Blood & Carrots Ep. 24

"So three mundanes, all having been clearly drained and the bite marks were still there?" I folded my arms while mulling things over as I spoke.

Gloria nodded while sipping at her tea. "Yes, right now the authorities are chalking it up to animal attacks because of how torn up their bodies were. However, it doesn't take a genius to see what the signs point to. If it gets out to the general populace, we could see problems."

I shook my head and frowned. "The fact they were left with the bite wounds and attacked so viciously... I don't think we're dealing with one in their right mind."

"Why do you say that, Katrina?" The retriever looked at me curiously over her teacup.

My shoulders shrugged in response. "Even a fledgling is taught early on about how our saliva can be used to heal the wounds we make. On top of that, we all know the value of keeping our head down when we hunt. The fact the attacker isn't bothering with such a simple thing, makes me think they've gone mad."

"I remember reading about this in basic training, vampires that lose themselves to the hunger and become nothing short of mindless beasts." The dog shivered as she spoke the words.

"That's hitting the nail right on the head. Most likely they have been skulking about in the wilderness for who knows how long. They wouldn't be unlike a wild animal bumbling into the city in that regard." I take my revolvers out and lay them on the table before us.

Gloria tilts her head at my guns. "Did you want me to bless your bullets like I do our rabbits?"

I couldn't help but set my jaw, it sounded odd hearing anyone say 'our rabbit' other than Elias. I shook my head to clear my jealous thoughts and showed my teeth in a grin. "Nah, just bless the whole damn gun, bullets and all."

The retriever looked surprised at the words. "Oh, you mean your guns are made of silver?"

"As much of them as can be, yes. Some of the intricate parts aren't, but mostly they are." I spoke the words proudly and grinned. My guns were special models Elias had commissioned for me from a master gunsmith over thirty years ago. It had been what initially sparked my interest in gunsmithing.

"How fascinating..." The dog hummed the words, staring at my revolvers before moving her hand over them. She clasped her rosary in her off-hand and I watched her muttering a silent prayer. "All done." She spoke the words in a loving tone of voice.

I hesitated before gripping the two guns once more, there was an ever faint sting in my palm from the blessing for a split moment, then it was gone. "Thanks, Gloria." I spoke the words and put the guns back into my jacket. "I'm still not sure what to think of this blessing thing."

"I do have a theory." The golden-haired retriever spoke to me with a smile on her face.

"Yeah? What's that?" I picked up the coffee mug and downed the last few gulps of blood before setting it down.

The celestial raised a finger. "As with all things in our life, I think our rabbit is at play here."

"Color me surprised." I gave the angel a curious look. "You think she is siphoning off your divine mojo and spreading it around?"

"I do... I believe she has also corrupted me slightly in the process." She spoke the words in an amused tone of voice despite the dark sounding tone of them.

"Corrupted you how?" My ears lifted curiously as I slid my chair out from the table and stood to take my coffee mug to the sink.

Gloria sighed and placed a hand to her chest. "I can feel demonic energy in me from time to time. It does nothing to me and does not affect my own divinity. However, my days are most likely numbered because of it..." She spoke the words in a resigned and calm voice.

I felt a chill roll down my spine and clenched my teeth, jerking my head back to look at the dog. "Numbered? What does that mean?"

"It means I may have a limited time of my life left. It is a common term to exp-"

"I know what the fucking term means!" I spat out the words and snapped my tail about. I felt dread settle upon me, I didn't know this celestial and I had no reason to care about her, but I knew how much she meant to the two of them. The thought of them being hurt over losing her triggered something in me.

"Ah... my apologies, I was not trying to be a smart-aleck." She bowed her head politely to me. "More to the point... once one of my superiors comes to check up on me... well..."

I frowned and folded my arms. "They will deem you tainted and compromised."

"Yes..." Gloria frowned and looked down at her empty cup.

"Couldn't you just quit their ranks then?" I asked curiously.

"Ah... I once heard someone compare being a member of the celestial military to being part of a mundane mafia. Once you're in, you're in for life... erm, or second life as it were" She giggled the words and then smiled at me.

"Second life? You mean you were dead?" I quirked a brow curiously.

