Tears of the Fallen Ch. 02

"I can still do an exam to check the physical health of the babies," the doctor agreed. "I can do that now, Lacey, and then I can check over the woman you brought home with you. I have an appointment with Pietro in an hour so I can fit her in before I attend him."

Rafe and Lacey looked at each other, silently communicating as Mallen waited. The Alphas finally turned to him. "We'll hold off on that, Mallen. " Rafe answered. "The less the pack knows the better right now. Someone would notice us heading over to the medical centre and they'd start to speculate. Give me an update on both Reasa and Pietro when you're finished with them."

The Alphas waited for the doctor to leave and then Rafe gathered Lacey close and kissed her deeply. "Everything is going to be fine, Lacey. As soon as Annie's back, you'll see the babies are just fine."

Lacey held her mate close, silently saying a prayer that his words were true. It would break her heart to lose her babies. Everything had to be okay. It just had to.

*****

"Thereasa, you need to let me in." Liam's quiet words drifted through the hallway as he leaned his forehead against the closed wood panelled door. He'd taken his mate up to his bedroom and left her on the bed as he'd hurried back downstairs to prepare a quick sandwich for her. Now that she was human she would need to eat and he anticipated it wasn't something that would cross her mind. He wanted to have some food ready when she started to focus more on the world around her.

When he'd returned, the door was closed and locked, and though he could easily have forced his way in, he opted to talk to her through the barrier, to try to convince her to let him in. He wanted his mate to feel safe. The only way to do that was to allow her the space and boundaries she needed until she came to him voluntarily. But he ached to be with her, his wolf demanding they check that their mate was healthy despite her ordeal.

"Please, Thereasa. Your body's been through a traumatic ordeal. You will need to eat to replenish the loss of energy. I mean you no harm, I swear. I just want to make sure you're okay."

There was a long moment of silence and then the key turned in the lock. Liam waited for a slow count of five before he carefully turned the doorknob and eased it open. As it swung wide, he saw his mate in the far corner, her arms hugging her body tightly, her green eyes full of distrust as she watched him.

Even in her bedraggled state, she was the most exotic creature he had ever seen. Her ebony hair tumbled chaotically around her oval face, the lush soft caramel of her skin an invitation to run his fingers softly against it. He was certain she wouldn't thank him for trying that, so he kept his distance and crossed to the bedside table to set down the tray he'd prepared for her. He kept his movements slow so as not to frighten her any further than she already was.

"It's just a sandwich and some milk. I presume it has been many years since you've had to eat. I figured it's best not to give you too much food until your body becomes accustomed to it again. I wasn't sure what you liked so made a couple of different kinds. Please, come sit and eat, Thereasa. I will stand over by the open door."

She watched him suspiciously, as he did as he said, moving away to give her as much room as his wolf could stand to give her. It was so hard to give her what she clearly needed when everything in him wanted to gather her into his arms and tell her everything would be all right, but he had to do this for her. She was like a nervous colt and so very fragile now. He had to make sure she was taken care of both physically and emotionally.

*****

Thereasa watched the abomination closely, recognising that he was managing her and feeling her anger rise at his proprietorial stance. She wasn't so lost in the events that had happened, that she didn't recognise the huge redheaded male thought he was claiming her. The very thought made her stomach churn and she had to fight down the need to empty her stomach.

The strange sensation plus the odd rumbling sound from her body threatened to bring fresh tears to her eyes but she swallowed and held them back as best she could. She wouldn't cry in front of him again. She wouldn't cry in front of anyone ever again. She would somehow come to terms with what had happened and when she did, she would find some way to escape.

She tried to find her other half, and reached deep within her mind. All that she found was a blank space where her vampiric nature once lived. It was as if someone had reached inside and cut out half of her soul. The loss threatened to crush her and she fought to find some inner balance. She was alive. That was more than she'd expected to be once she'd made her decision so long ago in Europe. She should be thankful for that...all the rest she would find some way to come to terms with.

Her empathic abilities were still intact which was another surprise. She'd thought the redheaded witch would have stripped her of her mental abilities but it appeared she hadn't. No, she'd just taken everything else from her, everything that made her who she was. Reasa felt more tears threaten and she forced them down, drawing on the iron will that had kept her alive for so long. Her mental strength was all she had left. She had to remain strong.

