Bound By Blood Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

 

 

Darius drummed his fingers on the desktop with a bored expression upon his face. He rested his chin in the hollow his palm made and began to tap his nose, a look of serious thought processing swept across his face.

“I need a day job,” he mumbled to himself. The pitter-pattering of footsteps could be heard and Darius could see the soft golden glow of a burning torch. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, twitching with anticipation to show itself. The image of a hallowed face marked with cuts and bruises burned into his mind and at that moment the real face appeared before him and the smile escaped its confinement and spread along Darius’s face.

“Guido, where have you been?” Darius coolly questioned. Guido winced in fear, not in fear of his master, but the iciness of his voice.

“S-sorry, S-sir. I-I-I d-didn’t ─”

“Speak clearly or don’t speak at all,” Darius interrupted. Guido began to quiver and tiny whimpers escaped his bruised lips.

“You’re not going to cry are you? I thought you were a man. Men don’t cry, Guido, we have no emotion, except for hatred. We are all born with hatred, and that’s all, nothing else. Now go, and don’t come back until you have become a man and harbor a hatred for me,” Darius finished. Guido bowed his head with shame and Darius could smell the salt in his tears.

“GO!” He barked. Guido scurried out of the dimly lit chamber and the echoes of his feet soon died.

“It’s a miracle that boy has a girlfriend, let alone friends,” he pushed himself away from his desk and stood up, his cloak rustling behind him. He crossed the dark room and pulled back the curtains of the window to reveal a large moon rising in the night sky. His eyes melted into two molten silver pools and he smiled a wicked smile, his fangs dazzling in the moonlight.

“All work and no play,” he mused to himself. Several footsteps bounced off the walls of the hall and Darius looked up to see two guards standing in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“Sir, we have picked up signals for three vampires. Apparently they’re planning on having an early dinner. Should we hunt them down?”

“No, let them be. Their faults will come to light later, but for now, let them have their fun,” Darius mumbled. The guards bowed and ran back out of the room and down the hallway again.

“No, let me take care of them,” he growled and added, “maybe I’ll have some fun after all.” He stood up from his chair and walked towards the window, peering out into the autumn grounds of his estate. Leaves fell lazily to the ground, blanketing the earth in brown, gold, and red sheets. Darius rubbed the sleep from his eyes, stretched his arms above his body, moaning while popping his joints and bones. He strolled back towards his desk and plopped down into his chair, propping his feet on the desk. He entwined his fingers behind his head and thought about all the possible punishments suitable to the perpetrators. He could throw them into boiling cauldrons of acids, he could hang them by their thumbs in his dungeons, he could let the Fusion have them, or, he could have someone even more dangerous take care of them.

 

Three heads peered around the corner of a dark alleyway in the midst of Transylvania, a swirling mist playing amongst their faces. Silver eyes scanning the darkness, mouths watering with anticipation, the three vampires watched closely. A group of three young mortals came strolling down the dark road, one holding a map and another holding a flashlight to illuminate it. Three mortals, three vampires, it couldn’t be more perfect. Roxanne turned her head towards Lauren and gave her the ‘go ahead’ look. Lauren looked at the flashlight and her eyes grew misty, the silver swirling in her eyes, mixing with the black of her pupil, to give it a liquid metal look. The light vanished from the flashlight and the young man who held it began to shake it, tapping it on his leg, trying to get it to work. The three vampires knew it was a lost cause. They drew back into the shadows and hooked their pinkies together, whispering vows they made on their first hunt together. They parted and stalked onto the street, right in front of the small group. One of the girls looked up and jumped out of fear and the young man stood protectively in front of the girls.

“Excuse me, can you help us?” he asked with a slight waver in his voice. The vampires looked at one another and looked back at him and it was Amy who spoke.

“No,” she took a provocative step towards him, “the question is can you help us?” The young man looked puzzled and opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words. Amy looked behind her at Roxanne and Lauren and they nodded their heads.

“What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t say my name.”

“Oh, sorry, I thought you did,” Amy smiled sweetly at him and the young girls began to look at the vampires that stood behind Amy. They noticed their eyes, and the sharp points of the fangs that stuck out of their lips. One of them tapped the man on the shoulder and told him to just forget it and that they’ll find their own way but the vampires would have none of that. Lauren and Roxanne came up on either side of Amy and smiled at three young mortals.

“Hmm, I’m hungry, how about you girls?”

“Oh yeah.”

“I’m always hungry,” Lauren smiled, exposing her fangs. Amy seemed pleased with the answers and the young vampires ambushed the three teens.

Lauren let out a long belch and rubbed her stomach and Roxanne sat on the ground, leaning against a wall, picking at nothing with a toothpick and Amy was lying on the ground, her stomach swollen with a hearty meal.

“Lauren, that’s gross. Have some manners,” Roxanne scowled. She felt a small burp forming in the back of her throat and she thought it would be safe to let it out quietly. But the burp had other plans. It evolved into a five second long belch that put Lauren’s to shame. Lauren started to laugh and began to mock Roxanne.

“Lauren, that’s gross. Have some manners! Hey Roxanne, practice what you preach,” Roxanne glared at Lauren and Amy let her own burp come into play. It was a small one, a shameful one.

“Nice Amy. Hey maybe next year when you have had more experience you can roll with the big girls,” Lauren gave Amy a wink and Amy threw a pebble at her.

“So why did you get out of summer band?” Roxanne asked, nudging Amy with her foot.

