Vladimir was leaning over me, his hand on my forehead. I couldn’t muster the energy to bat it away.
“How are you feeling, Flower?” he asked. I gave him a blank stare in return and so he dismissed it, handing me a glass of blood.
“Not too much,” he instructed, “we gave you some while you were out.” I nodded once, pulling the glass to my lips. Still I hated and loved it, still I could not decide whether to take another gulp or spit out the one already in my mouth. I consoled myself on the fact that this was donated blood, no one died to feed me. I tried not to acknowledge the fact that I probably couldn’t stop myself from swallowing even if I wanted to. The thirst was hard to resist. Somewhere outside my vision Dracula spoke.
“You’ll be alright, Sarekai, you were just a tad undernourished.” I couldn’t understand how someone else’s blood could exactly be described as ‘nourishing’ but I decided not to argue the point. Instead, I felt obliged to squeak a soft thank-you. Vladimir placed a finger to my lips to stall me from talking. Faster than I could fathom I grabbed his hand. Surprise was echoed in both our eyes, and shaking, I released him. He withdrew his hand, and his façade returned to its typical expressionlessness. I had seen it though - he had not expected that; I wondered what that meant. When I propped myself up on my elbows I saw Dracula studying me from across the room. His lack of comment made me pause, was he also taken aback by my feat of speed?
“I’m okay now,” I stated simply, only speaking to stop the uncomfortable silence from dragging on any longer. The men glanced at each other and my brow furrowed a touch.
“Come on, Flower, sit up.” Vladimir gently swung my legs down so that I was in the seating position.
“I did call you here for a reason,” Dracula said. “I think we should set a date for the wedding.” I contemplated fainting again, to get off the topic.
“How does ten years from today sound?” he prompted. Isadora’s mouth hung open.
“So soon?” she asked incredulously. I was able to let my breath out. I supposed that when you lived forever ten years would seem like one or less. To me, ten years was enough. It still felt like a long time to me, and I would be able to use my impatience and short-lifespan view on time to wreak more havoc then Vladimir would see coming. When I shot a glance over to him, he seemed please.
“Yes,” he was saying when I tuned back in. “I suppose that will be soon enough to get the relatives and everyone sorted.”
“Relatives?” my voice piped up. I was met with less than pleased looks. Dracula was the one to address me.
“You didn’t think we were the only coven in the world, did you Sarekai?” I couldn’t say that I had considered it, but I had certainly hoped no other continent faced their terror. My silence answered the question.
“We’re in every major country,” Vladimir told me. The pride in his voice sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t muster a response, and I could feel the colour drain from her face.
“Don’t worry, Flower, I’m sure you’ll meet the same welcome as you did here,” he went on, mistaking my paleness for fear of rejection. Oh yes, because I feel so well-liked here, I thought bitterly. He put an arm around me, and I fought the sensation to throw it off.
“Have you shown her round the place yet, Vladimir?” Isadora asked.
“I was doing that when we were summoned,” he replied tersely. My gaze flickered from mother to son, intrigued as to what tempered what should be a loving relationship. However, as I had found myself doing many times since I got here, I thought better of opening my mouth. He pulled me to my feet and we left without another hint of conversation.
