Chapter 4.34 – Marbles

This chapter references this one.

It hadn’t taken Caleb long to ditch Faith in favour of a succulent-looking pretty thing. He had left her ‘just for a minute’ an hour earlier outside of, it had taken her a few minutes to realise, the pub that Seth had brought her to a few months prior. The place where she’d blown up at him and threatened to bugger him with a boat, she recalled.

Those were the days.

No, those weren’t the days. Those were terrible days. He lied to you.

He’s hot, though.

Ugh. Faith gave up fighting her brain and was readily distracted by a man in a yellow t-shirt and distinctive trousers coming towards her. He didn’t seem to have a reason for being in the beer garden – no beer and no cigarette – so it seemed that the might of her allure was just too great.

Woah. If she could pick up guys through walls she might be even deadlier than Caleb.

He looked confused, which was pretty typical for men hooked on her allure.

“Do I know you?” he asked.

“Would you like to?” she bat back with a pout.

He seemed to do a double-take and scratched his head. “I really do but also… there’s something… something about you… I…”

Faith’s pout turned into a frown as a flash of a memory came back to her.

Who wants to drink from a numbed human when they can wrestle with one in the throes of fear or passion? Ian here must be quite the experience, somewhere between the two extremes; finding you both incredibly arousing and utterly terrifying.

“Ian,” she said miserably.

“I knew that I knew you!” Ian said, through his quickly descending fog. His words began to soften into one another. “Did we hook up? I feel like we did.”

Faith had had no prior intention of actually seducing this human but, knowing Seth would be watching, she worked her hand unsubtly into the guy’s jeans as she worked her fangs into his jugular.

“Sort of,” Faith muttered.

Ian blinked at the one lamp in the garden, clarity rushing in. “We did! You gave me a hand job, I remember! God, that was one rubbish job you did. Can’t believe people actually pay you for that.”

Faith fought not to rise through all three anger levels, remembering how Seth had laughed, laughed at leaving Ian with this false memory of her. She was half-tempted to get Ian to whip it out so she could give him an accurate memory, but the sound of his pulse was starting to drive a deeper need.

Luckily for Faith, Ian was softening once again, in his brain anyway, swaying towards her like a drunk. Intoxicated by her. God, she loved that she could do this.

She let Ian feel his way nearer, felt him place his hands around her waist and hold on as if for life.

“What’s your name?” he murmured into her neck.

“Violet, she replied, sinking her fangs into his.

Violet.

Faith wasn’t sure at what point she’d stopped associating herself as Faith. Faith was the human one, Faith was the one who had family and friends she cared about and could venture into the sun without frying. Violet was the dark and mysterious one, who hunted by night and didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything.

Faith was slowing dying and Violet was thriving.

She wondered if she should change her name permanently a beat before she wondered why Ian had become so heavy.

Shit.

Shit, shit, fuck, shit.

As Faith danced in a circle with a dead man at her feet, a shadow passed through her vision.

“No, I’m not stalking you.” Seth insisted. “This is a good place to hunt.”

“Oh, look, it’s Ian,” Seth said jovially, nudging the floppy human with his heavy boot. “Well, you are certainly getting looser with the whole ‘thou shall not kill’ mantra.”

“Seth, I didn’t mean to. I fucked up. I was distracted and he was warm and I… I…”

“It’s all right,” Seth said softly. “Faith, it’s all right.”

“It’s not all right! What the fuck do I do now? I need to hide him, no! I need to run off, but then someone will find him and… and… Seth what do I do?!”

“You leave him with me,” Seth replied calmly. “And you go back to the manor.”

“I don’t know the way back,” Faith sobbed, when what she really wanted to say was don’t leave me.

Seth’s lips twitched into a smile. “In that case, you wait here, maybe go get yourself an alcoholic drink? I’ll sort this, Faith.”

“—Right into the smelly bog.”

“Really? Broof?”

