With the door shut behind me, a rush of air burst into my lungs. My muscles released the tight grip they held on my joints and my whole body shivered with the sudden absence of adrenaline. My breathing became ragged with the rapid beat of my heart and my cheeks flushed with my heated blood.
With my hormones now in check, I reflected over the previous half hour with a shudder of disgust. I knew I was lonely, but to let myself give in so easily to an attractive man's advances left me more disappointed in myself than in his actions, and a quick glance down revealed the epitome of my embarrassment. There, with buttons still undone, my chest glowed in the cold moonlight that drifted in through the large hallway windows.
Cursing my weakness, I straightened out my shirt and then proceeded to button myself back up. However, in my haste, I hadn't noticed that I was not alone on the first floor of the old manor home.
"Slut." The word hissed through the shadows and my head snapped up to find Natasha slinking out into the cool blue square of light cut sharp by the frame of the tall windows. "Not here for more than a day and you're already screwing your way into our house."
My hands fumbled, their job on my shirt unfinished as I took a step back. "That's...that's not what happened. I would never..."
"You didn't even offer him your blood," she said with a snarl, her hand lashing out as quick as a snake, grabbing my chin and forcefully twisting my head so the light illuminated my neck. "Left his mark, but not his true kiss. Unless you're hiding it in places I can't see." She spat the last few words out and gave my chin a good yank before releasing me.
"N-no, I don't...I don't even know where you're thinking..."
"This innocent act is pathetic. At least Scarlett had the decency to make her intentions known from the start, but being a nympho didn't get her eternity and it won't for you either," she said drawing closer. "Even if you prove fertile, you'll never have what I have with Antonov. I was here first. I have his respect. I've given him his first child. I will be his queen."
"That sounds great." The words felt rough against my throat as I yanked them from my tightening lungs.
"You are such an envious whore aren't you," she said through gritted teeth.
"N-no, I meant...I meant that sounds g-great for you." My back pressed against the wall and Natasha slammed her palms on either side of my head, caging me in place.
"It will be," she hissed. She drew one of her hands up and balled it into a fist. I cringed, curling away from the expected blow, only for it to land with a painful thud just next to my ear. "And no one will usurp my throne!"
"Natasha, is that you?" Antonov's voice was muffled behind the thick wooden paneling that formed the walls of his study. We were still just outside his room and his first wife's act of rage was released upon a shared wall.
"Yes, my dear," she replied in a singsong voice. "I just tripped and..."
With her distracted, I bent down and slipped out from beneath her arm. I then ran through the hall and back towards the dining room. From behind me, Natasha muttered some words of apology to Antonov, but hadn't begun a proper pursuit. Once I reached the large table, I thought to turn for the foyer and straight out the door, but a shadowy figure stood in my way, watching over a few of the children, the products of an unnatural bond.
"Delilah, is that you?" asked Zelda, who took a couple steps forward. "What's wrong?"
Some of the children turned to face me and as they did, the moonlight caught their eyes and reflected back with an eerie red glow. Behind me I could hear Natasha stomping her way down the hall. I didn't stay to answer Zelda.
I continued forward, running the length of the dining room and into a hallway similar to the one I just exited. Just like the opposing side, a room sat at the end of the hall as had Antonov's study. If the rooms were similar then I knew there'd be a window waiting for me inside, one that I could easily slip out of and land comfortably upon the lawn.
I shot my hand out, grabbed the knob, and gave it a twist. To my great relief, the door opened and allowed me entry.
"Wait!" demanded Natasha. "Don't go in there!"
Ignoring her commands, I slipped in and then fumbled with the lock. After a few tries, I managed to seal her away. I heard her body thud against the heavy door, the knob rattling as she pounded against the wood with her fists. However, my barrier held and I found room to breathe.
I didn't bother searching for a light. All I needed was to navigate to a window and wrench it open. I didn't need to waste time looking for a switch when it may only take Natasha and Zelda a few minutes to procure a key. The moonlight would be enough.
However, when I turned to head for the nearest escape route, I found that perhaps light would have been a better option.
"Who are you?" asked a squat shadow with a delicate, high-pitched voice.
"That's the new Body," replied a taller, shadowed figure. His voice was young, but had already begun to develop the gruffness of age. "She's the one that's made mama sad."
"Why are you here to hurt mama?" asked the little girl, Adele, who stepped forward and grabbed the hem of my shirt in order to give it a light tug.
"She wants to take papa from mama," answered Tomas, who also drew into the light, his exposed fangs glistening bright. "She wants papa to love her more."
"What? No. I..."
"Don't hurt my mama!" Adele's voice dropped a few octaves and rumbled with an animal-like timber. "Don't hurt her!"
"I'm not going to..."
Before I could reason with the children, Tomas leapt forward and dug his teeth into the side of my abdomen. I cried out in pain and from behind the door, I heard Natasha's demanding voice shift into something like pleading. However, I couldn't hear her words over the sound of my blood rushing to the fresh wound in my side.
Instinct kicked in and I grabbed Tomas by the shoulders, wrenching him off, only for a small chunk of my shirt and skin to go with him. I bit back the shriek of pain behind my clenched teeth and lurched forward before he could renew his attack. As I did, I stumbled upon some toys scattered across the floor. I fell to the ground, smashing my knee against some building blocks. For a second I knelt there, gathering myself and urging my legs to pick me up and get me to the window. However, that second was long enough for Adele to spring upon me and sink her slightly shorter fangs into my calf. Despite their size, they still broke past my jeans and cut into my skin. And though it wasn't a deep wound, something about their bite caused my skin to burn and itch. The fire spread up my calf and towards my already throbbing knee, causing me to react without thinking. In one swift motion, my free leg lurched up and gave her a swift kick upon her shoulder.
The little girl cried out, her sobs already echoing in the small room. I heard Natasha's cry and the scrape of a key against the lock. I threw myself forward, ignoring the stab of figurines and toy cars as my palms pushed me back to my feet. With one bound I closed the gap between me and the window, but the time it took to undo the latch gave Tomas ample room to restart his attack.
He grabbed the same calf that had been assaulted by his sister and then tugged with strength unfitting of a child. With the yank I lost my footing, my newly opened window slipping from my reach as he dragged me away. From behind the wails of the wounded Adele, I heard the clank of a lock freeing the door.
"Tomas, stop!" cried Natasha.
Like a dutiful son, he released me.
"But mama..."
I sprung up again, adrenaline being the only thing beating the pain from my brain. I heard Natasha shout something as I squeezed myself through the window. I tumbled into some bushes, the branches cutting my face and tugging on my clothes. My feet found the wall of the house and with them braced against it, I pushed myself from the landscaping and rolled into the lawn. Not far from me, footfalls crunched the grass. Someone hurried from the front door, rounding the corner of the house to where I was.
I didn't remain to see who was coming. I lurched myself up off the ground and sprinted with as much speed as I could manage on my wounded leg. With one hand clutched against the bleeding side of my torso, I lifted myself over a low wooden fence that bordered the manor and a hay field. Though the grass had not grown much in the early spring, it offered some cover as I slipped away into the night.