Callie squinted down at the two figures sitting beside the fire. Females. Delicate and dainty. She licked her lips and giggled.
There had been two males, but they had disappeared into the trees.
Some movement far away suggested they were running about like little rats.
She didn't know why they would do such a thing.
But humans were ridiculous creatures with only one true purpose.
Feed her belly.
She plucked Helena's sleeve and hovered close. "What do you think?"
Helena shook her head. She wasn't as reckless as Callie.
"Those two were strange."
Callie rolled her eyes.
All this waiting was annoying. And it was cold. The wind was brittle above the mountains and they were floating high above the peak like two white birds. Their long white dresses dangled down past their bare feet, giving them a ghostly appearance.
"We can't stay here all night, though. What if someone else comes along? Like Lyra? What if Lyra comes? She'll take them all for herself. She's so mean!"
Helena nodded at that, pursing her lips.
She had always thought of herself as Lyra's rival. Whether Lyra felt this way or not was hard to tell. The other Bride was always so inscrutable.
"You're right. It wouldn't be good for us if she came now."
"She's scouting tonight, too! She could be here any moment!" Karli tugged on Helena's arm. "If we bite them now, we'll have fully bellies for days! Oh, can't you taste their blood already? I bet it's sweet. Look at her. The little one with blonde hair. She looks so juicy I could squeeze her! Can I squeeze her, Helena? Please? Oh, I simply must!"
"If the other two come back, it could be troublesome," Helene murmured, searching the forest for sight of the two males.
She couldn't see them anymore.
That was worrying.
How could they escape her gaze?
From up here, it should be impossible.
She channelled some shadow energy into her eyes and still couldn't see them even though the whole mountain seemed to glow bright enough for her to see even the needles of the pine trees on the ground.
"If they come back, then we can bite them, too!" Callie giggled. "They looked tasty! I will bite them both if you don't want to."
"I want to," Helena grunted. "I'm just not sure what they are. They could be from the Full Moon clan. That wouldn't be good."
"No," Callie agreed. "It would be terrible. Those dogs are not very tasty. At all!"
"We'll need to be quick, then."
"I can be faster than an owl snatching a plump little bunny!"
"That's a good idea. If we snatch them up, we can fly away!"
"Just like the countess said! Carry your prey to a good place. It's better than risking our life in a poor situation."
"Yes," Helena nodded firmly. "You can take the blonde one. I will go for the other. We will snatch them up-"
"-and gobble them down!" Callie finished with a giggle.
Showing her fangs, Helena trembled with excitement.
While she wasn't as reckless, she was almost as greedy.
It's why they'd been friends for so long.
Almost fifty years!
Yet, they both looked so young still.
"I love being a vampire," Helena breathed.
"Me too!"
"Count to three?"
"One!"
"Two!"
Then the two vampires cackled with delight as they dove towards their prey like two hawks. "Three!"
Lucy's head snapped up to the sky. "Mina! Look out!"
Mina rolled without thinking, her instincts screaming at her to do so. It was a good thing. Sharp-nailed fingers slice like talons where her neck had been.
Lucy hadn't been still.
Grabbing the pot of steaming water, she let out a roar as she tossed the contents into the air.
Helena shrieked as the boiling water splashed into her face, burning her skin.
Shocked by the heat of it, the vampire Bride crashed to the ground and rolled awkwardly. Her head smashed against a stone with a wet crunch, dazing her.
Drooling, she looked up. "What the Hell was that?"
"Helena!" Callie shrieked, swooping like a white crow. Her taloned fingers swiped at Lucy's head. "You hurt my sister! I will kill you!"
Lucy ducked.
And brought the pot down hard onto Helena's skull.
The heavy thunk made Mina wince as she scrambled to her feet.
Callie hissed, whirling in the air and streaking towards Lucy. Her crimson eyes glowed fiercely.
Lucy stood firm.
Pot in both hands.
Her slitted eyes tried to catch the vampire's movements, but they were quick. Superhuman quick.
As she raised the pot to strike, Callie's fingers wrapped around the pot's handle and tore it from her grasp.
"Kill you," Callie snarled, tossing the pot away and landing on her bare feet. She strode towards Lucy, curling her fingers into sharp weapons as she imagined shredding the mortal woman's face. "I will kill kill kill you, pretty one!"
