Bound By Blood Chapter Twelve and Thirteen

Chapter Twelve

 

Figures danced across her memories and her eyes tried to keep up. Her heart throbbed in her ribcage, and her pulse quickened. Bloody screams pierced her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut trying to make the screaming stop. She turned her head from side to side trying to shake the bonds of the memories loose from her mind. A ghostly figure of Lauren stood in front of her, dressed in an elegant gown, bowed before her and let a young man take her hand and off they went, waltzing to the beat of the small orchestra that was seated at the very front of a grand ballroom. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to see who it was. She looked into the deep pools of her father’s eyes. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, and her heartbeat slowed. She tried to say something but her tongue would not let her.

He held his hand out to her and she placed her delicate hand in his overly large hand. He pulled her closer, and together, father and daughter, waltzed gracefully around the ballroom. She began thinking of what to say to her father, but nothing gave way in her mind. How do you not say something to a man you haven’t seen in over seven years? How do you stand before your father and have nothing to talk about?

She allowed him to lead her gracefully around the elegant ballroom, twirling and spinning across the vast floor. She felt awkward having his hand placed on her waist and her hand encased his other hand, but she did not object to the contact. They passed Lauren and her dance partner a couple of times around the floor, each time Lauren giving her a wink and continuing on her way. Lara glanced down at her feet, trying to find something to talk about.

“I thought I taught my two beautiful daughters not to look at their feet whilst they dance?” Lara’s head snapped up at her father’s deep voice. He gave her a warm smile and tears began to condense in Lara’s eyes.

“Ssh, no need to cry my love, I’m here. You must stay strong for you and Lauren.”

“But Dad, I let him take me. I let him leave Lauren behind. What kind of sister does such a thing?” She glanced over at Lauren, spinning delightfully in the arms of her handsome partner.

“What kind of person am I to still allow myself to call me that? I am no sister; the sister Lauren may have once known died that night, along with you and Mom. I don’t deserve the kindness she has shown me thus far. If I were her, I would’ve probably killed me the first chance I got. But she didn’t, and I owe her my life for that. I owe her more than what I could ever fathom of giving her. I love her. Dad, I do, I really do. She’s my little sister, but she would never forgive me.”

“That’s because she hasn’t forgiven herself,” her father spoke softly. Lara gave me him a quizzical look and tried searching through her mind for a time where Lauren did wrong.

“Dad, I don’t─”

“She feels as if she has some how caused all her heart ache and grief. She feels as if it is was she that drove you away and that she was the reason for our deaths. Our death was not your fault, nor was it Lauren’s. Darius wanted supporters and we refused. So he killed us and that’s when he took you and created a vampire out of you.”

“When did Lauren become a vampire?”

“After he took you, he came back to the house, destroying and breaking everything in sight, including Lauren’s heart. She screamed at him and tried to make him leave. She was powerless against him but that didn’t mean she didn’t try. Oh no, she gave him a couple of nasty bites to the arm, a broken nose and a badly bruised shin. She gave him hell, and he was humiliated that such a young child could inflict such pain. And that’s when the thought struck him, why kill her when he can make her a vampire and have her on his side? She became a vampire the very same night you became one.”

“How do you know all this?”

“My child, the dead walk among the living, out of sight, I see you everyday, seen the woman you have become. We are no more than the zephyrs of wind you feel each day against your skin. We tease ourselves, hoping you will come to realization that what you feel moving your hair isn’t the wind, but our gentle caresses. But mortals do not think of such things, so we are left to just imitate God-given wind, left to roam the Earth, trying to inflect mortals in everyday tasks.

We make things go wrong so you’re life may precede in harmony. Death works in very mysterious ways. We are the reason you choose the right path instead of the left path, the reason why you decide to stay home that day, the reason why you decide to love. I cannot explain everything to you in one dance but all will come to light soon. I promise you that my dear and I promise Lauren will come around,” her father finished quietly. Lara looked down at her feet as her father spoke.

“How do you know?” Lara asked quietly. When her father did not answer she looked up but he wasn’t there. She looked around and lowered her hands, her heart skipping a beat.

Lara woke from her dream in a cold sweat. She pushed back the thick covers of her bedspread and swung her feet over the edge of her bed. She lowered herself down on the floor and nearly shrieked out loud. The cold stone floors dared her to come down from her warm burrow of sheets. She slowly let her toes touch the cold surface and bit her tongue to keep from crying out. She scurried over to where her slippers laid haphazardly on the floor. She slipped her cold feet in and grabbed her robe and twirled it around her shoulders. She shuffled down the vast hallways of the dark castle, casting long shadows on the walls. She walked towards a lit room and recognized it as Darius’s study. She pressed her ear against the wooden door and heard two voices.

