Anemia 3 (Vampire!Law x Reader)

But it didn't explain the jar...  The item that was the cause of all your grief, all your nervousness and anxiety; the item that you couldn't seem to bring yourself to throw off a cliff, or smash it against the wall.  No, you couldn't do that.  Something always seemed to stop you and you would clutch it close like it was something precious.  You even kept it on your nightstand, an action that weirded you out but still couldn't bring yourself to stop.

Something was wrong with that jar.  Something was wrong with this whole castle.  Something was wrong with you.

The fourth day came and still nothing occurred.  This was when you started to feel silly.

Of course nothing had chased you that night.  Everyone around you was working and talking with cheer and said nothing of screams and terrifying creatures lurking about.  You had just scared yourself senseless for no reason.  For all you knew, it had been the mountain wind blowing through the old halls and making you think some terrifying banshee had come for you.  They all went about their day with no worries and it made you feel like you should too.

Now feeling braver, you went about exploring the castle again.  Marveling at the dining room's pillars, walking the grounds, studying old statues and suits of armor that were stationed in halls, even venturing into the second courtyard.

Yes, you had gone back.  And despite your fears, nothing jumped out at you.  Nothing tried to chase, maim, or touch you.  You were only greeted with singing birds, chatting men working on the walls, and even a gentle wind.  

Everything felt peaceful.

Though the garden was littered with weeds and gnarled branches, and the walls were crawling with vines; spider-webbing from the ground and almost reaching the very top of the stone barriers, it had a lot of potential to be beautiful.  Once you had plotted out what to do with the garden, all thoughts of that night were finally gone.  You were smiling and even enjoying yourself.  It was then you decided that, because of your elation, you would look into the rooms lined up along the walls again; even the one that held the little church.

In fact, you started with that one first.

Pushing open the door, you bravely stepped inside and looked about.  Everything looked the same as it did.  The tattered tapestries still hung from the walls, the pews were broken or pushed aside, there was still a bit of rubble in the room where the roof had caved in.  The only thing that was different were the candles by the stone figure, all used up and littered with new ones where it showed the workers still prayed here.

Finding that nothing was going to yell boo, you closed the door to the chapel and went to the next few rooms, pointedly ignoring the empty little chest by the faceless statue.

It didn't take too long to explore the rooms again.  Two were caved in and impossible to enter while another one was empty.  The only room you had taken your time in was the one with all the old furniture covered in sheets.  You uncovered each piece one by one, finding an old armoire, a cabinet in fine condition, and even a dresser full of clothing items.  You were eager to see what treasure the dresser had in store, but decided you save it for another day.

Closing the drawer, you went to the last piece of furniture in the room.  You already knew what it was, the sheet hanging off the tall mirror and giving off a little bit of the room's reflection under all it's dust.  Pulling off the white cloth, you coughed when dust flew into your face and speckled the air.  Waving away what you could from your mouth, you blinked a bit until you could finally see.

The mirror had an oval body, it being a good head or two taller than yourself, and it's frame was made of gold that was corroding after years of neglect.  The frame itself was not smooth, but shaped into intricate swirls that gave it an air of sophistication.  Despite it's height, the width of the mirror was narrow, it being just wide enough to reflect to your elbows if you stretched out your arms.  

The mirror's surface was still covered in dust so you reached out with a hand to wipe some away.  You had instantly regretted this action as dark gray dirt gathered on your hand and quickly wiped it off on your clothing...another action you groaned about since you had just wiped it off your white clothing.  You shook your head and looked at the mirror with an annoyed expression, seeing only half your face staring back at you.  The light bags under your eyes, furrowed brow, slightly scrunched up nose.

Movement.  

Your gaze flitted to the corner of the mirror, still covered in dust but visible just enough to show a form move out of sight.  You quickly turned to look behind you, glancing around from the door to every corner of the room and seeing nothing there.  Frowning, you slowly looked back to the mirror to look at yourself once more.

But you froze when you saw something right behind you, the reflection showing a tall figure's chest that was clothed in a black cloak lined with white fur.  They moved, a large hand reaching up towards your neck.

