Loud crashing sounds and blood curdling screams woke her from her deep sleep. She quickly jumped to her feet, the book that was in her lap dropped to the floor with a loud thud.
"Check this room too!" She heard a man yell from outside the library door.
She didn't have time to react before the door flew open and a man dressed in a simple black shirt and pants with a mask covering his nose and mouth came running up the steps.
A dagger covered in blood was clutched in his hand.
He locked eyes with a horrified Ryvian and immediately lunged at her.
She leaped out of the way as the dagger grazed her side and made a run for the door.
She tripped on one of the books on the ground and fell to the floor. She turned around just as the man climbed on top of her and plunged the dagger into her abdomen and twisted it.
She screamed in agony as red hot pain radiated from where the blade had pierced her.
"Vampires and all those who consort with them will be eradicated" the man yelled into her face as her lungs filled with blood.
She spat blood into his face as she began to lose consciousness.
"Doing this makes you no better than blood thirsty vampires" she coughed out, her voice filled with venom.
Her vision went dark and for the second time in just a week she asked herself…
Is this the end?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arkonus smelled the blood before he even got to the gate. He sped up the driveway and ran into the house. The first thing he saw was Otis lying on the floor covered in blood.
He ran to his side and lifted his head.
"Otis! What happened?" He yelled as he put pressure on the stab wound in the old mans chest.
Otis's pulse was very weak and his eyes were barely open.
"Hunters" he choked out.
He pointed up the steps
"The young miss…" he trailed off as his eyes rolled back and his heart stopped.
Arkonus's veins filled with adrenaline and fear as he ran up the steps.
"Ryvian!!" He yelled as he barged into her room. It was empty, but had been ransacked.
He ran down the hallway towards the library and his heart sank as the smell of her blood hit him.
No no no, anyone but her. Please!
He begged to every deity he could think of as he ran up the steps of the library.
His heart almost stopped as he saw her lying there in a pool of her own blood. A dagger sticking out of her abdomen. She was struggling to breath and blood was dripping from the side of her mouth.
"Ryvian!" He yelled as he dropped to his knees next to her. He ripped the bottom of his shirt, pulled the dagger from her abdomen and applied pressure to the wound with the fabric.
The smell of her blood was strong and intoxicating, and he knew the only thing stopping him from giving into it was the adrenaline coursing through him.
Her eyes fluttered open for a second and focused on him.
"I don't.. want to die" she managed to whisper.
Arkonus shushed her, placing a hand against her cheek.
"I won't let that happen. Don't you worry." He said.
Her eyes fluttered closed again and Arkonus took a deep breath to calm himself.
He picked Ryvian up and ran with vampiric speed to his study. He placed her on his desk, tossing all his papers to the side. Some embers were still hot in the fireplace and he immediately began heating up one of the metal fire pokers.
Once the metal was red hot he ripped open Ryvians shirt and placed the hot metal against her wound.
She squirmed around in pain but was too weak to do much else.
"I'm sorry, but we needed to stop the bleeding" he said as he removed the metal and inspected the wound. The putrid smell of burning skin filled the air, but the wound was successfully cauterized.
Next he listened to her lungs and heart using his vampiric hearing. Her lungs had originally sounded like they were filling with blood but he no longer could hear any fluid in them. But the blood on her lips suggested they had been previously. He was confused but happy she didn't seem to be in danger of drowning in her own blood anymore. Her heart sounded weak but not in danger.
He sighed in relief and dropped to his knees on the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryvian opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room.
She was in her bedroom, but the dresser and chairs looked as if they had been tossed around the room and were chipped and broken.
She looked down to see Arkonus sitting in a chair with his upper body laid across her blanket covered legs.
A soft knock came at the door and a very frazzled looking Amy walked in with Arkonus's medicine and a glass of water.
As soon as she saw that Ryvian was awake her eyes widened in surprise and she rushed to her side, placing the water and medicine on the bedside table.
She very gently felt Ryvian's forehead and cheeks.
"I'm so happy you're awake, Miss Ryvian!" She whispered excitedly. "You were out for two days"
Ryvian groaned softly and slowly sat up.
"Careful your wounds probably aren't healed yet." She said as she fluffed the pillow behind Ryvian.
Ryvian felt a small amount of lingering pain in her abdomen and as she did the memory of what happened hit her.
"What happened? Where is everyone else?" Ryvian asked a little louder than she meant to.