“I don’t care what you think! I don’t pay you to think, Guido. If I order you to jump off a cliff, then you will do it.”

“I’m not going to murder her!”

“Why? You feel nothing for her,” there was a slight pause. “Or do you?”

“No, of course not. She’s just some girl.”

“Good. You’ll find her in room 218. I want it done tomorrow at midnight, no sooner and no later. For every minute you are off, I shall kill you. Now get out!”

Lara jumped from away from the door and dashed across the hallway, hiding in a dark corner. The door barged open revealing a young man with his head hung low. Guido stepped out into the darkness and closed the door behind him and started off down the hallway. A fierce monster thrashed around in Lara’s rib cage and she followed behind him, trying to keep quiet. She followed him down two flights of stairs and down another hallway before coming to a stop in a small room. He shut the door behind him but it didn’t close all they way. Lara peered through the crack and watched him intently as he placed malicious looking instruments in a duffel bag and zipped it up. He slung it on his shoulder and turned on his heel, heading for Lara. But she didn’t waver; she straightened herself and set her face in a stony expression. He opened the door and jumped when he saw her.

“Who are you?” He questioned. Flames erupted in Lara’s eyes and she pushed him back into the room and slammed the door behind her.

“What connections do you have with Darius?”

“W-what?” Guido stuttered.

“Did I stutter?” Lara asked coldly, mocking him.

“He pays me to do odd jobs he doesn’t want to do.”

“Oh, and that includes murder?” The vampire asked icily.

“What I do is my business.”

“Yeah and when it includes murdering my sister it becomes my business.”

Guido’s face turned parchment white and backed away from Lara until the back of his knees hit the edge of his bed. He’s breathing became ragged and he licked his lips, his eyes darting around Lara’s steely face.

“Why don’t you want to murder her?” Guido licked his lips again and tried to calm his breathing.

“WHY?” Lara roared. He jumped and fell back on the bed and threw his hands in front of his face.

“Because I love her!” Guido cried. Lara’s jaw slackened and she charged at Guido, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him to his feet.

“How do you know my sister?” She commanded.

“We’re dating!” Guido shrieked.

“That’s not possible. Lauren’s dating─” Lara’s eyes went wide with realization.

“You! Guido! You’re really Van! But how do you know Darius?”

“He came up to me one day after school and shoved a lot of money in my hand and told me to date your sister. I couldn’t refuse. And if all I had to do was date some nerd for that kind of money... Then he had me doing other stuff, like spying on her and that escalated into murdering vampires. Now he says Lauren is a threat and she needs to be destroyed. But over time, I grew to love her and I don’t want to kill her. I can’t but I have to.”

Lara studied his face and looked him in the eyes. She could smell fear emitting off his soul and she could smell the sweet smell of love coming from his heart. She threw him back on the bed and started pacing the length of the room.

“If you love her…why kill her?”

“I have no choice,” he replied sadly, dropping his head. Lara shot her head up to look at him and walked up to him and he looked into her eyes and she could see pain in the deep orbs.

“So you’d rather listen to some maniac and kill the girl you love?” Van shrugged his shoulders and replied in a low mumble.

“I guess there are other fish in the sea,” he sighed. Lara looked at him with a horrified look on her face and brought her hand to cover her mouth.

“You’re serious aren’t you? You would really kill Lauren,” the vampire questioned.

“It’s not like I have a choice!” Van cried. She looked at him, and then she really looked at him.

“No…no, I guess not. And that is why I have no choice either.”

“No choice?”

“I can’t let you kill my sister.”

Fear erupted in Van’s eyes again and he licked his lips frantically. He pointed a shaky finger at her.

“I know who you are! You’re Lara Goodrich! You tried to kill Lauren in Transylvania! And you stand before me trying to judge me?” Lara didn’t listen to his accusation; she turned towards him, slipping her robe off her shoulders, her eyes melting into silver pools. Her fangs obtruded from her lips and a shriek bounced off the walls of the castle.

 

 

 

 

Chapter Thirteen

 

Amy sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She cast a saddened glance towards the unconscious Lauren and dropped her forehead onto her knees. Roxanne walked in through the doorway and quietly shut the door behind her. She handed Amy a mug full of hot chocolate and sat next to her placed an arm around her shoulders.

