Desire of the Soul (19 page)

I cut my mom off with a gasp, my eyes widening. “Luke was half-Witch? What are you talking about? I fed from him, and he tasted completely human!” I blurted out, chewing anxiously on the inside of my cheek.

Thank god I had crazy healing powers, or else I’d probably have lost my lips and cheeks by now.

“Yes, he’s half-human, half-Witch. Ever since the Salem Witch Trials, the Witch population has been terrified of becoming hunted once again.
 

Once a baby is born in their family, they put a spell on that baby so it appears human in all ways, all senses. Taste, smell, sight, you can name any sense; they all appear normal.

Luke was the half-Witch I had paired you with, as he was supposed to lead you towards the Ater Council. He failed terribly at his job, instead becoming so addicted to your bite that we had to admit him to a Recovery Home. I’ve never seen anything like it, the power your bite put over him. It was quite amazing to say the least.”

Guilt filled me at the thought of Luke sitting in a crazy house, all because of me. Sitting there, probably begging to be let out, his eyes filling with unshed tears. Poor Luke...

I swiped at a tear that had unconsciously fallen, and look back up at my mom. “Dracul is here, isn’t he? I want to see him,” I said, changing the subject as quick as I could.

My mom’s eyes hardened, and I felt myself shrink against the bed I was lying on. They must have stuck me back in my old room once I fainted. It felt like my mom had grown larger, even though her petite body stayed the same size.

“How do you know Dracul is here?” she retorted back, her voice sending a shiver down my back. Never have I been afraid of my parents, I never had a reason to be, but now I know that I underestimated their power.
 

“I-I guessed? Mom, please, if he really is here...can I see him? I’m your daughter, not your prisoner; so stop treating me like a prisoner. You keep going on about how you want me to rule the Ater Council, but I definitely will not want to if I’m treated like a damn criminal. So mother, may I please go see Dracul?” I stood from the bed, my eyes narrowing against my moms.
 

My fear of her had evaporated in seconds as the Reds anger filled me, and I saw the red haze that would soon encompass my whole being if my mom didn’t comply to my requests.

“Fine,” she huffed, and opened the steel door out of the room. “You may see Dracul. But I am just warning you; it is not a pretty sight. He put up quite the fight, and has been attacking anything in sight trying to get to you.”

My heart leapt, a grin breaking through the coldness that had threatened to overtake me.

I followed after my mom with the smile still plastered on my face, taking long, twisting hallways until we arrived in front of a door.

The door was barred on the front, and behind the bars was a door made of thick steel; it seemed the Ater Council enjoyed steel.

A crash echoed from behind the steel door, and a voice called out. “Tammy! Tammy, is that you? Why are you here?”

Dracul. I would recognize his voice anywhere. “Dracul! Yeah, it’s me! I had to make sure you were okay! Mom, please open the door.”

I nodded my head toward the electronic lock that stood beside the door; joy lifting my being at the thought of seeing Dracul.

Click. Click. Click. Click. My mom entered the code into the lock, and the thick door swung open, revealing Dracul behind it.

I ran towards him with my arms outstretched, pulling him into a tight hug.
 

He felt thin, even thinner then before when we’d been in the Fire.

“Dracul, are they feeding you here?” I asked, anger at my mother and father for obviously treating him so terribly.

His room stank of decay, an uncomfortable looking bed cemented into the wall, and a hole in the floor for where I assumed he would go to the bathroom.
 

“Not much,” he admitted, raking a hand through his greasy hair; definitely in need of a shower. “More than the Unseelie Queen fed me, but not by far. I’ll live though. More importantly, are you okay? You look healthy. The
 
Hudas you drank from must have helped some. Are you feeling any cramps? Headaches? Bursts of anger?”

My thoughts focused on the Red exploding out of me multiple times today. “Uh-yeah-the third one. Why?”

“The Transformation is coming soon. You’ll need to be placed in a comfortable room…I need to speak to your mother about this.”

