Blood Spilled

Talya saw no point in denying it. Mila was probably spying on her.

"We will do no such thing and if you are smart you will keep your mouth shut." Talya threatened as best she could but her time and talks with Isaac had made her feel more gently towards Mila.

Between the two of her sisters, Mila did not know who to be afraid of more.

"I don't understand. Why would you waste your time with a mere mortal while you have eternal life" she asked, sickened by her sister's decision.

"I love him." Why had that slipped so easily from her lips she wondered. "Maybe we could even get away from here." Her mouth spewed the words without her control.

"Love! Are you serious?" Mila gasped then whispered.

Aware she had broken the news for the first time even to herself she tried to recant her words.

"Please Mila. Don't say a word to Olivia." Begging was the only thing left to do for Talya. She was worried the power dynamic was ruined.

Mila promised she would mind her business only if Talya made her understand how that was even possible.

Talya was relieved thinking she had everything under control but she was wrong. Beyond the walls, Olivia was wide awake and eves dropping on their conversation. Even though she had joined in on the conversation mid-way, she'd heard enough to know they were hiding something from her.

Mila did not like the idea of Talya and Isaac, but she had no choice but to support her. She loved both her sisters and she only wished they would get along more often.

Olivia called for a meeting into her chambers so abruptly they knew something was amiss.

"Why do I get the feeling that you are hiding something?" she asked staring directly into Mila's eyes. Talya knew that Mila was weak so she intervened.

"Something like what?" she asked moving forward so as to shift Olivia's gaze towards her. They stood eyes locked on each other until Olivia spoke again.

"Talya you insist on keeping the human alive yet you refuse to tell us why." Her statement irked Talya. She hated it now more than ever each time she spoke of him.

Talya remained quiet for the sake of her respect for her older 'sister'.

"I think it's time we feed on him or turn him into Strigoi."

Talya lost control.

"You will do no such thing, Olivia! I forbid it!" Her eyes were glowing now but she had no idea.

Olivia laughed in disgust at her sister's new found weakness. Ok

"I see you have taken an interest in him. You see, I am not asking for your approval. I will do what I want."

Talya raised her hand as if to strike her but Mila intervened.

"Both of you stop this!" she screamed pushing them apart.

"I am leaving this place sister and not even you can stop me."

Talya walked away in protest all the while shaking. She knew Olivia too well. She was planning something. Olivia was a dangerous predator who would stop at nothing to use the people around her. Isaac had nothing to do with anything, why wouldn't she just let him be?

Talya hated that she had gotten him into her world. Since the day they made love, she felt closer to him. She hungered to be near him all the time; faced with the possibility of losing him, she was willing to do anything.

Without giving it much thought she rushed to Isaac's room.

"We are leaving first thing tomorrow morning." Talya declared when she entered his chambers. Isaac was writing something in his diary and he looked startled to see her.

"Talya, I could not be happier to hear the news but is everything okay?" he was concerned closing his journal and going to her.

Talya was shaking even as she held on to him reassuringly. Isaac could hear the desperation in her voice. She couldn't keep the charade up any longer. Her false confidence gave way to fear.

"Olivia is going to kill you, I just know it." Talya did not mince her words explaining everything that happened between them.

Isaac had thought of this moment a number of times since they first made love. He was no longer the man that he had been when he first came there.

"I will protect us; I have three bullets left in my gun. No one is faster than a speeding bullet." His courage was unmatched however naïve his words did sound. His first time firing to kill a man was accidental an act of bravery in the heat of cowardice. This time he was not afraid. He had seen plenty in the war; human beings turned against each other- a loveless people. Isaac thought all was lost until he met Talya. He'd protect her at all costs.

Talya wouldn't ever need to depend on a man for anything. She had always learned to fight for herself. But she was afraid she wouldn't be able to protect him. Isaac's ammunition simply would not do the trick. She hoped however that it would not have to come to that. It would be better to wait for Olivia to cool down then try hashing things out then.

"You would risk your life for me?" Talya was moved by his noble gesture. He was quite an extraordinary man. They had only had the pleasure of each other's company for a short while but she felt like she had known him for a lifetime.

During their time together, she had expressed her interest in leaving for the outside world. She wanted to pursue her dream to study humanity. Her life here she felt had been shallow. The problem with Olivia was that she hated people- that was what she always said however Talya believed otherwise.

"I think the real problem is she is truly just afraid of people. She is afraid they will figure her out for the fraud she is. She believes that human beings can never accept our kind so she would rather not try." Talya said to Isaac once and she believed it.

They made love that evening as Talya contemplated her next move. It was hard to let her guard down after the argument she had with Olivia. Isaac noticed she was distracted while in his arms. He liked it when her sharp nails ran across his skin. He supposed she was still upset about what Olivia said so he was quiet. Talya took a deep breath turning to look at him.

"Lead does nothing to a vampire. But I know what will. Give me a few hours and I will be back here with the solution."