“Oh yeah, before he got his ‘neat’ trait, little Broof could always be found wallowing in the bog, filthier than a piglet.”

“I wonder if that’s where the ‘hogwash’ name comes from.” Lilith smirked at Broof who squirmed beside her. They’d been listening to Leyla’s memories of ‘little Broof’ for a good half hour and Broof was clearly tiring of it. Lilith, however, thought it was great. Not so much because she gave half a damn about what Broof got up to when he was barely out of nappies, nor because Leyla was particularly engaging, more because she was learning a lot about the swamp, about the society of outcasts. Knowledge was power, after all.

Watching Broof squirm in horror that he ever willingly played in muck was just an added bonus. The bearded former-butler reacted to each story the way one might when someone recalled their misdemeanours on a drunken night out. He clearly had no memory of the events and was appalled at himself. As far as he was concerned, he’d never been to the swamp before. If Leyla hadn’t been quite so detailed with her stories, Lilith would have believe him. But it seemed that Ma had brought him here a few times. It begged the question; what was Ma doing here?

Leyla was still talking. Lilith wasn’t listening.

It was obvious that Ma had been friends with Bo, and also obvious that they’d been working on a possible vampire cure, possibly even attempted a few. Ma had been Sage’s mentor, and Sage had, once upon a time, been Lilith’s friend who had promised her a cure. She guessed that Sage and Ma had been working together, but she couldn’t imagine that Sage the goody-two-shoes devoted coven witch would have ever set foot in a place full of wild witches and monsters. Clearly Ma had been a go-between.

Pretty scandalous considering Ma would have been the High priestess on the Windenburg Witches at the time, but Ma was a pretty outrageous person in general. Powerful and devoted, certainly, but also a rebel to the core.

The only thing that didn’t fit was that Lilith and Ma barely ever spoke. Surely, if they were trying to synthesise a cure for her, they’d have kept her in the loop? Used her as a test subject?

Maybe they’d had another vampire to test on. And if they had, it hadn’t ended well, leaving a deep vampire prejudice in the raven-haired witch that sat before Lilith as well as in other members of this cast out collective.

Lilith wondered who that other vampire might’ve been as hurried little footsteps scampered up the dock and into the sitting room, disrupting whatever conversation had been going on around her.

“Leyla!” Brodie called, bringing the witch immediately to her feet. The child, who was up way past their bed-time and bubbling with excitement noticed that Leyla wasn’t alone and giggled, gesturing Leyla closer as if divulging a secret.

“You’re kidding,” Leyla whispered.

“Nope!”

Leyla stood up and beamed brightly at the pair. “Apologies both, I’ve got to nip out for a second. You’ll be alright here though, yes?” she asked only to Broof. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

Broof nodded, seeming relieved that he didn’t have to endure any more stories, and Lilith smiled.

“We’ll be right here,” she purred as Leyla hurried Brodie from the room; their enthusiasm infectious – and telling.

Lilith had been very convincing, she thought, at not letting on that she had incredibly good hearing. That Brodie’s excitable whisper was not quite quiet enough to go unheard.

“The death flower is blooming.”

Seth had planned to have supper and then visit the domicile of Jessica Spoon, but felt that this was more of a pressing matter.

Faith took his hands and looked at him expectantly, and he laughed.

“No misting today, I’m afraid – I’m drained.” She pouted in that petulant way he was endeared to. “I’ll walk with you,” he promised. “It’s not far, and then I’ll resume hunting.”

“Ugh, I hate walking,” she whined.

“I know, but I’m not carrying you. Suck it up, Fledgling.”

As they walked, they fell into conversation most amenably. Her sharp wit and blunt references delighted him. But he chose to keep a tab on how much he let on of that. Seth had to admit that he missed how easy it was to talk to Faith, how snappy and coarse she was, however, he didn’t want to seem too keen, not this time.

