Dear reader,
Welcome to a new shortie by me. As you probably read this is indeed a shortie that deals mainly with vampires. The lead character Melina comes from my longer story chosen - however this shortie can be read without having read chosen. It stands on itself. Should you decide to read chosen because of this I have to warn you that Melina's first appearance is around chapter 35 (or Interlude 2). It is possible to read (only) that chapter as a follow up for this shortie. Anyways I hope you enjoy. Criticism and feedback are more than welcome.
Rating: R to NC-17 for sexual content, violence, death and alternate afterlife ideas. If you cannot take this please do not read.
Disclaimer: The storyline and the characters are my own. The image and surname of Melina's husband are based on Johnny Depp. I do not own him and he is in no way connected to this. I do not own the girls on who Melina and Donna are based..I owe them! Melina's surname belongs to one of the grand influential families in Italy. There is no further connection. All of this is just the fabric of my twisted imagination.
Place: North Italy
Year: 1588
A storm is raging around us
We feel its majesty
The clouds are moving forward
Unraveling my hidden thoughts
Embrace the storm
The storm is blinding our vision
As it travels through the fields
I watch in absolute horror
For now I know the day has come
Now I know we will never
Behold the sun again
Our path is perfectly clear:
We belong amongst the clouds
The storm is building inside me
It screams to be released
It will destroy my silent existence
And now I know the day has come
Embrace the storm
Pensively the girl stood in front of a richly decorated mirror. Around her were her maids, fussing with her veil, her hair and the dress. Her wedding dress - she lovingly caressed it and gave her mirror image a happy but shy smile. The woman in the mirror smiled back. She had beautiful red hair, threads of gold and little pearl beads woven through it. It was lying in curled tresses on her head and hanging on her shoulders. The emerald green eyes shone with expectation and she wetted her lips that were pink like a budding rose. Her skin was ivory white and not a blemish could be found on it. The dress was emerald green with gold. It had a tight laced top with bell sleeves and it showed off some cleavage. The skirt was long with embroidery and stood out widely.
“You look beautiful, miss Melina,” the oldest maid said. She turned around and smiled at the woman.
“Thank you Giulia,” she said softly and looked warmly at the woman, who had technically raised her until she was old enough for a governess but that had not stopped her from seeing Ghulia. She felt like a mother to her and now she would leave her behind. The woman was old and burned out. She knew that after tonight Ghulia would go living on with her own family as there was no need for her anymore in this household.
Just at that moment her mother walked in, a collected and graceful beauty who was looking expectantly at her daughter.
“It is almost time Melina,” she heard her mother’s delicate voice say.
She nodded and waited for her mother to place the veil over her head. But before her mother did that, she kissed her on her forehead and said, “May your days be blessed, my child.”
She nodded gracefully and after the veil had been let down, her mother left the room. She would be alone now until her father would come to pick her up. She guessed that it would take at least another 10 minutes and carefully she sat down in front of the mirror.
She was feeling nervous about the wedding and about her husband. She wondered how it would be to be his wife, to live with him and how he would treat her. She would leave everything she knew behind her now and start a new life - far later, actually, than was common. Normally girls got married at 15 but her fiancé’s family had insisted on a long engagement. And now at the age of 17, she would finally be married, one year after her younger sister. She sighed and felt the nervous butterflies dance around in her stomach. It had been horrible to wait all day but the family of her fiancé had a whole range of requests and demands. One of them being that the wedding would take place in the evening. It was highly unusual but since they were rich they could afford to be unusual and have things done their own way.
She wondered about it but her thoughts quickly returned to her fiancé again. She knew who he was. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t marrying a complete stranger. Their families had let them meet each other once every month for the last year, though not alone of course. That would be unthinkable. Family members always had been present on those occasions and all though they hadn’t spoken to each other, she had observed him and his family. They seemed pleasant and well-behaved so she could not complain. Not that it would have helped, she thought. As for her fiancé, she smiled, he certainly appealed to her. He was still young and he had beautiful brown eyes and dark hair that he wore long, as was the custom. It curled a bit but she thought it was very becoming. He was handsome and had a pleasant countenance. Marrying him wouldn’t be too bad.
