Fic - Wrath of Magic (2/4)
Standing on the corner, hoodie pulled over his head, Arthur tried not to think about what Merlin had told him. He had first heard about blood magic from his father, his father telling him that it was almost as bad as becoming a vampire, the vampire’s blood lingering in the person’s body.
Hunching his shoulders, he pulled the jumper more tightly around himself, trying to ignore the scent coming from the clothing, the smell of deodorant and an underlying musk that he couldn’t help but notice, that his body seemed to respond to. Part of him couldn’t wait to get home so that he could take off … the vampire’s hoodie and get into his own clothes, although another part wanted to stay wrapped in it, to keep the warmth and safety he felt with the hoodie on.
“Nice hoodie.”
Looking up, he let out a sigh as relief and made his way over to the car, not missing the concerned glance Lance sent his way, before starting the car and moving down the street. Luckily his phone had still been in his pocket when he’d made a run for it, Arthur ringing Lance as soon as he’d gotten a block away.
“What happened?” Lance asked, concentrating on the road, but sending a glance Arthur’s way that said he knew something had happened.
“Maybe I got lucky?” Arthur replied, sending the other man a grin, before looking away at Lance’s disbelieving stare.
“There are definitely vampires at that club,” he continued, after sitting in silence for a few minutes. “Probably more creatures, but definitely vampires.”
“You had a run in with one?” Lance asked, pulling the car over and turning to Arthur, Arthur able to tell by the way the man was looking at him that he was trying to figure out if Arthur was injured.
“I’m fine,” he replied, Lance giving him one last long look before driving off, clearly believing that Arthur wasn’t in any immediate danger, although by the last look he got, Arthur was in for a full inspection when they got back to the office.
“What happened?” Lance asked.
“I was following this girl who was being dragged outside by a vamp,” he answered, staring out the window. “Turned out it was most likely a trap, because when I got outside they weren’t there, only this blond vampire. We had a bit of an … altercation.”
“An altercation?” Lance replied.
“She threw me around a bit and then,” he stopped as he remembered looking up and seeing Merlin, his heart racing as he remembered the low voice, reluctant to tell Lance about the rest of the fight, not wanting the other man to know about Merlin for some reason. “We were interrupted and I guess she didn’t want trouble or something.”
“’Threw you around a bit’?”
“I’m fine, Lance,” Arthur replied. “No permanent damage done. I promise you can look me over to confirm that I’m not lying.”
He swallowed hard as he remembered exactly why it was that he had no permanent damage, why he wasn’t lying in the hospital, why he wasn’t dead.
“Don’t think I hadn’t already planned that,” Lance said, sending a sharp glance Arthur’s way, before an amused smile crossed his face. “And how did you wind up with a worn hoodie for Mercia University?”
Looking down at the hoodie, he realised that it had Mercia University written in faded letters across the front, his heart thumping as he remembered pleading blue eyes framed by messy raven hair.
“Borrowed it,” he replied, clearing his throat when he heard the huskiness of it, not missing the confused look that crossed Lance’s face. Luckily the other man seemed to know when to push things and when to leave things alone, and Arthur was glad that he hadn’t called Gwaine to come pick him up.
“Regardless, things aren’t looking good for Sophia,” he said, leaning his head back, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
“Funny you should mention that,” Lance replied, frowning when it started to rain. “Percy put a track on all her cards, to see if she used any of them.”
“She did?” Arthur asked.
“Two hours ago,” Lance answered, turning onto the street to the warehouse. “In a restaurant on the South side. Leon and Gwaine have gone to check it out.”
“We should go too,” Arthur said, gripping the arm rest a little harder.
“No, you are going to let me look you over and make sure you’re not being a prat by denying your hurt,” Lance replied, sending him a look that dared him to argue. “Leon and Gwaine can handle it.”
“Lancelot,” Arthur started, only to stop when the look turned into a glare. Lance was the most laid back of the group, so on the occasions that he got angry, it was usually in the person’s best interest to go along with what the man said.
Sighing, and leaning his head back, Arthur watched as they pulled into the garage of the office, rolling his eyes as he got out. He knew he was fine, he should be at the restaurant finding out if it really was Sophia there, or whether it was someone using her cards. His father would expect nothing less than the best from him, injured or not.
He allowed Lance to walk him into the office, not missing the grins Percy and Elyan shared as Lance ordered him to take his hoodie off, running through his examination as quickly and professionally as he could.
