The Fallen One, Two

December 29th, 2009 by Mao

“You can’t keep me here forever,” Valerie pouted, languishing on the bed. She’d come out of her trance about an hour before, but wasn’t strong enough to overpower Nicolas and go bolting out of the door. “I’ll recover, I’ll heal, and then I’ll get past you.”

“Yes, I know. You’ll throw me into a wall or a river. Don’t you think I’m used to it by now? You need to get more creative with your abuse.”

Valerie stood up suddenly, surprising him. Her quick burst of energy was fueled by anger, “this is ridiculous! You can’t keep me here, you can’t be stupid enough to think it’s okay for him to run around out there unchecked!”

“You’re giving me credit? I’m touched,” Nicolas remarked, his voice having the same exhausted tone it always did. “It’s not about Christian, Valerie. It’s about you. You’re like a crackwhore without crack. It’s ridiculous. You need to back off before it consumes you, too.”

“Whatever it does to me is more than worth what it modifies in Christian! What if he hurts her?”

“Oh, now you’re being ridiculous. You’d never think he could hurt her. The sun rises and sets on Christian, remember? Even at his worst, he is infallible.”

“You don’t get it at all, do you? This is important! I have to be out there!” Valerie was screaming now, desperate and angry. It was a little frightening; she had definitely inherited Antony’s temperament. “I’m the Seer! You can’t treat me like this!”

“And I’m a vampire, and not one of those silly turned ones, either. A real damned vampire. You think I get any respect? Nope, none. At least I’m still sane, though. At least I can still identify when I’m being fucking insane. So calm the fuck down before I have to get mean.”

“Now you’re threatening me?! Argh!” Valerie’s hands moved angrily through the air, her frustration building, causing the air in the room to become heavy with her erratic emotions. “This would never have happened if I weren’t weakened. I’d flatten you!”

He sighed, “Valerie, honestly, I’ll give you the whole mental prowess thing… but when it comes to physical violence? You’re no werewolf, you’re not even a vampire. I may not be Mr. Muscle, but I can easily overpower you. I just don’t like hitting girls.”

“You hit Melissande!”

“That’s different, she’s my slutty sister. We hit each other, it’s our thing. It’s a thing that we do.”

“You tried to kill me!”

Pages 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Posted in Phase Four


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13 Responses

  1. Fini

    Wow. That was powerful. I was kinda hoping Marcus would royally kick his butt.

    CHRISTIAN!!!! Okay, I’m fine now.

    Huh. Well, after he tried to skewer her, I wouldn’t think Nicolas and Valerie would have any inclination to do the hanky-panky. But whatever.

    I wanna know what’s coming!

    And the pictures I think are some of the best I’ve seen. Applause.

    The butt kicking is left for another day, Eckhard won’t go down so easily! ;) Haha, I’m beginning to think my subconscious makes me insert Christian in tiny scenes just to see if someone will type out his name. So cruel!! I am SO trying not to make any sexual innuendo out of your “skewer” comment, but it’s so hard. xD As for Valerie and Nicolas, it really shouldn’t be that surprising. The whole tried to kill thing is covered, I’m sure Valerie isn’t over it and you can be sure this isn’t going anywhere. Thanks so much for the compliment! I feel rusty.

  2. Lachesis

    Wow, so many things going on. Nice to know Eckhard’s still Eckhard somewhere even if the crazy part does seem to have the upper-hand.

    LMAO – “I didn’t hit you, I used a sword.” Oh yeah, that’s so much better.

    Nicholas’ conversation with Valerie was long in coming, but oh, so necessary. Well, I’ve been waiting for that kiss; the rest, whoa did not see that coming, but I can’t see any good coming from it, not with those two.

    Ylva what do you know? And what’s coming? Good stopping point. :)

    Nicolas has his own weird way of rationalizing the stupid things he does, LOL! It was definitely a long time coming, maybe the rest was a bit shocking, but in the end… well, there’s a lot on Valerie’s mind, death being a major factor. Nobody wants to die a virgin, right? Just imagine if she’d tried to jump Christian–that would have gone very, very badly! ;)

  3. gayl

    I’m right with you on the ’skewered’ comment ;)

    I was hoping Eckhard might get a little butt kicking as well but at least he didn’t kill Marcus. I am really hoping that Christian isn’t under-estimating him either.

    Now Ylva…I knew she had an agenda but now I am not sure whose side she is on. This “it” that is coming must either be Eva or Christian considering the power preceding it.

    I loved LOVED the scene with Nicolas and Val!! I knew that had to happen one day and your shots, the lighting, the poses, OMG so fabulous!

    If you feel rusty it sure doesn’t show and I was really fascinated by the way you described your process on your main blog. This was just fantastic!!

    Happy New Year Mao!