She knew she had been the envy of many girls in the village and many had strived to attract his attention but his family had picked her and her father had approved. Not one word of objection had he spoken, which was remarkable. Their family was of noble birth. Her mother was a baroness and her father a baron. And although her fiancé’s family was rich they weren’t of high birth. It had surprised her that her father hadn’t minded but she knew there was no way in telling how men would act. There probably had been something in it for him because he had not given her up easily to the many other suitors she had had.
Then there came the soft knock on her door and she knew it was time.
“Enter,” she said softly. Her father entered the room - he held out his arm for her. She stood up and accepted it gracefully. He coughed nervously while he lead her down the stairs to the garden where the ceremony would be held.
“Remember,” he finally said a bit strained, “this is for the best.”
Not understanding, she looked at him but all he did was give her a rather forced smile. A knot started to form in her stomach. It had not been an easy day and now this. She still had vivid images in her head from her sister’s talk to her.
She still could see her sisters concerned face and hear her voice explaining things about wedding nights and being prepared for certain things to happen. She blushed while she thought back on it. Her sister had meant well when she said that nobody had warned her but that she, Melina, better be prepared for a not so nice experience at the end of the day. Her sister had not really gone into detail but the general gist had done nothing to make her feel at ease. Maybe her father was referring to that though she could hardly imagine this.
Nervously, she bit on her lip. She could hear the music playing and the garden was already visible. She wished there was more time; time to ask questions and consider all she had heard but there was no more time.
Slowly, they entered the garden. The sky had a pink and orange hue that was already turning into the blue velvet that was so common of the early night. The enormous and lavish garden was lit up by dozens of torches and the benches were beautifully decorated with roses, orchids and daisies. Their perfume permeated the air with a sweet, fresh fragrance. The big ornamental fountains were turned on for the evening and were lavishly decorated. While she walked over the red carpet, she secretly glanced sideward, first to her own family. She recognized many of the faces; most of the men looked solemn while their wives were craning their necks to get a better look at her. She knew every detail of her gown and the wedding would be discussed for the coming days with everyone who wanted to hear about it.
Then she turned her gaze to the other side, to the family of her fiancé. She recognized just a handful of faces but what struck her most was that they were all exceptionally beautiful. All had pale skin, silky hair and vibrant eyes. None of them was old, crippled or maimed. It made her feel common and plain, something she had never experienced before. She had known all her life that she was beautiful and none of the girls in the village could stand up to her. That she knew and had been told many times and yet here was an entire family that was in every aspect more handsome and beautiful than she was. She wondered why it was that she never had seen any of the girls who were of her age. It made her curious, but she was almost at the end of her walk and she straightened her head to look at the man who was waiting for her. The man who would be from today on her husband; Gianni Alessandro Depp. He looked more handsome than ever and she felt an excited tingle pass through her body.
He was wearing sky blue stockings, a darker midnight blue velvet short belted jacket and a tunic of azure embroidered with thick gold thread. His dark brown curly hair was bound together with a blue ribbon. His glowing brown eyes where fixed on her. They seemed to gather all the light of the night into them and they held all the brown and black nuances in the world. It made her shiver with anticipation and the joining of their hands at the moment her father gave her away elicited goose bumps all over her body.
The ceremony went by in a daze. She heard his strong confident yes when he was asked if he wanted to marry her; Melina Christina Maria Savoye. Her own yes sounded a bit shaky and it was so soft that several people behind her whispered; “what did she say?”
The priest had, however, heard her and he pronounced them man and wife. Finally the veil was lifted and she looked into the eyes of the man who would be her husband for the rest of her life. He gave her rather quickly a soft peck on the lips before everyone started to line up to congratulate them.
Dinner followed the reception and after that the ball commenced. It was growing late and the biggest part of the night was over when the feast ended. Guests were leaving one by one until it was time for her to leave as well. Only a few people were left and stood outside. They saw how she got into the carriage with her husband Gianni, to bring her to her new home. She said farewell to her mother, her father and her younger sisters, promising to come visit them soon. It was difficult for her, though she had known all her life this moment would come. She looked at the black carriage; it was pulled by 4 black horses and decorated with red roses. When she got in she saw that the inside was decorated with white leather and on the benches were white fluffy pillows. Carefully, she sat down and Gianni was sitting opposite of her. She gave one finally wave to her family and then the carriage started moving.
