by Nicole Marie
The idea made my stomach turn in knots.
I pushed myself up off the ground and sat on the couch. I then pulled out the second bag out of my other pocket and placed it on the table in front of me.
What’s in the second bag? Erik asked.
“Mental lubrication,” I said after a moment of silence. I reached into the bag and pulled out a small bottle of whiskey. I smiled at the thing as it reflected warm orange light over my arm through the flicker of the fire. I then unscrewed the top and pressed the bottle to my lips.
It burnt going down as it wasn’t the highest quality whiskey. But it would do just fine.
I took a steadying breath and took another swig, and another, and another. Finally, after half the bottle was gone, I felt my nerves subside and I was ready to do this.
“Charlie, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Erik said.
Victor stepped back into the room just then. “Is everything okay, Miss Ross?”
I looked up at him and hiccupped. “Just fine, thanks Victor. Just a little bit of self-medication, that’s all.”
I wiped the whiskey from my lips and screwed the cap back on the bottle and set it aside. Victor and Erik both looked at me concerned, but I shrugged. “My terms, right?”
Erik finally nodded, and I proceeded to lay the kit out in front of me, analyzing its pieces and figuring out exactly how it worked.
“I’ll leave you two to it, then?” Victor asked.
“Actually,” I called to Victor. “Maybe just stay for one quick second. I want to test something.”
Victor stepped forward and observed me while I rummaged through the small kit to see if there was anything sharper than the needlepoint.
“Victor, can you please bring me a small knife? Something sharp?”
He looked to Erik for permission and then nodded to me quickly. He then turned to leave and returned not a moment later with the small, decorated silver knife in his hand. He placed it on the table in front of me and took a step back, staying close this time.
I looked down at Erik and picked up the knife to inspect it. “Before we do this, I need to see what sort of reaction we have using my blood this time, and not Alexandra’s. I don’t think I could go through that same thing again.”
“Okay, but wait.”
I waited for Erik to speak, but he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. I watched him curiously and waited. I could feel his exhaustion wash over me, and I knew even speaking was a strain on him.
“I’m putting up as many mental blocks I can. I’m not sure what help it’ll be, but it might help protect you from at least some of it.”
I nodded, and as soon as I felt my mind go mildly numb from his efforts, I sliced the knife down the palm of my left hand and knelt down on the ground and approached him. I didn’t have to get too close for the scent of my blood consumed him. My mind raced alive and I was grateful that I was already on the floor.
I gagged and choked at his sensation of overwhelming need as it coursed through my body. I breathed steadily as I held myself in that position on the floor with my hand extended towards him, my body shaking under the exertion of holding myself up.
“What’s happening? How do you feel?” Victor’s voice came ragged as he stepped closer towards us.
“Don’t touch me,” I said through quivering breath. “I think it’s going to be okay. It’s different this time.”
I focused on the sensation building in the pit of my stomach, and I didn’t recognize it as the same overwhelming pain that I felt before with Erik’s reaction to Alexander’s blood. This time, I felt different. It was overwhelming, sure. But it was somewhat calming at the same time, and it felt steady and strange. I can’t explain it. Perhaps it was due to our mental connection since his reaction to my blood didn’t affect me nearly the same way.
I squeezed my hands together as I push myself back to sit on my heels. “I think this can work.” I shook, but not from pain. I can’t explain the sensation, but if it was only going to be for a short while, I knew I could endure. “Okay,” I said as I pushed myself back onto the couch. “Nothing more than a clinical procedure. I think I’ve got this. Thank you Victor.”
Victor turned and left us in the room as I stared down at the blood kit in front of me.
I outstretched my shaking hands and began attaching the kit according to the directions. I then tied the small rubber band around my arm, tracing my finger down where my vein was, and stuck the small metal needle into my arm. When no blood came, I sword under my breath and pulled the needle back out. “Shit, I missed.”
The stabbing pain from the needle flared in my mind as a moment of anger coursed through my mental connection with Erik. I glanced down at the vampire and raised my eyebrow. “Don’t worry, it didn’t hurt that much. No need to panic.”
Erik looked concerned as he stared up at me, but then nodded. His concern for my well-being was touching, and I couldn’t help but smile down at him as he looked more nervous than I.
The second try was successful, and blood immediately flowed easily through the tubes and into the bag that I had sat on the table in front of me. When the bag was full, which didn’t take long given the alcohol in my body, I plugged it with a little stopper and pulled the needle out of my arm and held the bag of blood in front of me and stared at it.
Despair coursed through my body just then as I realized I had no idea what to do with it now.
I could feel numbness spreading from my mind all through my body as I knew Erik was trying so desperately hard to maintain the mental block. I could feel the longing and the need for the blood in my hand, and I looked down at him with sympathy.
I shook my head. “I don’t think that I can be here if you drink this.”
Erik looked up at me, his eyes flickering down to the blood for a moment, but then maintaining my gaze. “I think you need to be. I can’t control our mental connection as much if you’re not close to me, and I fear what will happen if I lose control of my mental block as I feed.”