    /snickers Glad to see I’m not the only one with a terribly dirty mind, LOL! Ah, no Eckhard butt kicking. He’s still got the home field advantage… Ylva is her own special brand of strange. She’s kind of like Eckhard in that she doesn’t adhere to any side but her own. Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it and that everything worked. I got a bit adventurous with poses, lol. I usually don’t discuss my creative processes because I can’t find words that don’t make me sound insane or incredibly full of myself. I probably am a little crazy, but I’m certainly not full of myself. I’m a self-loathing creative-type, LOL!

  4. laura

    Wow, is that logic and self-awareness I see in Nicholas? lol! Impressive! I just love how he tries to justify how his *stabbing* her wasn’t violent, lol!

    *sigh* Long time Valerie and Nicholas fan here (I’ve confessed that before), so I enjoyed this. Own that mistake, girl, own it! I know, I know, they’re just damage to each other, but man, there’s some chemistry, for sure! And I suppose they see that too ;)

    But aside from my fangirl-ness that was just a great scene. Witty lines, sexual tension, anger, sadness, lust. Good stuff!

    And oooh, gorgeous sky in those dawn pictures!

    Those dawn pictures were lazy Mao using gradients, LOL! Thanks! You’ve got to give it to him for trying. He’s nothing if not persistent! I figured that some of the people from WoS would be all into this, but that’s why I put the warning in my email newsletter. Sex isn’t always good, sometimes it can make things worse. Although, this time, I don’t think Valerie will be the one on the hurting end. Thank you! I’m not really a romance writer, so I appreciate it!

  5. S.B.

    I don’t know what I like best, Christian’s cool assurance or Val and Nicolas finally coming together. I can’t imagine she’s going to take any harm from that, and a little bit of damage might not be a bad thing!

    and those shots are INCREDIBLE!

    Thanks, Beth! I was so tempted to whine to you via email, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise, LOL. Christian’s cool assurance is backed by the fact he knows Evangeline is as much Beryl as him. She’ll scratch Eckhard’s eyes out before he really gets hold of her!

  6. TK

    Yessssssss! Finally! Is it sad of me to say I’ve been hoping Valerie and Nicolas would do the dirty since I realised they were stuck together in a room with a bed? What’s going to happen now though? *worries*

    Nicely done with the poses too. Clearly you’re a pro :)

    Errrr… by the by, just read back that comment… by ‘clearly you’re a pro’ I meant at using poseboxes and whatnot… not anything seedier… hehe.

    ROFL! Our minds are all in the gutter by this point. xD My husband said the same thing about the room and bed when I asked how he knew without seeing anything but a picture. Men! LOL Thanks, TK!

  7. gloomaphobia

    Yay for sexual tension finally getting those two into bed with each other. Oh, and hi, nice to meet you :) I read your previous stories a while back and I’ve been following Angel of Lies for a while as well. I just never got around to commenting, I guess. I’ve always admired your beautiful photography and your stories are just incredible. I’ll admit that this story is one of the reasons I was inspired to start my own. I’m looking forward to reading more chapters, and I hope you have a happy new year :)

    Hi there, gloomaphobia! I’m always tickled to meet lurkers or new readers. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it and thank you so much for the kind words! Hope you continue to enjoy. :D

  8. E. Black

    Marcus got his ass handed to him. Why am I not surprised? That’s what he gets for underestimating crazy Eckhard.

    Valerie and Nicolas’ conversation had the perfect tension and build-up. If they didn’t end up in bed with one another after that I would have lost some money if I was a betting woman.

    Ylva has me guessing what is coming. Death? Evangeline? Something worse?

    Quite! He’ll be a bit smarter next time he sees him. ;) Eckhard may be a little nutty, but he’s no pushover. I’m glad that it all made sense! Major relief on my part. I was worried how it would come across. Ahh, that is the question, isn’t it? We’ll have to wait and see!

  9. goodbye_sun

    Oh dear, that’s what Marcus gets for being even cockier than Eckhard.

    Valerie and Nicolas have had a few issues to work out for a while, but I can’t see this improving things more than complicating them. Nicolas is always so sure he is right and Valerie is too determined to never let him have the upper hand. The tension has been there, but Valerie has such a tight rein on the situation and she is so wrapped up in Christian that you just know its not going to end well for Nicolas.

    Ylva is up to something too, I am very curious to find out how she knows so much about what is going on.

    Vampires… it’s like a battle to see who is more arrogant. ;) I am so glad you pointed out that it’s not going to end well for Nicolas… Valerie isn’t exactly acting loosely. Her intent isn’t malicious, but it’s pretty obvious it isn’t pure emotion, either. Plus, he did try to kill her! Ylva is always up to something, the fun part is finding out what.

  10. ruby

    Eckhard! *begins mantra: I will not squeal, I will not squeal, I will not… fails* OMGOMGOMG *squeals* okay okay… i’m okay…
    *bites lip nervously* You shouldnt have left him alive Eckhard! *fidgets*
    Christian is right, Eva is not a victim. She is too strong, even when she had no idea who / what she is she was strong.