She coughed nervously and looked outside. She could see that the night was drawing to its end.
“Did you have a nice night?”
Surprised she turned her head and smiled shyly at him, “Yes, it was very nice.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he said warmly.
She saw how he observed her, “You look beautiful and I can see that it was worth it to wait for you to grow up a bit more.”
“Thank you,” she said, a bit surprised.
He came to sit beside her, “I wonder,” he said pensively, “how much your father told you about our family?”
“Not that much at all.”
He smiled at her and draped his arm around her, “Well it is time to fill you in then,” he whispered and bowed over to her. She could feel his silky lips pressed against her cheek then moving over to her mouth, pressing butterfly kisses on the exposed skin.
Her heart started to beat faster and she wondered how she was supposed to react to this.
“You see,” he whispered in her ear, his breath caressing her skin. “Our family has lived here for centuries and they saw the first people settling in this area.”
He stopped to kiss her mouth softly, one hand tangled in her red tresses the other one slowly creeping under her skirts. He continued his explanations while his hand moved further up.
“At first they were not too pleased about people moving here. This was a place of quiet and solitude for them. A place to be left alone but they realized soon enough that there was no stopping the process so they struck a bargain.”
He stopped again to kiss her and she felt how she was being swept up in what he was doing, the feelings he was conjuring up, the waves of passion he easily evoked from her body. His teasing fingers worked under her skirt, over and over again rubbing over a spot that made her want to moan out loud. His touch was interwoven with his story and he seemed to use a teasing pause every time.
“What kind of bargain?” she panted after they had broken apart, torn between the fear of what was happening and the wish of it to continue.
“That we can marry anyone we desire. That nothing and no one can be withheld,” he whispered in her ear, his fingers slowly sliding inside her. She squirmed and moaned, her heart beating faster and faster, her breathing more shallow and coming in short bursts. She felt how his mouth was sucking at the tender skin in her neck. Her thoughts were erratic and fuzzy with desire.
“In exchange for what?” she managed to gasp out. She felt him smile against the skin of her neck. His fingers continued rubbing the swollen, hypersensitive bud.
“In exchange for,” he said slowly and sensually licking her skin, “not killing them.”
Her head was spinning and her ears were ringing. The haziness of her brain nor the convulsing of her body stopped her from not hearing what he said but it sunk in very slowly, too slowly. Her body was already defenseless from the waves of ecstasy that crashed over her and the moans of pleasure that came when she felt herself coming, drowning everything out.
Thrashing and squirming under his touch, she felt how he pierced the skin of her neck. Everything seemed to float in the stillness of time, there where a million images, colours and thoughts dancing through a hazy fog of eternity. The glistening of a water drop, the sparkle in someone’s eyes, laughter shredding the silence into a multimillion colour spectrum, dancing, the simple woodcarvings in their personal chapel. They all were magnified under the hourglass of time, they were heavenly and yet they all belonged to this world with all its wonders and horrors. All those images meant peace but they were ripped apart, shreds of a diamond that vaporized as soon as she tried to grasp them.
The mundane world pressed heavily again on her now weak body as she slumped against the body of her husband. His eyes where lingering on her and he gently removed a damp curl that was sticking to her forehead.
“Such beauty you humans have,” he said softly.
A part of her brain was now shouting for revenge but it was weak. There was no energy left to fight, to resist. She could accept dying, for she had seen paradise and she knew it would be better than staying alive, caged inside this body that was hurting so badly.
“Why don’t you finish it,” she said softly, “why torture me any longer?”
Silently he looked at her, a small crease in his forehead.
“You think I married you to kill you?” he finally asked, incredulous.
“You did not?” she asked, a new horror beginning to dawn for her.
