Waking some time later, she found herself bound once more to her bed and feeling awful. Epharis was pacing, his anger coming off him in almost visible waves but as soon as he saw she was awake, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"Is it okay?" he yelled in her face and she swatted at him weakly, trying to get him off her. He calmed down enough to take a step back and she was able to think once again.
"It's fine, and so am I, thanks for asking," she snapped, tugging at her arms to try and loosen the hold of the chain that she loathed.
"We couldn't hear it when we tested. The doctor was sure you had lost it."
"It's still there," she said and turned inward to be sure. Yes, it was still there and the weird little thing was making strange sounds. Almost humming to itself.
She shook her head at the oddity of children and considered it, noting that while it was quite a lot bigger, something had curled around it and made an effort to protect it from the blow.
"Do you know anything about fae gestation lengths?" she asked idly, still watching the thing and whatever it was that was curled around it, curious.
"No, your kind are very secretive," he said snarkily and her brows rose in response to his attitude.
"I take it Letari was an issue?" she said as she gave the chains a little jingle
"A precaution, she was silent," he said and she was left wondering at the thing wrapped around the light inside of her.
"What happened to Versalis?" her breath caught as she said his name and she found her body craved him. She half resented having to go through withdrawals again, but she longed for him all the same.
"I wonder why you forgot me so completely," he said, side-tracking her. She blinked, trying to change course. How long had that been nagging at him? "The twins said those with stronger emotional ties go the longest before returning." Squinting up at him, she found he was smirking at her. "Do you care about me, my darling?"
He was goading her, she knew it but still, she made an effort to kick her blankets at him.
"I don't love you, lich," she hissed and when their eyes met, she looked away, uncomfortable.
Maybe she had some form of Stockholm's syndrome, but there was something there and she hated that he brought it up.
"We can always consider more than one child you know, wouldn't it be fun to try for a second?"
He was grinning at her, both knowing full well that he was getting to her, but he was enjoying the blush and her attempts to kick him.
He left the room soon after that and she was alone, still chained and it was some time later when Kai knocked timidly on her door.
"Etani?" he asked, his voice small, but he looked somewhat relieved.
"Kai? How is Jaia?" She shifted to sit up better, her shoulders aching from being in the same spot for so long.
Kai inched into the room slowly, peering around for something and then relaxing when he didn't find it. He hurried to her bed and sat down beside her, removing the chains from where they were linked over the headboard.
"Come with me, we need your help," Kai said and tugged at the chains to get her moving.
She allowed him to pull her from the bed, clutching his arm to keep herself upright but it wasn't that bad. She must have been out for a few days. Following after him, they made their way deeper into the castle and down a number of corridors she had never seen before. They turned off at a seemingly random door and she expected to see a room, but instead she saw a set of stairs leading down in a tight spiral. Tugged along, she moved slowly as not to fall and she felt they had gone down only a single level when they came to another door. Pushing it opened, they entered into a room very similar to the suite she had been living in next to Epharis, the decorations dark greens and violets.
Kai didn't give her time to look around, instead pulling her down a second flight of stairs into a room she didn't expect.
It was a huge room split into four sections with one being empty aside from a bench and the passage to the stairs, the other three sections of the room were broken up by massively thick stone walls. The wall facing them, however, was made of layer upon layer of glass so thick it warped the air. In the section to her right sat Versalis on a stone bed with furs for comfort.
The urge to go to him stung her brain like acid and she forced herself to look away into the other two sections.
The middle section was empty, clean and sterile with nothing but a bed. In the room to her left she saw Jaia, his body pressed up against the glass and staring at her, saliva dripping down his chin.
She recoiled immediately, but she was only able to retreat a foot before the chains stopped her and she looked from it, to Kai and then to Jaia.
Fear washed through her and the scent of it caught Versalis's attention as well as riling Jaia up all the more. His fingernails left deep gouges in the glass.
Versalis approached the glass, drinking her in even as he tried to figure out what was going on.
"Etani, he's mad with blood lust but I can't get him to drink anything. It might be your blood he needs," Kai said and glanced back. She was standing as far back as she was able with her arms outstretched before her, the chain tight, but she was unable to pull it free with it looped around his hand.
"Kai, you can't be serious..." she gasped, digging her feet in when he gave her a tug forward.
"It's okay, I won't let him do anything to you, trust me," he said, frowning when she shook her head.
"Etani, please, it's the only thing I can think of. Don't make this hard."
Her eyes turned from Jaia to Versalis who had his cheek pressed to the glass, trying to see who was in the other cell, looking anxious.
"Kai, look at him!" She didn't like this at all. No, she didn't blame him for resorting to it, but she didn't want to die to feed a vampire, regardless of who the vampire was.
Kai gave the chain a jerk and she stumbled forward. He looked annoyed, frustrated at the situation.
"You would force me?" she asked, her tone pleading.
"I will if you don't help. He's my brother, I can't let him suffer."
Her eyes met his and her fear was met with his resolve.
Dread filled her and Versalis punched the glass as Kai wrapped a second loop around his hand, dragging her forward.
"Kai, please, we can figure it out!" she whimpered but he was no longer listening.
Pulling her forward, she found herself hypnotised by the horror that was Jaia as she was shoved against the glass.
Horrified, she saw Jaia licking the glass over her throat, his eyes wild and feral.
"I'm sorry, Etani," Kai said gently and opened a small hatch she hadn't noticed.
He kicked the back of her knee and she dropped, almost smacking her head against the glass.
Kai gripped her left arm and opened the hatch, forcing her arm through.
The glass was thick enough to reach from her shoulder to just below her elbow, leaving her forearm exposed to the ravenous vampire.
Before she could pull away, Kai placed his hand against the back of her neck, holding her down on her knees, the angle making her unable to pull herself free.
She heard Versalis trying to break the glass, but she couldn't focus on it, only on the footsteps that rebounded through the open hatch.
Jaia seemed calm suddenly, approaching her exposed arm and taking deep breaths, inhaling the scent of her fear.
He knelt down, his head tilting to meet her eyes for a long moment. She didn't think he had any recognition, but he soon turned to her arm.
His hand was cool and gentle as he curled his fingers around her wrist and forearm, tenderly holding her.
Leaning down, he licked her from elbow to palm and she shuddered at the feeling, trying to resist the sudden rush of desire that flooded her system.
His lips were against her wrist and she felt him smile when the scent of her need reached him and his mouth opened, clamping down on her.
He bit her once, then again and again, seeming to chew on her flesh, resisting the blood until he had heard her crying out in pain.