Finally chapter twenty threeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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Everything was still, dark and silent as death itself. Phyconos slowly opened his eyes to what was as light as day to him. For a vampire doesn’t need any light to know where they are. He found that he was still in the mausoleum where he and Mia hid the night before from the mob. Yawning and stretching his cramped muscles; he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. The vampire figured that it must be the next night now otherwise he’d still be asleep. Fresh blood could be tasted still in his mouth and a realization occurred to him. “Mia!”

He looked beside him and found her lying there on the stone floor, unmoving. “Mia?” he beckoned softly. Phyconos laid a hand on her shoulder; she was deathly cold. With a trembling hand, he moved back locks of her soft hair and found the puncture wounds left by his fangs in her neck. “So it wasn’t a dream… I really did bite you,” he whispered more to himself.

Gently, he shook her shoulder in attempts to wake her. “Come on Mia, wake up for me please. Please,” he begged softly.

Mia took a deep breath suddenly, to Phyconos’s immense relief and opened her eyes. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched her arms as though waking up from a long slumber. Turning her head, she smiled up at Phyconos. “Hello,” she greeted.

“Hello yourself,” he replied, smiling back at her. “You had me worried there for a moment.”

“Worried? How did I worry you? I was only sleeping,” Mia wondered of him.

“You could have been sleeping a forever sleep, Mia.”

Mia looked at him curiously and then slowly sat up. She gasped and held her head. “I feel… strange… what happened to me?” she moaned.

“You don’t remember?” Phyconos implied.

“No… not really. What should I be remembering?” Mia replied.

“You’re… I mean I… er… how do I explain…” Phyconos thought for a moment of a nice way to tell her what she has become but found nothing. “You’re a vamprie, Mia.”

Mia looked at him with wide eyes but seemed to relax rather quickly from such news. “Well… that explains why I’m able to see so clearly in the dark and why I have such a strong desire to tear into some defenseless human’s neck and drain out every drop of their precious blood. Other than that I feel somewhat normal.”

Phyconos looked at her in shock from the random rant of going vampire on someone. His shock quickly changed to admiration and a smile grew. “I love you,” he sighed.

Mia chuckled, “I love you too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

He returned her affection with his own and they parted slowly from each other. “Well, we’d better get some blood in you before you start to blood lust.” The vampire stood and offered his hand to his new bride.

She accepted his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. “Blood lust? You mean what you went through after you were hurt and…”

“Lets not dwell on horrible memories,” Phyconos interrupted, not wanting to be reminded of that night. “For now, you need to feed.”

He went the door of the mausoleum and opened the heavy door with ease. The graveyard was still and quiet as it should be. Taking Mia by the hand, he led her out of the mausoleum and into the graveyard beside him. Light from the twin moons shone down upon the land and the couple that stood staring up at it. Phyconos moved himself behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Those moons shall be your suns from now on, Mia,” he whispered in her ear.

“No, you will always be my sun, my moon, my everything.” Mia replied, weaving her fingers with his.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” He gave her a soft peck on the cheek, took hold of one of her hands and had her hold his arm just above the elbow. “Come, I’ll teach you all that you need to know about your new life.”

“I look forward to it,” she smiled at him seductively.

Phyconos chuckled, “All ready you’re behaving like a vampire bride.”

“Is that a problem?” Mia purred.

“No problem at all,” he grinned. “No problem at all. For now we need to get some blood in your system and then we need to leave this place and go elsewhere of Hibikamia.”

“Why do we need to go elsewhere?” Mia questioned.

“There is a war brewing and the vampires do not wish to get involved. Apparently many vampires have perished all ready but you won’t have to worry.” He turned halted their pace and held her shoulders. “We will find someplace safe where we can settle down together forever. As husband and wife.” The vampire took her hands in his and kissed them. “You will take me will you not?” he implied.

“Hm…” Mia looked at him with mocked skepticism. “I don’t know; I’ll have to think on it.”

“Mia!” Phyconos exclaimed.

Mia laughed. “Of course I’ll have you. After what we went through together and you making me a vamprie; I’d be a fool to reject your proposal.”

“Well if you put it that way, then I guess you haven’t a choice in the matter. I only wanted to do things properly and…”

She had pressed her index finger to his lips to silence him again. “You still talk too much.”

He smiled. When her finger was removed, he remarked, “I’ll work on that.”

“Good.” Mia kissed him briefly on the lips, which he evolved into a kiss of passion.

Slowly, he parted from the one he loved. “Lets go,” he encouraged, taking her hand and setting them off at a run through the graveyard. “Squeeze your shoulder blades together, that will make your wings appear!”