Talya had kept a souveneir once upon a time when a brave warrior tried to kill Mila. This had been one of the reasons why they had decided to hide their land from the rest of the world. He had captured, tortured her all in an attempt to find out where the rest of them were. Mila had been brave enough to stand her ground even when she was faced by a silver bullet. One shot to the heart and she would have been dead if not for Talya. They had managed to save her on time and Talya kept the bullet. She really had not known what to do with it until today.

She got dressed in haste and snuck out of Isaac's room like she always did in the form of a bat. It was easier not to get spotted by the Strigoi in that state.

Back in her room, she retrieved the bullet from her hiding spot underneath her bed. She kept a small box in a hidden chest which she hid the silver bullet. Even as she took it out carefully as to not touch it with her bare flesh, she wondered if it was a good idea. She sat with it in hand for some time weighing all the possible outcomes of using it. Perhaps they would not need it but she would not take any chances. Later that night before the sun came up, she would sneak back into Isaac's room and give it to him.

Olivia was no fool; she knew Talya was hiding something so she decided to do a little investigating of her own.

The moment they had a tiff about Isaac she smelled a rat. Talya left in a hurry so Olivia followed in a bid to find out what she was up to. She followed her down the hall until she disappeared suddenly. Olivia continued anyway, until she stopped at the door which was ajar so she peeped only to find them locked in a passionate embrace and soon followed by passionate sex in front of the fireplace. She was dumbfounded and felt like she had been taken for a fool. She was infuriated! Talya was here making a fool of her. Fucking a human! Fucking their food!

She wanted to burst in and let them know she had caught them but instead changed her mind. It would be better to incorporate the element of surprise. They would never see it coming.

So angered was she that she transformed into a rat and ran off waiting for the perfect moment to make a move.

When Talya left Isaac's room, Olivia listened in closely and made sure she was back in her own room.

In the form of a rat, she ran down the hall transforming back into her natural form.

She found Isaac dressing up like he was planning to go somewhere.

"Are we going on a trip?" she asked sarcastically closing the door behind her. It was obvious that she scared him. Just the way she liked it.

Isaac was tongue tied. Olivia was the last person he expected to see so he tried to act calm.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance. This time I will not repeat that folly." She kept her eyes locked on him rushing to grab him before he could move a muscle.

"No one leaves this place without my approval. Talya does not know what she wants and you are just a distraction." She jeered.

Olivia lunged at Isaac, smacking him into a stone wall. The shock knocked the wind out of him. He quickly recouped and put his hands up like all the fights he had been in as a younger man. Olivia laughed at him and went back in for another attack. Isaac dodged the first swing to her surprise but she quickly caught him by the neck with her other hand.

Isaac attempted to fight back trying to pull out of her grip but she pushed him swinging at his jaw. Isaac felt like the room was spinning and everything went to a blur. His jaw felt like it was going to fall apart and as he struggled to get up, Olivia picked him up again throwing him headfast into the closet.

"Have you any idea how hard we worked for this? You thought you could just come here and destroy that?" She laughed uncontrollably enjoying the site of blood oozing from Isaac's nose and forehead.

Isaac had proved to be powerless against her. There was no way he could win this fight. His gun was tucked under his pillow and he wondered how he would be able to get to it. Olivia was stronger than ten men combined!

Olivia enjoyed torturing him and kicking him around. She would make sure he suffered before he died, so she said. She grabbed him by the hair dragging him out of the closet and dropped him on the floor. He saw the hunger in her eyes, the thirst for blood as she stood over him fangs out. Isaac closed his eyes as she moved closer aiming for his jugular. He had always wondered how a vampire bite felt. He remembered how Olivia had devoured her victim once and he dreaded the same fate.

Suddenly, he heard the loud bang of the door and a loud thud as items fell to the floor. When he opened his eyes, Olivia and Talya were on the floor rolling in a tackle.

"So this is it? You're now cohabiting with the food?" Olivia asked hitting Talya in the face.

Talya had not seen this coming, not like this. She had hoped she could keep Isaac a secret until the end of time but the curtains seemed to be closing in faster than ever.

Olivia held her head to the ground anger etched all over her jealous face.

"This is why you want to leave us? After all I've done for you... You would leave with this human?" her voice roared through the entire castle and Talya knew that this would only end in one way.

Gathering her strength, she kicked Olivia away getting back on her knees fast.

Isaac was still confused watching the fight unfold fast before his eyes. The two women had superhuman strength crashing hard into surfaces as they fought. He dragged himself towards the bed and pulled the gun out from under the pillow. None of them had seen him do so.

"Why do you insist on this hatred you harbor in your heart Olivia? Can't you see how vile it has made you?" Talya attempted to reason with her to no avail. She got up and ran to Isaac who was getting back on his feet.

"This is the end of this thing you think you have. Hand him over to me if you want us to ever come to any sort of agreement." Olivia was breathing heavily gliding closer and closer to them.

Talya shielded Isaac who now held his gun in his pocket.

"A gun...You think I don't hear it in your pocket? You humans are so pathetic!" With that she pounced on Talya pushing her to the side.

