by Leeah Taylor
For him, it became an addiction that he yearned to fill regularly. Even with the added balancing agent that Markus had been secretly giving him, he still craved the taste of the sweet, smooth, metallic liquid. He craved for the high it provided him. Making his existence in both the Bottom and Surface more bearable.
A cry brought him back to reality and he focused on Becca again.
Her body writhed on the grass as it began to pulse hard. Her eyes rolled back into her head once again and she started to shake violently. William held her arms to her chest firmly to keep her from flailing around. And to keep her from hurting herself or him.
“Come on, Becca, just hang on a little longer. I promise, it will end.” William tried to get through to her, encouraging her to hang on. It was a pain that could only be described as a punishment much worse than any Hell. But finally her body stilled and she fell unconscious.
Sighing, he released her arms and pushed the matted hair from her face. Sweat covered her face and neck.
“Okay love…okay.” He sighed with relief. Even he was left worn out from just watching.
Certain that the fit had passed; he went over to the lifeless body of the blonde-haired girl. He pressed his index and middle finger to her neck and waited for any sign of a pulse. It was an unnecessary act as he could easily hear the stillness in her chest. But he did it hoping he could be wrong. There was no pulse though, nothing but the coolness of her body. Pulling his phone from his pocket he called Markus.
His tired, sleepy voice answered.
“William?” he answered. “Dude, I’m right down the hall.”
“Hey, I need your help.”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” He sounded more alert now.
“I need you to get in my truck and come down to the lake clearing,” William said, tucking the phone against his shoulder. Just as he had with the blonde next to him, he felt for Becca’s pulse. It was racing, faster than any normal beat. Shaking his head, he mouthed cursed words.
“What is going on?” Markus asked. William could hear him pulling his jeans on, the sound of his loosened belt clanging together at the buckle.
“Just grab a couple of shovels from the barn and bring my truck. Alright?” he insisted. “And don’t bring anybody with you.”
He hung up the phone before Markus could protest any. Looking back down at the dead body, he bit at the inside of his lip.
“What are we going to do with you?” he said, looking around to determine the best place to lay her to rest. The tree line stared back at him and he narrowed his eyes at it.
He gathered the girl’s blanket and book, balling them up, and walked them over to the edge of the woods. Looking over the spot, he nodded silently.
“This will have to do, darling.” Again he whispered to no one.
He went back and lifted her lifeless body into his arms and carried her to the same spot. The idea of burying this poor girl like this made him sick to his stomach. But he was left with no other option. Deciding between leaving her here to be found and protecting Becca, William would pick the latter every time. He loved Becca too much to let any harm or danger come to her.
Pushing a few strands of her blonde hair away from her face, he stared at her for longer than he probably should have. She was so young and that thought made him cringe. Looking away, he closed his eyes, his hand covering his face.
“She’s going to be devastated.” He shook his head, already knowing how Becca would react when the reality of it set in.
Unable to do any more for the girl lying in front of him, he went back towards Becca’s. The faint sound of footsteps rustled just beyond the thick brush, and then came the bickering voices of Markus and Miranda. William looked up to the sky in frustration, his eyes squeezed shut, and he shook his head.
The two emerged from the path and he shot them a look.
“I said not to bring anybody, Markus,” William scolded him.
Markus shrugged as if he had nothing to do with it. And he didn’t really; Miranda already knew something had happened. She just wasn’t sure what. When she saw her sister on the ground she gave William a stern look and ran to her side.
“What the hell happened?” Miranda asked, setting the familiar bag down next to her. A Conjurer’s bag.
Being a Conjurer meant much more than just having the ability to open portals and produce from thin air just about anything their power would allow. It meant the ability to craft potions, pastes and balms from ancient knowledge only Conjurers had. She opened it and looked to William.
“Hello?” she called again exasperated.
“She Matured, Miranda.” he said. “Nothing in that bag will help her. It’s already done and over.”
“What about your arm?” She pointed to the burn left behind by Becca’s touch; it had taken the first layer of skin off. He hadn’t really paid much attention to it until now. It pulsed and throbbed.
“Not right now, Miranda. We gotta take care of the body,” he said more quietly, looking around as if someone was watching them.
“You mean…did she?” Markus raised his brow and looked around for evidence.
“She’s over there at the tree line. That’s what I need your help with.” William pointed behind him and Markus looked over to see the girl’s body lying there.
“She killed her….” he blurted out, astonished.
William looked away, still angry with himself for not anticipating something like this happening.
“Eh, if she’s already dead then just let me take care of your arm now,” Miranda insisted, already pulling the necessary items from the bag. He gave her an annoyed look. “She’s already dead.” She shrugged over at him.
“Fine, do it quick.” He finally gave in, knowing he wouldn’t hear the end of it.
She pulled a cork out of a large bottle and poured it down over the wound. The liquid bubbled and sizzled as it came into contact with the seared flesh. It started regenerating the skin. Which made it sting, forcing William to jerk away.
