BloodBorne Ch. 10

The dull thuds that came with collapsing bodies clued Liam in to the fact that his brothers succumbed to Arianna's chants. He fought against the darkness overtaking him, but the overwhelming pain that radiated through his body rendered the fight useless. Liam's last thought before succumbing to the darkness was his silent prayer that Xion remained asleep.

* * * * *

Xan didn't have to open her eyes to know that she was in Sherlaine's world once more. She took a deep breath to calm herself and listened for any familiar noises in order to find her way out. There were no sounds, but there was an oppressing shudder that rippled through her. She remained still, waiting for the inevitable.

She wondered if the brothers and Arianna were all right. The last thing she remembered was standing in front of the sorceress as she regained her strength. The tiny woman calmly reassured Xan that she was fine and that she only needed one of her restorative teas to heal. Xan, ready to argue about the alleged benefits of teas laced with lord knew what kind of animal urine, opened her mouth just seconds before a sharp pain in her head made her gasp. Things went black after that, and she was now trapped in one of Sherlaine's purgatories.

Distant footsteps made her body tense; Xan focused on channeling her power in the event she had to fight once more. She remained still and evened her breathing. If Sherlaine thought that she was still unconscious, she might be able to get the upper hand.

"We are in your mind, Xandra. You cannot manipulate me."

There went that thought. She experimentally opened one eye and was shocked at seeing the dense canopy of trees above her. Further inspection revealed a small meadow in the middle of a thick forest. The seasons were changing in this world; dark greens slowly transitioned to yellow and orange and leaves randomly broke free from the trees to drift around them. Xan sat up, blinking at the deep red chaise she'd been placed on. Sherlaine sat in a large gold chair that could have doubled as a throne, one leg crossed over the other, and his elbows perched on the armrests. His hands were steepled in front off him; he spent his time widening and narrowing the space between his fingers as he watched her. His hair was unbound and floated around his face and shoulders aristocratically, making him appear both less and more lethal than she knew he was. It was his eyes, Xan decided, his eyes were orbs of blue ice; unfeeling and cold as he regarded her.

She decided to get straight to the point. "You couldn't have just waited until I'd fallen asleep again?"

"I found it prudent to illustrate the seriousness of my words."

And she found it prudent to kick his ass again.

Sherlaine laughed as he sat forward in his seat, "I learn from my mistakes, Xandra. We won't be playing that game again."

"You shouldn't have played games to begin with. I told you no several times. What makes you think I'll change my mind now?"

"I thought you wanted to keep the young one safe."

A tremor of fear went through Xan as she stared at the demon in front of her. "You can't touch her from here."

"I can't at this precise moment. But the witch can."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Watch your language." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to defy his command. "There was a reason that calming incantation didn't work. There was a reason you felt that pain in your head."

"No."

"Did you really think a simple incantation from the mind reader would get rid of me? You are mine, Xandra. The sooner you accept this, the safer the child will be."

"You told me you would leave her out of this."

"I only make offers once. I offered, you declined."

"You're lying." What the hell was she supposed to do? Now that he'd made it clear that their connection wasn't severed, she had no choice but to do what he said, especially if what he said was true. She doubted it was, but there was no real way to prove his words unless she tested him, and she couldn't afford to take the chance.

"My ultimatum stands, Xandra; do as I say or suffer the consequences."

"Hurting the people I care about is the fastest way to a 'fuck off and die.'" Xan clutched her neck when her oxygen supply was promptly cut off. Fear shot through her as she felt pressure on her chest. Had his patience worn so thin that he was now willing to kill her?

"What did I say about your language?" Sherlaine took advantage of her forced silence as he continued to voice his demands. "Arianna is now tied to me. She is my puppet; I pull her strings. I know you're thinking that she is a powerful witch, and she is; one of the most powerful I've ever come across. But every mind has a doorway. One just has to know how to breach it. You gave me my opportunity the second she worked that incantation on you."

Xan sucked in a deep breath as her airways were reopened. "You're connected to her too?" she gasped.

"In a sense, yes. I used her incantation to link her mind to yours and since I'm now part of you..."

"You're sick."

"No Xandra, I'm determined. There is a difference." He adjusted himself in his seat and fingered an orange leaf that landed on his leg. "I will not hesitate to take everything you love from you. Maybe I should; if you have nothing to live for, you have no need for your foolish nobility."

"You wouldn't." Xan gasped when a vision of Caleb's room filled her mind. She looked around the room, at the limp bodies of the brothers at the far end of room and gasped in horror. Her gaze moved to the floor, where the image of her limp body made her cry out in rage.

"As you can see through the witch, your precious Brethren is vulnerable. It would not take much for me to destroy them now."

Xan, no, Arianna, looked around the room and stopped at the site of the small pocket knife on the bedside table. She walked toward it and lifted the weapon in her small hands before turning to look at the men once more. "No," Xan whispered as she, no, Arianna, advanced on the nearest body. It was Lindsay. Didn't he just get married? Dios, his wife was only down the hall! "No!" Xan shouted as the knife surged toward his chest. "Stop! Stop." She fought against the panic that gripped her as she remained rooted to her seat. "What do you want me to do?" The scene in front of her disappeared and as she focused on Sherlaine, Xan calmed herself.

"It's simple, Xandra; You will come to me."

"I can't do that."

"Then why bother to stop me?" Sherlaine had to admit; he'd never faced another like the woman in front of him. Claiming her would be remarkably sweet.

"That's not what I meant ass-" Xan stopped at the small seize in her lungs. "There are spells; enchantments on the house to keep anyone other than them from getting in or out. There is also the fact that I have no idea how to get to you."

"You will allow me to take over your body once more and lead you to me." He stood up and placed his hands behind his back as he said, "As for the enchantments, well, there is a witch in residence, is there not?"

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Why?"

Xan hated to concede defeat, but there were no other cards to play, not if she expected to minimize the bloodshed. "Because if you are, I'd like a few minutes to say goodbye to my sister before I leave."

Sherlaine was tempted to lie, to punish her for pushing his limits of patience and understanding. It was in his nature to instill fear and submission. But there was something about the woman in front of him that changed his mind. "I like you, Xandra. You are a rare creature, one too rare to destroy."

"Will you still give me time to say goodbye to her?" She sighed in relief when he nodded acquiesce. "And the others?"

"That will depend on you, Xandra. Behave, and you just might save their lives."

Slavery without visible chains. Just the kind of life she wanted to lead. "Fine." She stood to keep from craning her neck up at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Her marked arm tingled uncomfortably, as if it knew she'd made a horrible mistake. It was probably right. Because she had no other choice, she had to go against her gut. "I won't run. You have my word."