“It’s not your fault Amy. You didn’t know,” Roxanne spoke soothingly. She looked at Amy who was studying her feet.

“I know,” Amy croaked, “but I still caused her pain. She’s like that because of me. Do you know how that makes me feel, knowing that I’ve caused one of my best friends pain and she’s in the state she is because of me?” Tears leaked from Amy’s eyes and fell onto her knees. Roxanne dropped her cup of hot chocolate and grabbed Amy, causing her to drop her mug as well, and sat on the bed hugging Amy, wishing there was some way she could take some of the pain away from Amy. She gently rocked them back and forth, resting her head on Amy’s shoulder. Roxanne lifted her head off of Amy’s shoulder and rotated her head to look at Lauren, sleeping soundly in her bed.

“You didn’t know,” Roxanne spoke softly. She looked back over at Amy, who had fallen asleep, and smiled a little to herself. Her head looked over Amy’s head and noticed snow silently falling from the heavens. She gently laid Amy on the bed and got back up and went to the bathroom. She looked behind her to make sure Amy didn’t wake up and softly closed the door. She turned around and lifted the lid off the toilet tank and pulled out a giant plastic bag and placed it delicately on the sink.

She unzipped the bag and pulled out a small vial and a needle. She poked the needle through the vials plastic lid and loaded the needle with the clear chemical that resided in the vial. She carefully measured the amount of chemical and took a step towards the door. She quietly opened the door and peeked outside to make sure the sleeping girls hadn’t stirred from their slumber. She stepped outside and walked up beside the sleeping Amy, looking at her with a disgusted look. Roxanne fiddled with the chain around her neck and looked around once more and injected the chemical into Amy’s arm.

“Just to make sure you don’t wake up my dear,” Roxanne threw the needle into the bedside basin and grabbed the chain around her neck and tinkered with it a bit and she transformed into Darius.

“I can’t have little girls ruining my plans, now can I?” Darius sneered. He walked back into the bathroom and opened the cabinet doors and looked at the real Roxanne, who was tied up, with her knees against her chest and tape wrapped around her arms and feet. A piece of thick cloth, tied around her face, prevented her from making any sounds and she glared darkly at him.

“Don’t look at me like that Love. All’s fair in love and war, right? Hmm, so sad, it’s always the pretty ones who get locked up,” he reached a hand out to stroke her cheek and she jerked away from his touch. The muscles in his jaw clenched and he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her towards him, a soft whimper escaping from the cloth, he began to stroke her cheek and shoved her head backwards, causing it to smash into the plastic pipes. Roxanne’s large green eyes rolled into the back of her head, and a mixture of venom and titanium oozed onto her shirt. He stood back up, kicked the doors shut and adjusted his cloak in the large mirror and gave himself a wink and walked briskly out into the room. Darius approached Amy and gave her a look over and then turned his attention to Lauren. He glided over to her and brushed the hair back from her face and leaned in, his face inches from her own.

“You’re time is up, you’ll soon be joining your mother and father. Once you’re out of the way, dear Lara will have no one to think about but me,” he whispered in her ear. Standing back up, Darius pulled a black Fedora hat out of his cloak and placed it on his head. He padded out of the room and tipped his hat to a nurse and she blushed furiously at him. Darius gave her a wink and continued on his way. A smile appeared on his lips and he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

Lara leaned against the railing and looked at the gloomy stonewalls that stared back at her. How she hated this place and its darkness. She looked ahead of her out the vast window and noticed sunlight trying to penetrate the dark glass. She looked down at her hands, still covered in venom, and sniffed back a sob. She didn’t want to kill him, but she had to, if she was going to protect Lauren. Now she understood why vampires were loathsome creatures. She now understood why mortals took such great precautions against them. Crosses, strings of garlic, not like that junk worked anyways. Lara always thought vampires were the alpha race, always thought they were in control. But reality hit her all too hard at once and she had to grab onto fiction to keep her steady. She always thought she lived the perfect life, but what’s perfect about death? Nothing, there’s nothing perfect about it. Darius stood at the top of the stairs, looking down upon the young woman deep in her thoughts. He slowly descended the steps, taking his time. He came up behind her and drew in a long, deep breath, drowning in her scent. He placed his hands on each side of her body and she jumped and spun around in his arms.

“You!” She cried.

“Me,” he replied calmly. He sniffed and looked down at his shoes and looked back up at her.

“You know I could get used to having you in my arms like this.”

“Well don’t. Don’t even think about touching me,” Lara hissed. Darius looked at where his arms were positioned and leaned in so his mouth was close to her ear.

