Covering up the bite mark proved to be harder than Evangeline initially thought it would be. After a while, she just decided to wear a dress with a higher collar than she normally would. She finished brushing through her hair and pulled it around her shoulder.
She took a deep breath as she looked out the window. The dead trees were slowly blowing in the weak breeze. In a matter of seconds, her door slammed open. She whipped around to see Vesper rush in.
He speed-walked up to her, causing her to bump into the wall. "Shiva hasn't returned. We have to go find him. Now," he said sternly. He reached over and gripped her arm.
She gaped at him as he began pulling her out of her room and down the hall. "What? I thought he returned yesterday. Where is he?" She quickly asked. She stumbled to keep up with the white haired male.
He sped down the stairs, carefully pulling her along. "He didn't. My best guess is that the witches are at fault." He grumbled. "I knew we couldn't trust them. I warned him, but he wouldn't listen." He growled.
Evangeline pulled him back and made him stop in the middle of the grand hall. "Wait, wait. What do you mean?" She questioned in a panic with her brows furrowed.
Vesper continued to the door before finally glancing back at her. "Witches despise vampires. They are nature's loyal servants and vampires are their enemies. Despite my distrust towards them, Shiva still went to them for help. I can only assume they want something in return now," he explained in an annoyed manner.
Evangeline swallowed and followed him as he opened the door. He stopped and looked back at her. "And I can't leave you here alone because something else would happen to you," he said with a huff. "So," he stared into her eyes," let's go." He held his hand out for her to take.
She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his. She gasped in surprise when he roughly pulled her closer and not a second later, he lifted her from the ground. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck in fear of falling.
~{}~
Vesper set Evangeline down before looking around the corner of a house. "Where are we?" She asked, peeking around the edge. Vesper put a hand over her mouth and made a shushing noise.
He turned around and looked down at her. "Keep quiet. This is a town of witches," he informed quietly. "If they see either of us, bad things will happen. Now, I'm sure you don't want that so why don't you just keep your mouth shut, hm?" He hummed with a sarcastic tone.
She silently nodded and anxiously bit her lip. He peeked around the corner before gazing back at her. He put his hand behind him and pulled out something wrapped in a black satin cloth. He unwrapped it and held it out to her. Her eyes widened at the sight of her dagger.
She stared into his eyes, but he didn't meet her gaze. "Here. Use this if you need to. I won't anyways be around to protect you," he stated in a whisper-like tone. She slowly reached out and gently took it from him. Looking back up, she nodded in response. "They'll have Shiva in some sort of underground dungeon. Witches are smart, so let's look for the least suspicious place," he suggested, but made it sound like he didn't want an answer. He had a sarcastic tone, but he was being serious.
He peered around the corner once more. The witches were going about there day like any normal townspeople would. He gazed around until his eyes landed on a particular building in the center of the street. He pointed to it. "There. The stables." He sighed. "Just need to find a way there without getting caught now." He grumbled and leaned back against the building.
Evangeline looked around, gripping her dagger to her chest. She tapped her hand on Vesper when her eyes caught onto something moving in the distance. "Look," she whispered with a tone full of hope.
Vesper followed her gazed. "A carriage. Alright, I understand. Come on." He glanced down at her before gripping her arm and pulling her behind some barrels. They crouched behind them and watched the carriage as it grew closer to the town. Just when the coachman passed by, they ran towards the back. Vesper jumped on and held his arm out for Evangeline.
She couldn't help but smile when she grabbed him and he pulled her up. They quickly hid underneath the flaps. Vesper crouched near the back to watch where they were through the fabric. Evangeline looked down and noticed their intertwined hands. He felt so cold, but it comforted her in a way.
Without warning, the male jumped from the carriage and pulled her along. She stifled a gasp and followed behind him as he dragged her inside the building. He gently and slowly closed the door behind them and sighed. He glanced down at their hands before pulling his away. "There. Now look around. I'm sure it won't be long before someone notices something." He instructed seriously.
Evangeline silently nodded and did as told. Although, she didn't have a clue as to where she should look. She took a deep breath and looked around barrels and shelves. She searched for just anything out of the ordinary.
She heard a snap and glanced over at the silver haired man. "Here." He pointed down at the hay-covered floor beneath a barrel. There was a dark square-shaped outline underneath it. She walked over as he began to shuffle the barrel away. After he was done, he crouched down and grabbed the lock.
