After a day of thought and soft sex, I made up my mind to put the exploration on hold for a week. Not only was I overstressing myself, which was no doubt impacting the mission, but Nicholas was incredibly suspicious of me. I could ease the tension and de-stress by relaxing for a week, then returning to it later. The next morning, I got my fancy clothes on and decided to take a walk around the mansion. I really wanted to go outside, but that was strictly forbidden without being accompanied by a vampire. Therefore, the courtyard was off-limits during the day. I peered through some window curtains, examining the yard and smiling to myself. Lucy would have loved it here for sure, prior to her vanishing, anyway. There was a menagerie of all different kinds of birds, hopping around and playing in the birdbaths set up by the vampires.Statues of various animals, like lions, wolves, and bears were set up for the atmosphere. The area was surrounded by a pine forest, which I watched sway
I was right. No one bothered me as I went through the mansion at night. There was moaning from several rooms, reminding me of the orgy and causing me to blush, but it didn't distract me from my mission.I licked my lips, shoving the thought of wanting more of what I experienced to the back of my mind. While the sheer, raw lust that'd been involved in that entire activity felt like nothing I'd ever been through before, it was a means to an end. Memories like that would be lovely but fade.My sister still had her entire life to live… if she was still alive. She had to be, right?I made my way down the halls even further, at this point knowing the route by heart. I passed by the room I'd already explored, dismissing it as unimportant. I doubted they'd add much of anything that would be of interest to me following my sleuthing there.The scent of a mixture of cologne and perfume hit my nose as I passed by a few rooms, but soon enough that faded. I was entering territory most
"Given you are still here and up to no good, it appears I've caught you instead of Remus or Misty this time. How many times have you snuck out since we last spoke, hm?" Alexander growled.I shrugged my shoulder away from him, that fear rushing through me again. The smell of his cologne washed over me, causing me to want to melt right here and let him do whatever he wanted. Not the most productive of thoughts at all, which caused me to let out a low groan. I said, "You're going to preach to me again how unsafe it is walking around at night, is it? If you're so angry, then why don't you do what you claim the cultists would?"I was growing bold at this point, tired of being sniveling and scared on the ground. Learning about The Vicious and what the cult wanted to do with them was frightening. Something he knew about, as a matter of fact. A little voice in the back of my mind reminded me of what he was and what he could do. I needed to keep this burst of bravery in check. Alexand
I willed myself to remain calm as I regarded Alexander with a frightened stare. It wasn't some sort of ploy, either; I was legitimately afraid of him right now.That hungry stare was fixed upon me as if he was a wolf looking at a lamb lost in the woods. I took several breaths, my chest heaving a bit before I refocused. As much as I wanted this chair to completely suck me in, I didn't know any such magic yet. Bummer. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I finally asked, then gently reached up to trace the bite on my neck.Hopefully, that would deter him, but the 'please don't bite me' card could only work for so long. He never seemed interested in biting me before, anyway, but that probably didn't matter here. He broke his stare briefly, his eyes flickering down to stare at the mark. Then, I saw him roll his eyes and heard him give a low growl. "If you think I'm wanting to bite you, you're sorely mistaken," he said. "I'm looking at you like this because you're something else
"No," I said defensively, at this point, the only thing I could say. "I really am afraid. Especially now because of what you're doing."This didn't stop him from leaning away from my ear only to keep his face in mine, our noses nearly touching. I backed away from him, but he followed until I was up against the wall. He stayed just as close, though this time, our lips were so close to touching that I had to swallow hard and dismiss those intense feelings of wanting.Scolding myself inwardly, I let out a soft sigh and winced. "You're part of the reason she vanished. Aren't you?" she whispered, causing him to give a low growl and narrow his eyes.He finally leaned away, giving me space, which allowed me to breathe a little. Thank goodness, because it was starting to really get hot in here. I knew I was exhibiting signs of attraction, which really wasn't helping my case right now, and just serving, as usual, to distract me.Alexander eyed me up and down, then pinched the bridge
"Can I come in? I just wanted to check on Lorelei, cause I was concerned," Nicholas muttered, his stare shifting from me to the other vampire.I couldn't tell from his tone if he was being genuine, though I could feel my heart going a mile a minute at this point.Alexander looked over his shoulder toward me, then back to Nicholas, letting out a sigh. His body language was tense as if he was taken by surprise as well. "Fine. She's overwhelmed with stuff lately so be delicate," Alexander replied, much to my dismay.Now there were two vampires here when I was not in the best of mindsets. Alexander didn't know my connection to Lucy, and I wanted to keep that guarded. Nicholas no doubt found out about my sleuthing, otherwise, why would he be here?I gulped and hugged my legs again, not really wanting to have this conversation now after finally finding out something about Lucy.But wait… Alexander had said he thinks she was still alive prior to him being interrupted. I bit my li
"So you think Lucy is alive? How? Where is she?" I asked, completely distracted from his comment before on me being 'intriguing'. That wasn't important, not when Lucy was involved and I could finally find something out.I began to pace, exhausted but tired of hanging out in a bed or chair during these conversations. Or, in Alexander's case, up against the wall and nearly having my legs crumble in fear. My shoulders slumped as exhaustion consumed me. All of this hadn't been in vain, at least. "I do not know," Alexander muttered. "Or, rather, I don't know all of the details."There was a long, awkward silence that passed between us. Alexander was studying me carefully, no doubt trying to figure out if I was alright or not. Perhaps he considered asking, but thankfully he kept his distance as stress and anxiety took their toll on me. Things were only made worse as I realized that yes, while my sister was alive, she was now a mindless monster. "Has Nicholas been held accountable?
