NaNo2006 -- Chapter 28
Chapter the twenty-eighth, wherein friends reunite and the injured are healed.
~*~
Previous Chapters Here
“He needs to feed.”
The soft words made Rayven twist around quickly, bringing him face to face with I’dram. “What?” he asked.
She looked down, her curls sliding forward to shield her face. “Galen - h-he needs to feed,” she repeated softly, holding her wrist out.
Rayven nodded. “He needs to feed - but you can’t give him enough of what he needs, Little One.”
The slight woman nodded and held her wrist out again. “I know - but…” She hesitated. “He really hates the taste. He only feeds from me.”
Rayven smiled. He knew full well that the young vampire hated the taste of blood - well, most blood. He was feeding almost exclusively from his mate and, any time he had to drink blood that was not from his mate or another vampire, he struggled to keep it down, even going so far as to add spices and flavorings to it to try to make it more palatable. Thank goodness for family sticking together - because without Thunder, Dylan and himself, Rayven was sure Galen would be on the verge of starvation all of the time.
“He will feed from me first, Little One,” Thunder said softly. “We will save your blood for later - when he wakes. It will make him feed easier if it is from you - and you can’t feed him now and again later.”
I’dram nodded, still looking at the floor. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
Thunder pulled her into a gentle embrace. “It’s okay, Little One. We will make sure Galen recovers from this.” He helped her up onto a stool. “Sit here. It will be your job to calm him should he become agitated.”
I’dram sat - and watched as Thunder bared his wrist. The tall vampire looked around at his family and nodded before bringing his wrist to his mouth and tearing it open with his teeth. Rayven held Galen’s head as Thunder brought his dripping wrist to the injured vampire’s mouth. Dylan stood to one side and massaged Galen’s throat, stimulating the unconscious vampire to swallow.
When Thunder finished feeding Galen, he switched places with Rayven and the other vampire tore open his wrist and pressed it to Galen’s slack lips. It was a few minutes later when Thunder felt Galen begin to stir.
“I’dram - take his hand - talk to him,” Thunder said softly as Galen moaned. “I don’t want him to freak out on us.”
The young woman leaned forward and began to speak softly to her mate. Thunder smiled sadly. She was so beautiful - and so broken.
Dylan held Galen’s hands down as he began to wake, keeping him from reaching up and pulling the wrist away from his mouth.
“Your turn, Little One,” Thunder said softly, not wanting to startle the young woman. She nodded and held her wrist out. Thunder took her hand in his much larger one, brought it to his mouth and quickly bit into her wrist.
She hissed at the sharp pain and then pulled her hand from Thunder’s grasp and brought it to Galen’s mouth. “Drink, Glen,” she said softly. As her blood touched his tongue, he stilled. Dylan let his hands go and Galen immediately reached up and took hold of I’dram’s wrist, holding it to his mouth as he pulled her life-giving blood into his mouth.
The vampires watched as Galen fed from his mate, his throat working as he swallowed over and over again. And then his eyes blinked open just as I’dram swayed on the stool. Thunder caught her around the waist, pulling her wrist from Galen’s grasp, licking the wounds closed before sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her from the room.
Rayven stared down at Galen, watching as the younger vampire tracked Thunder’s progress through the bar before he looked back up into Rayven’s gaze. “She will be fine, Galen,” the older vampire said softly. “What is more worrisome to me right now is how you are feeling.”
Galen blinked and licked his lips, tasting I’dram on his mouth. He closed his eyes and shrugged. “Been better,” he rasped.
Rayven smiled. “Well, let me take a look at you before I take you to your mate.” Rayven pulled Galen’s coat open and gently eased the makeshift bandages from Galen’s stomach. The fabric caught on the dried blood and Galen winced as it pulled. “Sorry,” Rayven murmured as he continued to work.
Once the bandages were off, Rayven tossed them into the trash can behind the counter and got a clean cloth from behind the bar. He soaked it in warm water and then began washing Galen’s stomach clean of blood. As more and more blood was washed away, Rayven could see that the gaping wounds were nearly completely healed. All that remained were angry red lines and one small open spot on his lower right side.
