The Council Ch. 15

He held her tightly as she screamed in agony, trying to minimise the pain and quickly find where she was bleeding out inside. He had detected the liver wound but it appeared her spleen was also bleeding out too. He quickly pulled his hand free, ripping his fingers open and pressing back inside.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Ash. This is the only way, love. Be strong for me. Stay with me a little longer." He stroked against her wounds as gently as he could, feeling inside for every little nick and scratch he could find on her internal organs, blending his blood with hers. He couldn't miss a thing because he couldn't do this to her again, not ever. His heart broke as he drank in her pained cries.

Ashleigh was so weak she couldn't even struggle against the pain. Nors was hurting her and she didn't know why. His tears fell on her face, his whispered words tumbling from his mouth as he declared his love for her over and over again.

She couldn't even cry. She had no tears left, no strength anymore. Nors was torturing her insides and all she could do was utter some pained cries against his lips. She knew deep down that he had to have a pretty good reason for hurting her but that didn't negate the agony travelling through her body. She remembered vague words about mating being spoken between Freya and Loretta but she couldn't gather her thoughts together to understand what they meant.

Loretta was growling, trying to get to Ashleigh but Freya had positioned herself well, holding back the irate wolf.

"Stop it, Loretta!" Freya hissed as she held the struggling wolf. "He's healing her. I know it's hard to listen to her pain but it's the only thing that will save her."

The vampire's word sank through the fury surrounding the wolf and her struggles abated as she stared down at Ashleigh. She knew Nors was trying to save her friend but it was so hard to listen to Ashleigh's agony and not try and help her. Ashleigh had to be strong enough to get through this. She had to fight to live.

Nors slowly removed his fingers from his wolf's body. He was almost certain he'd found every tear inside her but she was so pale, her heartbeat so weak he didn't know if he'd been in time. He repositioned his wolf in his arms, quickly closing the wound in her abdomen to stop any more blood loss, then he ripped into his wrist and began to feed her his blood.

"Drink, love," he urged softly. "Stay with me, Ashleigh. I need you so much. Fight for us." He rocked her gently as he held her fragile body close, trickling his blood down her throat. If he was too late, if she died...he would die too. He didn't want to live a moment longer in a world that his Ashleigh didn't exist in.

"Don't die, Ashleigh. Please don't leave me."

*****

The others moved from the Council floor to find seats among the non damaged section of the seating area. Coldly, curiously, all eyes turned to the four vampires left standing among the death and carnage within the Council chambers.

Andrei couldn't make up his mind which one of the Council members he wanted to kill. Daniel had orchestrated everything while Roberto had issued the command to kill his child. It was a moot point really as Loretta had already shifted to wolf form by then but he hadn't known that when he'd ordered the death of the baby.

"He issued the order," Roberto suddenly blurted out, his voice shaking with fear as he stared death in the face. He knew he was going to die. The only option open to him was whether his death was going to be quick or whether Andrei was going to make him scream for hours.

His former Council colleague was smiling at him. It was a cold smile even though Andrei's eyes were twinkling away. He'd seen the other Elder use that expression, right before he committed one of the most horrifying acts he had ever seen.

"But you laid hands on her, didn't you, Roberto?" Andrei asked softly taking a step closer. "You touched her, didn't you? Tell me what you did to her. Tell me how you hurt my Rose."

Roberto backed away coming up against the hard wall at his back. "It was all Daniel's doing," he cried out terror starting to cross his face. "It was his idea. I told him not to do it. I told him it was madness."

Andrei's smile widened as he finally reached his decision. He turned towards Daniel, watched the colour leech slowly out of the other man's face as he was speared him with a cold gaze, then his hand shot out and he gripped Roberto by the throat and dragged him struggling into the middle of the blood soaked room.

He forced the vampire to his knees and turned to look at the assembled audience. "This is what will happen if any of you decide to fuck with my family again," he said softly. He thrust his talons into Roberto's neck scoring deeply. Blood arced into the air from the wound but he ignored in as he knelt down beside his victim.

He grabbed Roberto's hand in a death grip and held it up for all to see. "This hand touched my mate. This hand hurt my sweet Rose." He paused staring at the hand for a long moment and then he slowly, and very painfully, began snapping off each finger to the loud screams of Roberto.

When he was finished he turned to the vampire's second hand and proceeded to remove the fingers one by one with a smile on his face. "Did Loretta scream this loudly, Roberto?" he asked in a conversational tone. "Did Ashleigh?"

The screaming vampire writhed in agony as his hands were shredded mercilessly and with deadly precision.

"Damn, he's good," Demetri muttered with a small smile tugging at his lips. He remembered the satisfaction he'd felt the year before when he had killed Sandro and then ripped off Graves' limbs for their hand in Mara almost dying. He could fully relate to what his friend was feeling.

"Very cruel," Caleb answered slightly drolly but his eyes were fixed on the scene before him. He was glad he'd made Annie stay at the compound. While this was necessary, it wasn't something that he wanted his woman to see. She would most likely give him a hard time about it if she was there. Sometimes, the beast within just had to be satisfied no matter how stomach churning it was.

