Ancestral Blood

At first she refused it, frantically twisting and turning to avoid him. Milton was on his feet, forcing the blood to pass between her lips. It was a few excruciatingly long moments before she accepted the blood, her body thrashing, her nails scratching, blood flying everywhere. She ripped at her beautiful white dress, now blood red. She shoved at Milton, trying to force him away. The roses that Volek had lovingly placed beside the coffin crashed to the floor. The glass vase shattered into a million tiny pieces. Volek put his hands to his ears to block the distressing shrieks and wails that spewed from Katia's lungs. She was violent. She was angry. She was scared.

"More blood!" Milton screamed, using his powerful strength to keep her in place. Volek rushed to the vat, shuddering uncontrollably. He threw all the rags into the vat, dunked them quickly and handed them over to his master's waiting hand. Katia kicked at the sides of the coffin in an effort to get free. She swung her head from side to side to avoid the blood soaked cloth. Her eyes glared maniacally at her captor. Edged, white fangs split painfully through her gums and she screamed an agonizing howl into the night.

Then, as suddenly as it began, her eyes clouded over and she settled back into the crook of Milton's arm. Her head fell back and her mouth finally accepted the bloody rag. Soft, sucking sounds let Milton know she had surrendered to the first stage of her new fate.

The humans grew bolder and moved in closer. They were amazed at how they had taken their enemy by surprise. Sebastian was able to snag one when he approached from the other side of the mausoleum. He broke the human's neck.

The immense Black Panther pounced to the ground from out of nowhere, startling everyone for the few moments Katia required. No one moved as the animal stared each one of them down. When she growled, some of the humans turned and ran. Others stood frozen; their mouths open wide in astonishment and disbelief. With her jaws locked onto the folds of his shirt and jacket, the cat snatched Kenny up. The white haired vampire screamed when he found himself airborne as the panther leapt back up to her hiding place with the vampire in tow. Humans and vampires, alike, stared into the void the creature had left. It appeared the beast and wounded vampire had just vanished.

"Son of a bitch!" Sebastian bellowed. Katia's diversion had given him enough time to seize another human and slam him, head first, into a headstone. He ran across the open space and threw himself down next to Rene before the next assault of arrows flew through the night air.

"It's Katia," Sebastian breathed as he turned Rene around to check his wound.

"I know," Rene grimaced. "I've spent time with that cat before."

Katia changed quickly back into human form. She was grateful Kenny had passed out. She tore off a piece of her coat and wrapped it tightly around her hand to protect it. With Kenny on his side, she broke the back of the arrow off and pulled the other end out through his shoulder. She repeated the procedure to dislodge the second arrow from the vampire's thigh. She cradled him in her arms, rocking him slowly, and smoothed his matted hair away from his face. She saw that some of the silver had peeled off and was lodged inside his skin. Whoever had come up with this weapon had known what they were doing. This vampire was dying. She prayed some kind of help would arrive soon.