“This looks good,” the older vampire said as he looked down into Galen’s grass green eyes. “There is still one small open wound here,” he pressed lightly against Galen’s abdomen, drawing a soft hiss of pain from the younger vampire. “Let me aid your healing.” And then Rayven leaned down and lapped at the open wound, bathing it in healing saliva and easing it closed. Once he could no longer taste fresh blood, he stood back up. The wound was now closed and was merely another angry red welt on Galen’s flesh.
Galen’s eyes were closed and a soft moan escaped his lips.
“You okay?” Rayven asked softly.
Galen nodded and opened his eyes. He tried to push himself up from his prone position on top of the bar but Rayven easily held him still.
“No moving around. You’re still weak.”
“I need to go to I’dram,” Galen rasped.
Rayven nodded, understanding the instinctive imperative to be with his mate that was currently coursing through Galen. “I know. But you will not go there under your own steam.”
“I will take him.”
Rayven looked up into Dylan’s serious countenance. He looked into the troubled eyes of the vampire and nodded. “Okay, Dylan. Thank you.”
Dylan looked away from Rayven’s gaze and pulled Galen into his arms, cradling the young vampire against his chest as he turned and made his way through the bar. Once there, Dylan kicked the door to the back room closed behind him and continued through the room. The next door was ajar and he eased it open, stepping through into the dim light. Taking a deep breath, he began descending the stairs in front of him.
Galen opened his eyes as he was laid on a soft bed. I’dram was lying next to him and he instinctively rolled onto his side and spooned her close. As his eyes closed again he saw Dylan blink and then turn from them, closing the heavy door behind him and leaving them in darkness.
“They will be fine.”
Dylan turned quickly to see Thunder standing in front of him. He nodded and looked away.
“Dylan - look at me,” the older vampire said softly.
Dylan raised his eyes.
Thunder sighed softly at the pain radiating from the other vampire. “We are all okay, Dylan. All of us.”
Dylan nodded again. “I know. But I can’t forget.”
Thunder smiled gently and pulled the younger vampire into his arms. “Then remember, Dylan. Remember your friend - mourn his loss - but don’t forget to live.” He grinned as startled blue eyes met his own. “Tashira needs you, Dylan. Don’t forget the living in your remembrance of the dead.”
Together the vampires went back upstairs, leaving I’dram and Galen to a much-needed healing sleep.
<><><>
More soon...
~*~
Previous Chapters Here
“He needs to feed.”
The soft words made Rayven twist around quickly, bringing him face to face with I’dram. “What?” he asked.
She looked down, her curls sliding forward to shield her face. “Galen - h-he needs to feed,” she repeated softly, holding her wrist out.
Rayven nodded. “He needs to feed - but you can’t give him enough of what he needs, Little One.”
The slight woman nodded and held her wrist out again. “I know - but…” She hesitated. “He really hates the taste. He only feeds from me.”
Rayven smiled. He knew full well that the young vampire hated the taste of blood - well, most blood. He was feeding almost exclusively from his mate and, any time he had to drink blood that was not from his mate or another vampire, he struggled to keep it down, even going so far as to add spices and flavorings to it to try to make it more palatable. Thank goodness for family sticking together - because without Thunder, Dylan and himself, Rayven was sure Galen would be on the verge of starvation all of the time.
“He will feed from me first, Little One,” Thunder said softly. “We will save your blood for later - when he wakes. It will make him feed easier if it is from you - and you can’t feed him now and again later.”
I’dram nodded, still looking at the floor. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
Thunder pulled her into a gentle embrace. “It’s okay, Little One. We will make sure Galen recovers from this.” He helped her up onto a stool. “Sit here. It will be your job to calm him should he become agitated.”
I’dram sat - and watched as Thunder bared his wrist. The tall vampire looked around at his family and nodded before bringing his wrist to his mouth and tearing it open with his teeth. Rayven held Galen’s head as Thunder brought his dripping wrist to the injured vampire’s mouth. Dylan stood to one side and massaged Galen’s throat, stimulating the unconscious vampire to swallow.
When Thunder finished feeding Galen, he switched places with Rayven and the other vampire tore open his wrist and pressed it to Galen’s slack lips. It was a few minutes later when Thunder felt Galen begin to stir.
“I’dram - take his hand - talk to him,” Thunder said softly as Galen moaned. “I don’t want him to freak out on us.”
The young woman leaned forward and began to speak softly to her mate. Thunder smiled sadly. She was so beautiful - and so broken.
