by L. C White
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. 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, 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 sugar… too damn long,” she replies.
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, 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. “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 one.”
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, when he doesn’t want me to know about his past.
“So you can see what’s…? I hold my belly.
“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 tuts. “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. “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. I’m 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 deny the truth.
“Elizabeth, Gwen is the kindest person I know.” Adrien gestures his head for me to cooperate. “She wouldn’t harm a fly.”
She smirks. “Kissing ass… never thought I’d see the day.”
“Err, 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 humorous, but I’m being deadly serious, so don’t share her amusement in the matter.
“I’m what you would call gifted,” she smiles. “I see many things the normal eye cannot. And this mojo on the table, helps me home in on it even more.”
I inhale, swallow, 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.
“Your baby is healthy… would you like to know the sex?” she asks casually, as my heart pummels against my ribcage. “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 away from me. The front legs of my chair rise up and slam back down. She wheezes out, her pale skin turning paler.
“Okay, I wasn’t expecting that,” she breathes.
“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 detail for Liz to relive,” she replies, sympathetically.
“I’m fine… please,” I insist.
She sighs. “The night you were attacked, an object was used on you.” I close my eyes, the silver hook ring that Selene warned me of. “Well, it seems that it was blessed with fertility in preparation.”
“For what exactly!” Adrien pushes.
“For a child… a special child,” she says. “But that doesn’t explain the sudden resurrection of your little swimmers.” She looks at Adrien’s groin. “Unless I perform a blood reading spell, I won’t be able to tell you how. And for me, that’s a big no-no. I won’t delve deeper into the dark arts.”
Oh god. Spells. Blood. What is she, a frigging witch?
I gaze at Adrien as he curves over the table. His impatience is clear in the way he’s giving Gwen the daggers.
“Do it,” he orders.
“You don’t understand. It’s shadow magic, and you know I don’t do the shady stuff.” She waves her hand. “Asking me to, goes against everything I believe in. Opening that can of worms will have repercussions.”
“And this doesn’t,” he argues. “You know something isn’t right here, because it’s fucking impossible. I need to know what I’m dealing with dammit!”
Poor Gwen. She’s warning him, but his head is on a one track road and he doesn’t care about the consequences. He’s not making this any easier. I watch his angry impulsive pacing, trying to catch a decent breath. Even though Gwen cannot see, it appears she can, as they both continue to glare at one another.
“You want me to delve into the veil, and ask my ancestors to read Liz’s blood… your blood?” Her tone is high. “Might I add, my family tree contains some pretty powerful evil.”
“Yes,” he says, firmly.
This is insane, and I won’t let him do it. You don’t just mess around with paranormal stuff like this.
“Adrien, you need to stop,” I say, cautiously. “We’ll find out another way?”
“Thing is honey,” Gwen interrupts. “That baby will stay inside you until Adrien does the deed.”
“What?” I ask.
“He needs to turn you,” she replies.
Adrien keels over then springs back with angry flailing arms. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
Gwen lowers her head and nods. “No, Dhampir children are special, and only your bite will bring on the birth.”
He growls. “And if I don’t?”
“Then the child will remain inside Liz,” she replies. “The longer you leave it in there, the more symptoms she will feel… until it’s too late.” She turns to me. “And I know you’ve already been through some already.”
Adrien strides from one end of the table to the other, clutching his fingers over his head, grumbling and cursing. I inhale and slowly blink out a tear. I wanted this, to be the same as him. But shit, now there’s no choice, he has to.
“What will happen to the baby… me?” I gulp.
“After Adrien’
s bite, the birth will come on quick.” Her tone is unconfident. “You need to be strong, because let me tell you this, giving birth to a Dhampir child, is impossible with your human body.”
“That’s why I need to be turned?” I ask.
“Yes, your baby knows, but will only wait so long,” she replies. “Liz, your child will be warm, gifted, and not the monster you seem to think. All you have to do is never allow him to blood feed.”
“Him?” I ask, emotionally stirred.
“Yes… a boy,” she smiles kindly.
I peer up at Adrien. I guess I’m wanting him to embrace the fact he’s just been told he’s going to have a son. But all he does, is look to the floor. My head spins and I feel nauseous. Any chance of normality for Adrien and I, has fucked off completely. I feel broken. Unwanted. Rejected.
“And Liz.” Adrien scowls at Gwen. “Why don’t you tell her what will happen, after she feeds from me?”
Gwen holds the back of the chair, her white eyes on me. “You know… she will awaken,” she snaps. “If you did what you should have done when you decided to take a beautiful young girl with everything going for her, then we wouldn’t be here right now. I always said that you pompous Executives shouldn’t be allowed to pick innocent girls as your Reds. Human and vampire love, has always resulted in disaster.”
I sink into the chair. Everything good that has happened to me, has now become shrouded in darkness. I hate this. I want it to be over.
“Why then, after all these centuries of infertility has this happened? What is it Selene wants?” Adrien angers as he strides up and down the room. “Was Laurie supposed to impregnate her?”
“Will you stop pacing, you’re irritating the hell out of me,” Gwen says in a demanding tone.
Adrien stops and glares. “The blood reading… that will tell you more; how and why?”
“Yes. God. I came here to do you a favour, not dive into purgatory for your answers,” she barks.
“Can we just… can we stop this,” I say in a shaky whisper.
Adrien throws his arms up in fury. “Elizabeth, we do this… and don’t question me!”
He’s turning into some illogical bulldozer, and I don’t like it. Where has the gracious, polite, and loving Mr Knight gone.
“Stop Adrien,” Gwen yells. “She has done nothing wrong.”
He halts and watches me. His eyes relax a little, but I look away, down at my hands.
“I’ll do it,” Gwen huffs. “But I won’t use Liz, you’ll be the only essence I’ll use.” A stillness takes hold, as again they silently debate with each other. “I’m going to need a good quantity of your blood, Adrien,” she declares. “Go and get my bag.”
Adrien marches out into the hall. I watch as Gwen leans over the table, and sets the woolly grey substance on fire. It frizzles out into nothing. I frown and she grins at my naivety.
“It’s a cleanser,” she says. “Better than soap and water is harain grass.”
Adrien returns, holding a large brown duffle bag. He slides it across the table and Gwen’s hand stops it. She unzips, and starts to take objects out. Another bowl, but this one is black. More of that woolly material. A bag of what looks like animal bones, and a small old black book. She begins to organise the items next to three flaming black candles, placing them at each point of the triangle. Then she takes a rusty dagger out from her bag.
“Here.” She hands the knife to Adrien. “I’m also going to need something very valuable. If the offering is seen fit, Hecate may be merciful.”
Fuck this. With my heart in my throat, I shoot up from the chair. I can’t be expected to sit back while he does this. She said repercussions. What if this spirit, or whatever it is, decides to smite him down where he bloody stands? We know I’m pregnant, and he has to turn me. Why can’t we leave it at that, and use another source? Like the damn library or internet. Is it revenge he seeks?
I charge around the table and snatch the knife from him. No blade, no blood. We’ve just got married and I was happy, now this is destroying us. I bite my lips firm as my eyes brim with tears. I’m screwed up in every way imaginable, and this isn’t going to make things better.
“You’ve lost your mind,” I cry. “How can this make things right, Adrien? I want to know to, but this is frigging nuts… you know that.”
His teeth clench. “I’m sorry, but you need to let me do this.” He lies his determined eyes on me, and prizes the knife from my grip.
I sniff and turn away as he cuts deep into his forearm, allowing it to bleed into the black bowl. Quickly, I take refuge by the heavy cream drapes that swag over the bay window. He’s bleeding out fast. I watch as his stooped back flinches over the table, because he now needs to feed to make up for the blood loss. He billows out huge amounts of air, hissing, then looks over his shoulder at me. His pupils are entirely black, and his fangs begin to protrude. I wipe the tears from my face, watching his pain.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Gwen says. “Here.” She hands him a blue towel for his bleeding arm.
He charges head down through the door, clutching his arm. He’s sick and I have to help him.
As I pace fast toward the doors, Gwen takes hold of my bicep.
“This is all wrong and I feel for you,” she says. “He does it because he doesn’t want to lose you, and love makes us all fools.” She sweeps her hand down my hair. “You’re the strongest one of both of you.” I respond with a faint smile then hurry after Adrien.
