The Embrace
Chapter 4
“No, please…” he begged. “Not again. I can’t do this again…”
“What’s so hard about it,” she teased. “All you have to do is lay back and enjoy.” Aleera reached across and stroked his neck, almost lovingly. “I have such a hunger tonight.” She moved closer, pressing her cold body against his.
“No, not this…” he moaned. “Not this again. Please I will do anything. Just please don’t…”
She leaned forward, moving for his venerable neck. Big mistake! Moving faster than he had ever moved before, be grasped the knife he had packed under his tunic and slashed her face. He was sprayed with black blood. It burned his skin like acid.
They both stood, silent for what seemed like an age. Then she did something he did not expect. She laughed.
“Oh, you foolish boy,” she giggled. “You think your cute little weapon can harm me?” The cut across her cheek knitted together on it’s own and healed leaving perfect, scar less skin! He swallowed hard. She clutched his hands on the dagger with an eagle’s grip and thrust the blade deep in her gut!
He gasped in horror and revulsion. She locked his arms with hers in a crocked sort of embrace and, sinking her teeth into his flesh, bit him savagely, ripping his skin and shaking her head like a shark crushing a seal. He screamed so loudly, he felt his throat tear. Never had she attacked him so violently. Never had she caused him so much pain. She drank frantically, sucking wildly.
He gritted his teeth. Hang in there, Skye, you’ll get out of this one alive. She only takes a little blood… But she didn’t stop. She went way past the point of no return. She was killing him!
As soon as that thought had occurred, he desperately struggled against her but it was too late. He couldn’t move his arms and his legs hung powerless beneath him. He was going to die! He didn’t stand a chance.
He could feel his heartbeat. Thu-thud! Thu-thud! Thu-thud! It got faster and faster until he could no longer distinguish single beats. He thought he was going to have a heart attack. But something worse happened instead. His heart began to slow down. His head was swimming, he couldn’t think straight.
Thu-thud… Thu-thud… Thu-thud… Slower and slower. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see. He was falling into blackness.
Thu…thud…Thu…thud…Thu…thud… Thu…!
His heart stopped. He fainted.
It must have been the pain that woke him. It filled his head and he felt like he might explode with it. He was too frightened to open his eyes. He didn’t want to know where he was. He wanted to pretend he was home, in his own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feather pillow.
As it was, he needn’t have feared. That was exactly where he was. When he did finally open his eyes, he was faced with a dazzling brightness that nearly blinded him and only made his headache that much worse. He moaned and pulled the blankets over his head to hide in the warm, stuffy darkness.
He yelled out in fright when suddenly, his bedroom door banged open with the sound of a gunshot.
“Oh, Skye! Skye? How are you? I thought you were dead this time! No, I mean really,” Kitty was talking so fast, she began to stutter and weep. “You weren’t waking up and I thought that would be the end of you! You were so pale and still and Skye! Oh Skye! You had no life beat! Was it Aleera again? I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her, I swear it! I’ll go down in the middle of the night when she’s asleep and stab her!”
“Please,” sighed Skye, exhausted. “Please, shut up, Kitty! That won’t help, she sleeps in the day and is awake by night. You’d be dead before you got within twenty paces of her front door.”
“But…!
“Shut up Kitty! I need quiet right now to think.”
He had a funny feeling in his chest. Not pain exactly but just the disconcerting feeling that something was terribly wrong. “Please, Kitty, shut the curtains. I need darkness, the light hurts my eyes.”
Kitty stared at him in wonder but went over and drew the curtains, allowing the room to dim into darkness. “Ah, that’s better,” he groaned with relief. But he still felt numb, not right, wrong…
He put his hand to his heart and felt… nothing. He did a double take. Nothing? Nothing!? His heart was not beating. It was silent. He felt sick with fear. Surely… But… Why? Why wasn’t his heart pumping blood round his body to keep him warm? Why was he still warm to begin with? If fact, why wasn’t he dead?
A sudden, scary thought came to him.
“Kitty, get you vampyr book…”
“But…” she stopped, confused.
“Now!”
She rushed out the room in such fright, Skye began to feel guilty. But his impatience returned when she came back carrying a thick, dusty volume.
“What does is it say?” he asked urgently.
“A lot, where do you want to start?” she laughed.
“I’m serious, Kitty!” he snarled. “This could be a matter of life and death!”
She sobered up immediately. “I need something to work with, Skye. I can’t read from start to finish. That could take weeks.”
“Is there a list of contents?”
“Yes.”
“Read that.”
“An Introduction to the Vampyr,” she began. “Types of Vampyr, Vampyr clans, The Creation of a Vampyr, Vampyr Hunters and The Methods They Use, A…”
“Read me Chapter Four, The Creation of a Vampyr,” Skye interrupted.
“But why?”
“Please, Kitty!”
“Alright, alright!” she snapped back. “I says here; “A vampyr is not born but created by one of two ways. One, the simplest, is known as Crossing. This is where the vampyr transfers his blood into the human’s veins. This is dangerous and often goes wrong. The transfusion is only safe when it is performed under scientific supervision and with specialist equipment….”