“Damn it, Miranda. That fucking stings,” he growled through gritted teeth. She stifled a laugh and yanked his arm back towards her.
“Wimp,” she teased, pouring a little more onto it. Again he jerked and growled. “Okay okay, that should be enough.”
The first round had been plenty; she had just wanted to agitate him. He had been such an asshole over the last couple of years that he deserved it.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” he noted. A sneaky smile crossed her lips as she wrapped the wound with a bandage.
“Now William, do you think I enjoy seeing you hurt?” She was trying to be serious but it came out more like a giggle.
“Yes, Miranda, I know you do.” A smile starting to form on his face and he let his eyes wander away from her.
“Well maybe if you hadn’t acted like a complete asshole the last two years I wouldn’t,” she said, slapping the now bandaged wound just enough to make him wince.
“Errr…Miranda, damn it.”
“For good measure.” She laughed with a shrug before putting the items back in the bag.
Even though it made him mad, it stirred familiar feelings with him and it wasn’t until now that he realized how much he had missed her. And even more, the walls he had fortified around him.
“Alright Dr. Miranda, can we please go take care of this so we can get Becca back to the house and get Nikki and Z dosed before they fly off the handle too.” William pushed up from the cool ground and walked away. Miranda nodded for Markus to go help him.
“Yes, now you may go and bury the poor girl.”
Markus gave her a weary look but she shooed him away.
“Go, I’ll get her in the truck,” she said, already pulling her sister up to her feet. Markus obeyed but only because it was for his brother.
“All I ever ask for is a normal night with you,” he started whining, following his brother. “One night. Maybe a beer or two. Catch a game. But noooo, can’t do that.”
“Pfft, adventure. Remind me to skip this particular one when I’m telling my kids stories one day,” he said, stepping down on the shovel driving into the earth.
“Forget so quickly, brother? We are destined to never have children. Barren, remember?” William reminded him.
Markus started to say something but stopped as the information set in. The Heir and Heiress, in all their centuries, had never conceived a child. It was why they had to jump from first born to first born through time upon their death. Never their own flesh and blood to leave their kingdom to.
“Damn, and I was looking forward to it with Miranda.” His tone changed and William considered him. It had never occurred to him that his brother would feel that way. He himself had never given much thought to children. He hadn’t even known what love was until Becca. Not real love. Children just had never seemed to be in the cards for him. And now they weren’t.
“I’m sorry Markus,” was all William could say. “Let’s just get this done, okay?”
Back in the clearing Miranda was just starting to get Becca alert enough to kind of move with her.
“Come on, Becca, work with me.” Becca weakly held onto Miranda as she guided her back up the path and towards the truck. Everything around her spun, the world seemed so far away. Her feet refused to work and felt as if she was walking across Jell-O.
Miranda stumbled as she walked the uneven path back to where they had parked. She supported Becca up against the truck as she opened the back door and pushed her up into the seat, letting her lie down. Becca teetered between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Miranda turned and eyed the lone car parked several feet away, a silver Honda Civic. She went over to it and pulled up on the handle, the door clicked open, and she looked inside.
Sitting in the driver seat she searched for the keys. They were nowhere to be found. She contemplated for a moment going to stop Markus and William, but she decided against it. Getting out and slamming the door, she wondered if her powers were strong enough to dissolve the vehicle. She had never tried anything that big before. But she had been successful with large pieces of furniture. Where William and Markus exceled at being vampires, she did so at being a Conjurer. Practicing and studying since she was barely 13.
Laying her hands on it, she focused all her energy into the object. A tingling sensation creeped up her legs into her spine and down her arms, getting stronger in her fingertips. The car started to glitch underneath her fingers. It flickered and fluttered. Her heart beat fast and hard as she pushed herself to the breaking point, sweat beading on her forehead. Miranda felt her body quake and the Civic suddenly disappearing into nothingness.
She fell forward and hit the ground hard. Sitting up, she looked around and was impressed with her power. Pushing up from the ground, she could already hear the boys coming down the path. The two emerged and Markus stared at the spot where the car had been, and then over at Miranda.
“Where’s the car?” Markus asked, and a proud smile touched her eyes. “Miranda?” She took deep calming breaths, calming her nerves and slowing her heartbeat.
“I dissolved it,” she breathed out.
“You dissolved a car?” William raised his brow, skeptical. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
“As a matter of fact I did,” Miranda said, marching over to the truck and hoisting herself up into the back seat with Becca.
William narrowed his eyes over at her. "Think maybe you could have, oh I don't know, dissolved the body?"
"It doesn't work that way William. You know that."
“What are you going to tell our parents?” Markus asked. “You know Craeden saw you leave this morning?”
“I didn’t know, I suppose the parents know as well?” William pushed his hand through his hair and sighed.
“Yeah and they were a little freaked out when Miranda and I left, but we didn’t say anything.”
“Tell them the truth, I guess. No more lies,” William said, rounding the truck. Markus nodded and jumped into the passenger seat.
