The Blood Queen (DxD x MultiCross)

Chapter 22:

I woke up in a filthy, wet cell. The stench hit me first—rotting flesh and damp stone. My head was pounding, and my vision swam as I forced myself to sit up. The ground beneath me was cold and slimy, and my hands came away covered in something that I didn't want to think too hard about. I shivered in disgust and looked around. It was dark, but that's what natural night vision was good for. I pushed myself to my feet, grimacing as I realized my favorite outfit was completely ruined. My red jacket was smeared with filth, and the once-pristine tank top underneath was stained beyond saving. My boots squelched on something wet as I moved. 

Gross…

My hand instinctively went under my jacket, searching for the comforting weight of my gun. It wasn't there behind my back like I expected it to be.

"Damn it," I muttered. Walter had just replaced that gun for me! Now it was gone again, probably confiscated by whoever threw me in this hellhole. I tried to clear my head. "Where am I?" The last thing I remembered was taking down those Death Eaters. Then…

"Weasley!" I spat! The memory immediately came back. That spineless bastard Ron had cursed me in the back, and then his parents and that filthy werewolf had joined in! My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. My father had always warned me not to trust werewolves. They were just mangy, unpredictable fleabags. 

I turned to the cell bars and grabbed them, testing for any give. The moment my hands made contact, a searing pain shot through my palms, and I yanked them back with a hiss. My skin was reddened and blistered where it had touched the metal. Pure silver…

"Shit," I muttered, cradling my hands even as they slowly healed the burns away.

A chuckle echoed through the darkness, sending a shiver down my spine. 

I froze. 

That laugh. I knew it. I'd never forget it, no matter how hard I tried. My hands clenched into fists, the burns forgotten as dread clawed its way into my chest.

"Marius…"

He appeared in front of my cell a couple seconds later. "Hello, my disgusting little sister," he drawled, his voice dripping with condescension. "You've been very naughty, haven't you? Running away from the family. Burning down our ancestral castle. Tsk tsk."

My whole body tensed as memories I'd spent years burying came rushing back. Marius Tepes. My half-brother. The sadistic bastard who'd made my childhood a living nightmare. He'd tortured me for fun, delighted in every scream and cry he could wring from me. I'd thought I was done with him. I thought I was free. But here he was, standing in front of me with that same smug grin.

No! Not again! The second he let his smug guard down I was going to turn the tables on this arrogant asshole!

I forced myself to stand tall, meeting his cold, red eyes. "You've gone to a lot of effort to catch me… I was starting to wonder if you were too much of a coward to face me yourself though."

His grin widened. "Ah, there's the little bitch I remember. You always did have a sharp tongue. Such a shame it won't do you any good here." He gestured around the cell. "Do you like your accommodations? My new friend was happy to provide this dirty cell for you. I wanted it to remind you of home," he chuckled.

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. "Let me guess, your new best friend is Voldemort?"

Marius grinned. "Indeed. He's a human I can actually respect. Unlike the rest of his kind, he realized how pathetic his mortal body was and underwent numerous rituals to change it. He's agreed to hold you in these cells until Father finalizes your sale."

I scoffed at his words. "My sale? You're planning on selling me like a damn slave?"

Marius shook his head slowly, his expression full of mock pity. "Not a slave. More like… a test subject. The only reason we even kept you alive was for that Sacred Gear inside of you. It would have been dangerous if certain factions found out we were harboring a Sacred Gear wielder. But it was all worth it for how much this man is willing to pay. We'll be able to rebuild our castle three times over. Plus, he's promised to lend his forces to ours and the Dark Lords—all to take back Romania from that clan of bitches."

The idea of someone else knowing about my Sacred Gear made my stomach churn, but I shoved the thought aside. I'd deal with that later. Right now, I needed to focus on escaping.

A small smirk tugged at my lips as an idea formed. 

"But… brother," I said, letting my voice tremble. I forced tears to my eyes and stuttered, "M-my Sacred Gear… it's gone! I don't have it anymore!"

Marius's smug expression faltered, his face twisting into confusion and then panic. "N-nice try, but I know you're lying. No one knew you had a Sacred Gear! Who could have stolen it from you?"

