The Progeny: Chapter 28

The sound of the guns firing was like a dull explosion in Evie’s ears. The thunderous boom plus the pain that lanced through her side as a bullet broke through her ribs made her black out for a moment. When she came to, she was on the floor with her legs sprawled out at a funny angle. Her top half was rested against something and arms were wrapped around her, holding her middle as blood spilled out of her, turning her vest and ugly brown-red colour.

The room was tilting and her brain inside her skull felt like it was pulsing and swelling. Her eyes kept going in and out of focus. She could see Alexander still stood in the centre of the room, his face a white, featureless blur. And behind him was a humped dark figure on the floor. She squinted, trying to force her eyes to focus. It was like looking into a kaleidoscope. The floral patterns on the wallpaper seemed to be dancing and swirling, making her stomach lurch. She picked her head up carefully, afraid to move too much and disturb her wound. A curl of blonde hair fell against her cheek and she slapped it away irritably when it blocked her view. Then her stomach dropped with realisation.

A blonde curl? She looked down to take in the arms that held her. The soft material of the olive blouse felt cool against her bare shoulders. She was pressed against Varsee…and the figure across the room from her, dropped back against the sofa, was Caius. Blood painted the front of his jacket. His head was bowed, inspecting the damage of the bullet that had sliced through him so she couldn’t see his face.

“Caius!” Evie’s voice was hoarse and croaky inside her head as if she had a cough lodged in her throat. When she tried to push off Varsee, her Maker’s arms tightened around her.

“Stay down. You’re wounded,” said Varsee, calm and cool into her ear.

The hot, stinging sensation of new tears burned the backs of her eyes. “I protected you…It was supposed to be him. I chose him.”

“You thought you had. But blood calls to blood, Evie. It was my blood that saved you. And now it’s your turn to save me.”

She shook her head as her vision turned red. “I chose him. I did.” She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears fall, hot and wet down her cheeks. She could feel the wooden bullet inside her, scraping against her bones and muscles as she moved. The pain was excruciating, like something was trying to slice her open and fight its way out of her body. “It was supposed to be him.”

“Well, I think we all learned something tonight.” Alexander’s voice made her open her eyes again. His blurred face started to become clearer, like wiping away steam from a window. His blue eyes shone down at her, pinched with amusement. He dropped the guns onto one of the armchairs. “Whoever said love conquers all clearly knew nothing about the sire bond.” He strolled over to Caius, making him lift his head. His ruffled, dark hair fell from his face and his pale gaze was as sharp as daggers. “You alright?”

Caius’ nostrils flared. “You just shot me.”

“To prove a point. And at least now you’ll have to throw away that sorry excuse of a jumper which I can safely assume we are all thankful for.”

Caius looked back down at the bloody patch covering the vast majority of his front. The wound that was visible through the tear of the fabric was black and shimmering. Then he looked up and his eyes found Evie’s.

Her dead heart contracted as it felt like someone had just doused her in ice water. He looked empty as he watched her. Resigned and solemn.

Evie struggled against Varsee, attempting to crawl across the carpet towards him but Varsee yanked her back. Evie let out a growl and jabbed her elbow into the ancient vampire’s side but ended up causing more pain to herself as her swift actions tore her wound. She shrieked and fell back, throwing Caius a hopeless look.

“C’mon, I’ll help you upstairs,” said Varsee into her ear in a soothing voice that made Evie give up her futile attempt to escape and collapse against her in submission.

Varsee carefully manoeuvred herself so she could get to her feet and bend down by Evie’s side, still supporting her weight with her hand pressed against the small of her back. Evie clasped her other one and pushed herself to her feet, looking warily at Varsee as she did so. The blonde vampire smiled encouragingly as Evie’s bones creaked in protest. But then she was standing, fresh blood oozing from her side.

Her Maker began turning her towards the stairs but Evie halted. “Caius.”

“He’s in good hands, don’t you worry,” said the vampire that had just shot him. He held out a hand which Caius grabbed rather reluctantly. Alexander yanked him to his feet and dropped him down onto the sofa, all with the care of someone throwing out the garbage. Caius choked on a groan and curled up into himself on the sofa, cradling his injured chest.

Alexander rolled his eyes. “You’ll be healed in a few minutes. That bullet will pop right back out again. Sit tight while I go get you a towel.”

Evie was making her way up the stairs at an agonizing slow rate; every jostle of her body re-opened her healing wound. Varsee, with her arm wrapped around her middle, whispered soft encouragements with every step they conquered. After what felt like climbing Everest, Evie was settled at the edge of the bathtub watching Varsee soak a sterile cloth in warm water.

“Take your vest off. But be careful. It’s probably stuck to the wound.”

Evie nodded obediently and sucked back a groan as she tugged on the hem of the vest and pulled it over her head. She threw it on the floor where it fell with an ugly sounding splat. Left in only her tattered bra – which still had old blood on it from when the psychotic Nest vampires attacked her – and Varsee’s borrowed jeans, Evie suddenly felt very exposed and vulnerable. Varsee didn’t share her embarrassment as all her focus seemed to be on the now visible wound as she sat on the edge of the tub beside her. Evie just watched in silence as Varsee worked on her with her head ducked, prodding and teasing the bullet hole with the warm cloth.

