The Kindness of Shadows (On Hold)

Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Wow, so this chapter took me a while to write but the time was totally worth it! I want nothing shy of perfection for my readers. Hope you guys enjoy Chapter 2!

Don't forget to vote, follow, and leave a comment telling me what you think!

-xoxo

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The pad's of Analia's fingers had turned into wrinkled prunes as she sat in the tub, her knees tucked close to her chest and her arms wrapped securely around them. The water had started to loose it's warmth but with all the voices echoing through-out the bathroom, the temperature of the water was the last thing on her mind. Analia's eyes lulled shut, her arms falling limp around her legs as she slipped beneath the water.

"Analia," voices whispered, leaving an eery echo as they faded out. The water rippled as snow sprinkled down onto the surface of the water, Analia rising from the bottom of the tub. Looking up at the sky, snow flakes dissolved as they touched the irises of her eyes, fogging up her vision.

"You betrayed us, Analia. You let us all die!"

Analia shivered as she stood from the tub, her body pale and nothing but skin and bones. Her teeth chattered as she stepped out onto the ground, her toes sinking into the cold snow. She had no control over her body, and it wasn't until she had started walking that her vision cleared, leaving her eyes masked with white.

"There is no redemption for your sins, Analia." Analia's feet continued to move all on their own, leaving behind a red footprint with every step that she took.

"There is no redemption for my sins," Analia whispered, blood dripping down from her nose. Her feet carried her across the field, the bell chiming in the distance. Her eyes glossed over, red tears streaming down her face.

"Save us, Analia! Ring the bell!" The voices became raucous and distorted, black shadows reaching up from beneath the white snow, wrapping around her ankles like vines. Roses sprouted from the vines, thorns piercing into her skin like the vampires fangs had pierced their victims necks. Her body dripped with blood.

A gust of wind picked up, the doors to the bell tower creaking open, inside filled with nothing but darkness and haunting voices.

Screams could be heard in the distance, children, warriors, and wives crying as they were sacrificed. Step by step, the shadows led Analia up the stairs. As she moved on to the next step, the previous one would crumble, falling into the bottomless pit of sorrow and death, offering her no return.

Bodies were piled beneath the bell, crimson red liquid coating the copper shell as it dripped down from the pillars of the roof. On top of the pile lay her mother and father, dead and bloody, though the fear still remained in their lifeless eyes. Analia's cold fingers wrapped around the rope of the bell, giving it a few hard tugs.

"There is no redemption."

Analia lay unconscious in Kaname's arms as she was lifted from beneath the water, her bath now tainted red though she showed no visible signs of bleeding. Kaname could hear her heart faintly beating, rushing her out of the bathroom and to his bedroom. He had been gone merely 5 minutes, and as black veins decorated her naked body, he knew now that leaving her alone to bathe would no longer be an option. Laying her down on the bed, Kaname moved the hair away from her neck, his fingers caressing the dark black veins. Her scent was intoxicating, and if she wasn't so important to him he would consider ravishing her until every drop of blood was gone; but no. She was far too special. Hovering above her, Kaname let his fangs scrape against her neck, the aroma of her blood filling his nostrils. His teeth pierced her neck with a soft crunch, his fingers latching on to the edge of the mattress.

Analia's skin had turned ghostly white, and if you opened her eyes you would see nothing but black, as if her pupils had swallowed her eyes whole. She looked dead, but yet her heart still beat though restricted by the black, thorn filled coils. The water she had consumed helped the roses to grow, and the thorns to thicken, creating a garden of darkness and agony inside her.

Kaname's eyes blazed red, flakes of black dancing around the irises as he drained Analia of such deadly poison, the taste noxious and vile. Even in their afterlife, the people of her kingdom continued to try and keep her from him. They had always been such selfish people. His life was pointless if she was dead, and with an eternity left to live, he would do anything to keep her alive.

His grunt of satisfaction (though her blood still tasted horrible) was muffled by her soft and gossamery skin as the thorns in her blood created lacerations against his throat, his fingers ripping in to the seems of the mattress, and the blackness of Analia's veins fading away. Finally, Kaname pulled away from her neck, licking his lips as he tried to subdue the remaining hunger and wanton feelings that coursed inside of him. Removing his fingers from within the mattress, Kaname licked his index finger until it was saturated in his saliva, putting pressure against the two bite marks to stop the bleeding. If he dare lick it, he would only crave more and then it would be he who ended up killing her.

As Kaname removed himself from above her, he could see the paleness in her skin start to flush with color, and he could hear her heart beat more clearly now.

Analia gasped for air as she woke, leaning over the side of the bed as she coughed up the water, her chest feeling tight, and her neck sore. Kaname kept his distance now that she was awake, not wanting to scare her with the blood on his lips. The room spun as Analia slumped back against the bed, weak and fragile in her current state.

"Are you alright?" Kaname emerged from the shadows far too concerned to stay hidden any longer, though he didn't dare look at her with his eyes still beaming a bright and bloody red. "I almost hadn't gotten to you in time," he began but as Analia started to sob, he froze, staring at her in surprise. "Analia?"

Analia's body shook as the pile of dead bodies beneath the bell flashed in her mind, her throat swollen with words unsaid. She wasn't alright. She would never be alright for as long as she lived. "It was all my fault! You said so yourself. My kingdom has fallen, but what for? Why must you slaughter innocent people, who had been nothing but good and thankful all their lives? Now everybody is dead and as I'm the only one left standing, they've come to haunt me! Oh god, if only I had rang the bell in time."

Kaname sighed and moved to sit beside her but she only scooted away. "Analia....I'm sorry for what I had said. It wasn't necessary; and I'm sorry you are dealing with such pain, but you have it wrong about your people. Their down fall was well deserved and far past overdue. In time I will explain it all Analia, but right now, your well being is more important." Extending his hand for her to take, he tried to sooth her with a smile, forgetting that his fangs were coated with blood. Her blood.

Analia stared at his sharp teeth, quivering in fear as the left side of her neck throbbed. Her trembling fingers reached up, two small bumps greeting the pads of her fingers. "Y-You, you bit me!" Slapping his hand away, Analia rushed to the other side of the bed, scampering for the doors that were still patulous.

Kaname watched her dash off, letting out a sough of exhaustion. She wouldn't get very far being as weak as she was, and while he could easily chase her, he had no desire to scare her even more than she had already been.