Adela Augusta Blood Famine

Chapter Twenty Five

Chaise

The ride back to Chaise's home was a smooth one. It was obvious from his seat in the carriage how much money and prestige the Walker family had. The wagon had been fitted with the latest technology in shock absorption, and the inside was carved and decorated by skilled craftsmen. It would seem they were well to do indeed. And to do that in this world it often meant being connected or at very least in the favor of vampires. Chaise tried not to think about that as the carriage pulled up to his overgrown farm.

From the corner of his eye, he watched the winemaker scan the surrounding. He didn't look impressed and Chaise didn't expect him to be. His land was unkempt and overgrown, a result of his father's sickness, and his own personal training afar. Ethan yawned lazily giving the impression that he would have been underwhelmed even if it had been overgrown with vast varieties of consumable vegetation.

"So, where are you hiding her?" Ethan asked.

"She's in the shed." Chaise replied, and Ethan laughed.

"You are housing royalty in a wooden shed, on a dilapidated farm?"

"Nowhere safer." Well for a Human anyways.

Ethan didn't waste any more time. He moved to the back of the wagon to unload the precious cargo.

"Why don't you come give me a hand. We'll start with one case."

Chaise followed his lead and helped him by grabbing the end of the intricately decorated chest. Not so subtle. He thought. Nor was Ethan's expression. He made no attempt whatsoever to hide the pleasure or excitement on his face.

"You're sure in a good mood." Chaise fished.

"Well I have to be honest, I'm not sure this will work. The wine was designed to get a vampire drunk, not resurrect them. The blood to alcohol content is a little iffy. But if this does work and I assume it will, it'll open up a whole world of options for Walker's Wine."

Chaise found himself wondering what that meant exactly. On their ride there, the conversation was minimal. What he gathered was Ethan appeared to be carefree and uninvested, but it was just that. An appearance. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more happening underneath his calm and lax exterior.

As they reached the door to the shed, Chaise slowed. "I'm back, cover-up. he said, alerting the others dwelling within.

"She's ready!" Henry's ragged voice yelled from the other side of the door. Good his dad was still alive. That meant that Adela hadn't eaten him, and presumably, she wasn't dead either. Well fully dead. More dead? Unconsciously dead? Whatever. He reached backward for the door and then pushed his way in.

"We may need to invest in more candles." Henry said as they entered.

"Well, I didn't remodel this shed for a vampire's comfort." Chaise replied, and then shrugged at Ethan who eyed him.

Once they were inside and the door was shut Ethan walked over to Adela and pulled off the sheet. Chaise couldn't see his facial expression but knew that the sight made him flinch Personally.

Adela was incredibly thin. Her skin, once fair, was even thinner. Her bones showed through the paper that was her epidermis, and her muscle seemed non-existent. Her hair remained long, but rather than the glowing white hair it had turned to an ashy grey, and appeared as dry as the rest of her. Her blue eyes had dulled closer to a shade of grey and appeared much larger in her skull. It was the only thing about her that still seemed living. They seemed to have a life of their own, glowing with an unsettling pulse. Adela looked much less like the regal vampire princess of supreme lords, and more like a skeletal demon that had crawled out of the dark corners of his mind. Adela twisted around to look at Chaise with unsettling speed. His hand instinctively reached for his sword, and the skin tightened around Adela's face. Her already angry-looking eyes grew more fierce.