“I didn’t like being out in the sun that much, ruined my hair,” Amy answered, shrugging her shoulders. A deafening roar sounded just around the corner from where they stood now and they all looked at each other, looks of fear on their faces. Someone was coming. They turned around to take off running but only took a couple of steps when they could feel invisible ropes tightening around them. The air was compressed from Lauren’s lungs and she twisted her body to get a look at her attacker. Her face went white with fear and her mouth dried up. With a clenched fist in the air, the most powerful vampire in America, apart from Darius, stood before them.

“Don’t look so scared, Mordia. I thought you enjoyed seeing me?” Lauren hissed at the name Lara used. No one has called her that since her sprouting of her fangs. That’s when she was known to be a force to be reckoned with. Lauren hated the name Darius bestowed upon her

“I did, Titania, but that was before you turned to evil,” Lauren spat. In the depths of Lara’s eyes, a flame burst into life.

“You do not have the privilege of speaking my name.”

“Oh? And what makes you think you have the privilege of speaking mine? Why go by your mortal name?” Lauren spat at her. Lara clinched her fist tighter and Roxanne, Amy and Lauren all groaned with pain.

Amy and Roxanne could understand the hatred that separated Lara and Lauren. Lara slipped over to the dark side when Darius murdered her parents, and what really killed Lauren was that Lara was her only sister. Only two years separated them and Lauren felt like could go to Lara for anything, but now, she liked to steer clear of her.

“The same reason you go by yours,” Lara hissed. Lauren could feel her heart beginning to slow down and her eyes grew heavy.

“Don’t die on me now, you pathetic excuse for a vampire. I’m not finished,” Lara threw her hand out and released her fist, sending the young teens flying through the dark night. They landed with a heavy thud all within five feet of each other. Their lungs screamed for air and they became light headed. Lara walked towards Lauren, slowly, and raised her hand up, Lauren rising in the air, her head rolling around on her shoulders.

“I can’t believe I once considered you my sister,” Lauren whispered harshly. Lara smiled and shook her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval, and flicked her wrist. Lauren flipped backwards in the air, barely but effectively hitting a lamppost. She fell to the ground with a loud groan and Roxanne growled, baring her fangs at Lara.

“Don’t show me your pen point teeth, Calpurnia. You forget, I have known you for a very long time and I know your weakness,” Roxanne glowered at Lara and clenched her fist, wishing she could help Lauren. Amy placed a firm hand on Roxanne’s shoulder, mentally willing her not to try anything stupid.

“Good girl. Now, why can’t Lauren mind so well like you?” Roxanne glared a hole straight through her and Lara turned her attention back to Lauren, who was trying to get up. She chuckled to herself and lifted her hand up again, bringing Lauren along for the ride.

“You crave for blood, how about your own?” Lara made a slicing and slashing motion with her other hand, deep gashes appearing on Lauren’s body. She limply thrashed around in the still air, Roxanne and Amy’s screams piercing the night. Lara turned towards them and also made a slashing motion. Two deep gashes appeared on their arms. They simultaneously clenched their arms, and dropped to their knees. Amy clenched her teeth, willing every being in her body to cooperate with her. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, showing the eerie whites of her eyes, a strong wind began to swirl around her and lightning began to strike around Amy. Roxanne looked on with horror and amazement as Amy called forth lightning and wind. Lara dropped the unconscious Lauren to the ground and looked up into the black, boiling clouds and a bolt shot at her, landing mere inches from her feet. Lara leaped back and looked at where she just was, a smoldering hole taking up half the street.

“This isn’t over. Not by a long shot,” with a sweep of her cloak, Lara Vanished just as quickly as she came, a loud bang bouncing off the walls of the street.

“Lauren!” Roxanne cried out and she and Amy took off running for the lifeless form. Amy reached her first and rolled her over, cuts covering her body and her face. Huge crimson gashes were scattered over her cloak and her shirt. Tears welled in Roxanne’s eyes and she grabbed Lauren’s wrist and Amy grabbed the other. With a swish of their cloaks, they Vanished taking Lauren along with them, leaving behind the familiar smell of death.

 

Lara announced her presence with the loud bang of her arrival. She stormed into Darius’s chambers, slamming the door closed as she walked by. She marched straight up to where Darius was leaned back in his chair with his feet propped up on his desk. She slammed a fist on his desk and her eyes illuminated with hatred.

“That was the last time I EVER did something like that for you!” She screamed at him. Darius didn’t flinch nor did he cower. Instead he let a small smile creep upon his face. He let his feet fall to the floor and he scooted closer to his desk and just gazed into Lara’s eyes.

“My dear that is the only time you have ever done that for me. And no, I don’t need you to do that again. I sense there’s more to your anger, is there not?” He replied calmly.

“Yeah there is! You let them get away! Its not feeding time and you let them get away! You slaughtered countless for doing the very same. You’ve grown soft, Darius, and we can’t have a weakling leading us,” she glared at him with steely eyes and her breath hitched in her throat when she felt his hand on hers.

“And I give you my deepest regrets for that. That was the worst mistake of my life. See? This is why I have you here, Titania, I love the fire that harbors deep inside you. You’re so full of life and spunk. It’s very becoming,” Lara gasped and snatched her hand back. She clenched her jaw and backed away from the desk.

“You couldn’t have me even if you were the last man on Earth.”

“See? That’s what I love about you! You are a challenge, and I enjoy challenges,” Darius stood up and walked around the desk and stood in front of her. He grabbed her arms and she flinched at his touch and he gripped even harder. Someone began to knock on the wooden door and Lara wrenched herself free.

“Touch me again, and you’ll have no hands left,” she hissed. Darius smirked and walked towards the door and opened it, to reveal the guard who informed him about the three fugitives. Lara left the chambers and stormed down the hallways, her power surging through her making portraits fly off the wall and crashing down on the floor. She mumbled to herself, flames burning in her eyes and she vanished without another word.

“Women.”