Chapter 23 The Lecarde House
Things in the Lecarde House have now just become once more complicated. There are always consequences to one single action, and I fear the turning of my beloved has caused a ripple effect.
The question now begs, who will be marking Eva? I shall not allow a human to dictate what I say; the agreement was clear, it is Damien, or she shall not be allowed to stay here. If she does not wish to let him, then I am afraid that she shall not be able to live here any longer.
We have already had an encounter with the Blood Rose Pack and a Vampire Hunter. It is the most action this house has seen in over one hundred years; the last thing I do need now is an encounter from any other force than us Vampires.
I do know that my love is waiting for an answer, but this is not an answer that she is going to wish to hear.
“Cassidy, I am afraid it was clear; Damien has to be the one to do so in order for her to remain here.”
But if it was understanding that I was after, all I am receiving now is clear confusion. She does not fully understand, but yet she seeks an answer.
“Why can’t I just do it?”
“My dear, you might infect her or, even worse, kill her.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“Would you approve of me to create a bond with another woman?”
“I guess not.”
“Then it is settled then.”
She looks at me with sweet little puppy eyes. I know she is trying to attempt for me to change my mind, but it ain’t going to happen tonight.
“Guess I will go tell her then.”
She leaves the room feeling much defeated. In time she shall learn that there are some sacrifices a Vampire needs to make. And when it comes to humans, it is mostly the hardest; she has just witnessed it with this Vampire Hunter. It is best to refrain from creating a bond with a human. She needs to accept that everyone here in Lecarde House is her new family; it is time for her to leave her old life behind and embrace her new one.
But I do have other pressing matters I need to think of; I need to make the Vampire Counsel aware of my encounter with Jacob Hunter. Even though I am the Master and what I shall say is rule, we have created a Council to ensure that all other Vampires are equally heard and judged the same. They enforce the rules and are also responsible for ensuring that we live and uphold to our treaties with the likes of Wolf Packs and the Vampire Hunters.
Now, if I thought I was quite clear, I think I have just mistaken myself, for Cassidy comes in a rush down the stairs. Her words come as nothing but a mumble underneath all the tears. But just looking at her clothes, I need not even guess what she wants to say.
“Cassidy, what have you done?”
“Please come quickly; I think she is dead.”
My once subtle voice is now making place for anger. If my blood could boil, it would be boiling now; she has just gone up against my word.
“My dear, did you try and go turn her after I forbid you to?”
“I just…” she sobs and sobs and sobs like a child, not really paying attention to the anger that is clearly flooding from my mouth.
“I told you not to do it! I told you that you won’t know how and yet you disobey me and go and do it still?”
“Please, Lucas, please come check if she is okay.”
“Cassidy, if she is dead, then there is nothing I can do for her.”
“Just come and check if she is okay?”
I turn to Damien that has been shocked into silence; this is really turning into an eventful day.
“I guess we shall have to go see the damage.” Damien surprisingly just grins at me as he leads the way.
All the way, as we make our way up to Eva’s room, the tears just flow and flow. I do not know which is more shocking to me, seeing a Vampire cry or the fact that Cassidy might just have killed her dearest friend.
When we step into the room, it is as if a horror show does unfold. She obviously first tried at the chair in the corner; it seems they might have first had a scuffle as books are astray on the floor with the smallest amounts of blood drops on them.
Then it seems like Eva might have run to the bathroom to cover the abnormally large wound that Cassidy has caused in the bare of her very pale white neck.
After that, they might have tried it for a second time, but this time it looks as if it was on the bed, for there is a trail of blood on the floor from the bathroom to bed.
Now by this time, I am sure that the lust for blood was far greater than her need to mark her friend. I am almost sure that she was trying to feed, and she just could not get Eva to settle down. Which in its own way is strange because she is a powerful Vampire. It must have been a battle for her not wanting to hurt her own friend.
As we all stand before the bed, not one of us is brave enough to go and check if the bloodied body on there is still alive. From where I am standing, judging at the amount of blood all over the pillows and bedspread, the chances Eva is alive must be nil.
“Cassidy, what have you done?”
“Lucas, I was trying to mark her, but when I tasted her blood, all I wanted to do was feed from her.”
