Children of Van Helsing

Chapter Thirty-nine - Regrets about The Past

Regina

"Your brother?" I asked flabbergasted.

His brother. His... Brother? I took a look at the picture again and then it hit me - how could I have been so stupid? Those eyes, those piercing green eyes; they were the exact same as Mickael's. The shape of their face was similar, thought Nicholas looked a bit older and more serious.

"Helen, if you would leave us, please?" Mickael said calmly. "I think me and Regina have to discuss some things."

Helen. The woman who I had trusted, who had helped me, given me confidence and attention. She had betrayed me. She had never been on my side - she had been using me all along.

And now she just nodded and walked out. I was beginning to fight back again, trying to get loose, but Mickael still held me tightly and wouldn't let me go.

"No... Helen, please, don't leave me alone with him!" I begged. I screamed. "Helen! Please, don't leave me alone with him! Helen! Helen!"

She ignored me. But before she closed the door, I saw her eyes, her face. She looked... Apologising. I saw her mime 'I'm sorry', but then she shut the door and I was alone. With him. With him.

He loosened his grip and I fell against the table. My ribs immediately hurt, but I managed to stay up. I didn't want to fall down - I wouldn't give him that pleasure. I did still have some dignity left. He put his arms on the table, one on my right side, one on my left side. I felt caged and leaned backwards, but he pressed his body against mine and held his face about two centimetres away from my face.

Don't hurt me, don't touch me, please don't touch me, I can't do it again, I can't, please, just leave me alone...

"Questions?" He asked. I could feel his breath against my lips.

"Why...?" I managed to say, and that was all, because I saw his eyes fixing upon my neck and his fangs were still awfully close.

"Because, sweetheart, I'm done staying down here all the time. I want to go up - and if it hadn't been for your stupid ancestor, I would have been a long time ago." He smiled at me. I wanted to slap him (bad idea). "But then you came! Young, naive, easily influenced. It was almost too perfect. And you were stupid enough to fall for it, to trust Helen and her brother, and now look at you! With me, done what I wanted, completely harmless. Oh, that reminds me..."

He picked something up from the table behind be and for a minute, his mouth was incredibly close to my chest. I held in my breath and prayed to every god in existence he wouldn't bite me again.

He was holding two identical bracelets in his hand. Made out of sturdy silver, they shimmered in the dimmed light in the library - vampires hated bright lights - and were covered with dark yellow gems. They were ugly, but I didn't care at all; I cared more about whether I would make it out of this room unharmed.

He roughly took hold of my left arm and tried to get the bracelet on. When I struggled too much, he sighed, took a step back and hit me in the face. I banged against the table with the back of my head and was too dizzy to resist when he put one bracelet on each hand.

"There. Completely harmless now."

I immediately tried to get them off, but it wouldn't work. Whatever I tried - it was like they had been glued to my skin.

Mickael sighed. "Witchcraft, my dear. You can't get them off yourself. Only another witch can do that. Now, any more questions?"

I was still sitting on the floor, my cheek and my head hurt, and I refused to answer. I was still desperately trying to get the bracelets off. I didn't care what he had said - I wanted them off. They caused some kind of pressure everywhere in my body, like something was being contained.