“No, there is no reason in marrying those who I want to kill,” he smiled a bit. “I married you because I wanted to have you as my wife and now I do. But we ought to be the same,” he said, “You will be blood of my blood. You will be reborn tonight. We will be equals.”
He bent over her and sank his fangs into the two tiny holes he had made before. There was a moment of redlined pain but it did not last long. There came a soft humming sound, music she had heard before, singing, things she had tasted, experiences she had had. The world unfolded around her again like a flower does when the sun comes up. She could hear her mother’s sweet voice say, “May your days be blessed my child” and her father who had said, remember this is for the best.” They had been merely words when they were spoken but now they spoke volumes.
The tales, the deception that were behind those words. They had not meant what she had thought. No, they had meant something very different.
It was betrayal.
And the child that had been inside her died at that moment. The child every human being carries inside themselves that knows its parents are good, wise people who love and care for them. The child that defends its parents against anyone and lets no one speak evil of them no matter how much grudge they may hold themselves against their own parents. That child died in Melina.
Illusions and dreams shattered in the night, leaving her empty handed. This time when the images shattered she was not sorry to see them go. Though her body was more weak then the last time, her mind became stronger, harder than it had ever been. It became as sharp as a needle and pierced all the dreams and illusions people like to tell themselves. This time she saw the world as it was and she knew it was a place of bitter horror but wrapped in the soft pink silk of dreams and illusions that humankind spins.
“How long?” she said barely audible.
“Just one more,” he said softly and this time when he sank his fangs in there came nothing but swirling colours, forming one then another image, like clouds do when you look at them on warm summer day. All thoughts, all words were gone. It was the stage all children are in before they know the form of words and the abstractions they bring. She did now know that she was staring with wide open eyes at the night sky. She did not know her heart was barely beating anymore, that her breath came out in ragged gasps. Her mind had gone to a place where it did not have to linger on what was happening. And in her vision of colours and shape came the sensation of something wet in her mouth. It was hot and salty and instinctively she drank it, sucked at the source of that wetness. The taste became more distinct and the colours diminished. She blinked with her eyes and saw the starry night through the window of the carriage. She felt the arms in which she was being held and the blood that was being poured inside her. She clamped the wrist of her husband and started drawing blood more forcefully. This time she heard him moan but he did not tell her to stop, he encouraged her to drink. She could not say how long it lasted but at some point the wrist was yanked away from her. Someone was holding her back while she tried to reach out for it.
“That is enough,” she heard Gianni say but his voice sounded different. It was sharper, the consonants more distinct and the words rounder.
Her head felt very light and an icy feeling stole over her body. She jerked upright and looked around. The world was different. Where everything before had been a dark blur, only pierced by the light of the stars, there were now a thousand different shades to behold. Forms and shapes, not lost in the dark of night anymore but visible as if the sun had lit them up. Everything was beautiful; the pattern of the tree leaves, the little insects flying through the air. But looking at Gianni really took her breath away. The fine implant of his eyelashes, the silkiness of his lips, his lustrously shining hair and beautiful eyes. The faintly visible muscles under his clothes and his well shaped calves. She could only stare.
His laughter was like the silver tingling of little bells.
“Amazing isn’t it?”
She nodded but then frowned. A dull ache was spreading out through her body, it stretched out and coiled around her. It turned into a scorching white-hot burning that pulled at every sinew and muscle. She doubled over and clutched her stomach, feeling as if something tried to burst forth from her, was about to burst through her skin. Moaning and panting, she clawed at the interior of the carriage.
“What have you done to me?” she choked out.
She heard his laughter again, “But darling I thought you knew,” he said mocking. “I killed you and made you one of us. You belong to me now….for all eternity.”
The words were ringing inside her head, crawling under her skin, chaining her to a man who had turned out to be nothing human at all. The words were spoken carelessly, haunting her, deprived of the emotions that had made her surrender so easily before. The pain lined every word he spoke. Her body was trembling under the strain of the pain brandishing her soul. She arched her back and let out a scream, lined with despair. Tears streamed over her face but they where not the tears she knew. They were red, water tinged with blood marking the horror she had become. Crying, she crawled into the corner of the carriage, waited for the pain to end and fainted.