"Well, yes I suppose so." Gloria smiled and placed a hand to her chest. "Mundanes that lead pious lives or die in heroic ways are sometimes given the opportunity to join the ranks of the celestials. We are born again as holy warriors to defend the world. We are not true angels but we are as close as you can get without being one, to begin with."

"So what did you do to become one?" I asked curiously, finding the idea of it fascinating.

Gloria tapped her chin in thought as she recalled the memories. "I do not remember anything of my life but the last fleeting moments of it. I was told by my superiors, I was a school teacher and had just celebrated my retirement. I remember leaving the school on my final day and seeing a child about to be struck by a moving vehicle, a very large semi-truck. I flung myself into the road and pushed the student away. Then the lights went out and the rest is history as they say."

A shiver went down my spine and I looked upon her smiling face. "Damn, Gloria... that's pretty hardcore..."

"I like to think it is what anyone would do in that situation." She gave me another motherly smile.

Clicking my tongue I folded my arms. "Well... back to the point. Why can't you just up and quit? Can't you be a fallen angel or something?"

The retriever folded her arms in thought. "As to the fallen angel... well those are truly rare and usually you must be granted such a thing." She then shook her head, her curls bouncing about gently. "Regarding simply quitting, I have formed a pact with my commanding officers. They can track and find me at their will and I cannot raise a hand to any of higher rank than me. Quitting is not on the table..."

"So not unlike the bonds a vampire will have when they sire a new progeny..." I folded my arms with a frown. "That's why you've never come to see Alice at our home, isn't it?"

"It is... I do not wish to jeopardize your family." Gloria gave me a smile as she placed a hand to her chest, clasping the rosary there.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" I stepped over towards her and looked down into her eyes while she sat and looked up at me.

"This is the price I will pay for my love. I do not regret it and I will not run from it. My only lament is the pain it will cause my rabbit and wolf." She offered me a gentle smile and stood before moving to the den and collecting her rapier.

"Gloria... we have to do something! We can't just let them kill you like that. You're not even-"

"We can do something, we can stop this monster from praying on the flock I have sworn to protect." The celestial fixed me with a strong look as she shrugged on her jacket. "It may be years yet before I need worry about that problem, but here and now we have mundane dying. I have a duty to uphold and you have a family to protect."

I set my jaw, feeling a little impressed at the dogs sense of duty. I gave her a quick nod. "Right... let's deal with the pressing business at hand. What's the plan?"

"I can narrow our search down with a tracking ritual I have used in the past. I simply need some of your blood, only a drop." Gloria spoke the words as she cleared off the table and began drawing out an intricate magic circle upon it with a piece of charcoal.

"That should be simple then. We don't have any family members operating in the city right now. Elias called them all back before I left." I watched the dog work as she drew the elaborate design like it was second nature.

The blood was let and the ritual was finished. I found myself on my bike again with the celestial pressed to my back while we rode.

"Ha! I've never been on one of these, how exciting!" The dog barked the words aloud while clinging to me.

"Well just hang on tight, Alice would kill me if you fell off and got hurt!" I yelled back to her.

#

With her guidance, we made our way to the industrial sector of town. I killed the engine on the bike and we climbed off it. I pulled the helmet off and looked over an old abandoned steel mill. "Nice place..." I mumbled to the night air.

"It stands to reason, all of the victims have been homeless squatters." Gloria spoke the words while keeping one eye closed. "Ah... they're definitely in there and moving... oh! Very quickly too!"

I showed my teeth and drew my revolvers. "Fuck... they probably picked up on our energy after we arrived." I cursed myself for deciding on the loud ass motorcycle now, a car would have been quieter.

"Ah... they are very fast... already on the ground floor and... oh..." The angel stammered the words and quickly drew her sword.

"Looks like they're ready to party too..." I hissed the words and focused my sight, my eyes shifting to red. "Gloria... these wild ones can be strong, we have no way of telling what tricks they have..."

"R-right!" The retriever moved next to me and her tail went rigide. "Ah... they're outside the building and-"

"Get down!" I shouted out as a blurring shadow of a form streaked past us. The dog dropped and I fired off a shot at the blur, missing as it slipped back into the shadows.

"Gloria! Are you okay?" I spoke out and quickly moved over to her.

