I repeat myself and do so gladly: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!
Oh, and special thanks to naturally morbid -
The title of this chapter is part of a poem by Heinrich Heine called "Storm", I couldn´t find a decent English translation though. It means approx. "In the battle noise of the winds"

Disclaimer: You know I don´t own Trinity Blood or its characters, don´t you?

Chapter III – Im Schlachtlärm der Winde

Isaak watched with a smirk that widened into a grin when he saw that her skirt was half torn from the bodice and revealed the smoothe white skin of the small of her back and below a bit of dark blue lace.
With one quick movement he completely tore away the skirt and savoured the sight of long shapely legs and perfectly curved buttocks hidden under dainty lace panties. The woman doubled her efforts to get on her feet. But only one quick command and his shadows reappeared out of nowhere, turned her around and pinned her arms and feet to the floor.

"No!" Esther yelled, tears now washing over her face mingling with blood from the laceration on her brow. Both her hands hurt terribly. She didn´t dare to look neither at them nor at those things that held her back because she feared to completely lose her nerve. They were cold and hard as stone and yet alive in a way that made her feel queasy. The floor was cold under her and she was frail and vulnerable- and hated it.
And then the Methuselah was above her.

When her skin had broken and blood had started to trickle from her wound, Isaak felt as if he stood in a rose garden while all the roses opened their blooms at the same time- her scent was so strong now that he could barely restrain himself. He had to take her. Still grinning he grabbed her collar and tore it open with a jerk, revealing a lace bra and more immaculate white skin. She fought against the merciless grip of his creatures while a blush crept up from her cleavage to her neck and face- as if a porcelain doll was breathed life into, thought Isaak. He traced the soft lines of her jaw and cheekbone and turned her head to the side presenting her pulsing carotid. Then he licked over this spot where the skin was the softest, letting his sharp canines lightly graze it.

She stopped fighting, apparently accepting the inevitable bite.
Isaak took her chin in his hand and forced her to meet his gaze.
„No, you won´t get away that lightly…." he purred, his voice pure venom matching the colour of his eyes that had turned to a deep red.

The Methuselah let his thumb slowly trail over her neck and then over her collarbone, waiting for her to realize what exactly he meant. When she did, the woman´s eyes widened, her lower lip started to quiver while her blush deepened. Her innocence was intoxicating Isaak, making him want to break her body and soul. He knelt above her, masses of raven hair enshrouding them both, and tore her bra and panties from her, laughing at her protest. And then his hands were all over her body, feeling her up while his shadows still rendered any movement impossible. Now Isaak removed his pentagram gloves, his hands turning into claws at the same moment. The woman whimpered and tried to move his body away from him, but paused immediately when she unmistakeably noticed that her frantic movements aroused him.
Isaak took a smell at her throat, kissed it and traced his tongue from her throat and shoulders to her now exposed breasts, leaving two bloody traces where his teeth grazed the soft skin. Then he took one of her nipples in his mouth, squeezing the other hard with his hand.

Esther turned her head away from his gaze, feeling indescribably humiliated and ashamed. Maybe it would be over more quickly if she didn´t struggle? She ceased to fight against the grip of his creatures.

Isaak decided it was time to stop her heroic behaviour.
All of a sudden his claws seemed to be everywhere, raking up and down her body.

"Stop, please, please, stop!" Esther screamed. She was sobbing now and her fragile frame was shaking so hard that her pleas were barely comprehendible.
"Make me, little one."

And with that he sank his teeth into the soft flesh of her breast, drinking her blood in small gulps. It was like drinking her delicious scent, the adrenaline in it made him dizzy, feeling a little drunk. He took her other breast as well, leaving deep bites, the skin around them turning purple already.
Isaak took his time. He paused a moment to look at her, taking in the sight of her flayed body as if it were a piece of art. He loved the way her creamy white skin turned black, blue and crimson where he had touched her, her blood covering her like perverted rose petals. Slowly, almost tenderly he started to lick the warm liquid off her hips and inner thighs, trailing his lips upwards. He spread her legs and licked around her entrance, letting her feel his sharp teeth. The woman cried out in desperation. Before he could taste what seemed the sweetest to him, Cain´s sharp voice broke in sharply.
"Isaak, we have no time for your little games, he found us. Hurry!"

Isaak hesitated only for a second before he pulled back and sank his teeth into her throat without further warning. He drank her blood in deep gulps until he felt her body going limp under him. The Methuselah ordered his shadows to let go, lifted the woman up and tossed her into Cain´s arms.

His master easily caught the bloody bundle of flesh and bone and held her close. Cain didn´t seem to mind that her blood spoiled the pristine white of his clothing. She looked at him with unseeing eyes. He examined the woman pensively, tracing a particular deep gash on her breast with the tip of his index finger.

