The weight of her body grew heavier with each step closer to the screaming infant. She could hear the dark wood creek under her weight as her heel clicked the stairs. Her hand grabbed the stiff rail, forcing herself to face what she long avoided. Charlotte wanted to scream, to let herself fall into a never-ending spiral. Nothing came without consequences. They had this in spades as Daciana would change as she had. Or not quite the same, but still. Leaving the girls with Patrick was a chance for a human life. Something Charlotte had not wanted for herself. How could fate be so cruel, to rob her daughter of that? Charlotte gripped the wood tighter. It groaned and cracked but refused to bend or splinter, at least for the time being. The scream inside her was the same, growing under the pressure of anger and resentment. It remained quiet, waiting.
Damien had no such restraint. His voice echoed through the halls. Rich wood panels covered the stone building. It had a museum feel or some old world Charlotte had yet to become accustomed to. It was typical of buildings in Forgotten Hollow. That was the key. People came here to forget or live as the forgotten. The past, present, and future are merged here in a timeless fashion. A place to pretend life around them is not forever changing. But Charlotte remembered. Her pain never left. Her confession reverberated around her head, how she was incapable of love. Caleb had scoffed and dismissed her admission as impossible. Her vampire power relied on this ability to lure in her prey. True, it may be, but those feelings had no longer translated themselves to family. The ones she should love. Caleb had held her and, for a moment, Charlotte had wanted to believe. His kisses were to remind her it was love that brought her to him. Charlotte pushed him, an unintentional force throwing him across the room. She winced at the memory.
It was her daughter. The words made her pause. Daciana and Luliana were her children. Caleb was wrong in thinking he needed to keep the truth from her. Vampire’s hearing can recognise a beating heart, so a whisper is easy to distinguish. Everything Daciana suffered over the years was because of Charlotte. It should not have been possible. Yet here they were with a half-blood vampire tearing out the throats of the people who raised her.
Caleb had lied, saying children born of them before her change would remain human. Daciana was in pain. She almost killed Leticia. What will stop their children? Those full-blooded vampires. When they become teens, will they seek out and devour humans? Daciana had no idea what was happening and now had some stranger filling her head with nonsense. Her daughter would never be free. Caleb swallowed that last lump hard. He knew Charlotte meant herself. He had kept her captive for the first part of her change, and the pregnancies tied her further.
Charlotte leaned over the crib. She was in awe that something so small could create a horrendous noise. Damien silenced, his arms reaching for her. Neither wet nor hungry, he gurgled in her ear, happy in her embrace. He clung as tight as tiny fists could to her blouse, determined she would not let him go. She inhaled the sweet baby scent. The books said it was only the first few weeks when they were a milky bread aroma. Charlotte could smell him even now. It was odd but comforting. Charlotte found herself in this room after arguing with Caleb. The pain seemed distant as she held him. She had never felt this way about any of her children. If there was something different about Damien, Charlotte had yet to understand it. He was the reason she got up in the morning. The closer she was to him, the calmer she felt. Charlotte hated how it took Daciana to become a vampire to make her want to hold Damien. She nuzzled his stomach, breathing him in. The gurgle cleared into a laugh. Charlotte smiled, tears in her eyes. Could it be she loved Damien?
Charlotte: https://www.patreon.com/posts/87050277?pr=true
By the Grace of Sim Gods 