Arkonus stirred slightly but didn't wake up.
Amy shushed her gently,
"Lord Arkonus has been overdosing on his medicine so he can stay next to you. That's why hes so tired and weak right now" she said, smiling sadly at Arkonus's sleeping face.
But her face quickly fell into a frown as she explained what had happened.
"Lord Arkonus is often targeted because he's vampire royalty and because he is a vampire who fights for human rights. Both Hunters and members of HAL harass him and attack him" She explained, "but this is the first they have ever gone after us servants and the estate."
Her voice broke and her eyes began to water.
"I had left for the day because it was my day off and I wanted to go out and enjoy myself. I'm the only one that lived" she said as she let out a sob.
Ryvian grabbed her hand and gently squeezed.
"I'm sorry Amy, but I'm glad at least you survived." She said, as Amy continued to cry. "I imagine he would have felt very lonely if you hadn't" she glanced down at Arkonus with a sad smile.
Amy nodded and quickly wiped away the tears.
She took a deep breath and got to her feet.
"I'm gonna make you something to eat" she said as she left the room "please give him his medicine when he wakes up"
Ryvian nodded and looked down at Arkonus.
He looked so peaceful when he slept. His lips slightly parted and his pin straight hair falling like a black waterfall around his face.
She didn't notice she was staring at his lips until Arkonus moved and she realized he was wide awake and staring at her.
Startled by his sudden and intense gaze her face grew hot and she stuttered out a pathetic sounding 'hello'.
He slowly sat up, and cleared his throat.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, his voice sounding hoarse.
"I think I'm okay" she said "only a little bit of pain"
She stopped when she realized Arkonus was still staring at her intently, and that his eyes were bright red.
Without breaking eye contact she grabbed the medicine from the side table and shoved it into his hand.
"I think you should take that" she said firmly.
He blinked and looked down at the vial. He nodded and popped the cap off and downed it in one go.
"Sorry" he muttered as his eyes slowly went back to blue.
He looked exhausted.
"Can I check your wound?" He asked motioning for her to lift up her shirt.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay to see it?" She asked, eyeing him.
He nodded,
"I'm fine now"
Ryvian lifted her shirt up and winced.
Her abdomen was wrapped in loose bandages. Blood had seeped through the bandaging and had begun bleeding through her shirt as well.
"Your bandages need changing and you need a new shirt" he said. He stumbled as he got up but caught himself on the bannister.
"Are you okay?" Ryvian asked, concerned.
Arkonus dug through her dresser drawers until he found a new shirt and grabbed the bandages and scissors from the side table. He dragged the chair so that he was sitting in front of her.
"You're the one with a stab wound," he said laughing dryly. "I'm okay, the medicine just weakens my vampiric side. It's basically a low grade poison. But at least I'm not going crazy with bloodlust"
Ryvian carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed so she was face to face with Arkonus.
Arkonus began to lift Ryvians shirt off but she held it down, looking embarrassed.
"I don't want to make you feel awkward, but I've already seen everything anyway and I need to change your bandages." He said gently. "i would have Amy do it but she doesn't know anything about first aid".
Ryvian reluctantly let Arkonus take her shirt off, her cheeks burning bright red.
"Well at least some color has come back to your face" he laughed as he poked her cheek playfully.
She swatted his hand but a bashful smile found it's way to the corners of her mouth.
Arkonus carefully removed the old bandages from Ryvians Torso.
As he removed the last piece he looked confused.
He gently rubbed a finger across the wound and Ryvian bit her tongue.
Her stomach was fluttering at his touch and her heart rate skyrocketed.
"What's wrong?" She asked him as he continued to stare at her with a confused look.
"Your wound is way more healed than it should be" he said.
She looked down to see a very small burn mark just under her sternum.
"How?…" she asked, but then it dawned on her.
"The experiments.." she whispered.
Arkonus's face went from a look of confusion to realization and nodded.
"That would explain the why. But I would definitely like to know the how as well" he said still staring at her chest.
She grabbed the old shirt and covered her chest.
"The staring is making me uncomfortable," she muttered.
Arkonus seemed flustered and he apologized.
Ryvian smiled behind her shirt. She'd never seen him get flustered before. She kind of liked seeing him that way.
After Arkonus carefully bandaged her back up and helped her put a new shirt on Amy returned with food for both of them.
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