My eyes hardened, and I scoffed. “No Dracul, you need to speak to me about this. What do you mean the Transformation is coming soon?”

“Fine, the Transformation. Something I’ve no doubt some have mentioned,” Duke said, looking at me warily as if I might explode on him.

“Yeah, I’ve heard a bit about it. Atmaja said something about a prophecy. She didn’t tell me what the prophecy was though, just that there was one.”

“The Transformation from dark to light,

Will be one that She’ll incur,

From eyes to pain,

Throughout the night,

She’ll swiftly,

Quickly change.

Goddess blood,

Mixed with the Amatores,

One whose power is so great,

Sacrifice love,

To save Her life,

And,

Complete the change.”

Dracul closed his mouth, the prophecy tingling at my skin. Why were there so many of those damn things? Wasn’t one enough? But no, there were more and more each day. Stupid things were beginning to blur with one another in my head. “So what does that mean?”

Dracul sighed, once again running a hand through his hair; what seemed to be a nervous tic of his. “It means that you’ll soon change, as in very soon…tonight most likely. But to complete that change…you’ll have to drink from me.”

There was more to it, it was obvious from the way Dracul kept darting his eyes left and right. Dracul was the First, he was always composed, never like this. “You can tell me anything, you know that. What’s going on?” I asked him in a whisper, my voice shaking slightly.

Obviously it was really bad if it made Dracul like this.

“You’ll have to drink from me…until you’ve drained me completely. Until you’ve killed me.”

Transforming

That couldn’t be possible, I couldn’t have to drink from Dracul…I couldn’t have to kill Dracul! “No, you’re lying! You’re lying!” Nausea was building up in my stomach, tears starting to slide down my face. “I won’t do it! I’ll find some other way, there has to be another way. The prophecy says that I’ll have to sacrifice love to save my life…maybe I have to kill myself! Or-or leave! I will not kill you though Dracul. I won’t kill anyone.”

The world started to get a bit hazy, my vision focusing in and out. “I won’t…” I whispered, and then felt the world go black.

---

Time grabbed me in its clutches, pulling me away from the present, away from Dracul, away from my mother. Back, back, back, until before Time even existed. Before Life even existed.

“Tammy, you’ve come,” a voice murmured, Her voice.

“Atiyana, that’s you, am I correct?” I answered back, feeling excitement build up where the nausea had left.

“Yes, my dear, you are correct. I’ve come to talk to you, I hear you have questions on the Transformation you’re soon to incur.”

I looked around the diamond room, searching for a face to put with the voice, but there was none.

“Yeah, I mean I don’t even know what the Transformation is! Everyone keeps going on and on about it, on and on about my eyes changing color, about the Energy…it just doesn’t make sense to me. None of it.”

The room warmed, and I felt a smile take place on my face.

“Yes my dear, I know it makes no sense to you. If I was in your place, I’d feel just as confused. You see, you’re special Tammy. Very special.”

I sighed, biting my lip softly. “How am I special? I’m just like any other Amatores,” I said, a soft sigh escaping my lips.

Atiyana laughed, a sound that was like the heavens opening up above me, so warm and lighthearted, I couldn’t help but join in.

“Oh Tammy, you are nothing like the other Amatores, nothing at all. They can easily share their blood; it is no problem at all. You though, you cannot do so. Other Amatores cannot manipulate time; they cannot manipulate the Energy around them. You can do that. Other Amatores are not going through the Transformation; in fact, you are the first to ever do so.”

Immediately the laughter inside of me fell away, replaced with an agony that one could only describe as their body slowly getting ripped apart, an agony even worse then the Change from human to Amatores. “What is happening,” I gasped out, falling to the floor in pain.

“The Transformation my dear, it will hurt for a while. You’ll feel like you can do nothing but give up. Don’t give up Tammy, keep fighting. Win the battle raging within you.” Atiyana’s voice petered off as my vision dimmed, until I could hear no more, see no more, feel no more.