I jog breathless into Sara’s modern unused kitchen, opening cupboards in a frantic search.
“Liz… what’s wrong?” Sara frowns.
“Blood, now!”
She points to a small cupboard next to the freezer. I bend and open. Artic air sweeps over my hand as I reach in and pull out two cool bags.
“Liz, where’s Adrien,” Sara asks as I hurry down the hall.
“Not now Sara.”
***
Adrien is sitting on the bed in the spare room, his keeled over body, rocking. I hold out a blood bag, low enough for him to see. He releases his grip from the towel, and without looking at me, he snatches it from my hand. He rips off the cap with his teeth and vacuums the first bag dry. He wheezes, head back, still with shadow eyes. My hand trembles as I offer him the second. Again he seizes it with a desperate need.
With his chin to his chest, he extends his fingers up to me. “Please… forgive me,” he utters.
Without a second thought, I slide my hand around his. He peers up at me with fraught eyes as I rest my hand on his cheek. I carefully slide the towel from his arm, to see the top layer of his bloody skin interlinking. Healing.
“We have to know the truth… okay?” He slowly stands up, unsteadily.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Please don’t hate me.”
“I can never hate you.” He comes to stand before me. “I love you Elizabeth. But this situation you’ve been ensnared in, should have never happened. Someone needs to answer for it.”
I follow him to the door. It’s no good me begging him not to want revenge. It’s too late; it’s blackened him.
***
We re-enter the dining room. Gwen has her hands in Adrien’s blood. She’s created another symbol with it. It’s unclear what it is against the dark background of the table. All I can make out is the shimmer of the blood inside the triangle. She mumbles with her eyelids shut, then sets the contents of the black bowl alight.
“I need something valuable, preferably gold,” Gwen requests.
I twiddle my fingers and glance down at my engagement ring.
“I don’t think so,” Adrien huffs. “Here.” He takes one of his platinum cufflinks out from his breast pocket, and slides it across the table.
Gwen picks it up and feels it. “You have two?” She gestures her fingers.
Rolling his eyes, he takes out the second and slides it over to her.
“Much better. Very flashy, Adrien. We might just pull this off.” From her bloody fingers, she drops the cu
fflinks into the flaming bowl. “Okay, this is the part where I go all exorcist.”
She slams her blood soaked hands down into the centre of the symbol. My mouth drops open, because what I’m seeing is like something you’d see in the movies, only messier. She closes her eyes, inhales, and raises her head to the ceiling.
She begins to sway back and forth. There are no sparks, and no ominous breeze whizzing around the room. Nothing supernatural at all. She’s listening intently with her ear directly over the bowl, nodding and uttering in some strange foreign language. I’m expecting any moment to see a puff of smoke, or some flash of light. Maybe even some kind of demonic voice echoing from her mouth. But all I see now is, Gwen, with her hands firmly pressed on the table, looking like she belongs in a straightjacket.
Five minutes of chanting, and I’m growing concerned she’s actually stuck like this. I take a step toward her, only to have Adrien grab my arm to stop me.
“Whoa.” Like her hands have been suddenly ejected from the table, she staggers back as the fire dies out.
“Oh,” she gasps, clutching her chest. “Not a happy goddess.” Adrien dashes over and guides her to a chair. “Water… please.” She blows out as she sits down.
I swiftly pour her a large glass of water. She snatches and drinks it within seconds, like she’s desert dehydrated.
“Gwen, what happened?” Adrien asks.
She looks right into my eyes. Her frozen features, and the brilliant white of her irises, scare the hell out of me.
“You know why this has happened?” Adrien bends over the table, his demeanour growing more and more commanding.
“All she needed was Liz’s blood for the spell to be made complete,” she says.
“Selene,” Adrien snarls. “Has the Sange Pentru sanctified this?”
“Selene has been very busy Adrien, and she couldn’t care less about breaking the codes,” Gwen nods. “And with Daddy Demetrius giving her free rein, the rules don’t stand any longer. This has been in the making for years. This is why Selene allowed your marriage. She’s been searching a long time for a girl like Liz.”