She was human now. The thought resounded in her mind and fear rose sharply. Dear God, she was human, which meant she was at the mercy of everything and everyone around her. One wrong step on her part and she would be dead. If the pack considered her a threat, she would be executed. If the vampires got their hands on her, the same. If Louis sent someone after her...there would be nothing that could save her, not even her would-be protector.

They thought they were so inviolate here but she had proven them wrong. Louis would prove them all wrong too, if he judged her defection worthy of spending time to take care of. He wouldn't rest until she was dead and would send assassin after assassin until they returned with her head.

The irony of the situation was that she wanted to live now. When she was still a vampire hunting the abominations, she was prepared to die in her quest. She had failed that mission, been stripped of her immortality and now she wanted to live. She had to rely on the very person she'd tried to kill to keep her safe. It was so fucking tragic it was laughable.

"Thereasa, please eat."

Liam's low, deep voice sent a shiver through her and she started with surprise at the sensation. She wouldn't fall under his spell. She wouldn't accept his claim no matter what he tried. If she was lucky and what he thought was true, then maybe her resistance would send his wolf rogue and she would ultimately be responsible for his insanity and the pack would have to put him down. Maybe there was more than one way to achieve her goal.

"It's Reasa," she finally answered, moving around the bed carefully, keeping him in her line of sight. "My father called me Thereasa. I killed him when I became a vampire." Her cold detachment appeared to concern him and it brought a small smile to her face as she sniffed at the sandwiches and bit into one experimentally. It felt strange to eat and yet her body clearly wanted the nourishment. She viewed him objectively as she chewed.

He was one of the hugest males she had ever seen and she'd seen a fair few over the centuries. His auburn hair was thick and wavy with a scruffy, unkempt look commonly attributed to Weres as opposed to vampires. His wolf must be the dominant part of his personality. She wondered if that applied to all of the hybrids or if the vampiric nature ruled some of the others. Possibly, she would find an answer to that question before she escaped.

His shoulders were wide and she remembered being cradled against his muscled chest. He'd held her as if she'd weighed nothing which was a good indicator of his strength. Reasa had to concede that he was an attractive male specimen with all those muscles. He had a light growth on his face and chocolate brown eyes that didn't seem to quite fit with his hair colouring but were compelling none-the-less as he quietly watched her.

If he had been anything other than what he was, if circumstances had been different, she would have considered spending some time with him. That was a moot point now though. It was clear that he was besotted with her so maybe she could use that to her advantage. If she convinced him she was coming around to him, and he came to trust her, then the opportunity to escape could present itself sooner. Maybe she could get away before Louis came looking for her.

The food hit her stomach and Reasa felt the need to gag. What the hell was she thinking? She wouldn't get ten feet without someone being on to her. If she had still been a vampire then maybe there was a chance but she wasn't. Her vision was diminished, her strength and her speed gone. She didn't stand a chance of getting away from the pack, let alone Louis. Her heart sank and she felt tears start to fall, hating the sign of weakness.

Liam didn't ask her why she killed her father. He didn't approach her as misery engulfed her and the sandwich fell to the carpet and she curled up on the bed weeping. His quiet, solid presence remained in the doorway as terror filled her soul and her sobs became louder. Everything that she had been didn't exist anymore. She was alone and helpless, at the mercy of everyone and everything. Hatred for the woman who had stripped her immortality from her rushed out in a loud, agonised scream. She screamed again and again, loud anguished-filled sounds until something stung her arm and she half turned to see a brown haired Were at her side. Her last vision as the sedative took hold was of the redhead in the doorway, his cheeks wet with unashamed tears.

*****

As Reasa's eyes closed, Liam finally approached, crawling onto the bed to gather her into his protective embrace. His tears fell in her hair as he rocked her back and forth to try to soothe his wolf who was howling mournfully at their mate's distress.

"She'll sleep now, Liam," Mallen said, his tone quiet as he packed away the syringe he'd used to knock the human woman out. He'd worried about how much sedative to use on her, being more used to dealing with Weres who required a much larger dose. "Let me listen to her heart just to make sure I didn't give her too much."

