Bound By Blood Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

 

Lauren stretched out on her bed, groaning while her muscles were pulled and her bones popped. She rolled onto her stomach and looked out the grand window. The moon was bright, casting long shadows along her wall, making sadistic looking figures. With her joints popping and her face contorting in pain, Lauren eased her body off the bed and padded softly to the window. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, embracing the shivers that traveled down her spine. The moon silhouetted against the trees, allowing them enough life to sway along the ground. Through the crevices the trees provided, a small flickering light was dancing amongst the trunks, performing a lively tango. Lauren squinted her eyes, trying to clearly see what it was that she was seeing. She turned on her heel feverishly and snatched her cloak off her door. Slipping it on, she turned back around, shoving her feet into a pair of running shoes, and commenced to walk back out of the door. She trudged down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. The old house creaked and groaned under Lauren’s feet, making her wince. She had to keep telling herself that no one lived in the abandoned house no more, not since Darius came to visit her mother and father.

Her feet glided down the last of the remaining steps, making Lauren feel like she was five again, back when everything was far less complicated. Her hand reached out for the door handle and Lauren slipped through the grand door, closing it with a small click that echoed throughout the manor. The cold air assaulted her face and her exposed body parts, demanding shivers from her rigid spine. She pulled her cloak tighter around her body, her teeth chattering in her head, which led to her whole body shaking. It was a full moon, and its light gave her a well-lit path. Trees towered over her, making her feel like a meager mortal traveling amongst rooted giants. Stars shone brightly overhead, winking in their jubilant happiness, dancing along the midnight sky. Leaves danced around Lauren’s feet, grazing at her ankles begging for her attention. Lauren’s strange dancing light was growing closer and her heart started to pound in its cage. Roots snatched at her feet, startling Lauren making her scream out loud. Her eyes bugged out of her head and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Roxanne jerked from her sleep, unsheathing the dagger in her boot, and jumping to her feet. She wiped the sleep from her eyes trying to catch her breath and steady her heart beat.

“Who’s there?” she managed to croak out. From deep within the belly of the shadows, Lauren’s brow furrowed with confusion, and she stepped out into the light.

“Roxanne?” Lauren cried, surprise in her voice. Roxanne looked like hell. Her clothes were torn and heavy bags were hanging from her underneath her eyes.

“Lauren?” Roxanne asked disbelieving. Lauren smiled at her and gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

“Who else would it be goofball?” She answered with a question of her own. Roxanne screamed and jumped on Lauren, tackling her to the ground. Lauren cried out and tried to breathe, though it was useless with Roxanne’s arms tightly wrapped around her body. Roxanne released her hold on Lauren and punched her in the jaw.

“Why the hell did you leave?” Roxanne screamed at Lauren, punching her again and hitting her in the shoulders.

“ROXANNE! STOP IT!” Lauren raised her arms in defense and rolled them over, placing Roxanne on bottom, grabbing her hands and pinning them above her head.

“Beating the hell out of me isn’t going to solve anything or answer anything! Now just stop it!” Tears cascaded down Roxanne’s red cheeks, and Lauren could feel Roxanne shaking underneath her. She rolled off of her and sat on her backside and leaned back, placing her weight on her hands. Roxanne did not move, she just sat there while the tears raced down her face. Lauren rubbed her jaw, slightly wincing in pain.

“Good Lord, you would have given Mike Tyson a run for his money.”

“I - I’m sorry. I thought you were dead,” Roxanne said in a hushed voice. Lauren’s head snapped over to where Roxanne remained on her back and just looked at her.

“What? Who goes around beating up dead people? I’m not dead, well I am dead, but not that kind of dead,” Lauren smiled over at Roxanne, who just twitched the corners of her mouth.

“Amy’s dead,” Roxanne blurted out. Lauren’s heart stopped and her tongue swelled in her mouth. She looked at Roxanne who was still lying on her back.

“What?” She asked quietly. Roxanne sat up and cradled her knees to her chest and started to slowly rock back and forth.

“Darius. He came to the hospital, kidnapped me and threw me under the sink. Then he gave Amy some sort of shot and she just zonked out.”

New tears fell from her eyes and she looked over at Lauren. Lauren sat rigid in her spot, her face emotionless, the color drained from her face. The wind tossed her hair around her face, framing it in such a way that Roxanne could not describe.

 

For the next couple of days Lauren walked around in a daze, stumbling into trees and begging their pardons. She talked aimlessly into the air, asking it odd questions like ‘how does blue taste?’ or ‘why an inch?’ Roxanne stared at Lauren when she did this, hoping there was some way she could help ease the pain. One day they were sitting by themselves, Lauren absent-mindedly poking at the fire, watching it grow and shrink before her eyes. Roxanne watched Lauren, studying her face and mustering up the courage to talk to Lauren about Amy.