“Well,” Lance said, hands on his hips. “You look … absolutely fine. Even the-”
Lance stopped whatever he was about to say, staring at Arthur’s unblemished skin, before looking him in the eye, equal parts curiosity and suspicion on his face, before he turned away. Arthur knew what Lance had been about to say, that the medic had noticed the bruises that he had from when he’d broken his arm was completely gone.
In fact, he probably wouldn’t need the cast anymore. Although if he took it off and his arm was fine, people would ask how, and he couldn’t tell them that he had met a vampire and been healed by his blood.
Lance sent him one last look, one that clearly said they’d be speaking about his miraculous recovery later, before walking over to his desk.
“Nothing that needs a hospital visit this time,” Lance said, once he had sat down, picking up papers and flipping through them.
Percy and Elyan went back to their work, and Arthur made his way to his desk, sitting down and trying not to think of the events of the night, but unable to get the lost blue eyes out of his head.
Why had Merlin saved him? Knowing who he was and what he did, why had a vampire saved a vampire hunter? Why, when he could have just left him to die at the hands of the blond monster? And why was he dreaming of the vampire? He hadn’t heard that that was one of their tricks before, being able to get inside a person’s dreams.
Pushing the thoughts aside, he ran through the information about Sophia’s credit card usage that had been left on his desk, reminding himself that he actually had a job to do, and he couldn’t spend it thinking about something that he was meant to be hunting.
It wasn’t long before Leon and Gwaine were coming back into the office, quietly discussing something that had them both looking serious and intense, and thoughts of Merlin and his blood were pushed to the back of his mind.
“What did you find?” Arthur asked, standing and making his way out behind his desk.
“Two people used the card,” Leon replied, shrugging out of his jacket. “One man and woman, the woman didn’t match Sophia’s description, but the hostess remembers seeing her two days ago.”
“She was kind enough to let us look at their security room,” Gwaine continued, the smile on his face indicating that the only reason the two men had been able to was because Gwaine had charmed the hostess.
“So you got photos of the couple?” Lance asked.
“You’re not going to like it, Wart,” Leon answered, looking almost reluctant as he handed over a piece of paper.
Looking down at the paper, Arthur took in the features of the woman, memorising the face so that he would be able to recognise her if he came across her during their investigation. When he looked at the man he felt his insides freeze, not believing what his eyes were seeing.
“Valiant,” he heard Percy hiss, the man having looked over his shoulder.
Valiant was a werewolf that it had taken them months to hunt down. The man was an animal, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake as he used all of his powers to manipulate his way to the top. The Knights had been hurt badly by Valiant and his crew, Arthur almost fatally, when they had finally caught up with the pack.
“How is this possible?” Elyan asked, his question jolting Arthur out of the memories of blood and pain and fear that were flashing through his mind. “How is he alive?”
“I don’t know,” Arthur replied, trying to loosen the white knuckled grip he had on the paper. “But we need to find out. Leon and Gwaine, see if you can find anything out from our informants, any rumours of wolves that match the stories we know about Valiant and his crew.”
“Elyan and Perce see if he’s using any of his old accounts, houses, land. Lance check hospital records … see if there are any deaths which would fit with what we know about Valiant’s style of killing. I’m going to call my father, see if he’s heard anything through the grape vine,” he finished, the knights moving as soon as he had, Arthur moving quickly into his room, almost collapsing into his chair.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out to take the phone, stopping when he noticed his hands were shaking. He had thought that he’d dealt with the attack, had told Morgana that there was no reason for him to speak to anyone about the fight, because he had processed the fact that he had almost died.
“Arthur?”
Looking up, Arthur saw Lance close the door, coming in to sit in front of Arthur’s desk.
“Did you find something?” Arthur asked.
“No,” Lance said, eyes scanning Arthur’s face. “You want to talk about this?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Arthur replied, tossing the paper onto the desk, not realising that he’d been scrunching the paper in his hand.
“Really?” Lance asked, disbelief on his face. “Nothing to talk about? Even though this is the guy who almost tore you apart, had you in Intensive Care for weeks, that’s nothing to talk about?”
“I’ve dealt with it,” Arthur replied, leaning back in his chair, trying to glare at the medic.
“Okay,” Lance said, Arthur suspicious that the man had given in so quickly. “Let’s talk about your miraculous recovery then shall we?”
Arthur couldn’t help freezing again. He’d hoped that Lance would leave the confrontation until a later date, given him time to come up with what he wanted to say.
