Into the Vampire's Lair Ch. 13

"It hurts to go inside her mind Eian... and I found nothing," he whispered.

"She's gone now... it's okay," said Eian quietly.

"No... no it's not. I don't know who sent her. I couldn't find out why she hurt Amber. I couldn't do anything..."

"You did all you could Draven...You tore at her mind didn't you? I could feel it," Eian placed one of Draven's arm across his shoulder and helped him to his feet.

Draven nodded for he was too weak to speak. It had hurt to break into Benedicta's mind because of her shields and when he couldn't read anything, he started tearing apart every strand of thought, memory and consciousness that the Vampire had. She had been screaming but he was the only who had heard it yet it did not stop him from taking away every piece of her until she was just an empty shell. Then he beheaded her.

That was supposed to be justice but Draven didn't feel fulfilled.

***

When Draven woke up many hours later, Amber was lying on a bed next to him; hooked up to various tubes and medical equipment. He tried to move but he was feeling very weak.

"I hate drugs..." he moaned at the sight of the intravenous tube on his arm. Unsure of who was outside, he just called the first person on his mind: mother.

She came in a moment later, in her usual gliding way, moving over to press a kiss over her son's forehead. Draven didn't even bother to tell her no. She was going to coddle him and there was nothing he could do in his semi conscious state.

"Council..." he murmured. "I want... go..."

"No. You are staying here my baby. I won't let you leave. You have to stay here with Amber. She'll look for you the moment she comes to," she told him, pushing back his hair from his eyes.

He groaned and turned to look at his mate.

Talking hurts.

"So does trying to use your mind. Those sound waves almost wrecked your mental capacities," she chided. "Hush now, sleep... don't worry. I've placed a lot of security outside this door. No one can get in. I promise."

She kissed him once more before moving to Amber's bed and giving her a kiss too.

"You'll be fine you hear me?" she whispered kindly. "I want to see my grandchild."

When Josephine left the room, the door was immediately shut and locked with an electronic key pass. Eian had provided four of his best soldiers to stand guard while Josephine had asked permission for Natasha and Patrick from Draven's Enforcer unit for added protection. Josephine knew that they were colleagues as well as friends and she trusted them.

"Is he lucid?" asked Eian a while later when Josephine entered the rest lounge where Alaron, Eian were waiting.

"Barely," she replied, looking at everyone's worried face. "But I can tell that he wants to go to the Council --he has blood lust."

"I would do it for him," said Alaron, standing up.

"No," said Eian. "Blood lust would mean he's not thinking rationally. We don't know if this was a personal vendetta or an organized attack."

"Come on! She was part of the freaking table or whatever it is Drav's on," said Alaron angrily.

"Alaron..." warned Josephine. "Sit. We'll wait for your father to arrive. Eian, I suggest you bring Fiona here as well. I know there are guards at your house but it'll be safer for her in numbers. I don't know what's going on but I have a feeling that the Vampire that attacked Amber was under orders to watch her."

"What!" exclaimed both men.

"Explain," demanded Eian.

"I thought hard about it because at first I assumed she was some jilted lover that wanted to kill Amber out of jealousy. But if I were her, my first instinct would be to cut off my competitor's head or maybe take out her heart --symbolic right? But no, she went for Amber's abdomen as though looking for something."

"I thought the exact same thing but the only thing she damaged was the colon and liver. Weird huh," said Alaron.

"Yes because she doesn't know where to find what she was looking for," said Josephine with a sigh.

"I don't understand you..." said Eian. "What was she looking for?"

"Amber is pregnant... or well, you can't actually call a fertilized egg pregnant but the Vampire must have sensed the extra scent and attacked accordingly. I don't think she meant to attack unless triggered."

Eian and Alaron were stunned. Alaron quickly got up and started to rush out of the room.

"I've got to see if the baby... or egg whatever is fine. I must. Oh god I can't believe I missed it!" he babbled as he rushed off. Josephine didn't even have time to stop him.

"You think she was after the baby?" asked Eian worriedly. When Josephine nodded he gave a long sigh. "Draven warned me about this... that's why Fiona's kept within the compound's boundaries at all times. But... she's much more visibly pregnant. Why didn't they come after her first?"

"It's suicide to come into a Were's compound uninvited. But it's not just that Keiran... Fiona is not regarded as important in the Vampire community. Her marriage to you and her staying here makes her more Werewolf than she is Vampire. I know some Purebloods who still haven't acknowledged her. Draven on the other hand was supposed to marry one of his peers and carry on the Pureblood line. Some consider him a blood traitor and this attack could have easily been to hurt him as well as her."

"Do you think the Council is involved?"

Josephine didn't reply him but simply stared up onto the ceiling. "I can't say Keiran... I haven't seen anything and I can't speculate without endangering more lives."

Eian nodded and the both of them just sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts for a long time.