“Lauren?” Roxanne asked quietly. Lauren jumped in surprise, sending a wall of sparks flying into the air.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Lauren mumbled, continuing her poking.

“You ok?”

“Uh huh.”

“You sure? You want to talk about what happened with Amy?” Roxanne asked, looking at Lauren with hopeful eyes. Lauren brought her head up, glaring at Roxanne. Loose strands of hair escaped her ponytail and cascaded down her face, giving her a demented look.

The Lauren she was looking at was terrifying her, the way her eyes looked as blue as the hottest part of a flame and the way her jaws clenched. Roxanne scooted back from Lauren when she could feel the power emitting off the enraged vampire. Lauren did not know what to say to Roxanne. Several times her mouth opened to say something, but the words were lodged in the back of her throat. Without knowing it Lauren had risen to her feet. She kicked at the trunk of the tree, screaming with rage and then screaming with fear. Her foot was deep in the stomach of the tree. She had kicked so hard that she had broken through the trees’ armor. Roxanne jumped to her feet and ran over to Lauren, grabbing her around the middle, pulling with all her strength. The tree burped Lauren’s foot out and the girls fell onto their backsides.

“What just happened?” Lauren asked in a shaky voice. Roxanne slowly shook her head.

“I think you found your power.”

“What? Great, I find my power and only I can show you. I wanted to find my power with Amy here,” Lauren spoke in a hoarse whisper, trying to catch her breath. Roxanne rolled her eyes and pushed Lauren off of her.

“I’m sorry Lauren. This is the real world. You get what you get and you must take it with a smile and make the most of it.”

“Dude, that was deep. Where’d you get that from?”

“Made it up.”

“Liar.”

“A bumper sticker,” Roxanne answered. Lauren started to chuckle lightly into her cloak. Roxanne sat up contemplating their next move.

“What are you thinking about?” Lauren asked Roxanne.

“So what do we do now?” Roxanne asked in a solemn voice. Lauren shrugged her shoulders, resting her elbow on her knee and a look of thought coming across her face.

“I don’t know. I guess I turn into the Incredible Hulk and beat the hell out of Darius,” Lauren mumbled into her hand. Roxanne started to laugh.

“You must be joking. Besides, green is not your color, dearest,” Roxanne giggled at her own statement. Lauren gasped and placed a hand across her chest.

“Green? Not my color? What else is not for me?” Lauren jokingly asked.

“Your life,” a cold voice answered for Roxanne. Lauren and Roxanne jumped up, pulling out their daggers. The owner of the voice stepped from the shadows, exposing his features. The vampires jumped at the sight, their grips on their daggers increasing. His brown hair, tipped with orange and red, was spiked, resembling a small fire, and his eyes were the color of amber. He had a square jaw and fangs slipping out of his mouth. His white buttoned up shirt was taught across his abdomen, hinting at the washboard abs underneath. He was adorned in a pair of loose jeans that weren’t so loose across the butt and a very nice cloak. Lauren’s eyes scanned over every inch of his body twice, making sure she did not miss any more pleasing surprises. Roxanne’s mouth watered and her hands twitched. They were begging her for just one touch of his godly body. She mentally slapped herself and tried to look scared again, but she wasn’t winning the battle. Lauren stepped forward, clenching her fists; Roxanne only knew why, same reason why she had to clench her own. Just one touch, Roxanne thought to herself.

“Who are you?” Lauren asked, lust overruling her normal voice. The strangers’ eyes lit up and he raked a hand through his hair.

“I am light and day, love and hate, vampire and dragon,” two sharp intakes of breath came from the young women. Lauren stepped back to Roxanne and opened her mouth to ask another question.

“You’re the Fusion?” She asked quietly. A wicked smile graced his handsome face and Roxanne nearly collapsed. Her knees were buckling and shaking under her weight. Lauren seemed to be in the same shape she was in.

“My, my you are a smart one. My apologies, I am Damien, the Fusion,” he gave a small bow, locking his eyes with Lauren. His British accent only added more excitement for Lauren, who was so close to turning into a puddle under his heart-stopping gaze.

“Lauren, you’re drooling,” Roxanne’s voice brought Lauren back into reality. Lauren did not realize she had been staring at Damien’s features for so long, but then she felt the drool on the corner of her mouth.