“All those bruises and small scrapes from the other night are gone,” Lance continued, levelling him with a look. “And if we got an x-ray I have a feeling that your arm wouldn’t be broken anymore. You’re a quick healer, Wart, but no human is that quick.”
“I … It was …” He trailed off, not knowing what to say, his thoughts about Merlin coming back full force, along with the reminder that he had drunk Merlin’s blood. He had no idea how he was going to explain it to Lance.
Putting his head in his hands, he ran his fingers through his hair.
“I can’t explain it,” he muttered.
“Can’t or won’t?” Lance replied quietly.
“Give me some time?” Arthur asked, looking up at Lance, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. What would his men think about him when they found out?
“You know whatever it is, whatever happened, we’ll always be here,” Lance replied, leaning forward, earnest look on his face. “We’ll always be your men, Arthur.”
Snorting, Arthur went to reply, only to be stopped when Lance’s phone rang. Lance gave him a nod, before answering his phone, walking out of the office and leaving Arthur to the thoughts whirling through his mind. He knew the fact that he’d had vampire’s blood was wrong, that it should be making him feel dirty and ashamed, but … it didn’t.
For some reason, the thought of having a piece of Merlin made him feel safe. Which probably made him creepy just thinking about it. What person felt safe when something like that happened to them, what self-respecting hunter felt safe with something their enemy had given them?
Pushing the thoughts aside, he reached out and picked up the phone, dialling his father.
“Arthur.”
“Father,” Arthur replied, leaning back in his chair.
“How is the investigation?” Uther asked.
“Progressing,” Arthur answered, picking up a pen and twirling it through his fingers. “It’s actually why I’m calling, we have a lead and I was wondering if you had heard anything from your contacts.”
“I will help any way I can, Arthur.”
“We found a credit card of Sophia’s that had been used. The two people using it weren’t her. We’re chasing the identity of the woman, but we know the man,” Arthur said, swallowing hard as he looked at the photo of Valiant.
“The man is actually a werewolf,” Arthur continued, knowing his father would want him to get to the point as quickly as possible. “His name is Valiant.”
Arthur’s sentence was met with complete silence. He checked his phone to make sure it hadn’t disconnected, and put the phone back to his ear when he realised it hadn’t been.
“Valiant?” his father asked, his tone low, dangerous, Arthur shocked at how much emotion his father was showing. “The werewolf that almost killed you?”
Arthur felt himself flush as he realised his father remembered the incident, how he had almost failed him.
“Yes,” Arthur replied slowly, wishing that his father had forgotten. “I was wondering if one of your contacts may have heard anything about him?”
“No,” Uther answered, his tone sharp. “But rest assured, I will find out all I can about Mister Valiant.”
“Thank you,” Arthur said, trying to figure out exactly why it was his father seemed so angry. Before he could however, Uther said good bye.
**
It turned out Valiant was no cleverer this time than he had been the first go around, Lance finding three killings that matched Valiant’s MO, and Elyan picking up that the dead bodies had been found at two of the places Valiant and his pack liked to hang out.
The Knights ended up splitting up, deciding to stake out the three places; an apartment building, a club and a warehouse, to see if it would bring up more leads. Elyan and Percy took the apartment building, Gwaine and Lance took the club, which left Leon and Arthur the warehouse.
“So,” Leon started, swivelling his head on the head rest so he could look at Arthur. “Are we going to touch on the fact that we’re staking out a guy that almost killed you and should, by all rights, be six feet under?”
“No,” Arthur answered, glaring out the front window. He was over what had happened, why did people have to bring it up? And now Leon would keep asking him questions until he was satisfied that Arthur had ‘come to terms’ with what was happening.
Sometimes he was as bad as Lance. But he was sneaky about it, springing it on you from time to time, so you could never anticipate when he would start making you talk about your feelings.
“Okay.”
“O-okay?” Arthur replied, turning to look at the other man, seeing the small smile on his seconds face. “What do you mean ‘okay’?”
“You don’t want to talk to me about it,” Leon responded, shrugging, before looking out the window. “Of course I’m the kind of person who probably will need to talk to someone about it.”
“Do you want me to org-“
He stopped short, realising exactly what Leon was insinuating.
“You can’t tell Morgana about this,” he said, glaring at the other man. Leon just continued to stare out the front of the car windscreen, small smile firmly in place on his face.
“I’m serious, Leon,” Arthur continued. “Morgana can’t know.”
“But you’ve dealt with it, Wart,” Leon replied, innocent look on his face as he turned and looked at Arthur. “Why would it be a problem if I told your sister?”
