Once Awakened: Chapter Nine

I had to go back to Romulus. It didn’t take me long to realize it, in fact I believe I had always known it. And I knew he was alive; they had only come after me. But what would he say if he saw me leading my mortal daughter by the hand? I knew he would be kind to her, but what would he think of me?1

We had watched Romulus for sometime, it seemed he went out more often then he did when I was with him. He had no one with him, but I did not expect him to. 2

We went to him at midnight, the hour of miracles as they say, when I knocked he didn’t answer. 3

“Maybe he’s not here.” Narcissa had said but he was, I had watched him come home, I knew he was here. I opened the door and walked in, half expecting to be attacked. But it did not happen. I knew where he was, the studio. He was always there. And he was now as well, with one of my own paintings, I could see him in my mind though he was not aware of it. I opened the door and slowly stepped in 4

“My lord,” I said slowly and he turned to face me “I’ve returned to you.” Everything seemed to grow silent as he stared at me. He looked stunned and walked to me slowly as though he thought I was an illusion that might fade away at any second. I took his hand and he looked me in the eye. 5

“Sithandra?” he asked me, his voice alone betraying his disbelief, “Is it really you?” 6

“Yes, it really is.” I answered 7

“I thought they killed you,” he breathed and he embraced me tightly, struggling to put all his love and compassion into that one embrace.8

Before he could say anything else I showed him Narcissa, who had hidden behind my legs. 9

“My lord, this is my daughter, Narcissa. I’m going to raise her as you raised me.” He looked at for a moment with something in his eyes. I don’t know what it was. Maybe love, maybe envy, but I don’t know. But I did see the softness that was always there though. He took her hand and kissed it softly. Narcissa smiled at him, she liked him.10

She slept during the day like me, but we had walked a long way and she was exhausted. I took her to my old room. I found all of my things were still there. It was the same as I had left it. 11

I put Narcissa in my bed and kissed her passing my blood into her. Unlike the other mortals who tasted my blood, she did not shake as she drank it. Though Narcissa didn’t actually know what she drank, she had told me many times it tasted sweet to her. I had a mortal vampire on my hands. And soon I would have an immortal demon.12

“Sleep well, my angel” I whispered softly in her ear and giving her my soft bloodless kiss. 13

I left the room silently closing the door behind me. I had to talk to Romulus. He would want to know about Teirma. He was waiting for me. He took me in his arms again as he did so many years ago. “It truly is a joy, my child, to have you back in my arms again after all these years.” He kissed me softly. I loved his kisses. His soft lips on mine, the blood he gave in these magic kisses. I treasured them. And I kissed him back. 14

“Drink, my Sithandra,” He whispered, “I know you need it.” I kissed his neck tenderly, my fangs grazing his skin, and puncturing the skin. And his blood filling my mouth, rushing through me, filling me. “I’m sorry, my love,” He whispered sadly, “I failed you. I swore to protect you and I couldn’t.” 15

“No my lord, never my lord, its alright. I’m back now, I have a child of my own. Everything is alright. We could pretend it never even happened” I replied.16

“He’ll want you back, soldiers will come. I know his ways, he’s going to send weaker soldiers. It’s all a game to him. I going protect you this time I swear it.”17

Romulus was right they did come. I could sense it immediately they made no attempt to hide it. Romulus ran to my room where I had been reading and watching Narcissa who still slept. I woke her immediately but before I could see her to a safe hiding place we heard them outside the room. 18

“Lock her in, they’re not coming in through the windows this time.” Romulus said and I turned to Narcissa 19

“Hide,” I commanded, ”do not let yourself be seen by anyone. Do you remember how I told you to hide your thoughts?” 20

I had taught her to concentrate her thoughts on the environment around her, because when vampires see with thought they see only the thought. Certain thoughts stand out, but if one was to concentrate on what was around them then when they were being searched for the one searching would see only what was around the person. It’s the perfect camouflage. 21

“Yes, I do.” She whispered in reply 22

“Good,” I said “find a place to hide and disguise your thoughts.” 23

I didn’t see where she hid. Romulus and I, both with our knives of fire in our hands, stepped outside and I locked the door, she would be safe.24

