Divergence: The Vampire Queen

Lessons learned

He pulled off as soon as he heard her exclamation of pain. She looked terrible and bedraggled, and instantly his heart dropped. He held her up on the bed, keeping her from passing out. Moving so fast that she barely even had time to slump before he could cradle her once more. In one swift motion, Natalia still in his arms, he retrieved the decanter of blood. He pulled out the stopper and propped her up once again, parting her lips as he lifted it to them, pouring lightly.

"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! That was a terrible idea! I should never have done that! Get us some food now!" He yelled the last part toward the door and could hear someone scurry off in the corridor. It was fortunate someone had been nearby. As he poured the blood into her mouth, she didn't even have the strength to gag. She wanted to tell him she was ok. That she asked for it, but her mouth wouldn't move.

Once she'd swallowed a bit of the blood, he set down the container and jumped up again, speeding to the wardrobe and returning with his cloak. He draped it around her in an attempt to keep her warm. "I promised I would take care of you, Natalia!" There was pure anguish in his voice. She shivered as he draped the cloak protectively around her, her eyes focusing on his as if to assure him she would be alright. After a few minutes, she began to come around, a slight bit of color returning to her cheeks.

It took what felt like far too long before some food arrived: cold meats and some fruit. He offered her the platter and continued to rub her back and supply her with sips of blood. Blood was probably the last thing she wanted to drink, but it would appease the little one and hopefully take some of the strain off her body. Guilt wracked him as he worried about what could've happened. "I'm so sorry, Nat," was all he kept repeating while she shivered silently.

Finally, she regained feeling in her hands and could move them again. So she tipped up the glass, swallowing the rest of it in one gulp, and promptly popped a few grapes in her mouth, hoping to chase the taste out. At last, the pain subsided.

"I'm ok..." she breathed. "It's not your fault. I asked." She had come extremely close to fainting, but she hadn't. He'd kept her stable. She popped a few more of the grapes in her mouth, the metallic flavor still lingering on her tongue. Then she closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply. After about a dozen breaths, she opened them again. He was still staring at her like he might've killed her. "I'm ok." she said again, stronger this time, and took a bite of the meat on the plate as if to signify that. It made her gag, too. So she set it down and stared at the plate. Food, normal food, was not going down well.

"I think I need more blood." She grimaced. She wasn't hurting, but something inside her told her the only way she might be able to eat was to appease the creature inside her. That meant more blood, she was afraid.

He left the room again, heading off into the palace, and returned several minutes later with what looked like wine bottles. He opened one and refilled the glass to the brim, offering it back to her. The way she had gagged on the meat—The baby was calling the shots already.

"I pulled some blood from the stores so we wouldn't have to keep getting up for it." He informed her before going quiet once more. If he tried to open his mouth again, he'd only apologize again. Then, she would then say it was not his fault, but it was; he knew it. The silent minutes ticked by as she tried to choke down the cup that was full once more.

Placing a hand on her lower abdomen, he leaned over and laid on the bed, making his face level with her stomach. "Little one, you shouldn't be so mean to Mama. It's Dad's fault that you're a little uncomfortable. Mama just wants the best for you." He did too, of course, but talking to her stomach as if it could hear him was more of a coping mechanism. He doubted the baby could hear him yet.

Then he looked up at her, the sadness in his eyes not diminished. "I won't do that again, Natalia. Drinking from you, no matter your state, is just unwise." Affirming his point, he tore his shirt he had discarded to make loose strips of cloth before delicately tying them around her neck. Enough pressure to prevent any more blood flow, but not enough to make her uncomfortable. "Is there anything else I can do, my love? To help you feel better?"

Natalia shook her head but smiled. The way he talked to the little thing growing inside her was adorable. She wondered how quickly it would grow. Were it a human child it would be barely a pinprick in size, but with the increased growth rate, would it be a noticeable size soon?

She finished the glass, despite the taste, and tried to eat again, gagging much less this time. She was ravenously hungry though, and with the thing inside her satiated enough to at least let her attempt, she ate with a vigor that would've been considered unladylike. It felt wrong for him to see her behave in such a way, but she felt as though she might starve if she didn't eat something soon. Even if she threw it back up, at least she would have something in her stomach.

"You and I will have to think of names before long. We can't call our child 'it' or 'baby.' There will have to be names for a boy and a girl, just in case."

Finishing up, she set the tray aside and looked at him. "Names... right. Usually that's something you think about so far off, but I guess we have to think of everything more quickly." She looked down at her completely flat abdomen.

"Currently, blood monster sounds like the perfect name. Because that is exactly what he or she is... a little monster making me drink blood... torturing me..." Even though there was absolute truth to her words, her voice held a teasing tone, and she smiled despite how uncomfortable she was. "I know. It's not a monster. It's not an 'it.' It's an 'ours.'"

A little anger brewed in his chest as she called the child a 'blood monster,' but then as repeated his own words back to him, he suddenly realized it was rather fair of her to call it that when she was the one being hurt by it. She looked healthier at least now, and if she wasn't up to names now, then he would leave the matter for later. They still had time, just not the luxurious amount humans got.

He stroked her abdomen. "Little baby doesn't know any better yet, and as he grows, he won't want to hurt Mummy, the carrier. So long as we keep him fed on what he wants, maybe he will sit still and treat you nicely." Marcello knew he had just called the baby he, but it was easier to pick a gender and stick to it even if there was no way to be sure. He knew he must sound crazy to her right now, trying to suggest that their baby might understand not to roll over or kick.

She finally looked better, stronger, just very exhausted. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, a non-verbal apology for his actions. Natalia simply smiled at him as he pulled back from the kiss. "I'm ok..." she said again. "It was quite an interesting experience, one I'm sure we won't be repeating, but I don't regret sharing that with you. Truly." She laid back down once more and snuggled against him, closing her eyes. "I think I need a nap before our walk." She yawned and was out moments later.

He laid with her, cuddling her to his body and stroking her hair as she drifted off into a deep sleep. Then he pulled the cloak over her like a bedsheet, and knowing she would be asleep for some time, attempted to sneak out and come back. However, as he went to move, her arms clung to him. He didn't have the heart to pull away, and so he continued to cradle her in his arms.