The Blood Whore

Too Soon

Chapter Twenty Three;;

Too Soon;;

When the treacherous trio got outside of the mansion and saw Louis he was just returning from a path lined by trees. Clarisse glowered at him, and felt perturbed as she saw a group following him through the tree path, a young blonde being pulled on a rope at the end of their parade.

Human, Clarisse thought with a whiff of the air. She felt the tingling sensation along her gums as she craved a taste of the mortal’s blood. She seemed relatively well kept, and she wondered why every vampire didn’t have a pet human. It appeared to be incredibly convenient, but this was not the time to ask for a snack.

There was an unknown man walking at Louis’s side who waved at them. “Hello, ladies. Charming evening, is it not?”

Clarisse bit back her growl at his false niceties. “A fine evening for betrayal,” she and Banner said at the same time. They shared a brief, emotionally charged glance as they slowed their pace.

“Harsh words on such a joyous occasion,” Louis said with false regret. He nodded to his companions and asked, “What unpleasantness do you bring for us?”

“You’re about to have mutiny,” Banner said without the ease and self-confidence Clarisse had noted earlier.

“And who would do this?”

“Aiden and his band of monkeys,” Banner answered.

Approaching Louis reached out to take Elizabeth and Clarisse by the shoulder. “And you ladies would like to rid us of the traitors?”

“He killed Erica,” Clarisse said flatly. “I’m not going to rest until he’s dead.”

“Which are the monkeys you speak of?” Louis’s companion asked, his flock herding around.

“Dalia, Wesley, and I believe Nadeline.” Clarisse recounted, dedicating a finger to each of the unfamiliar names. “The other women in our group are planning to assist them. Their true loyalties are to that human.”

“Ah, yes.” Louis nodded. “So you will be turning on your comrade?”

“The way I see it –“Clarisse started, but it was Elizabeth who shook off Louis’s hand and fixed him with an immovable glare. “They betrayed us.” The petite vampress stated.

Louis nodded and then turned to the vampires who’d followed him through the wooded path. “Aiden has found himself a pet, and she is certainly very interesting... just look at her contacts.”

Louis turned to the group, what may have been sadness marked his face. “It’s such a painful moment when you find out a friend has betrayed you.” He paused to let that sink in. “Why don’t you leave your friends here while we remind Aiden and his friends why they should always honour their friendships.”

There was a knock at the door which drew everyone’s attention; no one had heard the approach. “Can I come in?” Louis’s voice rang heavily through the old room.

Wesley looked up from Cooper’s face, to gage the reactions of the other vampires. The elder couple were remaining stoic, thought he could still sense their hostility. Katrina and Alice, standing by their parents while the other vampires did their work shook their heads fervently.

“I don’t think Cooper is up for another visit, Louis. She has just been impaled. Perhaps you should get to fixing the stairs.” Wesley called to him.

Cooper reached a hand up and squeezed his arm. “Thank you,” she mouthed. He was glad to see she was looking better; her wound was fully healed after he and Nadeline had cast a bit of healing. He was glad for the improvement even if she was pale and looking weak.

“We have guests who would like to see you.” Louis said, and without waiting for a response pushed through the door.

Nadeline’s eyes flashed with emotion as Louis and a tall, sandy haired man walked into the room. “Naddie, it’s been far too long,” the stranger greeted. “I’m so sorry it must be on such shameful terms that we meet again.”

Seeing Louis, Aiden shifted on the bed so he was closer to Cooper and Wesley. “Get her out of here,” Aiden whispered so quietly that it didn’t even register as a blow of wind in Cooper’s ears.

Fortunately for her, Aiden’s instincts were at their peak. Just as Wesley was gathering Cooper up, Louis’s companion from overseas growled at Nadeline. “The shameful terms of discovering a traitor,” was his quick spoken response, matched with a swift attack.

“Okay, Coop, getting you out of here,” Wesley said as he dashed to the window and jumped through it. He landed with grace on the ground with the shattered glass. He ran through their yard and into the woods for a short while, making sure they were at least out of sight.

The only steady thing Cooper could see was his face, drawn into concentration. Everything else behind him was a blur of green and brown. “Wes, what is going on?” Cooper asked, struggling in his grasp until he let her go.

“We were planning to leave Louis’s protection, but they found out…” He rubbed his temples and shook his head. “Too soon though, we were not prepared. We’re still weak.”

“Yeah, I knew about the plan, but what do you mean you’re weak?” She asked, walking over to him. The instinctual fear of the prey was kicking in, and her heart was hammering hard against her ribs as she took his arm.

“We’ve all given some of our own blood to you, to heal this,” Wesley touched her shoulder where the railing had pushed through her. “We’ve all been weakened because of it.”