You gasped and stumbled to turn around, feeling like you were about to fall into whoever was behind you.  But your arms hit nothing and you realized no one was there.  Blinking, you turned to look back at the mirror and saw only your reflection.

All you could hear was your breathing as you stared into the mirror while your gaze flitted over the surface, wondering if you would see the figure again.  You saw nothing but dust and your tired eyes.

Deeming yourself a fool, you moved to leave the room when you heard a loud yell then a thump come from outside.  You rushed out of the room and scanned your surroundings until you saw a group of workers gathered around a spot across the garden.  You hurried over but was stopped by one of them, his face pale and hands flying to keep you from getting past.  He spoke in a language you didn't know and kept trying to push you away from the scene, but you had managed to move past him.

You froze.  Staring down at an older man who had fallen from the top of the wall, his legs twisted in an awkward angle and his back arched and shuttered with pain.  He looked like a rag doll, or a puppet whose strings had been cut and left to flop weirdly onto the floor.  You couldn't look away, only stare at the fallen man until one of the workers finally dragged you from the scene and back into the castle.


~~~


The man had been taken down to the village at the base of the mountain for immediate care, but died two days later.  This set a gloom over the castle, the workers taking a few days off to mourn their fallen friend.  They had all left for the village for a bit, leaving only you and the staff.

It felt emptier without all the men walking around and fixing the place up.  

It was...eerie.

There wasn't as much noise, so only echoes of birds or the wind would greet your ears as you walked around.  Not even the staff talked as much, all a bit shaken by the sudden death and not in any real humor to chat.  

Sometimes there was no noise at all.  That was when the castle felt it's creepiest.  It made you feel small, vulnerable, trapped.  Shivers would sometimes crawl up your spine when you entered certain rooms, tingling skittering about your skin like tiny little spiders.  It would be a split moment, but you would hesitate to enter these rooms unless truly needed.  Other times you would be reading in the dining hall where it was mostly cool only to suddenly feel like you were having a heat stroke, sweat trickling down your cheeks and body feeling sticky with humidity.  You were sure to faint at any moment from the intense swelter only to suddenly feel fine, a cool breeze blowing through your hair and tickling your skin.

You weren't sure if you were the only one experiencing these things or not.  No one seemed to mention them.  You felt like you were slowly going crazy until you wondered if maybe no one talked about it because they felt that they were imagining these things too.  That they were just scaring themselves and they should just buck up and keep working.  Was this castle just driving you all mad?

Even Marguerite looked a little tired, her usual cheerful smile looking smaller and smaller by the day.

She would usually come through the door like a whirlwind, cleaning and chatting and greeting everyone.  She made the room warm and welcoming, but now she was just an autumn breeze; barely noticeable as she wiped down tables and floors with a tired gaze.  You worried for her.

But just when things seemed to grow darker, the workers came back.  They seemed better and in higher spirits, ready to get back to their jobs and make the castle lively again.  The staff were smiling once more and the halls echoed with noise and chatter.

The small things didn't seem to matter anymore because everyone was happy.  They all ignored the rooms that made them shiver and the hall that changed in drastic temperatures.  Everything was bearable again.


~~~


"What's that?"  You frowned, walking into your room and seeing men trying to get up your stairs.  You had just come back from dinner and were ready to just pass out for the night when you found your way blocked by two men lugging a large object.

They grunted and said something in their language and continued to get it to the top, setting it down by your bed where Marguerite was standing.

"Lady ________!"  The blonde smiled, looking as vibrant as ever.  "I found this in one of the rooms and I thought you might like it."

You frowned and stared at the object, stiffening when you realized it was the mirror from before.  "O-Oh?"

The maid nodded and patted the frame, "It took a little work, but I think I cleaned it up pretty good."

She had indeed.  It held no signs of being left to rot in a room for years, it's frame polished and surface dusted clean.  And look, it only showed the people in the room's reflection, isn't that nice?

