"I'm fine." Lucia smiled. Her words slurred and she wobbled. The last thing she heard before giving into the darkness was him calling her name.
Damian ran through the forest with Lucia in his arms. As he got to the house, he didn't care the eyes that stared at him as he walked in. All he wanted was for Lucia to be alright.
"Lady Lucia!" Anna said with a gasp as she ran to her Lady.
Damian still didn't let go off Lucia. He demanded a physician to come attend to her while Anna took him to Lucia's bedroom.
"What on earth is going on here?" Eric barged into the room and his eyes went round. He dragged his eyes to Damian who held Lucia in his arms as the physician checked on her.
"What happened to my daughter!" He thundered.
"She fainted." Damian replied quietly, not letting go off Lucia.
"Let go off my daughter!" Count Eric thundered with spite.
Jarlen glared at Damian. "Let go off the lady, Damian."
Anna shook her head. "Please, sir."
Damian stood up slowly and placed Lucia gently on the bed.
"I apologize for my nephew's misconduct. He isn't always like this." Jarlen apologised with his head bowed.
"Get him out of here!" Eric waved his hand at Jarlen who grabbed Damian by the elbow and whisked him away.
They appeared in Jarlen's quarters.
"Why do you reek of Lady Lucia's blood?" Jarlen said with his back turned to Damian, clutching a glass of wine.
When Damian didn't respond, he hurled the glass across the room and it shattered against the wall.
"That little scheming red fox must've convinced you to bite her but why did you give in to her desires! Answer me!" Jarlen yelled.
"I did it of my own volition." Damian replied calmly.
With his answer, came a crash out of the window.
In Lucia's chambers, the physician made an unsettling discovery and called the Count's attention.
"My Lord, there's something you must see. It's about your daughter." He said.
"Show me."
They both walked to Lucia's room.
The physician willed the Count to her bed. "I found two bite marks on her neck. It's clearly the work of a vampire."
"Summon the vampires to my chambers at once!" Count von Burren barks.
In his office, von Burren paced the floor with both hands clasped behind his back.
"I believe you all know why you were summoned here." He said, giving them each of them a cold glare.
"Is this about the Lady Lucia?" asked Rayven.
"Of course, it's about my daughter! Why would you think you're here? To share a peptalk with me?! Some animal bit my daughter!" Eric von Burren yells.
"Animal? Wait. You don't think one of us did it, do you?" Cesar said with bewildered glance at the count.
"As a matter of fact, I do. There are two bite marks on her neck. I don't need anyone to beat about the bush to tell me who did it!"
"It was me!" Damian said aloud.
The Count chuckled. "Of course, it's you. You menace!"
"Please, forgive my nephew. I don't know what came over him. I promise to punish him accordingly." Lord Jarlen said with his head bowed. The other vampires joined him.
"You better pray my daughter wakes up because if she doesn't, nowhere will be safe." The Count hissed before storming out of the room.
"Way to go, Damian. You sure have ruined what little reputation we have tried to maintain." Rayven says with an eye roll.
Jarlen dragged his hand through his hair as he spoke to Damian. "You know we need the von Burrens and you dare defy my orders!"
"Don't worry, father. I will see to it that he is punished. Even Kings have days of reckoning." said Rayven.
******
Alas! The ball is over. The guests are sent home to their various destinations including the knights of Cantebury who were to sail to their homeland in Hemmingway. A few of von Burren's guests stayed over in the manor houses provided for them.
The night was chilly yet cozy as every guest made a happy reminisce of the great party they had just attended. But Count von Burren's household was in a state of distress. The Lady Lucia had still not awakened. This troubled Anna who stayed by her side and wept like a baby.
"I told you not to go to that vampire. Now, look at you. You're so pale." Anna sobbed as she clutched Lucia's hand in hers.
"Has she awoken?" Lexa leans on the jamb of the door.
"No. Not yet, My Lady. She's still asleep." Anna replied.
"Hmph." Lexa took slow, graceful strides to the bed and sat next on it.
A grimace made way to her face and she laughed out loud, startling Anna.
"Oh look at her face. So pitiful."
Anna gasped in shock. "My Lady, she is your sister."
"Is she?" Lexa rolled her eyes. "Lucia has always been the black sheep of the family. I believe this is God's way of punishing her from going astray. I do hope she gets to heaven afterwards."