“Allow me,” Damien offered in a low voice. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a white piece of cloth. His hand extended towards Lauren’s mouth and wiped away at the saliva that had accumulated on her chin. A shaky breath seeped through Lauren’s teeth. Damien held the cloth out to Lauren.

“Keep it if you like, a memorabilia of the Great Damien,” Lauren nodded dumbly while reaching for the cloth. Her hand grazed his, sending a shiver down her spine. She looked down at the cloth, which was adorned with a small emblem in the top right corner. It was a black dragon coiled around a burning sword.

“Thank you,” she said in a low voice.

“May I sit down and enjoy the warmth of the fire with you two beautiful young women?” Damien asked with utmost sincerity. Lauren guffawed like a baboon while Roxanne snorted like a pig. Damien arched an eyebrow, staring at the two with amusement dancing in his eyes. He lowered his body down but suddenly jumped back up.

“Forgive me ladies, I shall be a moment,” he disappeared into the dark shadows, his footsteps growing faint.

“Oh my God! Did you see his body? Roxanne that is what I want for Christmas!” Lauren slurred under her breath quite loudly. Roxanne snorted into her hand, laughing from what Lauren said. It was always the same with her; every time eye candy came walking by Lauren would do something to catch their attention and always ended up with ‘memorabilia’ from them.

“Honey, I might just go shopping early this year,”

“Did you see his abs? Good Lord! They were to die for! My devilish hands were twitching,” Lauren whispered.

“Were they screaming at you to let them just have a touch?”

“Ha-ha-ha, yes! I wonder how many women have swooned over him,”

“Who cares? He’s with us right now,”

“Roxanne!” Lauren cried. Roxanne smiled evilly but Lauren couldn’t be mad at her, she was thinking the same thing.

“Well, he sure is conceited, ‘the Great Damien’, sounds a bit full of himself,”

“My apologies once more,” Damien’s voice put an end to Lauren and Roxanne’s conversation, “may I be so bold as to ask why there are two lovely young women out in wilderness at this time of night?”

“You may be so bold and I shall answer your bold question with a bold answer,” Lauren winked at him, Roxanne choked on her own tongue, “I was sleeping when I woke up and I wasn’t feeling too good so I got out of bed and walked over to my window. I saw a light in the trees and curiosity filled my mind. So I came out here to check it out, and I stumbled upon my best friend,”

Damien was leaning against the tree listening intently to Lauren as she produced her answer.

“May I ask another question?” Damien asked curiously.

“You just did,” Roxanne impishly replied. Damien whipped his head around to stare at Roxanne.

“Very clever, I admire the quickness of your replies. As it is, I do not possess that rare talent,” Damien replied just as impishly. Roxanne blushed but then scowled when Lauren threw a stick at her.

“No what I want to ask is why you didn’t scream in fear when you found out I was part vampire and part dragon?” He asked seriously. Roxanne looked at Lauren, wondering if they could trust this man with their secret. He had told them his so it seemed only fair that he received just as much. Lauren walked slowly around the fire, glancing into its heart.

“Because…we are vampires. So we know all about you. I am Lauren Goodrich and this here is Roxanne Dracul,” pointing to Roxanne. She cleared her throat with the last word, sitting down beside him. Damien didn’t know whether to rejoice or to act on his gut instinct; he could feel his hand twitching on the hilt of his dagger, but he ignored the impulse, instead he smiled down at Lauren. Roxanne could see the way he looked at Lauren and jealousy roared in her chest. This is not fair! She’s got Van and I got nobody! That’s it! I’m putting a stop to this. Standing to her feet, Roxanne walked casually over to Lauren and grabbed a fistful of her cloak.

“Lauren, love, can I have a word with you?” She asked angelically. Lauren had no choice but to comply, Roxanne had a fierce hold on her. Roxanne jerked Lauren to her feet, guiding her through the dark forest until Roxanne seemed pleased that they were far enough away from listening ears. Lauren removed Roxanne’s hand off her cloak roughly and adjusted her cloak.

“What was that for? I am quite capable of walking by myself Roxanne,”

“What are you playing at? Quit being so flirtatious because you have a boyfriend, remember?” Roxanne cried. Lauren scoffed at Roxanne, folding her arms across her chest.

“I’m not being flirtatious, you’re just─,” Lauren face lit up with amusement as she paused in mid sentence.

“I’m just what?” Roxanne demanded. She glowered at Lauren who just stood there with a goofy grin plastered on her face.

“You’re jealous,” Lauren said in a singsong voice. The color in Roxanne’s face drained away, and crimson red decorated her from head to toe.

“I most certainly am not! Why tha─that’s preposterous! It’s scandalous!”

