Gothica: Vampire Blood

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Lennox became angry when he figured out what had happened. He needed no explanation- the fact that the human victim was Cate was all he needed to know. His mother had always had a cruel streak, but this was taking it to far.

Alyssa had been in his arms, crying. "Cate! I killed Cate. Why, Lennox? Why did you do this to me?", when she said the last thing, she pushed him away, becoming angry again. She hit him several more times until she listened to what he had to say. Obviously, when he explained that it was the Queen and her advisers that provided the victim, and that he had no idea who it would be. She was still mad at him, which he could understand, as he hadn't told her the part of a human victim required to "qualify" as a vampire, but she was enraged at his mother.

As his mother had probably expected them both to be mad (enraged), she was no where to be found when Lennox finally convinced Alyssa to leave the ceremony chamber, with the promise that he would recover Cate and make sure that his mother couldn't do anything else to destroy Cate- in turn hurting Alyssa.

Lennox lead Alyssa to his room in silence, with the occasional sniffle from Alyssa. Unsurprisingly, they met no one on their journey. No doubt, his mother and the advisers had warned the people at court to stay away from them until his mother smoothed things over, which she no doubt would try to do as soon as she felt it safe.

Alyssa, needing alone time to think, did not protest when Lennox told her that he'd go retrieve Cate and take her somewhere safe while she bathed. When he left, she broke down. She sat in the warm bathwater and cried. This was not what was supposed to happen. Alyssa and Lennox should right now be celebrating her transformation and live many, many years together. Cate, while Alyssa probably would never have seen her again, was supposed to live her human life right now, and in the later years have children, grandchildren and perhaps even great-grandchildren. Now Cate would never have that, all because of her.

Alyssa wept of the injustice of it all, and she wept for the loss of her best friend.

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Lennox returned to the ceremony chamber, and hoped that he would never have to return. The once spotless room now had splatters of blood, both from Lennox and Alyssa, but also from the vampire that had entered the chamber before Lennox. Lennox lit another candle in the chamber, in a way of lighting it for Cate. When he turned around, he was surprised to see, thanks to the candle he had lit, a guard crumbled in the farthest corner. Suddenly afraid, as nothing would save Alyssa if she had killed a guard, he was thankful to find that he was only unconscious. However, as he was not happy with his mother or her guards, Lennox left the guard there and only took Cate with him.

He doubted his mother would do anything to Cate's body, but as it was Alyssa's wish, he took Cate to the one person he trusted in the castle- his brother. They may not have gotten along very well, but they were both more their father's sons then their mother's, and thus they both hated their mother's cruelty. He left Cate with Quinnex, and his brother promised to keep Cate safe until Alyssa had said what should be done with her body.

He returned to his room and felt his heart break when he saw Alyssa crying in the tub, water now lukewarm. Removing the plug from the bath, Lennox helped Alyssa get up. He couldn't help his body's response to seeing Alyssa naked, but in his mind he knew it was not the time for what he wanted. He wrapped Alyssa up in a big blanket, rubbing her arm and she shivered from exhaustion and cold.

"I am so sorry, Alyssa. If I had known... And I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up", Lennox started to cry. He cried for all that had happened during the month, but most of all he cried for the sake of Alyssa losing Cate and him losing Marcus.