I swallowed hard and my eyes went wide. I shook my head again. “Okay, but I can’t be the one to do it.” My body was shaking and I ran my hand nervously through my hair. My skin was cold and clammy as I realized my body was really not having any of it.
“Victor, do you mind helping us? Maybe some of the others, too.” I made sure that the bag of blood was sealed properly and placed it on the table as I leaned back on the couch and tucked my knees in close. I wrapped my arm tightly around myself and sunk into the cushions and held myself as I shook.
Victor immediately approached the table and picked up the blood, but then set it down right away and turned away from it. “I’m not sure I can control myself enough to do this, Master.”
A moment of silence passed as I stared angrily up at him and then turned back to Erik who frowned. “Nor should you be expected to, Victor.”
The other angrier looking vampire stepped back into the room and gazed from Erik to myself and then down to the blood. He frowned and turned away as well.
Just then, footsteps came down the hall as Alexandra, Reggie and a few other human servants came to join us.
“I’ll do it, Master,” Alexandra’s smooth voice said. She sounded particularly sultry and eager, and the sound of her voice made me cringe. She sauntered over to where Erik lay in front of the fire, and picked up the blood and stared down at it in reference. Her fingers stroked along the edge of the clear plastic bag, and my eyes eyebrows furled as I looked at her in disgust.
“That’s not for you, bitch,” I snapped at her. She glared up at me and hissed and then turned back to Erik and her angry expression was immediately replaced with one of sheer devotion.
“I will help you, Master. I’ll take care of you.” She stroked his arm lovingly as she spoke.
I groaned and rolled my eyes, but she ignored me. I sat on the couch holding my knees, shaking as I watched her work. I really didn’t want to be in there, but I knew deep down that I had to be. I
wouldn’t risk myself being too far from Erik’s control, but by the clenching of my stomach, I suspected I wasn’t going to enjoy this.
Alexandra tore the top of the bag open with her teeth and dipped her finger into the thick red liquid. She then bent down on the other side of Erik and traced the blood along his fingers like a mother would do to her fevered child.
A bit my lip as I tried to force myself to watch. My body began shaking even more, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut. I focused on my breathing, and told myself that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to be here, I wanted to help. I knew I was doing the right thing, and it would just be a few more minutes of this strange hell before I could get up and leave.
“Doesn’t look like your new friend can handle this, Master,” the angry-looking vampire snarled at me.
“Fuck off,” I snapped at him. He looked smug as he looked down at me on the couch, and I glared up at him with the angriest eyes I could manage. The bastard’s words were even more incentive to suck it up and deal with this shit as best I could.
You’re not weak, I thought to myself. You’ve got this. You were originally sent here to kill these bastards, for fuck’s sake. You’re strong.
My attention turned back to Erik’s when I heard a gasp in front of me. Alexandra sat back on her heels, looking down at her master, who was immediately beginning to look more human, if that was even possible. Alexandra traced more blood along his lips and then poured the contents down his throat as he drank, his eyes wide and staring up at the ceiling, and as he drank, the shadows under his eyes and the gaunt look of his skeleton slowly began disappearing.
His mental block was growing weaker, and I was becoming consumed by the sensation of his newfound vigour. Every muscle in my body clenched tight as I tried to force myself to think of anything else besides the feeling of him drinking my blood. I could almost taste the metallic liquid flowing down my throat. I squeezed my lips together and held my hand over my nose to try and focus on anything other than this smell that was forced against my will and my mind.
The tension in the room seemed to subside as everyone realized it was working. Erik was growing stronger, and the look on Alexander’s face told me it was one of sheer pleasure and reverence. She dipped her finger in the last of the blood and traced it once more on his lips, and then placed a finger in her mouth and tasted the blood herself as she stared down into her master’s, eyes completely consumed by the moment.
I’m okay, I told myself. Everything is fine
I knew what I was getting into. What I was observing was no more than I expected. I wasn’t handling it as well as I could have been, though.
My stomach then clenched as I leaned forward and threw up the contents of my stomach all over the floor before me. I then felt my entire body grow cold as blackness overtook me and I tumbled sidelong on the couch and fell unconscious.
My mind was convinced that everything was fine. But my body deceived me.
10
Everything hurt. My muscles cramped and a deep searing pain blossomed through my bones from my head all the way down to my toes. I lay there, unable to move or open my eyes.
I twitched my fingers and felt silk, yet the smooth surface felt like sandpaper against my skin. I tried to groan, but my throat was so dry it burned. My eyes were locked shut, and even the simple effort of trying to open them caused enough pain to make me a blackout again.
I came to a while later, and panic coursed through my body. I had no idea where I was. I had no idea what was going on. I willed myself to open my eyes, and after an excruciatingly painful attempt, I managed to open them a crack. Hot, red light burned my eyes, but I forced myself to see through it. Flickers of red and orange seared my eyes, dancing over me like blinding weapons.
I heard the shuffle of footsteps all around as shadows came to stand beside me. The sounds and smells were overwhelming, and it took all my effort just to stay conscious.
“She’s awake, Master.” I recognized that voice. Who was that, again?