It was utterly dark when she opened her eyes again. She instantly knew she was not in the carriage anymore due to the lack of motion. She could only conclude that they had arrived at the house of, and she screamed inside at the idea that this being was her husband. She tried to sit up and banged her head against something heavy that felt also rather cold. Groaning, she fell back and blinked a couple of times, the sense of pain was leaving very rapidly. More careful this time, she stuck her hands out and tried to feel what was above her. It felt cold and rough, stonelike. She pushed against it with all her might and noticed that she could lift this thing very easily. The darkness was lifted instantly by the light of a small burning torch, attached to the stone wall, its light spilling out over her and the lair she was in. She pushed the lid further away and slid out of the black casket. She now recognized it as being one and it made her cringe in horror. She was sleeping like the dead and being like the dead, she had never imagined live would be like this after having gotten married. And then there was this dreadful feeling of being incredibly thirsty. A thirst she was afraid, no wine could cure.
Only the idea of blood made her insides crawl with longing.
Trying to drown out the desire she felt, she looked around to find out where she was. The room was low and rectangular, with no windows and just one door. It seemed to be made of steel while the rest of the room was hewn out of rock. The walls and ceiling where a creamy yellow and there was a small niche in one of the walls. It was a fireplace but no fire was burning in it now. There was nothing else in the room besides two caskets so she decided to go outside. Gingerly she tested the door and with a few pushes she managed to open it wide enough for her to go through. She came in a small corridor with a stair that went up and seemed to consist out of the same stony surroundings.
It took her only moments to reach the top and there she faced another door. It was also made out of metal, but it was much heavier than the one downstairs. Only by pushing against it with all her strength she could open it.
She stepped inside a room that appeared to be the salon. It was fairly large, with many leather couches, chaise-lounges, and deep chairs. The velvet red curtains where drawn back and revealed a huge window that looked out on a lake surrounded by a forest. All shined in the pale light of a silvery moon. The paneled walls were lined with huge bookcases made of dark polished wood and there was a shocking amount of books. The floor was covered in rugs and carpets making for an ever-changing pattern. Tapestries decorated the walls where there where no bookcases yet. There where many small tables in the salon, holding white tapers. They were not really necessary because she could see perfectly in the dark but the light of the candles was pleasant and the shadow game on the wall made her laugh with delight.
“Nice of you to finally join us,” she heard Gianni say and when she turned around she saw him standing framed in the door opening.
He was wearing something similar as with the wedding but he had changed the colour to black.
“Us?” she said confused knowing nothing else to say to such an obvious taunt.
“The rest of my family of course,” he said and stepped inside the salon and only now she saw that there were many others behind him. She recognized them as the family members who had been at the wedding. They all trooped inside the salon and as big as it had seemed a minute ago it was now rather crowded. She did a quick count and came to 24.
“You have picked out a pretty picture Gianni,” she heard one of the woman say grinning, “And you sure did not waste anytime in turning her.”
The woman circled around her with a hungry look on her face. “Too bad really. I would have loved to have done it myself.”
Several of them snickered and she felt hopelessly cornered.
“But maybe, if you prove to be,” the woman said, smiling devilishly, a finger trailing over her cheek, “A bad choice and not fit to be one of us we could have some fun still.”
She shuddered and backed away from the woman only to bump into a dark looking man.
He pushed her away in the arms of Gianni who was smirking. “Enough for today,” he said, “We have things to attend to.”
The look he gave her was sending shivers of fear down her spine. He pulled her along through the door, across several rooms and up the stairs.
“Your living quarters are up here,” he said, “Your clothes, books and other belongings have been put here but before you can go there you have to pass a test.”
He stopped in front of a door and turned towards her. The smile he gave her was taunting and it scared her but not so much as what she thought was waiting for her in the room beyond the door. She could hear the steady beat of a heart and the smell of blood. It made her intestines curl.
He bowed over to her, “I suggest you pass this test,” he said menacingly, “or you might find out that my family does not make empty threats.”