"The m-mage who burned down the castle and t-teleported me to London," I lied smoothly, my voice wavering just enough to sell it. "He w-wanted it as payment."

"That's impossible!" Marius spat, his voice rising in anger. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small device. "Come closer to the bars," he ordered. "This is a Sacred Gear scanner. It's incredibly rare, created by Ajuka himself. It'll tell me if you're lying. And if you are… I'll kill you here and now."

I wiped the fake tears from my face and shuffled forward, feigning fear. I was glad he was honestly this stupid…

The second he reached his arm through the bars to scan me, I grabbed his wrist with all my strength and yanked him forward. His undead face slammed into the silver bars with a sickening crack. He howled in pain, stumbling back and clutching his face.

"You horrid bitch! I knew you were lying!" he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

I snickered. "Sure was!" I placed my hand over my heart, summoning the Blessed Grail. The ornate chalice shimmered as it appeared in my hand, filled to the brim with the most potent holy water in existence. I splashed it through the bars, dousing Marius. The reaction was immediate. His skin bubbled and boiled as he screamed in agony, rolling on the ground and clawing at his burning flesh. 

"This is going to hurt," I muttered to myself, placing the Grail back inside my soul. I transformed into a swarm of bats to escape the cell bars. The silver bars burned several of my wings as I passed through, the pain sharp and intense. When I reformed on the other side, my skin was covered in blisters and burns, but they were already healing.

Marius glared at me from the floor, his entire left side melted beyond recognition. His eye was gone, his face a twisted mass of raw flesh. "You will pay for this, Valerie!" he screamed. "I will kill you if it's the last thing I do! I don't care if Father wants to sell you anymore!"

"Not if I kill you first!" I snarled at him.

"TEPES HOME!" he shouted, and a swirling vortex appeared. Before I could stop him, he vanished into it.

I clicked my tongue in frustration. "Damn it! That was the perfect chance to kill him." He had an emergency portkey… probably something Voldemort or his followers gave him.

I'd have to worry about Marius later. Right now, I needed to get the hell out of here. I glanced around the cell one more time before stepping toward the door. If I was right, I was in the dungeons of the Death Eater base. Based on the reports from Hellsing's agents, this was probably Narcissa Malfoy's old home. The wards here were solid enough to block human eyes, but those morons never figured out that spy satellites and cameras weren't so easily fooled.

I moved carefully through the dungeons, keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible. The air was damp and thick, making it harder to breathe. A few dozen other prisoners were locked up in cells along the way. They looked at me with hopeful, pleading eyes, silently begging for me to free them. 

I shook my head and whispered, "Quiet. I'm not getting anyone out if I can't get myself out first." They seemed to understand and shrank back into the shadows of their cells. I continued toward the stairs at the far end of the hall. I reached the top of the stairs, and just as I was about to push the door open, the universe decided to screw me over again. The door swung open from the other side, and I froze. A Death Eater—maskless—stood in the doorway. 

He looked irritated. "Hey, vampire! What's taking so long with that bitch—" He cut himself off when our eyes met. His face twisted into a mix of confusion and then fear.

My instincts kicked in immediately. "Close your mouth and don't move," I ordered, locking my gaze on his. My voice was steady, commanding, and laced with the power of hypnosis. His mouth slammed shut, and he froze on the spot. I could see the strain in his face as he tried to resist me. His body trembled, and his lips twitched, but he wasn't strong enough to break free. "Don't fight it," I said quietly, stepping closer. His hateful glare didn't bother me. He was mine now, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

I opened my mouth, letting my fangs extend fully. Without wasting another second, I latched onto his neck and sank them into his flesh. Warm, delicious blood flooded my mouth, and I couldn't stop the shiver of ecstasy that ran through me. Every gulp sent a wave of energy coursing through my body, and I couldn't help but savor the taste. Wizarding blood. It wasn't quite as intoxicating as devil blood, but it was damn close.

"Fuck… no…" the Death Eater whimpered weakly. His hands smacked against my back a couple of times, but the hits were pathetic. He'd already lost too much blood to put up a real fight. Within moments, his body went limp, and he collapsed in my arms.

