"Calla." Sage started soon after her and Metrix had reseated. "We have reached a decision over your punishment." Calla gulped and looked at the couple but her eyes became unfocused. The link pulsated and grew stronger by the second.
"There is simply no way that we can allow you to roam free, especially since you aided the wolves against you own kin." From the look on her face, everyone thought that Calla was resigned to death. But she wasn't and the connection continued to grow, enveloping her mind in warmth.
"It is a great loss that one of your potential should have to lose their life so soon, but without any ability to control you, we have no other option."
'It's coming. For us.' she mused in her mind, no longer registering her impending death. She began to smile and a few people exchanged glances at the oddity.
"Before we enact the sentence," Sage said softly, "do you have anything to say?" Calla's eyes homed in on hers, her smile growing. She didn't know if it would save her, but being able to meet the object of her obsession would make her death worth it. Calla didn't speak.
"Well then," Sage sighed as she went to deliver the sentence, "death by fi-"
Before she could finish the doors of the hallway were kicked open and a chirpy young woman appeared.
"Hi Dad! Hi Mum!" the voice echoed around Calla's mind and she lost herself in it. It soothed her and made her happy. She turned to face whatever creature had such a beautiful voice and became lost in the visage. There was a young woman of similar age, appearance wise, to her though the woman was half a head taller. She had curly golden locks that just reached her shoulders and a glimmering blue eye that reminded Calla of the ocean. Her other eye had a golden iris surrounding the pupil, sitting on a backdrop of pure black. Calla's mouth dropped in awe and her eyes began to glow.
'She is the connection.' Calla's eyes were wide as they roamed every part of the other woman's body, taking in the perfectness of her skin and the way her blue dress clung to her.
"Hylee." Sage reprimanded. "You can't just barge-" but her daughter stepped passed her and met Calla's eyes. None had been paying attention to Calla once Hylee stormed in, but now they could see that both women's eyes were alight.
"Oh my oh my." Hylee murmured. "What do we have here?" She circled Calla who was still chained to the floor and looked at her with glee. "How interesting, how beautiful." she whispered as she passed Calla's ears.Metrix, Sage and Virgil could feel a headache coming on. Of course the strange girl had to be the Kindred of their princess.
'No, you're beautiful.' she spoke in her mind as she licked her lips and gulped in nervousness whilst Hylee inspected her.
"Mum, who's this?"Hylee asked and Calla wanted to answer, but she was too nervous to get the words out.
"That is Calla," Sage said with a huff as she began to massage her temples, "the vampire that feeds on vampires."
"Really?" Hylee asked with wide eyed glee. "She really is perfect." she muttered. "So why is she chained up?" she challenged her mother with a disarming smile. "Although I think I like you chained up." she hissed quietly into Calla's ear which made a shudder run down her spine.
'Anything for you.' her mind chanted like she was hypnotised, and she supposed she was.
"She is guilty of helping werewolves infiltrate one of our cities." Sage replied calmly.
"And why would she do that?"
"We don't know, but it doesn't change that she did."
"And her punishment?"
"Death by fire." Sage said with a cringe.
"Absolutely not." Hylee responded firmly. "Choose something else. There's no way you'll be killing my Kindred."Some in the audience look aghast at her words that completely contradicted the Queen. Sage though, knew carrying out the sentence would also result in her daughter's death, only after she had killed them all of course.
'Why did Hylee have to show up now? If they hadn't met each others' eyes then the connection could of broke without issue.' Sage thought to herself, only to feel something click.
"Calla. Is Hylee the source of It?" she asked the seated woman only to see her lost in the sight and scent of her circling daughter, who still hadn't looked away. Hylee briefly glanced at Sage.
"Perhaps, mother, I can ask the questions?" Sage nodded and Hylee crouched in front on Calla, looking her dead in the eye.
"My little Blood-letter," Hylee cooed, "what does my mother mean by 'it'?"
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"The connection. What we feel to you. We always have." Calla said, still in awe of the blonde. "Everything we do is for the connection, for you." she beamed with tenderness and a loving look in her eyes.
"What have you done for me little one?" Hylee closed the gap between them and tucked some of Calla's hair behind her ears before walking her fingers up and down her cheek.
"We stayed unseen, untouched." Calla was lost in the intimate sensation of Hylee's actions and her words made Hylee's gut clench tight with possessiveness.
"Very good." she hummed. "So you'll be completely mine?" It wasn't a question that needed answering as they both knew the answer.
"If you'll have us." Calla breathed.
"Mmmm. Mother, father, I've decided a suitable punishment." Hylee mocked and they all knew it was a front. Leena grit her teeth hard as the rest watched on with apathy. "I'll be moving back here and I will take responsibility for supervising and teaching my Kindred. I'll also be taking her on culls, so she can repay her debt to our society." Hylee turned back to Calla and smirked. "My little cannibal, you won't turn against myself and my family would you?" Calla furiously shook her head, she couldn't even contemplate betraying the goddess in front of her.