Dylan held Galen’s hands down as he began to wake, keeping him from reaching up and pulling the wrist away from his mouth.
“Your turn, Little One,” Thunder said softly, not wanting to startle the young woman. She nodded and held her wrist out. Thunder took her hand in his much larger one, brought it to his mouth and quickly bit into her wrist.
She hissed at the sharp pain and then pulled her hand from Thunder’s grasp and brought it to Galen’s mouth. “Drink, Glen,” she said softly. As her blood touched his tongue, he stilled. Dylan let his hands go and Galen immediately reached up and took hold of I’dram’s wrist, holding it to his mouth as he pulled her life-giving blood into his mouth.
The vampires watched as Galen fed from his mate, his throat working as he swallowed over and over again. And then his eyes blinked open just as I’dram swayed on the stool. Thunder caught her around the waist, pulling her wrist from Galen’s grasp, licking the wounds closed before sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her from the room.
Rayven stared down at Galen, watching as the younger vampire tracked Thunder’s progress through the bar before he looked back up into Rayven’s gaze. “She will be fine, Galen,” the older vampire said softly. “What is more worrisome to me right now is how you are feeling.”
Galen blinked and licked his lips, tasting I’dram on his mouth. He closed his eyes and shrugged. “Been better,” he rasped.
Rayven smiled. “Well, let me take a look at you before I take you to your mate.” Rayven pulled Galen’s coat open and gently eased the makeshift bandages from Galen’s stomach. The fabric caught on the dried blood and Galen winced as it pulled. “Sorry,” Rayven murmured as he continued to work.
Once the bandages were off, Rayven tossed them into the trash can behind the counter and got a clean cloth from behind the bar. He soaked it in warm water and then began washing Galen’s stomach clean of blood. As more and more blood was washed away, Rayven could see that the gaping wounds were nearly completely healed. All that remained were angry red lines and one small open spot on his lower right side.
“This looks good,” the older vampire said as he looked down into Galen’s grass green eyes. “There is still one small open wound here,” he pressed lightly against Galen’s abdomen, drawing a soft hiss of pain from the younger vampire. “Let me aid your healing.” And then Rayven leaned down and lapped at the open wound, bathing it in healing saliva and easing it closed. Once he could no longer taste fresh blood, he stood back up. The wound was now closed and was merely another angry red welt on Galen’s flesh.
Galen’s eyes were closed and a soft moan escaped his lips.
“You okay?” Rayven asked softly.
Galen nodded and opened his eyes. He tried to push himself up from his prone position on top of the bar but Rayven easily held him still.
“No moving around. You’re still weak.”
“I need to go to I’dram,” Galen rasped.
Rayven nodded, understanding the instinctive imperative to be with his mate that was currently coursing through Galen. “I know. But you will not go there under your own steam.”
“I will take him.”
Rayven looked up into Dylan’s serious countenance. He looked into the troubled eyes of the vampire and nodded. “Okay, Dylan. Thank you.”
Dylan looked away from Rayven’s gaze and pulled Galen into his arms, cradling the young vampire against his chest as he turned and made his way through the bar. Once there, Dylan kicked the door to the back room closed behind him and continued through the room. The next door was ajar and he eased it open, stepping through into the dim light. Taking a deep breath, he began descending the stairs in front of him.
Galen opened his eyes as he was laid on a soft bed. I’dram was lying next to him and he instinctively rolled onto his side and spooned her close. As his eyes closed again he saw Dylan blink and then turn from them, closing the heavy door behind him and leaving them in darkness.
“They will be fine.”
Dylan turned quickly to see Thunder standing in front of him. He nodded and looked away.
“Dylan - look at me,” the older vampire said softly.
Dylan raised his eyes.
Thunder sighed softly at the pain radiating from the other vampire. “We are all okay, Dylan. All of us.”
Dylan nodded again. “I know. But I can’t forget.”
Thunder smiled gently and pulled the younger vampire into his arms. “Then remember, Dylan. Remember your friend - mourn his loss - but don’t forget to live.” He grinned as startled blue eyes met his own. “Tashira needs you, Dylan. Don’t forget the living in your remembrance of the dead.”
Together the vampires went back upstairs, leaving I’dram and Galen to a much-needed healing sleep.
<><><>
More soon...