Worried brown eyes met his and he smiled reassuringly at the Vârcolac. "I'm pretty sure I gave her the correct amount, I'm just being overly cautious." Testing the woman's heartbeat and finding it strong and healthy, he packed away his stethoscope and rose from the side of the bed.

"Coming to terms with what's happened is going to be very difficult for her, Liam. Do not mistake the masks she will show over time. Use your empathy to get beneath them or I fear for her mental health."

The Vârcolac nodded without looking at him, continuing to rock the woman in his arms as the doctor left the room. "I will keep you safe, my heart," he whispered into her hair, running trembling fingers gently against her cheek. "No one will ever hurt you as long as I live."

*****

The woman began screaming and every muscle in Pietro's body tightened, the need for flight kicking in as his heart pounded loudly in his chest. He flew from his bed at supernatural speed, reaching the window in less than a second, yanking it open and springing into the tree beside it. A blur of movement beneath him was all that registered before strong arms engulfed him, pinning him to the tree bark.

He tried to struggle, but whoever held him was a hundred times stronger than he was. His fear was cloying, adding to his strength but even that couldn't break him free. His chaotic thoughts began to calm even as a cold voice whispered in his ear. "Be at ease, Pietro de la Rios, you are safe here."

It had to be one of the Vârcolac. If it had been Caleb or Demetri, Andrei or Alexei, there would have been some give in their hold despite them being stronger than he was. But there was no give in the male arms pinning him and he didn't recognise the voice. Despite having gone to Europe a quarter of a century ago to protect the Vârcolac and suffering as he had, Pietro had never once encountered any of the hybrid children -- until now.

"Release me!" The words hissed out of his mouth and he expected to have to say it again, but the arms immediately retracted and his captor moved away, swinging agilely onto a branch in front of him and a little above. He had to raise his head to look up at the male.

His first impression was one of danger. The young man before him had dark glasses shading his eyes, his black hair cut short at the back, though it was longer at the front, falling over his brow to partially obscure one the lenses. He sat so still, dressed entirely in black, his surprisingly wide lips neither smiling nor grimacing. There was an aura of waiting around the male, as if he could sit there for hours on end without moving.

There was something disconcerting about being viewed so dispassionately and Pietro sucked in a deep breath, swallowing down the acrid fear that was threatening to overwhelm him again. The woman had stopped screaming and the compound sounded eerily quiet after her shrill cries. Even though it had only been screams he'd heard, Pietro had recognised the voice. It was the vampire from his torture. The woman with soft caramel skin and silky black hair, the one who had invaded his mind and violated him in a way her accomplices never could.

A shiver ran through him and the younger male shifted slightly on his branch, mirrored lenses secured to the vampire's every expression. Pietro detested the weakness within that showed his fear and he swallowed again to try to combat it. He didn't want the Vârcolac witnessing that weakness. Something about him triggered warning bells deep within Pietro.

"She can't hurt you anymore," the Vârcolac announced in a matter-of-fact tone. There was no judgement in his words, no hint of disgust at witnessing Pietro's fear. He was merely stating a fact. He continued in the same even tone. "Annie stripped her of her immortality. The woman is fully human now. You could snap her neck with one backhand."

Pietro's jaw dropped and he stared at the Vârcolac in disbelief as his words registered. What he was saying couldn't possibly be true...could it? No one was powerful enough to strip a vampire of their immortality and if they were, how could the younger male just sit there serenely announcing it as if he were discussing the weather? His head automatically began shaking in the negative. It couldn't be possible...it just couldn't. He had no idea he was muttering the words until the corners of the Vârcolac's mouth twitched briefly.

"Oh, it is possible and Annie was quite magnificent as she performed the spell." The younger male cocked his head to the side as if considering something before his cold smile grew wider. "I wonder if she could strip both vampiric and Were sides from one of us. That would be interesting to find out though I think civil war would actually break out if she tried that."

