Blood & Carrots Ep. 18

"Lady Gloria, I apologize, I need to speak with Alice outside a moment. We will be back." Alex stood from the table and gripped my wrist.

"Oh? Well, the tea shall be steeped by the time you return." The golden-haired woman gave me a smile. I gave her a smile back and felt the wolf pull me along with him out of the apartment.

He walked me several yards from her apartment before fixing me with a look. I blinked up at him and frowned. "What is it, Alex?"

"L-look... uh..." He rubbed the back of his head and frowned. "I don't have fancy supernatural mojo to pick up on feelings, but I can tell you're bothered..."

"I'm not." I spoke the words pointedly.

"You've never been good at full-on lying, Alice." He folded his arms and showed his teeth. "Have I upset you?"

"No! Yes... no! I... don't know, okay?" I spat the words out rapidly, then rubbed the back of my head and looked away.

"Come on... it's me... we talk about everything... I love you, Alice... so just tell me what troubles you." He spoke the words softly, his fingertips brushed my cheek and guided my face to look upon his own.

"Ah... I..." I clench my teeth and fix him with a look. "Have you and Katrina had that date yet?"

He gave me an awkward glance. "No... why bring that up?"

"I don't know!" I snarled the words and clenched my teeth. My eyes jerked away and I shook my head.

"Uh... I'm not trying to lay with her, Alice." He spoke the words of realization towards me.

"Then why do you flirt with her?" I showed my teeth and huffed the words.

Alex folded his arms. "Alice... of all people... you have I, Katrina, El-"

"I know!" I growled and stepped away from him, my tail flicking furiously about. "It's stupid! I know... and I'm being selfish... but... the thought of her with someone else..."

"Would it be different if I wanted to lay with both of you at once?" He asked me curiously.

My gaze shifted back to him, my eyes red at the thought of it. "Ha... that sounds... fun..." I felt the heat and eagerness fill me.

"Hmm... could it be your jealousy is at the concept of someone laying with another without you involved?" He rubbed his chin in thought.

"N-no... because I know Val regularly lays with others. Elias and Katrina regularly partake of one another too. I'm sure if Lor-" I snapped my mouth shut before saying her name.

Alex cocked a brow at me. "Alice... just tell me she is yours and spoken for. I haven't set any intentions upon her."

"No!" I spat out and clenched my fists. "The demons in me can fuck off! I- I will not restrain her like that, n-not when I have like... five fucking partners other than her!"

"Five? I only count four..." He pursed his lips and gave me a smile. "Well... it's not my place to keep up with all of your ongoings... you love me and that is enough for me."

"Thank you..." I push my hand to my forehead and shake my head, my ears flopping about. "Ha... Val warned me about this, said it would show sooner or later..."

"What?" He asked me curiously.

"It's the nature of the power, it wants to possess and claim, and with that comes the unwillingness to share. Like a dragon roosting upon a pile of treasure." I growled the words bitterly.

"Why doesn't this come up with everyone else then?" He asked me curiously.

"I think it's because... well, we're all intertwined and family in a way." I rub at my forehead and frowned.

"Can I say something about all this?" He crossed his arms and fixed me with a hard look.

"Y-yes..." I blink up at him and frown.

"Who I lay with is my business. I love you Alice, but I am not tied to you and none of the others are. None of us agreed to anything like that." He showed his teeth and spoke in a matter of fact tone towards me.

I folded my ears and cast my eyes away, giving him a nod. "I know... and I wouldn't expect any of you to only have me."

"This is just another form of the hunger in you trying to control you, Alice. You know that and I know that. You are better than the demons inside you." He barked the words at me and put a hand reassuring upon my head.

I nod at him and blink tears from my eyes. "Thank you... I have trained and tried to focus, tried to get stronger, but... it seems to always slip through the cracks."

"That's what it does, Alice... I do not fault you for any of this." He took a knee and put his hands on my shoulders. I feel the wolf pull me closer and force me into a kiss.

My ears fold and I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him back eagerly, my tail flicking rapidly. We stayed that way for several moments and finally I pulled from him with a sigh. I push my forehead to his own and shake my head weakly. "I know... it's really her decision..."

Alex stood and gave me a nod. "She's a lovely thing Alice. However... I think she only has eyes for you. I think her playing along with the flirting was just an oblivious thing." He gave me a gentle nod.

"Y-you think so?" I blink up at him again and tilt my head.

