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This room, God it brings back memories.
I hover by the bed, pulling my damp hair out from Sara’s grey silk dressing gown. I remember everything about that night, it’s all flooding back through my system. Recovering from the blood transfusion in that bed. Nathan saying goodbye to me before leaving for Paris. And the argument with Adrien, the point we nearly ended it for good. This room is the place I seem to end up in when everything goes wrong.
I wish things were the way they were right at the beginning of our relationship. I can’t talk to anyone here. Adrien, well he’s on code level red right now, and wants heads to roll. And everyone else in my life, don’t even know I’m married to a vampire. I’m alone in this. It’s like my friends and family don’t exist in this world I’m now living in.
I’ve been given strict orders, shower and rest. Sara was shocked at the sight of me, but deep down I think she likes to feel needed. She thrives on organising disorder, and she seems to be trying to organise me.
I comb my hair, perching on the edge of the bed, peering down at my belly. Is he really in there, or is this all just a figment of my imagination? After that dream, I can’t think of anything other than him. It was as though he was warning me, sending me a vision of things before they happen. It feels like he’s with me in some way.
My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the cream door. I really don’t need to hear the words, it’s all in your head, again.
The door opens. “Liz,” Sara says, closing the door quietly behind her. “Just checking up on you. Do you need anything?”
“Unless you have a time machine, then no.” I sigh. “Where’s Adrien?”
“Doing what he does best when on the warpath. A whole lot of ranting, drinking, and pacing.”
She’s very reluctant. She’s thinking hard because she finds it difficult to understand human emotions.
“Sara, you don’t need to be here. I’ll be fine.” I’m lying; of course this isn’t fine. But that’s me I guess. I hate others being all awkward around me.
She hesitates, taking a breath, and sits down on the edge of the bed. I thought with me giving her the all clear to go, she’d be out of here. But no, she’s going to try her best to get me to participate in a heart-to-heart.
“Are you still bleeding?” She presses her lips together, as uncomfortable as I with that question.
“Did he send you in here to ask me that?” I roll my eyes.
“You know Adrien.”
“You think I’m nuts too?”
She pouts her lips. “My opinion, honestly, is that Selene is dangerous. So yeah, I believe she did something to you.”
“That ditale ring Laurie used on me, did he ever attack you with it?”
“I’ve seen it before. He was wearing it the night I was turned. Fortunately, Adrien arrived before he had chance to use it,” she explains.
More than anything, I’m confused. Maybe I am losing my mind. That dream, could have just been a dream. And the blood, could have been exactly what Adrien thought, some gynaecological problem that needs dealing with.
“What will he do?” I ask. “He’ll hate me if I’m well... you know.”
“He will never hate you. He loves you. He’ll find out the truth, no matter what the cost is,” she replies. “If something like this happened before he met you, then he’d have known from the off.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s lost his touch. I don’t mean that in a bad way. After all those years doing the order’s dirty work, he deserved to be happy. But you stopped him seeing that Selene and the order will always be there in the background, pulling him back in. They will never let him go.”
I bend over, covering my face with my hands, fighting the urge to weep.
“Look, Gwen will see you soon, then we’ll know for sure.” She stands up and makes her way to the door.
“Gwen?”
“Yeah, let’s just say she has unconventional methods at getting a diagnosis.” She leaves me in a state of worry, closing the door behind her.
I take my grey jeans and peach blouse out from my small black holdall. Adrien packed it for me. Left me sitting on the bed in our apartment crying, as he stormed around, flinging items here there and everywhere, like a man possessed.
I fasten the small silver buttons on my blouse, then thread my jeans up over my legs. I bend and pull on the zipper, but it won’t fasten. Oh god, please fasten.
Adrien opens the door. No knock. No eye contact. No loving smile. He’s still angry. In his opinion, I’m brain dead, stupid, reckless, and a liar for not telling him about Selene taking my blood.
Finally his eyes meet mine and there’s a rush of concern and irritation.
“What?” I yell.
“You look better.”
I roll my eyes and pull my shirt down, leaving the top button of my jeans open. If he sees me struggling into them, he might lose his head again.
“Well... thanks.”
“Can you come down stairs please?” He turns away and doesn’t even wait for me.
I make my way down the green staircase and into Sara’s dining room. The long black table has been cleared of the large opulent Chinese vase and flowers. Now there is some bizarre white painted symbol on it, with a copper bowl full of a grey stringy burnt substance set in the centre. It smells in here. I’m picking up a metallic and herby scent, like whatever was in that bowl, was set alight before I entered.
