* Thank you, as always, to Alwaysready64 for editing this chapter! *
Chapter 11
Ealasaid sat in a dimly lit bar. She traced one, perfectly manicured, nail around the rim of her glass and she kept her gaze forward even as she felt the hate-filled stares burning into her skin. In front of her was a group of more than fifty Vampyres. They were all knelt on the floor, their hands bound in silver and their eyes trained on her every movement. Behind the Nest was her own Pack. They shifted excitedly, waiting to see what their Alpha would do.
"Who is in charge here?" Ealasaid asked calmly. These were the first words she had uttered since storming the unsuspecting bar with her Unders and rendering the Nest helpless.
No one answered. Elena, still in her wolf form, paced back and forth, saliva dripping from her snarling muzzle and she snapped impatiently at the back of the Vampyres. Some jumped, some cowered in fear, a couple kept their faces calm, not letting any fear show. Ealasaid sipped her drink, staring into the honey coloured liquid with a soft smile.
"Come on now, no need to pout." She said teasingly. "I know this isn't how you wanted to be spending your evening but shit happens. When shit happens I show up and I'm not leaving until I get the answers that I want. Now," she paused to take another sip of her drink, "who is in charge here?"
Still, there was no answer from the captured Nest and Ealasaid rolled her eyes. "Why do they always make me do this?" She asked to no one. "Elena take your pick."
Elena snarled in approval and instantly closed her jaws around the neck of the nearest Vampyre. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he was dragged away and even though the door slammed closed behind the pair, the rest of them could still hear every agony filled moment of the Vampyres death. It wasn't quick.
When the air finally went quiet again, Ealasaid looked into the faces of the Nest. Each one was sickened, terrified and many were crying. A Nest of Vampyres worked in the same way as a Pack. They felt the death of a member in their bones and losing anyone from their midst was like losing a piece of themselves. Elena came back into the room, blood soaking her dark brown fur and an excited glint in her yellow eyes.
"I really don't like to do that. I wasn't always like this, but life forced me in this direction. I would appreciate it if you didn't force me as well."
"I'm in charge." A man spoke up. Ealasaid's eyes fell on him and instantly she shook her head.
"No, you're not. You're protecting someone." The young man scowled but, unbidden, his eyes darted to a hunched figure at the edge of the Nest. Ealasaid followed his gaze with a smirk.
"You? Really?" She asked in disbelief. The man looked at the huddled figure of an old woman. Her face was covered in delicate wrinkles, like cobwebs, and her blue eyes were pale. She was wrapped in black robes, a stark contrast to the others modern clothing and her ancient hands were held calmly in her lap.
"Leave her alone." The man surged to his feet but Ealasaid held up her hand he stilled, his feet suddenly like lead. He couldn't move an inch and watched in horror as the Fae advanced on the old woman.
"A Matriarch, though I have to admit you're a little longer in the tooth than I had imagined." Ealasaid crouched in front of the woman and reached out to touch the cool skin of her cheek.
"Is that your idea of a joke Fae?" The woman asked, her voice was clear and crisp, like a bell ringing through the fog. The youth in the sound made Ealasaid smile even as a twinge of recognition flared in her mind.
"I guess it is. Sorry, my humour isn't for everyone." She paused and tilted her head to the side to stare at the Matriarch. "What's your name?"
"Petra." The Vampyre responded.
"That's pretty." Ealasaid looked across at the man who was still frozen, staring at the two women. There was a barely concealed look of terror on his face and understanding dawned on Ealasaid.
"Oh." She said gently. "She's your Sire."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The man snarled but Ealasaid ignored him. She was focussed back on the Matriarch. The feeling of recognition wouldn't leave her and she searched her memories for where she had seen the woman before.
"You were in the Order."
Petra smiled. "And you were my saviour."
Ealasaid seemed to crumple under the grief she was gripped by. "But you were good. I let you go and then you did this? This is my fault."
"No," Petra said softly, her voice calming Ealasaid in a way she hadn't felt since her mother had been alive. "Nothing that has happened before the Order or since is your fault. The Order eventually makes monsters of us all. For me, it turned me into the very thing it accused me of being. For you, it's forced you to become a part of it."
Ealasaid shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm nothing like the old Order. I don't take innocent people, torture them, use them for entertainment. Use them for food."
Ealasaid came even closer to Petra. "Do you remember what it was like to be human? To be weak and always looking over your shoulder, worrying that something bigger and stronger was right behind you. Those people you took, you stole, they had families, friends. They had lives and you decided that they weren't worth anything more than being livestock to keep you fed. Do you remember what it feels like to be scared? Can you even imagine what they must have gone through in their last moments?"
Ealasaid was breathing heavily. Her emotions boiling so close to the surface that her hands were shaking and her eyes darkened. She straightened and stared down at the Nest. Her expression went blank and she became eerily still.
"I don't kill innocents. If any of you did not drink from the captured humans, step forwards and you will be spared."
Immediately, twenty Vampyres jumped to their feet. Ealasaid stepped towards the first and brought her face close to his neck. She placed her hands on his cheeks and a dark smile curved her lips. She fell on him, her fangs tearing through his skin and his blood poured out over her lips. It ran down her neck, over her collarbone before soaking her white t-shirt. Yanking her head back she heard the satisfying ripping noise as his throat was torn out, she dropped the piece of flesh from her teeth and let the body fall from her hands. The sounds of his gargled, frantic breathing filled the room as he clung to life.
Slowly, Ealasaid raised her head and looked at the rest of the gathered Vampyres. Bringing her fingers to her lips she brought the blood onto her fingers and then to her tongue.
"I hate to be lied to. Trust me, it will only turn out badly for you if any of the rest of you chose to lie."
Several of the Vampyres stepped back, kneeling back on the floor with fear in their eyes. Ealasaid quickly inspected the rest, smelling for any scent of the humans that had been kept there. Their scent still lingered, even after their death, and Ealasaid could easily smell them on the Vampyres that had fed from them.
When she was finished, more lay on the floor motionless even as their bones fused back together after they had been dashed against the walls after being determined to be liars. Four still stood and Ealasaid spoke over her shoulder to her waiting Pack.
"Take those back to the castle. Keep them safe, no one is to talk with them until I get back.