The next night, it was all about operation: Find Lucy. Though Alexander had distracted my thoughts all day, my mission was turning extremely serious.I stared at myself in the mirror, tracing the circles under my eyes and giving a smile. From my search in the library, I knew what to expect from The Vicious. I just wanted to find out where she was, then I'd begin working on crossing the 'what can I do' bridge later.The book said nothing about a cure, so perhaps there was some other piece of knowledge I'd need to search for.Either way, I grabbed my salve, realizing it was one of the last doses. I only had two more following this, so hopefully, I could take care of multiple things in this trip. Searching the library for another book on these things may be helpful.I thought that over while splashing water on my face, exhaling slowly. This was it. I hadn't gotten much sleep, as usual, given the circumstances. The little sleep I did get treated me to nightmares. I couldn't stop se
I left Nicholas and Lucy alone for some time to themselves, wandering down the halls and heading back to where I knew Alexander was. A few hours had passed since I'd been in that room, given I'd fallen asleep in that chair. After all of the help I gave everyone and all of the movement involved, time had been chewed through significantly. When I passed by a window and opened the curtain, I noticed the sun was setting. A few minutes later, I arrived at Alexander's room and knocked on the door. "Come in," the vampire said.I listened, entered the room, and looked around, smiling at all of the shark decorations Alexander loved so much. Then, I looked toward him. Thankfully, his skin was no longer an angry red as it had healed up considerably since I'd been with Nick and Lucy. "How are you feeling?" I asked, prompting him to shrug. Even if he was healed well, he was exhausted and somewhat out of it like the rest of the coven. His eyes swept over me curiously, and eventually, he rais
Everything was a blur as I helped with healing procedures, using my training for once. I hadn't needed to at any point before, but after a gigantic vampire battle, unfortunately, it would be needed now. Many vampires had been mauled by The Vicious on the loose. I didn't ask questions yet, that would be for later. People were sent to their beds with instructions to rest and feed. Vampires could heal if they had energy, which was low right now. Sort of.I offered my blood, which most declined, but some drank out of sheer desperation. Those vampires began to heal, and while I grew dizzy once again, I knew it was the right thing to do. I really needed more blood in my system, though. Would I restore that by feeding? I'd eaten Remus entirely, which helped a lot. It allowed me to give the blood that I did to help the other vampires heal. Finally, I detected the scent of someone that made my heart flutter. 'Alexander,' I thought to myself, turning to walk down the hallway and giving a
A familiar and very bad scent washed over me right then, causing me to frown very deeply. I was grasping all of these new sensations still so much that I really couldn't pinpoint them. All I knew was that I felt my throat closing in anxiety as I glanced sharply to my side. Without warning, I stood up, and let out a low growl from the pit of my chest. Where the fuck had that come from?!I stopped, contemplating this as I saw something bolting toward me from the woods. It clicked seconds later that Remus had survived Lucy's attack and was making a beeline for me. Alexander had listened to my demands and was in the shade right now. There was no chance, therefore, for interception. We were both caught off guard. I shrieked as I was tackled to the ground, fangs sinking into my neck as Remus began to maul me mercilessly, quite as Lucy had with him. I jerked and squirmed, unable to do much as he did so. However, during this, arms wrapped around him and pulled him back. I hadn't taken
I was floating in a beautiful garden, of sorts. As my back touched the ground, I sat up and rubbed my head. I recognized this as a place from my childhood. I wasn't in control of my limbs, but I was seeing through my own eyes, coming to realize this was some sort of memory. I felt myself smile and turn toward a little girl frolicking in the garden. A giggle keeled out of me as the sun tickled my cheeks. This dream was lovely. I myself was just a little girl, the vague screams of memories from the present day only a pinprick in the back of my mind.My sister was here with me, approaching a rose garden and admiring them. The scent of spring billowed all around us as blooming flowers and maple trees. Gorgeous vivids and gold painted the areas coming from the plants as Lucy and I played in the garden behind our house.She gave a soft giggle as I hopped over to her, looking up toward me with wide eyes. I was about ten years of age right then; when times were much better. Before every