"Vlad!"
At Mina's loud scream, Callie pointed a crooked finger to the blonde and shook her head. "Tch. I haven't forgotten you, sweetie. I will squeeze you nicely next."
"C-Callie," Helena choked, rolling onto her side. "R-r-run…"
"Run?" Callie frowned. "Why?"
Helena spat blood, her eyes rolling in her skull. "Darkness, Callie… Darkness comes…"
"Look what you did to her!" Callie spat at Lucy. "You hit her head too hard!"
"She was trying to kill me!"
"So?" Callie struggled to understand the mortal woman's point. "That's what you're for! You should be happy we wanted to eat you. Honestly. What is the world coming to?"
Sound of scuffling feet.
She turned.
Lucy squealed. "Mina!"
And her hand whipped out, wrapping her fingers around Mina's wrist. She eyed the other woman critically. "What are you doing?"
"Hitting you!" Mina hissed through her teeth as she tried to pull loose. But the vampire's strength was beyond what she could struggle against.
"Really?" She blinked. "With your hand?"
"My fist!"
"Are you stupid?"
"No…"
"Then why would you, a mortal, try to hit me, a vampire, with your hand? Do you know what kind of damage you would do to me?"
Mina gulped.
"None at all," Callie continued. Not looking at Lucy, she pointed. "Don't move, pretty one. I have not forgotten you, either. I have a good memory. So does Helena. Well. She did…"
"Run, Callie," Helena coughed, shaking her head.
"Cycle your energy, Helena," Callie said calmly. "It will make your brain better again."
"Trying!"
"What are you going to do to us?" Mina asked, still trying to pull loose.
"I don't know. We were going to take you to a cave. There's a very nice cave on the other side of the mountain. We put candles in it and everything. It would have been a nice place for you to die. But now I am very angry. You shouldn't have hurt my sister. And then you tried to hit me, too. I might kill you here instead. Helena needs some blood."
"Are you a Bride?" Lucy asked softly.
"What if I am?"
"We were looking for you!"
Callie looked surprised. "Looking for us? Why? Did you want to be Dolls?"
"No," Lucy shook her head. "We wanted to be Brides."
Callie's jaw dropped.
She looked at Lucy.
Then back at Mina.
Then to Helena, who was still looking out of it. Blood was streaming down Helena's head. Lucy must have hit her hard.
But still.
Brides?
"You two?" Callie asked. "You want to be Brides? Truly?"
"Yes," Lucy said. "So, can't we resolve this?"
Callie sighed, happy to hear something she understood. "Oh, yes! We can!"
Lucy relaxed.
Mina didn't.
"You still want to kill us," Mina said.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I mean, you two? Brides? You have to be joking. You can't be Brides."
"Why not?"
"Well, the countess said we can't have any more. She said we have enough Brides. But also, you just don't seem very powerful. Do you even know any magic?"
"No," Mina admitted. "But I was told I have some ability for it?"
"Oh? What useless person told you this lie?"
"The same one who will kill you if you don't let me go."
"What?"
Mina grinned, nodding to something behind Callie's shoulder. "Him."
Vlad stepped out of the trees.
"Tch," he grunted. "Pathetic witch. She is not for you to touch. Take your hands off before I cut off all your fingers."
"Darkness," Helena croaked. "It's here."
"Hush, Helena, I'm thinking." She turned to Vlad, not letting Mina go. "Do you know what I am, boy?"
"Trash," he sneered back at her. "Useless witch trash."
"How dare you!"
He shot her a thunderous look. "You shame those who came before. You shame the Brides. You shame the Court!"
"Court? Shame? What bullshit are you speaking?"
Jabbing a finger to where Helena squirmed, he drew his lips back and showed his fangs. "You got beaten by a little girl with a pan."
"You're a vampire!"
"And you are prey."
Callie's spine shivered at the coldness in his voice, but her heart lit with flame. She was nobody's prey!
Then he moved.
And Helena screamed.
***
Hey, friends! Support me if you like this story! Show your support by commenting, adding to your library collection or chucking me a stone if you're generous.
Anything you do can help.
I know life is a struggle for us all, but I've now been out of work for 12 months. It's... not easy. So, you know. Anything helps and I do appreciate it.