There were six of them three from each side and I lost sight of Romulus when three of them turned to me and the other three to him.25

Fighting mortals seems so simple when your fighting a vampire. Were a mortal to watch us fight they would see only faintly colored blurs. But were they to slow down our battle they would see an intricate and graceful dance brightly lit with the flames of our hate for each other. It truly is a beautiful thing, and I might have seen it as that then had I not been one being attacked by three.26

Romulus’s lessons had not been wasted on me, however. I had been the victim in these fights far to many times and now I was fighting for more then myself, I was fighting for my lover and my daughter. No longer would they have to fight in my defense.27

I got burned a few times, which is going to happen in any fight involving fire. One of them involving my entire arm being scorched. But it didn’t break my skin so it quickly healed. That didn’t stop me from screaming though, fire hurts us far more then it hurts mortals. In my anger I whirled on the one who had done it and, rather then burn him, I jumped at him with all my strength and all but ripped his head clean off with my teeth. His blood splattered onto my dress where it was lost in the red of the fabric, and onto my skin where it glowed eerily and I was sure I must have looked like a demon from Hell at the time.28

Rather then scare the others, this only made them as angry as I was. But they were still weaker and no amount of their anger could fix that.29

When they were nothing more then ashes I ran back and unlocked the room, “Narcissa where are you?” I didn’t see her, but I heard her 30

“Marie!” came her muffled shout, I didn’t know what languages Ahmano had taught her but I knew Marie meant mother it was what she called me. Her voice was coming from inside my coffin. She was a clever girl, had they come into the room they would never think to look for a mortal child in a coffin.31

I ran to it and pushed the lid aside, in my haste, completely forgetting I was covered in the blood of my adversary. Narcissa could see it though, and she screamed when she saw me.32

“What’s wrong?” I asked her, I was so used to blood that it didn’t seem particularly abnormal to have it on me and because of that I had forgotten about it so easily.33

She slowly reached her hand up to my face and touched my chin, when she pulled it away a thin coating of blood was in her hand and I remembered the blood.34

“Marie,” she said “what happened, who were those men?” I looked at her soft face her eyes wide childhood question.35

“They came for us, my child, to take us back to Teirma, back to Ahmano. Do you wish to go back to him?” Even as I asked the question feared the answer, but my fears were unnecessary. She said she would rather die bold words to come from a child. But what a child she was! I knew Narcissa was aware of what she had said and she had meant every word of it.36

“Sleep my child,” I whispered to her “sleep and dream of better things than fire and death.” And I gently kissed her forehead.37

After she crawled into her bed I left the room, my soft black shoes padding noiselessly down the ash filled halls. I had just turned the corner when I saw Romulus, he had fallen and I saw why. His leg was badly burned from the fires. 38

I ran to him, “Romulus, my lord, let me help you. Please.” But he would hear nothing of it. 39

“Sithandra, no, keep your blood. I couldn’t.” But he changed me, he let me live with him. It was the least I could do. I bit my wrist and let the blood spill onto his leg and watched as the healing magic worked. 40

The burn did not heal completely; in fact much of it did not heal at all. He had to drink my blood. 41

“My lord” I had said “drink, please drink. I owe you this. You cannot walk like this and you are in the path of the windows, the path of the sun. And the sunlight would kill you, and I. Won’t. Let. That. Happen.” I would sit here with him all night if I had to. But I could not bear to see him hurt.42

It was only when there was but at hour left until sunrise that he spoke to me again, “Forgive me that I must take from my own child,” And then took my wrist to drink from. I loved the sensation caused by his fangs. It never hurt me, it felt like he was kissing me. I never quite figured out how to do that. 43

I felt the blood leave me, and I knew I was getting weaker. But my love for him was stronger then any need for blood that I possessed. And it was only when I was about to fall unconscious that I stopped him. And when he released my wrist the bite healed immediately. 44

I stood up and Romulus did the same. His leg was now completely healed. The only sign he had even been burned was the burnt cloth of his pants and the ash. I was about to turn away but he grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him. 45

“My child,” He said “thank you” and he kissed me. His kiss was wonderful and I tasted the blood he put into it. Such sweet blood kisses, a form of thanks among vampires. And his kisses were sweeter then anything else.