She
gripped the stone banister of the balcony tightly, holding
onto it until she noticed the small streams of dark blood
running from her pale skin. She let go, stepping back and
staring down at her hands as the wounds slowly healed. "I
love you," Loeki sighed delightfully as he wrapped
his arms around her full waist, his hands running along
her round stomach. Raynee closed her eyes, her heart sinking
as he spoke. She pulled away from him and walked once more
to the stone banister, looking out along the land that sat
away from all others. How ironic, she thought, how she had
searched out the home to seclude her, yet she had let him
come into her life. Loeki narrowed his gaze as he stared
at her from behind. His raven hair laid in disheveled spikes,
his navy blue eyes gazing across her body in thought. He
sighed, leaning against the open doorway as he lit a cigarette,
"What's wrong this time?" "I have to tell
you something..." she began softly, leaning onto the
banister for more than just support, "I spoke with
Ana tonight, and..." "Wait, let me guess,"
he spoke, cutting her off, "I'm playing you. Or, I'm
using you to get revenge for something I haven't even thought
of yet. Wait, better yet, I am using you to satisfy my own
needs." He took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling
slowly as smoke billowed from his nose, "Well, which
is it? You know how I love to hear the latest gossip about
me." Raynee turned to face him, staring at him a moment
before replying softly, "Why do you bother? Why do
I bother? We both know what this marriage is and why you
are here. I'm through playing games." She brushed past
him as he grabbed her arm tightly, looking down at her from
the side. His voice was deep and emotionless as he spoke,
"Remember, if that baby is mine, I own you. I never
play games." He released her from his grasp and turned,
walking from the room. He shut the door softly, looking
at the woman who stood frightened in the hallway. "Keep
an eye on her. I want to know everything she does, everyone
she sees," he demanded, turning away from her as he
jogged down the long, sweeping staircase. Sabine trembled
visably, then took a long, deep breath and rapped gently
against the solid wood door to Raynee's room. Hearing no
answer from within, she turned the golden handle of the
door slowly, entering the darkened room with silent footsteps.
She looked around the large room, her eyes glancing enviously
along the material items the mistress had come into possession
of.
"What
do you want?" Raynee snapped from the seat of her vanity.
Her eyes remained focused on her reflection as she brushed
through her long hair. Sabine jumped, startled by the sudden
question. She walked quickly towards Raynee, standing just
behind her with small hands placed gently on her shoulders.
"Nothing mistress, I just wanted to see how you were
doing. That's all..." she replied quickly and quietly.
Raynee laid the brush against the surface of the vanity,
looking now at Sabine through the mirror. She stared a moment
at the younger woman, her brunette hair and soft eyes made
her almost harmless. Yet, Raynee knew to trust no one in
the house. "I am well, thank you Sabine. You may leave
now." Sabine stared at her, nodding gently as Raynee
stood slowly. She stepped back, wringing her hands with
nervousness, "Maybe I should stay with you, just for
awhile. You're so close to having the baby and-" "And
I am fine, as I said," Raynee spoke, cutting Sabine's
words short. The young woman stared at her, then dropped
her gaze to the floor and turned slowly, shoulders slumped
forward in defeat. Raynee shook her head, sighing lightly,
"Fine, stay if you must. Just don't count on engaging
conversation." Sabine turned, smiling with pleasure
as she walked towards the king sized bed and took a seat.
She looked Raynee over a moment, reaching out a slender
hand to stroke her large stomach. "Do you know what
the sex of the baby is?" she asked with geniune interest.
Raynee shrugged, pulling away from her touch as she spoke,
"I could if I wanted to know, but I choose to be surprised."
"Do you think Epic will care what the sex is?"
Sabine asked slowly, knowing that her question would upset
Raynee. "Epic has no ground in this matter... I slept
with him only once and it has burned me," she replied
coldly, looking through the two doors leading out onto the
balcony. Sabine nodded slowly, staring up at Raynee. She
stood slowly, walking towards her as her hands laid upon
her shoulders once more, "Do you care for Epic as you
do Loeki?" she whispered, her lips dangerously close
to brushing Raynee's milky white skin. Raynee hesitated,
knowing her answer could be percieved either way. "No...I
care for no one but my children," she answered finally,
pulling away from Sabine and walking back to the large bed.
