Skedaddle

[Emora Deen]

Laya clenched her eyes shut when Adonis moved over her, but as he pressed his body along hers she realized that something was missing for the moment to work. He wasn't even near being able to accomplish the task. She opened her eyes, looking up at Adonis in confusion.

The mention of Kron was the last thing she needed. His words were careful, and felt like they were meant to trigger memories or arouse anger. Laya's jaw set tightly, because it did just that. Her mind was filled with the last times with Kron, and how she'd given into him and let herself enjoy it in the hopes that it would end her misery. She felt shame fill her, because the vampire was right. At that moment, she had enjoyed it. Then, with so much self hatred, and knowing she couldn't take a moment of it, she'd tried to kill Kron.

"Fuck off," she growled to him. She couldn't meet Adonis's eyes, because she knew he had to feel what she'd just acknowledged to herself. She wondered if his view of her changed in that second. She wondered if it made the situation any different for him.

She finally forced herself to meet his eyes.

She gasped, feeling a terrible sensation run through her. It was terrible in the sense that it felt very wonderful and she didn't want to feel it at the moment. Suddenly for some reason Adonis hovering over her felt good. "Stop," she cried out.

"I'm just helping you enjoy the moment," the vampire laughed. "That connection isn't just for pain."

Laya twisted her face to the side and clenched her eyes shut. She was focusing all her mind around that sensation and concentrated on blotting it out. "I'm sorry," Laya told Adonis. She repeated it under her breath until she only could say it in her mind.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis was focusing so closely on trying to understand why she was suddenly so guilty after the vampire's accusation, that her sudden shift in emotion threw him completely off guard. His mind recoiled from the sensation, but it spread through him in a subconscious heartbeat, sucking the breath from his lungs. "Laya?" he barely whispered, forgetting what to do with the vial for a moment.

Based on their tormenter's words, these feelings weren't really hers. But his instincts didn't lie. The reaction was directly from her. Could it be she had some kind of hobby for this? *No, Laya. You need to stop responding to him,* he spoke through her mind, his voice falsely calm. He tried to pay attention to the vial and not the sympathetic pleasure pulsing into him.

He drew himself up and away from contact with her. Her terror and pleasure combined into a perfect reenactment of the darkest nightmare he'd ever lived through. His eyes and expression looked completely withdrawn, his skin nearly colorless as he stared down at her. He worked to replace the cork on the vial, ready or not. He had to hope there was enough blood. He couldn't do this any more.

[Emora Deen]

Laya couldn't look at Adonis. When she felt the pressure of his body over hers move she moved quickly to maneuver out from under him. She clung to the headboard, her cheeks glistening with tears. "I'm sorry," she told him wearily again, staring at her bare legs curled beneath her. Laya was trying very hard to make it go away. "Just let him have me. It will be over in a little while. I can't do this to you. I just can't."

Laya couldn't take it anymore, she was on the verge of losing herself. Her senses were overloaded, she was exhausted from the emotional roller coaster that the situation had put her through. She hated herself for being used to hurt Adonis, and especially for letting the vampire bring up something she had hoped to bury forever. Now, she thought Adonis might know the source of her self-hatred. But, he probably wouldn't understand why.

Laya looked at him, her storm gray eyes almost glowing with emotion. "Run... Just go!" She wanted him out of the room. She didn't want him anywhere near what was about to happen. She wanted to sound angry with him in the hopes he would just leave her, but voice couldn't manage it.

"No one is going anywhere," the vampire told her as he sauntered in between the door frame, one foot in, the other out. He pressed his hands to either side of the door. "You were doing so well, unicorn."

One of Laya's hands dropped from clutching the headboard and slipped under the pillow for the knife Adonis had used. "You want to know what Kron taught me?" Laya asked hoarsely. She gripped the handle so hard her hand hurt. "Come find out."

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis met her eyes with a tense confidence as their tormenter spoke. He was grateful for the space she was giving him, but he could tell what it was taking out of her to consider this monster as a mate. He wanted to tell her it would be fine now, but he wasn't completely sure of that yet. The spell was the best he had, and there was no option but to try.

The vampire looked at Laya and smiled condescendingly. "You expect to take me on with that?" he chortled. "I'm not quite sure I'm done with my little show yet.

