The Lonely Vampiress

Chapter 5

The picture's of a new character you'll discover in the chapter ;)

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Nissa took Ayden back to his cell a few hours later before leaving to go find Sebastian and Scarlett. She found them sitting in a parlor in the right wing of the mansion, playing a card game. She paused by the entryway, observing them. Laughter poured into the hall, and their smiles lit the dark, dreary mansion. Nissa watched them for a while, until Scarlett looked up and spotted her. Her wide smile faded in an instant, and she jumped to her feet, knocking the cards aside as she did. "N-Nissa. We were just — we just wanted to —"

The vampiress held up her hand. "No need to explain. You are free to do as you will within this house, and yes that includes playing cards."

The two humans before her allowed themselves to relax a little. "So... is it time then?"

"Unfortunately, it is. The next wave of hunters will be upon us any minute now, and I want you two out of harm's way when they arrive." She sighed. "This will likely be the last time I see either of you, as I am leaving tonight. Don't worry, as soon as they realize they can't find me, the Hunters will release you, of that I am certain. In any case, you'll be free by morning."

Sebastian looked at her, eyes wide. "Really? You'd really let us go? But what about breaking the law?"

"You'll be in your cell, so technically the Hunters will set you free and I won't have to the law in the process." She motioned for them to follow her. They stood, and the three of them walked back down the twisting hallways, causally talking. It only took a few minutes before they were in front of the cell door once again. When Nissa shut the door, locking them inside, she bid them good day and meant it. She hoped they would be alright.

It was nearing daybreak by then, and Nissa spent the rest of the morning walking around her estate. When she stepped out into the light of the new day sun, her complexion turned from as white as a sheet to relatively average-looking. Her black eyes became almost brown, and her lips became somewhat of a more subdued red. Her hair stayed the same: black as night, slightly wavy, and reaching just beyond her shoulders. But her clothes were the most drastic change, for they morphed from a tight red and black corset with a pair of black leggings to a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Nissa sat on a small stone bench in her front garden, and it brought back memories of her last hundred years in seclusion. She remembered the short time she had with Mason, whom she had loved with all of her immortal heart, even though he was human. He was killed not too far from where she stood, slain by a group of hunters just after he had been turned into a vampire. They had vowed to each other that they would spend eternity together, and after he was killed she went into a rage and viciously murdered all of those responsible. To her everlasting shame, she had then descended upon the townspeople living nearby. No one was spared from her wrath, and it wasn't until she looked upon the dead body of a young girl she had killed, when she finally snapped out of it. The young girl reminded her of the life she could have had with Mason, the life which was cruelly taken from her. She had vowed that day to remove herself from society so that no more innocent blood like that of the young girl would be spilled.

The sound of a car coming down the long drive shook her from her thoughts, and as quickly as she was able she rushed to the wing where the prisoners were kept and swiftly entered the Hunters' room. "Ayden. It's time." She whispered in his sleeping ear, as soon as she unlocked the door. He groggily got up out of bed, careful not to wake the others. As silently as she could, Nissa led him out of the cell and into the hallway, careful to lock the cell door behind them. She turned toward the young man, but he avoided her gaze. "Where do you think they'll attack from?"

Ayden shook his head stubbornly. "I won't tell you anything that'll lead to the capture of my brother. I don't want him to become your own personal plaything. Please, he deserves better than that."

She snarled and said in a low voice. "I don't have time for this, Ayden. Tell me what I need to know, or face the consequences."

He looked at her for the first time since she had taken him from his cell. "Fine. He usually tries to do something unexpected, but since he doesn't know this location very well, so he'll probably attack the same way I did. Though he'll have more men with him, so he'll attack from multiple angles and try to flank you."

"So if he has multiple raiding teams, what team will he be in?"

"The central team, most likely. He loves to be in the center of the action."

"I understand. Thank you, Ayden. I want this to be over quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible. Your information has saved lives tonight, of that you can be sure." He shook his head in disbelief, but said nothing.

The two sat in silence in the drawing room for a time, though it wasn't too long before even Ayden could hear the distinct sound of the stone front gate opening. "I guess I really did hear him earlier." She wasted no time grabbing Ayden, and, running at superspeed, she carried him through a maze of corridors and into her bedroom in the right wing of the mansion. She set him down on the bed. "I will leave you here for now, but I will lock this door. You'll be safe here." She was gone before he could say anything, and back in the front garden in an instant.