"Well I'm not in her head and you know her better than I." He raised a finger and gave me a grin. "Tell you what, if she starts making moves on me, I will tell her I'm only game if you're involved. That's fair isn't it?"

I blush at the thought, my eyes turning red as I answer without hesitation. "Oh yes... so very much so..." He gave me a smile and took my hand, I grinned childishly at him and squeezed his grip.

"I think she is firmly yours though, Alice. She strikes me as the loyal type." He spoke the words comfortingly and began to pull me along.

"Welcome back, is everything okay, love?" Gloria looked upon me with concern, setting the third cup down upon the table.

"Yeah, we just had some council business to discuss." I gave her a smile and moved to take a seat.

The three of us engaged in small talk over tea and blood for several minutes. I felt better at his words and gave myself a reassuring nod. If the demon was at play I would fight it off. When I seriously looked deep in myself I knew that whatever made any of my partners happy, especially Gloria, would make me happy as well.

"So what do you do for fun, Gloria?" Alex spoke out conversationally.

The smaller dog lifted her ears and tilted her head. "Oh... well, I practice my swordsmanship, I meditate and... uhm... does having sex with Alice count?" The words were lewd but she spoke them in an innocent childish like question.

Alex barked out a laugh and gave her a grin. "Well, we have at least one hobby in common then." He gave her a nod before sipping his tea.

I blushed and pursed my lips. "Sorry if this is awkward for you, Glora." I mumbled the words and cast my eyes away from her.

She gave me a heavenly smile and shook her head, her golden hair bouncing slightly at her drooped ears. "No, not at all, he is a fetching wolf. I can tell he really cares about you, I can simply feel his love and respect for you radiating from him."

Me and Alex shared a look before turning back to her. Gloria blinked at the dual gaze and lifted her ears. "Ah... did I say something odd?"

"Nah... you're cool, Gloria. I'm glad Alice has such a great girlfriend." He showed his teeth in a grin.

Gloria put a hand to her cheek and I saw them darken. "Oh... we are dating now, aren't we? It's hard to believe such a wonderful rabbit is with me."

"You're exaggerating, my dog." I hummed the words gently and gripped her hand.

"I am not! You are a wonderful creature and I thank the divines I met you!" The dog placed a hand to her chest and closed her eyes, as if giving a prayer of thanks.

I felt a shiver go down my spine and laughed. "Ha... careful, Gloria. You pray too hard like that and I might just burst into flames."

The dog fixed me with her eyes and I thought I saw flecks of gold in the deep blue for a moment. "I will never allow that to happen." She spoke the words with full authority and I felt my face grow hot at her confident glare.

Alex whistled at the display. "Now you're talking my language. I feel the same way, Gloria."

"Truly? I am thankful I am not her only shield then. You have my gratitude sir Alex." She smiled brightly at the wolf and bowed her head towards him.

He showed his teeth and gave his own nod. "Likewise, thank you for protecting my rabbit."

Gloria gave a soft cough and gave the wolf a challenging look. "Our, rabbit."

Alex showed a grin and waved a hand. "My apologies... our rabbit."

I huffed and felt my cheeks darken more. "Cool! Well if we can adjourn from the first meeting of the 'Let's make Alice die of embarrassment club'. How about we talk about why we're all here?"

"Your wordplay needs work, my love." Gloria hummed the words and sipped her tea. Alex simply barked out a laugh at her words.

#

"So we've got four deaths eh?" I spoke to Gloria while producing a small leather sack from my duffle bag and dumping a small pile of silver bullets out in front of me. Alex looked nauseous and scooted away from me a little, as if just having them near was making him ill. I gave him an apologetic glance and started laying them out in rows of six, tips facing up.

"It's up to seven." She spoke the words solemnly. I and Alex both frowned and looked upon one another.

"Damn it... we should have gotten started last night instead of waiting." The wolf growled the words and shook his head.

"It is my fault for not bringing it to your attention sooner, their blood is on my hands." Gloria gave a sad grimace and placed a hand to her chest.

"Stop it, both of you." I growled the words and placed the last bullet, making a set of thirty-six in all. "It's none of our faults, but we will be the ones to put the fucker down." I moved away from the table and gave Gloria a nod.

The retriever steps over the bullets and gripped her pendant, a small rosary with cross and thorns adorning it. Her right hand moved over the spread of bullets and her brow furrowed in concentration. She gave a soft pant and smiled at me. "There you are, my love."

