The Bride and Her Bloodlust

I woke with silence in my ears and pain riddled in my face. Wincing, I stirred and opened my eyes, not surprised to find Mo beside me. She was sleeping in her chair, holding my hand tightly. I glanced about the room, not noticing an awful lot. My heart hurt and last night’s events kept replaying in my mind.

Ella was dead and James was taken. It made my blood boil and my heart cry, a strange mixture of emotions that tore at me, making me want to rip throats out and wail at the sky. Lying still didn’t help. I had to get up and do something.

When I tried to take my hand from her, she woke with a start. Her eyes were wide for a second, filled with panic, before they settled down with sorrow.

“You took quite a beating yesterday.” She said eventually as she leaned forward, peeling away the bandages surrounding my face. “The wounds are healing fine though. No longer are the wounds seeping and the bruises are less prominent.”

I watched her face, noticing how old she looked, how tired, as she checked my broken face. “Ella’s dead.” I said numbly, my face a blank slate.

Mo flinched a little and pressed the bandages back into place. “I know.”

Somehow hearing her say that made it all the more real. I nearly began to cry. “I failed her.”

“You didn’t. You would never have let harm come to her unless you were dead or dying.” Mo said firmly, her eyes becoming sharp again. She wetted her lips and leaned back in the chair. “Tell me what happened.”

“James was playing with me. He went out there under the suggestion of the Hunter child, to test how good at hunting I really was. James didn’t realise it was a trap being set for whoever came for him though.” I said thickly. “There were four witches, one being the handless one. The other three I hadn’t seen before. There was also an immortal, an ancient. He was strong and I couldn’t keep all of them from Ella and James.” I paused and smiled dryly. “Ella shot one of the witches dead with my gun.”

Mo was silent and her expression dark. “The Young Master is not happy.”

I felt alarm and guilt suddenly twist in my gut. How was Alphonse dealing with this? I had to see him. He was the only other family member I had who wasn’t missing, dead or dying. “Where is he?” I asked as I forced myself up.

“In the study alone but you can’t go down to him. There are wounds on your back and a nasty gouge in your left shoulder where your suit failed.” Mo said firmly as she pressed a hand on my arm. “You need to rest.”

“And Al needs someone to shout at and I’m the best candidate. Lucius would do it for me but he’s still mad.” I hissed.

Mo pressed her lips together in annoyance but didn’t say anything more when the door opened gently. Eva popped her head in and smiled weakly. She slipped inside, followed by Vincent.

“Is she healing?” Eva asked as she approached my bed, glancing at the bloodied bandages.

“She is.” Mo confirmed.

Eva smiled in relief and let her gaze settle on my eyes. “I wasn’t sure if the wounds were Matter created or not. Matter would be difficult for you to recover from quickly and, to be blunt, we do need you.”

“Why would you need someone who let her sister die?”

Eva frowned in disapproval. “You did not let her die. You fought for her. I was tapped in your mind throughout the hunt and the battle. I felt how much pain your put yourself through and how desperately you tried to protect her. Ella’s death is not your fault. The trap the Allaways placed worked, that is all.”

I glowered at my hands, eyeing the cuts there. “They took James.”

“I know.” Eva sat on the bed, debating for a moment whether to take my hand and decided not to. “James can’t be used by them to create Grey Bloods or the poison. They’ve taken him for another reason.”

I eyed her face, noting her worry. “Another trap?”

She nodded lightly. “That is what I think. If they wanted him dead, they would’ve killed him. They need him alive.”

“So there’s a chance we can save him?”

“Only if we act quickly.” Vincent said darkly as he shifted his weight. “The hunter family has vanished. I found nothing there with Dana, only the remains of training equipment and the scent of gunpowder.” He paused. “They’re placing themselves for battle I think. The first hit with Lucius was light and subtle. Now they’ve attacked hard with the intention of slaying members, not caring who they are just so long as someone died. The next will only be harder with even more deaths. They will be ready for your Clan, Susan.”

I glanced at Mo before I gritted my teeth and growled. “We have to get James back, regardless of us running into a trap.”

“That is what we’re planning to do.” Eva said gently. “But we need your ears. Alphonse told me about the bracelet, that they have a song in them only you can hear. I need you to guide your young ones and listen for danger.”

“We’ve never found the Allaways’ hideout before though.”

“James is there however. His scent can’t be hidden from kin. Alphonse and the Youngsters will sniff him out when they are close enough. You will keep track of the witches.”

“Where do we start?”

“We don’t know yet. My witch is hunting and will give us some clue when she returns soon.” This time Eva grasped my hand. “I’m glad she got to you in time. She said they were going to take you.”

I was puzzled for a moment. “They were going to kill me.”

“No. They were planning to take you, not kill you. They wanted you.”

“Why me?”

Vincent shrugged his wide shoulders. “We don’t know. It may be because you are a witch yourself or that you’re a Black Blood. But they wanted you. Eva’s witch was certain of that.”

That didn’t comfort me nor did I want to be in the grasp of the Allaways. I scratched at my face, peeling away some of the scabs from my skewed nose. “So we wait for your witch?”

Eva nodded. “She will tell you where you should start your hunt. It is up to you and Alphonse to track James down though. I have tried contacting the boy but he can’t hear me, unlike last time where he chose to ignore me. He is unconscious, wherever he is.”

“I’ll be joining you.” Vincent said firmly. “Although try your best to keep your distance from me in battle. My parasite sometimes fails to recognise friend from foe when it’s awake.”

I didn’t need to be told that. I had witnessed his madness years ago, when I was a small child and staying at Eva’s large home in Romania.

