When Nelly opened her eyes above was the familiar ceiling of her own room. What a sad disillusioned state to be in, that she knew for a fact that it wasn't a dream. There wasn't even a shred of hope in this not being the cruel reality. A white-hot pearl of anger was sitting right smack in the middle of her chest. It was like her heart was about to wrench itself free from its prison of bone.
"You are awake." Dana said from the foot end of the bed. Mother had lost the sharpest edge from earlier. Her hand squeezed Nelly's leg under the blankets. It was steadfast, anchoring. Mother said nothing for a long time, only sometimes giving small squeeze to signal she was still there.
"I have blood to let." Nelly said, now certain she would end Lalage. This didn't just happen. Whatever situation led up to the one earlier at the wedding had been planned. This was the largest slight anyone had made at her. A slight at the Arbore family.
"So you have." Mother answered giving one last pat at Nelly's legs before righting herself. "Your punishment we take away your rights as an heiress and house arrest for five years."
"That is akin to social suicide." Nelly gasped at how severe the punishment had been. Potentially still was.
"But. We have been duped as a family. This is an attack on the whole of Arbore, not just you." Mother said, her voice steady. Nelly wished she could see mother's face to read in on the smaller details of emotion. "While we will keep our word on your punishment, you have another option."
"Spill it. Whatever it is I will tackle it if it means I can suck Lalage dry quicker." Nelly said, sure how she would deal with the betrayer. Judgment on Gideon's part in this was to be seen, it couldn't be good, but Nelly couldn't handle thinking about it further.
"I wished you could take more time, but you need to do two things. You need to learn the depths of murky dealings in this world. Officially you will stay here, but you will join MASKS and work undercover." Dana said, standing up halfway and looking down at her daughter on the bed.
"I needed to have the boys at MASKS know who their new overlord was at some point anyway." Nelly said and nodded the slight amount she could while still in bed.
"Second, you will take your rite of passage. We need you to be at full power when it comes to blows with Walsh Inc." Dana said locking her gaze on Nelly's opal eyes.
"So this is how I will look for the rest of time." Nelly said and tried to find the reflection of herself in Dana's eyes.
"Kneel." Dana ordered, Nelly acquiesced and followed. There was grace back in Nelly's movement as she got down on one knee. "Clothes."
Nelly looked down at herself and saw the now infamous black wedding dress. With a deft vampirized fingernail she cut the dress in half. For each string cut a knot of hesitation loosened in her heart. When the dress finally slid on the floor ruined, she was free. Free again to choose her own path.
With focus on her inner beast, on the inner vampiric being she called forth her vision of herself. Drops of blood seeped through her naked skin, drop by drop an ocean formed. Soon she was covered in blood from neck to toe. With one last push it all coalesced into form.
As the blood disappeared in its place was now a two piece black suit. Small intricate details with her own vampiric sigil turned it from the ordinary to royal.
"Good." Mother said before continuing with the more official part. "Nelly Arbore as I draw in this breath I take away your rights as an heiress. And during the next breath I let out I reinstate you as the heiress."
"Thank you Empress Arbore."
"The preparations have been made. MASKS Wolf One awaits outside when you are ready." Empress Arbore said letting her hand rest on Nelly's head. The hand was cold, but the gesture warm. "Choose will you mark your own or will you start with a hunt."
Nelly nodded solemnly. It was time to feed for the first time soon. Mother ruffled Nelly's hair quickly before her whole body vanished in to a mist of blood. Which quickly dispersed and only a slight tang of iron was left in the air.
Only after the last fragrance of blood had left the room did Nelly rise. She gave herself a five second breather to admire her new self in the new mirror before calling in Wolf One. MASKS was an Arbore organization that wore animal masks for anonymity. They handled everything from policing, guard duty to espionage in Block 21X. They of course denied the existence of a branch that infiltrated other blocks.
A man in a combat ready attire stepped in to the room. Covering their head was a thin helmet, with a screen at the front. The screen was as the name of the man suggested adorned by a wolf that mimicked the facial expressions of the man under it, to a certain degree. Nelly was surprised that the wolf was warped in to what only she could describe as a sneer.
"The Empress has told me I am to be under your command, but I don't accept pups that were picked up just because they were beautiful. You will follow what I say and not be in my way." The man said, his voice morphed by the helmet to have an edge of animal in it.
Nelly had enough problems from outside the family to have any she could accept from inside of it. With two quick steps she was in his face, she swung low quick enough that Wolf One didn't have time to react. The combat armors padded stomach area only helped so much against the punch of a vampire. The protective zone crumpled and she connected fully.
To the mans credit he only took a few steps back with a grunt. He recovered and launched an attack of his own. Nelly dodged easily enough and gave a counter that shattered the helmets face. Blue angry eyes watched her from the gaps in the helmet, strands of brown hair visible at the hair line. He wasn't done yet and managed to grab the other hand of Nelly.
"You need some domesticating, wolf." Nelly said piercing the mans shoulder with all her five nails. The man groaned loader and the sweet scent of blood soon filled the air. A tickle of excitement stirred at the red gold. Yes, she would have both hunted this one and marked one of her own.
"I will not bend for a Breadstreet orphan." The man said seething with dismay. Nelly barely managed to register a name she hadn't heard herself be called in quite some time. All the better to to feed then, as there was always a risk she couldn't stop until he was dead. Blood was a potent drug for beginners.
A few seconds of fighting later Nelly was straddled on top, the clear winner of the confrontation. She ripped what was left of the helmet and revealed the rest of his face. He was but a youth close to the same age as Nelly at 24 years old. There was something familiar about his features, but Nelly couldn't place it. Not that she really cared, her gaze drawn to his naked neck, tempting with its pulse.
"You shall thank all deities for your luck in good looks, I will try my best to keep you alive." Nelly said and revealed her teeth. His eyes hadn't given up, but there was still fear.
"Wish you had that thirst in you when I confessed to you eleven years ago." The man said and revealed more of his throat like a good defeated wolf should. The words didn't register with Nelly, as she sank her teeth in to the mans neck.