Adrien pulls out a chair without a word, wanting me to sit down. I swallow and make my way over, watching my socks move over the red carpet. Without looking at him I sit in the black leather high back chair. Still unwilling to talk to me, he pours me a glass of water then leaves me alone, like I’m contagious.
I look down at the symbol. This is just plain weird, all this hocus-pocus shit. I’ve never seen this symbol before. It’s nothing like the voax symbol that was painted on Cate’s wall. It’s a triangle with a horizontal half-moon facing the top tip, and beneath there’s some kind of strange lettering.
I hear voices outside. My heart thumps fast as Adrien enters with his arm linked up to a lady. She’s very beautiful for her age, but her eyes are closed. She has long raven red curly hair, pale skin, and is wearing chunky biker boots, jeans, with a short brown jacket. Her red painted lips beam kindly in my direction.
“Now, why in the sweet lord’s name, would you go and get yourself involved with this piece of work?” she asks me, squeezing Adrien’s arm playfully as an awkward silence develops. “So, as soon as I’m to introduce myself then.”
“Sorry,” Adrien says. “Elizabeth, this is Gwen. We go way back.”
“Yeah... too damn long.” She chuckles.
I’m dying to ask. I’m fighting to keep the question from parting my lips. ‘Gwen, why are your eyes closed?’
“Honey.” I quietly gasp as she opens her eyelids, to reveal nothing but a brilliant white across her pupils. “I was blind at birth. It kind of puts a dampener on the first encounter. Best to ease you into it... you know.”
“Oh.” I cringe inside with shame, feeling like I’ve made her disability the main focus of this meeting. “Well it’s nice to meet you Gwen, and you can call me Liz.”
“It’s a pleasure.” She smiles. “Now from what I’ve gathered, you’re in need of my help. And so is that tiny bambino I can see.” She slips her arm away from Adrien and holds onto the back of a chair. “And I kind of owe him.”
Adrien purses his lips then shrugs his shoulders at me. They obviously know each other well. I’ve seen that look before. It’s his modest face he uses when he doesn’t want me to know about his past.
“So you can see what’s...?” I hold my belly, flabbergasted.
“Just because you’re not the size of a baby elephant, doesn’t mean a thing. Your aura radiates motherhood,” she answers.
I stare down, slowly sweeping my hand across my gut in complete shock.
Adrien flicks his arms up in a rage, then runs his hands in an exasperated manner down his face. Gwen arches her brow at him, and turns back to me.
“Take no notice of him, Liz. He’s basically not going to handle any of this well.” She puffs through her lips. “Adrien, why don’t you leave us. Go and do what you males do when things get tough. Drink.”
He rolls up the sleeves of his blue shirt in a pissed-off fashion. “No.”
“Okay.” She blinks in annoyance and makes her way over to me, running her hand over the back of each chair. “So Liz.” She hovers her fingers over my stomach and bends. “Do you mind?”
Shit, I’m so nervous and freaking scared. Not only because she has just confirmed I’m pregnant, but because I have no clue how, or what’s going on inside me. I’m reluctant. Sometimes it’s better not to know; to just deny the truth.
“Elizabeth, Gwen knows what she’s doing.” Adrien gestures his head for me to cooperate. “She wouldn’t harm a fly.”
Gwen smirks. “Kissing ass. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Hmm, just a quick question?” I delay. “What is all this stuff?” I shuffle anxiously away from her hand. “I mean, come on. Is this stuff going to help me, or open up the gates of hell?”
Gwen seems to find my question hilarious, but I’m being deadly serious so don’t share her hilarity in the matter.
“I’m what you would call gifted. I see many things the normal eye cannot. And this mojo on the table, helps me hone in on it even more,” she explains.
I inhale, swallow down, and unenthusiastically lift my shirt to just below my bust, revealing my entire midriff. She carefully lies her hand on my skin. Her touch is like ice and makes me flinch.
“Sorry. Cold hands warm heart, and all that. Now then, let me see what’s going on inside here.” She lowers her head as though she’s listening out for something.
I close my eyes, praying that she’s wrong, hoping that she finds nothing inside me at all.
“Your baby is healthy. Would you like to know the sex?” she asks casually, as my heart pummels against my rib cage. “Be calm Liz. Not good for the baby, all this stress.”
“Gwen!” Adrien snaps. “More essential information please.”