In less than a minute, three SUV's pulled into view. She chuckled to herself. There was what, six men per vehicle? That made 18 men to deal with. They clearly didn't know who she was. Perfect.

Seven men got out of each SUV, which was more than she had predicted, but not even close to as much as she could handle. One man in the main group motioned to the others with his hands, and the other two groups split from the main one. They proceeded around the mansion, and it looked as though Ayden was right: they were trying to flank her. There were five men in each of the flanking teams, and nine in the middle one. The man leading the charge had medium length black hair, and although his face had a rugge quality to it that Ayden's didn't, Nissa could easily tell that they were brothers.

The hunters had to pass where she sat in the garden before reaching the door, so she was spotted rather quickly. The leader was first to see her, but in the sunlight she appeared human, so he lowered his gun. With his hand, he motioned for his men to do the same. She kept her eyes lowered as he approached. "Who are you, miss? Do you live here?"

She shook her head, and, feigning nervousness, she stumbled over her words. "M-my name is Lizzie. I-I work for the m-mistress who lives here."

He met the eye of his lieutenant. "The mistress?"

"Y-yes. I would t-tell you more but I can't talk to strangers. I-if I do, she b-beats me." Nissa snuck a glance at his face, and he met her eyes. She quickly looked away.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Does she do other things to you Lizzie? Like suck your blood?" Keeping up the act, Nissa trembled, saying nothing. He pressed on. "Lizzie, do you know where she is?"

Nissa nodded. "She's through there." She pointed in the general direction of the right wing of the mansion. "I-I could show you if you want."

He smiled. "That would be wonderful."

Thinking quickly, she added, "B-but I can only show you. If she hears more than two people coming she'll get suspicious." He looked as if he was about to argue, so she threw in a pitiful whimper for good measure.

Sighing, he said, "Okay, Lizzie. Lead the way." He turned and looked at his men reproachfully, as though daring them to argue with him. "You lot, go in the front door, quietly." They nodded, and left him and Nissa alone.

She started walking toward the right wing of the mansion, but half-way through veered off down a path in her garden. The path took longer than it otherwise would have, but it allowed them to stay out of view of the house. He attempted to strike up a conversation. "How long have you worked here, Lizzie?"

Nissa mumbled, "The mistress took me when I was a child. I don't know how long I've worked here." He looked at her with pity, but she ignored it. They arrived at the outer door to the right wing, and she opened it quietly. "B-be careful. The mistress is closer than you think." Wordlessly, she pointed to the door of the bedroom where she had left Ayden, and he raced ahead. In the darkness of the dimly lit hallway, her appearance shifted. Her lips became red as rubies, her eyes black as night, and her skin as pale as paper. Soundlessly, she crept up behind the hunter, and hissed when she got close.

He whipped around in an instant, "Lizzie stay behind —" He paused for a second. "Lizzie?"

Nissa laughed, her lips stretching across her elongated fangs. "I can't believe you fell for that. Aren't you supposed to be a hunter? You're as weak and pathetic as your brother."

His eyes widened for a second, and then he said, his eyebrows narrowing, "What did you do to him?"

"He's safe... for now." She pulled his body close to hers, knocking the ineffectual stake out of his hands in the process. He hesitated, then bit down hard on her hand. She released his mouth instinctively, and, trembling, he brought a long, thin stick-looking thing to his mouth. When he blew on it, it emitted a sound like that of a whistle, and she tightened her grip on him. "Your brother will pay for that," she whispered.

Taking a key from the chain around her neck, Nissa inserted it in the door and turned it. The door opened to reveal Ayden sitting on the bed where she had left him. He had not moved. His eyes darted from her to his brother and back. His voice was resigned when he spoke. "So you were able to take him after all."

"Yes, but now we have to get out of here." Nissa looked at Ayden's brother as she spoke, her eyes dilating. "You will not make a sound. You will follow me, and you will do as I say." He opened his mouth to object, but try as he might no sound would come out. She smiled; her compulsion had worked.