"Lucia will be fine. She will wake up!" Anna clenched her fists by her side.
"You dare speak to me like that?" Lexa grabbed Anna's chin, her fingernails digging into her skin.
"Do I need to remind you who your employer is or do you need to be flogged to remember?" Lexa barked.
"N - No!" Tears flow from Anna's eyes.
Lexa lets go off her and wipes her hand against her gown. "Filthy maid."
Anna watched her storm out of the room before she crumpled to the floor, sobbing.
Thunder crackled in the sky and the rain began to pour out. Something pecked against the window and Anna looks up.
"Who's there?" she holds her hand to her chest.
There is no response.
She goes to the window to draw the curtains close when a bird flew against it.
She screamed away from it, hiding behind Lucia's bed.
"Lady Annabelle!" A man's voice calls from outside the window.
"Who's there?" She picked up a book sitting on the bedside table and inched towards the window.
"It's me, Bat." The voice replied.
"Bat? But I don't see you." She said.
"Just open the goddamn window, woman!" He yelled.
Anna throws the book away and push the window. A bat flew in and she screamed again.
"Shh. It's just me, Bat." He said, transforming in a pillar of glittering dark smoke to a human man.
"You're a - " she could hardly complete her sentence before she fainted dead away.
When she threw her eyes open, the face she saw was his. Bat's dark orbs pierced hers and she scuffled away from him.
"Oh Jeez. Thank you, Bat." He rolled his eyes.
"B - But you - you were a b - bat. You turned in - into a human?" Anna stammered terribly as she took to her feet.
"That stutter's cute." He smiled.
"Stay - stay away from me." She reeled back a few steps but he kept coming.
"I just got here, didn't I?" he walked up to her till her back hit against the wall and there was nowhere to run.
"If hurt me, Lady Lucia will not forgive you." Anna stared him dead in the eyes. For a second, she was stunned. How could a person's eyes be so beautiful?
"My eyes are beautiful? Why, thank you." He smiled.
Anna stuttered again. "I d - didn't say that. How did you -
"A magician never reveals his secret." He leans forwards and she looked away.
He chuckled and holds her face to look at his. A frown made way to his face when he saw the scar on her cheek.
"Who did this to you?" He asked.
"N - No one." Anna has her eyes closed.
"I know you're lying." He said.
Anna threw her eyes open. Words eluded her as she found herself lost in his eyes again.
Bat traced her cheek with his finger and leaned forward.
Anna prepared herself for a kiss and shut her eyelids again but his lips went behind her ears and he whispered.
"I have something to make Lady Lucia wake up."
Anna threw her eyes open again and pushed him away. "You could've just said that!"
Bat cupped his hand over his mouth, laughing heartily at her. "Woah. Someone's upset."
"Of course, I am." Anna fisted her hands at her sides.
'How could he play me? I thought he wanted to kiss me but he didn't.' She thought to herself.
"Well, I'd be sure to kiss you next time, Lady Annabelle." Bat tipped his invisble hat and she turned red.
"I have an elixir from Lord Damian. It will help replenish the blood Lucia lost to him when he drank from her." Bat explained as he revealed a little potion bottle from his pocket.
"What's that?" Anna asked.
"A potion. I just explained what it does." Bat replied dryly this time. He was one who hated to repeat himself.
'It's not my fault I'm not educated.' Anna puffed her cheeks.
Bat chuckled and held out the bottle to Anna. "You should give it to the lady now."
Anna took it from him. "But what about Sir Damian?"
"I'm not to say." Bat looked away.
"I'm sure Lady Lucia would love to see him when she wakes up. What if she throws tantrums like before or worse, do something terrible?" Anna holds the potion to her chest.
"She wouldn't." Bat looked at her this time.
"You don't know that. You don't know Lucia like I do. I'm afraid she'll do something terrible." Anna begins to tear up.
"Lucia will be safe without Sir Damian. It's for her own good." Bat takes her hand.
"I pray he knows what he's doing." Anna uncaps the potion bottle and gives it a sniff.
"It's safe." Bat says with a nod.
Anna eyes the bottle suspiciously. While Bat waited for her to prescribe it to the lady, she put it to her lips and takes a sip.