“Spoilsport,” she mumbles, closing her eyes again.
She seems to have been down there with her ears pinned back for ages. And every now and again, her head twitches a freaky abnormal shunt. I daren’t move, speak, or breathe, in-case it quashes her concentration.
All of a sudden she gasps and reels back away from me, causing the front legs of my chair to rise up and slam back down. She wheezes out, her pale skin turning paler.
“Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.” She pats on her chest.
“What?” Adrien panics.
“I’m not getting the clearest picture this way,” she says.
“Well what did you see?” Adrien yells.
“It wouldn’t be a nice thing for Liz to relive,” she replies, sympathetically.
“I’m fine... please,” I insist.
She sighs out a long breath. “The night you were attacked, an object was used on you.” I close my eyes. It has to be the cursed ditale ring that Selene warned me of. “Well, it seems that it was laced in preparation.” She looks in Adrien’s direction.
“Laced with what?” Adrien demands quick answers.
“Meredith’s blood,” Gwen replies as I watch the pair of them, with absolutely no clue what’s going on. “From the one and only fertile linage, in vampire history.”
“This is ridiculous.” Adrien again throws up his arms in protest. “Demetrius would never keep such a thing.”
“But he did. Both of you have been embroiled in a fertility ritual, using the blood from the line which dates back to the first vampire. How do you think you all came to be? Lilith was the first. She was created by light, but her intentions were too dark. That was when hell welcomed her. Lilith bore one child, Lilin. He was the first true pure blood. It was inevitable that he may also be fertile. But it was when he fell in love with Rosia, that things got really messy. She was a human girl, who like you, fell pregnant. The first and the last dhampir was born, Meredith. The whole thing started a war, and Lilith herself had her own Son and Rosia killed. She took Meredith and had every intention of killing her also. But the bitch found some mercy in her wicked heart. That is when she gave Meredith to the first pure bloods. They were to take care of, and protect her. Teach her their ways and prevent her blood feeding. At first they doted on Meredith. She was treated like a princess, then as she grew, a queen. But they couldn’t foresee what would happen if Meredith gave into her vampire side, and fed for the first time. After Meredith drank blood, she became consumed with power. She drained energy wherever she was, hence where the vigore originate. She was stronger, darker, and had a taste for vampire blood, yet she was a warm living being. Death couldn’t touch her. She was eternal, and she filled all vampires with fear.”
“Oh Gwen, please, no more tales,” Adrien begs.
“It’s the truth.” Gwen bites back. “Around the thirteenth century, Meredith fell in love with a witch called Aspen, but Aspen was working with the vampires. She, like you...” She gazes at Adrien. “Allowed love to cloud her judgment. Aspen was bait, and she was finally caught by the vampires. She was hung drawn and quartered, burnt to ashes, and scattered into the oceans of five different continents. But not before a sample of her blood was taken.” Gwen shakes her head, full of emotion. “She had such a bad life. No one truly loved her.”
I can’t believe what I’m actually hearing. It’s too much unbelievable information, too soon. I don’t want this. All I wanted was Adrien, and this will tear us apart. It’s so screwed up.
Unable to take anymore outlandish information, I get up from the chair and walk to the door, but Adrien kind of leaps in front of me, stopping me in my path.
“I’m not listening to this anymore,” I growl up at him.
“Do you honestly think that I want to?”
A great and fierce heat suddenly rushes around my body. “Adrien, move!”
“You wanted this child.” His eyes are scornful. “You begged me to listen and believe you. So you will sit back down in the goddamn chair.”
Without thinking, my hands come up and I thrust him in the chest. A rising anger flashes around my brain like a violent wave, taking control of me. I feel so strong. Adrien flies into the wall, his eyes wide and black, not because he wants to hurt me, but the shock of how powerful I am. I gasp in and out as a dizziness makes me stumble back. I feel so sick, and a searing pain flares across my stomach, like my ovaries are about to explode.
“God!” I keel over.
“Sit her down, quickly,” I hear Gwen’s faint voice worrying.
Adrien takes my arm and guides me back to the chair. This time I can’t fight him back. It’s like that one regrettable violent act against him, has zapped nearly all the energy out of me.
“Liz, breathe through the pain. It will pass. Here, drink this. It will help.” Gwen hovers a small glass bottle of green liquid before me.
I don’t even question what it is. I just need this feeling to go away. So I snatch the small bottle and down it in one go.
“What is that?” Adrien asks.