“Leave us,” a stern voice sounded from above me. Not a half second later, the footsteps shuffled and echoed away until they disappeared, leaving me with that strange, cold voice.
I felt pressure on my chest as though someone placed ice on top of me.
No, not ice.
My eyes slowly adjusted as I looked up into Erik’s eyes, my eyelids barely open more than a slit. He gazed down at me with an expression of sheer anxiety and concern. His brow was furrowed and he frowned. He did not speak.
Realization dawned on me just then, and I gasped. My hand flew to my neck, but I couldn’t feel any bites other than the faint scars from months before. The quick movement of my arm caused a flash of pain to course through my body, and I lay back down before I screamed in agony.
“Shhh, Charlie,” he whispered calmingly above me. He stroked a loose strand of hair away from my face and ran his cool hands down my cheek. The icy chill of his fingers felt incredible against my feverish skin, and I closed my eyes and relished in his touch. I moaned, or, at least, I tried to, but no sound came out. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but closed it again when no words came. I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
What the hell was happening to me?
I lay still for what felt an eternity before I managed to open my eyes again. Erik was still standing above me, looking down at me with fear and concern spread across his handsome face.
“You have to drink,” he finally said.
I was so dehydrated my body felt like it was going to shrivel up into nothing. I tried to nod, but couldn’t.
He raised his hand and immediately another set of footsteps shuffled towards us. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a tray with a small glass that Erik picked up and slowly began to drip into my mouth.
The icy cold water burned against my tongue, but I let the cool drops fall down my throat, nourishing me. My body drank in the water desperately. I was too weak to swallow, but it didn’t matter. The water made its way where it had to, and each drop brought both agony and relief at once.
Erik then dipped his fingers in the water and traced my lips, and memories came flooding back to me.
I gasped and turned my head away. “Erik, what the hell is going on?”
He set the water down on the floor next to where I lay, and sat down beside me. I must’ve been on a bed, as a mattress moved under his weight. He pushed aside the silk sheets and ran his hand down along my exposed arm.
“You’ve been out for three days. I wasn’t sure if you were going to wake,” he said through strained breath. “This is the first you’ve opened your eyes in days.”
I tried to process what he had told me, but had difficulty remembering anything. The image of Alexandra tracing my blood along his lips made my stomach clench and I felt like I was going to be sick again. But I wouldn’t allow that, and I wouldn’t allow myself to pass out again. I had to know what happened to me.
“Did you bite me?”
Erik looked startled and I knew immediately that he hadn’t. “Of course not, Charlie.”
My body relaxed somewhat, the tension slowly eased from my muscles. “Then what happened? What happened to me?”
Erik pushed himself back off the bed and began pacing the room, lost in his thoughts. He held his finger up to his lips as he pondered, but he didn’t speak.
I laid there in silence, watching him, but, after a long while, I turned my attention to the fire next to me. The bed had been brought next to the hearth, and the hot flames danced and flickered around me, casting a warm glow across my body. A row of torches lined the other side of the bed, and their warmth burned my skin.
It was a strange sensation, as I began to shiver. The heat burned, but my body was cold. I couldn’t stop shivering, and I pulled the silk sheets over me in an attempt to stay warm.
My teeth chattered, and the icy cold consumed me. I slowly raised my hand to my forehead and felt beads of sweat accumulating over my eyebrows. I turned my head int
o the soft pillow, and even that small movement caused excruciating pain.
I had been laid down on thick furs and silk sheets, a bed that otherwise would have been heaven to lie on was causing me so much pain.
I pushed my face further into the pillow and groaned at the burning sensation against my skin.
I tried to stop shivering, but I couldn’t. My attempts were futile. I gazed up again into the fire, and tried to imagine myself being consumed by the flames. My skin tingled, but the heat from the fire was lost against the sheer icy coldness that coursed through my veins.
I slowly turned my head back towards Erik, who stood still in the far corner of the room, observing me.
“I’m cold,” I said through deep shivers.
He nodded and walked over to me. But when he reached his hand to touch me, he paused in midair and retracted it back towards him as he thought better of putting his cold hand against me.
“What’s happening to me?” I repeated. I was desperate for an answer. I didn’t understand.
“Your blood revived me, Charlie.” That was all he said.
I slowly nodded in my pillow and frowned. “I see that. You look unrecognizable.”
In truth, he looked incredible. His hair was still disheveled, but hung loose around his face. Long black tendrils that contrasted greatly against the light Arctic blue of his piercing eyes. His cheekbones were still chiseled and his face pale. I couldn’t look away. He was one of the most beautiful people I had ever seen.
A knot formed my stomach, this time not caused by nausea. The need I felt inside for him grew to an immeasurable size, and I wondered whether that was my own emotion or a product of the pull we still shared with each other.
“But what happened to me?” How many times would have to repeat myself before he answered?
He shook his head just then and frowned, and then placed his hand against my cheek. The cold actually felt good, and I somehow stopped shivering. I must have been extremely feverish for my body to be so cold, but my skin to be so hot. His cool skin calmed me, and lowered my temperature enough for me to think.