Mia did as he told her and took to the air with him as though she had been flying for years. She laughed as the wind whipped through her long hair and dress. Phyconos joined her in joyous laughter as he led her away into the night bound for a place of refuge from their troubles. Nothing else mattered but their love for each other and their future that never looked brighter.

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Miles away in the deepest part of Darken Wood, the air was heavy with the stench of blood and death. Many screams that echoed through the woods; were silenced by many creatures of the dark. Bodies of mutilated men lay scattered about the ground with broken weapons and extinguished flames. Dark, slender figures of women walked among the dead like shadows. Some were knelt over a corpse, draining the victim’s blood. A massacre had occurred all so fast and brought the pursuit to a bloody end.

Galvin lay amongst the dead and dying with a heavily bleeding side. His mind whirled on what had happened to him and his men. They thought they had the vampire; he was so certain. However, the vampires came down from the sky upon them. Blood was flying everywhere; screams pierced the sky only to be silenced forever. He wondered if anyone had slain the vampire, but his question was answered by the sound of his voice.

“Such a waste of human life,” he sneered. Galvin heard a crack as the vampire moved his jaw back into place.

“Are you all right, my lord?” a woman’s seductive voice purred.

He heard more cracks and pops as the vampire was forcing bones back into their proper places. “I am well my pet,” he assured the woman. “Is this all of them?

“Yes, my lord,” the woman replied.

The vampire sounded so close, in perfect position. Galvin was not going to let the opportunity pass by. His eyes searched about for a weapon, anything that he could use against him. They soon fell upon a wooden stake that laid only three feet away from him. Rolling over and wincing from the pain, he inched himself towards the stake on his stomach, blood trailing behind him. He had to reach the stake and use it on the vampire to free Mia; or so he believed. Just inches away from the weapon, a foot planted down heavily on his hand.

“This one is still alive, my lord,” the vamprie purred that had her foot on his hand.

“Still alive?” The vampire strode up to where Galvin lay.

He glared up at eh vampire, beads of sweat on his face and paling from loss of blood. The vampire stared back and his eyes followed the direction of Galvin’s arm and found his hand trying to grab the stake. “Let me guess, you’re going to kill me and take me down with you,” he remarked mockingly.

“I’d rather die than allow you to roam the planet. I won’t let you control Mia any longer!” he sneered.

The vampire seized Galvin by the back of his neck and raised him up from the ground. “I’m afraid you shall only die in vain, but thank you for revealing the name of Phyconos’s lover,” he grinned.

“Ph… Ph… Phyconos?” Galvin gasped.

“Yes,” his grin widened. “Oh dear, wrong vampire.”

With that said, the vampire thrust his hand into Galvin’s chest and crushed his heart from within. Yanking the hand out, the vampire released the young man; body falling lifelessly to the ground. His eyes glazed over, staring at the sky never to close again.

The vampire stared at the body, blood dripping down from his hand. Almost immediately, vampries swarmed around Galvin’s body. He sighed, “Pity they all die so very young.”

Two vampries went to either side of the vampire. “I’m so happy you’re still alive, Lord Dartanion,” a blonde one crooned, laying her head on his left shoulder.

“We all are so very happy,” the red head on his right purred.

“Ah, my dears.” Dartanion raised his bloodied hand to the vampries. The two began to lick the blood from his hand in a seductive, hungry manner. “We are fugitives; wanted by the vampire community for a terrible error,” he spoke sadly.

“You’re still an image of perfection to us, my Lord Dartanion.” A brunette sympathized.

“Darlings, there is work, preparation that needs to be done.” Dartanion flexed the hand that was now cleaned from blood. “A disgusting half breed that needs to die.”

“We’ll do your every bidding, Lord Dartanion,” the red head purred running a hand through his hair.

“That’s what I like to hear.” Dartanion placed a hand on the vamprie’s cheek and kissed her tenderly. “First, let us bide our time, plan and then we will strike.” He tickled the chin of the blonde vamprie. “Perhaps we’ll help the Pagtalinites in their little spat. Doesn’t that sound fun, Christine?”

Christine smiled and then let out a squealing giggle of delight.

Returning the grin, Dartanion remarked, “I knew you ‘d see it my way.” He motioned for the others to gather around him. “Come my pets, we have a war to turn and lives to destroy.”

All wings spread and they arose, a cloud in the night sky. A cloud of oncoming terror to all those who oppose them.

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Okay there's still more to go believe it or not. Bwa ha ha ha! It's not over till the fat lady sings and I don't hear any singing! Once again, hope I wasn't corny. If I was then I'm sorry. R&R as always cause there's more to come and you don't want to miss it!