The Belikov Manor

[AzuraGallu]

Azura rolled to his feet, compensating for being thrown almost immediately. What he didn't count on was the gun pointed directly at his head when he'd recovered, still on one knee, poised to stand.
Staring calmly down the barrel of the gun, he paused for a moment to assess whether she was choking up or not.
It didn't take long for him to get his answer. He gripped the nose of the gun, forcing it backwards to bend her wrist in the completely wrong direction before rushing her, pinning her to the bed just behind them.
She struggled, but just barely. Some part of her recognizing who he was.
Still, he wasn't taking any chances.
He dug a hand into her hair, jerking her head sideways before sinking his fangs into her neck. He didn't enjoy it, which pretty much had to be a form of sacrilege coming from a vampire, being that she was completely out of it. He didn't like resistant or unwilling meals.
Eventually he began spitting the blood out onto the lacy white sheets of her child's bed, having filled himself, but not taken enough to make her immobile. The marring of the pristine color of the sheets nearly made him feel bad until he was distracted in the midst of another tug of blood by her falling limp.
Success.
He righted himself, wiping the droplets of blood from his lips with the back of his sleeve as he backed up to lean against the far wall, completely gorged.

[Doctor]

Anshel and Rima were still in the foyer when the clattering was heard from upstairs.

"Stay behind me," he ordered her as his boots clacked against the littered tile in swift steps, making his way towards the disturbance.

The stench of the house was nauseating, but actual bile hadn't yet risen up his throat. That is, until he clamored into the lacy, pink room and saw a pale figure on the bed, red blood staining her neck and completely soaking the white sheets underneath her. His stomach dropped low, but he kept the vomit at bay with much effort.

Anshel rushed to Melora's prone body. Her chest rose and fell, he noted. She was pale but not dead, thank Satan. The judge grabbed a handful of the bedsheets and pressed it against the puncture wounds on her neck, even though the flow had almost stopped. Melora didn't respond when he shook her shoulders or tapped her face or called her name in a frightened voice that was so unlike his own.

The girl would live, he concluded, but she wouldn't wake anytime soon.

Anshel turned to face Azura in horror, only now noticing his thoroughly smeared mouth still dribbling with hot blood. Fear and rage robbed him of conscious thought. He didn't think. He couldn't. In a second, his hand wrapped around something heavy. Only later would he realize it was a piece of a young girl's headboard. With it clasped in his grip, he threw a weighted fist at the King's satiated face with as much force as he was capable of in his human body.

[Rima Elaine Donavon]

Dear God… She thought, eyes taking in what could’ve only been the sight of a disaster or massacre as she and Anshel walked around the foyer. That’s when the clattering was heard upstairs, then Anshel’s voice barking orders.

She didn’t reply, only follow him upstairs, her light, agile, footsteps heavy on his heels. “Shit!” She said upstairs, the scent of blood washing over her, tempting her, and making her mouth water. It was the first public curse any of this group would’ve heard stain her lips, but with good reason. The fangs in her mouth lengthened… but the hunger died in her throat upon seeing Melora’s crumpled form. That’s probably along the lines of what she had looked like before…

Anshel was checking her, then he went after Azura. Against Rima’s better judgment she sprang to Melora’s side. The blood was even thicker here… ‘The smell …’ She projected to Anshel. The proud, authoritive voice had left her, and shrank back to something almost panicked, something exactly like her voice the night he brother died, or perhaps rather when she had gone after her first feeder.

She applied pressure over the wounds, knowing they were already healing. Why the fuck couldn’t the scent dissipate faster though!? She wrapped a hand over her nose.

[AzuraGallu]

Azura brought up a hand, barely deflecting the blow from the headboard. The thing splintered on his forearm and partially over his head, causing him to hiss in pain.
"Ow! The Hell was that for?! She attacked me first!" He wailed, shaking the fragments of wood from his hair, brushing at it with his fingers.
He growled, testing the tender spot on his head for a moment as he righted himself from the recoiled position he'd taken.
He took another look at Melora, satisfied that she was going to be just fine.