Alex blinked several times. "What just happened?"

"She blessed them." I spoke out pointedly before bringing both of my forefingers to my teeth and gnashing them open. Alex flinched at the display and I gave him a small smile.

"Yes, since they are made of silver I can impart divinity to them." Gloria spoke the words gently while watching me go to work. I began touching my bleeding fingertips to each bullet in the rows, dotting them with my blood.

"That's pretty cool. I take it the blood is so you can use your thaumaturgy upon them?" Alex looked upon me curiously.

I finished the last bullet and licked both of my fingertips, healing the wounds. I then smiled at Gloria. "See... he's a smart wolf. I told you he was more than just a pretty face and a good lay."

Gloria showed her teeth and wagged her tail. "I never doubted you, my love."

"Glad you think I'm pretty, maybe I should break out of this gig and go be a model!" He barked the words playfully.

"Hmm... I would not be opposed to seeing more of you." The smaller dog wagged her tail while humming the words, then lifted her ears in the realization of what she said. She put her hand to her mouth, blushing deeply before giving a bow to the wolf. "Goodness... my- my apologies sir Alex!"

I gave a laugh and took out my set of four speed loaders, collecting bullets and placing them into the loaders. "My girlfriend the deviant angel."

"A-Alice... I'm so sorry..." She folded her ears with a whimper.

I gave her a grin and shook my head. "Why? I'm kidding with you."

"Yeah, it's cool Gloria. I wasn't bothered at all by it." The wolf gave her a playful grin as he spoke.

"Really, do you mean it sir Alex?" She blinked her blue eyes upon him and frowned.

"Of course I do! You've got a great looking body from what I can tell, I wouldn't mind seeing yours too!" He barked the words in a laugh, but wasn't apologetic for the statement like she was.

I offered him a small grin before pulling my revolvers out and loading the remainder of the bullets into each gun while speaking out to him. "Such a confident wolf..."

Gloria blushed and put her palm to her cheek, biting her lower lip and glancing away. "My goodness... I don't know what to say..."

"Well let's wade through the sexual tension after the business is concluded." I spun the chamber of my gun before locking it into place and sliding it into the holster on my back.

Alex gave me a nod. "Yeah, we've already lost over half a dozen mundanes, this needs to end tonight."

"I agree and again, thank you for helping with this." Gloria nodded and watched me holster my second gun. "By the way love, I thought you used semi-automatic guns?"

I grinned at her. "That's right, we've not talked shop about guns since I returned from sir Harolds. He showed me the versatility and elegance of a revolver. The weight feels good and I like the punch it offers. It's also just more fun to use and it's the same type of gun Katrina uses."

The celestial gave me a nod of understanding then turned to Alex. "Sir Alex?"

"Just Alex please." He smiled upon her as he spoke.

"Very well, Alex." Gloria offered him a smile then put a finger to her cheek. "I can prepare a ritual that will help us find them. But ah..." She blushed and averted her eyes.

"What? We need to have sex for it to work?" He barked the words playfully and wagged his tail. I grumbled at him and folded my arms.

Gloria's ears lifted and her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "No! Ah... of course not. I mean I suppose in theory that could work too..." She rubbed her chin in thought.

"Gloria, my love... please focus." I spoke the words out gently but firmly towards her.

"Right!" She barked out and clenched her fists. "Ah... so I need a drop of your blood. That will allow me to create a ritual that should allow me to focus upon any lycanthrope within one hundred miles."

"Ah... that's pretty impressive. Where should I bleed?" He asked with a grin.

Gloria produced a small piece of charcoal and quickly went to work drawing an ornate circle of runes upon the table. The design looked highly complex but she threw it together as if it were a mere child's doodle. "Right here in the center, just a drop will do."

Alex nodded and walked over to me. I blinked upon him as he leaned in and shoved his mouth to my own in a possessive kiss. My eyes blinked red at the gesture, feeling even more excited he did it in front of Gloria. His tongue pushed into my mouth and I groaned happily, flicking my own against his.

The smaller dog gave a shocked gasp and blushed, putting her hand to her chest. I heard her breath hitch and could sense the excitement from her. The wolf growled against my lips then I felt his blood fill my mouth, his tongue brushing my canine.

He parted from the kiss and lolled his tongue, dragging his finger over the blood and saliva before sliding it over the table in the center of the circle. He marked a small X shape in the center and showed me a grin. "That enough Gloria?" He growled the words towards her.