“But I’m not touching you…yet,” he whispered. Lara gasped and shoved him hard in the chest but he didn’t budge.

“Let me kiss you.”

“When Hell freezes over,” Lara snapped.       

“Well, keep giving those icy remarks and it won’t be too long,” he retorted. Lara bit her tongue to keep from snapping back at him. She averted her eyes and stared down at her feet, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. She heard Darius clear his throat and she brought her head up and fate betrayed her. They’re lips met and she nearly gagged, she tried to jerk her head back but Darius snaked his hand behind her back and held her neck firmly. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished the nightmare would end soon. She jerked her knee up and he tore his mouth away from hers and fell over, holding himself, crying out in pain. She jumped over him and torpedoed up the stairs and down the hallway. Lara didn’t stop running until her lungs screamed for air, and she stopped near a doorway, leaning against the wall catching her breath. She stood up and placed her hand on the door, the door gave way and she fell over into a strange room.

“Oof,” she rolled over onto her stomach and brought one hand up and began to rub small circles on her lower back. She pushed herself off the floor and looked around. A small glowing ember pushed its light as far as it could and she started towards it. The flame danced through the cold air, illuminating light and warmth onto Lara. Under the candle, Lara noticed an archaic book covered in a film of dust. She carefully removed the book from under the candle and blew a steady stream of air, sending dust particles flying in all directions. She cradled the large book in the crook of her right arm and wedged her free fingers into the folds of the pages. She turned to a page, with strange pictures and even stranger words. She glanced at the top of the page and realized she was staring at a recipe for a potion of death.

A wicked smile played on her lips and she closed the book and slipped it under her arm and walked briskly out the door, not noticing the young vampire crouched in the darkness.

Roxanne roused from her deep sleep and groaned into the cloth. Her stomach clawed at her insides and growled its protest. She strained against her bonds that held her captive under the dirty sink, but she knew her efforts were futile. She tried rocking back to gain leverage and instead of going backwards she fell over sideways and knocked the cabinet doors open. She rolled onto the bathroom floor and came eye to eye with the needle Darius had used. She wiggled her body forward to get her hands closer to the needle. Feeling the cool texture under her fingertips was a welcome relief; she clenched the needle and attempted to look at her hands. She took a steady breath and stabbed at her legs, feeling the pointy tip plunging into the thick tape. She almost wet her self and she started to make sawing motions with her arms trying to cut the tape in half. With sweat rolling down her face she removed the last of the adhesive bandaging from her legs and stretched them out, sighing in pleasure. She took more caution with her hands and soon she was free from the last of her bondages, except for the cloth wrapped snugly around her face. Roxanne reached behind her and untied the cloth, throwing it down beside and she lunged to her feet and hurled the door open looking around for Lauren and Amy. Amy lay sprawled across the bed and where Lauren should’ve been, a large dried pool of venom resided. Roxanne’s mouth went dry and she rushed over to Amy and tried to wake her up.

“Amy. Amy! Wake up! Ugh!” Roxanne ran over to the door and yanked it open, looking both ways down the hallway. She plunged back into the room, slamming the door and went back to Amy. She grabbed Amy by the shoulders and started to shake her again. Roxanne could smell death in the air and her heart skipped a beat and she placed shaky fingers on Amy’s neck. A croak of despair escaped her mouth and she fell over, landing on her backside on the cold ground. She placed a hand over her mouth and one across her chest, feeling the thundering of her heartbeat inside its cage. Tears plummeted down Roxanne’s cheeks, sobs racking her weak body. She gathered her knees close to her chest and she let her head sink into the crevice her knees offered and gently rocked back and forth. Darius. That sick twisted b*****d. She slowly brought her head up and a spark ignited in her deep eyes and she clenched her teeth.

“I will have my vengeance,” she spoke in a low menacing voice full of malice and hatred. She stood up and retrieved her cloak from the back of one of many chairs that resided in the room. She clasped the cloak around her chest and snatched one of the sheets off the bed and placed it gently over Amy’s body. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door quite loudly behind her.

Lauren stumbled through the darkness, groping along the wall, trying to maintain her balance. One arm was placed against the cold stone and the other was snaked across her abdomen. This was unfamiliar territory to the young vampire and she relied mostly on her senses to guide her. Once or twice she nearly fell over and had to bite her lip to keep quiet. She spoke softly to herself, to keep her sane in the darkness and every time she moved her lips a certain way, the dried venom would crack and her sores would open again and new venom flowed. She tried to follow the scent Lara left behind and it was no walk in the park. Death, lust, her own venom, and many other scents lingered and mingled with one another in the air. Lauren could barely distinguish Lara’s from the others. She turned a corner, her blue eyes gazing upon the back of her sister.

