Once in a Blood Moon (Another Life Part One)

Chapter Six

Why in the name of all that was unholy did she say something like that? To her captive, no less; even a creature of pure evil knew that was over the line. It was lucky Elayn wasn’t in human form, no doubt she’d be--

Well, not mocking her, but staring certainly. Something about her canine presence was less… daunting somehow. A different kind of dangerous.
    Besides, Serana had always... liked dogs.
   
As they walked through the garden, she opened the door to the laboratory only to find Elayn had stopped behind her, standing in the glowing light of the moon. Her head was tilted up, eyes closed. It was almost as though she were bathing in it.
   
“You know,” Serana said quietly, as not to break what felt like a peaceful moment. “I haven’t pruned the nightshade in a while. I think I’ll work out here tonight.”
   
Elayn as a wolf was less helpful as an assistant, but a lot more lively in her demeanor as she sniffed here and there around the garden, fluffy tail waving in the air. Serana hid a smile as she worked, liking this, if not softer, then less rigid side of her werewolf.
   
My, where had that come from? She knew better than to think of Elayn like that, not when the idea so galled the last shreds of humanity in her.
   
A growl, so menacing it sent shivers down her spine, pulled Serana’s attention away from her pruning. She looked up to find Elayn standing behind her, facing an approaching Vingalmo with her hackles raised and teeth bared.
   
“Careful,” she said, rising and dusting off her black skirt. “The moon is full tonight. And she doesn’t have very much cause to like you as it is.”
   
The berobed vampire stopped well out of distance of the growling werewolf and gave a courtly bow. “Lady Serana,” he said with all the charm of a polecat. “I do hope the night finds you well.”
   
“Enough,” she said, acknowledging his bow with a curt nod. “What is your business?”
   
“Our Lord Harkon requests your presence tonight at his feast. He will be expecting dignitaries from our neighboring countries.” As he spoke, Elayn’s growl rose in volume, so much so that he had to raise his own voice over it, and Serana saw no reason to stop her.
   
“Very well, tell my father we will gladly attend him,” she said, hiding a smile at the way his own had disappeared. The werewolf had rattled him.
   
He bowed again and left with amusing alacrity. Her enemy gone, Elayn stopped growling, and turned to Serana with a surprisingly human expression on her wolf face. It asked, quite simply, “We?”
   
She let herself smile, showing her teeth. “My father will want to see me with his newest present.” Then she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Besides, I’d like to see Vingalmo squirm. Pompous ass.”
   
Serana could swear Elayn’s panting was laughter.

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The moon was full. Her song held Elayn in sway. It was muted by the walls around her, but she could still hear Her sing. It soothed her worries with whispered reassurances of strength, and gave her courage as she walked with the vampire woman deeper into the den of monsters than she cared to go. The closer they grew to the hall where Harkon held court, the louder their revelries became-- and the stronger the smell of blood grew.
   
They were led to a seat beside Harkon by one of the serving humans. Elayn sat at her mistress’s side, ears pinned back as she fought the urge to growl at the vampires surrounding her. To her back was empty space, a fact that did not ease her. Even worse, a serving human brought a bowl of raw, bloody meat and sat it in front of her.
   
It wasn’t as though she had any qualms about eating raw meat, especially in her shape with teeth made for cutting sinew, but she could smell it was human and there was a taboo her kind did not cross. No matter what, these creatures would not make her a monster too.
   
It helped that Vingalmo was seated diagonally across from her. Him, she could glare at with impunity, and it cheered her to see him glance with unease her when her stare became too much.
   
“Tell me, my dear daughter,” Harkon said, grabbing her attention. “Do you enjoy my gift?”
   
“Yes father,” Serana replied gracefully, but Elayn’s nose was particularly keen at the moment-- she could smell the tension.
   
“It cheers me to hear it,” said a man who sounded like he feigned cheer so much he’d forgotten what it really sounds like. “After all, a dutiful daughter must be kept well.”
   
The court of vampires laughed in unison, sending a chill up Elayn’s spine. The longer Harkon’s bloody gold eyes were on Serana, the stronger the tension grew. Something wasn’t right here, and right now the instincts of her wolf heart were not silenced by her human mind.
   
Finding herself sympathizing with her mistress made her uncomfortable, but the truth was in front of her nose. As Harkon went back to conversing with one of the vampires near him, Serana relaxed, and Elayn went back to terrorizing Vingalmo, but the truth remained with her.
   
She wasn’t the only one being kept in a cage.