---

“-starting. Give her an IV, and place her in the bed. Carefully, there we go,” my mom’s voice commanded, waking me from my sleep.

A scream came from somewhere; no it came from me, as the pain found its’ way back into my body.

It was worse then before, feeling as if each inch of me was burning in flames, my body almost to the point of combustion.

“Tammy, it’s alright, I’m right here,” a voice murmured, pushing my hair from my face. His voice, Dracul.

His touch was like water falling onto my corpse, giving it a break from the fire, from the battle. All too soon he let go of me though, allowing the pain to find its way back into all the crevices of my body.

Another scream flew out of my already raw throat, and hot red tears poured from my eyes. It hurt, it hurt so badly.

“Do something!” a voice yelled, piercing my eardrums and causing another scream to erupt.

“What do you think I’m doing! I’m trying, I’m trying! What am I supposed to do though? All we can do is wait, wait and hope to God that she doesn’t give up.”

“Tammy, listen to me, listen to me! Just hold on alright, hold on,” a voice begged, and I felt my body calm at his touch, Dracul again.

“Do you see that?” my mom asked, and I felt my thoughts start to clear. “Dracul, don’t let go of her. It seems like your touch is taking the pain away. It’s calming her.”

I smiled, feeling the calm settle deeper within my bones, relishing in the short moment of happiness before the eventual pain when Dracul let go of me.

“Do not worry, I would never think of letting go again. Do you know…how much longer?” he whispered, his voice causing confusion to taint my calm.

“Till what? She has to feed? Soon…very soon. Are you-are you prepared?” my mom asked back, and I felt the grip Dracul had on my arm tighten.

It was like I was on painkillers, floating through clouds of bliss, all thanks to Draculs touch.

“I have been prepared for a long, long time. Do not worry about me. I made my choice the minute I met her, the minute I saw her, the minute I fell for her. It will be hard for her though, we may have to…force her to drink from me. She’s kindhearted, your daughter, and after I die…she won’t take it well. You’ll have to protect her, protect her from herself. At least until she becomes strong enough to visit me in the past. Do you promise to do that for me?” Draculs’ voice was a soft caress against my cold skin, and I heard a giggle come from my mouth.

So beautiful, he was so beautiful. The light shining in from the tiny window, made the room sparkle like diamonds. Beautiful diamonds.

“She’s going,” a male’s voice yelled, and I laughed at that. Going, going, going. Where to go in such a small, cramped place? Where to go?

Once again my vision started to dim, dim until everything was dark. Dark, dark, like midnight. Dark as night, a beautiful night.

---

“Tammy, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I went to the Unseelie Queen, and then was brought to the Fire, but you were nowhere to be found. Where the hell are you?” Duke’s voice reverberated in my ears, making a smile light up on my face.

“Duke! I’m with my parents, it’s okay! Don’t worry, don’t worry at all. I’m okay, okay, just fine, perfectly fine,” I slurred, another goofy grin sliding into place.

“Tam…what’s wrong with you?” Duke asked, eyebrows creased with worry. Worry, worry for me! Me, me, me. Oh Duke, poor Duke, worried for me.

“Nothing, nothing at all. I’m fine, fine as a dime! That rhymes! Fine, dime, lime, time, time, time, time. Time is taking over Duke, Time is taking over! Just like little Alice, little, little Alice.”

“Tammy, what’d they do to you? Did they-no you can’t drug Amatores, that’s absolutely impossible.” Duke was muttering to himself now, lost in thought, thought, beautiful melody of thoughts.

“Dracul, Dracul, Dracul! He did it; he did it with a touch, a simple touch. So soothing, so warm, where is he? Where is Dracul?” I heard a whimper come from my mouth, turning toward Duke with confusion. Dracul wasn’t here, no he wasn’t. Where’d he go?