"Y-yes... p-plenty..." She panted the words in response.

Alex moved to me once more and growled. "My tongue is still bleeding, can you heal it?" He hummed the words gently.

"A-ah... of cou-" I yelped as he forced me into another kiss without asking. I shuddered at his dominant display and felt him embrace me closer. Our tongues met and I rolled mine to his while groaning out in approval of his actions.

Alex withdrew his tongue from my mouth and gave me a confident grin. "Thanks, my countess..." He rose back to his feet and glanced over at Gloria. The smaller dog gave a small yip and jerked her eyes away, having been caught intently staring upon us.

"Soooo.... Now what?" I spoke out awkwardly and shifted on my feet, feeling my body warm and eager.

The golden-haired dog gave a controlled breath and nodded. "R-right! This will only take a moment." She barked the words and I saw her grip the rosary in her left hand. Her right hand moved for the sharp edge of the pendant then hesitated. She opened her eyes and blushed at me before offering her hand to me. "Uh... w-would you?"

I blinked at her, my cheeks darkening at the gesture. I cut my eyes to Alex who grinned at me then back to Gloria, her cheeks flushed heavily but her hand remained extended. I gently pulled her finger into my mouth and carefully pierced it with my tooth. Her divine blood filled my mouth and my eyes glowed a hot red. I shivered at the taste and found myself supping from her wound for a few moments.

The small dog lolled her tongue, a soft pant on her breath while I fed upon her ever so gently. I furrowed my brow and forced myself from the intoxicating nectar, my own pant erupting from my throat. "Fuck you taste so good..." I showed my teeth and shook my head to clear it.

"Th-thank you..." Gloria whispered the words and held her fingertip over the table. She clutched her left hand over her rosary and closed her eyes.

"That was actually kind of hot..." Alex whispered the words into my ear while grinning. I blinked over at him and my blush deepened.

The retriever gave a long slow sigh and opened her eyes. They were half-lidded as if she were drowsy or in a trance and they shone in a brilliant gold. A large drop of blood fell from her wound and splashed against the center where Alex's had been laid. The moment the blood struck she winced and grabbed the table, her bloody hand grabbing her forehead, smearing her blood against it.

"Gloria! Are you okay?" I spoke out and moved to grab her arm.

"I am fine... sensory... overload..." She spoke through clenched teeth. "Ha... I see... dozens! M-my word... several dozen, far though..."

"That's my clan most likely, ignore them and narrow your focus if you can." Alex spoke the words gently to her.

Gloria nodded and furrowed her brow, her eyes closed tight in concentration. "Ha... yes... there you are Alex... so that's what you look like..." She mumbled the words and he frowned at them.

"No no... you may not..." She hummed the words in a playful tone while trying to focus. "Aaaand there you are... O-oh! Oh... oh no!"

"What?" I snapped out and gripped her arm hard.

She flinched at my grip and frowned. "Wait... a moment... almost..." She hummed again and I saw her lick her lips before popping her right eye open and grinning at me. "I got them."

"Awesome! Wait- Them?!" I spat out and showed my teeth.

She nodded and frowned. "There are two of them, they are moving together through the city as we speak, no doubt hunting for a vagrant or hoping to single out an individual."

"Two... fuck..." Alex snarled and ran his fingertips through his hair.

"Is it possible they spread it?" I asked him.

"No way... a new one wouldn't be able to control it like that, they would stay mundane until a full moon and certainly have no control." Alex shook his head and clenched his fist. "It's a pair and they're not rabid if they are working together. They know what they're doing."

Gloria blinked between the two of us with just her right eye open. "Then we should move before they strike again."

"Right! Your eye?" I tilted my head curiously.

"It's okay, I've got them marked, we won't lose them so long as I keep my eye on them." She hummed the words and lifted her ears. "Let us go."

"Wait!" I spoke out. Gloria froze and turned to me. I moved in and kissed her forehead before lapping her blood from it. I then took her finger and gently dragged my tongue over her wound, healing it. "Can't have you leaving dirty, now can I?" I cooed the words into her ear and hugged her.

Gloria huffed and embraced me hard. I felt her shiver a little and I shook my head. "It's okay... we will all be okay. Five wouldn't be a match for us!" I spoke the words with a haughty tone.

"You think so?" She whispered into my ear.