“Yes. The bullet is working its way back out of your body. You should be feeling your bones and muscles knitting back together as it passes,” said Varsee, her voice as calm and collected as always even though she was covered in Evie’s blood from her wrists to her shoulders. She looked like she had done this countless times before. Had she? Maybe she had cleaned up Alexander and her old progenies after their cuts and scrapes? Or maybe it was more than that? Maybe she had been a nurse once? She certainly had the steady hand and the patience for it.

Evie thought back to those two swirling pools of mystery and secrets that were her Maker’s eyes and was knocked out by the sudden, rushing vertigo.

“Relax,” chastised Varsee lightly as she stabbed at her side. “Almost got it.”

Evie let the feeling pass and it was replaced with a sad sting of nostalgia. She was hit with the memory of her mother. Her mother when she had been caring and kind, before she became reproachful and bitter. Before Evie had met William. Before Evie was shunned.

An overwhelming ache ripped through Evie’s whole body and her vision turned red.

“Got it!” Varsee exclaimed with triumph, holding the cloth wrapped over her hand. Pinched between her fingers was the wooden bullet, black with blood. And just like that, Evie felt herself mending back together from the inside out. When the pain dulled to nothing, she wiped her hand across the watered down blood stain on her side and uncovered her unscathed skin underneath.

She felt Varsee move beside her and heard the clunk of the bullet being dropped into the bin, then Varsee was back on the bath, the pressure of her fingers forcing Evie’s chin up.

“You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, don’t you?” Varsee asked, studying her progeny’s eyes.

A swelling darkness bloomed inside Evie and her jaw clenched. “You exploited our bond. You said you’d never do that. You said you were happy sharing me with Caius. You can’t make me pick sides. It’s not fair.”

Varsee’s gaze stayed level. “I needed to know for certain how deep rooted your connection was still to Caius. You are my progeny. I needed to know that you would be there when I needed you. Just like I would be there for you.”

That’s when it dawned on Evie, the severity of her situation. Alexander had pointed a gun at both Varsee and Caius and she had jumped in front of the bullet to save Varsee. What if that happened again and Alexander wasn’t the one pulling the trigger?

Her heart sank.

She’d choose Varsee. She’d want to choose Caius but her sire bond would pull her to Varsee.

If Varsee every changed her mind about Caius and no longer wanted him around… If she ever got sick of sharing Evie… If she forced Evie to make her choose to spend the rest of the eternity with only one of them…

She shuddered at the thought and forced it out of her head.

“I want to see Caius,” she said simple and looked to the floor, making Varsee drop her fingers from under her chin.

“Okay. Let me get you something to wear.”

Once she left the room, Evie got to her feet and inspected her reflection in the mirror. She looked as youthful and glowing as always but felt the polar opposite inside. Sometimes it was irritating to look upon yourself and to see the picture of inhuman beauty staring back at you. It was in those times where she felt the weight of human emotions ripping at her insides the way that bullet had torn through her muscle tissue. When she truly hated what she saw in the mirror. Because it was a lie. It was fake. That blissful, optimistic, fresh glow was just a cover up. Like paint over rust. It covered up the hurt but it was still there, prodding and insistent.

It was only her eyes that reflected a glint of her exhaustion. Exhaustion and emptiness.

She closed her eyes and felt for the ties between her Maker and her lover. They were both there, one far stronger than the other. Because they were both at such a close proximity, it felt dizzyingly intense as she felt them fighting against each other. And there was a clear loser. The one that flickered haphazardly, merely fighting for survival.

Caius.

“Right, this should be okay.”

Evie was torn out of her reverie and was quickly able to catch the jumper flying at her between her hand and chest.

“It’ll probably be a bit big on you but it’ll do for now.” Varsee smiled from the doorway. She had also changed from her blood covered olive blouse to a cream one. She cocked her head towards the stairs. “Throw it on and we’ll go and see how they’re doing downstairs.”

Evie shrugged on the navy jumper. She could tell it was supposed to be form-fitting but it hung a little loosely on her small frame.

Caius was sat on the sofa when they came down the stairs, staring absently at the black screen of the telly. The ugly hippy jumper had been replaced a simple black t-shirt with a slightly plunged neckline. The pallor of his skin stood out in stark contrast and the shadows casted by the lamps in the room enhanced the definition of his arms. Like her, he was completely clean of blood. She looked around for Alexander and heard him shuffling around in the kitchen. Varsee must have heard it too because she disappeared through the kitchen door without a word.

Evie dropped onto the flowery upholstery by Caius’ side. He tore his eyes off the screen when the sofa dipped under her weight and turned to her, his long shaggy hair hiding half of his face.