The vampires watched on in silence as Andrei took Roberto apart piece by piece, all the while never losing his smile or the glint of madness in his eyes. He managed to keep the Elder alive for almost fifteen full minutes before his brother stepped over dragging a trembling Daniel with him.

"He's dead, Andrei," Alexei said quietly, kicking away the limp corpse. He shoved Daniel down to his knees before his brother, holding him in place. "But I have another one for you," he added with his own smile.

Andrei turned to face his nemesis, his expression bordering on complete madness. He smiled softly at Daniel reaching a hand up as if to brush his cheek gently.

Daniel whimpered, struggling wildly against Alexei's grasp, trying to get away from the insanity he saw in Andrei's face.

"You took my child from me, Daniel," Andrei chanted softly. "My little girl." He watched a stunned expression cross the Elder's face, heard the gasps of shock reverberate around the room.

"That's right," he continued to croon in a soft voice, pain lancing through his body like hot fire. "My little girl. A miracle created between me and my sweet Rose and you took her from me. She smelled of lilac, so beautiful and fresh. That's how I knew she was my daughter, because of her sweet scent. You took the most precious gift I could ever give to my wolf and you destroyed it with your actions. You broke my Loretta's heart today. That's worse than what Roberto did to her body. The physical pain can heal, the mental anguish she has to live with for the rest of her life will never heal."

He watched terror cross Daniel's face as his own pain reached epic proportions as he thought of the child he had lost, of Loretta's pain and anguish. His need to make Daniel scream for hours overwhelmed him and he reached for the object of his fury.

"Andrei!"

Loretta's sweet voice filled the air, halting his movements, cutting through the madness that was consuming him. He smelled the sweet scent of warm cinnamon, turned his head slowly to see her standing just inside the Council chambers, Freya and Nors beside her. The flame haired vampire was bare-chested, his wolf cradled in his arms, his shirt drowning her fragile body.

Loretta was wrapped in another overly large shirt, this one had blood on the collar and there was some bruising on her legs and her face. The bruises already looked old as if she'd had them a while. Her face was tear streaked though she wasn't crying; her hair was wild about her face and shoulders. She looked perfect to him, the most beautiful sight in the whole world.

"Be with you in a moment, Rose," he smiled gently turning back to Daniel, his eyes hardening instantly, his talons reaching out once more.

"Hey asshole," Loretta called walking slowly towards him. She could see the wildness in her mate's eyes, she could feel the chill of insanity running through their bond and it terrified her.

She knew what Andrei was capable of. She also knew that she had to draw him back from the brink of madness he was currently teetering on the edge of. She was terrified she would lose him completely if he continued on as he seemed intent on doing.

He stiffened as she approached, halted his actions once more but he didn't turn around this time. "Don't walk through the blood, Loretta," he said in a quiet voice. For some reason the thought of her walking through the taint of Roberto's blood filled him with a rage so strong he wanted to scream out loud.

The rage consumed him completely, threatening his tenuous hold on his sanity. "Don't come near me right now." It was a guttural whisper, a plea for her to stay away. He was barely in control of himself. He was terrified that if she came too close he would forget everything and inadvertently hurt her.

Alexei stiffened at his words, shaking his head at Loretta in warning but she continued on until she was standing beside her mate. "Scent me, Andrei," she whispered softly. "Really scent me." She reached out to touch his shoulder, her hand sliding into his hair as he groaned softly and turned his face into her stomach, inhaling deeply.

Tears filled Andrei's eyes as the heady scent of lilac filtered through Loretta's own sweet cinnamon scent. He raised a shaky hand touching her stomach lightly through the white shirt, pressing his face against her body as he inhaled the scent of the life within her.

"The baby's alive, Andrei," Loretta whispered shakily. "Its strong. A fighter like its father. Our child doesn't deserve to be born into all this death and destruction. Our child deserves to know only love. Don't let yourself be consumed by this hatred and insanity. Let this be over with. Stay with us. We need you,"

Andrei groaned harshly, his arms wrapping around his wolf as he wept silently against her stomach. Loretta's words crashed over him, drawing him back from the brink of madness, soothing him as no other could. His child lived. His mate lived. They were all that matter to him, all that was important.

Loretta cradled Andrei's head tightly, meeting Daniel's eyes. For a moment hatred pulsed through her, her own need for vengeance taking hold as her vampire wept against her body. For Ashleigh and for Nors, for her own pain, but mostly for the pain her love was going through, she turned her eyes to meet Alexei's intent gaze. They stared at each other, a silent message passing between them. Loretta nodded her head slowly.

Alexei gazed at the brave woman standing before him cradling his brother so tightly. He saw the signs of pain in her eyes, the deep anguish she was experiencing at Andrei's distress. Pride welled up inside him for the strength he also witnessed on her face. It was time to end this and the responsibility now fell on his shoulders.

