Love Bites (REPOST)

Chapter 29 ~ The Turning

Victor raised one red eye at the fat wizard charging him with his wand raised. He released Hermione who stood frozen in place for a moment, her eyes closed, a languid smile on her face as blood ran from the two puncture holes.

"You leave her alone…you…you…" Adam cried, slowing as his blue eyes drifted over Victor. Even with blood running down his chin, he was gorgeous, tall, pale. "You beautiful bit of bloodsucker."

This statement brought the vampire up short as Adam stared at him rather lustfully. Hermione stirred, waking. She looked back at Adam and the vampire, before her eyes glazed again and she took off at a run in search of Severus. Victor looked around and hissed as she disappeared into the forest. He turned back to Adam.

"You fool! She's gone…and I don't know if . . . if," the vampire hissed at the chubby wizard, who held his wand on the sentient, trembling slightly.

Snarling, Victor advanced on Adam, who snapped out of his erotic vampire state of mind and cast the seed spell. This time a bunch of lima beans flew out of his wand tip.

Victor stopped and looked down at the seeds, then up at Adam furiously.

"Damn you," he hissed, bending over and starting to count the beans as Adam darted by him following Hermione.

But Victor was a sentient, not a minion. He was counting . . . but by tens.

Hermione was light-headed as she ran through the forest and felt as if she were having trouble breathing, but she continued, her lungs burning unnaturally. She was in better shape than this, she shouldn't be having such problems. But she couldn't stop…she had to find Severus.

Adam ran behind the witch, calling her name, begging her to stop. Hermione could hear Adam but kept going, she was being pulled after the Potions Master. The wizard could hear her up ahead and sped up. He thought he saw her lab coat.

"Dr. Granger, wait, wait . . . I have . . . "

Suddenly he ran into something solid and was knocked to the ground. Victor stood over him, snarling and kicked away the wizard's wand. The vampire reached down and gripped the effeminate wizard by his collar and yanked him up, pulling the trembling wizard to his feet.

"You…you can't bite me…I'm wearing garlic," Adam said in a high voice.

Victor's red eyes shifted to the garland around Adam's neck, and a look of fear crossed his face. Then he snatched the garland, breaking it and flinging it to the ground.

Adam looked down at the broken garland then back at Victor.

"Well . . . um . . . I guess you can bite me," Adam said.

Victor cocked his head at the wizard. He was very strange…almost female-like. But he had balls. Not many humans could speak when face to face with a vampire. Vashti had been after him to create another minion to replace the one she'd killed to summon the demon, but the vampire hadn't seen anyone that wouldn't be missed.

Somehow, he thought this strange one wouldn't be missed.

Victor looked at him.

"Yes I can," he said, sinking his fangs into Adam's throat.

************************

Hermione was feeling very strange, but kept going. Her skin crawled as if insects were underneath it, and her breathing was still hitched and labored. She felt a terrible pain in her midsection and doubled over, coughing and retching, feeling something coming up. She gagged and swallowed it back down, then staggered forward, entering the Forbidden Forest, following Severus.

She had to find Severus. She had to stop Vashti but had no idea how.

**********************

The Potions Master broke through the Forbidden Forest to a strange, unfamiliar stony area. He continued to run, the circle of water staying with him as he was drawn toward the catacombs. He was vaguely aware he wasn't alone. From out of the shadows came several minions, hissing and baring their fangs at him. But they didn't try to attack. They couldn't have crossed the barrier anyway. They ran alongside him like a sub-human honor guard, snarling at him. The Potions Master looked neither right nor left, but his red eyes focused forward.

Suddenly he came to a stop, the circle of water falling into a crevice. He stared down at it for a moment, then lowered himself into it, climbing down into the dark depths, followed by the minions.

The Potions Master gripped and slipped, half climbing, half sliding down into the darkness. But he could see clearly, his vision somewhat green, the stones glowing luminously. He touched ground. The minions gibbered excitedly as he began to navigate his way through the narrow, twisting pathway. He came to several turn-offs but walked with confidence. After about fifteen minutes he emerged into a large open area, filled with flickering shadows and bonfires.

He stopped, staring…then hissed.

In the middle of the clearing was a throne made of bones, and sitting on that throne, her long pale legs crossed, a lazy smile on her blood-red lips, sat Vashti the Queen of Blood. Severus' red eyes raked over her, and he hardened powerfully, and began to walk purposely toward her.

Vashti's lazy smile soon turned to a look of surprise, then a black frown.

"What is this?" she cried leaping from her throne, gliding across the room and landing in front of Severus, who stopped.

The Queen's red eyes stared at the water running around the wizard.

"What trickery is this?" she screamed at him. "Remove it! Remove it now!"

Severus looked down at the water circling him.

"I cannot, my Queen. I have no wand," he said hoarsely, moving toward her again.

Vashti backed up.

"I cannot cross moving water!" she shrieked at him, her form shifting slightly to a more demonic form in her rage. "Who has done this? Who?"

The Queen raged, circling the wizard, who turned along with her, keeping her in his line of sight.

"My Queen, come to me," the Potions Master implored her.

"I cannot you fool! You are surrounded by moving water. No vampire of my species can cross moving water," she hissed at him.

Severus moved forward suddenly and the water touched Vashti's foot and sizzled, the Queen shrieking in pain as smoke rose from her burned flesh.

"Stay back you idiot!" she screamed at Severus, throwing her hand forward and knocking the wizard across the room with her power. She limped back to her throne and sat down.