Before he could respond, Arthur saw something move out of the corner of his eye, head whipping around and looking at the thin, gangly man who was making his way across the road in front of them, heading directly for the warehouse.
Arthur took in the way the man moved, the tilt of his head, the way he walked as if he owned the place, the arrogance that seemed to radiate from the man. All of it making Arthur think he was more likely a vampire rather than werewolf.
“Well that looks suspicious,” Leon muttered, as they watched the man stride up to the warehouse, knocking once before looking around, the door opening and admitting him a minute later.
Undoing his seatbelt, Arthur reached in the back, pulling his stakes out of his bag.
“I thought this was simply a recon mission?” Leon asked, reaching back to grab his own weapons.
“No harm in getting a closer look,” Arthur replied, securing his weapons to him.
“You sure you want to do this, Arthur?” Leon asked, his face concerned when Arthur looked over at him.
“Let’s move before we miss something,” he replied, opening his car door, closing it as quietly as he could before moving towards the warehouse, Leon not far behind him. It didn’t take them long to make their way up to where the windows opened to the main floor of the warehouse, a small balcony running underneath the windows, with steps down to the warehouse floor, Arthur sure that whatever was happening would be there.
He was surprised to see the warehouse pretty much bare, save for a person on a chair, and two people standing in front of it. It was hard to see what the people looked like, but one of the one’s who was standing was clearly the man that had just entered the building, while the other was a hulk of a man. Arthur would bet his bottom dollar that he was a werewolf. Which was a worrying thought, the idea that vampires and werewolves were working together.
The person sitting in the chair looked like a woman, her curly, black hair falling out of where it had been tied back, the clothes she was wearing looked to be a dark blue top and pants that matched. And she seemed to be struggling.
“What do you think?” Leon whispered, camera in his hand, as he took photos.
Before he could answer, one of the men hit the woman, her head snapping to the side at the force of the blow. It was all Arthur needed to see, knowing he couldn’t leave the woman there to clearly be hurt.
“We don’t know if there are more,” Leon said, pulling out his gun.
“I’m assuming four,” Arthur replied, pulling out his own weapon.
“Arthur,” Leon whispered, as Arthur slowly opened the window, trying not to make a sound. “We should call for back up.”
“Good thinking,” Arthur answered. “You do that and I’ll go make sure they don’t kill the girl.”
Leon rolled his eyes, clearly not happy with the situation, but moved into position, the two of them getting the window open, Arthur crawling through and onto the small balcony, Leon behind him.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” the woman said, Arthur stopping for a second, seeing Leon look at him curiously. He knew that voice, he was sure he had heard it before, although he couldn’t recognise the woman.
Shaking his head, he continued to move around the balcony, towards the steps, Leon right behind him as they started making their way down. Arthur flinched at every small sound they made, eyes glued to the men. The two men seemed to not notice, too focused on the woman, and getting the answers out of her that they wanted.
He looked around the warehouse quickly, but couldn’t see other people in the room, although that didn’t mean there weren’t any around.
“We’ve seen you with him,” the vampire-looking man replied, twirling a curl of the woman’s hair around his finger, before grabbing a fist full of it, pulling her head back. “Where does he live?”
“I don’t know this Emrys,” the woman gasped, Arthur realising who she was when he got a good look at her face. “Please, I don’t know anything!”
Gwen. The nurse from the hospital. Merlin’s friend.
Sending Leon a look, the two of them moved in unison, Leon flanking one way, Arthur the other. The bulky, werewolf looking guy was much bigger than what he looked like from above, and Arthur knew it was going to be difficult to take the man down.
Pulling out his gun, he knew that he had to hit the man with the silver bullets, hoping it would be enough to slow him down, so that Arthur could use his wolfsbane soaked dagger. Leon looked over at him once, before nodding, the two moving in quickly.
They both shot at the same time, Arthur seeing the man he had targeted turn quickly towards him. If he’d had any doubt the man was a werewolf, it was quashed when the man moved. He moved far too quickly to be human, and Arthur only had a few seconds to decide what to do.
Ducking, he was surprised that the man had missed him completely, the silver clearly slowing him down more quickly than Arthur had realised. Pulling his dagger, he rolled out of the man’s way, the wolf clearly confused that Arthur was able to get out of his way.
Moving closer, he easily blocked the wolf’s punch with his cast arm, surprised but not letting himself think too much about it, knowing he had to keep his mind on what he needed to do. Blocking another blow, he moved quickly, the wolf clearly surprised when the dagger was thrust into chest, eyes widening, before he tried one last attempt at hitting Arthur.
