The Bride and Her Bloodlust

Waking was hard. My eyes felt sore and gummy and my body was screaming with all kinds of pains. The burns still refused to heal on my back and the jagged tears in my limbs and chest were struggling to knit themselves back together. My body had reached it limit, I realised with numb exhaustion. I wouldn’t last another torture session. Miriam would kill me.

But I lowly registered something different. I lay down but the flow beneath me wasn’t hard and cold, it was soft and warm. The air didn’t stink with blood and decay nor was it frigid. I was dressed and my wrists weren’t being eaten by iron. I was no longer in that hell hole.

All of a sudden I found strength in my body. I forced my eyes open and pushed myself up, letting the blanket fall from me. I was home. I was in my bed.

But where was James? Was he safe? Was he even still alive?

Those urgent and panic inducing questions quickly dispersed when the door opened. With my blurry vision and barely any light in the room, I had to squint to see who it was, to make sure my nose wasn’t lying to me. But it wasn’t. The wonderfully comforting scent that filled my nose, that sent my heart soaring, wasn’t a lie.

I just stared blankly as Lucius came to my side, his face a mixture of joy and worry. He was clean, his beard gone and his hair lightly tied back. My heart thudded as he sat on the bed, staring at me with those gentle light blue eyes of his, sending my mind into a fluttering mess of questions and numb excitement.

“Why are you out?” I asked sharply as I tried to smother my joy and kill my hope. This could be temporary after all or a hallucination of my own tortured mind.

Lucius smiled, laughing a little. “Eva let me out. She deems me well now.”

I swallowed thickly and I opened the lock and probed his mind. I lost all words when I felt the golden warmth there at the other end of the connection. The horrible maddening darkness was gone.

“You’re cured?” I stammered, knowing my happiness and shock was showing brightly on my face and unable to do a thing about it.

Lucius just nodded once and it was enough for me to crumble and let the doubts of this being real die. I flung myself at him, completely ignoring the burns that cried and the gouges that wept, and wrapped my arms around his neck tightly. I held him, nuzzled his air, breathing in his scent, feeling his body and relishing the golden warmth of his mind. I tried not to cry but tears of relief did slip out. Lucius just chuckled and returned the nuzzles, kissing me just as fervently as I did him as I struggled to come to terms that this was real. That he was truly back. That Eva had kept her promise and saved him.

“I thought you were gone.” I said as I kissed him hard, taking his mouth hungrily.

It was so good to taste him, to feel him pressed against me, how firm he was and how his arms held me. How his hands groped and his fingers stroked. I had no hope I would get him back. I believed he was going to die and I with him.

“And I thought you were.” Lucius pressed his nose against my cheek as he smiled at my flood of affection and relief. “I never thought you were stupid enough to get caught.”

Hearing that brought a sombre wave crashing over me. Images of Ella death, of Al’s misery and James’ pale face destroyed what joy I had in Lucius being well again gave to me. I pushed myself away and sat, staring at the bandages on my legs. Blood was soaking through and the pain was throbbing away. Holding him had taken its toll but I couldn’t stop myself from touching him. I took his large hard and entiwined my fingers with his.

“You must have heard.”

The darkness gathering of his features told me he had. “I am sorry I let this happen.”

Anger spat and my eyes narrowed sharply. “What? How on earth are you to blame for this?”

“I got poisoned. I was the start.”

“Then be glad you’re still alive. I am. Everyone else who has been involved died.”

Lucius growled and tightened his grip on my hands as he eyed the wounds that ravaged my flesh. “I failed to protect my Clan, to lead them, and I failed to back you and help you. I may have had a reason not to but I have failed all the same.” He tugged at the badage and pulled it back, letting him look at the bleeding wound. “It is no longer puss-filled at least. A lot of the wounds were infected when we reached you.” He pushed me back gently. “Lay down. I need to check them all.”

I didn’t resist and lay on my back without a word and let him gather fresh bandages and small box. I was quiet, just happy to watch him as he sat beside me again and pulled the messy material away. He worked so gently and quietly with his expression stern as I remembered when he was focused. It was the only time he looked faintly intimidating otherwise he looked gentle and calm, with laughter in his eyes and a smile on his mouth. I found myself crying quietly again. Tears slithered down my face silently as I watched Lucius, seeing him alive and sane, his body unhurt and his mind intact. I was so glad. So glad I wasn’t going to lose everyone. That Al wasn’t going to be alone.

