.”

I didn’t say anything, just listened to his deep soft voice. All I had heard from him recently were snarls and roars, not this loving voice. I was shaking a lot now. I wanted to cry in relief and hold him tight and kiss him but I was holding it in. I was determined to. I didn’t want to have him back only to lose him again. It would be too much.

He tried to sit up but found his hands bound. He raised the chain and furrowed his brow, only now registering he was on a cold damp floor under the house.

“Why am I here?” Lucius asked in confusion.

“Because you went mad and tried to kill me and Al.” I snapped in an attempt to keep my voice from breaking.

He now looked panicked. It made my heart twist in pain. He didn’t know what was happening, had no idea what he had done. “When did I do that?”

“Several days ago.” I said in a kinder tone.

“Several days? I’ve been here for several days? I don’t remember a thing.” He was getting agitated now, frustrated and worried. I couldn’t let him get too riled up. Vincent always lost it when he got too angry or scared.

“It’s what happens when you get yourself poisoned.” I growled at him. “You go mad and start attacking everyone. We locked you up here to keep you safe.”

“What’s happened?” He demanded, a rare tone but one I liked to hear. He was himself. He was acting normally.

“You got poisoned and now the Lady is here. She’s trying to help you.” I said simply.

His eyes softened. “I thought I recognised that touch in my mind. She is good a soothing souls and minds.” He paused. “I remember a darkness, Susan. A thick darkness. It made no sense to me and, to be frank, terrified me. I can feel it there now still. It’s held back by something but that wall is weakening.”

I nodded stiffly and rocked back and forth, clawing at my knees, hating how he described the madness I had sensed in his mind and knowing it was still there. I felt Lucius’ gaze. His eyes roamed my face, noting the distress, the paleness of the skin and the rings of exhaustion under my eyes.

“Come here Susan.” He murmured softly to me.

I shook my head violently. It was becoming harder not to cry, to resist going to him. “I can’t.”

“You can.” He said and paused. “Come here.” His tone and gone down a notch, become husky and demanding. I shivered at the sound and regretted it instantly when I looked at him. His eyes had darkened and were bright with desire. I couldn’t help myself. I went to him.

I laid down beside him and wrapped my arms around his head protectively as I pressed my nose against his cheek. I ignored his low chuckling as tears began to break lose and dribbled from my eyes. I kissed him hard, my mouth becoming more demanding when I felt him return it.

“Don’t go again.” I moaned between sobs and kisses, only faintly aware of the embarrassment I felt for breaking like this. “I don’t want you to go again.”

Lucius said nothing, just continued to answer my kisses, inhaling my scent, nuzzling my face and gazing at my pained expression. I knew that he knew he had no choice. He would go again. He would be swallowed by the darkness. He felt it pressing in on him again, even now.

I had Lucius back but it was only for a limited time. Soon, he would be a parasite again, hissing and snarling madly. Much too soon would Lucius leave me again.