“Are you okay?” she asked, carefully tucking the curtain of hair behind his ears. His eyes were cold and unreadable as he gazed at her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

The hollowness of his tone made her gulp back a sob. She cupped his face in both her hands and shifted on the sofa to face him directly. “I wanted to save you. I chose you. You know that, right?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “And yet I ended up with a bullet in my chest.”

The emptiness she has heard before in his tone had filled with thinly veiled anger.

“I know.” She nodded, her vision staining red. “It was because of the bond, nothing more. I chose you.”

He looked down and let his hair sweep over his face. “But your choice means nothing anymore.”

She tried to angle his face back to her but he stiffened all over so she couldn’t make him budge. Sighing and trying to hold back the burning tears, she let go. “You were my everything for a hundred years, Caius. But now there are more people in our lives and we just have to accept that.” She placed her hand on his knee. He didn’t stir. “Varsee saved my life. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be dead. Is that what you would’ve wanted?”

“Of course not,” he replied, bitterness sharpening his usual tepid tone.

“She had to save me because you weren’t there.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” He looked up at her through the strands of his hair. His eyes were wide fixed on her.

“See.” Evie’s shoulders sagged. “You didn’t want to leave me but you had to. You felt my pain but you still couldn’t go back to save me. That is exactly like what just happened with me. I wanted to save you, Caius, but I just couldn’t.”

The defeat in Evie’s voice seemed to have shed Caius of his hostility towards her because he bent down and then straightened, holding out the mug of blood to her that she had not finished from earlier. She took it with a soft smile. “Thanks.”

He nodded in reply and picked his up from the floor.

After being shot in the chest, the blood was well needed. Drinking it was like absorbing power. It sizzled inside her, sparking off her nerve endings and making the dark world she lived in seem that little bit brighter. And the rum helped too.

“Wow, I needed that,” she laughed, still riding on the buzz.

Caius nodded while downing his mug. He let out a sigh of bliss. “That’s good stuff.”

The kitchen door clattered open and Alexander sauntered through, the cuffs of his jumper were red with dried blood. “Right, I’d better get ready for work.”

“You’ve got a job?” asked Evie, hoping that the surprise in her tone wasn’t insulting.

Alexander spun to face her and raked his fingers through his blonde hair to push it out of his face. “Sure do. Someone’s got to pay the bills and bring home the bacon…well, blood.”

“What do you do?”

He grinned. “I’m an exotic dancer.”

“You’re a stripper,” Varsee cut through, appearing in the doorway.

“You make it sound so cheap and sleazy,” said Alexander, sounding as offended as he could possibly manage.

Varsee shrugged, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest. “You take off your clothes for money. You’re a stripper. It is cheap and sleazy.”

He just rolled his eyes and took off upstairs. “I’m going getting dressed.”

“He’s really a stripper?” Evie asked Varsee after hearing Alexander’s bedroom door close.

“Yep.” She pushed herself off the door frame. “He works at a vampire bar in the town a couple miles down the road.” She looked to Caius. “Did my brother clean you up okay?”

Caius just nodded in response and pressed his palm to his ribs where he’d been shot as if suddenly remembering the pain.

“Sis! Have you seen my leather chaps?!” Alexander called down the stairs.

Varsee’s eyes shifted to the ceiling. “Which ones?!”

“The black ones with the studs!”

“I think they’re in my wardrobe!”

“Why would they be-?...Oh yeah.” His laughter filled the house as the heavy footfalls of his boots sounded above them. “Found ‘em!”

Moments later, Alexander was making his way back down the stairs with a small duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He’d changed into a Guns n’ Roses vest with the sides slit almost to his hip bones and a pair of ripped up jeans that were barely clinging onto his waist by his studded belt. He gave them all a mock salute and headed towards the door.

“Oh, Alex.” Varsee stepped towards him and he turned to her, his eyebrow cocked expectantly. “Could you grab Evie some clothes while you’re out? Something that will actually fit her?”

Alexander’s eyes raked up Evie sat on the sofa in Varsee’s ill-fitting clothes. He smirked, making Evie cover her chest with her arms self-consciously. “Yeah sure, no problem.” With a half-hearted backwards wave, he left.

The three vampires watched the closed door for a moment. And then the silence lengthened so long it became awkward. Evie glanced up at Varsee and then turned to Caius sat behind her. His eyes flittered and caught hers. He offered her a half smile but then his expression tightened and he dropped forwards with his head in his hands.

“Caius?” Evie panicked and squeezed his shoulder. He let out a groan and pushed his fingertips to his temples.

“It’s Milah,” he said, his voice strained.

“Again?”

“Yeah.” He let out another groan and stumbled to his feet, veering off dangerously and finding his balance on one foot. “She’s summoning me.”

He staggered across the room and fell against the table by the wall and almost knocked the lamp onto the floor. Turning, he dropped against the front door and clung onto the handle as he pressed his face against it to muffle his cries of pain. “I’ll be right back,” he wheezed, not looking back before he yanked the door open and stumbled out like a drunk.

Varsee heaved out an over exaggerated sigh in the silence that hung after him and turned to Evie with her perfect eyebrow arched. “And then there were two.”