Blood from Stone, chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Liliana was more than pleased to be wearing what she considered to be “normal” clothing. She'd arrived at the estate in a semi-formal dress, the sort of thing you'd wear to a wedding as a guest, but not a member of the wedding party. It was pretty enough, and she didn't mind it too terribly... But she felt at home in her worn denim and a plain black tank top. It was easier to maneuver in than a skirt, with the added bonus of less dangling parts for an assailant to catch hold of.

She went through her morning workout routine with nearly robotic grace, the movements so normal to her that her brain didn’t even need to engage to perform them. Her entire life, she’d been raised to believe she was to be a warrior, a protector to this clan of vampires until her dying day. Bare feet against the wall where her head would normally be, hands pressed to the pleasantly plush carpet, Liliana pondered how her father’s clan could have been so wrong about her duties.

Oberon had mentioned the grimoires, and how outdated they were. As her movements began to work up a sweat, she let out a disbelieving snort. “Got all this money and the bastards couldn’t pay someone to write up a newer guidebook? Make it all tidy and digital, so it can be updated and distributed easier?” She muttered under her breath, interspersed with heavy exhalations.

Pushing her arms down and tucking her head to her chest, Liliana rolled forward, coming to her feet and seamlessly moving into the basic forms the quartermaster had taught her. The pantomime of attacking and defending was fluid and seamless, but she found herself tiring quicker than she normally would. If she was getting gassed from just one feeding session with two of the seven brothers, would she even survive all of them in one day?

The human body only contained so much blood. How much would be withdrawn in an average feeding? She’d been confident in her knowledge of vampires, and her ability to fulfill her destiny. After the events of the previous night, Liliana found herself overcome with doubt so severe that she began to question everything.

Pausing to take a breather, she blotted the moisture from her face with a stark white towel. She closed her eyes and found her center in the darkness, aided by the cloth over her face. Inhaling heavily, she held the air for a count of five before slowly releasing it. Her frantic heartbeat slowed and she felt tension leave her body. Meditation was going to become her best friend, at this rate.

Finally feeling ready to shower and head down to breakfast, Liliana let the towel fall from her face. It crumpled silently to the floor as a startled scream flew from her lips. Standing in the doorway was a man, she assumed another of the Winterbournes, silently observing her from the shadows of an unzipped hooded sweatshirt that bared a line of chiseled, pale flesh. She couldn’t see his eyes through a disheveled fall of brown hair, but she noted his sharp nose and the stubble along his jaw. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie, but he made no moves, even at her sudden shrill cry.

She clenched her hand into a fist, angry with herself for such a weak, feminine display. She opened her mouth to apologize and introduce herself, but the slow gravelly crawl of words that came from his lips silenced her and sent a sluice of ice through her veins.

“Nibble, nibble, little mouse. Who’s that nibbling at my house?”

Fighting hard not to stammer or throw something at him, she cleared her throat. “Liliana. Liliana Gunnstein. I’m guessing you’re one of the Winterbournes?” She added the question, hoping to hide her uncharacteristic nervousness. When he didn’t respond, she continued to ramble to fill the heavy silence. “I just got here last night. I guess there was some sort of mistake where I got dropped off, so it’s been a bit of a shit-show—”

Her uneasy chuckle morphed into a grunt as the man moved across the room in the space of a single blink, driving her back against the wall. Her body reacted before she had the time to consider the implications, hauling back and punching him in the jaw with a sickening crack. She wasn’t sure if the sound came from her fingers or his face, but he didn’t seem terribly bothered by it. A single trickle of blood wound its way from the corner of his mouth. His lips looked slightly red and irritated, like he licked them often. He swiped his thumb across it, gazed at the crimson spot for a moment, and dragged the pad of his finger down her cheek.

Gripping her jaw in his hand, he turned her face to the side to admire his handiwork. The air made the moisture on her cheek feel unpleasantly cold. More softly spoken words bubbled from his lips, dread becoming a tight knot in her belly. “I look forward to seeing this pretty olive skin painted red…”

Bracing herself for the inevitable agony of his bite, she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see it coming. Just as she felt his breath hot on the flesh of her throat, twin shouts of “Rick, no!” came from the door. Orion and Oberon rushed in without further preamble, one of them ripping the third vampire away from her. The other pulled her aside, wrapping her in a comforting embrace that smelled vaguely sylvan, and reminded her of her home.

“He didn’t bite you, did he? Are you alright, Liliana?” Orion asked, gripping her arms, worry apparent in his crystalline eyes.

“Aside from being interrupted before I got to shower, I’m alright.” Her words managed to come out solid, not trembling like her still stuttering pulse.

“Oh, come on! You fuckers get to have all the fun? She’s supposed to be for all of us! How is that fair?!”