Arthur was able to dodge it easily, frowning down at the creature. That had been much easier than it should’ve been. Werewolves, even in their human form, were fast and incredibly strong. Arthur had always come away with an injury when he’d fought one in the past, but this time he didn’t have a scratch.
“Arthur!”
He heard Leon’s shot a second before he was hit hard from behind, the man they’d seen slinking into the warehouse before tackling him to the ground. He tried to push himself up, but couldn’t, the man holding him down, gripping his head and pulling it to one side. Throwing an elbow back, he was surprised at the ‘oomph’ he heard, the hit not enough to shake the vampire off him though.
He felt a scratch against his neck, before the heavy weight of the vampire fell even harder against him, making it hard for him to breath. The weight was lifted off him a few moments later, Leon turning him over and looking at him worriedly.
“Okay, Wart?” he asked, eyes running over Arthur, clearly trying to see if there was any obvious injury, eyes lingering on the now broken cast.
“I’m fine,” Arthur replied, hand rubbing at his neck where the vampire fangs had scratched him, before looking over at the curious eyes taking him in.
“Gwen, right?” he asked, walking over slowly, hands out by his side, trying to put the woman at ease. As he got closer to the woman, he could see how pale she was, could see the blood that was oozing from her nose and mouth, both eyes starting to blacken.
She looked up at him with wide eyes, before recognition flashed through them.
“Arthur?” she asked, voice raspy.
He nodded as he moved closer, kneeling down next to the woman. He winced when he saw her wrists, red from where she had been pulling against the ropes that had been used to tie her to the chair.
“Are you okay?” Arthur asked, feeling concerned when the woman slumped slightly, before pulling herself back upright.
“I’ll be fine,” she answered, wobbling as she tried to stand up. Standing up quickly, Arthur wrapped one of his arms around her, steadying her and moving towards the door, Leon in front of them, his weapon still out.
The door was slammed open before they reached it, Arthur quickly pulling his gun, while trying to keep Gwen balanced, relaxing when he saw the two people who walked through.
“We took out the two outside,” Gwaine said, sending a grin their way. Arthur shot Leon a questioning look, not missing the stubborn set to the man’s jaw, and he had a feeling Elyan and Percy were probably skulking around outside somewhere too.
His grin faded away when he saw Gwen, Arthur seeing anger cross his face, before Lance brushed past him, coming to stand in front of where Arthur and Gwen stood.
“My name’s Lancelot,” he murmured quietly, eyes running over Gwen’s face, Arthur seeing him cataloguing the woman’s possible injuries.
“Gwen,” Gwen replied, sending Lance a pained smile.
“Let’s get her out to the car and I’ll check her out,” he continued, looking at Arthur as he moved to take Gwen’s other arm.
They all moved back outside, Leon and Gwaine still with their weapons drawn, Arthur and Lance trying to move as smoothly as they could, so as not to jostle the woman between them. Once they were back to the car, they sat Gwen in the back, Lance kneeling in front of her and starting to check her over.
Lance was always good with the people they saved, but he seemed to be even more gentle with Gwen, whatever he was saying bringing a small smile to the woman’s face. Lance quickly checked her over, before moving over to where Leon and Arthur were standing.
“I think she needs the hospital,” he said quietly, worried eyes looking back at where the woman sat. “The cuts look superficial, but I think she might have a concussion which should get checked out.”
“Did she say anything about the guys who took her?” Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow when Lance glared at him.
“No,” Lance replied, scowling at Arthur. “I think she’s still a little traumatised.”
“Anything she can tell us will help, Lance,” Leon responded.
“She needs the hospital first,” Lance said, crossing his arms.
Nodding, Arthur sent the other’s off to see what they could find in the warehouse, before jumping into the SUV to drive Gwen and a worried Lance to the hospital. The trip didn’t seem to take that long and before he knew it Arthur was once again sitting in the emergency waiting room.
“Gwen?”
He couldn’t help the way his whole body tensed at the voice, warmth running over his body as Merlin almost ran into the emergency room.
“Are you alright?” he asked, kneeling down in front of Gwen, hands moving gently over her face.
“I’m fine, Merlin,” Gwen replied, smiling a little. “What are you doing here on your day off?”
“Sheryl called me from triage,” Merlin replied, worry still clear on his face. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. What happened?”
