"You have to die"
His words echoed in Lucia's ears and she stared wide-eyed at Archer.
Bat shook his head. "There is no way in hell I am letting her die."
"Well, aren't you the hypocrite, vampire. Isn't Lord Damian your master? Why wouldn't you want him to live?" Archer responded with an icy glare.
Bat crossed the hall and fisted Archer's collar. "You're right, fuzzball. I am a hypocrite. I'm not exactly the kind of man that believes in exchanging a life for a life. Lucia, you're not dying to save Damian."
Anna gasped in shock. "Bat… how can you say that?"
"I'm sorry, Anna," Bat shoved Archer backwards. "No one here is dying today."
While they were arguing, Lucia grabbed the spellbook and ran into Damian's room, bolting the door behind her.
"Lucia!" Colette ran to the door, banging her fist on it. "Lucia, listen to me. You better open this door right now!"
Inside the room, Lucia looked at each of the physicians in the eyes. Her lips parted as she heaved for breathe, sweat clinging to her brow, the book clutched to her chest.
"M - My lady," The head physician, a small dark-skinned man dressed in a white overalls, said in a quiet voice. "W - what are you doing here?"
Lucia shifted her gaze from their faces to Damian.
He laid limp on the bed, his eyes closed as if he were asleep.
"Shh," she shushed them as she inched towards his bed, dropping the book to the floor.
"Damian? It's me, Lucia." she said with a smile as she reached out to hug him.
A grunt escaped Damian's lips and the physicians shrieked with fear.
The doctor cried out, attempting to pull Lucia away from Damian. "My lady, he's been trying to bite us. He's like a ravenous wolf. I think he's under some kind of spell."
"Leave us." Lucia turned quietly to him.
"My lady, you cannot let him do that. There has to be some other way…" the head physician shook his head as the others ran out of the room.
"There has to be another way," Tears formed in Lucia's eyes as she spoke. "But that means I have to die… and I don't want to…"
"My lady.."
"Lucia!" Colette entered the room, her face pale with shock.
Lucia tilted her head back. "You can go ahead, Damian."
Without sparing a second, Damian leaned his face forward and nuzzled his face in her neck.
"Stop this madness!" Colette screamed at Archer. "Isn't there some other way?"
The physiciqn replied instead. "No! Damian's injuries are beyond common medicine."
Archer cut in this time. "And if Lucia wants to help him, she had to die."
"She doesn't!" Anna said aloud.
"Anna?"
She came to stand before them, her eyes filled with tears. "Lady Lucia will heal Damian. She has done it before!"
"What do you mean?" Archer raised an eyebrow.
Bat snapped his finger as he remembered the night of the Secret Garden Soiree. "Of course, the Secret Garden Soiree. It's what started all this. Damian had bitten Lucia… but are you saying her blood healed Damian? After that night, he refused to show me his wounds."
"Lucia's blood healed him. I know this because I was there that night," Anna sobbed as she spoke. "I watched his wounds disappear after he had bitten Lucia."
"Look, she's not lying." The physician fell to the floor, his eyes round as he pointed at Damian.
The scars on his arms were slowly fading away.
"Jesus Christ!" Colette lost her balance and nearly fell to the floor but Archer was quick to catch her.
"That's just the first phase." Bat crossed his arms over his chest
"What do you mean?" Anna asked, staring at him.
"When Damian sucked Lucia's blood last time, he almost lost control. What do you think will happen this time?" Bat asked.
"Lucia!" Colette sobbed.
"You have to stop him, Bat," Anna ran to his arms. "Please, stop Damian, or Lucia will die."
Bat stared at her teary face and smiled. "Of course. I will do anything for you."
"Thank you." Anna exhaled a sigh of relief and dropped her head on his chest.
"Now, let's get to work," he pulled away from her. "Clear the room."
"Let's listen to him." Anna said and everyone took to their feet, leaving the room one after the other.
"Clear the hall too!" Bat called out.
Archer lost his patience. "What exactly do you intend to - -"
"Clear the fucking hall!" Bat's command came again.
"Let's go." Colette walked to the other direction, Anna following.
"It's best we believe him, sir. He's a vampire like Sir Damian. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." The physician said with a bow and ran into the other direction.
"Damn this," Archer dragged his hand through his hair. "Wait for me, Arnold!"
Meanwhile in the room,
Bat stared at Lucia's limp form straddling Damian. She had clearly fainted.
"I wonder what happened to you in Clarosha, Damian." Bat whipped out black leather gloves from his jacket pocket.
A grunt from Damian came as his reply.
"Ah, you saw death and fled?" Bat donned the gloves and walked to the table where silver knives laid. He picked one and approached the bed.
"Can you let go of Lucy? At this point, you'll suck her dry." Bat smiled.
Damian drew his head back and Lucia's body swooned. Bat sped to her side to catch her. His brows furrowed when he saw that she was very pale.
"Damian!" He roared.
Damian ran his tongue over his lower lip. "Who…"
"Shit. He's lost his mind!" Damian cursed silently.
Lucia stirred and looked up at him. "B - - bat."
"Lucy, you're alive." Bat pulled her in for a hug.
"Yes.."
Damian got off the bed, still staring at them through his blood-red eyes.
His voice was deeper and more menancing. "Who…"
Lucia shifted away from his embrace. "D - Damian..."
Bat held back her arm. "No. There is no way I'll let you get hurt. Go."
"No. You go. I have to save Damian." Lucia replied weakly.
"Are you nuts? You're the one who needs saving! See how thin you look! Even skeletons have more flesh than you right now!" Bat said with a scoff.
Lucia trudged to her feet. "No…"
"Get out of the way!" Bat gave her a light push.
The moment she fell, all the windows in the room shattered. And standing before her with blood running down his stomach was Damian. Bat had stabbed him with a silver knife.
His fingers were closed around Bat's neck as he lifted him in midair.
"Run! Lucia, run.." Bat struggled to speak as life was being snuffed out of him.
"No! Damian, put him down!" Lucia screamed at him but his grip around Bat tightened.
"Aargh!" Bat roared weakly, removing the knife from he stabbed Damian only to stab him over and over again.
"Stop hurting him!" Lucia yelled at him.
"He's hurting me.." Bat choked out as he kept stabbing Damian but the man refused to flinch. He kept squeezing his hand till eventually Bat lost consciousness.
Lucia's eyes went round and she picked up a silver knife hurling it at Damian. He was quick to catch it.
"No.." she gasped, reeling backwards as his eyes locked on hers.
He dropped Bat and turned to her. "Who…"
"D - Damian… It's me, Lucia." She stuttered as she felt air rushing through her clothes. She was walking backwards towards an open window.
"D - Damian…" She stopped walking as she had gotten to the edge. Fear crept up her skin as the chilly air blew pat then.
Now, he towered over her, his eyes boring into hers. "Who…"
"Damian, I know you're in there…" Lucia whispered softly.
His eyes flickered and an aching growl left his lips.
"It's me, Lucia," Lucia leaned back as he came close. An idea flashed into her mind and she swallowed hard.
"Who…are you?" he extended his hand as if to touch her.
"Catch me first." She whispered and fell backwards.