Where is he? she thought, her mind spiraling. Why isn't he here?
The ache in her chest grew unbearable, like molten fire spreading through her veins.
Her lungs felt as though they were collapsing, her ribs tightening as if something inside her was clawing to escape.
Her eyes stung, and she clawed at her neck in desperation, feeling as though she might suffocate.
She shifted on the bed, trying to find some semblance of relief, but the movement only intensified her torment.
Her body buckled, and with a sudden, sharp motion, she tumbled off the high bed. Her shoulder hit the floor with a sickening crack.
A scream lodged in her throat, too faint and broken to escape.
She lay there, writhing, her body trembling violently as she pressed a hand to her chest.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, the metallic taste flooding her senses.
"What… what is happening to me?" she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking with fear. Tears blurred her vision, mixing with the sweat on her cheeks.
Her mind raced, but the pain left no room for coherent thought. All she knew was that something inside her was terribly, terribly wrong.
She struggled to her knees, clutching the edge of the bed for support.
Her limbs were weak, trembling under her weight, and every movement sent fresh waves of agony coursing through her. Her hand slipped, and she fell back, her head colliding with the bedside table.
The world spun violently, and a blinding light seemed to explode behind her eyes.
The sharp pain in her head was nothing compared to the unbearable torment tearing her apart from within.
Her body slumped to the floor, her consciousness fading. A sob broke free from her lips, her last coherent thought a bittersweet whisper in her mind.
Is this it? Am I going to die?
She felt the world slipping away, darkness closing in around her. I didn't even get to tell him…
A single tear rolled down her cheek as her thoughts lingered on Alaric. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. He should know…
And then, silence. The flickering candles cast trembling shadows over her still form, the room eerily quiet except for the faint rustle of fabric and the soft patter of rain against the window.
The night continued, indifferent to her suffering.
~~~{────────
~~~~~~~~~~~~~}~~~
However here,
The night had been eventful, and Lucius was in high spirits. The earlier encounter with two animal abusers had left him particularly satisfied; he'd drained their life essence with relish.
Alaric, ever the composed and morally conflicted vampire, had stepped in to hypnotize the abusers, erasing their memories of the ordeal.
Lucius had rolled his eyes at Alaric's decision, annoyed by his restraint. "You really are too soft," he said as they strolled through the dimly lit streets of Wyfn-Garde.
"Why not just kill them? Bad people are a renewable resource, you know. Finish one batch, and a new set pops up by sunrise. It's the natural order."
Alaric cast him a sharp look but didn't rise to the bait. "It's not our place to wipe them out. If we kill indiscriminately, what's left to separate us from monsters?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge of impatience.
Lucius smirked, leaning casually against a crumbling stone wall as they passed. "Naive, my lord. There will always be bad people. You're not culling the innocent here; you're just pruning the rot."
Before Alaric could respond, a woman's scream pierced the night. The two vampires froze, their predatory senses honing in on the sound.
They followed the noise and found a woman cornered in a narrow alley by three bandit boys, all armed with crude weapons and wearing smug grins.
Lucius's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "Looks like dinner's served."
Alaric didn't dignify the comment with a reply. Instead, he moved swiftly, his presence unnerving the bandits before they even saw him.
One of them turned, his face draining of color as Alaric loomed over him, his cold gaze like a dagger to the soul.
"Leave," Alaric commanded, his voice low but imbued with an unnatural authority.
The bandits hesitated, but Lucius's menacing grin—and the faint flash of his fangs—sent them scrambling.
The woman clutched her shawl tightly, thanking them profusely before hurrying off into the safety of the night.
Lucius sighed dramatically, turning to Alaric. "You could've let me have at least one of them. I'm still thirsty, and that was a wasted opportunity."
Alaric ignored him, stepping out of the alley. His restlessness was growing, a prickling unease that had been gnawing at him since they'd left the castle.
Lucius followed, clearly irritated. "You're no fun tonight. We've barely started, and you're already brooding. What is it now? Your conscience acting up again?"
Alaric paused abruptly, his shoulders tense. He glanced back at Lucius, his expression unreadable but his voice firm. "I'm going back."
Lucius blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Back? We've barely begun! There's a whole town of sinners out there. Think of the feast! The chaos! The entertainment!"
"I can't," Alaric said, shaking his head. "Something's wrong. I need to check on Salviana."
Lucius groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, come on! She's fine. She's probably sleeping peacefully in your bed, dreaming of rainbows and you. Relax for once!"
But Alaric wasn't listening. His unease had solidified into certainty, a cold knot of dread tightening in his chest.
Without another word, he turned and vanished into the night, moving with the supernatural speed of a vampire.
Lucius stared at the empty spot where Alaric had stood, his annoyance giving way to disbelief. "Did you seriously just leave me here?" he muttered.
Then, as if realizing he could teleport, Alaric's form dissolved into shadowy nothingness, disappearing completely. Lucius's jaw dropped. "Oh, now you're showing off."
Rolling his eyes, Lucius pushed off the wall and took off at vampiric speed, muttering to himself as he raced back toward the castle.
"You'd think he was the only one with a wife. Unbelievable. I'll never hear the end of this…"
The night air grew colder as Lucius ran, but the faint hint of tension in the atmosphere unsettled even him.
Maybe something really is wrong, he thought begrudgingly, his pace quickening despite himself.
He used vamp speed to speed home.