The Vampires #1: Alaric and Faina

Chapter 4 (Faina): Imagine His Shock

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

When I saw Daylin heading toward me in the lobby, I felt myself start to shake. Outwardly, I lifted my chin and stared through her, even as her lips were starting to curl as we walked near her and then past her. Aullana was slightly behind me, her hand at the small of my back, ready to push me out of the way if this turned into a brawl. My little sister and I had always been fiercely protective of each other.

"Alaric's mine now," Daylin said in a low voice from behind us.

You can have him. I hope he's a comfort to you when what you participated in is revealed to the community and you both reap the consequences of your actions.

While cheating wasn't unheard of, it was most definitely not supported if there was a blood bond. The Council could impose severe penalties for the cheaters because in our world, whoever cheated with a married person was held just as responsible as the cheater and a blood bond was considered especially sacred, to be upheld by everyone in the community. We even had a term that applied to males or females who intruded on the marriage bond: blood whore.

I felt Aullana hesitate, so I tried to walk faster, but before I could stop her, she took her purse -- which we all teased her about weighing no less than twenty pounds -- swung it around and clocked Daylin right in the face with it.

Right in the face.

Blood burst from her nose right before Daylin crumpled to the floor, splayed in a very unladylike manner, but quite unconscious.

"Oh, no! She fainted after I had an involuntary muscle spasm," Aullana called out in the fakest voice ever. I grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the building and toward her car, which she'd parked in front of the building. Another perk of being Alaric's wife -- I never had to use the parking garage.

We got into the car and Aullana sped away, looking in her rearview as if she expected police lights to appear behind her.

Arranging for the dissolution of my bond with Alaric and seeing Daylin must have overwhelmed me because I was suddenly feeling strange, as if my head was swirling.

"What was that, Aullana?" I asked her quietly. "Why cause a scene? We don't want to stoop to that blood whore's level."

"It was an involuntary muscle spasm," she said, and I'm not sure if she was trying to convince me or herself. "And that is the story we're sticking to. If anyone asks. Like the police."

I pressed my sister's hand as the dizziness increased. "Aullana," I said faintly. "Aullana, I feel strange. Dizzy."

"What's wrong, Fain?"

My head began pounding and I became so nauseated, I feared I would get sick.

Sick.

Vampires didn't get sick.

At most, maybe dizzy following a feed and release, but in that case, the receveur would send us to sleep.

Something was wrong, very, very wrong and I pressed my sister's hand, as if that could keep me from floating away. Away.

"Doctor," I said, feeling myself drifting off. 

"Doctor," I tried again.

For the second time that day, Aullana began rocketing through traffic, racing for the doctor, who, fortunately wasn't far away. Vampires had little use for a doctor, except in cases of STDs or pregnancy. Or, in my case, some unknown affliction. Maybe stress? Could stress make me feel so fuzzy? I was so tired, I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep.