4 Peridot Blood

ANNA'S ANKLE SEEMED TO BE HEALING NICELY. Granted, it was not as quick as she had hoped, but it was progress. Her stitches, however, would likely heal at the rate of a human's, due to the nature of the wound.

The dress Alucard had provided was quite lovely with its green fabric and flower embroidered bodice. The sleeves were a bit too short, reaching just past her elbow, and her skirts rested a good bit above her ankles. It had likely belonged to a human. Alucard's mother? Perhaps. It had been rumored that Dracula had wed a human woman, but the fae often avoided trifling in this realm's affairs.

Anna gave up on struggling with her unruly mane and decided to tie it into a loose braid. It likely didn't help that her loose curls nearly reached her waist while dry, and easily surpassed it when wet. However, her mother frowned upon the notion of cutting off more than a few inches. With some difficulty, Anna was able to transition herself back on to the bed, as sitting on the stool was growing rather uncomfortable.

Just as Anna had settled into a more comfortable position, Alucard entered the room, a tray of food in his hands. "I didn't think to ask you what type of food you prefer," he said.

"I haven't eaten in four days, right now I'll eat whatever you put in front of me," Anna said with a light laugh, suppressing a wince as it caused her stitches to ache.

Alucard gave her a practiced and detached smile as he gently set the tray on her lap. "I'm not the best cook, but if it is as you said, I doubt you'll notice."

On the tray was a platter of trout and roasted vegetables as well as a glass of wine. A beautifully prepared meal, Anna thought. "It looks amazing, thank you," she said.

"Well after you finish you should get some rest, I shall collect your tray later," said Alucard, quickly dismissing himself.

What a peculiar man, Anna thought. She was too famished, however, to let her thoughts linger on him any longer.

Anna ate this meal faster than she had ever eaten before. Her father would be disappointed and her mother would be appalled at her lack of table manners, even though she was eating alone.

"Be a lady in everything you do" was her mother's philosophy, though Anna couldn't care less about being a lady. Sure, wearing nice gowns and having her hair done was nice sometimes, but that just wasn't who she was at heart. Anna longed to fight alongside her brothers in each and every battle, to defend the land which she loved so much, but her father forbade it. "The battlefield is no place for a woman," he would say, his voice calm but steel behind his eyes, and Anna knew better than to press the issue further.

Her belly full and her plate empty, Anna set her tray on the table next to her bed and attempted to wriggle out of her gown and into the nightgown Alucard must have brought without her noticing.

Despite being unconscious for four days, Anna was exhausted. She settled into the bed and reached for the covers, being careful not to disturb her stitches.

Alucard lay in bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he waited for sleep that would likely never come. Perhaps it was in his vampire nature to be nocturnal, or perhaps his year of slumber had been enough to keep him awake indefinitely, or, he decided, his mind was simply too laden with a myriad of thoughts, all running together in a sea of chaos. No matter which it was, or all of the above, it was annoying.

Was this his penance for murdering his father? What a cruel, cosmic joke. Surely Alucard's karma would be more severe had he allowed Dracula to eradicate the human race. However, aside from his mother and arguably his two human companions, humans were awful, vile creatures, much worse than the so-called monsters that preyed on them. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling Alucard that the humans had surpassed their expiration date and Dracula was simply ridding the earth of them, as one might rid himself of rotten fruit.

It doesn't matter now. Alucard turned over on his side, allowing his thoughts to drift elsewhere. He thought of Anna's blood. Why he had felt so compelled to taste it, Alucard was unsure. Vampires hungered for human blood and human blood alone. There was just something so alluring about the faerie's blood and Alucard had never tasted anything like it before. The peridot colored blood tasted of wild honeysuckle, so sweet and intoxicating, and in the back of Alucards mind, he knew he would drink it again in a heartbeat.

"God, what's wrong with you?" groaned Alucard, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. He turned onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow. "A wounded girl shows up at your door and all you can do is fantasize about having her for supper."

The creaking of the bedchamber's door caused Alucard to bolt upright, alarmed. Anna entered, her ankle seemingly mended. "Sorry to bother you," she said sheepishly, mindlessly tugging at her long braid.

"It's no matter," said Alucard, he allowed himself to relax slightly but kept his guard firm, "What's wrong?"

"Well it's dawn and I decided to do some exploring. I was not aware that these were your bedchambers." Anna tugged at the ends of her nightgown self consciously, wishing it were just a little longer.

It was dawn already? Alucard often lied awake at night, unable to sleep, but he couldn't believe how quickly time had escaped him. His eyes were drawn to Anna's body, her long, ivory legs were likely the most prominent feature of her figure. Her nightgown barely reached her upper thigh, just covering the region below her midsection. Embarrassed, Alucard looked away respectfully. It was incredibly impolite to gawk at a young woman no matter what she was wearing, and Lisa Tepes would be incredibly mortified by her son's behavior.

"You must be hungry," Alucard said, desperate to fill the uncomfortable silence laden with sexual tension, "go dress yourself, and we'll go downstairs for breakfast."

Anna, her cheeks flushed bright green from Alucard's unintentional staring, quickly nodded. "Yes, I'll go do that."

The moment the bedchamber's door shut behind Anna, Alucard buried his face in his hands, humiliated. Get it together, Alucard.