Arthur managed to tear his eyes away from Merlin to look at Gwen, not missing the hesitancy that crossed the woman’s face. Something seemed to pass between the doctor and nurse, and Arthur had a feeling that he had missed something important.
“Guinevere Page?”
Gwen stood up and followed the nurse who had called her name, Arthur watching her, before turning and meeting an intense blue gaze. He couldn’t help the way his heart raced, his chest tightening, mouth suddenly going dry.
“I, uhm,” Merlin started, blush crossing his face as he stood up. “Hello, Arthur.”
“You two have met?” Lance asked, his friend’s voice snapping Arthur out of the daze he had been in, Arthur not missing the amused looked on Lance’s face.
“Merlin was my doctor,” Arthur answered, trying to forget the other time they had met, what had happened then, even as he felt the familiar rush over his skin. Merlin’s eyes flicked over his body, Arthur not missing where they lingered on his injured neck and his broken cast, before meeting his eyes again.
They stood in silence for a few moments, Merlin and Arthur staring at each other, before Lance stepped forwards.
“Lancelot Du Lac,” Lance said, giving the man a small smile, before turning a curious look on Arthur.
“Oh, I’m Merlin Emerson,” Merlin replied, shaking hands with Lance, Arthur gritting his teeth when he saw the way their hands seemed to linger for a moment too long.
They stood there for a while, Arthur trying to think of something to say that wasn’t related to the fact that Merlin was a vampire and that he had given Arthur his blood.
“So, I, um, should be going,” Merlin said, indicating the doors with his thumb, giving a small smile, glancing once more at Arthur, before turning and walking towards the door. Arthur couldn’t stop himself from watching the other man, before shaking his head, reminding himself that Merlin was the enemy. He just hadn’t worked his game out yet.
“So, can we talk about that?” Lance asked, looking pointedly at Merlin and then back at Arthur, eyebrow raised in question. He looked like he had when he’d asked Arthur about how he’d healed so quickly.
Glaring at the other man, Arthur sat back down, wondering why his heart seemed to still be flipping.
**
In the end, Gwen hadn’t told them much, just that she’d been grabbed on her way home from work, and asked how to find Emrys. The nurse maintained that she had absolutely no idea who Emrys was, or why the men were looking for him.
Lance had been surprised that Gwen hadn’t been more traumatised, but the woman had replied that not everyone fit into the categories that he and Arthur clearly thought they did. Lance had replied that he wasn’t surprised that all creatures weren’t bad.
“You know I kind of agree with her,” Lance said, as they were driving home. Arthur took his eyes off the road for a moment to send the other man a confused look.
“Agree about what?” Arthur asked.
“That not all of the creatures are … bad. Maybe some of them don’t lose their humanity when they turn,” Lance replied. “I think how they turn out depends a lot on who turns them and why.”
“What are you talking about, Lance?” Arthur asked, feeling tired all of a sudden, not quite believing what the medic was saying.
“It’s something I’ve been looking into,” the other man explained. “And I’ve found that those who are turned by calmer, less violent creatures, can keep their humanity. In a manner of speaking.”
“Are you saying they’re not all evil?” Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow in question at the man.
“I’m just saying that maybe there are ones out there who are just living their lives. And we don’t see them, because we only hunt the bad ones.”
Arthur wanted to believe Lance, wanted to believe him, because then he wouldn’t have to feel so conflicted about Merlin saving him, about the vampire using his blood to save Arthur, saving his life with it.
What Lance said had him thinking for the rest of the way back to the office, the medic sitting next to him silently, Lance knowing the value of silence. Pulling into the warehouse, he wasn’t surprised to see the rest of the team, the knights all working on various things, all stopping to watch as Lance and Arthur walked into the room.
“How’s the girl?” Gwaine asked, concern clear on his face.
“Minor injuries,” Lance replied, going over to sit at his desk. “She’s gone home.”
“What did we get from the recons?” Arthur asked, leaning against Leon’s desk.
“Not much from the apartment,” Gwaine said, tossing a file on the desk. “We took some photos of a map that had obviously meant to be burnt in the fire place. I’m trying to put it together, see if I can figure out where the dots we can see lead to.”
“I picked a phone off one of the guys,” Elyan continued. “It references a meeting with someone called ‘Morgause’ and Thursday night, but it doesn’t say where or if it means this Thursday.”
“And we know that they’re working together and looking for someone called ‘Emrys’,” Arthur finished, running a tired hand over his face. “Alright, let’s call it a night. I’ll see you here bright and early tomorrow.”