Two large French doors were thrown open, revealing a majestic balcony complimented with large plush chairs. Lara leaned casually against the railing and had her head tilted back, gazing longingly at the stars above her. Lauren tried to swallow the lump in her throat but it didn’t budge; she nervously licked her lips and wiped her palms on her pants. It was too soon. She can’t do this. Her heart wasn’t ready for the reunion, but her mind screamed at her to walk up to her sister. She grabbed the edge of her cloak and flung it around her body and disappeared with a small pop.

Lara spun around, her hair whipping behind her, making quite the picture perfect moment. She could’ve sworn she heard something behind her. She thought she saw a small glimpse of her sister, but that couldn’t possibly be possible. Lauren was in a hospital, probably sleeping like a baby. She returned her gaze back to the stars and silently wished to herself she were one, away from here, away from the torment, and especially away from Darius. A small breeze played along her face, making the loose strands of her hair dance in the night air. She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the railing and looked below her. She could see the horse stables, the servants’ quarters and the reflection of the moon in the small lake on the edge of the vast sea of trees. A sigh of sorrow departed her lips and she looked down at the ring that rested on her finger. Delicate fingers reached out and began to fiddle with it, glancing eyes gazing at the large emerald. Her father’s face appeared in the depths of the jewel and Lara leaned close to the ring and she could hear her father’s words.

“My father gave this ring to me, and now I give it to you. Whenever you need me, put the ring on and call my name. I’ll be by your side always and forever.”

Tears glistened in Lara’s eyes and Lauren’s face replaced her fathers. A huge smile was plastered on her face and a twinkle played in her eyes. She appeared to be bouncing around in the jewels confinements, and she twirled around and around, her hair swishing through the cool green gem. Lauren paused for a moment and looked at Lara, studying her face and she furrowed her brows and sneered at her. Darius looked back at her and his eyes flashed silver, blood dripping from his curled lips. Lara snapped her eyes shut, shoving her hand deep into her pocket, trying to erase the fresh images from her mind. She opened her eyes and stared intensely at the stars and spun around on her heel and her heart stopped.

“Going somewhere?” Darius’ cold voice sent a shiver down her spine.

“Yes, actually. I’m getting kind of chilly,” and to emphasize her statement, she hugged herself, trying to make him believe she really was cold. He squinted his dark eyes, and looked at her for a moment before shrugging his cloak off. Darius stepped forward and draped the large cloak around Lara’s small shoulders and she sagged a bit under the weight.

“Better?” Darius asked quietly, she gave a nod indicating her answer. “That was quite a show you put back there, kicking a man when he was down,” Darius said.

“Technically you weren’t down,” she rebuked. His eyes grew steely and Lara straightened her posture.

“Don’t you ever interrupt me again, do you understand me?”

“I am not some chi─”

“I said do you understand me!”

“Yes.” She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all over the place. I started to worry, thinking you left me,” Darius asked. When Lara didn’t reply, he growled and took a step towards her, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently. Her free hand slipped inside his cloak, placing delicate fingers on the cold handle of her dagger resting on her hip. Darius watched her movements and clicked his tongue with displeasure.

“Don’t tell me you are actually going to try to kill me, are you? For a woman of such beauty and intelligence, I would have thought you would have more sense than to try to pull a stunt like that.”

“I wasn’t going to─”

“You weren’t going to try anything, huh? You were just going to pull your dagger out, wave it about like some school girl, and then go on your way?”

“Well, no I was─”

“Shut up! I don’t care what you were going to do and what you weren’t going to do. Next time you defy me, I will have you hanging from a tree! Now then,” Darius cleared his throat and reached over to take back his cloak, “you may want to be heading back inside. It’s getting a little chilly.”

Lara practically threw Darius’ cloak at him, briskly walking down the fire-lit passage way, not even giving him a glance. His eyes followed her movements, watching until his ears could not detect her footsteps. Lifting the cloak to his face, Darius inhaled the scent of the vampire, his eyes ventured upward to make sure a soul was not present before slipping the cloak back on. He straightened his black shirt, wiped his hands on his pants and proceeded to walk casually into the castle, heading straight for his study. Darius ran a hand through his hair, sighing into the night.

“She’ll be mine… sooner than later.”