He opened the door and pushed Melina inside then closed it behind her. The room was small and contained only one chair. On it was a girl barely 10 years old. Her dirty red hair was tousled, the round pink cheeks were dirty and the big green eyes were filled with fear. The dress the girl wore had once been white and whole but now it was tattered and soiled. It showed the body of a girl between child and woman. The arms were rounded like those of a child but the rest of her body had all ready taken on a more defined shape.
But more prominent than the shape of her body was the smell of it that reached her nose. It was one of blood mingled with sweat and the stench of fear. The girl was tied to the chair and she was gagged. Desire was rising inside Melina and she could feel the press of her fangs. Her body was screaming for what this vessel of blood was holding but her mind recoiled. She closed off her nose so she would not smell anything. She shut her ears so she would not hear the drum of the heart beat and approached the girl. With trembling fingers, she untied her and removed the white cloth that gagged her. Then she quickly recoiled to the door and watched the girl, who looked stunned as she started rubbing her arms.
“Run,” she said, barely audible to the girl.
Sadly, the girl looked at her, “There is no point in that,” She said in a high pitched girly voice to her. “My father sold me to this place. He will never take me back because he fears revenge.”
“He sold you to us?” she asked incredulous, “What did you think would be waiting here for you?”
The girl bit on her nails and looked around fearfully. Tears were in her eyes.
“I am not sure. I h-hoped for something nice.”
Melina cursed inwardly, sold by her father just like she had been sold, the only difference being that she would go on as something cursed and the girl would die. What could be worse she wondered? She had to stop this, to save other girls from this fate. Then there came the sound of someone pounding on the door.
“Hurry, my love,” Gianni said feigning sweetness, “They are getting impatient.”
“Just a moment,” she screamed back angrily. She would have her revenge on him, on all men. As she looked at the girl, she realised she could not save her.
“Close your eyes,” she said kindly to the girl, who had jumped up from her seat. Slowly, she saw her relax and close her eyes.
“What is your name, sweetie?” she asked while she approached her.
“Donna,” the girl said softly.
“Listen Donna, this will hurt a bit at first but I don’t want you to be afraid. It will be over soon. And then everything will be as nice as you had hoped for. You understand?”
Donna nodded, while she gently kneeled in front of the girl and slid her arms around the small body. She breathed in the scent of the small body, the smell of blood, letting the hunger rise inside her until her body took over. The demon inside her grew strong enough to do the deed. As gently as she could, she pierced the skin of the girl and began sucking the blood. She heard her make a small sound before falling in a deep swoon. It was in many ways as it had been with her but now she did not see her own life and dreams but those of the girl whose life she was taking away. The heart beat slower, the breathing became ragged; she was aware of it and a single tear trickled down her cheek as she felt the girl dying in her arms.
Dizzy and hot from the blood, she had drunk Melina clumsily staggered back and collapsed on the floor against the wall and away from the sprawled form of the dead girl.
“I am so sorry,” she cried softly. The flames of the burning tapers wavering in front of her eyes and the whole room spun around her. For one moment, she thought that she saw a faint white shape rise up from the body that already began to gave off a faint but distinct smell of decay. She hardly noticed that someone had opened the door. The form of the vampire in front of her was but a blur, its colours mingling with those inside the room. Someone else helped her up from the floor but her legs buckled beneath her and she heard someone sigh and curse softly under their breath before she was picked up and carried to another part of the house, containing the chambers promised to her. She was put down on a huge four poster bed made of mahogany wood and then left alone with the words, “Well you passed the first one. But you better not make such a spectacle of yourself in the next test.”
The words sounded harsh and reminded her of the promise she had made to herself. She would have her revenge. Not only for herself but also for Donna and all the other women that, no doubt, had suffered the same fate.
“What a nice promise,” she heard a feather light voice say with amusement, “I am wondering how you are going to keep it.”
Startled, Melina sat up and looked around. There was no one else in the luxurious decorated bedroom. Quickly, she got of the four poster bed and wandered around in her other chambers but saw no one there either. Then, hovering by one of the windows was something white. It was blurry still but she could see that every second it became more distinct and detailed. She recoiled until she bumped against the chaise lounge.