[Doctor]

It was the whine in Azura's voice that made the hunter's temper erupt so extremely. The thought that that insane brat had the nerve to try and justify himself after such damage and disrespect... Azura was a child by vampire standards, but thankfully he looked like a fully grown man. Anshel had no reservations about beating the shit out of a fully grown man. He ignored the excuses and even the sound of Ms. Donavon in his mind as he pulled his head back and threw all his top-weight forward, head-butting the vampire's face. His head might crack open again, but he really didn't care.

[Rima Elaine Donavon]

Rima closed her eyes but still heard the sound of the head-butt, it was sickening, and surely there’d have to be more blood… Melora had stopped bleeding, she could smell that much.

With lightening speed, and some shadow concealment as aid, she exited the room. This easily could’ve been used as an escape, but Rima’s mind was on an entirely different itinerary at the moment. She braced herself outside the room at the far end of that hall, leaning against the aged and peeling wall. She needed fresh air before she did something she knew she’d regret, but this muggy shit was the best she was going to get for now. Just thinking about all the blood scent in that room made her dry heave a couple times, eyes wide and lusting for blood.

[AzuraGallu]

Azura sucked in a breath between his teeth. His first instinct was to claw the living shit out of Anshel, maybe lay open an artery or two, but with luck, Melora's blood had calmed him down considerably and he was able to think rationally once more.
Instead a hand flew up to his face, blood pouring between his fingers as he coughed, spitting some of it onto the ground.
"Goddammit, Anshel. She'll be fine! Unless you wanted her to shoot me in the head, then I'd have loved to see your excuse for my death to the rest of my clan."
Carefully, he adjusted the end of his nose back into place, wincing at the crunch he felt beneath his fingers. Luckily it'd heal back to normal. If he were a human, there'd be no such luck, and his face would be marred forever.
Then, he would have to kill someone.

[Doctor]

The strike carried with it the heavy weight of anxiety and rage Anshel had been carrying. The pain that had sprung up between his eyes as a consequence faded, leaving him oddly refreshed. Azura shirked back, toying with the wreckage on his face and the sight left the judge highly satisfied, though still seething.

"She's practically a child, damn it!" He jabbed a thumb at Melora's body. "You're a grown ass man! You didn't have to drain her to the point of unconsciousness, you shit." He removed his ushanka and ran cool fingers up his forehead and through his hair, attempting to massage away the stress. "I have to look after a drained huntress," he jabbed his thumb again, "a trigger-happy asshole," he turned his hand to Azura, "and a prisoner capable of mind control in a ransacked mansion in the cold ass of Russia," he motioned to the room. Taking a step forward, their noses almost touched, "This mission is already royally fucked what with your inability to control yourself. Attack one of my charges again and, Lucifer help me, I will tear off an appendage, starting with your dick."

Anshel let the threat hang in the air. Not willing to waste time posturing, he spun away and knelt against the soiled bed, slipping a hand underneath Melora's knees and shoulders. He lifted her bridal-style and looked for Rima who had fled the room during the confrontation.

"We can't do anything here until she's recovered," he said tersely. "She needs a day and some fluids. We'll go to the Ritz and come back."

He walked to the door expecting Azura to follow and was immediately distressed by the sight of his captive in the hallway looking nauseous and salivating.

[Rima Elaine Donavon]

‘These are points in my favor Mr. Lochem. Even Azura would’ve had the sense to flee.’ She straightened up, rising to her full height. Immediately, she had locked her jaw, slowing her breaths, upon seeing Melora, still unconscious, in his eyes.

That egotistical bastard of a Prince was pissed, she could tell from his thoughts, and he would be on his way after Anshel in moments.

Rima sidestepped, taking up a position next to Anshel, but at Melora’s feet, unwilling to be near the woman’s head and neck region. She was already starving, and that would only make her cave. And that wouldn't be good in this situation.