"You stay there," she hissed at Severus, trying to decide what to do. She couldn't turn him if she couldn't touch him. But the demons hadn't said when she had to turn him. They would have to wait as she did.

She stared at the image of Questor, standing before her, his robes tented with passion. He was beautiful and strong. She had to have him. She had to have her king returned to her.

***************************

Hermione burst into the stone clearing. She could breathe easier now, and felt no tiredness. She could feel Severus…and she could feel another presence. Her eyes narrowed. Suddenly she heard hissing and saw that snarling minions surrounded her. She cast a seed spell and the creatures all began to count. She walked forward, looking at the ground carefully. She saw the crevice and climbed down into it effortlessly.

She slid down the rocks lightly and landed on the ground. She felt buoyant, strong and very, very angry. This was Vashti's lair, and she had Severus. Her Severus.

Hermione snarled and stalked through the passageway, her wand held tightly as she went to retrieve her wizard.

In her throne, Vashti suddenly stiffened. She hissed loudly, rising from her throne, every sense alerted. There was another here. In her territory. In her domain. She snarled, her fangs elongating, her eyes turning to flame as the bloodlust took her over.

Hermione strode into the throne room, her own amber eyes aflame. She looked at Severus, then slowly her head turned toward the Queen.

"You cannot have him," Hermione hissed, "he belongs to me."

In the shadows, the minions milled about in confusion as they looked at the witch. They knew she threatened their Queen but could not attack her. Not her.

Not another Queen.

Severus' red eyes focused on Hermione and he stiffened, turning towards her and moving forward. Hermione's skin was pale as his own now, and her lips blood red. Her amber eyes glowed as brightly as the bonfires, and her nails were long and blood-tipped.

Hermione hissed at him as the circle of moving water came closer.

"Stay back, Severus," she said, her fangs elongating as she turned toward Vashti. "I will free you soon."

Vashti stared at her.

"You are the one who turned him from me . . . how did you . . . who . . . ?" Vashti shrieked…then the realization hit her.

"Victor!" she screamed in rage. "You traitorous bastard. How could you do this to your Queen?"

But Victor was not here to answer her. She snarled at Hermione.

"You cannot defeat me. You are not yet completely turned," she hissed at the witch.

"I only need your blood, Vashti…and I mean to have it," Hermione shrieked charging the vampire with amazing speed, darting toward her.

Vashti rose high into the air and Hermione passed harmlessly under her. The Queen drifted above the floor. Hermione spun and fired a blast at her. The Queen was knocked back a few feet, but no damage was done.

"It will take more than a wand, mortal," Vashti hissed, diving at Hermione headfirst, nails extended. She slashed the witch's face as she sped by, blood pouring from her face, before the wounds healed themselves. Hermione hissed, bringing her hand to her face, her palm covered with blood.

She licked it, then snarled at Vashti, who turned in the air and dove at her again. This time Hermione spun and jabbed her wooden wand deep into the Queen's shoulder. Vashti crashed to the floor screaming as smoke and blood poured from around the wand. She ripped it out of her shoulder and threw it aside.

The wound healed slowly, but Hermione didn't wait and shot toward the Queen, her fangs bared, her nails curved into talons, hitting her in the midsection and taking her down.

Severus watched as the two Queens wrestled, a snarling, rolling ball of fangs and nails, biting and scratching, tearing flesh, blood covering the floor as they were wounded and healed and wounded again. Finally they broke apart, panting, their clothing torn, Vashti naked from the waist up, Hermione's blood soaked lab coat laying on the stone floor, her uniform shredded, and pale flesh showing underneath.

The two Queens circled each other warily, snarling, fangs covered in blood. Suddenly Vashti launched herself into the air, only to be met by Hermione, who pushed off instinctively and collided with the Queen, and again they tangled violently, now a flying ball of snarling, ripping hatred, blood dripping down to the floor in a stream as they tore at each other. Vashti managed to wrap her long legs around Hermione's shorter ones, effective trapping her, and raked her nails across her eyes, blinding the witch as she cried out in rage and pain. Eyes took longer to heal, and Vashti dragged her down to the floor, climbing over her and pinning her, with her throat exposed.

"Now, you die, bitch," the Queen hissed, baring her fangs as Hermione struggled desperately. The minions howled at the Queen's approaching victory, then suddenly and inexplicably fell silent.

Vashti reared back, ready to plunge her fangs into the witch's neck, snarling her victory. She threw herself forward, only to find that her head was snapped back powerfully, her own throat suddenly exposed.

"Oh no you don't, Vashti darling. It's time you met a real Queen!"

Vashti snarled in horror as Adam looked down at her, pale, his blue eyes aflame and hand securely twisted in her hair, his long fangs bared.

"You? How is this possible?" the Queen gasped as she looked on the turned wizard.

"I tried to tell everyone I was a witch in a wizard's body, my dear, but no one believed me," Adam said with an evil smile, "I guess this proves once and for all that I was right, and they…were wrong."

Adam then flashed forward, driving his fangs into Vashti's throat, jerking her upward viciously, wrapping his arms around her body, crushing her, his grip like iron bands as he drained her blood and power.

Victor, standing in the shadow of the entrance, looked on the scene unfolding before him with wide eyes. When he bit Adam, he had expected to create a minion… not a male Queen.

Damn. Where did that leave him now?

*****************************
A/N: lolololol. We ALL knew Adam was a Queen. And Adam saves the day. We hope…we know he has a thing for Severus, and by drinking Vashti's blood, her reign and power has been transferred to him. Will he want to fight Hermione for Severus? And will he keep or kill Vashti's subjects? Lots more questions ahead. Please review.