From Dusk Until Dawn

Chapter 20: Blood Disease

Alcina stepped back into her home, sighing heavily and greatly annoyed due to Heisenberg asking her needless questions during the meeting. She knew why he was doing things to waste her time and energy while Mother Miranda was gone. Thankfully, she'd be back in a few days. It took all her energy to keep herself from slicing him to ribbons.

''My Lady, welcome home.'' Sofia said, greeting her with a noticeable smile.

''Thank you, did something happen while I was gone? You seem in a good mood.'' she commented as she removed her large coat, kneeling down to hand it to the woman.

''Oh, not at all. I suppose I'm just in a good mood.'' she said, hanging her coat on one of the racks before turning to the Countess. ''Before I forget, Rue wanted to speak to you about something. She's in your chambers.''

Alcina thanked her before walking away. She was curious about what Rue had to talk about. Perhaps she wanted they arrangement to come to an end. If that was the case, she would respect her wishes. Silently, she wished that wasn't the case. She loved feeling that close to her it made her head spin.

She stopped as soon as she came to the door of her chambers. She took a moment to herself before opening the door and ducking down. Inside, she saw Rue tiding up her desk that had previously been covered in loose paperwork and books. The Countess watched as she was still busy and not fully paying attention.

''Dear, what are you up too?'' Rue jumped nearly a foot in the air.

''Oh, my Lady! I didn't realized you we- are you alright?'' Rue asked in a concerned tone.

''Yes, dear, just a bit worn out.'' she said before sitting down and patting her lap. Rue immediately went to her, resting on her lap.

''Would you like a drink?'' she asked, a faint red hue on her cheeks as she placed her hand on her neck. Alcina gave her a nod and the maid immediately pulled down the collar of her uniform and exposing her neck to her. The Countess leaned forward, pepper soft kisses along her skin before finding her pulse point. She heard Rue suck in a breath as she bit down and started pulling blood from her neck. Her blood was something she wanted to savour and made her crave for more. It didn't help that Rue was softly moaning in her ear and raking her fingers down her back so she continued.

She stopped herself once she realized she had taken a bit more than she usually did and pulled away, licking her lips clean on blood. Rue brought the tips of her finger to her neck while Alcina got up to go to the bathroom. She came back out with something to clean the wound on her neck and a bandage. After cleaning her up and covering her wound, she gave her a weak smile.

''Sorry my dear, I didn't mean to take more than usual. Are you alright?'' she asked, cupping her face gently. Rue nuzzled into the touch before pressing a kiss on the palm of her hand.

''It's worth it. My job is to serve you, my Lady.'' she muttered, her eyes drooping.

''Oh draga mea, you should put your own wellbeing before mine.'' she said, softly caressing her cheek. Rue weakly smiled as she was position back on Alcina's lap. The Countess ran her fingers through the maid's soft black hair. ''Now, Sofia informed me that you wanted to speak to me about something? You don't have to ask now. Just rest for a moment.''

Rue rested her head on Alcina's shoulder, her hand resting on the top of the Countess's breast. Alcina couldn't help but adore the sight of the woman curled up against her chest. She looked so fragile, like she would shatter like glass if she wasn't held correctly. Slowly, she rubbed circles on her back.

''My Lady-''

''Dear, please call me Alcina.''

''Sorry, I guess I'm not completely use to it yet.'' Rue chuckled, looking up at the Countess. The held eye contact for a long moment before breaking away and looking out the window. ''It's snowing.''

Alcina turned and saw the white fluff falling from the darkening sky. ''Do you like the snow?'' Rue nodded. In response, Alcina stood up, holing Rue securely so that she would fall. She placed a chair near the window so the maid would get a better look at the snow. Rue's eyes widened in delight as she watched the snow fall.

''I want to ask you something that's been on my mind for a while, but I don't want to ruin the moment.'' Alcina heard Rue mutter quietly.

''You could never ruin my mood, draga mea. Please, ask me anything.'' she said, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Rue stayed silent for a long moment before touching the spot where Alcina's fangs had pierced her neck. ''What caused you to start drinking blood?''

Alcina paused, looking out the window. At least she didn't want to end their arrangement but still, it was something she wasn't sure if she wanted to answer the questions because she was afraid she might scare her away. She took a moment to keep herself calm before speaking. ''I was terribly sick for most of my life. Before I became Countess Dimitrescu, I was known as Miss D. I was a jazz singer. But things didn't go as planned. My illness progressed and when the second world war came along, I had to end my career. I learned that my family owned a Castle here in Romania and so, I moved here. I met Mother Miranda and she was very interested in my illness. She ran some tests as I got use to my new home. That's when I also met...'' she paused, glancing down at Rue, who had been listening intently.

''That's when you met Daria?'' Rue questioned cautiously.

''Yes. She was with me as I began to... change.'' she paused, closing her eyes as she remembered the agonizing pain she had gone through. ''Mother Miranda gave me a gift. A parasite she called 'Cadou'. Overtime, I began to grow in size and I gained my powers. But due to my blood disease, it cause side effects. One of them is my dependency on consuming blood in order to keep my form.''

They stayed silent for a long moment, just staring out the window. Alcina looked down at the women, who continued to stare out the window and seemed occupied by her thoughts. She knew that she shouldn't, but her curiosity got the better of her.

''I guess Alcina and I have more in common than I previously thought... Mother Miranda really saved her life. I wonder... what is their relationship like between them?'' she heard Rue think to herself.

''After the Cadou implantation was a success, she adopted me as her own. I owe everything to her.'' Alcina said, obviously startling the woman. She did her best to hide her amusement at the expression on Rue's face. She was looking at her like she was a mind reader. ''Then Donna came along, followed by, ugh... Moreau and finally Heisenberg.''

''I see.'' Rue muttered, playing with a loose thread on Alcina's gown. The Countess pulled the maid closer to her chest, a pink hue dusting over her cheeks. ''I apologize if I ruined the mood.''

''No, my darling, you didn't. Like I said, you could never ruin my mood.'' she tilted her head up so that the maid was looking at her. She leaned down, trapping her in a slow, gentle kiss. She felt Rue gently grip the back of her neck before moving up to run her fingers through her curled hair. Alcina smiled into the kiss as she gently cupped her cheek. Oh, how her heart swelled when she felt Rue wrap her arms around her neck before pulling away.

''Can I say something kind of corny?'' Rue asked nervously.

Alcina could heart her heart hammering in her chest. ''Of course you can, draga mea.''

''I'm... I'm glad that I decided to come here, otherwise I would have never met you.'' the maid said, slightly embarrassed.

''I'm happy to report that I feel the same way.'' Alcina responded, looking down at her and getting lost in her beautiful green eyes. There was something enchanting about them that she couldn't quite figure out. They sparkled brighter than any jewel she had ever seen. But what made her heart flutter was that those sparkles only ever seemed to shine hen she looked at a her.

''If it's not to much to ask, can we stay like this for a bit longer to watch the snow?''

''As long as you like.'' Alcina responded as they turned to window. She glanced down at Rue for a moment, spotting the small bit of smudged red lipstick along her lips. ''Red suits you, my dear.''