A Cruel Jest?

26

"Where the hell is she?" Nocturne yells as Terrance and the others come back empty handed after looking for Mori. He hadn't meant to hit her, he just lost control for a second, but that's all it took. Her words and look told him that he'd ruined something, something he'd never had before and didn't even know he'd wanted. But now that he's ruined it he finds that he wants it more than anything. What's the saying, you don't know what you have until it's gone? Well now he knows.

"We can't find any sign of her Sire." One of the vampires reports. "It's like she flew away. Not even her scent..."

Nocturne turns to the vampire. He's one of the best hunters, no human has ever gotten away from him before. "What do you mean?"

"Her scent stopped?" He knew that Mori would be difficult to track. When he couldn't track her he called Terrance and had him bring the other vampires.

He'd never heard of a scent stopping, at least not a humans. Vampire's can cloak or mask their scent or like the vampire said fly. Had Mori started taking on the traits of the vampires?

"This human is good, Sire. She left no trace on the ground. I was having to follow her by scent. Then in the middle of the track there was no scent to follow. I circled around and couldn't pick up her scent again. I went in circles for some time looking for it, but I have failed you." The vampire says miserably. A mere human, even if she is the queen, had bested him. He'd never live that down.

"Did you by any chance look up in the trees for her?" Nocturne hisses dangerously low.

"Of course!" The vampire is glad that he had actually thought of that. If the answer had been negative he's not sure that the king would let him live.

"Dammit! she doesn't have wings and can't fly. Spread out and find her." Nocturne growls out in a low warning and the vampires take off as if the demons of hell were after them. Some would have preferred the demons.

"What do you wish us to do with her when we find her Nocturne?" Terrance, the only remaining vampire asks.

"Bring her to me gently. I've already done enough damage to her. Also, feed her. She's likely to be starving, she hadn't eaten properly after being ill from watching me last night." Nocturne says as he paces the small confines of the cabin.

Mori wakes up and manages to keep her moan inside. She hears footsteps above her and worries that it is a vampire or worse Nocturne. She cradles her face and winces as she touches her cheek. So much for not hurting her because of the bond.

Mori feels around quietly for the items that she stored long ago. Perhaps she hasn't had to use her hideout, but she's kept the supplies up and current. After all one never knows when a hiding place will be needed. Finding her cache of food items she carefully takes out the jerky and starts eating. The flavor is strong and she finds that the only reason that she is able to eat it at all. She shakes her head, she loves venison jerky and doesn't understand why the taste is barely tolerable to her now.

She moves further back into her little cubby hole and finds the water that she needs. Her thirst is like a burning fire in her throat. She finds herself wishing the cool refreshing water was warm thick blood instead and that makes her pause. Just what the hell is happening to her? Is it just the children that she's carrying or is it something more? She is afraid to find out.

She takes a rag that she has and soaks it in the cool water and holds it to her throbbing cheek. That whole side of her face is hurting and sore as she feels around. Her teeth are a bit loose but not seriously loosened. She doesn't think she'll lose any, that's good. And it doesn't feel like he broke any of her bones. Well maybe fractured her cheek bone, but there is nothing to be done about that.

Nothing that hasn't been done to her before. But it's been more than forty-five years since she was last treated like this and she's no longer used to such treatment. Well, she does figure it is her fault for believing an illusion and forgetting what Nocturne is after all.

Mori leans back against the rough ground and tree roots that are at her back. It seems that the sharp eyed vampire's weren't able to find her hiding spot after all. Even with all their superior senses. Mori gives a silent laugh. Not even the vampire's remember to look down.

Mori decides that she's in no hurry to return back to the cabin. Hell if she thought she had a chance she would leave this valley and never look back, but she knew that Nocturne wouldn't let that happen, no matter what she might want.

The dark of the cubby is soothing and helps calm her enough that she falls back asleep. Her last thoughts were that she would return to the cabin when she wakes up. She figures the thirst for blood would force her to at that point.

Mori isn't sure what wakes her up, but suddenly she's wide awake. She listens carefully, normal noises of the forest wouldn't wake her like this did.

"Just where the hell is that human bitch anyway?" She hears a voice mutter.

"Better not let the king hear you talk about his woman that way or you won't live to see the sunrise." A second voice answers with more than a little amusement to it. He seems to be enjoying his companions distress.

"King?" The first voice says, "He's gone soft. His brother would be better off leading us than him."

The second vampire doesn't say anything but Mori can sense the tension. "What you just said is treason Dvis. You could get us both killed. Didn't you hear what he did to those traitors last night?"

"So what? They were weak and tied up. He hadn't caught them others did." Dvis replies his tone uncaring and scoffing at the idea of Nocturne being a threat.

"You're a fool Dvis and you're not going to get me killed with you." The second vampire left.

Dvis is a traitor and knows where she lives and how important she is to the king. He could tell Nocturne's brother where she was and he'd kill her. Mori had no doubt that he would, even if he doesn't know that that would kill Nocturne as well. He'd do it out of revenge for what Nocturne had done to his woman. Mori has to force herself to not be sick. She can't stay here anymore, she has to warn Nocturne.

She waits until she's sure that Dvis has moved on then carefully slips out of her hiding spot. She knows the forest and the path almost as well as she knows her cabin. She sticks to the shadows as much as possible. The vampire sight is superior to humans not just during the day but especially at night. That's why they preferred hunting at night.

Mori sees her cabin and sprints to the door. She isn't surprised that there isn't a light on but she is that Nocturne is pacing the small confines of her cabin.

"There's more room outside." She almost laughs as Nocturne jumps at the sound of her voice. He must have truly been lost in his thoughts if he hadn't heard her enter.

"Mori." Is all Nocturne can say.

"You have a traitor amongst those that you sent out hunting me. Thinks you've gotten soft and it would be better for your brother to take over." Mori says not letting him say anything else.