“For now, rest. Heal yourself and regain your strength. With your ears recognising the songs, we should be able to find James before any harm comes to him and stop the trap from working this time.” Eva said comfortingly with a smile. “If you had more people with you last night, I doubt the trap would’ve worked then either. You heard them coming. You knew where they were. You just lacked numbers.”

She felt the confidence I didn’t feel but I wouldn’t be alone this time. Vincent, an ancient himself, would be with me and so will that red haired witch and Alphonse. I would stand with my family. It did give me hope.

“I’ll guide them.” I said softly then looked up at her as she stood. “What of Lucius? How is the cure going?”

“I am making progress and there have been major adjustments done to the poison since Vincent’s attack. But I think I can save him. His mind has more time than I had thought he had.”

I knew who I had to thank for that. Little Pyotr. He was keeping Lucius safe and sane for me while his mother couldn’t.

“I will come find you when my witch appears.” Eva promised and left the room with Vincent following closely behind.

Mo scowled at me with her thin lips pierced. “Don’t get yourself hurt when you head out again.”

I smiled weakly. “I will try not to. I can’t promise anything if we’re heading straight into a trap.” I pulled myself to the edge of the bed and rested my feet on the cold floor. “But for now, I’m going to talk to Al.”

I heard her sigh but there were no words of discouragement. She simply got up and went to my side, holding out her hand to help me stand. It was hard getting down to the study. There were many halls and many steps to pass that often sent spasms of pain through my leg. My head constantly thudded and the wounds burned as they healed rapidly. But once we reached those familiar doors and I scented the young Master within, Mo let me go so I could hobble in alone. She remained where she was though, waiting for when I needed her again.

Inside was dark with only a single lamp on the Master’s desk, flickering gently. Alphonse was on the sofa he and Ella always occupied when the Master called them. But he was alone. Ella was dead and the Master was dying from madness.

I cleared my throat as I limped forward but he didn’t stir. He just sat there with his knuckles pressed against his mouth and stared at the dead fireplace. I sat beside him but didn’t bother to try and get comfortable.

“Ella killed a witch.” I blurted out. “Shot her in the chest.”

Alphonse seemed to register I was there. His eyes glanced at me. “She did?”

I nodded. “Never showed her how to shoot a gun but her shot was true. She took down more witches than I did.”

We fell silent for a moment, just listening to one another breathe.

“You were a mess when I found you.” Alphonse said darkly. “Your face was broken and barely recognisable and your suit was torn in places. There was so much blood on you that I thought you were dead too.”

“They wanted me, Eva said. They were going to take me.” I paused. “The witch, Eva’s one, got to me in time.”

Alphonse growled softly, a gentle rumble that echoed from his chest. “But not in time to save Ella and my son.”

I paused. “No.”

Suddenly Alphonse was on his feet and chucking the coffee table across the room. It hurtled through the window with a deafening shatter and glass glistened in the cold damp night air.

“Why? Why did she go with you?” He roared, his teeth bared and his eyes dark with fury and pain.

“Because she wanted to find James. She wanted to watch my back.” I said firmly back, holding my ground calmly. “We didn’t think it would be a trap, only that James was playing. I knew to be cautious but didn’t expect four witches and an ancient immortal to attack.”

“You knew he would be sought for though.”

“I didn’t know that James was being used as bait nor did I think the witches would find him quickly in that kind of number if he had.” I snapped. “Witches never travel in such a large group, only in pairs or alone when scouting. They’d be spotted otherwise. I could’ve taken on one or two, but four as well as an ancient?”

“You’ve taken down Morrigan.” He stated. “Another Ancient should no trouble.”

“I wasn’t trying to protect a mother and child and taking on four adept witches at the same time.” I hissed. “And Morrigan wanted to die. If she didn’t, she could’ve slain me easily back then.” I scowled at him. “I’m not a goddamn god, Alphonse. I have my limits.”

Suddenly the rage seemed to leave him. His shoulders sagged and his eyes dimmed. “She survived Morrigan’s waking. How could I lose her to witches?” He choked out.

“The Old World is no place for a mortal.” I said softly, lowering my defences. “But I thought she would be safe here with us.”

“She’s dead, Susan. Gone. I don’t know what to do.” Alphonse moaned in a strained tone as he shoved his hair back. “It hurts, like there’s a great big hole in my chest.”

I let my sorrow and guilt show now. I had heard of what it was like for an immortal to lose their mater. I had heard is was painful, so painful it could turn you mad and it was uncommon for a vampire to take another mate if they decided to live on. But Alphonse had chosen a mortal. A frail shortly lived creature. He had to live on, to find another woman to love and live to become an ancient. He was so young still, only one hundred and fifty.

“It’s going to be fine, Alphonse.” I said as I held his face and trying to keep my smile from faltering. “We’re going to find James and you’re going to continue to raise him, to make him strong and feared. You need to live for him.”

“James. I have to find him. I want my son back.” He said thickly and slowly broke down. “I want my Uncle back. I don’t want to be alone in the world, Susan. I don’t want to lose James and if I lose my Uncle, I lose you too. There will be no one left.”

I reached up and pulled him into a tight embrace, something he welcomed. He crushed me to him as he cried into my shoulder silently, shedding tears over my skin. He held onto me like I was his lifeline, his only way to keep sane. But I could smell his pain. He reeked of misery and sorrow, of rage and loss.

I held my mate’s nephew tightly, trying to give him comfort for the horrible loss. He was fragile now. Very fragile. I had to get James back to him. If I didn’t he may decide to let himself die and pass on, just like so many immortals do when they lose their mate.

As I held him, listening to his quite sobs that shook his body and trying my best not to join him, I quietly thought the love immortals felt was nothing but a curse and envied that fleeting version mortals felt.