"Y-yes..." She stood and we pushed our backs to one another. "I lost the focus on the ritual though..." The words came out in a huff as she clenched her rapier.

"Just stay focused and keep your eyes open, stay near me." I hissed the words quietly and jerked my gaze about. My ears flicked up sharply and I listened for any sounds of movement.

A crunch of gravel was my only warning and the blur was atop us once more. I huffed out as I saw the blaze of red eyes and long sharp claws aiming for my throat. Gloria darted to the side and I rolled away before firing another shot.

Both the bullet and the angel's blade had grazed the rabid vampire, we heard it howl in a screeching yowl of pain before bounding away into the darkness as I took another shot with no luck.

"Bastard is fast..." I panted the words and quickly popped a few more bullets into the chamber of my gun.

"Indeed... huff... most certainly an ambush predator..." Gloria steadied herself and we moved back to back once more.

I felt her back press to my own feeling a little nostalgic, thinking back to the times I and Elias had been in this sort of situation. I lifted my ears and huffed out softly. "Gloria... you're a pain in the ass." I spoke the words with a grin on my face.

"I've been told this once or twice in my time, yes..." The dog hummed the words playfully and pushed against my back a little more.

My teeth clenched as I heard gravel crunching in the darkness, my ear lifted and I felt Gloria tense behind me. I spun around with my guns at the ready as I heard the dog bark out in shock. The feral vampire was on her in less than a blink of an eye, there was a flash of silver, blood, and the sound of my own guns firing all at once. Everything happened so quickly in that heartbeat worth of time.

The mad creature tore into the celestial's midsection with a vicious swipe of its claws. The dog had, in turn, run the vampire through with her rapier. My two bullets found their marks, one in its chest, the other right in its head. Gloria crumpled to the gravel as the vampire fell back and burst into divine fire from all the blessed silver pouring into its body. We never even got to discern its sex or race.

It took my brain a second or two to process everything before I realized my partner was down. I felt panic well up in my chest and quickly moved over to her to assess her condition. "Gloria! Damn it... are you okay?!"

"Ha... it was fast... got me pretty good..." The retriever coughed the words and moved her hand away from her midsection. She had on a reinforced ballistic jacket but the vampire had torn through it like paper and cleaved a deep wound through her belly.

"Oh man... this is bad..." I hissed the words out and tore her shirt open to fully expose her stomach to see the full scope of the damage.

Gloria barked out in a cough and folded her ears. "Sorry Kat... guess I was no help... T-take care of Alice and A-Alex for me... okay?"

"S-shut up! We're not playing that game Gloria! Just focus on your breathing." I hissed the words and checked her over, she was bleeding heavily but she didn't appear to have any ruptured organs.

"Huff... huff... sorry..." She panted the words in apology and I showed her a reassuring grin. The wounds were too deep and wide to simply lick them closed, I had to result to more drastic measures.

"Hey... it's gonna be fine, I promise! Just gotta stop the bleeding..." I quickly tore open my palm and wrist on my own tooth, blood spilling down my collar. I willed my thaumaturgy forth and pushed my palm to her belly. "Okay... it's gonna burn... just bare with me!" I gave her my free hand to grip as I spoke the words.

She gripped my hand weakly, then I felt her crush my fingers as she howled out in pain. "I know... I'm sorry..." I hissed the words as I willed my blood to burn as I dragged it over her wounds, cauterizing them and slowly halting the flow of her own blood loss.

I felt her grip ease and her body shiver as she whimpered and blinked up at me with tears in her eyes. I showed her a smile and shook my head. "There... you're gonna be fine you big baby..."

She bit her lower lip and nodded at me. "S-sorry again..."

I started lapping at my wrist and palm, taking several passes of my tongue to seal the wounds I made. My ears lifted and I shook my head, "Stop apologizing. I never would have hit the thing had you not scored that blow with your sword."

Gloria showed me a smile and winced as she tried to sit up. I shook my head again and held her down. "Just give it some time... you lost a lot of blood and you can't just drink more to refuel like I can..."

The dog gave a ragged sigh and nodded her head. I shifted to let her rest her head in my lap and frowned at the pile of charred ash a few feet from us. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

We stayed like that for nearly an hour, I was thankful it was in an abandoned area of town and no one had called the mundane authorities on us. Gloria furrowed her brow and came to with a groan of pain, my hand was gently stroking her hair and ears. "Hey... Welcome back."

