Intoxicating Sweetness

Irene's eyes shot open. "What did you say?" She whispered as the young man reached underneath his cloak. He took out a small bottle. It was a glass bottle sealed with a cork.

She snatched the bottle from his hands before flinging him cross the hall. A loud crash and a pained moan sounded, but she ignored the noise and unscrewed the cork in a hurry.

As soon as the seal on the bottle was broken, a sweet, intoxicating smell reached her nostrils. Her heart skipped a beat, then started beating much faster. She could feel her body heat up, like she had run a marathon.

"Irene?" Ivy's voice sounded distant. The sweet smell clouded her mind, the red liquid was all she could think of. It was beautiful, the most beautiful shade of red she had ever laid her sights on. She licked her lips. Now she understood why the bats loved blood so much. She wondered what it tasted like. Was it as delicious as it smelled?

"Irene!" someone snatched the bottle from her grasp and put the cork back on. "I assume it's real, judging from your reaction!" Ivy shouted. Her furious expression brought Irene back to her senses.

"Ah, yeah. It's real." She mumbled. The sweet smell lingered in her nostrils. She wanted more. "I… need a bath. I'll be back." She blinked a few times, then stumbled towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Her body felt so heavy and light at the same time. She could soar in the sky if she wanted to, it felt like.

-

Aoric lay on the ground, his entire body ached again. The Sorcerer was going to be angry that his healing spell was immediately undone by a blood crazed werewolf.

"Good, she didn't kill you." Ivy's voice rang in his ears.

"Just about." He replied, trying to push himself off the floor. "I swear, you people are way too violent." It was better to hide how much he knew about them. Was Ivy a Werewolf too, he wondered. Probably, considering they were sisters and all.

"Get up." Ivy's voice sounded angry. Aoric gritted his teeth.

"Listen, lady." He hissed. "I just got thrown across the room. Give me a minute. Besides, don't be angry at me, I did what you two asked me to do!" he slowly pushed himself up to his knees, the used the wall as support as he got up. "You two are never happy." He grumbled.

"You disappeared for days." Ivy snarled at him. "Did you really expect to be able to return with no consequences?"

"I brought you your damn blood!" Aoric shouted. "And I almost died for it, happy? I didn't vanish because I wanted to!" These siblings' high and mighty attitude was as infuriating as always.

"You almost died?" Ivy raised a single eyebrow. "Come," She walked to the living room, gesturing him to follow her. He did so, and when she pointed at a couch, he didn't hesitate to sit down, then rub his side. "Damn, that hurts." He muttered.

"What happened during and after Ava's funeral?" Ivy asked, placing the bottle on the low coffee table between them.

"Well…" Aoric took a deep breath. "I think I saw your killer."

Ivy's shocked expression was almost worth being flung across the room.

He retold the events that transpired after he began chasing that cloaked figure and was pleasantly surprised by how good of a listened Ivy was. Of course, he didn't speak of the Sorcerer, or his paralysis. Instead, he finished his story with a lie. "She probably thought I died after that fall and ran away. I woke up a while later in an inn, someone found me and took me out of the cold." He sighed. "I stayed there until my sprained ankle was healed, and then stole the blood before coming back here."

Ivy nodded. "You are lucky."

"Believe me, I know." Aoric muttered. He could have easily not been found by the nuns, or the Sorcerer could have just decided not to heal him, or the price for the healing spell could have been much worse. He smirked. "I assume this means our transaction is complete. I stole the blood and brought it back to you, and you sister… kind of confirmed it was what you two were looking for."

Ivy nodded. "Indeed, it is exactly what we were looking for." Her lips curled down with a frown. "Now, I'm one to keep my promises. I will give you the payment as we had agreed in the first place. But Irene… she will want more of you."

Aoric's expression darkened. "I think I'm done with my thieving adventures in Vesporum." He carefully replied.

"I'm afraid that may not be up to you." Ivy said with a sigh. "There are things going on behind the scenes that you know nothing of. Irene, as proud as she is, needs all the help she can get."

"Why would I help her?" Aoric hissed. "She tried to kill me!"

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Please, I know you won't do it out of the good of your heart." She pointed at the vial. "The payment for that, we have already agreed upon. Irene will not be bothered with such transactions, but I do prefer to do a fair trade. Once she tells you what she wants next, we shall speak of your payment. In private. How does that sound?"

Aoric gritted his teeth. "No promises." He said, "and I'm out if either one of you ever try to kill me, throw me across the room, or choke me or…" He took a deep breath, annoyed. "Just don't randomly touch me!" He finally said.

"Alright." Ivy smiled. "I can promise that."