Anna eyed the bottle suspiciously. While Bat waited for her to prescribe it to the lady, she takes a sip.
"What do you think you're doing, woman?!" Bat takes the potion bottle away from her.
Anna shakes her head. "I have to make sure it's safe for Lucia. I don't want anything bad to happen to her."
Bat raked his hand through his disheveled hair. "Nothing bad will happen to her because the potion is safe. And is it fair that harm comes to you? That's silly logic!"
"Wouldn't you give your life for Sir Damian?"
"Hell no! I've got my own life too."
"That's what makes us humans different from you vampires or whatever creature you are!" Anna snatched the bottle from him and turns to give some to Lucia.
"Creature? Just because I don't want to die for someone else makes me, what, a creature?"
"Aren't you one? Or do humans suddenly transform into bats? Which one are you?"
"By Dracula's blood!" Bat pinched the skin between his eyes.
Anna helped Lucia sit up and poured some of the content into her mouth. "I pray this works."
"It will. I wonder how tasty her blood is for Lord Damian to almost suck her dry. Damn, it must be really tasty." Bat chuckled.
Anna glared at him. "Don't even think about it!"
Bat held his hand in midair. "Fine."
When Anna was done giving the potion to Lucia, she looks at her, awaiting a miracle - a sneeze, a cough or something but nothing was working. She put her ears to Lucia's heart. Her heart was beating normally but why wasn't she waking up?
"She'll awaken in 15 seconds." Bat said.
Anna looks at him with tears in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"You cry so much for Lady Lucia."
"Why wouldn't I? I've been by her side for 18 years. We literally grew up together. I love Lucia like my own." Anna wiped her eyes and gently rest Lucia on the bed.
"Come." Bat approached the bed and extended his hand.
"Why?" She asked.
"Do you trust me?"
"No."
"Fair enough. Do you believe your Lady will awaken again?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well?"
Anna takes his hand and he helps her up.
"Lady Lucia is waking up." He points at the bed.
Anna turns to the bed. Indeed Lucia was waking up. Colour and life was returning to her face.
Anna turned to Bat with a smile. "She's waking up."
"She is. Now, there's that smile I wanted to see." He winked at her.
"Thank you."
"Not me. Thank Lord Damian." He said.
"Sure."
They both stared at eachother and Anna decide to break the deafening silence.
"Well, I better alert the physician that Lady Lucia will wake soon." She wiped her sweaty hands against her dress.
"Lady Lucia is getting well. Why don't you?" He inched forward.
"Me?" Anna is puzzled.
Bat pulls her closer and gently holds his hand to her cheek. "The scar on your cheek."
"I'll apply some herbs to it. It'll heal." Anna whispers.
"Will it? The wound will heal but the scar will remain." He looked into her eyes.
Anna bit down on her lowerlip.
"May I?" He asked.
"What?" Anna asked.
Without hesitation, Bat draws Anna against himself. His eyes lingered on hers before his lips went to caress her skin. He traced his lips from cheek to cheek before he came to settle his on her lips. Anna felt her feet leaving the ground and attempted to link her arms around his neck but Bat was quick to pull away.
He flashed her a smile that stunned her as to what they just did.
"Anna?" Lucia called to her.
"Oh Lucia!" Anna run to her arms. "I was so scared."
"I missed you too, Anna." Lucia put her arms around her. She felt goosebumps climb up her arm. The window was open and she wondered why.
Lucia pulled away. "Anna, the window's open."
Anna smiled. "Oh, that's because - - " Her smile fell when she turned around and no one was standing behind her.
"Wait. Why did I leave it open?" She palmed her forehead as she went to the window.
"Anna, did someone come in here?" Lucia asked.
"I don't know, my lady. I - I don't think so." Anna shut the windows.
"Well, now that you're awake, let me alert the physician." she said with a smile.
Lucia sat up. "Before you do, please tell me where Damian is."
"Damian? Who's that?" Anna asked, puzzled.
"Lord Damian the crusader. The vampire knight. You should know who he is." Lucia slid her legs off the bed.
"Well, I don't. I'm afraid I don't, My Lady," Anna went to kiss Lucia's head. "I'll go alert the physician. Don't go anywhere."
Lucia watched her leave the room and was in utter confusion.
¶ In the span of two heartbeats, the rain grows to a halt. All was quiet as the sun crawled up the horizon, sending light beams to that vanquished the dark clouds. It was morning.
Lucia slips on an object on the floor. "Ugh! Come on!"
She rubbed her feet as she hopped on one leg. The object in question was a little green potion bottle.
"What the heck?" She picked it up and gave it a stare.
There was no inscription on it and it was emptied. She uncapped the little bottle and found a paper inside. Her eyes darted left and right before she took out the content and straightened the folded paper.
As she read the content, her eyes went round. "Oh no."
Meanwhile,
A bat navigated it's way to a moving carriage and settled on the window.
The window is let open and it flies in.
Bat shifts into his human form and he sat on the couch opposite Damian's.
"And? Did she drink it?" Damian asked.
"She did, Your Majesty." Bat gave a curt nod.
Damian looked out the window. "It'll be better this way."
Bat cleared his throat. "Forgive me if I may, My Lord, but is Lady Lucia forgetting you ever existed, a better way?"
"It is." Damian clenched his fists too tight, his knuckles turned white.
"And the white wooden stake?"
"We keep looking. It was not at the von Burren's."