“Why all the blood?”
“She kept trying to get away, and I was scared to hold her down because I know she has brittle bones.”
I push her aside and make my way to Eva’s bloodied body. As I place my ear to her chest, it only takes but a few seconds for me to establish what sort of situation we have at hand.
“Damien, please go fetch Rosemarie to help clean her up.”
As Damien makes his leave from the room, Cassidy walks up to me, where I am holding Eva in my arms.
“Is she alive, Lucas?”
“Yes, but barely. You have infected her; she won’t remain alive for very long.”
“But is she infected as you did to me?”
“Yes, but I am afraid that I shall not be turning her. And neither shall you.”
“But…”
“No, Cassidy, you need to learn to obey me. There are reasons why I make rules, and… this… is one of them.”
“But she is still alive?”
“No Cassidy, I say no.”
… Cassidy POV…
I wish that Lucas could understand that I was merely trying to mark Eva so that she could remain here. How was I supposed to know I would get hungry? Maybe I knew I would, but why could she just not sit damn still. And now… now she is dying, and he does not want to turn her.
I must say that I have never seen him so furious in this short while that we have been together. But do I seriously have to follow the rules? I am his beloved, after all?
“Lucas?”
“Yes, Cassidy?”
“Why are you not calling me beloved?”
“Because I am mad at you.”
“But why must I also follow the rules?”
“You might be my beloved, but it does not make you immune to my authority. Are you going to obey me in the future?”
“Yes, Lucas, I will.”
“Please, I beg you, don’t do it again. Now leave this room, and I forbid you to come in it again. There shall be consequences if you do not listen.”
I go to protest but immediately stop against it, I shall do as he says, but I want one single thing before I leave.
“Can I just give her a kiss on the forehead?”
“A kiss Cassidy, do not even dare and try to taste her blood!”
“I was not going to Lucas!”
I slowly move a bit closer to her body and gently lean over and place a tiny butterfly kiss against her forehead. Before I pull away, I whisper in her ear.
“I love you, Eva.”
Lucas looks at me strangely, but all I do is ignore him and leave the room.
It is with a sad heart that I make my way down to the common room. To even make the misery worse, the world outside seems to be drowning in its own tears. As I sit myself down, I take Eva’s favorite blanket and wrap it around my legs. It is funny how even though I don’t feel cold that I seek the comfort of something warm around me.
I am left with nothing but my own thoughts as I sit alone here by myself. I have just killed the only person that has ever meant anything to me in this world. Unlike me, she has family that is going to miss her. I have not only robbed her of her own life but those of her parents.
Now Jacob is definitely going to come after us. I surely have gone and made a whole big mess of things. How come it seems okay to kill a stranger then? Do they also not have family and loved ones? But how else do they expect a Vampire to survive? I don’t know what to think anymore. Was this such a good choice to make after all?
After what seems to be an eternity, Lucas and Damien come downstairs to join me. Not one of them seems to be happy with me at all. Should I even dare to ask?
“Is she…”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
Lucas cuts me off before I can even say another word.
“Stay away from that room, Cassidy!”
His voice is stern and full of warning. Who knew that a man without a heart could be so furious still. Do I even want to ask if we can let her family know?
“What about her mom and dad?”
“Well, maybe that is something you should have thought about before you disobeyed me.”
This is really starting to annoy me; this man has done far worse things than I have; who does he think he is to keep that tone of voice with me.
“Are you going to be mad at me forever?”
“Well, we do have forever after all.”
“Lucas, this is not funny.”
“Believe me that I do know Cassidy.”
I watch him as he sits in silence for a moment, but he truly is not silent, for I can hear a world of turmoil spinning round and round in his head. But still, I cannot read a word he thinks.
“You are wasting your time; I know how to block you.”
“Since when?”
“That is not the concern here; we have far more pressing matters.”
He pauses for a while and much to my surprise, that look of anger, turns into something between rage and sadness.
“Cassidy, I am afraid there needs to be punishment for your actions.”
I am completely blown away by the words he says. I am not sure if what is coming from my mouth is the sounds of sobs or laughter. But then what he says next puts the fear of a thousand ghosts into my body.
“We are meeting with the Council tomorrow night.”