„You really do miss Dietrich, Isaak, don´t you?"

Isaak flinched.

Cain laughed. It didn´t slip his attention that the Methuselah clenched his fists in the effort to control his hatred against the contra mundi.
The woman stirred, and Isaak caught her gaze for a short moment. In her bloodshot, swollen eyes there was no hatred, only – knowing. She knew how he felt. He felt the urge to thrash that look off her face as he had wanted to destroy Dietrich´s haughtiness long ago. He raised his hand to hit her only to see her expression change to scorn- not fear as was to be expected. The Methuselah realised that he hadn´t suceeded in breaking her. With only one look, that small creature had defeated him.
Now he understood what Dietrich had been so fascinated about.

Meanwhile Cain had produced a big glass syringe with a red fluid in it- his blood. Isaak noticed that there was something wrong it, it seemed alive in a most horrid way. The contra mundi held the woman close and injected the liquid in her left arm. She only quivered, not able to fight anymore.
Cain pulled her closer and tucked her in with his cloak. Isaak was taken aback, his master had never been a gentle or even caring man.
That woman obviously was very important to his plans.
Both men watched her in silence.

The small puncture on her arm swoll, the skin around it turning a sickening blueish-red that quickly spread out. The woman moaned, her lids fluttered but otherwise did not move.
The two men waited while the storm whipped the rain against the windows. The old house groaned under the unleashed elements.

Although Isaak didn´t know what exactly was supposed to happen he couldn´t help but notice that it was not going well. The woman´s heartbeat, that already had been very slow, slowed down even more. Now she curled herself up, whimpering from time to time.

Cain was getting impatient. He took the syringe, drew up more of his blood and injected the woman with it. This time she didn´t even flinch. Her lips moved ever so softly, always forming the same syllables that even he could barely hear over the furious howling of the storm. Was she thinking of the Abel? Was she praying?

Isaak watched in fascination as her skin turned purple under the bloody marks he had left, and then white again. The contrast of blood on creamy white reminded him of a beautiful abstract painting he once painted with one of his victims' remains.

The woman was quiet now, her eyes closed.

„Feed her." Cain´s voice cut through Isaak´s reveries.

The Methuselah met him with disbelief. "Herr?"

„Do I have to repeat myself? Give her your blood."

Isaak bared his teeth and glared at Cain, but to no avail. He could not counter the icy stare of his opponent. Wordlessly he slit his wrist and let blood drop into the woman´s tiny mouth, watching her lips closing around it like petals.

After a few drops Cain ordered:
"Enough, otherwise she will be too strong!"

At first the stabbing pain of the wounds Isaak had inflicted on her had been all Esther perceived. She had barely noticed the injection, only that the Methuselah had stopped torturing her. But now she felt something creeping icily up her veins, slowly and painfully taking over her body. Her muscles twitched and her skin prickled. Suddenly all her senses seemed to be enhanced, making the soft fabric of Cain´s austere white clothing feel like sandpaper on her skin. The sharp crackling sounds of the fire were deafening to her and the somewhat moldy smell of the house almost made her sick.

What´s happening to me?

Whatever it was, it frightened her more then Isaak´s assault had before. It took some effort to turn her head but finally she managed to look at Cain.
"Please...what is... happening?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

Cain assumed that the change was complete. He gingerly brushed a strand of her hair out of her face.

"The nanomachines have taken over your body. You are one of my kind now", he answered kindly.

And it was true. She was of his kind. The members of Orden were useful tools and some of them had been quite an amusement, but none of them had attracted his attention for more then several days. They died so quickly. Isaak had been interesting, but the Methusalem had preferred to waste his passion on a certain twisted boy. And the others? Lilith had preferred Abel to him who had finally chosen the Terrans over him and little Seth had always been uncomfortable around him. But this one would not turn her back on him, would she? She was his.
He carefully took her in his arms and stood up.
"It is time to go, my beautiful queen." With that he put her feet to the ground.

Esther´s legs gave in and she sank to his feet, unable to move. She only looked up to Cain and shook her head.
She had finally made her dicision.
I must not help him...I must not betray Abel, no matter what he did. I...have to fight... so weak... my limbs are heavy. Oh Father in heaven, please help me!

Cain frowned and then cupped her face with his hand as he had before. His icy blue eyes bore into her head. Why didn´t she obey? After all he had been very kind and patient.
He took her up in his arms again, never averting his gaze.

Then she could feel him, reaching inside her mind. His touch was so cold! He was looking for something, yes, looking for a means to control her, searching for a way to get in. Somehow their connection was mutual and Esther caught a sense of urgency.He had to make her his now or otherwise would never get a chance to do it.
I have to shut him out! But how, how?