He laughed at one of her self-loathing remarks and felt his dog-eared shirt slip down his neck. He swiftly adjusted his collar and prayed that Faith wouldn’t notice Kitty’s snare marks, which had already begun to heal but would take a few further hours to be completely gone.

Faith snorted. “I can see that you know. Caleb has a matching one. No prizes for guessing who did that.”

“Ah. Are her teeth marks evident?”

“No…” Faith murmured, stopping and gently teasing down his collar. “It just looks just like a mess, a shredded little hole. It looks painful.”

“It feels worse,” he mumbled, yanking his collar up and resuming his stride.

Faith trotted along beside in her laboured way. “Slow down. Ugh! Why did you let her do that?”

“She requested it and I obliged. There is not much more to it than that.”

“Bullshit, you probably get off on it.”

“I assure you that I do not.”

“Liar,” Faith hissed as she caught up. “Okay, Mr. I’m-not-a-twisted-pervert; why not just make her go fetch a prey or eat one of Caleb’s many bimbos then?”

Seth noted the way Faith derided Caleb’s girls, how there was no punch behind her descriptors.

She wasn’t convincing him with her insouciance. He had thought briefly that there may be jealousy there – it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Caleb wasn’t simply feeding from his beautiful captives. But no. It was more than that. Faith wasn’t happy about their captivity in the slightest. Interesting.

“Earth to Seth.” Faith called.

“Uh, ah…”

“I asked why you let her eat you. Fuck me, you really are losing your marbles in your old age.”

“My marbles are fully accounted for.” He sighed. “She has a certain… way that I find… interesting to engage with.”

“She’s your Mommy. I get it.”

“No.”

“Oh Mommy, spank me!” She laughed in a near perfect impression of his voice.

At that moment the desire to yank her by wrist and into his embrace was almost all-consuming. But he couldn’t. He smiled, let her think her words were having no effect. He wanted her to come to her own conclusion about him, to let her find her way back on her own terms… for the most part.

Walking her home after her new lover boy ditched her certainly gave Seth an advantage. Disposing so carefully of Ian gave him even more.

“Huh,” Faith huffed, as the long, winding carriageway to the manor came into view. “That felt longer when Caleb was carrying me.”

“Yes, well, he had his hand under your skirt, he probably took the scenic route.”

“That twat. Ugh. And he ditched me too, I’m not happy with him.”

“Well, what did you expect from the rigid rouge?”

“Rigid rogue?”

Seth waved his hand. “Forgive me; I’m sure you care about him greatly.”

“Yeah. I do. Sure,” Faith looked anything but sure. “But that was shitty insult.”

The pair had reached the heavy door and Faith turned on her heel to face him.

 “Well, I’m back, you can piss off now.”

“I’m a guest here too.”

“No, you’re dinner,” She laughed and then settles into a warm smile. “Thanks Seth. For taking care of… my accident and walking me back.”

“Any time,” he said softly.

Something flashed in her eyes and then it was gone. He saw a glimpse of her memory as it dissipated. The same one he’d been replaying every time he’d visited that pub.

We could be something amazing together. Something utterly terrible. I will allow you to walk away but, know that, I’m not going to give up on you. I will pursue you. I will fight for you.

Faith looked stunned for a second before her snideness returned.

“I’ll bet. Any time. Day, night or Christmas. Hiding round every corner, in every cupboard. Just waiting for me. My own sad, sad puppy.”

Woof.

Faith moved slightly closely, barely noticeable to anyone except Seth who was carefully logging and anticipating her every move. She looked him straight in the eye, her lips parted around what was sure to be scathing attack on his character, appearance or scent, but nothing came out except an empty breath.

Seth took a step back, fighting his smile, he started to build his mist.

Faith, who had been misted a few times, knew this gesture and her predictable rage flared once more.

“So you can mist!” She snapped as the fog and his own laughter roared in his ears, almost drowning out the sound of her ranting into the ether. “Too tired, my arse! You bastard! You made me walk all that way for nothing?!”

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