I licked my lips and stepped back, letting his corpse slump to the floor beside the stairs. I took a moment to catch my breath, trying to calm the arousal that spread through my body. Feeding on fresh blood always left me a little… excited, but this wasn't the time for distractions like that. 

I had to stay focused.

With one last glance at the body, I moved on. The next room was a small parlor, dimly lit by a single, flickering chandelier. My eyes immediately locked onto the table in the center of the room. Sitting on top of it was my revolver and a box of ammunition. Relief washed over me as I hurried over to the table. "Hell yeah…" I muttered under my breath as I picked up the gun. It felt good in my hand, the familiar weight grounding me. I flicked it open and loaded the chambers with the ammo from the box. A satisfied click echoed in the room as I snapped it shut. 

There was one more thing sitting on the table. My phone. It didn't look too damaged either. I flipped it open and, to my surprise, I actually had service. Barely one bar, but it was enough. I let out a sigh, scrolling through my contacts before pressing the call button for my boss.

It rang a few times before Integra's stern voice came through the line. 

"Valerie Tepes, where the hell have you been? Why has it taken you hours to check in after getting kidnapped?"

Of course she already knew. She always knew. 

"Sorry, mam—er—I mean, sir," I said quickly, wincing at my slip. "The portkey dropped me at the Weasleys' house. You know, Rose's ginger friend? Total piece of shit, by the way. He cursed me in the back, and then I got captured by Death Eaters. Oh, and my former brother, Marius Tepes, just for extra fun."

There was a pause on the other end before Integra spoke again, her tone sharp but tinged with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "I dumped a bunch of holy water on Marius's face. That piece of shit's probably scarred for life. I'm in the process of escaping, but there are a lot of prisoners here. I'm assuming this is the Malfoy mansion."

"Walter is tracing your call," Integra said. "You're correct. It's coming from that location. We were planning to storm the place in the next few days, but with you on the inside, now seems as good a time as any. Can you hold out for half an hour for us to get there?"

Before I could respond, a door leading to another room opened, and a dark witch stepped inside. She stopped dead when she saw me, her wide, dumbfounded eyes locking onto mine. I froze, still holding the phone to my ear.

"The prisoner is escaping!" she screeched suddenly, her voice so shrill it felt like nails on a chalkboard. My ears throbbed, and I glared at her.

"Er… you might want to get here a bit faster," I muttered into the phone before hanging up immediately, because a second later, a green jet of light came hurtling toward my face. I ducked under it. I didn't know if the killing curse could actually kill me—being half-dead already had to count for something—but I wasn't about to test that theory. 

I reached for my revolver. "You're going to regret that," I snarled, leveling the gun at the witch. Her eyes widened as she realized what I was holding. Too bad for her, it was already too late. 

Bang!

I pulled the trigger and a large hole opened itself up in her torso. Too bad that gunshot definitely alerted every single piece of shit in the mansion because my enhanced senses suddenly picked up a lot of them…

The door on the other side of the room slammed open with a loud bang, and a female vampire I vaguely recognized stormed inside. Her gown was barely hanging onto her, like she'd just thrown it on in a hurry. Her face was twisted in rage, her red eyes locked on me.

"What did you do to Lord Marius?!" she screeched, her voice shrill and grating.

I leaned against the table, grinning and letting my fangs show. "Marius? Who's that? Doesn't ring a bell."

Her face turned even redder. "You lying bitch!" she screamed before lunging at me.

Her movements were fast, but not fast enough. In her right hand, she held a wooden stake, aiming for my heart. The attack was telegraphed, so obvious it almost made me laugh. I could've just shot her and been done with it, but the sight of her face brought back old memories. I remembered her. She was one of Marius's concubines, a loyal pet who had sometimes joined him in torturing me.

When the stake got close to my chest, I knocked it to the side with my left hand. In the same motion, I smashed the grip of my revolver into her throat. The blow landed with a satisfying crunch. Vampires might not need to breathe, but collapsing their trachea was still uncomfortable as hell. She staggered back, clutching her neck, coughing and wheezing.

"Not so arrogant now, are you?" I taunted.