"Civil war?" Pietro wondered just what he had missed hidden inside the Romanov house. He stared at the Vârcolac, wondering if he was entirely sane. The lack of emotion in the other male's voice was chilling, the cold detachment sending a shiver down his spine. "Which one of the Vârcolac are you?"

"Kothari, the ill-begotten offspring of Rayne and Gard," Kothi laughed without humour, as he examined the vampire before him, his gaze taking in every nuance of his expression. He dropped down to a lower branch, until he was eye level with the other male. "You look concerned. I see that expression often. Most of the pack wonders if I'm entirely sane. The truth of it is...so do I most of the time."

The smile dropped from his face, leaving behind an expression so cold that the air around them appeared to drop a few degrees. "We are alike, Pietro de la Rios. We carry much damage within. Whereas I was born with mine, yours is by creation of the woman in the Eriksson home. I find myself intrigued by this; it creates a connection between us, something I lack with most others."

He watched the vampire trying to work him out and he smiled again, this time some warmth creeping into it. "Come let us talk in your room. I will explain what you're missing so you will be armed with the knowledge that you require to make a decision on whether to flee the pack or stay." Kothi swung gracefully from the branch and landed inside the bedroom, turning to watch Pietro hesitate for a moment before he followed him inside.

"The woman arrived at the Praetorian compound and shot Liam with a poisoned bullet," he began, moving to the corner of the room to sit down in the upholstered black chair he found there. His keen gaze took in how Lily's old room had been redone now that she was mated with Mac and living at the other compound. The Romanovs had redecorated in neutral browns, creams and blacks to give it a more masculine look.

Pietro gasped in shock, sinking to the bottom of the bed as what Kothari said filtered into his mind. "Were we able to save him?" He didn't recognise his own voice, it was so devoid of life.

"The Vârcolac appear to be immune." Kothi smiled once more, fascinated by the myriad of expressions crossing the vampire's face. He didn't think he'd ever seen so many emotions in one person all at the same time. "Liam recovered and claimed the woman as his mate. Caleb wanted her executed and Annie chose to strip her of her immortality. Our King and Queen are at odds with one another. My aunt and father have gone away somewhere alone, but not before Annie tasked Rafe with protecting the woman. Apparently, she has three souls to save, whatever that may mean. I don't think even Annie knows for sure, it's more like she has a vague notion of something important to come."

Pietro jumped up, pacing to the other end of the room. Memories of being in the dungeon in Scotland assaulted him, the excruciating agony of the poison eating him alive, his regenerative powers no match for the evil flowing through him. Liam had been shot with the same poison but had survived with no intervention. He had also claimed the woman as his mate.

Hatred, black and acrid, vengeful and unrelenting, rushed through the vampire as he thought of the woman entering the dungeon, of her beauty and soft voice, of the way she'd violated his mind. His fangs elongated, his talons springing from his fingertips. He turned toward the door, intent on finding her and ripping her head off. He took one step before his path was blocked by Kothari.

"You cannot do that, Pietro."

The menace in the younger male's voice stopped him in his tracks, his vampiric side close to crossing over at the danger posed. He didn't want to stop but reason told him he needed to think about his course of action before committing to it. He waited for Kothari to speak again while he weighed up his options.

"No harm will I ever allow to come to my brethren, vampire. If you harm the woman, you harm Liam and I cannot allow that. You do not wish it either, otherwise, all you suffered will have been for nothing. You were damaged protecting us, never forget that. In addition, the Queen has amply punished the would-be assassin and tasked the pack with protecting her. Will you go against your Queen's will, Pietro de la Rios?"

'No!' The anguished word echoed in Pietro's mind repeatedly as he fought with his beast. He ached to taste Thereasa's hot blood flowing down his throat as she screamed in agony. Memories of her screaming earlier excited his vampiric side, dragging a long hiss from his throat as his talons clicked against each other.

He had been tasked to protect the Vârcolac and he had failed in many ways. His arrogance had been paramount in his capture and torture, until death was all he had longed for. His weakness had allowed the woman to escape and come here to harm Liam. Now, as his vampiric side craved vengeance on her, if he acted upon it, then Liam would be irrevocably harmed and he would suffer the justice of the vampire queen. He may even be stripped of his own mortality.