“Roxanne,”

“What?”

“You are so jealous, and now you’re flustered,” Lauren smiled at Roxanne’s discomfort.

“Flustered? How did you brilliantly come across that theory?”

“Because when you get flustered you start talking like a proper eighteenth century woman. It’s kind of funny when you do it, reminds me of Pride and Prejudice,” Lauren said this as if she were talking to a three year old instead of a sixteen year old. Roxanne’s face twisted into a scowl as she listened to Lauren’s statement, Roxanne knew for a fact that she did not do that.

“No I don’t,”

“Oh yes you do,”

“You’re not me! So you don’t know anything!” Roxanne screamed at Lauren, tears glistening in her eyes. Puzzlement crossed Lauren’s face when she saw a tear fall from Roxanne’s eyes.

“Roxanne─,” Lauren started to say when Roxanne viciously cut her off.

“Don’t start with me, Lauren! This isn’t some game anymore! Amy’s dead! Stop trying to be the hero and grow up! This isn’t some fantasy like Narnia or Harry Potter!” Roxanne’s words bit into Lauren’s heart savagely. Her face carved into a stonewall refusing to crumble from Roxanne’s attack. A muscle ticked along the curve of her jaw as she composed her emotions into comprehensive words.

“So, this is the real Roxanne. Tell me, have you been hiding your true form from me this whole eleven years or are you just now finding yourself in you?” Lauren said in a cold voice, instantly making Roxanne regret what she said.

“No Lauren, that’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean? Is this how you’ve always felt about me? Always thought I was some stupid little girl always trying to play the heroine?” Lauren spat at Roxanne, making her recoil into the darkness.

“Lauren, you really do act all heroic in the face of danger and it’s really annoying at times!”

“You want to know why I do it. You want to bloody know so badly you’re willing to tear your best friend down. I haven’t had anybody to protect me since I was five; I’ve had to do everything on my own. I took on the responsibilities of a young adult the night my parents died. I had to cook for myself, take my own baths by myself, tuck myself in at night and the whole time I was doing this you had your parents doing this for you,”

Rage shook Lauren’s body as she spoke, flames erupting in her eyes. Roxanne quivered with emotion and fear.

“I didn’t know,” Roxanne whispered softly. Lauren screamed in rage, kicking stones and punching trees down. Having found her new power, Lauren could do as much damage as she wanted but that didn’t mean she didn’t do damage to her own body. Cuts and scrapes adorned Lauren’s knuckles, venom slowly trickling down her fingers.

“Nobody knows! Nobody knows what I’ve been through! Nobody knows the real me! Nobody cares!” Lauren collapsed onto the ground, heart-breaking sobs wracking her body.

“Excuse me ladies, is everything ok? I heard shouting,” Damien stepped into the darkness, a glowing light illuminating the ground before me. Roxanne looked at Damien for a moment, wondering where the light was coming from, and then she realized it was the fire of his dragon body.

“Sorry, everything’s fine. We were just having a conversation,” Roxanne stated flatly. Damien arched an eyebrow, looking deep into Roxanne’s eyes.

“I’m not sure how things go around here in America, but in London, conversations don’t make you cry,”

Pain and guilt stabbed at Roxanne’s heart, making her feel like a complete a*s. She turned to Lauren, who had her head cradled in her hands, the sobs continuing to shake her frail body. Sympathy flooded her body and she wanted so much to hold Lauren in her arms. But Roxanne had stepped across the point of no return; she knew Lauren would only recoil under her touch. Damien’s eyes darted between the two girls, his mind comprehending what must’ve happened. Lauren suddenly stood up, walking past Damien and Roxanne, purposely bumping into Roxanne as she walked towards their fire.

“Lauren! Talk to me!” Roxanne called out to her. Lauren continued to storm to the fire, but she did not stop when she came upon the warmth of the fire, instead she kept walking into the darkness. The clawing branches of the trees snatched at Lauren’s arms and face, leaving their marks on her skin. She could hear Roxanne scrambling behind her to keep up. Lauren stopped her tirade and turned around to talk to Roxanne.

“You want to talk, then fine,” she said loudly. Roxanne’s eyes darted around Lauren, looking hazed and confused.

“Where are you at?” Roxanne asked seriously.

“Right in front you! Roxanne, look at me!” Roxanne was really trying Lauren’s patience at the moment.

“I can’t,” Roxanne responded.

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s nothing there, Lauren!” Roxanne cried out in frustration. Lauren looked down to contradict Roxanne’s statement, but to her own amazement, she couldn’t see her body.

“Where’s my body?” Lauren cried.