Eventually, Eian broke the silence. "Aramis is at the border. I'll fetch him."

Josephine looked up and smiled weakly at the Alpha. "Thank you..."

***

When Eian came back with Aramis, Fiona and Erika were also by his side. The two women had huddled together; Erika holding Fiona's hand protectively. Aramis on the other hand was looking extremely worried and distraught. It was only when he spotted Josephine that some of the worry washed away and he hugged her with relief.

"I was so worried," he murmured, holding her close. "How are they? Has Amber woken up yet?"

Josephine shook her head; her nose was reddened and it was then that everyone realized she was crying. Eian gave her one look then ushered the two women away.

"I'll bring them to see the patients," he announced and left the two Vampires to their private conversation.

"This is all my fault," said Aramis, settling himself down beside Josephine. "I should never have let Draven take up the position. Now I've put his life in danger. It's all my fault!" Aramis covered his face with his hands.

"We can't assume it's from the Council directly Aramis," she replied, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't want any more innocent blood to be shed. The girls need their mates by their side... I won't risk losing them should we go to war unnecessarily."

"What do you propose then?"

"I'll keep on trying to see if I can spot anything about the recent past or the near future. There has to be something that I saw and disregarded. Or maybe I wasn't seeing enough."

Aramis took Josephine's hand and squeezed it tight. Then they both leaned back and sighed.

"It's tough being a parent," he said. "I really love them... all three of them and now they have their own mates and I can't help but love them too."

Josephine didn't say anything; simply leaning back and listening to Aramis talk.

"I want you to be a part of that Josephine. Somehow you marched into our lives and you made us love you..."

She turned slightly to look at him, unsure of what to say. Did he say 'us'?

"You're still wearing your ring," he said after a while; rubbing the metallic band on her finger. "Why?"

Josephine pulled her hand away. "Aramis, our child and his mate are in the intensive care unit. Is this really the right time to talk about this?"

"Josephine... what if it had been you? You of all people can see the future. You know how unpredictable it can be. At times, you don't even know what you're seeing and at other times you don't get to see what you want. Who's to say that someday you might get attacked?"

"And your point is?"

"You really want me to say it don't you?" he replied with a broad smile. Josephine simply raised an eyebrow and eyed him warily. He had somehow taken her hand and was playing with her ring again; twisting it around with his fingers as he looked her in the eye.

"You're a very stubborn woman; hard headed, confident, strong and bossy. It's hard for me to admit it but I have those qualities too. For a Vampire with my ability, it should be natural for me to be kind and understanding and compassionate but it isn't. So saying heartfelt words isn't easy for me."

He sighed and got off the chair to get down on his knees in front of her. "But I will try... because I don't want to lose you again and because... I love you. God yes, I do... And I want you to be a part of my life and all our current and future children's life. So... please say yes?"

Josephine laughed; her body shaking with every breathe she exhaled. Then the laughter turned into cries as tears started escaping her eyes, rocking her body violently.

"Josephine?" Aramis was stunned. This was certainly not a reaction he had expected. He was at a loss as to what to do. "I'm sorry Josephine. Oh God... I said the wrong thing didn't I? Please... please don't cry..."

Then she stopped and stared at him in disbelief. "Aramis you silly old bat! I'm crying because I'm happy... because my baby is safe... because I love you. Ooohhh!" she gasped and started to tear up again.

Feeling slightly stupid, Aramis peeked at her and asked, "So is that a yes?"

Josephine smiled. "Come, let's go and see our children."

***

Meanwhile, the intensive care ward was crowded as everyone tried to cram inside to get a better look at Amber and Draven.

Alaron who had been there to check on Amber turned to scowl at the unwanted guests. "What are all of you doing here?" he hissed.

"How is she?" asked Eian, ignoring Alaron's question. "Is the baby...?"

Alaron ignored the gasp from Fiona and Erika. "It's just a clump of cells right now --so minute that no naked eye could have even spotted it. Her uterus wasn't touched at all," he reported. "But her body has taken a lot of stress and if it can't cope..."

"Don't say it Al!" gasp Fiona. "She'll be fine!"

Eian turned to his wife and held her close. "We have to wait and see Fiona..." he said calmly. "If she manages not to miscarriage then we'll have to increase security around here. Both of you will have to be watched at all times."

"What? Why?" asked Erika. "I understand Fiona needed to stay here because she's getting bigger but why the increased protection?"

This time Alaron answered. "Whoever attacked Amber was searching for a baby inside her. At this moment, we don't know if it's a single random attack or a planned one. It's the latter that we're worried about."

Fiona gasped. "No... it's not just the baby that they wanted," she whimpered. "They specifically target hybrid babies --that's why you're putting both Amber and I under close watch."

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Erika, covering her mouth in shock. "Eian, yes please do everything you can to watch her. Maybe we should close down the shop for a while and stay here with you..."

