20 | bloodletting
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀WREN STIRRED, GROANING AS HER HEAD PULSED IN PAIN. A SHARP BURN TO THE SIDE OF THE HEAD WAS ALL SHE COULD REMEMBER BEFORE HER VISION WENT BLACK. CLANGING ECHOED ALL AROUND HER AS SHE SHIFTED, reminiscent of metal slamming against metal.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She opened her eyes, surveying the room with some sort of apprehension. She knew where she was before she even woke, feeling the presence of her ancestors eating away at her mind.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Why am I here?" she groaned aloud, shifting her numb wrists. They ached from lack of use as she turned them.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The door on the far side of the room opened, revealing two familiar women. Valeriya, her mother, and Tatiana, her aunt. The two of them were equally cold as they entered. Stony faces were reflected back at the younger girl.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You're awake, good. You don't want to miss this."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Valentine walked through the door, his flaxen hair glowing like a halo around his head as he passed the open window. He smirked at her, pulling a chain behind him like he was leading a dog.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina stumbled in behind him, her eyes drunkenly looking around the room. Blood dripped from her lips.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Nina?" Wren whispered, pulling at her chains. "What did you do to her?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Valeriya watched her daughter unflinchingly, surveying the way the girl's face changed and exposed all of her deepest emotions and fears. "You've grown soft," she said calmly - quietly. "Is that what spending time with vampires will do? I expected the opposite."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren clenched her jaw. "Let us go. Klaus will be looking for us - where do you think he'll go first?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I suspect he'll pay a visit to Marcel. You see, I fed some information to one of Marcel's men about how his leader had abducted the Hybrid's little bird from her nest." Valeriya pulled up a chair, sitting down in front of her daughter. "That should keep him occupied for some time. It gives us the chance to talk."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren sneered down at her mother. "We have nothing to talk about," she snapped.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"We have a few things - like how you swore an oath to me, yet you haven't held up your end of the bargain. I need the stake, Wren. The Hybrid has it."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I've looked, but I haven't found anything. He's obviously hiding it somewhere away from the house." Wren looked away stubbornly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Obviously," Valeriya echoed with a blank expression.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Showing weakness is your first mistake. Never show your weakness to your enemies. They will only use it against you." Valeriya stood, pacing around the room like a caged lion. "You must never be weak."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"One of my first lessons."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You seem to have forgotten it." The Regent watched as Valentine strung the werewolf up next to Wren. "Your sister hasn't, however. She's been quite useful, these past couple months."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Haven?" Wren straightened, her face tightening. "What did you do?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I only showed her the truth." Valeriya looked down at her hands, smirking. "And the path to glory." She met her daughter's eyes. "She prophesied the strangest things..."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I don't believe in prophecies." Wren stood straighter. "Nor will I be manipulated."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You'll believe this one." Valeriya beckoned Valentine forward - who held a vial of red blood. "A vial of blood from the Original Hybrid himself." She walked over to Nina and pulled her jaw open, pouring the blood inside. "This boy came to me with a theory. The blood of your mate and yours combined could be used to sire Hybrids - a supernatural species capable of overthrowing any empire. He claims Klaus knows this, and has kept you close to him with the intention of creating an army."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"That's ridiculous," Wren spat through clenched teeth, "all of the hybrids are gone. Klaus is the only one left."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The werewolf choked, her face red, before she hurriedly swallowed with a look of pure disgust. Exhaustion was present on her entire aura.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Valeriya looked to her daughter, smirked, and stabbed Nina in the throat with a knife she had pulled from her suit pocket.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren screamed, struggling against her chains. "Nina!" she gasped. "Nina, no!" She yanked her wrists to the point where they felt like they were going to break. "Let go of me, you psycho bitch!" she screeched to her mother, whose face tightened in anger.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Valeriya stood back, washing her face clean of the expression. "It's only a matter of time, now."
♔
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The blonde regent stood by, consulting with a tan-skinned boy. He was average height, but built like a brick house. He cast a couple looks toward Wren, but was otherwise focused on Nina.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The werewolf hadn't woken up yet. The blood had dried to her neck, crusting over the incision in her jugular. It looked mangled, and not at all survivable.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren's tears had dried to her face. She had watched her friend bleed to death and had not been able to help. Her hands turned in their shackles as she shifted her weight to another foot.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina gasped, jolting awake on the floor. After the first hour, they had unchained her and lay her on the ground. Her own blood pooled beneath her, staining her blue hoodie with crimson.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Nina?" Wren gasped, tears springing to her eyes.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"And now to confirm the final theory..." Valeriya turned to Nina. "You need to feed on my daughter if you want to live."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina's breathing sped up as she rapidly looked around. She didn't know where she was or how she got there.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Do it," Wren spoke up, surprising the rest of them. "Nina, do it." She cocked her head to the side, baring her throat to the she-wolf.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina breathed heavier, feeling her teeth elongate. Veins spread beneath her eyes. She moved at an impossible speed toward Wren, sinking her fangs into the girl's neck without hesitation.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The werewolf groaned and yanked herself away, choking on the blood that poured down her throat like liquid euphoria. Her eyes burned beneath as the veins strengthened.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Magnificent," Valeriya whispered as she witnessed the transformation before her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina flinched away from the sudden voice, turning with bared teeth toward the woman.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Regent!" a voice shouted as footsteps pounded toward the room. "They're doing a locator spell. We need to move her, now!"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Valeriya smirked and waved a hand. "I've shown her all she needs to see." She backed away a few steps before turning and continuing out the door. "She's all yours."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The tan boy looked toward Wren, contemplating. "Unchain her," he said gruffly, "load her into the truck."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren whined as the chains were roughly removed from her wrists and she was yanked over a man's shoulder. "Let go of me, you bastard!" she grunted.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nina growled, tackling the man to the ground in an opened-mouth snarl. Her eyes were bright gold, glowing in the darkening room. She ripped into his throat without flinching.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren was yanked off the floor by a blurred figure, before being transported into the woods in the blink of an eye.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Run!" Nina snapped through two sets of canines. Her breathing was sharp and fast. "Don't stop until you hit the city, go!"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren let out a few breaths before she pulled herself upright and took off running through the trees. Her white hair whipped around her as her legs pumped to keep her away from her pursuers.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀In, out. In, out.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Her breathing was getting faster, no matter how hard she tried to control it. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Somehow, she heard past her own heart, and could faintly catch branches snapping in the forest as the creature was gaining on her. It was a game to him, she realized. He wanted to make her suffer.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She had to stop. Her lungs were burning, and her legs had gone numb.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Slowing to a stop, she pressed her back against a tree and took long, deep breaths. Her heart pounded in her head. Tears sprung to her eyes as she rested there. Fearful tears - she didn't want to die.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀More footsteps came round, making her tense up and slow her breathing more. Just as they got close enough, she turned and swung her fist - aiming on punching him in the face.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A hand caught her fist in its tracks, and soon a familiar sight met her eyes.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Elijah.
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