Alexis stayed at the side of Alistaira as she recovered, taking better care of the Arch Necromancer than her own family and servants had when she was younger. Alexis seemed to be warming up to the very person whom she once considered a potential rival, and while the irony of this seemed to elude the vampiress it did not elude the dark mage. Aside from the odd change in the elder predator’s mannerisms and attitude, there was nothing of note that occurred, other than the female bonding that Kain had wanted to happen. There was one odd thing that seemed to be afflicting Alexis, however. For the first time in her existence, she felt the insatiable hunger for blood that cursed the rest of her kin.

This was bizarre, as she had never suffered the ‘red thirst’ before and had, for the longest of times, been exempt from the maddening lust for the ‘red wine’. This turn of events caused great unrest within her, as she feared more than almost anything that she may be devolving into a ‘lesser and inferior being’. She hated the idea that she may become nothing but a blood-starved beast and in order to prevent the hunger from causing too much damage she would venture out at night and slake her thirst on the blood of local wildlife.

Eventually even this was not enough to appease her ever growing appetite, and as she prepared to visit her new friend one last time before leaving, her farewells were cut short by an astute observation by Alistaira.

“I think I know what is going on, and I am honestly surprised you haven’t noticed the most obvious physical change you are experiencing…”

Alistaira reclined in her bed, a smug look plastered over her face.

“And? What change have you noticed about me?”

Alexis slowly sat down, her body having grown more and more sore, especially her back. Alistaira reached over and rubbed Alexis’ stomach. The supermodel figure of the imperial vampiress had changed in a way that any mortal could tell indicated pregnancy. Her belly had begun to swell, and her appetite had increased to deal with the child or children inside of her. The fact that Alexis had been created and not born into the world, coupled with the fact that she was undead made the very idea that she could possibly be pregnant seem absolutely absurd to her and therefore not worth considering.

“So, what? I am getting fat? I fail to see how an increase in body mass would change me so drastically. Besides, this hunger only set in a short while ago and I was not glutting myself into obesity beforehand…”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? You. Are. Pregnant. I don’t know how an undead managed to get knocked up, but I will just write it off as having to do with you and Lord Kain being special. Either way, you are experiencing the hunger pangs that every pregnant woman gets, although no expecting mother that I know of has had a hunger for human blood…”

Alexis placed her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. Using her magic, she felt around inside of her and, sure enough there was something that had not been there before. There were two humanoid shapes that were rapidly forming inside her body and with a bit of effort she could almost caress the children of her beloved in her own womb using magic. She quickly abandoned doing such a thing, however, when the feelings coming off of her unborn children let her know that they did not like such a treatment. The ‘first of the blood’ slowly seemed to nod off into her own little world as the realization that she was a mother set in.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and the jostling from Alistaira’s hands snapped her out of her daze.

“Hmm… What is it?”

Alistaira tried to rise from her bed but was set back in it by Alexis.

“What is the matter? Speak!”

Alistaira sighed and snapped at Alexis.

“I tried telling you, but you were off in your little dreamland; there is an incursion from the Anglish going on! I can’t fight them off in my state and the doctors have already fled. We are all alone in here! We need to get out NOW!”

At the realization that not only was there was a counter invasion occurring, but also that she, her children and her friend were potentially in mortal danger caused something within the new mother to snap. The predator stood from her seat and walked over to the wooden door that separated the room that they were in from the rest of the hospital. Almost as if she was on auto-pilot she shot her arm through the closed door and pulled it back, revealing that her arm was now covered in blood and her hand now held the still beating heart of one of the assailants.

Her eyes still seeing noting but red, the ancient undead casually opened the door and walked into the crowd of morsels that were beyond Alistaira’s room. Her eyes were no longer filled with the same motherly kindness she had displayed towards her new friend, nor were they eyes that held the intelligence of an empress. These eyes had only the look of a mother beast looking to protect its little ones, whatever the cost. There was no sentience behind her gaze anymore, instead there was only animalistic fury.

Alistaira sat in her bed and listened to the boasting of the Anglish for a while, which slowly changed to anger at Alexis’ lack of acknowledgement and finally into screams of horror and disgust as the sounds of flesh being shredded and bone being shattered managed to make their way from beyond the wooden door. Once the screams had fallen away, there was another sound that came from behind the exit. It was a sound that was enough to cause the Arch Necromancer’s stomach to turn, the sound of guttural gulping, slurping and sucking; the sound of Alexis completely giving in to her inner beast and succumbing entirely to the hunger that plagued her kind.

Alistaira desperately tried to rise from her bed and make it to the window so she could have even the slightest chance of escaping the now blood-crazed beast that was quickly draining every last drop of human blood from the hospital, going from room to room and silencing the screams of those within. If she could make it outside, she had a chance. If she could get away from this deathtrap…

Then she heard it. The creaking of the door opening behind her and the dripping of saliva from a monstrous mouth. If she turned around now, she would die, if she tried to move, she would die and if she tried to fight, she would die. There was no way to escape the jaws of the blood-hungry parasite whose breath now fell upon the back of her neck and the whose tongue was now crawling like a crimson slug up the side of her face. Barely able to move, she saw the dainty hands of the towering female monster slip around her chest like a noose around the neck of a death-row inmate. As the arms of the vampire slowly pulled Alistaira closer to the massive bust and swollen belly of the pregnant predator, Alistaira closed her eyes and awaited her death.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Slowly, Alistaira opened her eyes and looked up and back at the towering undead woman who held her in a vice-like grip, only to discover that her captor had fallen into a deep sleep. Soft snoring could be heard from the vampiress who was now using her friend both as a body pillow and as support for her form. Afraid that if she got away the vampire would fall and harm her unborn child or children (something that would definitely result in Alistaira’s death), the necromancer consigned herself to be a pillar for the slumbering predator until she awoke. Hopefully her legs would hold out until the Empress of Darksol decided to wake up…