Fury plain on his face, heavily muscled arms corded, Oberon raised his hand and slapped his brother. Hard. The echoing crack of flesh on flesh rang through the room. The hood fell backwards, dragging that shaggy brunet hair aside, and Rick’s whole demeanor changed. Sapphire blue eyes filled with tears as his gaze met hers from across the room. Uncertainty creased his brow as he looked up at Oberon, uncaring of the fact that his toes barely touched the floor, courtesy of his brother’s hands knotted in his sweatshirt.

“…Shit. Did I hurt her? Please, tell me I didn’t do anything to her, Obe.”

Oberon was silent a moment as he watched Rick, searching his face for something that Liliana couldn’t describe. His jaw clenched and unclenched several times before he could manage a word that wasn’t compounded with a punch to his brother’s face. “Go ask her yourself,” he responded coolly, letting the other man go with a flick of his wrist.

Stumbling to catch his balance, the third vampire walked slowly towards her, more timid than predatory this time. Orion took a step backwards, moving behind Liliana despite his urge to shield her. The fact that she’d socked Rick hard enough to make him bleed, before they’d even arrived, told him that she needed more reassurance than actual protection.

He stopped a respectful distance away from her, one hand tucked into the pocket of his pants. He extended the other, an awkward lopsided grin on his lips. “Liliana, right? I’m Mav.”

She took his proffered hand, gripping it firmly. Her eyes flicked to Oberon’s from across the room and he gave one quick shake of his head. She made a mental note to ask the twins about him, later. “That’s me. Seems like everyone here can’t wait to sink fangs into me, huh?” Liliana made no effort to hide the bitterness in her tone.

Mav winced like he’d been slapped. Again. “Sorry about that. There’s just something about your scent…” His voice trailed off and the color of his eyes faded, the irises going dark like someone had poured coffee into his skull. “It drew me here all the way from the other end of the castle.” His whole body went still and Liliana felt every muscle in her body tensing in contrast, preparing to fight again. They flashed back to deep blue and he shook his head, rubbing the sore spot on his jaw. “You’ll be joining us for breakfast, right?”

“As long as I’m not the main course,” Liliana snarked, only half joking.

“We had a family gathering last night about the… issue with your reaction to vampire bites. Leon can give you all the science details. Mav’s the only one who couldn’t be found. Everyone else knows this is strictly a no-fang zone, for the time being.” Oberon said the words with a finality that smacked of warning, like there was a part of Mav that wouldn’t take well to being told no.

“Great! I need to catch a quick shower before I can meet the rest of you.”

Orion raised a brow. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“I know that the sweat I worked up before you all waltzed in is going to go toxic in less than an hour if I don’t get soapy, so… Yeah. It’s not just a want, it’s a need.”

The twins’ laughter halted abruptly when Mav murmured: “You smell the farthest thing from toxic.”

Oberon waltzed over and wrapped his arm around Mav’s shoulders. “Let’s get out of here and let the lady wash as she wishes, before the others eat all the food, yeah?” He started leading Mav from the room and glanced back over his shoulder at her, mouthing the words “You’re welcome!”

Liliana smirked in spite of herself. “Dick,” she said under her breath with a chuckle.

Orion’s piercing blue gaze met hers. “Are you alright? Really?”

She shrugged. “Everything is going to be one fucking adjustment after another. I honestly don’t know, right now. I’m alright physically, so I guess that’s a good place to start.”

He nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside your room.”

“I thought you said everyone was on board with no N.C.N.”

“What the hell is N.C.N.?”

“Non-consensual nomming,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Orion’s easy laughter had Liliana cackling, too. “I won’t just be guarding you, though. I’ll lead you down to the banquet hall, once you’re dressed. You’d get lost on the way there without a guide.”

“Ah. Gotcha. See you in about ten minutes, then. Casual dress, I hope?”

“Definitely.”

Without another word, she stepped into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door behind her. Pleasantries aside, she didn’t bother to lock it. The strength of a vampire could turn the door to kindling with a single strike, so it felt pointless.

She stripped down and stood under the hot water for what felt like forever, letting it pour over her body and wash her weariness down the drain. Her knuckles bumped against the shampoo bottle as she blindly grabbed for it. She hissed from the sudden jab of pain at the contact. Swiping wet hair away from her face, she looked down at her right hand. The knuckles were slightly swollen, and the early purpling of a bruise was starting to discolor her olive skin.

Sighing, she hurried to finish getting clean. She toweled off and blow dried her long, dark hair to slightly damp in record time, throwing on a fresh pair of black jeans and a hunter green tank top. Back in the bedroom proper, she yanked on a pair of socks and grabbed her shoes. She stuffed her foot into one of them, hopping on that foot to pull the other on as she made her way out the door and into the hall. Nearly falling over as her soles squeaked onto the marble floor, Liliana caught her balance on Orion’s arms that were casually folded across his chest.

Before he could say anything smarmy, she dusted her hands off and said simply, “First day on my new feet. Let’s eat!”