"Fine." Sage said lowly as she watched her daughter interacting with her Kindred. "At the request of Princess Hylee Veals Lawe, the sentence is commuted to repatriation and confinement, to be served with the princess herself. Calla, we'll revisit this in thirty years time and judge your character then." But the young brunette didn't even spare her a glance, completely enraptured by her daughter. Leena's feelings had been bubbling under the surface and she no longer held herself back.
"You can't!" she shouted ignoring Xavier's warning glance. "She's an evil sadistic bitch and she can't be allowed to live! How many does she have to kill before people realise this?!" The room went deathly still and those in experience knew what to expect. Hylee's eyes glanced over to Leena and her blackened eye's golden iris began to glow and spin. A wisp of white shot out and latched onto Leena's forehead, dazing the red head and making her stagger before falling down completely. Hylee was a Soul Swallower and she was a Lorde, alive for almost as long as her parents. A Childe like Leena wasn't worth her mention, but that she'd insulted her Kindred made her a target.
Xavier caught the falling Leena and saw the emptiness of her gaze as the white wisp retracted. He was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say. And became even more so when the body in his hands disappeared in a flash. Looking back in the centre of the room Hylee stood before Calla holding the husk of the Childe.
"My little Kindred, you've been eating these things?" she held Leena's body before Calla and asked.
"Yes, devour and grow strong for you." Calla mumbled.
"I don't want you eating these filthy things any more." Hylee said as she sniffed the body before she tossed the shell of a red head away. "You're mine. Every part of you. From the smallest cell to the entirety of your soul, you belong to me." she hissed in Calla's face, who just nodded. Hylee drew a nail across her wrist so it was bleeding and didn't allow her body to heal. "You'll feed from me and no other." her words left no room for doubt and she pushed her wrist into Calla's mouth. Calla didn't bite, refusing to cause her Kindred pain.
"You'll bite me." Hylee whispered into her ear. "I want you to feed from me. There is sometimes pleasure in the pain, as I'll teach you later." Calla growled and tried to restrain her own lust. It was harder to deal with than ever, having the object of her desires before her yet still chained and unable to touch. Her Kindred wanted it and Calla obliged. Fangs pierced Hylee's wrist and she began sucking greedily. It wasn't like other vampires, where she got used to the horrible taste and eventually grew to tolerate it. No, Hylee tasted delicious and satisfying. It was better than any human she had ever had and her eyes rolled back in their sockets as she was overcome by waves of pleasure.
Despite the onlookers, Hylee was taking great joy in Calla's reaction to her blood. She'd be the one to feed her now and for all eternity. It wasn't long before Calla stopped though, the potency of Hylee's Lorde blood much too potent for her. But those of the Ancient rank and higher could feel the small Blood-letter's strength shoot up. Hylee grabbed the chains that bound Calla and crumbled the front to dust with a clench of her fist, freeing her Kindred. Free and unbound, Calla tried to grab Hylee only to find herself holding air.
"Ah, ah, my little cannibal." Hylee said as she watched the marks on her wrist heal and scar, letting Calla's fangs mark her. "No touching until you've cleaned yourself." Hylee scrunched her nose in disgust as she looked over her dirty Kindred who was covered in mud. It was caked on her coat and in her hair.
'She can't be serious.' Calla thought in disbelief. She'd waited to meet the source of the link for many years, and now that she had, she couldn't touch it. Because she was muddy. Still, Calla tried to reach out again only to have her hand slapped down. Hylee saw Calla's expression of hurt.
"Let me make something clear." she hissed in fury, grabbing Calla's chin and pulling her face close. "You may be my Kindred, and I may even love you, but you'll do as I say without question." Calla flinched at the angry tone but then nodded and began to follow Hylee as she walked out the hall.
'She might love us.' her mind wandered dreamily as she fell into step being her Kindred. Feeling giddy, she giggled audibly and did more so when Hylee just looked at her curiously.
The rest of the hall was silent, unwilling to say anything whilst Hylee was still around. But a flurry of conversation broke out when she'd left.
"Met." Sage said softly and everyone heard it. Her husband turned to look at her and his eyes asked what was wrong. "Do you think death might have been preferable to a life as Hylee's Kindred?"
"Probably." he answered without hesitation. "She's very controlling. It appears Calla could feel the bond even as a newborn and that confused her greatly. She didn't know what it was but she described it as selfish." He wondered how strong a soul had to be in order for a newborn to feel such a bond, without having met the other party.
"We'll have to do our best to counter her negative influence on our new daughter-in-law." Sage mused. "If I can convince Calla we may even be able to rope Hylee into having a ceremony." As a royal of a few thousand years she got over the small things quickly. She didn't actually care about the wolf scenario, it was more about establishing order. Though now her punishment had been changed, no one who knew Hylee would think the Blood-letter got off easy. Even if they were Kindred. Metrix was of the same mind, but now that he knew his daughter could control Calla, who looked like a love-sick puppy as she followed Hylee out the hall, he might be able to study and harness her cannibalistic gift.