Talya was almost as strong as Olivia but not quite. She fell in a thud hitting the wall when she landed. Olivia's fangs were now prominent eyes glued to Isaac as her hand landed on his face leaving scratch marks as he hit the wooden bed.

"Stop please!" Talya begged as Mila came running into the room.

Mila tried to stop Olivia who plunged her claws into Isaac's arms in order to pin him down. Isaac winced in pain unable to reach for the gun in his pocket.

Mila and Taly both grabbed her pulling her away from him as they all fell backwards to the ground.

"You will pay for your disobedience!" she shouted pushing Mila aside effortlessly. She and Talya fought scratching and biting into each other but Talya was no match for Olivia.

Olivia had her pinned down hands wrapped around her neck and all Mila could do was cry.

"Please you are going to kill her." She begged too scared to intervene any longer.

Olivia did not care. Her eyes were empty as she buried her nails into Talya's neck until she could not breathe any longer.

Isaac came to, rising up to find the love of his life fading away.

"Stop! Or I'll shoot." He called out but his pleas fell on deaf years so he fired the first bullet only enraging Olivia more.

She stopped choking Talya and hopped off. Isaac had shot her in the back but the bullet only went in and fell out of her skin as if he had done nothing.

She turned around infuriated and jerked towards him but he fired again this time causing her to stop in her tracks. She laughed; another lead bullet.

"You humans never learn!" Olivia said diving towards with her claws out but this time he aimed at her heart taking his last shot and she stopped.

This was nothing like she had ever felt before. It was painful a feeling she had not felt in hundreds of years.

"Where did you get that?" she asked holding on to her chest as she fell to the ground. Olivia had imagined the ways her life could have ended once upon a time but after all that time, she thought she would live forever.

She opened her mouth to speak but instead chocked on her own blood.

Isaac was relieved running to make sure Talya was okay. She winced in pain from the beating she had received; just some minor cuts and bruises that were already healing up. She was devastated when she saw Olivia on the concrete floor. It never had to be like this. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

Mila ran to Olivia's side tears welling up in her eyes as she winced in pain until she stopped moving. Just like that she was dead. Four hundred and seventy three years and she was gone.

Talya got up with Isaac's help and asked Mila to do the same.

"We have to bury her. She is our family." Mila managed to say. She always tried to see the good in Olivia even when there was none. As painful as it was, they had to let her go.

"We can't stay here Mila, you know that." She assured her.

This was exactly what Talya feared. Losing Olivia would mean losing everything they worked for. If only she could have waited, they would have talked things out, maybe come to some sort of agreement. Talya was naive to think that.

Mila's worst fears were coming true. Once again she would have to be on her own. With Olivia dead, it would not be long before their spell wore off completely and their village exposed to the rest of the world.

Talya carried Olivia's body down to the basement of the castle. There, they had a huge furnace that always stayed ignited. With the help of Mila, they gave her the send-off she would have wanted. As her body burned to a crisp as they watched they tried to keep their emotions at bay aware of the danger that lay ahead. When they came back up, Isaac was standing at the window frantically pacing back and forth.

"Talya, something strange is happening outside." He exclaimed pointing out into the distance. He could see a dome of sorts that seemed to be wearing off in the atmosphere.

"We need to start packing immediately." Mila screamed. It was only a few hours until sunrise and Isaac had no clue what was going on.

Mila was brave; she did not fear the loneliness anymore. They were swift to gather their belongings as the sun came up.

"I love you Isaac, I love you with all my heart." Talya confessed reaching in for a passionate kiss. Isaac was glad he had saved her in time even though she had to kill one of her own.

They heard some commotion only to look outside and spot American soldiers walking into their village.

"What is going on? Why are there soldiers walking into the village?" asked Isaac. Talya explained to him how the magic worked. Now that Olivia was no more, the enchantment they cast on the village was wearing off.

Because of the ways of the world, they had once decided to remain hidden because they wanted no part of earthly wars. Now, they would have no choice if the military found them.

"We have to go now!" Mila ordered and they took the underground exit hidden from the rest of the people in the village.

The three of them had no clue what lay ahead for them. They wondered what would happen to the people they had left behind. Would they have any information to share if they could remember anything?

When they finally stepped out into the world reality dawned on them. They would each have to start all over again and it would not be easy.

Mila at first thought of going with Talya then she realized she would only be a third wheel. It was time for her to forge her own path. They had come to a crossroads somewhere in the heart of the snow filled forest when Mila stopped.

"What is wrong sister, are you hurt?" Talya asked. Isaac was holding her hand and they seemed like the happiest couple on earth.

"This is where we part Talya." Mila began. "I am happy you have found love but remember; we are different. He is not like us. Time will be unkind to him unlike you. The war is still on and he is a soldier. Your love may wither and die before your eyes if war does not claim him." Her words broke Talya's heart but they were true.

Talya begged Mila to go with them but she declined politely. They held each other in a warm embrace before Mila went into the opposite direction and bade them both goodbye. As she watched Mila disappear into the fog, she held back her tears as her final words echoed in her ear.

"We need to move Talya, I can hear them approaching." Isaac said pulling on her hand. She took a deep breath and fastened her pace.