“I don’t know!” Roxanne answered. Lauren slapped at the air, trying to locate her body. A slap landed soundly on her stomach, making Lauren groan in pain.

“Found it,” Lauren managed to moan through gritted teeth.

“You have two powers. That’s not possible, only the Fu─,” Roxanne started but stopped suddenly, looking at Lauren through wide eyes.

“Only what can have two powers?” Lauren asked warily. Roxanne released the air she did not realize she was holding from her lungs.

“Only the Fusion can have two powers, one for their vampire body and one for their dragon body,” Roxanne whispered softly. Lauren howled with laughter, clutching her invisible sides. A chill swam down Roxanne’s spine when she could hear Lauren’s laughter but could not see her.

“You think I’m a Fusion? Roxanne, love, I think the woods have gotten to your head. There is only one Fusion and that is Damien, not Lauren Goodrich,” Roxanne could feel an invisible hand clutching her shoulder, shaking with the audible laughter of Lauren.

“We need to figure out how to turn this new power off. When did your body disappear?” Roxanne asked with a serious air about her. Lauren scratched her invisible head, thinking back to when she felt an unusual sensation through her body.

“I had just walked past you when I could feel like a tingling sensation spreading through my arms and legs; it was like I was transforming into my vampire stage but not quite so intense,” Lauren finished breathlessly. At the same time Lauren finished, Damien crashed through the branches, gasping for air.

“There you are. I couldn’t find you girls. Where’s Lauren,” he asked, slightly panting. Lauren smiled slyly and tapped Damien lightly on the shoulder. Damien yelped and jumped backwards, stumbling over tree roots, falling on his backside. Roxanne scowled at the invisible Lauren, reaching a hand out to Damien. He, with the help of Roxanne, brushed the dirt and leaves off his cloak. Lauren watched the two with a devilish eye, creeping up behind them and grabbing Damien’s butt. Damien squeaked and jumped away from Roxanne. Roxanne looked at him with a perplexed look in her eyes.

“Sorry, did I touch you in a sensitive spot?” Roxanne asked.

“No, no you only grabbed my arse, quite hard. No matter,” Damien replied in a crackly voice. Lauren snickered to the left of Roxanne, and walked off to the campfire.

“Umm, I don’t think I grabbed your arse,” Roxanne stuttered, the venom rushing to her head.

“Well it doesn’t matter. By the way, where is Lauren?” Damien asked quietly. Roxanne looked around the dark forest, looking for Lauren but remembered Lauren was probably still invisible.

“I don’t know, but I’m starting to get cold. I’m going to head back to the fire,” Roxanne mumbled under her breath. Damien nodded his head in agreement and followed Roxanne through the woods, his eyes watching her hands, wondering if those hands really did grab him. A blush spread over every inch of his body when images of her dainty hands grabbing in such a place popped into his mind. He dismissed the thought and walked the rest of the journey silently, and for the most part, thoughtlessly. Roxanne slipped between the last of the snatching branches, holding them back for Damien as he slipped through them just as easily as she had. Lauren sat from a fallen log watching them with pondering eyes, critiquing their every movement, trying to decipher their body language. She could see the crimson in Damien’s cheeks and the color draining from Roxanne’s face. A spider started to ascend Lauren’s leg, crawling very slowly upwards. Lauren sensed something and her head bowed down in the direction of the uneasiness. She screamed at the sight and fell backwards off of her log. Damien jumped and ran over to Lauren extending her his hand. She took with a shaky grip, pulling on him as he pulled on her.

“Lauren, are you ok?” Roxanne asked through fits of laughter. Lauren glowered up at her as she pulled twigs from her hair.

“I am quite fine thank you very much. I saw my leg and it gave me quite the fright,” Lauren retorted, mocking Roxanne. Roxanne, in response, stuck her tongue out at Lauren, who received an arched brow from Damien.

“It seems the great Lauren Goodrich has fallen head over heels for the even greater Fusion,” Roxanne smirked at Lauren, sarcasm dripping off her silver tongue. Damien blushed even more and the color started to rise in Lauren’s face, indicating how embarrassed she was at Roxanne’s remark. Damien shuffled around the two girls, eyeing a spot right by Lauren. He circled back around the fire and settled himself on the log two feet away from Lauren. Roxanne watched Damien’s movements, which indicated he was very bashful and very nervous about being so close to a young woman. A deceitful smile was plastered on Roxanne’s face when she stole another glance at the blushing pair before her. She knew Lauren was not the type of girl to steal another man when she had one already to herself, so Roxanne did not fear the reaction she raised out of both Damien and Lauren.