"No!" said Fiona. "You must continue as usual or they will suspect something is wrong and try and track you down. The more Vampires we have in the compound, the higher the chances that they'll find us."

At that moment, they heard a soft groan coming from Amber's direction and everyone stopped talking; looking down expectantly as she fluttered her eyes open slowly.

"Drav...en..." she croaked. "Where?"

"He's in the bed beside you Amber," said Eian gently as he moved to her side. "He's alright; he's sleeping." When she nodded, he patted her hand and continued, "I know you're in a lot of pain right now, so don't try and talk too much," he said, looking around as a warning to the rest not to ask her too many questions.

"It's okay," she croaked. "Water..."

Eian poured her a glass from the pitcher on the table beside her bed and helped her sit up slightly before placing the glass at her lips.

"Thank you Alpha...," she said after downing every drop. With her wrists still in cast, she had to rely on his help to do even a simple thing like drinking water. It made her very sad. "Eian, is the... the..." she stuttered fearfully and Eian understood.

"Yes, she's dead. It's taken care of. Now I need you to rest and get well. Can you do that for me?"

Amber didn't reply but shifted her gaze from Eian to Fiona and stared. "She wants to know Eian... about the baby. You must keep the secret," she was panting as she spoke but refused to stop. "Alaron don't let them get the secret..."

"You mean the blood pill that helps mating?" asked Alaron. "Don't worry. The data is in an encrypted file. No one but me and Draven can open it."

"Okay..." she whispered, leaning her head back on her pillow. "Can... you get Draven to wake up please?"

While Erika went to fetch a nurse to help take Draven off the drugs, Alaron told Eian how much progress Amber had made in terms of recovery --both bodily and mentally.

"It seems as though she pushed herself to a breaking point just before she passed out. But I took a look at her and undid some of the blocks in her mind. I imagine if it were a scan you'd see like a black spot shrouding the memory part of her brain."

"I'm so sorry Amber," said Fiona as soon as Alaron was done talking. "Oh Eian... you have to tell her now. Tell her about the security."

At that moment, the nurse came in with Josephine and Aramis, crowding the room even further. Eian waited until Draven was somewhat conscious before speaking.

"Amber, based on the circumstances, you and Fiona will be kept company at all times --be it with me or Draven personally or with one of the Beta wolves. You will have to stay within the compound at all times so Culzean if you want to see Fiona, you have to come here and visit. I'm not taking any more chances."

Nobody argued. Fiona held Amber's elbow gently as a sign of solidarity. The future was unpredictable and they had to stay close to each other. That's what pack is for.

Draven who was slowly snapping out of his groggy state, sat up and cleared his throat to speak. "I'll send some of my Enforcers do discreet checks within the Council... there has to be whispers if this was an inside job."

Eian nodded in agreement. "Draven, be careful with your internal investigation. We don't want to suspect anything more than necessary."

"No, Eian... we have to," Aramis spoke out. "The last time the Vampire Council ignored the Werewolves' concern, one of our kind actually wiped out an entire pack. I will not let that happen again. These are my children that we're talking about. I will not let anyone harm them. You have my military at your disposal should this lead out to some confrontation," he pledged.

"As is mine," said Josephine, lowering herself to a courtesy. "We may not be militarily strong but the Draefund Pureblood families have resources in the financial and legal arms of the Council."

"Thank you, Aramis, Josephine," said Eian with a smile. He bowed his head slightly out of respect for the two Ancient Vampires who had laid their family names and fortunes on the line to protect those they love.

***

A month later, a small gathering was held at the MacFarlane compound to celebrate the marriage of the three Culzean males.

Aramis and Josephine had agreed that a small, quiet wedding was the most appropriate so as not to attract unwanted attention. As the family gathered inside the great hall of the compound, Eian watched as the wedding vows were recited and rings were exchanged. There were no grand orchestras or horse drawn carriages. Instead, the women were dressed in simple white dresses and the men in their smart tuxedos.

Beside him, Fiona sat with one hand clutched in his while the other rubbed gently over her growing tummy. Turning around, he took in the view of the wedding guests.

The hall was filled with most of the higher ranked Weres and some of the Culzeans most trusted family and friends. It may be a small crowd, but it was a happy one and most importantly --loyal to one another.

Much later when it was time to take a family picture, Eian was sure that the frame would not fit Fiona and him; the three handsome Culzean males with their equally beautiful brides had taken up most of the space. Yet, they had laughed it off and squeezed close to each other; faces smiling as they looked into the camera.

This is his family now --the Ancient Vampires: Aramis and Josephine, the centurions: himself and Draven, then the Younglings: Alaron, Fiona, Amber and Erika, and the future: the two hybrid babies.

The future may seem uncertain for them all but at least they have found one another and will always have each other.

***