“What are you?” she asked trembling, though she knew it was a obsolete question. She could see very well now who it was supposed to be. The long red curling hair, the big green eyes, the rounded arms and the small body. She was in every aspect the girl that had died in her arms just moments ago.
“Oh come now,” Donna said mocking, “My blood is still running through your veins. You cannot have forgotten me so easily. Besides I just heard you call my name.”
“But how?” she asked horrified while she slowly sank down on a spindle legged chair, decorated with fleur de lis motive.
“The how and why is not what matters now. Besides I am not at liberty to disclose that to you, in any case. I have come here to help you.”
“Help me? After what I did to you?” she exclaimed.
There came a look of wonder on the face of the girl while she slowly drifted through the dimly lit room towards Melina. She gingerly sat down on a large overstuffed couch.
“Yes I am going to help you after what you did to me. You tried to save me first and when you realised you couldn’t, you did the only thing possible. Showing me such beauty and wonder - I knew you did it on purpose. Being as gentle and merciful as you could be. I knew you didn’t want to do it. I knew you wanted revenge and I knew that it would be so very hard to accomplish that.”
She stared in wonder at the little girl, at the details of the little dress and the sorrowful eyes.
“You amaze me,” she said softly leaning back in her chair, “I never knew that such mercy, such understanding and forgiveness existed.”
“It does not exist, not really and certainly not in our world,” she said, “I want revenge just as much as you do but I cannot hand it out anymore. I only can help you in giving it out and for that I had to bargain. For this opportunity, I had to give up much but if you take revenge, I’ll have what I want and no price will be too high for that,” she said with a devilish grin that made the face of the girl look years older.
She opened her mouth but the girl silenced her, “Don’t ask. It won’t do you any good to know and I won’t tell you in any case. The only questions that remain are; how much do you want revenge and how much are you willing to give up for it?”
Silently, she stared at the white shape, more hovering than sitting on the couch, showing every detail of the girl that had been alive just one hour ago. She thought rapidly about all that had happened and she knew that she would give up everything to take revenge on what was done to her, to Donna.
“What would I have to do for it?” she asked determinately after a long pause.
The girl pulled a small bag out of the pocket of her white dress It looked unsubstantial and quite useless but the moment it fell on Melina outstretched hand it became solid. It was a small black velvet pouch that was quite weightless.
“You have to drink the potion in the vial that this pouch contains. Its effect is remarkable to say the least but you have to be sure, for there are consequences,” Donna said and looked, smiling, at Melina.
“What kind of consequences?” she asked hesitantly.
“It makes your blood poisonous – for everyone. If someone ever would drink your blood, it would destroy all the blood they have. A human would simply die. But a vampire,” she said maliciously, “would crumble to ashes and if you scatter those ashes they will never be able to rise again. But it means no child from your blood, no vampires who will belong to you.”
“I see,” she said slowly, listening to the sounds of the other vampires in the mansion. Melina let her eyes wander around the luxurious room - the elegant furniture, the beautifully decorated tapestries, the low burning tapers. None of it was worth anything now that she was chained to her husband. She hated him, her maker. How could she not for what he had taken away from him. Then why should she ever want to do something like this to another being. The desire for it would be monstrous and she could prevent herself from ever wanting to give in to it. It was not something she would give up but a blessing even more so because it gave her the chance to get rid of these monsters.
She looked at the girl who looked at her with her big eyes.
Slowly she opened the black velvet pouch, enjoying how it felt against her delicate fingertips and tilted it. A small ornate crystal vial fell on her hand. It felt cold against her sensitive skin. She held it up in front of her eyes, letting the candle light play over the crystal surface that sparkled like a diamante, and saw that it contained a deep ruby red potion.
“How did you get this?” she whispered, fascinated, while fondling the vial lovingly.
The girl shrugged.
“There is no way that you could really understand this but you could say that the universe contains all knowledge. Spirits ascend to this knowledge that you could describe as a kind of being. All one has to do is be prepared to pay the price to use this knowledge. The greater the influence the higher the price.”
Melina shook up from her reverie when she heard the casual spoken words that could not hide that there was some big tragedy behind this.