"T-Thank you, Marguerite."  You walked closer, hesitant to be too close to the object.  "But perhaps it's too, uh, tall?"

The blonde frowned, "Tall?"

"Ah, yes."  You smiled, going with it,  "I'm sure it's more suited for you."

Marguerite blinked then laughed, patting your arm before turning to the men and thanking them for their help.  They smiled and blushed at your maid, saying something back in their native tongue before leaving the room.  You frowned, wondering if you could ever get suitors to do such things for you.

"I think it'll look nice right here," the maid grinned as she pushed the mirror to the far wall just across from your bed.  You tried to think of another way to get the thing out of your room but nothing came to mind, not when the blonde had worked so hard to get it back into shape.

"There!"  She grinned and put her hands on her hips.  She'd adjusted to the mountain life well, wearing her usual tribal clothes that would make any European woman faint and their husbands stare in pleasure.  The cold air didn't even seem to bother her, that made you even more envious.  

"I'll let you get to bed.  We're heading to the village tomorrow to get you some appropriate clothes."

You nodded and watched her leave, looking a bit forward to the trip.  Anything to get out of this place for a while.  Your gaze flitted to the mirror then away, your quick peek showing nothing else in the reflection besides yourself and your room.

There was nothing to be frightened of.


~~~


You woke up cold.  

Your skin crawling with goosebumps and the hairs stood on ends as it felt like ice was being dragged over your body.  Crisp breath was coming visibly from your mouth, your breathing sounding harsh in the freezing room as you turned your head to look at the fireplace.  

The logs were out, ashes spilling on the ground where it had finally died.  You turned to look at your balcony, the large windows showing thousands of stars littering the night while a quarter moon hung in the sky.  It was beautiful, but you couldn't really enjoy it right now.  You tugged the furs closer to your body, teeth chattering as you pulled your knees into your chest.  

Resolved to go back to sleep, you closed your eyes and sighed.  You were already ebbing away when you felt something touch your hair.

It was a long stroke, dragging lightly across your scalp and pausing at the tips of the soft locks.  It made you jump up, fully awake and wary as you looked around for the source.  You saw nothing around you, your bed drapes still closed and making no signs of having been moved.  You pulled the blankets closer, giving your room one last look before slowly laying back down.

You had a hard time closing your eyes, as if whatever had touched you would snatch you up as soon as your guard was down.  You had to persuade yourself for a few minutes before you finally forced them shut, breathing a bit heavy as you waited for something to happen.

When nothing did, you finally relaxed and felt your heart flutter to a rest.

The blankets were abruptly ripped from your body and flung off the bed, your eyes opening wide and your form jerking upwards.  The drapes were thrown open and the furs laid in a heap on the floor while you laid bare on the mattress, legs curled near to keep from getting too close to the edge.  Your hands clutched your nightgown, shoulders shaking in fear as you looked around the room for a sign of anything.

Something gripped your waist tightly, a firm hand then grasped your jaw and roughly forcing you still while you felt a hard chest push against your back.  Hot breath puffed against your neck as you felt someone's lips lightly brush your ear.  The arm holding your waist moved, it's owner's hand resting on the left side of your chest just above your breast.  Your breathing sped up as his fingers clutched your front, feeling like he was trying to dig his hand into your body and steal your beating heart.

He said nothing for what felt like the longest time, just pushing his nails painfully into your skin while you arched against him with a soft cry.  When he finally spoke, his voice was low and had a laze to it - as if he were bored of this venture and could be doing something more interesting then plunging his hand into your chest.

"Give it back."  He whispered, his voice making your body feel like it was being wrapped in pure silk; you knew that if he were to speak in a crowd, all eyes would be instantly drawn to look at him just to hear more.  The hand restraining your jaw moved to touch your neck, the palm large enough to almost fully wrap around it and give it a hard squeeze.  But he didn't do that, merely stroked it as you shuddered in his hold and felt his sharp claw-like fingers drag across your skin.

You felt him move closer, his nose pressed against the side of your head as he exhaled into your ear.

"Give me back my heart."