"A-Alice?" She blinked as she spoke out in a groggy tone, then shook her head a little. "Ah... S-sorry Katrina... you smell so much of her, even your touch and energy is like hers in a lot of ways..."

"Don't worry about it..." I purred the words and shook my head. "I recall reading you celestials can heal pretty fast... how do you feel?"

Gloria winced but slowly sat up and looked over her torn shirt and jacket, the ugly sight of burned flesh covering her stomach. "I feel like I was carved up and set on fire..."

"Well, you kind of were so..." I grinned and climbed to my feet before offering her a hand up. The dog stood and yipped from the dizziness and slumped against me. I grunted under her weight but smiled and held her up. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah... just a head rush..." Gloria shook her head and slowly pulled away from me, giving a controlled huff before she made her way to the pile of ashes to collect her rapier.

I moved next to her and watched her clasp her rosary and offer a silent prayer for the fallen creature. I gave her a moment to finish before stepping back towards my bike. "You got enough strength to hold on to me without falling off?"

"Y-yeah... I think so." She shook her head and moved over to me.

I frowned at the skyline, seeing the faintest signs of the sun starting to rise. "I hope you don't mind if I bunk at your place for the day... I don't think I'm getting home before the sun is up."

We saddled up on the bike and the dog hugged close to me, huffing out weakly. "Hold on tight, Gloria... you can sleep it off when we get you home," I spoke out sternly at her. The retriever nodded and hugged tight to me as I pulled out of the gravel lot and made my way back to her apartment.

#

"That's how it went..." I spoke to Elias on my phone while drawing the shades in the small apartment closed.

"How is Gloria?" He asked me curiously.

"She got tore up pretty good, but she is sleeping it off now. I'm going to pile up on her sofa, then I will be home when the sun goes down." I spoke the words while unlacing my boots.

"I'm glad you're both safe, I was worried..." His voice sounded unusually concerned and I bit my lower lip.

"Master, everything is okay. Thank you for being concerned for us though." I hummed teasingly. "Though I didn't know you cared so much for the celestial."

I heard him bark out at my teasing. "Of course, she has shown her loyalty to this family time and again. I would be callous not to worry about an ally and comrade in arms."

My mind wandered back to that topic, of the other celestials killing her when they found out. I stepped over to her bedroom seeing her piled up in the king-size bed asleep. She was clutching a large stuffed animal that I recognized as one of Alice's. "My lord... how powerful are some of the elite celestials?"

I heard the hesitation in his voice. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curiosity, really." I moved to the kitchen and found a bottle of the blood she had in reserve and began drinking it cold, I just wanted the energy in me.

"I've been told the strongest of them could rival our theoretical elders. The elite of them such as the bishops and archangels, can summon sunlight upon command even in the dead of night. The power of that light leaves us paralyzed and helpless to them."

I sigh and shake my head. "I'm wondering if Alice is onto something here... how much of this is fact and how much is just misconception and rumors?"

"I cannot say... For now, you should rest my lady."

I yawned and nodded. "You're right... tell me what I want to hear and I shall go do that."

There was a pause before he spoke out to me. "I love you..."

I felt my heart start to beat and smiled. "And I you... rest well, my lord. I will see you upon the dusk."

#

"Good evening, Katrina." Gloria spoke the words cheerfully to me from the kitchen as I rose from the sofa and rubbed my head with a yawn.

"Mm? Oh hey... glad to see you made it through the day." I showed her a sleepy grin, my ears flicking upwards.

"Yes, all thanks to you." The dog brought me a large mug with steaming hot blood within it. My ears lifted and I happily took it, sipping upon it while my tail flicked and coiled about.

Gloria sat before me after pulling up a chair and sipped upon her own hot drink. I tilted my head curiously. "Joking aside, how are your injuries?"

"Oh, I slept them off nicely." She gripped her shirt and lifted it to show off her stomach, not even a scar remaining.

"Wow... I didn't know you celestial's healed so quickly." I took a few more gulps of the hot blood, shivering at the flavor and feeling my eyes burning red. "This is... really good... what did you do to it?" I practically panted the words, feeling a little drunk.