This must be another of those cruel jests my life has become lately. Just what the hell happened anyway? I was a good two feet from the edge and I know I didn't trip. So, someone pushed me over the edge. I was willing to bet one of the villagers finally got the courage up to kill me. I've known for some time some of them have lusted after my land. The irony of them waiting until it was no longer my land wasn't lost on me. 

It doesn't even cross my mind to think that it was Lord Terrance that did it, he's too terrified of what Nocturne will do to him if anything happens to me. Unfortunately the villagers don't realize that their once peaceful vampire free lives were no more. With my death it's likely Nocturne will kill everyone in the village.

I have no desire to see my death approach so I close my eyes and wait for the free fall to end in my death. Suddenly my fast descent to the valley floor ends but not as I had expected. I find myself caught up in Nocturnes arms and we're freaking flying. "Oh my hell it's true you people can fly." I had  always thought that was just a rumor to make them seem more omnipotent than they really are.

I can tell Nocturne is furious, but my comment seems to make him chuckle. But the chuckle isn't reassuring, there is something dark and sinister about it. "Yes, at least the most powerful ones can. As a matter of fact that's what I had been doing when the storm caught up to me..." His words trail off.

We land near the view point that I had been pushed off of and Nocturne is facing Lord Terrance. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't execute you right here and now for failing your duty?" Nocturne demands his voice is dark and deadly. His words make me dizzy and although I had been fine just seconds earlier I now needed to sit down. I make a grab for Nocturnes arm and that brings his wrathful gaze to me. His anger ameliorates into concern when he notices the state I'm in.

I take the chance to  intercede for Lord Terrance, "He sent me out to keep me safe. I had taken too much of his blood and he was losing his control. Truly it wasn't his fault, it seems that the villagers have forgotten to be afraid to enter my, I mean your land, without permission." With Nocturne's gaze no longer vengeful at least not towards Terrance I allow myself to finish sitting. It was just a matter of just letting go of his arm.

Mori's words pull me from my anger at my friend and I took a deeper look at him. How had I missed it? He was near to passing out from blood loss. "What happened?" I asked in a much calmer voice than earlier. Nearly losing Mori had scared me far more than it should have, even if it would mean my death. I'm just thankful that I had had so much extra energy after the shield making.

Terrance reluctantly responded. He knew even if Mori didn't that he shouldn't have left her out here alone. "It is as Lady Mori stated. She refused to drink at first and so I lost more than a little blood that way, then when she did drink she had gone into a kind of blood lust and I wasn't sure she was going to stop. By the time she did it was all I could do to keep from drinking her. Damn S-" Terrance caught himself before he finished the word, "how do you  keep from drinking her dry? Her blood sings in its purity. But I swear Nocturne, there were no other vampires here when I sent her out."

I believed him. He was all but collapsing and I know that there aren't any other vampires here now. I still wasn't happy with what happened to Mori, but it won't be hard for me to find out who it was that damn near killed us both. The smile that graced my lips at that thought makes Terrance back up a step before falling to his knees. "Forgive me for failing you." But he didn't believe I would. And if Mori hadn't of spoken up for him I wouldn't.

I lean down and gently cup his chin and raise it up. Terrance is good, he shows no fear and lets none out of his shields. "Come old friend, stand. Mori is the one you can thank for your life. She brought me to my senses before I could do anything we'd both regret. You have served your king well and shall be rewarded." 

Terrance is confused by my words. I can see terror replacing the confusion as I raise him up. I'm not sure why this would be until I review the words I said aloud. I make a quick glance at the human at my feet. Mori is staring at me, not with any noticeable reaction though. Truly she would have made a fine vampire.

I take the small knife I keep up my arm and make an incision on my wrist, "Drink, Terrance." His eyes open wide in wonder at the forgiveness. Only those in my favor are ever allowed to drink from me.

Terrance wastes no time taking my wrist in his hands and bringing it up to his mouth. The piercing of his teeth inside the already closing wound doesn't even make me flinch but the reaction of my body is a little more difficult to control. After the actions of earlier I was already in need of a good lay, and with Terrance memories surfaced that I let play through my head. I'm brought out of my reverie by the gagging Mori makes.

"I didn't think watching him feed would bother you Mori." I say as Terrance continues to drink deeply.

"It's not his drinking that is causing this Your Majesty, it's your thoughts about bedding-" She cuts off her words as she looks at me in horror. She was seeing what I thought. And with this she did vomit everything she'd eaten earlier. Dammit now I was going to have to be more careful with my thoughts and even my actions. I didn't even consider the ramifications of her vomiting the blood she so recently ingested.

Terrance forcefully pulls himself away from my wrist before I had to say anything. He looks much better than he had just minutes earlier. "Thank you Nocturne. Now I have enough strength to return home and eat properly." I see a look cross his face when he bows to Mori which she doesn't see since she was still dry heaving and facing the ground. 

"Nocturne do I have-" he may have enough to make it home but his tongue shows that he's still too weak to play the game as it needs to play out.

"Go find a villager and finish eating," at Mori's quickly hidden horror I add in, "just don't kill whoever it is." Terrance bows once more to us both and quickly fades away. No magic involved with that although Terrance is very strong magically, it was just how fast he moved.

"Your Majesty-" I return my attention to Mori with her words, "forgive me. I didn't know it was you..." And why should she? There was no reason she should expect someone like me here in this valley so well hidden that the vampire's on both sides didn't even know about it to claim.

I bend down and lift up the human female. "There is no reason to forgive you Mori. Had I wanted you to know who I am I would've told you. But I let it out..." I trail off as she shakes her head.

I shake my head  as the king speaks and greatly daring interject when his words trail off. "I figured out who you had to be when you ordered Lord Terrance not just here but gave him orders as to my welfare and could threaten him with death. He's the second most powerful person in the world and second only to the king." 

I wait for Nocturnes reaction. He smiles at me like he is pleased at my deductions. "Well you are mostly correct Mori. Lord Terrance is the third most powerful, but the second, my twin brother, is rogue and a wanted fugitive." Nocturne carries me to the cabin and as he opens the door sets me down with an oath.

"What the hell?" His oath is spoken softly with adamant wonder and surprise. I'm no vampire but even I can smell the strong smell of blood. As close as Terrance had been to losing it it's a wonder he hadn't chased me and killed me after all.

"I owe him far more than I repaid him. And I owe you Mori for interceding on his behalf. I had no idea that it had been that bad." Nocturne stalks over to the bed and removes the blood soaked quilt and watches as the blood continues to drip onto the stone floor. Of all the quilts to be ruined it had to be the one my mother had made.

I couldn't take any more. The bed, it had also been soaked in the blood, there is a trundle under the bed I can sleep on or I can sleep on the floor no problem. But that quilt, that was one of the last things I had from my mother and it was now ruined. I fall to the floor and put my face into my hands and just start weeping. There was just too much that has happened in the last few hours, my whole life turned upside down and inside out. I lost it.

I wanted more than anything privacy, but there wasn't any in the close confines of the cabin. There was the bathroom, but it was too far away and I didn't even have the strength to stand.