The intruder found Esther´s childhood memories and shoved them aside carelessly. He went on, touching upon memories of her training at the Vatican, of meetings of the AX-members and many other cherished moments with Ion, Seth and others, pausing only for instants.

Esther felt dirty and more violated than ever.
I have to prevent Cain from using my memories of Abel against him. There has to be a way!
Long ago Noelle had mentioned how she had imagined a picture of her favourite chapel as a retreat when a Methuselah had tried to read her mind.
I have to find something like that.
But Esther could barely focus her thoughts as Cain rummaged through her mind. Her body was aching all over. So she simple pictured herself curling up under Abel´s black wings and listening to his slow steady heartbeat as she had done once long time ago.
The intruder rejoiced, that was what he wanted! He tried to get hold of these thoughts.
In her distress Esther tried to make the picture more vivid. She recalled how she had felt soft warm skin where his robe had been torn. She thought of the soft rustling of Abel´s wings, how he had put his arm around her and held her close while he had mumbled soothing words. In her imagination, she hugged him back and nuzzled her head against his chest. She regret that she was too shy to do that when she still had the opportunity.

Suddenly Cain´s search stopped.

He was furious. Damn her! How had she been able to shut him out? Isaak had mentioned nothing about that!
There was no time for a careful search anymore. Although the Panzermagier had warned him that violence in mind reading might cause irreparable damage, Cain tried the only way he knew. His mental grip tightened, and all of a sudden a stabbing pain shot through Esther´s body, at once shattering the comfortable little dream she had built around her mind.

She had thought nothing could be more painful than Isaak´s torture but she had been wrong.

Through storm and rain Esther´s cries of pain reached the sharp ears of the avenging angel closing in on the last two members of the Rosenkreuz Orden. The horrible sound cut him to the quick, fearing the worst for the delicate yound woman he had never stopped thinking of. His heart sped up and he let out a long drawn-out inhuman scream, full of hatred and rage.

In the mansion, Cain´s and Isaak´s heads snapped up at the same time. They exchanged a glance. Rumour had it that Abel had not only mercilessly killed but also fed upon every single Methuselah member of the Orden who had tried cross Albionian borders and was stronger then ever. This would be the only chance, the last chance for Cain whose body was decaying faster and faster.

Isaak quietly left the room.

For a moment Esther´s mind was hers again. Her sense of hearing matched Cain´s and Isaak´s now, so she too had heard the unearthly shriek.
Abel!
She weekly resumed her efforts to free herself from Cain, but he easily caught her wrists and snapped "Get up!"

When she didn´t react, his mental fingers reached for her again, turning and twisting something inside her. The white-hot pain felt as if it was tearing her apart. She screamed and screamed in agony, begging and sobbing.

Again her screams didn´t go unheard. The creature that had travelled with the storm gained speed. His wrath was only matched by his anxiety for his beloved. Flashes of lightning announced his arrival and raged around the old mansion where he knew his search would end.
Please, God, don´t let me come too late!
Below him a small figure was running towards the house, way too fast for a Terran. Ion. He must have heard her too, because the Methuselah doubled his efforts.

Cain loosened his grip on Esther. He knew she would die if he continued. She was already bleeding from mouth and ears, her body weakened from many wounds and the loss of blood. His own blood ran through her body, but something was wrong. It did not heal her and he could not gain control over her.
The woman´s eyes opened.

"I will... not be... of use to... you..."
She even smiled.

Cain cursed. He didn´t know why, but he had lost her. That bothered him somehow. For the moment.
But in the end it would not matter.
Then he chuckled. Her sorry sight would irritate his brother long enough to strike a lethal blow, Isaak had taken care of that. What a pity that he had to dispose of the Panzermagier who had been so useful to him. But this infatuation with Dietrich had caused a friction between them, Cain thought. Well, nevermind.
Afterwards, when he had taken Abel´s body the pretty one would not hesitate to follow him, to be his queen. To be his, and his only.

With a loud crash the windows of the room were shattered. The wind whipped the rain inside, drenching them. Somewhere else in there house wood was broken. Isaak shouted something and a clear voice answered.
Ion? That´s Ion!

Esther´s eyes filled with tears. So they had both come for her. Whatever their reasons were, she didn´t have to face death alone.

"Cain! Where is she?" called a raspy voice that easily drowned out the storm.

Facing the window Esther caught a glimpse of a certain black-winged demon whose eyes were glowing red eerily. His long silvery hair was defying the storm, forming a living crown above his head. The air around him was sparkling with electricity.

Esther´s heart jumped at his sight.

Cain smiled.
"Welcome, brother."
He took the woman by her neck as if she were a puppy and gracefully stepped outside through one of the big window frames