I tried to cover my eyes with my arms but it only hurt. I found it embarrassing that I was crying so much but Lucius didn’t say a word. In fact he made sure it felt he hadn’t noticed. I knew he had but he was working so intently, keeping his eyes on the bloody wounds and burns that it felt like I had privacy and no one was seeing my weakness. I loved that about him. He always let me pretend I was strong even when I wasn’t.

“Your body has taken a beating.” Lucius darkly muttered. His eyes shined with fury. “And any longer, you would’ve died.”

“I know. I have not fed in a long time. It’s natural my healing rate lowers, especially when it’s being battered so much.”

“You shouldn’t have gone through that.” He snarled and bared his fangs. “Your skin will mar. Several scars will join the one Morrigan gave you.”

I touch the ragged lines on my cheek. “At least they will be covered. People won’t stare.”

Lucius grunted, not liking my accepting manner, and continued to clean. I liked feeling him work. It made it sink in he was really with me again.

“What is happening?” I asked softly as he slid up the bed and pulled the shirt away, revealing ugly holes in my chest and stomach and the burn that smothered my shoulder.

His eyes flickered up at my face briefly, showing worry and pain, before he focused on cleaning my damaged flesh. “Nothing right now. We are in a calm period before we figure out what to do. Right now, you need to heal and Al needs to regain himself and I must get a grip on things.”

I gently touched his face, enjoying the feeling of his skin and stubble. “What about James?”

The pain thickened in his expression. “James is alive but only barely. Alphonse never leaves his side and Pyotr sits with him often. He can speak but he sleeps more now. He hasn’t got long left.”

My throat become dry and my heart dropped like a stone. “So there is no way to save him?”

“Both Eva and Elgar smelt the Matter poison. James will die. We can’t stop it.”

My rage snapped and I sat up sharply as I hissed savagely. I wanted to go and hunt that bith down. She condemned a child. Murdered him. Lucius had leaned back but was now standing in front of me, gently holding my shoulders to stop me from moving.

“Lie back down, Susan.”

“No, I need to hunt. I have a witch to slay.” I snapped. “They’ve murdered Ella and now James. They poisoned you and tortured me with the intent of turning me rogue. I’ve had enough!”

“And we will hunt them but not now.” Lucius said firmly, his hands hovering over my ruined flesh.

I scowled up at him but the glint in his eyes said he wasn’t going to move nor was he going to let me run off on my hunt. I moved back slowly and rigidly lay there with my fangs still bared. I scowled when Lucius leaned over me, placing a hand by either side of my head.

“You must be calm, Susan. Nothing can be done for James but we can prevent it from happening again.” He kissed my forehead and pressed his nose against my own. “Just rest. You will get her soon.”

My lips covered my teeth and I grudgingly let the burst for vengeance and blood die down. He smiled and took my mouth with his own lovingly. His kisses were deep and demanding with his worry and relief I was alive filling them. As his mouth grew more demanding and his hands began edge towards my chest and face, I knew he was growing excited. For my body or blood, I wasn’t sure. Nor did I care. I was quite happy to give him both regardless of my ruined state.

“I am glad the darkness is gone, Susan.” He breathed as he gazed down at me with dark eyes. “I have missed you and your temper and warmth.”

I didn’t want to say I had missed him too, that I had missed his company and gentleness. It seemed a weak thing to say, but I allowed him to sense it through our bond and my mouth. I kissed him urgently, demanded more from him and getting him to undress as I felt my lust grow hurriedly. The carnal desire gnawed at my stomach, making me hot and ache as I stared up at him, seeing all that I wanted and now able to have again. My fangs throbbed with the need to feed and my skin cried out for his touch. Soon we were both naked, kissing, feeling and holding each other without thought as he took me gently, making us gasp and moan with pleasure.

I didn’t think about my wounds or my pains. I didn’t think of the loss I had been through, the torture, and what the Allaways intended to do now and who else I could lose. All I could think about was Lucius, of his mouth, his hands and his body. I just needed him. I needed to feel him and have him.

For one moment, I wanted to forget about the war I was in. I just wanted to have my mate back, to relish his company and scent, to let him have me, and to feel the bliss at having him back. I just wanted to forget the misery and sorrow.

Just for one moment.