"If you want this for her, do it yourself," Adonis said in a low, solemn voice. He hoped Laya was doing what he thought she was doing, or was she just upset enough to try the bait the thing with no plan to kill him? He hadn't told her about the blood rune on the ceiling, but perhaps she'd figured it out. It wouldn't be the first time she'd surprised him.

"What's that?" the thing asked teasingly, "Did you just say I can have my way with your little friend there? Just like that, by invitation no less?"

Adonis looked straight at Laya, telling her all he could with his eyes. "As long as it's not me," he said mechanically. He'd spent time around humans. He could make it sound real.

"Well, unicorn, you're in for a show. And when I'm done with her, she can watch me drown you with your own blood." The vampire shifted into the room, almost beneath the circle.

That was when the front door slammed open. Telanis froze, nostrils flaring, inside the doorway and stared at the evil thing backing out of Adonis's bedroom to look at him. *Away from them.* he ordered the vampire, his mental voice booming through the house as loud as if he'd shouted. Outside the house, the woods fell still.

[Emora Deen]

Laya felt woozy when he started forward. She involuntarily moved further back against the headboard, nearly climbing it. If it were possible, her pulse jumped. She blinked, focused on what she needed to do, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling. She glanced back at the vampire, her hand tightening around the knife.

Telanis's strong presence entered the house along with his protective voice. A number of feelings thrummed through her. Fear for him. Relief.

The vampire turned away to face the white unicorn. Laya panicked. She saw the symbol above them, and knew that Adonis had to put it there for a reason. She glanced to him, and then the vampire.

Laya was moving before she realized what she was doing. She leaped at the vampire's back and drove the knife into the side of his neck from a downward angle. The sudden weight of her on his back through him off balance, and he stumbled. She kicked her legs down into his knees, and tangled her feet there.

They fell, Laya landing hard on her back, the vampire landing on top. She looked up to find the ruin above them. The archer scrambled to get out of his reach before he could get a handle on her.

She pulled the knife from his neck, blood gushing in a swift arch. It splattered across her bare legs as she kicked wildly to get his weight off enough to move. She twisted and rolled half out of the circle, nearly clawing to her safety, and he fought to get a handle on her frantic movement.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis ran to the circle, lowered his head, and pressed the side of his horn to the vampire's leg. It howled angrily and turned to swing at him, temporarily releasing Laya. Adonis sprawled off the bed and rushed to Laya's side, helping to pull her back from the circle.

"Get out of range. He can't leave the spot, but he can do damage to whatever he can reach," Adonis warned his brother.

Telanis held the creature's hands at bay with his horn as he stepped back into the living room, out of reach. He looked up at Laya and his brother on the other side of their captive. *Are you both alright?* he asked. To some extent, he could feel the answer to that question. He'd felt them, both of them, from halfway across the forest. It had been a long time since he'd felt his brother.

[Emora Deen]

Laya grabbed onto Adonis as he drew her away, and she couldn't let go. Realizing what she had just done and how badly it could have gone shook her. "Thank you," Laya breathed.

She didn't know how to answer Telanis's question, because she most certainly was not alright. She looked up at the unicorn, the sun coming from the open door made his form glow. He was beautiful. Goodness and purity.

"I have his blood," Laya muttered, looking at her hands. They were shaking violently. She wasn't sure how much Adonis needed.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis backed slowly to the opposite wall of the living room, his hooves slender and light on the hardwood floor. The smell of blood kept his instincts on alert, but there was no way he would consider moving any farther from her.

Adonis released his vice grip on Laya and rose dizzily to get the blood vial from under the pillow. There were only a few drops inside of it. He frowned at it and handed it to Laya. "Pour that on the blade, and set it in front of the circle," he instructed her. "Quickly. That seal is not meant to last long."

*What are you going to do?* Telanis asked from the other room.

"Get rid of him. His powers are too strong, so I need a back entrance. Laya is already connected to him. I can corrode him from the inside out, until he holds no power over her." Adonis pulled the spellbook from under the endtable and flipped it open to the spell he'd found.

*You're using black magic to do it?* Telanis tested. *Adonis, are you sure that book is safe?*

The black unicorn cast a suffering glare at his brother. "You know what's not safe? That!" he gestured at the vampire trapped in the doorway.