I choked on a cry as the vampire got closer, his voice haunting and causing my heart to pound in my ears. The promises he wove through the night were terrible, evil, and my entire body was wracked with a combination of pain and fear.My hair fell wildly into my face, making it hard to see, but I quickly tried shoving the strands aside and focusing. Right now, I could outpace him, but he probably had more endurance, which may be my downfall. "You want to know what it's like to truly be a pet?" Remus snarled out, weaving a cackle in with his words. "Humans are lesser. I will put you in your place. You may not like it, but you're not meant to. After all the trouble you caused, you need to be punished."If this language was coming from Alexander at the right time, aside from the 'lesser' and not liking it part, I may have been turned on. From Remus, and him meaning me genuine, non-consensual harm, though? Not a chance.I took several deep breaths, focusing despite my world swirlin
The Vicious's voice was Lucy's. After having listened closely to the sounds she made, and how her voice melded with her screams every so often, I could tell it was her. She buried her fangs into my assailant's neck, dragging him off and proceeding to tear him apart.I shuddered at this grisly scene, wanting to sink down to my knees. However, I knew that I needed to keep a clear mind and couldn't break now. This was my chance. Something happened during Lucy's attack, and Alexander was gone. I needed to go after him but suddenly got an idea. I turned to go rush off into the woods to find him when I froze. The squelching noise of the bat monster tearing flesh was all I could hear now as Lucy did her work.I turned and stared at the dark figures, those red eyes the only things gleaming. "Lucy," I whispered. "It's me, Lorelei."Her ears perked, and I wondered if she knew it was me. Had she intentionally saved me?I watched as she slowly began to crawl toward a pool of moonlight,
My entire world was once again just pain as I burned through the rope. The chanting around me waxed and waned as the crackle of flames taunted me, reminding me of what I was doing here and now. I needed to burn at least part of the rope so I could get my wrists free. Thankfully, Remus didn't tie the rope so that it was holding my forearms together, but rather just my wrists, crisscrossed on top of one another. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I sincerely hoped no one was watching me do this. I was in full view, after all, but I think Lucy distracted them. As a matter of fact, the clanging of chains got louder, as did the erratic nature of the monster's screeching.Chanting turned to shouting as I realized they may be losing control of her, which was just great. If she broke free and wreaked havoc, someone could decide to pull the trigger on her, or something. Either way, my captors were distracted enough from the ordeal to allow this painful decision on my part, and there was
I wasn't in my bed. Honestly, I had no idea where I was, but it wasn't good. There was a pit in my stomach as the scent of smoke filled my nostrils. My senses were bombarded with 'not safe.' A trickle of warm blood crawled down my face as I slowly opened my eyes to take everything in.The first thing my gaze locked on was a dancing flame. It illuminated what I registered as a forest ground before me. Letting out a soft groan, I tried to move only to realize my hands were tied behind my back. Unfortunately, my legs suffered the same fate, as I realized I couldn't move them, either. I was forced here into a kneeling position, a cloth shoved into my mouth so that I couldn't scream. The world around me swirled and rocked. It was impossible for me to get an idea of what happened or why. My senses just kept going haywire despite my trying to center on where I was or what was happening. There was too much pine, too much smoke, too much ringing in my ears, and too many tears in my e
I tossed and turned during the nap I tried getting in. Remus left shortly after hovering just a bit longer to annoy the hell out of Alex. The protective vampire remained there after Remus walked away. Alexander held me close during my unproductive attempt to sleep. When I squirmed and moved a bit, he pulled me closer. It limited my restlessness, but not entirely. I got maybe an hour of sleep in before opening my eyes and letting out a groan. "Can't sleep?" Alexander muttered. Then, he paused and chuckled. "Nevermind, that was a rather stupid question." This gave me a laugh, allowing me to relax a little bit.The vampire asked, "Would you like another massage? Could calm your nerves." I pondered this, rotating so that I was facing him, and slowly nodded. "Sure. If you want to initiate anything, you don't need to hold back this time," I said in a light tone. My voice wasn't exactly sultry right now, because stress still dripped in my words.Still, if he wanted to have some fun,