Becca’s body was still; her breathing labored though as she continued to come down off her first high. She would have to dose twice as much as the rest to keep the addiction from getting the best of her again.
As William drove down the road, his mind wandered and he began to make peace with his past. He realized how reckless and careless he had been in his actions. Watching Becca go through that horrific experience opened his eyes to how powerful the blood addiction was. How it could manipulate her and lure her over two and a half miles away.
Chapter 17
Once Becca was back in bed safe and sound, William went down and joined everyone in the kitchen. The house filled with the aroma of breakfast and coffee. With his plate in hand he sat between his brother and mother, and all eyes fell on him. It made him shift in his chair. Bringing a forkful to his mouth, prying eyes still watching him, he rolled his eyes and lowered the fork back down.
“Becca killed a human,” he blurted out, not bothering to sugar coat it or manipulate the truth.
The sound of forks crashing down on plates echoed through the room.
“What?” Sarah blurted out, her fork crashing to the plate in front of her and then to the floor. “How could that happen?”
“Sarah, calm down. She matured. Much faster than I’ve ever seen but her reaction is perfectly normal,” Craeden reminded his sister. “With her not given the chance to do it as a child and put on a rigid dosing schedule, her body did what came naturally. Hunt, kill and feed. Which is why it is even more important that we get these two on a schedule.”
“Schedule for what?” Nikki’s eyes widened.
William was already up and crossing the room to the corner drawer. He pulled it open and pulled out two crimson vials.
“A schedule for you to drink these.” William handed a vial to each of them. “It’s mostly animal blood and it will keep the Beast, as we call it, caged.”
“Blood? Ewww!” Nikki scrunched up her nose at the crimson-filled glass she held in her hand.
“Nikki, what did you think being a vampire meant?” Markus laughed at her.
“I don’t know. I just….ick.” She whined, scrunching her nose again.
“Trust me, you won’t think that once you drink it,” Miranda assured her.
Z and Nikki eyed each other and then looked down at the vials. Shaking his head, he uncapped it and brought it to his lips. Nikki did the same. Without any more hesitation, both tipped their heads back and let the liquid slip past their lips and down their throats.
“See, nothing to it. Three times a day should be good.” William sat back down and continued eating.
They both grimaced and it sent goosebumps up and down their arms.
“Bleh.” Nikki stuck her tongue out at the taste.
“You’ll get used to it, sweetheart,” Tobias said.
She gave him a wary look at the endearment, still coming to terms with him.
“Becca will have to do it twice as much to counteract the consumption of human blood,” Craeden said. “And it will take a few days for it to work out of her system. She may be volatile. A little edgy.”
“I’ll handle it,” William said, pushing up from the table, plate in hand.
“You sure? You yourself are coming off a pretty shaky withdrawal,” his father warned. Crossing the room, he placed the plate into the sink and leaned against the wood, keeping his back to them.
“Yeah, if anyone is best to handle it…it’s me,” he said.
Reaching into the drawer, he retrieved two more vials and then left the room. Climbing the stairs, he reflected. Recognizing that he had an addiction had opened his eyes. The danger he had put himself in and the repercussions his family could have suffered were evident now. But yet knowing there was a stash of fresh human blood downstairs in the cellar weighed heavy on his mind.
Entering the mas
ter bedroom, he found Becca sitting up in the bed. Her knees brought to her chest hugging them, staring off out the window next to the bed. William went over to her and sat down. She was filled with remorse, fear and sadness; that much he could feel.
“It’s not your fault,” William said.
She remembered every bit of the incident. From the feeling of her chest catching fire to the euphoria she felt when the blood exploded into her mouth. And then the pain, she remembered the pain.
And she was sure she would never forget it either.
“Why is this all happening?” she whispered, wiping a few tears from her eyes and burying her face in her arms.
“Because we are all meant for something much bigger,” he said, watching her reaction. Finally she looked up at him, confused and thirsting for information.
“You mean the Heir and Heiress, right? That’s what we are?” Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. There was a gentle lull of warmth starting to scratch at her chest, climbing its way up her throat.
“Yeah, we are,” he answered. “Okay, the Bottom, our world, had been ruled by the Heir and Heiress for nearly nine hundred years. Part of the Royal Vampyr bloodline.”
“What does that mean? Royal Vampyr? What’s the difference?”
“You have vampires. They drink blood, feed on emotions and do have an aversion to sunlight. But just an aversion – it doesn’t stop them from going out in it. It’s mostly just an unpleasant burning sensation all over their body, kinda like a bad sunburn. And then you have the Royal line. They also drink blood and feed on emotions. However they have no aversions to sunlight and they carry a certain power within them. Not quite as strong as a Magi but close,” he explained. “When the nations started to come together – Vampire, Beast, Magi and Conjurer – they needed a place of their own. Something separate from the Surface. So they created the Bottom. Vampires were considered the alpha species. And so the Royals created the Heir and Heiress to rule the nations.