Illumination by Blood

Chapter 1

Gustav:

         “Stay still my child,” I whisper to my prey.  Her terror-filled eyes look directly into mine.  My hunter’s gaze quickly penetrates her mind.  Emptiness quickly replaces the fear in her eyes as I take control of her psyche.  Her tensed muscles relax.  Now she is fully under my control. 

What she does not realize is that the worst is over for her now.  I have no intention of adding her to my flock, though she would be a fine addition.  It is pleasing to see a young woman who takes pride in her appearance, unlike the usual overfed haus fraus who frequent this area.  Her skin is glistening with sweat from the run I have interrupted.  The cool of the evening is apparent by the waves of gooseflesh that are visible upon her exposed skin. 

An evening breeze rustles the surrounding leaves upon the thick brush and low hanging tree branches.  They together with the darkness of the shadows will keep our presence concealed from anyone who may wander by on the path.  A glint of light from the full moon filters through the swaying tree branches and illuminates the young woman’s face for a moment.  “What is this?” I mutter in quiet surprise.



         Her features cause me to pause.  Where have I seen her face before?  My mind races to unlock the answer.  A frantic rush of anxiety moves through me.  It feels as if my very existence depends on remembering where I have seen her before.  My anxiety begins to turn to anger when the memory does not come quickly.  This is unsettling.  Usually I can match a face to who they are within seconds, but this one is evading me.   

         The feeling of blood coursing against my forehead causes me to realize that my head has fallen upon the girl’s leg.  My need to remember fades with each passing pulse within her veins.  My thirst awakens reminding me of the reason this lovely creature is lying before me.  I turn my face toward hers to murmur an apology for the delay, when it feels as if lightning has struck.  The memory of her face comes rushing back in a blurred mix of the images and emotions from more than two hundred years ago.  My hand slowly lifts her head, and I remove the tie binding her hair.  Once I have placed the wavy blond strands of her hair around her face, she becomes the vision of the villager I received as a gift the night before Alianna was slain.

         In my centuries upon this planet I have come to realize coincidence does not exist.  This instance is no different.  I rose this evening to the sound of my own anguished cries.  Dreams of Alianna have tormented me for the past several weeks.  Tonight it was the sight of her ruby necklace lying amongst the remnants of a fire that woke me.  That night Emile burned her at the stake like a common witch.  In a matter of hours, everything I was, was taken from me.  Emile stole my queen, and it was his demise at my hand that cost me my seat upon the council. 

         My dreams and now this child’s face are a sign.  Alianna is speaking to me from the realm of dead souls.  Perhaps she is telling me to once again begin pursuit of my place upon the vampire council, or they are my penance for not being able to protect her that fateful night.

Within a single blink, the female lying upon the ground is swallowed by the overpowering memory of my last night with Alianna.  I am sitting before a blazing fire.  The ornately decorated stone fireplace is the centerpiece within my private sitting room.  Emile’s actions have been weighing upon me as of late.  His continued violation of my territory have reached the point where a conflict has become unavoidable.  My gaze is focused upon the dancing flames as I contemplate the most prudent course of action.  My trance like state is unexpectedly broken by the sound of the door opening behind me.   

         I smell the sensual fragrance of Alianna’s perfume before the door closes.  The sound of her bare feet on the stone floor begins to arouse me as they drew closer.  I do not acknowledge her presence, my gaze remains fixed upon the fire.  Her breath caresses my ear as she purrs, “Tavin my love, the villagers have presented you with a most delectable gift.”  She runs her hand under my shirt and across my chest.  A small breath of pleasure passes my lips.  Then I feel her gently bite my ear lobe, the way she does when she is feeling amorous. 

         Alianna is dressed in a sheer black gown that brushes the floor as she walks.  The silhouette of her beautiful, slender, and voluptuous body shows through the fabric of her gown as she stands before the fireplace.  She has me enthralled by the seductive way her body is swaying beneath the thin fabric that faintly conceals her.  My loves long brown hair flows across her shoulders as she turns toward me.  Her long regal neck is exposed by the provocative neckline of her gown. 

         “You look troubled.  Come down to the supper table with me.  I had your gift brought down there and prepared for you to dine.  I believe the taste of her nectar upon your lips will brighten your mood,” She says extending her hand toward me.  Her beautiful blue eyes look deeply into mine as she takes my hand and leads me down to the supper table. 

My dining room is one of the more plainly decorated rooms in the castle.  In here, the five-candle candelabra’s are all that adorn the gray stone walls.  The center of the room is lit by two heavy steel chandeliers, which hang above the ornately carved stone “supper” table.  Lying naked atop the supper table is my gift.  She lies motionless, due to the charms my brethren have cast upon her.  Only the gentle rise and fall of her chest show that she is still alive. 

She is as beautiful as Alianna said.  Her delicate facial features are nearly obscured by the mass of curly blond hair that surrounds her face.  Her hands lie at her sides, the inner part of her wrists exposed, and her legs lay slightly parted.  I am sure dining upon her will be an extremely pleasurable experience.

         Alianna leads me by the hand over to where she lies.  I run my hand across the young female’s body, while I look down upon her.  Her milky white skin is soft and supple to the touch.  The sensation of her blood coursing beneath my fingers begins to awaken my thirst.  My fingers glide down her neck as I walk beside her.  They follow the line of her throat, then trail down between her breasts, then stomach, then come to rest against the inside of her thigh.  My eyes close as the rhythm of her pulse throbs beneath my touch.  My thirst is becoming more aroused with each passing beat of her heart.

         When I open my eyes, Alianna is standing across from me.  I nod toward her and observe the almost loving way she lowers her face toward the female’s neck.  I once again close my eyes in order to take in the sounds of her feeding.  The young woman releases a gasp as her fangs pierce the flesh of her neck.  Then the satisfying moan Alianna murmurs as she draws the first taste of the young woman’s blood into her mouth. 