The others grumbled a little, but Arthur knew it was mainly just for show, that the knights were as eager as he was to work out the puzzle that was unfolding in front of them. He had no idea how Sophia worked into it all, but he had a feeling that they wouldn’t find her until they had figured it out.
**
Walking into his apartment, it took Arthur a few moments to realise he wasn’t alone. It was a sixth sense that he had learnt to trust over the years. He quietly drew his gun as he moved slowly down the hallway and glanced around the corner into the lounge room.
“I’m not here to hurt you, Arthur.”
Arthur couldn’t help but freeze at the voice, cursing his body’s reaction to the voice that he had only heard a few times, but that he heard in his dreams often.
“What the hell are you doing here, Merlin?” Arthur asked, moving around the corner, lowering his weapon only slightly.
“You’re hurt,” Merlin replied quietly, his eyes once again flicking to Arthur’s neck, where Arthur could feel the scratches throbbing.
“I don’t need any more of your help,” Arthur said, heart racing as he thought of Merlin giving him his blood again.
“I brought my medical bag,” Merlin replied, rolling his eyes, as if he could read what was going through Arthur’s head. “Not to mention, most medical professionals, and most likely your gang, are going to wonder how your arm healed so quickly. Especially once that cast falls off your arm.”
Following the vampire’s gaze, Arthur looked at the cast, only realising now how close it was to falling off. What Merlin said was true, people would wonder about his arm if he didn’t have some kind of cast on it, and he couldn’t go to another doctor and ask for a cast for a perfectly healed arm.
Lance’s words ran through his head, the part of him that wanted to believe the words making him lower the gun until it was by his side.
“This doesn’t mean I trust you,” he said, staring suspiciously at the other man.
“Wouldn’t dream that it did,” Merlin answered, Arthur not missing the way the doctor rolled his eyes slightly.
“If I think for a minute that you’re going to hurt me, I’ll stake you,” Arthur continued, moving into the room slowly, putting his gun away and pulling his stake out, a warning to the vampire.
Merlin snorted, before nodding his head, indicating for Arthur to sit on the sofa. Arthur did so somewhat reluctantly, trying to ignore his racing heart when Merlin knelt in front of him, his head bowed as he looked at the cast.
“I think this will come off without the saw,” Merlin said, giving him a beaming smile, before reaching out and grabbing Arthur’s arm. Arthur tried to ignore the warmth that spread from Merlin to him where they were touching, tried to ignore the silky, raven hair that was bowed in front of him, and how much he wanted to reach out and run his fingers through it.
Even the way Merlin had his tongue sticking out to one side of his mouth seemed endearing and Arthur really had to snap out of it. He had to remember that this was a creature in front of him, and while Merlin seemed harmless, he most certainly wasn’t.
Merlin gave a small cry of triumph as he managed to manoeuvre the cast off, eyes shining as he looked up at Arthur, cast in one hand.
“There,” Merlin said, putting the cast to one side and pulling out a plastic looking thing. “This is a brace that we sometimes get people to wear. You can tell the others that the break wasn’t as bad as first thought, and was healing well, so you could wear this. Wear it for a few more weeks and then you can take it off. Good as new.”
Arthur had to admit the brace was a lot nicer than the cast, a lot lighter too, and he couldn’t help smiling at Merlin, who was staring at his neck. The scratches started to throb again, and Arthur didn’t miss the way Merlin’s eyes darkened.
“Thank you,” he said, starting to get up from the sofa, only to be pushed back down.
“Merlin,” Arthur warned, gripping the stake in his hand.
“Oh, please, Arthur,” Merlin replied, glaring when he looked up at him. “I’m a doctor, I can handle a little blood. And it’ll be easier for me to take care of.”
Arthur stared into the blue eyes for a long moment, before nodding his head. Merlin grabbed a cloth, tipping some fluid on it, before kneeling between Arthur’s legs. He looked focused as he started to clean the wounds on Arthur’s neck, Arthur not once worried that the man was about to attack him.
In fact, he couldn’t help but notice how close they were, how Merlin fit between his legs, their bodies so close together that Arthur could feel Merlin’s warmth all along him. His breath caught as he felt heat coil in his stomach, Merlin’s eyes snapping to his at the sound. He had just finished putting strips that would hold the superficial cuts together and his fingers lingered on Arthur’s neck.
Arthur couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blue pair in front of him, couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward, his heart racing, chest tight, as his lips covered the one’s he’d kissed a thousand times in his dreams-
He jolted back as he heard the knock at the door, turning his head and cursing when it sounded again. Merlin had moved so he was across the room when the knock had first sounded, the two of them turning to stare at each other for a long moment, before Arthur got up and made his way to the door.
