Page 64 of Fangs and Family
Tackling the chaos gave me a boost of confidence. This was something I was good at, and after days in lockdown, I finally felt useful again. The pipe was repaired, although the plumbers were very cryptic about what caused the problem in the first place. Supplies were sorted into salvageable and non-salvageable piles. As we had all the paper files backed up in our computer system with servers located outside of the hospital, all thanks to Adam’s intervention earlier during his unique pursuit of me, we didn’t lose any data. So, I blissfully ordered a small bonfire to be lit for the damaged records.
The last of the sun’s golden light was disappearing over the horizon when I sat down in my office, stretching out and enjoying the view from the bay window. Spring was in glorious bloom in our little haven, the first bright green leaves sprouting on the trees with snowcaps and daffodils breaching the clinic’s lawn.
The sun, low over the horizon, gave the waters of Gdansk Bay a golden red hue. I didn’t turn on the light just yet, wanting to enjoy the soft shadows in my office together with the tranquil surroundings. I loved this place. The shelved walls, full of medical journals and administrative folders, and a large desk with a crinkly leather chair were all mine. My safe space, and I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it.
The clinic would stay closed until tomorrow, with giant heaters in the basement drying the walls, and as the last people left the building, only two members of security and I remained. I wasn’t in a rush to leave, despite knowing it was time to go home and meet my brother. The anxiety that vanished during hard labour returned with a vengeance, and I pulled out my phone.
‘Hello Nina, so nice to see you again,’ the voice, with its distinctive French accent, whispered in my ear. The phone fell from my shaking hand. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming while my mind went blank for a moment.
No,
Please, no, how did he get here?
The voice that haunted my nightmares, its owner standing behind me, so close his breath whispered over my ear while his hand slid around my waist, pulling back against the creaking chair. His fangs lightly scraped over my throat, so close to my carotid artery that I trembled like a helpless rabbit, frozen in terror. I heard Sapieha chuckle as he enjoyed my fear, but all I could do was whimper, realising I was alone with an absolute monster and no cavalry would arrive to save the day this time.
The arm around my waist slid over my shuddering body to my shoulder as Sapieha moved to stand in front of me.
‘That’s my girl. Now, you will do exactly what I tell you. Pick up your phone and call my rebellious spawn. He has something that belongs to me, and it would be impolite not to tell him I have something of his.’ The vampire spoke with such calm composure that I struggled to realise what he was saying, horror making me slow.
The memory of Sapieha’s threat in the forest flickered before my eyes. I knew I was going to die, and all I could do for those I loved was die alone.
‘No, I won’t lure him into your trap,’ I retorted, bravado steadying my voice as I defied him.
‘I can make you, Nina. I can even make you like it. Do you want to feel me in your mind that much?’ He asked.
I felt something strange, a darkness pressing against my thoughts, and bile rose in my throat to burn the back of my tongue. I swallowed it back, refusing to surrender. I gathered my courage, and I looked into the Master Vampire’s eyes.
It was a mistake. I knew it as soon as our eyes met. His soulless gaze was even more frightening with its lack of emotion, only a mild curiosity giving them a false sense of life as I pushed his hand away in defiance.
‘Why are you doing this? You know Adam will destroy you for this, and Leszek… he told you to leave his land. Do you think he will forgive your disobedience? He’s a god, for fuck’s sake. For you, I’m nobody, but I’m loved by a strong vampire and am friends with the most powerful beings in the country. There’s no way you’ll survive this. Why are you risking death for revenge?’ I asked, and he tilted his head before extending his hand to touch my cheek. I managed to brace myself to avoid flinching but couldn’t stop the shiver down my spine.
‘Foolish child, a nobody like you has the power to break even the strongest of men. Maria, my wife, was my everything. She knew it, but she wanted a child more than she wanted me. She promised to join me once she delivered our son, but ultimately, she chose death over me. She broke her promise, and I refuse to allow her any peace until I find mine.’ My jaw dropped at Sapieha’s rant, completely at a loss for how to deal with him.
‘I’m not your wife,’ I said warily, regretting it when his fingers stopped stroking and started squeezing my jaw.
‘No, you are not, but just like her, you refused Adam. I gave you time. When you freed him from my power… it made me curious. I wanted to see if he succeeded where I failed, but no. You are still entirely human, toying with his emotions. If you loved Adam, you would join him in eternity, but no, you are happy to see the light die in his eyes at your passing.’
He pulled me so close our lips almost touched, reminding me of the unwanted pleasure he’d forced on me. My breath hitched, and despite trying to control my muscles, I was shaking like a leaf, unable to say a word.
‘I will turn you for him, Nina. He will follow you because the fool loves you. I will have you both in my Seethe and in my bed. You, my sweet, beautiful Nina, will show me how to love again. Maybe then I will be strong enough to get rid of her.’
Sapieha grabbed the hand I was still using to push him away and forced it beneath the collar of his shirt, pushing it down till my fingers rested on a cold, round pendant.
I turned away, refusing to be a part of whatever sick game he was playing, but his free hand grabbed my hair and forced my gaze downward.
I glanced to where my hand lay, noticing the golden locket, almost the twin of the one Pawel tried to give me, except for Pawel’s being silver and less worn. I could tell the vampire never removed this piece, as its decoration was almost rubbed away entirely.
‘Her lies condemned me to this empty existence, but I punished Maria for her crimes. I carry her heart with me, a small piece entombed in amber and necromancy spells. Maria cannot cross the Veil until my death, our souls entwined forever. I came here to punish your brother and retrieve the piece of my heart entombed with my love, but thanks to you and your foolish lover, I have found a new reason to live.’
I hadn’t realised the Master Vampire was still connected to my mind until his unguarded memories flooded my head.
I held a woman in my arms, no, not my arms, Sapieha’s. He held the woman tenderly as the pallor of death stole over her features. The moment seemed to last forever until, with a wordless cry, the vampire reared back and stabbed the dead woman in the heart with a stiletto knife. The words Sapieha said next made no sense, their meaning lost even to the vampire, but as he spoke, he twisted the knife and tore it from her body. A small piece of tissue remained on the blade, and he took it to an altar, laying it carefully on a delicate-looking obsidian plate.
The following image shook me to the core. Sapieha plunged the same bloody knife into his own chest, repeating the procedure. It was clearly the ritual he’d spoken about, so twisted and dark that I gasped, shifting backwards, but Sapieha’s hands tightened their grip.
‘Now you know, I let you see because I wanted you to know why your brother must die, why I need the locket back. I am a monster, my pet. Your mistake was to show me how lonely I was. Pick up the phone, Nina. My Adam has your brother, and it is time for us to finally meet,’ he said, and the mental cage around my mind tightened.
I saw my hand reaching out and dialling Adam’s number, helpless to stop it.
