The SpellBinder's Grim Book Two: Incinerate

Chapter 7

"Caius, awaken," Annaelle begged groggily. She had been feeding him her tainted life's blood for an hour now. Thomas and Eric had long passed by her again to go to the burning. She was starting to believe that all of this was hopeless. What was the point of having used her Darkness if it gained her nothing?

"You son of a bitch," she whispered in his ear. "Wake up damn you."

She gnawed at her wrists and opened his mouth, pouring everything down his throat. This is what her Darkness told her to do, yet it was not working. She thought back to their conversation before he had left and how she told him that he would die- and that she would not safe him. She laughed then as she was trying desperately to bring him back, to save her daughter. She knew that this could end badly, that many people would die because of this. She also knew that the Brotherhood would be prepared with iron weapons. Iron suppressed magic- even dark magic.

She slapped him on the face hard, hoping that he would jolt awake. She whispered in his ear many times.

"Save my girls," she would say.

She looked down at her hands, black stained and numb from blood loss. She was dizzy and needed to lie down. She rested her head against Caius' corpse, her hope fleeting.

His hand twitched and she shot up, her attention fully on him. His jaw had a slight tick and his eyes fluttered. She moved off of him, bringing them both above the ground, exposed to the cold night air. Caius convulsed and let out a disturbing gurgling sound from his throat. He gagged and growled and twisted on the ground. His eyes shot open and there was no white in them, only black. His jaw cracked and he opened his mouth, canine teeth elongating to points. His fingers grew slightly, blackish nails that were worthy enough to carve anything. His ears were slightly pointed, his skin gray.

This was her Grim.

Her Vampire.

"Caius," she said softly.

He sat up straight, the blackness of his eyes receding to show his more humanly green ones. His hair was a mess, he smelled filthy.

"Anna," he croaked. his voice heavy and scratchy and... dry. He brought his hand up, examining it curiously. "Did you do this to me?" He asked.

She reached out her hand and he snatched it in his, looking her directly in the face for the first time. He released her hand immediately.

"You used Dark magic," he said with awe.

She nodded her head. "I do not have much time to explain Caius."

"What am I? My throat feels like it's being scratched by tiny gnomes."

She chuckled, "That is a very odd way of putting it."

"I expected you to be so different, yet you act the same. I believe you made mention that you would never save me, that there were consequences to such a thing."

"Things changed and I had to make a choice. The Darkness is in me now. I released it... You need your strength for what I am about to ask of you," She said while holding up her wrists.

Caius scrunched up his nose at her, looking from her bloodied hands to her face. "Anna, you smell atrocious."

Annaelle scoffed and pushed one of her wrists to his mouth and he began to suck gently. He would occasionally look her in the eye as he did so. She looked worn. He pulled his lips away from her wrist.

"This is killing you."

"Funny how you show concern for my wellbeing," she laughed.

It was odd. She felt emotionally disconnected to him all of a sudden. She thought about her daughters and she still felt something, but not as strongly. She knew that she would still save them. She would do whatever it took to save Elizabeth, and to find Emily. Everything was becoming hallow however.