To her credit, she didn't back down. She came at me again, swiping wildly with the stake. This time, I caught her hand mid-swing. Before she could react, I squeezed down with all my strength. Her eyes widened in shock and pain as I felt her bones crack under my grip. Blood oozed from her now mangled hand, dripping onto the floor. I couldn't help but feel a grim satisfaction as I watched her struggle. For once, the power dynamic was reversed, and it was her turn to feel helpless.

Yeah, with Alucard's direct bloodline flowing threw me, I was a lot stronger than this bitch who was probably dozens of generations away from an original source.

She let out a strangled whimper, clutching her ruined hand to her chest and staring up at me. There was no more fight in her, just fear. She looked like she was silently begging for mercy.

I tightened my grip on my gun, glaring down at her. "How many times did I give you that kind of look?" I asked, my voice low and angry. "How many times did I plead for you to stop, and all you did was sneer at me like I was trash?"

She blinked a few times, her expression shifting. Maybe she understood now what I'd been through most of my life. Maybe she didn't. It didn't matter. After a moment, she gave a small nod, like she was accepting her fate. I raised my revolver, pressing the barrel to her forehead. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. I pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the room as her head exploded, scattering pieces of skull and flesh everywhere. The remains didn't last long, quickly turning to ash and floating to the ground in a messy pile.

Just as I was thinking this wasn't going to be too hard, the wall to my left exploded. Wood and shrapnel blasted in my direction, and I barely had time to cover my vitals with my arms. My thick—and smelly—jacket took the worst of it, but sharp splinters stabbed into my arms.

I hissed in pain and irritation as my body's natural healing kicked in. One by one, the splinters were pushed out of my bleeding wounds, leaving small trails of blood behind. Within seconds, the gashes sealed themselves. The pain faded, but the irritation didn't.

Through the massive hole in the wall, I now had a clear view of the next room. It was packed with Death Eaters, all of them aiming their glowing wands at me. My grip on my revolver tightened. At least the Dark Lord himself wasn't with them—yet.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. "This is going to be a pain in the ass." Before any of them could attack, "Bombarda!" I shouted, sending a blasting curse straight at the floor in the middle of the group, and the explosion shook the entire room, throwing several Death Eaters off their feet and filling the air with dust and debris.

That was all the advantage I was going to get. The next second, curses and dark spells flew at me from all directions. I dove behind the remains of a nearby table, my heart pounding as I heard the deadly spells slam into the walls and floor around me. Splinters and bits of stone rained down, but I stayed low, peeking out just long enough to return fire with my revolver.

The air was thick with smoke and the sound of shouting. "Come on, you bastards," I growled, firing off another shot. I hit one of them square in the chest, and he dropped like a sack of bricks.

"Fuck! Someone kill this disgusting half-breed!"

"We're trying you fucker!"

Before I could celebrate, a dark curse grazed my shoulder, and searing pain ripped through me. I hissed as I felt the magic burn into my skin, but I pushed the pain aside. Reloading my revolver with shaky hands, I leaned out and took aim again, firing off two more rounds. One hit its mark, taking down another Death Eater who had been shouting orders. The other shot missed, embedding itself in the wall.

Another curse flew at me, this one catching my leg and knocking me off balance. I hit the ground hard, my revolver skidding out of my hand. Gritting my teeth, I clawed my way toward it, ignoring the throbbing pain in my leg. The healing was already starting, but whatever this curse was burned like hell!

"Yes! I got her!

"Don't celebrate yet, you dumb shit! She's not dead yet!"

I grabbed the revolver just in time to fire off another shot, taking down the caster who had hit me. 

"Fuck! She got him!"

That left about half the group still standing, and they were starting to get smarter, spreading out and making it harder for me to pick them off…

XXX

I have a patreo n. My subs can read advanced updates of my stories ahead of standard release and even check out pics for some of the more naughty chapters. That's a recent development though.

Link:

Patreo n .com (slash) Starwaves

Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:

The Fallen Gamer ch 307-311

The Fox Hole 37

The Fox Hole 36

The Blood Queen 25

The Blood Queen 24

The Titan 18

The Fox Hole 35

The Fox Hole 34

The Blood Queen 23

The Fox Hole 33

The Titan 17