[Emora Deen]

Laya's shaking hands poured the blood on the dagger as calmly as she could. She eased slowly towards the circle. The vampires dark eyes were glowering at her and he growled when she was close enough to put the knife in front of the circle.

"Tick-tock... Thought it was bad before?" he asked her, his voice contorting as the demon part of him grew more angry. "Imagine what I'll do to you once I'm out. I might leave something for Kron to recognize."

Laya swallowed. "Funny," she replied in a hoarse whisper. "We might do the same." She backed away slowly.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis tore his focus from Laya and her banter with the vampire as he immersed himself in the spell scripted in the book. The enchanted text just barely came together into a fuzzy blur as he studied it, but he'd spent all night decoding the parts he couldn't make out. He was mostly sure he had the right combination, although the fact he couldn't read it well meant it really was above his level of control. This was no novice-level spell.

The vampire began struggling against the restraint of the blood seal, glaring straight at Laya and working to get free. His arm began stretching menacingly out into the room toward her, beyond the bounds of the seal.

Adonis concentrated and began incanting a long and complex passage that was unintelligible to anyone not of the black craft. When he finished, he stood and cut his palm with his knife. His senses blurred with the fresh liquid as it spilled from his hand and splashed across the knife at his feet, joining with Laya's and the vampire's. He closed his eyes and began chanting the spell from memory.

The vampire's arms stretched up unnaturally as Adonis spoke, like they'd been lassoed with unseen chains.

[Emora Deen]

Laya scooted until her back was against the wall, just underneath the window. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as she watched the menacingly threatening look spread across the vampire's face. He would kill her if he got out of that circle.

She pushed her head back against the wall when his hand reached outside the circle for her.

And then Adonis slit his arm and she winced. She hoped this would work... and if it went wrong she wasn't exactly sure what it would do to her. She hadn't even thought of that until now.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis pressed his hand into his pocket to block off the smell and continued to speak the spell. His eyes shifted from chocolate to deep black that spread out and filled up the white. As Adonis spoke, his soul passed through hers, establishing a connection with Laya on its way into the back door of the vampire's mind. He pressed into him mentally and began to clench the creature's aura like a poisonous snake, the spell pouring acid into his mind.

He could feel a serious strain begin to pull against his own mind, like it was stretching out beyond its limits. The spell was too strong for him, but he had no choice but to control it. He called on all the power he could gain from the stone he wore, pressing it to its limits.

The vampire snarled in pain, but he had other ideas. He thrashed against the seal and managed to pull away by a foot or so, throwing his weight into the effort.

"Keep....him there..." Adonis ordered breathlessly.

[Emora Deen]

Laya blinked. He wanted her to what?

She looked at the rabid vampire and swallowed. Laya pushed herself to her already quivering legs. She swallowed the fear, and went quickly to help Adonis.

Laya did the only thing she knew how to do. She leaped onto the vampire and tried to wrestle him down. She wasn't the heaviest thing in the world, but she thought that maybe in his state of mind he would not be able to concentrate on throwing her off.

Laya tried to get a handle on his hands. He thrashed, and despite the circle he was still stronger than her.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis rushed forward to keep the vampire from hurting Laya. Without hands, there was no safe way to grapple with the thing without hurting her, and he'd diminish his strength if he transformed right now. He moved very close to them, hoping his presence would weaken the vampire's movements. The strong presence of blood was certainly weakening his.

Adonis strained to continue the spell. The vampire screamed, wrestling Laya to the ground and pinning her to the floor. "Stop the spell, or I slit her throat," he snarled at the unicorn.

Adonis panted, straining to his knees with the weight of the spell. If he stopped now, they were all dead. But if he didn't wrap this up, Laya would die on the floor of her own house. If he took the spell slowly, he could be sure he could get through it. Rushing it risked overtaxing his resources, and frankly, he wasn't sure what that would do.

He looked at Laya and met her eyes as he continued the incantation. His chest tightened anxiously. He fed his power to the spell and tried to decide what he should do. Would the thing even let her go if he stopped?

[Emora Deen]

Laya looked up at Adonis, past the malicious face of the vampire threatening her life. "Do it," she whispered. "It doesn't matter. Telanis can heal me." Laya braced herself mentally for the pain and the possibility of death. "If you stop I'm worst than dead."