Sabine smirked to herself, turning to face Raynee with a
different, more sincere expression. "Mistress, I see
how both treat you. You are trash to them, something to
use and control. Loeki does not love you, he loves what
he can take from you and nothing more. Epic only found solace
and comfort in your arms when he was dejected from Anallee.
Why do you bother with either men?" she posed the question
as she knelt before Raynee, laying a hand along her exposed
knee. Raynee turned away from her, her pale eyes gazing
at the material spread across the bed. She smoothed her
hand along it, thinking a moment before replying, "You're
far too young and inexperienced to be asking me such things."
So you think... Sabine thought to herself, nodding slowly
and standing from her position on the floor. She carefully
exited the room, leaving Raynee alone to her thoughts. "How
depressing can she be?!" she groaned, her hand sliding
along the polished wooden railing of the stairs. "Tell
me good things," Loeki spoke aloud, sitting in the
leather wing back chair closest to the fireplace. "And
what would you consider good?" she asked with a smirk
as she stepped from the staircase, walking towards him.
He turned, staring at her a moment as he took a long drag
from his cigarette, "Don't play games with me. Tell
me what you know." Sabine rolled her eyes as she sat
on the couch. Her tight black corset and knee length, angle
cut black skirt accented her velvety violet eyes. Her rich,
chestnut hair laid upswept atop her head, small locks cascading
around her slender face and shoulders. "And just what
would I know?" she shrugged lightly, lighting a cigarette
of her own, "I was in the room for a few moments, what
would I have time to observe?" Loeki sighed in frustration,
rubbing a hand along his face, "What do you want, Sabine?"
She chuckled, laying her hand gently across her chest. "I'm
flattered Loeki, really," she began, her face resuming
it's sly grin, "But what makes you think I would want
anything from you?" "You try too hard," he
replied, turning around in the chair and tossing the finished
smoke into the darkened fireplace. "Maybe not hard
enough," she walked towards him, standing just in front
of his gaze, "I need to feed. You have turned me, but
not taught me." He looked up at her for a long moment,
taking her in before turning his gaze away. "What is
there for me to teach you? You find a mortal, you feed.
End of story," he replied coldly. "What if I get
caught?" she asked, her bottom lip jutting into a playful
pout, "I don't think your little wife would fancy the
idea of me telling the location of a vampire lair."
Loeki stared up at her quickly, his anger building with
each passing moment at the thought of being blackmailed.
He pulled his dagger from his pocket, pulling his sleeve
up as he slid it slowly across his wrist. The deep blood
pooled, then ran along his pale skin. "Is this what
you want?" he asked, looking finally to Sabine. She
nodded slowly, climbing gently onto his lap as she took
his arm in her small hands. Her fingertips found their way
to his cheek, tracing down along his jawline until resting
against his pale lips. "It's not just your blood that
I crave, Loeki," she whispered gently, taking his wrist
to her mouth. He stared at her a moment, his hand sliding
along the back of her thigh, gripping her leg tightly just
under her skirt. He jerked her close to him, whispering
a reply as he studied her eyes, "Touch me again and
I will cut off your hands, then feed them to you."
He pushed her hard from his lap, standing as he pulled the
sleeve back over the healing wound. Sabine hit the floor
hard, staring up at Loeki with shock and disgust. "Tell
Raynee I am going out for a few days. I don't know when
I will be back, but I will be here for the birth,"
he stated, walking slowly away from Sabine to the front
doors of the mansion. She glared hard at him, pulling herself
to a stand as she brushed her skirt back down. "Oh,
and Sabine?" he began, turning to look at her once
more as he opened one of the doors, "Keep an eye on
her." He left, shutting the door softly behind him.
"Pathetic."
Ana rolled her eyes open slowly, hearing the word uttered
in a thick Russian accent. She focused on the ceiling, her
gaze drifting down to the woman who stood beside her. Startled
momentarily, she sat up and released a low sigh when she
realized who it was. "Don't you have someone else to
bother, Keeria?" she asked, annoyed that she had been
awoken so early. "Why bother someone else when you
make yourself such an easy target," Keeria replied,
chuckling softly as she lit a cigarette between plumb painted
lips, "Besides, now that your boyfriend is possibly
a daddy again, I thought it only fitting to congratulate
you." Ana bit at her bottom lip, narrowing her emerald
eyes as the jealousy flared behind them. "What would
you know, Keeria? You are the one too pathetic to find a
man, so you have to trap Epic in your sick fantasies of
becoming a family. You can leave at any time, there's the
door," she stated, waving a hand towards the front
of the manor as she stood and stretched her arms over her
head. Keeria stepped away from Ana, tossing her raven hair
over one shoulder. Her leather outfit made a soft rustling
noise as she sat in a chair nearest the bay window. Her
snow white skin shone brightly against the streams of moonlight
that escaped into the house. "I'm pathetic?" she
gasped in fake awe, chuckling as she spoke, "At least
I do not starve myself like some Romanian rat on a mission.