So far, so good, thought Skye thankfully.
“ “The second method is known as the Embrace. It is the most complex to understand. The vampyr pierces the vital vein in the neck, which connects the heart to the brain, with his extremely sharp teeth. The human is then drained of his blood, which is consumed by the vampyr (see; Feeding Habits pg. 776)” That’s disgusting,” gasped Kitty.
Skye had gone white. “Keep reading! Tell me more!”
“But, Skye…”
“Please!”
“Well… “The human falls into a deep sleep but, surprisingly, remains alive. When he finally faints with blood loss, within twenty-four hours his heart begins to beat again. But instead of blood, the heart creates it’s own black liquid which is then pumped round the body much like the original blood. This Vampyr Blood is like acid and burns to the touch. It flows through the veins, changing, altering, healing and strengthening. This takes time and the human goes though a period of time when his senses are confused and he may get headaches, and heart and chest complaints. This is called the Turning and usually takes approximately seven days to pass.” There! I will read no more until you tell me what is going on!”
Skye was trembling now. He had been right. He had never hoped so much to be proved wrong, only to be devastated when proved right.
“Kitty,” he whispered. “I think,” he paused, not sure he should tell her. He didn’t know how she would react. Would she fear him? Hate him? Then he changed his mind. She was his sister. She would accept him, surely. “I think Aleera has Embraced me…”
“No!” cried Kitty in horror. “I don’t believe you! It can’t be!”
“Listen to me,” said Skye. “Give me your hand.”
“Skye…I…”
“Give me your hand, Kitty.”
She stretched out her small, slender hand and he took it in his large, warm one. He placed it over his chest, where his heart used to beat, and held it there. She felt the emptiness of it and gasped, fresh tears beginning to fall down her soft cheeks.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Skye, I…”
“How long!?”
“About a day. I don’t know.”
He took his knife, which had been laid beside his on the bedside table.
“What are you doing?”
He placed the flint blade against his wrist, just below his hand, where a thick blue vein snaked it’s way up his arm.
“No Skye! Don’t!”
He drew the blade across his wrist with a cry of pain. He moved before Kitty could stop him. But instead of blood, he revealed only new skin, paler and slightly grey. No blood. But what shocked him most was still to come. The skin healed! The slash joined together and left no scar, just like Aleera’s had.
Kitty stared. Skye stared at his own hand with a shocked look of dread. “Two pieces of proof,” he sighed, his voice barely above a whisper. “My heart does not beat and yet I live. I cut myself badly with my hunting knife and yet I heal almost immediately. Within seconds, in fact. Do you believe me now…?”
“Oh, God! Skye, what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.” He choked back a sob. “I don’t know Kitty. First Pa is a werewolf and now I am a vampyr. I don’t know…”
Scribe burst into the room making them both jump.
“Have you heard?” he cried. “Aleera’s gone! She packed and left this afternoon. Without a word at all. No one knows where she’s gone. What’re we going to do for a mage now?
“That filthy, back-stabbing, slut of a coward!” spat Kitty with such venom that Scribe backed away. “Wow, you don’t have to overreact like this. I mean, we can get another mage in no time.”
Kitty wasn’t listening. “That fat, cheeky, cow! She can’t just leave us here to stew in this mess! She can’t! She’s got to stay here and train Skye! My book says so! Her government would kill her if they knew! I hate her! I wish she never existed! I will kill her! If I ever see her again, I will kill her right there and then! I will stand and watch her bleed to death, the cut off her head and stuff it will onions and burn it. Then I will take the ashes and stamp on them and spit on them and…! And…!”
The two boys stood in awe of this startling speech. Skye had never heard her say anything this horrible about anyone. Kitty was usually so quiet and peaceful. He was the first to break the silence.
“That makes two of us.”
“Is there something I don’t know here?” Scribe asked uncertainly.
Kitty was still shaking with rage, so Skye sat him down and told him the whole sad, sorry tale. It took him a long time and by the end, his voice was croaky and sore. Scribe raised his eyebrows.
“You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought!” he said.
“What’s that supposed to mean!” Skye growled
“And you just let her fool you,” he sneered. “You just went along with it. Her sad little puppy. Her little hand puppet. Her ventriloquists’ doll. How did you like having her hand stuck up your butt!?”
Skye was speechless. He just looked at Scribe, his eyes full of hurt and fear. Kitty didn’t content herself with a look. She stood up and hit Scribe. Slapped him full in the face. “Get out!” she shouted. “You are a selfish beast! Have you any idea how hard it has been for Skye here? No! ‘Cause you’re wrapped in your own little world where all that matters is you! I hate you! Get out!”
They stared at each other resolutely for a few seconds, Scribe’s face red where she had hit him. Then he turned on his heels and left the room.
“Thanks, sissy…”
“Don’t mention it… Ever!”
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