He took a breath and closed his eyes. “I’m ready.” I held him tightly, drawing him in close and carefully nuzzled his neck. “One more thing Chenille,” he said.
“What?”
“No matter how much I scream…don’t stop until it’s over.”
I grew nervous as I neared his neck again. I could hear his anxiety rising, his adrenaline pumping, and his rising pulse. He was scared and so was I. I took a breath and bit him, so lightly at first that nothing even happened. And he actually laughed at my attempt. That was just out of pure fright. The second attempt was it. This time he wasn’t laughing. He was begging me to stop. His body shook and was burning in an instant, just as he’d warned me. He was sweating so much and the fire didn’t make it any better.
His breathing became short and forced and his hand was holding my shoulder so tight I was cringing from the pain. I could taste this blood he warned me about- mortal’s blood. And no doubt it was the sweetest thing I’d ever tasted. I finally understood the palates of mosquitoes. I loved the idea that he was all mine, just as a selfish tiger would be over its fallen kill. And he grew weaker and weaker, still screaming in pain until he finally pushed me aside. He clutched his neck, shielded it away from me and shook uncontrollably from the trauma. There was blood spilling all over his hands and I looked at him, fighting the instinct to go back. I knew now that if I went back I would do too much damage.
“Pete, can you hear me?”
His eyes flew up as he remained on his side. He was in so much agony that he was afraid of me. He didn’t want me to be near him. He gasped for breath, his hands pressing the side of his neck in attempt to stop the bleeding with panic. His eyes shot me a nervous glance. He breathed through his teeth and finally uttered a defenseless scream for help. I put my hands on his shoulders and waited until he looked at me. His breathing became stable.
“I took too much.”
“Don’t go back,” he said hoarsely.
“I’m not doing anything now.”
“Good. Very good.” He sighed and turned his head to the side.
“Can you sit up?”
“No, I’ll stay here for…a minute or two.” He reached out, grabbed his cape, and used it to soak up the blood that was pouring from his wound. He took a few deep breaths and then finally sat up.
“That was good. You did very well.” He flinched from the pain.
“Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Well, this wound is going to take some time to heal on its own. It might be best if I find Caspian and get a few stitches…after we’re done.”
He smiled and I smiled back at him, noticing that his fangs had returned. “Half-blood,” I joked.
“Good. Now all I have to do is find a vampire that will spare me a little bit of poison and I’ll be back to my old self…well, almost.” He drew me close and kissed my cheek. “You did good, but now it’s my turn. Let’s finish what we started. Are you ready?”
Part 2
Silver Dust
Chapter 11 - Return
When Fitzray woke up, he suspected nothing and went through his phases as though I’d actually carried through with the Ceremony, so he was convinced I did. I quickly told him that I’d found out that Raven was the one who’d leaked the information. Fitzray immediately became curious of how I’d found out and by whom. He also added that I was with him performing the Ceremony. And then, with growing suspicion, he asked me if I’d left the house during the Ceremony. I held my tongue and he pressed his question on me.
“Where did you go?”
“I just left. My instinct took me to a house in the woods.”
“Then who told you about the leaking information?” I swallowed hard. “You can tell me.”
“It was Pete.”
He licked his lips patiently, listening. He wasn’t angry. “What did he tell you?”
“He told me what Raven did. And he told me what happened to him…what his punishment was.”
He sat forward, now interested. “What was it?”
“They…they turned him into a mortal by giving him a half-mortal’s heart. I saw him, his weakness, and his pulse. It was horrible.”
“Whose heart was it? Do you know?”
I looked down calmly, not wanting to meet his gaze. “The only donor compatible was Lucian. He has Lucian’s heart.”
He stood up alarmed, straightening his cape as though he was about to leave. “Where is he?”
“He said he was going to Earth.”
He grabbed a bag from the closet and stuffed some things into it. He mumbled to himself, grabbed another cape, and paused to look at me. “He’s planned a lot of things in the past, but I don’t know how he could have been so manipulative to plan this. That heart could make him into a monster and he knows it. He knows being a mortal or even a half-mortal is a devastating thing, but if he thinks he can just become a vampire again, he has another thing coming.”
“What could happen to him?”
“He might think he’ll just become a vampire again by getting bit by one, but he’s wrong. If a vampire bites him, he’ll become twice as strong and can be dangerous to everything around him. I can stop that. If a vampire of similar blood bites him, he will just turn into a regular vampire. I have to find him and stop him myself.”
“You’re sure that will work?”
“Yes,” he hissed throwing the bag over his shoulder, “but I can’t waste any more time here. I have to go. Take care of things here while I’m gone.”
“When should I expect you back?”
“I don’t know how long it will take for me to find him, but I’m sure I’ll be back by the full moon. If I’m not back by then, send someone for me.”