“Finally, Arthur,” Morgana said, barging past him and making her way down the hall.
“Morgana, what the hell are you doing here?” Arthur asked, trying to remind himself that it was a good thing Morgana had come over. He’d just been about to kiss a vampire.
“Leon told me what happened today and I was just-”
Morgana stopped talking when she reached the lounge room, her back to Arthur for a moment until she turned around, an eyebrow raised in question.
“I’m sorry, Arthur,” she said, wicked gleam in her eyes. “It’s been so long since you’ve had company that I didn’t think I needed to call first.”
Arthur groaned, running a hand over his face, and wondering when his life had become so weird.
“I’m Morgana,” she continued, ignoring Arthur, holding her hand out.
“Merlin,” Merlin replied, gripping her hand and shaking it. Arthur saw Morgana tense, the movement making him step closer to his sister, wondering what had caused the change in her.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Merlin,” Morgana said, the tension seeping from her shoulders, her face calm by the time he managed to see it.
“You too. But I, uh, should be going,” Merlin replied, giving her a small smile, before turning and meeting Arthur’s eyes. Part of Arthur was glad the vampire was going, while another part wanted to tell him stay, to see if they could finish what they had started.
“I’ll see you later,” Merlin said quietly, before the other man made his way to the door. Arthur couldn’t help but watch him leave, an ache starting in his chest, before he reminded himself that Merlin was a vampire.
“He seems nice.”
Morgana’s voice had him tearing his eyes away from the hallway, a dull heat making its way across his cheeks as he looked at the amused gleam in his sister’s eyes.
“He’s … not a friend,” Arthur replied.
“Really?” Morgana asked, sly grin on her face. “Then what was your ‘not’ friend doing here?”
“He’s a doctor, at the Mercian actually.”
Arthur answered as he moved over to the bar and poured two drinks, bringing them both over to Morgana and handing her one, before sitting on the couch.
“Mmhmm.”
Morgana didn’t rise to the bait. Arthur was sure she would start asking about Merlin and which department he worked in, but for once his sister’s natural curiosity seemed to be taking a back seat.
“He was just checking on my injuries after the altercation.”
That seemed to wipe the smirk off Morgana’s face, his sister coming to sit next to him.
“How are you?” she asked, eyes running over him, lingering on his arm and neck, concern clear on her face.
“Fine, just a few cuts and bruises.”
“Maybe I should take you in to the Hospital,” Morgana said, reaching out and touching his ‘injured’ arm.
“That’s why Merlin was here,” Arthur answered.
Morgana stared at him a moment longer before seeming to believe that he was all right. She took a long sip from her drink and Arthur thought he might actually get to sleep soon. He really should’ve known better, it was Morgana after all.
“Are we going to talk about Valiant?”
Arthur couldn’t help but choke on his drink, staring over at where Morgana sat, her eyes narrowed as she watched him.
“What are you talking about?” Arthur asked, already thinking of the horrible tasks Leon would be doing for the next month.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Arthur,” Morgana replied, crossing her arms. “I know he isn’t dead.”
“I’m going to kill, Leon,” Arthur muttered, staring down into his glass.
“I’m fine,” he said louder. “We’ll find him and dispose of him.”
“Arthur,” Morgana started, sliding closer to him. “You never did get that counselling I suggested. And with him back now, I think it would be best if you talked to someone, anyone, about this. You don’t want it to affect your work.”
“It won’t,” Arthur replied sharply, standing up. “It’s been a long day and I need some rest.”
Morgana stared up at him, clearly tossing up whether it would be worth it for her to continue arguing, before rolling her eyes and joining him. She came closer and kissed his cheek, before pulling him into a hug.
“I worry about you,” she whispered, Arthur wrapping his arms around her and squeezing before stepping back.
“I’ll be fine.”
She patted his cheek once, before turning and making her way down the hallway, Arthur following her so he could lock up behind her.
“I don’t think he’s just a doctor to you, by the way,” Morgana said, as she opened the door. “Anyone who sees you two together can see the magic between you.”
Snorting, Arthur ignored the way his heart raced at his sister’s words, rolling his eyes as he looked away.
“Good bye, Morgana,” Arthur said, leaning on the door jamb.
“Good night, Wart,” she replied, giving him one last grin before heading down the stairs.
Chapter 3 >>