[AzuraGallu]

Azura remained oddly silent through Anshel's tirade, rolling his eyes after the man had turned and using his abnormal vampiric speed to leave the room just as the Hunter's were passing through the gilded threshold.
It was obvious they were leaving, but he wanted to stick around, snoop. He was curious about this place and his thirst for knowledge wouldn't be satiated until he'd explored every nook and cranny.
He brought a hand up to his nose to test the setting of it, pleased that it no longer hurt. That meant the bruising was already gone. All he needed now was to wash the dried blood from his face.
He looked over his shoulder, glad that he couldn't see the others in pursuit of him, not that they would have, as he slipped into a large oaken doorway.
Inside he found a large stair with a landing only decorated by the floor to ceiling windows to his left. A small amount of light eked in from the dirty panes, giving the wooden banister an eerie glow as he descended into the basement.

[Doctor]

Out of the mansion and into the night, they arrived at the car sans Azura. Anshel had called for him but was left ignored. Reluctant to leave Melora and the starved Blackraven unseen to for longer, he was resigned to the reality that the King would need to be left behind.

"You'll feed once we get to the hotel, Ms. Donavon. There aren't any cars on the road, it shouldn't take longer than twenty minutes." It was all he was willing to say, not being particularly talkative in the face of massive disaster. Everything was falling apart. The mission as well as his faction's relations with the Gallu were in jeopardy.

With Melora unconscious in the back of the town-car and Rima in the passenger's seat, he started the engine and sped them off.

[Rima Elaine Donavon]

Rima merely murmured a soft reply, then slumped against the door, practically wiring her mouth closed with her hand, then adding a bit of shadow in for good measure. In a way, it was like being stuck inside a tin can with plenty of food, but not allowed to touch any of it. It was absolute torture.

Finally after a bit, the drive was over. She chanced a fleeting look up at Melora in the rear-view, then brought her attention to Anshel, asking permission to be released from the vehicle with her grey-blue eyes.

[Doctor]

Anshel said goodbye to the striking skyline of the city as the mechanized shield of the window shut, leaving no trace of light from the outside to see by. He wondered if Azura would find a suitable place to rest, or if he would have to resort to burying himself in near frozen ground.

The warm lights of the suite revealed the Russian tucked into a queen-sized bed. A bag of saline hung from the high post of the headboard, gravity pushing the fluids into a vein in her arm. Melora was thankfully stable, although still pale.

Finally he turned his attention to Rima and removed his shirt, unfastening the silver buttons and throwing the thickly woven cotton onto the ottoman where his coat and ushanka already lay.

"Do you remember what I told you, Ms. Donavon?" He asked, voice still firmly authoritative despite his partial nudity, of course referring to the instructions he relayed in the lobby about the requirements of feeding from himself.

[Rima Elaine Donavon]

Rima shifted, shirking her jacket and setting it down on the ottoman along with Anshel’s clothing. She had just finished brushing out her hair that had turned stringy from being wet, and had just let it fall loose once more.

“I believe so.” She clicked her tongue in anticipation. It was rare for her to get this hungry, but when she did, it was dangerous. “Chew, not a single bite?” She double-checked, eyes thinking back to the few minutes he had taken to explain.

Her eyes lingered over the sculpted muscle of his torso for a moment. Once he had gotten seated, she felt extremely awkward. Contrary to Azura, she didn’t necessarily agree with feeding from friends, if Anshel could be considered that, or really acquaintances for the matter.

But her hunger was taking charge. With a single finger, she eased the man’s head back into a tilt before she darted in. She trailed the tip over her tongue over the chosen spot for a moment, numbing the area ever so slightly. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she plunged her fangs into his throat. Sweet blood flooded into her mouth but began to slow seconds later. As previously directed, and through the blissful cloud of food, she chewed.

Less then 10 minutes later, that finished the most interesting feed yet of Rima’s life. “Thank you,” She said to Anshel, wiping her mouth. She hadn’t gorged, but she did feel much better.