He said his goodbyes to me and he was gone before sunset. In the days that followed, there was talk throughout the City of our return. To my surprise, not one person or creature came to the door to welcome us and even when I dare roam the streets in luxurious silks and satin, not even the once-envious peasants looked in my direction to acknowledge my return. My friends had not shown their faces to me. I didn’t hear from Taj’ or Pearl, Amelia or Caspian. The only familiars to me were Minx and Versailles, but to anyone else they were considered as my pets. If Fitzray were beside me I wouldn’t be shunned. Why was I being shunned? One day I dared to ask one of the fellow townspeople and she didn’t even respond. I hadn’t gotten the chance since then to find out why and I mused the thought over in my mind, being that today was particularly boring despite the perfect autumn weather. I found myself concealed behind the stone walls of my palace before the hearth in the living room. There I sat mindlessly staring into the flames.
One of our many maids happened to be cleaning in my presence and I caught her attention. She stopped dusting to gaze at me and paused to curtsey. Though there were many maids in the palace, I knew this one very well in particular. She had always been attentive in my room and tended to many of my personal needs in the past. If her title wasn’t a maid I was sure I could consider her a friend because I was quite comfortable speaking to her. I knew her attitude changed toward me and this only baffled me more. I had never done anything to her. With this in mind, I knew I could ask her my question and receive an honest answer.
“Lulu,” I said, “the creatures around me all seem distant, even you. Is that any way to welcome back a reincarnated queen?”
“Well,” the girl sat down, placed her duster on the coffee table, “people feel that since it was your fault that you were killed by Pete, it was because of you that he ruled over us again. We never liked his rule, but he changed things, many things. These things changed our alliances, our ways of life.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Some creatures aren’t susceptible to change, and to be honest, none of us trusted him.”
“But why be mad at me?”
“Everyone blames this on you, all of this change. If you hadn’t gone to Sebastian’s Ball, Pete wouldn’t have killed you.”
“No, it would have been something el
se. Pete has changed for the better, but now because of his mistakes and ruling he did in the past he has been exiled. Is this what you wanted?”
Lulu looked down. “It’s not what I wanted. I just wanted you to come back. Many creatures wanted you to come back. It’s just…everyone is still a bit uneasy regarding the Trial. Keep in mind some creatures do like Pete. Some people have been rude toward you because he has been exiled.”
I nodded my head and dismissed her back to her cleaning. I proceeded to my retreat, to the library, to find comfort being surrounded by books. It seemed strangely empty since Pete’s books were stripped from the shelves and shipped away. The only book I had begged to keep in my own possession was his black book. I sat back admiring the great painted dome ceiling. Constellations seen by both Catastrophe and Earth were painted delicately across the glass in an array of artistic colors.
Upon my arrival, I picked up a book at random and brought it back to my seat in the center of the room. I flipped through the pages, disregarded the title, and skimmed the words only to find the pictures appealing.
My stomach turned, a lump formed in my throat only to be considered nausea. I ignored my imprudent symptoms for as long as I could before they overwhelmed me. I sent my book to the floor to scurry through the library only to reach the bathroom in anxiety instead of actually being sick. Though I thought I was quiet and I hadn’t uttered a sound other than my exasperated breathing, one of my servants heard me rushing around. She found me slightly bent over the bathroom sink, staring at my own deathly pale reflection. She immediately escorted me to my room and demanded bed rest. I would never take a demand from anyone other than a vampire or someone I knew, but I couldn’t argue with this servant and risk confronting a healer. I couldn’t be bothered with a healer.
Defeated, I warmed myself beneath the covers and slept, hoping that was all I needed, but I was mistaken. When I woke, it was late and I felt even worse. It took me a couple of hours to fall asleep again. Only the morning could tell if I was sick and if I would get any sicker.
Chapter 12 - Medicine
The rest of the week was accompanied by getting even worse before I started to get better. By the middle of the following week, I regained my appetite and I assured my servants that a healer was not necessary.
They respected my wishes, waiting for there to be serious enough symptoms to send for a healer. Even the slightest glance hinting distaste toward my food would have convinced them, but now with my appetite back I was sure I was getting better.
My only slip up was leaving the bathroom door open, allowing a servant to catch a glance at my pale, miserable face while attempting to cool my burning head. My fever was immediately reported and I knew a healer was coming.
I waited in my room alone feeling sicker still. Feeling worse now made me grateful for knowing a healer was coming. Maybe medicine could help me. I let my head fall back on the pillows and tried to sleep, to rest, but as I started to doze off, I heard a knock at the door.
“Chenille?” My eyes flew open and I stared at the healer. For a moment, I felt lost in his gaze and then sank back content.
“Caspian?” He smiled, walked over to me to place his medical bag on the bed.
“I was wondering when someone would call me to let me know you were conscious, but I can see you’re all right now.”
“I’m not fully well, other than being conscious.”
“I wish I saw you sooner. Every time I tried to see you, you were never home.”
I smiled. “I’ve been traveling.”
“Yes,” he paused to open up his bag, “and I’ve been told you’ve been doing other things.”
“What other things?”
“Word on the street is you’ve performed the Ceremony with Fitzray.”
I looked away from his gaze. “You can’t keep a secret in this place can you?” I mumbled.
At the sight of my discomfort on the subject, he turned his face away, pretending to be searching for something in his bag. “On another note, the servants told me that you have been sick for almost two weeks now.”