    “You tried to kill me!”
    Oh sure Val throw that back in his face. *giggles* She’s angry but really, is she angry with the right person right now? Hmmm

    *whimpers* Its about time! Oh Val, I’m so proud of you!! Yay! *sighs contently* Well now that they got that out of the way, they can concentrate on other things! *tilts head thinking* Yanno, this could be what Valerie needed. Not Nicolas so much as the release of the tension and stress. I’m not saying she simply used him but it was very carnal and not all doe eyed i’ve got a huge crush on you stuff like she was when she was a teen. As she pointed out, he destroyed that in her back when he ‘used a sword’ on her. *nodnods*

    wait for it… wait for it.. ah its coming.. not sure what ‘it’ is but my guess is its one of the trio (Eva, Christian or Echkard).. then again I could be wrong and it could be death but doubtful

    Reads comments before posting: Ha! No Mao you are not the only one with a dirty mind.
    Ylva is chaotic Neutral (showing my inner nerd)
    I totally agree, the shots and everything that transpired between Val & Nicolas was fabulously done.

    LOL, Ruby! You always crack me up with the squealing. :lol: It wouldn’t be a ruby comment on an Eckhard appearance if there was no squealing! Valerie’s going to use that forever. I don’t think she’ll ever stop. It could help Valerie, but she had different motives than “relief”. We’ll see that in the next update. But you’re totally right, this wasn’t some sort of innocent surrender type of situation at all. Totally right about Ylva, that’s what I tend to think of when I try and work out her motives. ;) You’re not the only nerd! Thank you, I’m always worried when I have to do stuff out of my comfort zone.

  11. ~Drew

    First can I say YES!! Caught up. I thought I left a comment at the end of The Werewolf part, but I was having trouble that day. Not there now, anyway, Sensuous writing and shots between Nicolas and Valerie, such a thin line between hate and lust, it seems.

    And can I squeal here *Reyes without a shirt! Screeeee*

    Thank you, had to get that out of the way.
    Hmmm. Sorry to See Marcus knocked on his ass, but with Eck, what would you expect.
    And Christian continues to fascinate. Not exactly warm, fuzzy family feelings between these characters, are there? Makes it all the more delicious to read.

    Haha, yay! You’re all caught up. :D Now you’re stuck waiting for updates… lol. I’m trying to make sure the gaps aren’t as long as they have been, at least. Valerie has her own agenda but Nicolas, for once, while not thinking is not manipulating. It won’t end well.

    LOL! I actually thought of the comment you made before about Reyes when I was writing. ;)

    Christian is a bit of an enigma in this one. We haven’t seen much of him nor will he be a very “present”. He does have a bigger role coming up, though!

  12. s@ndy

    I just knew Marcus was no match for Eckhard… lol… but I did think for a moment that maybe Marcus could bring him down… I’m gald he didn’t lol… it would seem like ‘out of place’ if Eckhard died without facing Christian again… lol…

    anyway the conversation with Valery and Nicolas is hilarious… lol I love when he said he doesn’t hit girls… and then he refers to Melisande as his slutty sister.. lol she is still a girl, you know!!! :D lol well at least he is still his old cocky self… :D lol it was nice to have his humor back… last chapter he really looked all shadowed by something invisible… anyway…

    Now I want to cry… :( I feel so sorry for Valerie… Nicolas is right… I mean… seriously what was she thinking when she thought of Christian as a man… :( her obsession for him is consuming her slowly… she looks like crap… i don’t know how you do it, but damn, you really captured ever single emotion in her face… those dark circles under her eyes make her look like a thousand year older than she really is… she does look like a crackwhore….

    oh…. well I’m glad Nicolas and Valerie talked about the past… lol…
    and what happened in between was just FANTASTIC, FABULOUS and not expected at all…it was damn sexy and so well written!!!

    I wonder what Ylva is up to… she is a very interesting character…

    I love the way you end each chapter.. lol I can’t never seem to get enough of your writing… :D

    Wonderful chapter Mao!!!

    Haha, yes, Christian and Eckhard definitely have a run-in coming up, but I can’t promise you it will be Eckhard’s end. ;) There’s a bit more to go before we even breach that hurdle! Awww, well, Christian is a man, lol… and he did save her when Nicolas ran her through by giving up some of his own energy. She also has been very close to him since Beryl died. She was the one who trained Evangeline, so yeah. ;) Given Valerie’s state, it’s only natural… but Christian is pretty dead-set on Beryl, dead or not. There isn’t anyone else for him, even if the thing with Beryl was doomed from the beginning. He’s nutty like that.

    Thanks, Sandy! :D I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

  13. Carla

    “I should kill you… but I’m afraid that I’m not quite thinking clearly lately.”

    To say the least!

    And OH WOW! I so was not expecting that with Valerie and Nicolas, even though that’s usually the first place my mind goes! LOL. That was amazing.

    That first picture of Reyes on this last page is excellent. Something about it is perfect.

    And what’s coming?!?!? I love a good cliffhanger!

    LOL! Carla is a denizen of gutterville? I would never have thought. ;) I’m glad you love them because I tend to end up with them a lot…

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