The girl shook her head, “I told you not to ask. There is no point in it and I am not going to tell you even if I was allowed.”
She held the girl in her gaze then slowly she pried the stop of the vial. She held it up to the girl who looked at her with big shining eyes.
“To revenge,” she whispered and downed the potion.
The smell had been cinnamon-like but it tasted like blood; delicious, hot, fat and salty.
Shivers were slowly beginning to creep over her skin, every sinew, hair follicle and muscle tingled. It felt as if someone was slowly sliding with an ice cube over her skin. She trembled and closed her eyes, she had to admit that it felt quite pleasurable.
Slowly, the sensation subsided and she opened her eyes, wondering if Donna would still be there. She was and she was gazing at her with interest but she looked a bit more hazy.
She licked her lips and became once again aware of her fangs.
“How long before it starts to work?” she asked huskily
“Not long, not long at all,” she said sadly, “As soon as I have faded completely it is done.”
“Faded?”
“Yes faded, so you better make this worth it. Get them back, get them as your husband got you. Destroy them when they feel highest, on top of the world. Get them all, mortal and immortal alike. One drop, one drink - it will be enough,” the girl said, her voice a faint sound by now. Her shape all but gone, no more that a wisp of smoke that some careless smoker had left behind.
“I will, I promise you. It will not be in vain, your gift, the price you paid. I will do what you ask till the end of my days.”
“I know,” she heard as in a faint echo.
She was alone again, the room unchanged as if nothing had happened, nothing had changed. Slowly, she got up from her chair and went in search of her husband. She would surprise him, like he had her - and after him, all the others.
Song: Embrace the Storm by Stream of Passion
Everytime I read this I am stunned.
Really, it's just so beautiful! I'm just sorry such gorgeous stories come to light on periods of time when my brain is absolutely fuzzy and I cannot make up proper replies!
Now, let's go with order: I ahev always liked Melina, the way you'd like a fierce animal, you respect it, admire its elegance, but there's no way you'd step closer to pet it!! That is why I enjoyed so much to see her as a human, young girl about to get married, with her fears towards the unknown.
I loved the descriptions you have here... as I already told you about, it's the kind of 'glowing darkness' that fascinates me. bits like this:
| QUOTE |
| The sky had a pink and orange hue that was already turning into the blue velvet that was so common of the early night. The enormous and lavish garden was lit up by dozens of torches and the benches were beautifully decorated with roses, orchids and daisies. Their perfume permeated the air with a sweet, fresh fragrance. The big ornamental fountains were turned on for the evening and were lavishly decorated. |
completely transport me to the place you created and I really feel like I was there, looking through Melina's eyes.
The vampires here, her maker (totally hot, btw) were so cold, so straight forward... there is not in them an ounce of the playful vanity of other vampires... it's almost like they were eager to drag her to the 'real' world, and in a brisk, rude manner.Granted, there was nothing rude in her husband behavior (au contraire! :drool: ) and still I can't help but wonder that maybe if he took himself a night or two to break her in, he would ahve maybe persuaded her, brainwashed and seduced her to he point she'd follow him spontaneously. There's nothing worse than an impatient immortal, lemme tell ya.
The bargain of her life for teh child, and yje child's revenge shocked me. I was not expecting such an end, not a all! that Melina, out of all vampires, could take such a revenge for having been turned. I am talking about the Melina you introduced in chosen, obviouly... so, it really got me.
| QUOTE |
would crumble to ashes and if you scatter those ashes they will never be able to rise again. But it means no child from your blood, no vampires who will belong to you.”
|
I wonder if she ever repented... of course she didn't by that time, but it's a very high price to pay, indeed!
| QUOTE |
Slowly, she got up from her chair and went in search of her husband. She would surprise him, like he had her - and after him, all the others.
|
Pssst... and I LOVED this ending, ow you leave us guessing what happens, although we know... you leave the details to your readers, and that's so cool!!!
i spologize for thsi crappy reply, I wanted to ay deeper thinsg, cause tehre's a lot to say here, but there are 35 degrees in this room, and this is all i can muster in this heat.
Bravo, darling!!!