“Yes, just feverish and nauseous. I just got my appetite back.”
He studied me, performing his regular check and when he was finished, he put his stethoscope back around his neck. “It seems like just a bad virus to me. When a vampire gets a cold it’s usually a lot worse and a lot longer than what the average cold is to a mortal.”
With a sigh of relief, I sat up to fix my pillows and Caspian caught sight of me scratching at the irritable wound on my neck. I tried to hide my scratching as I manipulated the pillows, but Caspian knew exactly what I was doing.
He caught my hand and carefully pulled it away. “Can I examine your bite? It will only take a moment.”
I nodded my head slowly and anxiously clenched my jaw. He pressed his fingers against my healing skin and ran them slowly down the bite marks. The wound had started to bleed again from my persistent scratching. His eyebrows narrowed, puzzled as he continued to examine me.
“This should be nearly healed by now,” I heard him mumble to himself. His hand slowly moved to my face and he held my chin, reading my subtle expressions. I felt embarrassed, and struggled to look away from his sapphire eyes.
“Tell me, have you performed the Ceremony more than once?”
I looked back at him. “No.”
“Well. Your eyes tell me otherwise. Care to explain?”
“Why do you care?”
“It will give me a better understanding of why you’re sick.” He released my chin and my eyes flew from his.
“There were…complications during the Ceremony and I returned to Pete. I didn’t complete the Ceremony with Fitzray.”
“Did you complete it with Pete?”
“Yes, but Fitzray only believes I carried through.”
“You should have told him the truth.”
“How could I? After all that has happened, how could I tell him? After all that’s happened to Pete, he wouldn’t be after him to save him, but to have him dead.”
“I don’t understand how he could have missed this. How could he have believed you?”
“He would have made sure Pete stayed on Earth and would have made sure he couldn’t get back to Catastrophe.”
“And you honestly think that would have stopped Pete from coming back? Pete will find you since he is your Eternal Mate. All he has to do is follow your scent. Now nothing will prevent him from getting to you, especially now.” Slowly he put a hand to my stomach. “You need protection from him now. If there is life inside of you that bears the blood of your Eternal Mate, he will come back no matter if he is a half-mortal or a vampire and he will destroy everything in his path to get to you.”
“But he has Lucian’s heart. Fitzray told me that if a vampire bit him, he would turn into a monster with Lucian’s power and his own, but if a vampire of similar blood bit him, he would be a normal vampire. How do I even know if he’ll come back to me as something entirely different than the half-mortal I performed the Ceremony with?”
“It doesn’t matter what vampire he gets bit by, but whatever bites him will be affected and killed. If only you told Fitzray the truth, that wouldn’t have been his fate.”
“What?”
“A few vampires found him on the Bridge and brought him to me. I couldn’t save him.”
“But he’ll come back, won’t he?” I asked, shocked.
“If you had performed the Ceremony with him he would have. Every time a Ceremony is performed with a vampire it is guaranteed that he will come back reincarnated. If a vampire is reincarnated after a Ceremony was performed, the Ceremony must be performed again to assure another reincarnation. But because you failed to perform the Ceremony this time…he won’t be coming back.”
“He came back last time.”
“Then you must have done something right.”
“What about Pete? He’s come back without a Ceremony.”
“He’s different. If a vampire bit
es a mortal, he becomes immortal and once he chooses an Eternal Mate, they rely on each other for a Ceremony to reincarnate themselves for them to come back after a tragic event like being stabbed in the chest or being thrown over the Bridge. You relied on the Ceremony you had with Fitzray to be reincarnated. Sometimes it may only take one Ceremony to keep a couple of Eternal Mates together for years before something happens to one and the Ceremony has to be renewed. Pete, on the other hand, was born a vampire and was born completely immortal. That means he doesn’t need a Ceremony to be reincarnated. Pete is a very rare breed of vampire and he is one of only few in existence. He will live forever, as some vampires, such as in Fitzray’s case, will not return.”
“I could have prevented it all. I tried to prevent it. I tried to perform the Ceremony and I even went through the Trial in hopes for it to never happen.” I felt Caspian gently touch my shoulder.
“I’m very sorry Chenille. Fitzray was my best friend for many years.”
“What’s going to happen to me now Caspian? What has Pete become? What will he do with me now that his brother is dead?”
“He’s going to come for you, but he will protect you. He has changed his ways. He’ll have a different attitude now that you’re his Eternal Mate again. You don’t know all that he has endured while you’ve been away. I know he’s longed for you. I know he begged forgiveness from Taj’ and has begged Taj’ to forgive you from going to Sebastian’s Ball. He has put up with the revolts from the peasants and he has fought the wolves. He made the wolves plea in your name when he was done with them. The wolves are never to bother us, nor ever bother you.”
“What about Prusaious and Calvin?”
“He doesn’t trust them both after he’d sided with them and realized they’d influenced his behavior.”
“Not Calvin,” I said quietly.
“He’s done all of it for you, whether you want to believe it or not.”
“I just hope for my sake that you’re right.”
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