Think of it this way Ana, now you know who always gets the
guy, and it isn't you." She took a long drag of her
cigarette, watching as Ana froze in her tracks. Ana glared
hard at her now, her eyes burning bright with hatred and
disgust for the older woman. "Your age decieves you,
Keeria. I thought you would have grown smarter over the
centuries. But, I guess not," she smirked, shrugging
nonchalantly as she paced around the living room. "My
intelligence is not in question, Ana," she began, sitting
further back into the chair, "Rather the question is,
why lower yourself to such standards?" "Lower
myself?" she chuckled, turning to face Keeria now,
"As I recall, it was you who got pregnant just to keep
a man. That's lowering yourself." Keeria finished the
cigarette, dropping it to the hardwood floor and stepping
on it with a stilletto boot as she stood. "My my, aren't
we spiteful, dear cousin," her words hissed from her
lips. "Don't call me that!" Ana snapped, returning
to her pacing, "I'll never claim you as family."
"But we are, blood doesn't change. You should know
that better than anyone," Keeria replied, a smug smile
spread on her lips. "What do you mean?" Ana stopped,
staring at Keeria with an arched eyebrow. Keeria smirked,
stepping towards her as she spoke softly, "Tasting
the fruit of the same tree..." Ana's gaze hardened
as her eyes dropped to the floor. She shook her head lightly,
"You don't know what you are talking about." "I
don't?" Keeria began, faining shock at the remark,
"Two Germans are better than one, are they not?"
she chuckled, stepping away from Ana and seating herself
once more. "Screw you, Keeria" she replied, grabbing
her coat from the hook behind the door. "And just where
are you going?" Keeria asked, picking up a magazine
from the end table and flipping through the pages. "Out."
Ana slammed the door behind her, leaving Keeria alone to
chuckle in pleasure. She flipped the pages, stopping to
read a few articles of interest. She listened closely as
she heard the heavy footfalls coming down the stairs, smirking
to herself.
"Where's Ana?" Epic asked, rubbing his hand over
his face. Keeria could tell he had been asleep, most likely
in another drunken stupor. "She went out for awhile.
I'm not sure that she will be returning," she replied,
her gaze focused on the magazine. She flipped a few more
pages, feeling Epic's eyes burning into her. "What
do you mean she went out?" His voice showed hints of
rising anger masked by the haze of sleep, "And why
wouldn't she return? What did you do to her?!" "Nothing,
calm down!" she chuckled, tossing the magazine aside
as she stood and stretched, "I wouldn't waste my time
with Ana." He stared at her a moment, not sure whether
to trust her words or to grow more suspicious than he was
already. "I'm going out as well," he stated finally,
taking a pack of cigarettes from the end table as he approached
the door. "Oh? Your dependency on Anallee so strong
that you cannot bare her to be from your sight?" Keeria
taunted, lighting another cigarette as she watched Epic
stop suddenly. He turned slightly to look at her, his bright
blue eyes narrowing behind his dark sunglasses. "I
don't need anyone, Keeria. Haven't you learned that yet?"
he replied calmly, his teeth clenching back his anger. "Right.
So, you were just going to run out to see if you could find
your girlfriend before your cousin did...just to have something
to do. I get it now." She took a long drag from the
cigarette, watching the smoking end glow brightly with each
inhale. "Now I remember why I hate you, Keeria."
Epic stared at her a moment longer before turning the handle
on the door roughly and pulling it open. "Ouch, that
hurts me right here," Keeria replied, patting a hand
against her heart. She smirked as she watched him exit,
the door slamming loudly behind his shadowed figure. Her
smirk fading quickly, she bit at her bottom lip and plunged
the end of the cigarette into her hand. "I hope you
find what you're looking for and then some, Epic,"
she spoke to herself, her words holding a dark tone.
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