Crimson Love [Vampyr Romance] Part XX

Hirahito had been following the same routine for a week and a half now. She and Kurai woke during the day, trained until night, then went to feed. In addition, a few days ago, her sire had given her a surprise gift. Hira had been awakened by a cold, slightly offensive-smelling puff of air against her face, and had opened her eyes to see a large wolf grinning at her. His fur was jet black, and, from his closeness, she could see that he had blood-red eyes very similar to her own. Hira sat up in bed, noticing Kurai sitting in a corner, scratching another wolf behind its ears. This wolf was slightly smaller, and was a mix of grey and black. He stared at her intently with cold, piercingly blue orbs. Kurai stood up, walking over to Hira, and asked, "What do you think of your new bodyguards?" The young vampyr quirked an eyebrow at him and questioned, "Bodyguards? I thought that was your job." "I may not be around all the time to protect you. This is Cerberus," he said, indicating the black wolf. "And this is Blitzkrieg," he finished, pointing to the blue-eyed canine at his side. The young vampyr still seemed confused, or maybe a little annoyed. "They're cute," she replied, "but I don't need any dogs." Kurai sighed, slightly frustrated. He said, "These aren't just any dogs, Hirahito. They're hellhounds. They are some of the strongest creatures in all three worlds. Hellhounds are infused with blood from various demons, as well as the blood of Lucifer himself. Cerberus is part vampyr, and Blitzkrieg is part ice demon. They are for your protection, and I don't want you going anywhere without them, understand?" Hira had nodded, feeling rather annoyed at the fact that Kurai didn't seem to think that she could take care of herself, but now she loved the wolves' company. She made time every day to play with them, even if she had to wake up several hours early. Tonight, the girl walked into the mansion after training and with the wolves in tow. She suddenly had a very bad feeling as she walked the now familiar path to the bathroom, and she couldn't suppress the involuntary shiver that passed through her. She went into tthe bathroom and locked the door as her guardians took their places outside on either side of the door. She turned around and jumped slightly, seeing Koshiru smirking back at her. "Hello, love," he said softly, coming closer to Hira. He stood only inches from her, leaving her with no room to fight back, even if she hadn't frozen at the sight of him. "I've come to get you back," he continued, breathing down on her face. The Fallen started to embrace her, but stopped when he heard low growls coming from the other side of the door. He gave Hira a puzzled look and asked, "What's this? You have a new pet?" The growls grew louder, and there came a loud banging as the hellhounds began ramming the door with their bodies. Cerberus and Blitzkrieg were using all of their strength to try to break the door down, but the wood was thick, and they were getting nowhere. The growling suddenly stopped, and the room began to grow very cold as an odd cracking sounded from the outside. Hirahito stepped away from the door as she felt the unmistakable cold of ice against her back. For an instant, there was silence after the door had frozen, but then there came a ferocious growl and a noise similar to that of breaking glass. The vampyr had to put her arms up to guard her face from shards of ice that flew through the air as Cerberus finally broke through the door. The wolf launched himself at Kiru, knocking the Fallen off his feet and tearing into his flesh. Koshiru threw the canine off, causing him to slam into the wall. A white katana appeared in the man's hand as Cerberus rose to his feet and resumed his attack. Tears came to Hira's eyes as she watched blood flying through the air, from both Koshiru and Cerberus. She didn't want the creature to get hurt because of her. The girl's attention was caught at a soft whimper from Blitzkrieg, who stood at the door, staring calmly at her. He tossed his head as if wanting her to follow him, but she didn't want to leave Cerberus alone. The hellhound saw her refusal and walked over to her, taking her sleeve in his mouth and pulling her towards the door. At the doorway, Hira looked back, causing Blitzkrieg to push her hard in the back with his furry head. She ran along the hall to Kurai's bedroom, collapsing on the floor as she entered. Kurai immediately rose from the bed and rushed to her side. He took her in his arms and questioned, "What's wrong, Hira? Where's Cerberus?" The young vampyr explained what had happened, though she was hardly comprehensible through her sobs. Her cries grew louder as she told of how she'd left Cerberus fighting against Koshiru. "Don't worry about Cerberus, Hira," Kurai said while trying to comfort her. "He can take care of himself. Any second now, he'll walk in here, completely fine." As if to confirm the older vampyr's statement, the door creaked open as the black wolf loped into the room. He was not, however, completely fine. His fur was wet and matted with blood, and he was favoring his left front leg. The hellhound let out a short whimper as the girl threw her arms around his neck. Her crying increased as she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Cerberus. I didn't mean to freeze up like that. I'm sorry, so sorry." Kurai finally stopped Hirahito's apologies as he noticed the wolf about to pass out. He gently pulled her off, saying, "He's fine, Hira. He just needs a little blood, that's all. I'm sure he forgives you." The young vampyr nodded, drying her tears on her sleeve. She went to the dresser and retrieved a bottle of blood, then poured it into Cerberus' bowl beside the bed. She brought it over to him and watched silently as he lapped up the blood. She soon became lost in her thoughts as she absently stroked the wolf's blood-soaked fur. Kurai watched his fledgling concernedly. After a few minutes, he asked, "Are you sure you're okay, Hira? What's bothering you?" The girl started a bit, then answered, "I just felt so helpless. I can't believe I froze up like that. When I looked into Koshiru's eyes, I completely forgot my training. I couldn't do anything. Cerberus was hurt because I was too scared to even move." The older vampyr simply smiled a bit. "It's okay," he reassured her. "He scares you a lot. It's understandable that you would be unable to react. It's okay." The girl looked over at Kurai and sighed. "I guess you're right, Kurai," she replied. "I just hate how weak he makes me feel." Cerberus had now finished drinking the blood, so Hira took him into another bathroom to wash the blood from his matted fur.