         The sounds of Alianna feeding have peaked my thirst.  My tongue traces over her femoral artery, my preferred place from which to feed.  The more forceful bite required to penetrate the muscle that covers this area enhances the experience.  The flow of blood is also a great deal more powerful.  My fangs penetrate her flesh deeply after I locate the site where her pulse is strongest.  One other enjoyable aspect of feeding from here is watching Alianna.  The neckline of her gown opens to reveal her breasts to me.  The manner in which they move, and the way her nipples harden while she feeds, arouses more than just my thirst for blood.  These added pleasures make feeding with her a blend of cuisine and lust. 

         I have not finished feeding when Alianna walks toward me with blood in the corners of her mouth, and droplets upon her chin and chest.  She kisses me upon the neck and slides her hand between my legs.  “My love, finish your meal.  I will be waiting for you in my bed chamber.”

I am startled back to the reality of the young woman lying upon the ground before me by the labored scream of a woman nearby.  It has been centuries since I have thought about that night.  The pain at having lost Alianna sent me into a violent spiral of vengeance.  The pain of losing her had these memories locked away.  Now, I want to remember that night.  I no longer want it to remain hidden.  I want to be pulled deeper into its clutches so I may feel again.  I find myself fiercely biting the young woman’s leg as if a single drop of her blood may restart the images.  However my struggle to recapture the memory ends nearly as quickly as it began.  She has been taken from me yet again.  Thinking of Alianna after so many years has awakened something locked away inside of me.  The anguish I still carry over losing her is deeper than I had realized.

         I stand, gazing down upon the young woman.  Her motionless body causes me to think about who may miss her when she does not return.  Perhaps it is my own remorseful thoughts of Alianna that have brought about this uncommon compassion for my prey.  It is no matter; the inescapable truth is that vampires are destined to bring death to humans. 

         Another labored scream shakes me to my foundation.  That sound is what took the memory of Alianna from me.  My anger begins to build at that realization.  That person shall pay for this misdeed.  They will meet the same fate as Emile and his den.  She will pay with her blood.
 


Chapter 2

Rainee:

         “Eeeaaaah!  Son of a bitch this hurts!  Nick, how much farther?”  I yell.  The pain is so much worse than I ever thought possible.  Why would any sane woman ever, go through this a second time?  Now I am even more grateful that I am having twins, even though it leads to double the diapers. 

“We are less than five minutes away.  Do your breathing exercises,” Nick replies.  It will help with the pain, ‘Khee Khee Whooh, Khee Khee Whooh Khee...” 

I cut him off before he can get the third round of those annoying sounds out, “Are you kidding me?  Breathing exercises!  Do you really think breathing exercises are going to help me get two, count them, two watermelons out of the four inch opening between my legs?”

Nick is about to say something, but he stops after seeing the look on my face.  Smart man.  My pregnancy, once I conceived, has been smooth sailing until now.  Getting pregnant at thirty-two should have been a simply thing.  The practicing part was great, even though after eighteen months of practice Nick’s responses to sex made it seem like work.  Thinking back, all those planned sexual encounters took all the romance out of it for me as well. 

Thank God for what science can do these days, but now I am beginning to wonder if there was a reason I couldn’t get pregnant.  There was more than a little blood visible when my water broke.  An extremely uneasy feeling shot through me the moment I saw it.  Uneasy doesn’t sum it up though, impending doom is more accurate.  To think, before the contractions started the most pressing thing on my mind was that the nurseries were unfinished. 

At least we got the name selection out of the way.  It didn’t feel right after we found out the sexes of the babies to call them “it” any longer.  Of course, I had the names I wanted almost immediately.  Once I have a mission it is usually completed quickly.  That isn’t to say Nick procrastinates, but sometimes it takes a kick in the pants to get him moving.  Busy thinking about work is his normal reason, but there always seems to be some kind of game on television.  Eventually while watching a movie together I just blurted out my names.  He loved the idea of naming our daughter Evangelina, after one of my aunts.  We figured Angel could be her nickname, even if she inherits my devilish streak.  He wasn’t keen on naming our son Nicholas at first.  “A kid should have his own identity, not have mine thrust upon him,” was his issue.  I pled my case, using my feminine wiles, and he quickly conceded.  I think he started to like the idea the more we called the babies by their names.

Another contraction begins to grip me, and I angrily blurt out, “Eeeeaaaah, why did you have to give in?  You just couldn’t keep your dick in your pants one more night?” 

That contraction didn’t feel as bad as the last one.  Maybe there is something to this breathing stuff, or maybe I just need to keep yelling at Nick.  God knows I have been doing plenty of that lately.  He is an amazing man to have put up with me over the past few weeks.  I guess I can’t hate him too much for going to the gym so often.  Even though, I think I have the right to be unhappy with him a little.  He has lost weight instead of adding a few empathy pounds.  Bastard.

“Hey, you seduced me remember?” he says, reminding me about what happened earlier tonight.  “You even said that this could hap…” is all he can get out before I shoot him another look.  I have no defense.  My hormones got the better of me.  The closer I came to full term the hornier I got.  He has been coming up with excuses not to have sex with me for two weeks.  Tonight, I ambushed him.  I cooked his favorite meal, with dessert, and wore a low cut dress that displayed my ever-increasing cleavage.  He never stood a chance.
         
         “Remember what Dr. Sun said?  I could say all kinds of crap while I am in labor.  It’s the hormones my love, and there ain’t nothin either of us can do about it.”

         I give him a smile, which he returns.  His bright blue eyes light up his handsome face.  It is during moments like this, that I remember just how much I love him.  I can’t think of a better person to have at my side as we go through all of this.