My face cringes up as I swallow the last drop. It tastes like basil and olive oil, but there’s something else. It smells like something I tried once in high school, weed.
“It’s not witchcraft, that’s all you need to know,” she replies.
Almost immediately I feel a little calmer. I inhale and exhale yoga type breaths, as the guilt over pushing Adrien fills me. I slowly peer up to him, and his eyes well up with concern. He crouches down before me.
“We need to know what we’re dealing with, okay?” he says, quietly.
I nod my head to agree and he stands back up, moving away from me.
“Selene wants this baby?” Adrien asks. “Why?”
“There was a dark rumour that when Meredith was young and innocent, several members of the order, used to drink a thimble of her blood each day. It gave them the ability to walk amongst the living without having the urge to hunt. Her blood was the most fruitful thing on earth. They say flowers and nature would grow around her. But she could also drain any living thing of its life-force. She could read thoughts, so the order could read thoughts. Over time, the blood of Meredith created a new strain, the vigore. This caused a great conflict. They used her for their own gain, but that had grave consequences.”
“So Selene wants to create a living blood bag of her own to feed from, so she becomes more powerful. Fucking great.” Adrien paces up and down as I run my hand across my stomach, fighting back the tears.
“Why do you think Selene came up with the idea of you executives, taking a human red?” Gwen huffs. “She’s obviously been planning this for some time. She’s been looking for the perfect couple to reproduce.”
“And Demetrius?” Adrien asks. “Does the order have a hand in this?”
“I doubt it. The order was officially formed because of the mess left behind by Meredith. Sang at war with the new vigore. Fighting for power and territory. Demetrius hid Meredith’s blood with the witches, to make sure no other vampire could get their hands on it. Why, well, probably because of its properties. For himself. Selene has been running the show for centuries. Her father never agreed with vampires taking human lovers. But Selene could always wrap him around her little finger. She’s been sweetening up the order for hundreds of years. My grandmother once told me that one day Selene would bring back a dark age, and she was right.”
“Sara. Laurie,” Adrien barks. “Laurie was in on this all along!”
I blink slowly. As much as I love Adrien, if I knew this was going to happen, I would have stayed a thousand miles away from him. But I’m in this now. Right in the epicentre of it. Adrien’s Son grows inside me, and I have this intense urge to protect him from all of them.
Again I stand up, needing to get out of this room. “What do we do?” I ask as distress coats my eyes.
“The pregnancy will kill you. Your human body will not withstand the birth of a dhampir. Right now you are being used as a means of incubation,” Gwen replies softly, as a tear falls over my cheek. “In order to birth that child, you will need to become...” She takes a deep disturbing breath. “You will have to be turned... by Adrien.”
“No fucking way!” Adrien shouts so loud my heart jumps. “Not going to happen.”
“Adrien. You have also played a role in this. You’re little swimmers have been brought back to life, and you’ve impregnated this poor girl. You knew deep down that you would never get a happy ever after. Liz will grow more ill as the days go on. You give her the bite, and the birth will come on fast, almost instantly. But she will survive.”
I knew that one day this would come. I just never expected it to happen in this situation. Now I see how repulsed Adrien really is by making me the same as him, it makes me think that really, he would have never turned me at all. He wants to keep me human.
His eyes lock onto mine for a lingering emotional moment. Then he turns his back on me and does what I wanted to do, storms out of the room.
I lower my head, knowing my human life is truly over. I’m terrified.
“Liz,” Gwen’s voice coaxes me to look up. “Selene chose Adrien for the very reason he left this room. His unwillingness to turn you. Your baby grows so fast, but with Adrien’s bite, he will be born before Selene expects, and you will survive. It gives you more time. This...” She unfolds her fingers to reveal a small silver coin with a hole in the centre. “Is protection for your son.” Another tear falls from my eye, hearing the word, Son. “It will help keep him hidden from Selene.”
I take the warm coin and study it. There’s an image of a sun and a pentagram pressed into the metal.
“What is it?” I ask, weakly.
“It’s a talisman. A protection charm that will reinforce a shield around your baby.”
“Well... thanks.” I choke up and snivel.
She runs her hand over my hair. “Your baby will not be a monster. He will be moulded in the shape of you and Adrien. Now, if you need anything, you call me. You’re stronger than you think, sweetie.”
She leaves me alone, twirling the small coin in my hand. I squeeze it in my clenched fist, the tiny piece of metal my hopes rest upon.