With an audible snap Alexei broke Daniel's neck, his eyes never leaving Loretta's. He twisted hard, no sign of exertion crossing his face as he ripped the head from the body and let it fall to the ground. He knew it was a mercy kill, that Daniel had deserved everything Roberto had received and more but he also knew that this was what Loretta wanted. The decision taken from Andrei so he could retain his sanity.

He smiled gently at the wolf, reaching out and caressing her cheek lightly for a brief moment. He opened his heart to her in that instant, accepting her into his family. "He is lucky to have you," he breathed softly, respect shining in his eyes.

She gave him a small smile before stroking her hands tenderly through her mate's hair. "It's over now, Andrei," Loretta said softly, raising his face to meet her gaze. "Everything's okay now."

Caleb rose from the benches moving down to stand beside the Romanovs. "Stephan, Cristoph, liaise with Alexei to get this mess tidied up. I want a full meeting of our people called within twenty four hours. Make sure everyone knows they have to attend."

He turned his gaze to Loretta and brushed her hair lightly back from her face. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Loretta smiled weakly and nodded as Andrei rose to stand beside her, his arms like bands of steel around her. "You know me, Caleb. Tough as old boots," she quipped with more humour than she really felt. "I'd like to head home now though and take Andrei with me."

Andrei was once more in control, feeling the weight of his pain slowly leaving his body. He couldn't believe their child had survived. He couldn't believe that Loretta was not only safe but being so strong and brave too after her ordeal. He had felt her pain and anguish earlier. He knew just how much the night had taken out of her.

"We're going back to mine," he told Caleb. "If you need me, don't call me. I have other priorities tonight." He expected to see annoyance in the Ancient's eyes but instead he saw understanding. Caleb nodded and walked over to Nors and Ashleigh.

Nors was holding his wolf close, having sat down on the nearest unbroken bench. Ashleigh was pale and obviously very weak but her breathing sounded almost normal as Caleb sat down beside them. She was asleep, resting securely in her mate's arms.

"She's healing," Nors said gruffly, his gaze never leaving his mate's face as he stroked her hair gently. "I was almost too late, Caleb. A few minutes more..." He let the words trail off, feeling his friend place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze gently.

"But you weren't, Nors," Caleb said firmly. "Ashleigh is strong and she will recover from this. The mating?"

Nors nodded slowly. "I had to heal her internally," he admitted still feeling the guilt of the pain he'd caused his woman. "Once she recovers fully we should be able to mate completely like Andrei and Loretta." His tortured gaze turned to his friend.

"I would rather never have mated with her than see her go through all this, Caleb," he whispered hoarsely. "She didn't deserve any of this. She's never deserved any of the heartache she's been through."

Caleb smiled sadly and squeezed his shoulder a little harder. "I know, my friend," he answered quietly. "Sometimes bad things happen and we just can't stop them. We can either succumb to it or we can grow stronger from it. Ashleigh has already walked through fire and survived with you at her side. She can overcome anything as long as you are with her."

"Listen to Caleb, Nors," Ashleigh murmured softly, her eyes still closed. "He's very smart, love."

Nors' breath caught, his heart thundering painfully hard in his chest as Ashleigh opened her eyes. She smiled gently at him, managing to raise a hand to press against the side of his face. He turned his head and caught her hand, pressing his lips tenderly against her skin.

"Take her home, Nors," Caleb said softly leaning forward to brush his lips lightly against Ashleigh's forehead. "Unless she needs to see the pack doctor?"

"No, rest is all I need," Ashleigh sighed as her vampire rose with her in his arms.

Nors turned to his sister, giving her a soft smile. "Coming, Freya?"

She stared at him startled. He had banned her from his home, told her never to come there now that Ashleigh lived there. Was he rescinding that order now?

"Freya, please come home with us," Ashleigh said quietly. "I'd really like you to. You saved my life and I will always be grateful to you for doing so."

Caleb's eyebrow shot up in surprise, his lips pursing as he watched Freya carefully. It appeared his little talk with her had yielded some benefits though he wasn't quite ready to concede she was a changed woman. Still he relaxed slightly as he watched the new family walk slowly from the Council chambers.

"Well, that was an entertaining evening," Demetri chuckled lightly at his side. "Nothing like a good little tussle to get the blood pumping. Talking of tussles, do you need me here anymore? I've a wife I want to go pick up and take home."

Caleb shook his head in mock exasperation and rolled his eyes at his best friend. He really was incorrigible at times but there was no one he would rather have watch his back than Demetri Bozic.

"Tell Annie, I'll be along shortly," he answered. "I just want to make sure everything is being taken care of here. Let Jared and Rafe know the girls are going to be okay too."

He stayed for another half hour, watching all the vampires who weren't part of the cleanup operation start to disperse. He knew the matings and Loretta's pregnancy would be common knowledge by the time the meeting came around tomorrow night. He wasn't worried about any kind of retaliatory action occurring overnight. Not after word of what had gone down in the Council chambers also circulated.

He didn't hold with cruelty in any form but he had let Andrei loose on the two Council members anyway. It was the only way to ensure that the message got out to their people. They had to understand that he would tolerate no more wars against the Weres. Maybe now they would finally get the message.

To be continued...