Page 45 of Bitten By Chaos

“You used the cure on me?” I accused, tears forming in my eyes, yet no sign of red came away with my hand, and I realized with confusion that it hadn’t when I’d cried earlier, either.

“No. No, Charlotte I have no cure. When I returned just now from feeding, I found you sleeping like this.”

The world spun as I tried to rise from the bed, and I ended up holding on to the broken headboard for support. Now that it was back, my heart pounded with a vengeance.

“What’s happening to me?” I held a hand out before me, covered in a sparkling array of golden, blue, green, and pink energy.

“We need a doctor,” Julian said, rushing to my side. Somehow I’d still tracked his movements though.

“Hang on,” I said, forcing myself to slow my breathing. “Let me try something.”

Julian waited as I ran at super speed across the room and back again. I opened my mouth, and when I willed it, my fangs elongated.

“How is this possible?” Julian asked.

“Can you see the sparkles also? All over my body?” I grasped his arms.

“Vampires do not sparkle, Charlotte.” Julian said seriously, examining one of my hands that he pried from his side. “I see nothing unusual other than the color and rush of blood through your veins. I smell it, smell you.”

“I don’t think there’s a doctor in the world that would know what this is or what to do about it,” I said, pressing my other hand to my forehead. Somehow, the powerful blood I’d consumed was changing me. But changing me into what?

“There is one person who may be able to help us understand.”

When I glanced at him, I saw that Julian’s fangs had also extended slightly. My stomach knotted.

“Maybe we don’t need a doctor,” I amended. “Maybe it’s a good thing and will work out on its own.”

“Charlotte, avoiding your father may not be possible if you continue to show signs of changing and growing powers. We may need his and Lydia’s help.”

“Maybe just Lydia,” I snapped. “And myself. The two of us can figure this out and whether it’s something we should even be worried about.”

“We can’t go back to the estate. If Elsa sees you like this, she will want answers, and possibly other things she cannot have.”

“Then we need another lab,” I said. “And I think I know where to go. But before I call Lyds, I want to know something. What exactly is your history with Elsa?”

Chapter 15

The Sordid Details

“Iwill tell you everything,” Julian answered, taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen past the wrecked chandelier on the floor. He set about making a pot of coffee as he spoke, and I settled into a chair. “We probably should have discussed this sooner, but I’d hoped it would not be necessary to earn your trust.”

I opened my mouth to lay into him, but he held up a hand to stop me. “That came out wrong. I know you trust me, Charlotte. Unfortunately, it seems knowing everything may provide a needed clue as to what to do about her current obsession with attaining exactly what you did mainly by accidental circumstances. If the Elsa I know has that kind of power, it would be a grave situation for the rest of us.”

Julian sprinkled some cinnamon on my coffee and set it before me in a large ceramic mug that read First Coffee, which he’d gotten for me at some point when I started frequenting his house more often.

Tugging it toward me, to warm my hands, I stared into the speckled, almond colored liquid and nodded. “Okay, shoot.”

Julian sat at the table beside me and reached for my hand, holding his own cup of substantially darker coffee in his other. “Though I’ve run across Elizabeth numerous times, there were two periods in which we became somewhat close. Or as close as a competitive vampire like her can get to someone.”

A pause for him to draw on his coffee gave me a moment to think. “What were the two time periods?”

“1657, Transylvania was the first time I met her. And the second was in the 1920’s in Chicago.”

A deep inhale of the sweet beverage in my cup steadied me enough to nod for him to continue.

“I was still with Silas when I met her. Most of my humanity had been shed or buried deep and locked away somewhere. You’ve seen what my life with him was like, and this was close to the time I broke away from him. Elizabeth helped with that escape, and I in turn helped her kill her sire.”

“Sounds like a mutually beneficial situation. Why didn’t she kill Silas if you killed the person who tortured her?” I asked.

---