Effortlessly, he crushed the lock in his grip and set it away. He then gripped the latch and pulled the trapdoor open. In doing so, the henges made a loud creaking sound. Evangeline gasped as Vesper snapped his head upward.
"What was that?" He heard from outside. Then there were footsteps approaching the building.
His head shot towards the blue eyed woman. "Go. Now. I'll draw them away. If he's down there go to the back of the stables with the horses. I'll meet you there," he explained quickly. He grabbed her hand and hurriedly ushered her down onto the ladder.
She looked at him with an unsure expression and didn't release his hand in her own. His eyes bore into hers. "Go. I'll make sure everything is okay, angel..." he trailed off. Her eyes widened at the nickname, but she mustered a smile. Her chest burned as she gave his hand one more squeeze before descending down the ladder. She heard the trapdoor shut when she was nearly at the bottom.
Surprisingly, there were a few candles lit in the room. She looked around as nerves filled her and noticed a hallway cascaded in darkness. She grabbed a candle and sucked in a deep breath. Swallowing her fear, she began to make her way down the hall.
The only sound was her shoes tapping against the stone floor beneath her. The only light was the candlestick in her hand. And the only scent was the smell of dirt and dust. It all made her heart race. She felt the fast beating in her chest.
A groan from the left made her jump and gasp in shock. She glanced over with furrowed brows and her eyes widened. Relief filled her as her eyes saw a familiar raven haired male. However, the relief quickly left her as she noticed his wrists were chained to the wall and there was dried blood all over him.
She ran over to him and threw herself onto the floor in front of the silver eyed man. "Shiva! Shiva!" She whisper-shouted while grabbing his face in her hands. He slowly lifted his head and met her eyes with his. "Please, what can I do?" She ushered him, pulling some of his hair away from his bloodied face.
Shiva groaned and lightly shook his head as he tried to pull away. "They've..." He swallowed." Drained me of blood," he muttered breathlessly. "I can't move," he mumbled out.
She held his face in a firm, yet comforting hold. "Drink my blood," she said without hesitation. Shiva's breath hitched and she watched as his eyes widened.
He used what strength he had to try to pull away, the chains rattling with his movements. "No. No, Evangeline. I won't," he quickly stammered out. "I-I am not drinking you-your blood," he stated weakly.
The woman quickly pulled him back. "I promise it'll be okay," she whispered. She slowly released him and reached for the collar of her dress. Carefully, she pulled it open to reveal her neck. She gently grabbed Shiva and scooted closer. "Come on, please. Drink," she pleaded, her voice shaking.
Shiva's eyes widened at the bite mark on her neck. "Vesper," he murmured in realization. He stared at her skin as his breathing became shallow. "No, Evangeline," he protested weakly.
Said girl shook her head and gripped the back of his neck. She pushed him against her with his face pressed against her neck and shoulder. "It's okay," she said in a soft and quiet tone. "Drink. You need your strength. Vesper might be in trouble," she mentioned. At that, Shiva's chains rattled and Evangeline looked down at him.
She let out a strangled gasp when her skin broke and his fangs sunk into her. She clenched her eyes shut and whimpered in pain. She slowly slid to the floor as he leaned on her. She hummed as she tried to silence her pained whines.
She tightened her grip on him as she began to grow dizzy. "Sh-Shiva..." She shakily breathed out. "Shiva, I-I can't- I don't feel s-so well," she sputtered.
It was as if the man's mind was in another place. He breathed in through his nose as he continued sucking the girl's blood. He wished he could wrap his arms around her to have all of her. He could feel her body weakening with every second that passed.
Finally, he threw his head back with a satisfied groan. He breathed heavily through his mouth as he felt Evangeline slump against him with her arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders. Slowly coming to his senses, he frantically looked down at her. "Evangeline? Evangeline!" He exclaimed in a panic, guilt washing over him. Using his newfound strength, he snapped the chains off his wrists and held the girl in his grasp. He gently turned her over. Her eyes were shut and her lips with parted as she took in slow breaths. Shiva felt another wave of guilt wash over him. He carefully brushed her hair out of her face and her eyes slowly opened.
A soft and weak smile made its way to her lips. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried," she whispered tiredly. Her hand reached up and buried into his hair. He leaned into her touch and caressed her face, a soft smile on his face.