Her appearance had improved with the feeding as well. That vampiric beauty was replentished: the haunted look in her eyes and on her facing having left, along with the slightly sucken look to her cheeks and black marks that had been under her eyes.

[MeloraBelikov]

Running down the hall she turned, grabbing the doorway to right herself as she flew around the corner. She was face to face with herself, and the other her held the gun directly to Azura's face. She winced, waiting for it to be fired. Blood stained her old lacy pink room, decorating the walls around her. She found herself falling into blood soaked sheets, tangled, unable to escape. She was being held down. The pressure of being held ceased, and there was muffled yelling with a sickening crack. Someone was tapping her, saying her name, but she couldn't find her way to their voice.

Melora woke, startled, sitting up. Almost immediately she fell back to the bed, finding herself too dizzy to continue to sit up. Fear consumed her mind because she had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was standing in her old room. The images flashed before her as she struggled to recall. All her broken things, the pink of her old room, sheets stained with blood. Wait, that didn't seem right. She looked down, noting the needle sticking from her arm. Had they been attacked? Her hand went directly to her neck, feeling around and inspecting it. Her fingers traced over two small holes, running over them again and again, wondering why she couldn't remember.

She finally got around to scanning the room around her, but not one detail of it held any sort of clues as to what happened. She sat up, slowly this time, and found herself looking in a mirror. Her complexion had taken on a paler look than she was used to. Putting that together with the holes in her neck, she deduced quite correctly that she had likely been snacked on. Still, what could have led to such? She shifted uncomfortably, almost wishing she were back in the nightmare. At least that was just a dream.

---

The night had fallen and Melora still hadn't seen Azura. How unlike him to not come and bother her whenever he got a chance. Still, she couldn't risk anyone being around her in that house. She had thought long and hard about what happened and decided that she likely had blacked out in the house. Whatever had happened after that had obviously led to her being confined to bed, so it was risky to be going with anyone else again. Was it possible that the nightmare was not just that, but instead clue to what had happened? She prayed that was not the case, however likely.

She winced as she pulled the IV from her arm, shifting uncomfortably as she wondered where to put it. The bedside table seemed as good a place as any. When she rose she found herself immediately dizzy, but she ignored it, opting to pull on her boots and walk it off. That's what she'd heard American parents say to their sons, walk it off. Melora's parents would never have let her walk anything off, they would take her to the hospital for a common cold or a scrape. Content with her lacing, Melora opened the window and slipped through, finding herself on the third floor. No matter, it wasn't as bad as, say, finding yourself on the 12th floor. That would be a long climb. Once she'd made her way safely to the ground she smiled to herself. Being the stealth expert that she was, she doubted that anyone would even notice that she had left. So she hailed a cab and made her way back to the family home.

Once she'd arrived she paid the fare and was off again, out into the chill night air. Immediately upon reentering the outdoors she felt a chill run down her back, making it's way deep to the base of her spine. The cold spread from there to the rest of her body, she was likely so chilled due to blood loss, but she once again decided she'd walk it off and made her way into the home. The iron smell of blood reached her nose, making her nauseous. Her stomach turned and her head began to spin, she doubled over trying to control herself from being sick. Once she'd regained her composure she continued on, making her way through the home, occasionally pausing. Her senses were off and this was dangerous. But as she drew closer to the open oak door she was sure of it, Azura was still here. Her first feeling was anger, which was the only thing that managed to warm her cold body. Had he been here going through her family's things on his own? But she rethought her anger before she descended the stairs, remembering Azura's reaction to Anshel the first time he'd met him. Instead she made it her mission not to slap Azura around, but find him and ask if he'd found any information. Her hand rested at her side on her gun, the cool silver seeping chills into her hand.

"Azura...?" She called into the darkness, hoping it really was him who she had sensed. With her senses so dramatically out of whack, it could be any number of possibilities. Melora's knees wanted to cave with every step, but she forced herself upright, continuing on.