Into the Vampire's Lair Ch. 11

"Hmm? What is it you want little wolf?" She was nudging at his pocket, sniffing and howling.

When she nudged his pocket again, Draven laughed as he pulled out the keys that Eian had given him earlier. He let her sniff it for a second before she surprised him by shifting back into her human form.

"Sexy," he murmured. "You know baby, I don't know how the other wolves do it but I cannot help but feel aroused when I see you naked like this."

Amber laughed as she leaned against him. "We're used to it. We are technically naked in our wolf form." Draven growled at her response. "But unfortunately only a certain arrogant, mule-headed Vampire has the privilege to touch my nakedness."

Draven raised his eyebrow slightly. "Is it just me or is my sex kitten... sorry, I mean wolf back?"

"Take off your shirt please."

"Eian says no sex in the forest."

"I know that. Unless you'd rather the patrol wolves see me naked, you'd better hand over the shirt."

Okay Amber's back, he mused and grinned but as he watched her don his shirt, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.

"Amber my love... just how much of your memory do you think you've recovered?"

"Bits and pieces. They don't all make sense but they're there somewhere I'm sure. Letting my wolf out helped a little to refresh certain things like instincts, personality and tastes. At least I remember this feeling of belonging to this place and the rules of the pack. That's important for us."

"I've missed you," said Draven, picking her up in his arms. "Maybe being home will help you remember a few more things. Would you like to go home?"

Amber smiled and nodded. She knew it was ridiculous to have him carry her like that but she felt like she deserved some pampering at the moment. So what if she was the pack healer; the one everyone turned to when they were injured, sick or needing someone to talk to? So what if she was a dominant wolf who's supposed to be some hard-assed Beta in the pack? She is still a female who could turn putty in her mate's arms... especially since he looked like a god.

"Thank you for that compliment," said Draven in amusement at hearing her thoughts. "I like having you turn putty in my arms... in more ways than one."

"Pervert."

"Yeah? But you still love me."

She didn't reply him but nuzzled her face close to his neck all the way until they reached her house. He remembered where it was for he had spent some time watching her from the shadows.

Amber reached out to stroke his cheek lovingly. "Draven my love... will you mate with me?"

"Yes, tonight. I promise. There are some things that I need to do first but I promise I'll come home and fulfill my end of the bond."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

***

It was much later during the day that Aramis found himself reluctantly untangling his limbs from Josephine's. He had to admit that five centuries of pent up sexual frustrations can be quite exhausting to soothe. She had been insatiable... okay, he was insatiable too and now he was paying for it with a backache.

He was sauntering to the bathroom when his personal phone line rang. Aramis frowned. Not many people call him on this line... so whatever it was must be important.

"Yes?" he said upon picking up the phone.

"Lord Culzean, I apologize for calling you on private line like this," said Leon. "I would just like to confirm the appointment of your son as a replacement for your seat on our Council."

"Yes."

"But my lord, would it be to the best of our interests to have him on the board of Elders? I do not mean to question your decision my lord but he is relatively young and..."

"He is capable."

"Yes my lord, I am sure that he is..."

"Leon, you know as well as I that the seat reserved for the Pureblood family is simply honorary. We merely oversee things and do not intervene unless necessary."

"Yes my lord..."

"I'm coming by the Council headquarters to see his Appointment."

His announcement clearly surprised the Elder on the other line for he gave a loud gasp. "Oh my! Yes, yes Sir... I will make the necessary arrangements."

"Will that be all Leon?"

"Yes my lord."

Aramis placed the receiver down with a sigh. He knew that his actions last night would reap consequences. A Pureblood was supposed to embody all the qualities that determined the purity of their race --blood status, abilities, and political marriages. It had always been that way for centuries. And to have a Pureblood with an unorthodox marriage at the top of the hierarchy may pose a threat for the whole Council. He understood that.

"Do you want to talk about it?" came Josephine's voice from behind him. Aramis turned to find her wrapped in his blankets and smiled.

"Don't tempt me," he replied, eyeing her up and down.

"I'm serious Aramis! I managed to pick up pieces of your conversation..."

"I knew you would," he said with a sigh then took a seat on the nearest chair. "It seems the board of Elders is questioning my appointment of our son for the supervisory seat."

"He's qualified." Her voice was calm but Aramis could hear the pride in her voice.

"Yes he is," he replied, holding her gaze. "Where is he Josephine?"

She hesitated. "What are you going to do to him?"

Aramis smiled at the protectiveness in her tone. "I'm not going to argue with you because I'll just lose the moment you come within an inch of me. So I'm just going to ask if he's safe and well."

"Yes he is."

Aramis had to fight the urge to cross over and throttle a more satisfactory answer out of her. Mind-blowing sex or not, she still didn't trust him enough. Boy does he have a lot of work to do.

"I want to be at his Appointment ceremony and I need to know if he's coming."

She flashed him a wary look then closed her eyes for a minute. She wouldn't risk calling the MacFarlanes and expose her son's whereabouts so she had to improvise. Josephine wasn't one to have foresight on demand but she was going to try. Sometimes when she was emotional, she would have flashbacks very easily. It might work.

Focusing on the memory of Draven; the worried look on his face when she last saw him and his last words to her, Josephine waited for the images to come. They might not be what she wanted but they could provide a clue.

Six men. Hushed whispers. She recognized some of them. They were going to vote about something. Draven looking calm.

Then suddenly, she was pushed into another vision --rows and rows of fetuses in a laboratory. It's so dark. Antiseptic... cold.

Josephine screamed.

"Josephine?" Aramis's voice seemed to pierce through the darkness, jerking her back. "What did you see? Tell me..." he soothed, holding her close.

She shook her head against his shoulder. Those... experiments what did they mean? Surely those two visions are not connected. Sometimes it happens and she'd get visions with no concrete meaning or timing.

"He'll be there... Not all of them are happy and they're going to vote about something," she said slowly, trying to catch her breath. "But it's ominous... I can't help but feel something bad is going to happen."

Aramis smoothed the hair on her head and cradled her body close. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him... I promise."

She nodded. "Just bring my baby back home safely..."

"I will," he reassured her.

***

When Aramis had left the castle, Josephine realized that she could not stand simply waiting around for news. She trusted Aramis to some degree to deal with their son but right now she still had her other children to take care of --there's Alaron and Fiona and by default Amber as well. She needed to get busy.

But first she needed to get dressed. The gown she was wearing the previous night was torn beyond repair and she didn't like the idea of wearing Aramis's clothes. Josephine considered herself quite fashionable but never seemed to like wearing the tight fitting pants and jeans that grace the walkways these days. Skirts and dresses were more her taste.

Fetching one of the terry cloth robes, she went over to Aramis's private line and called for a domestic staff to assist her. There had to be some female clothes around for she knew that Fiona used to stay in the castle for a period of time.

And she was right.

The head domestic staff, a man she didn't recognize, told her that the late Lady Culzean has a room in the East wing and that she was welcome to pick out an outfit from there.

Josephine didn't bother to hide her scowl at the sarcasm in his voice. He was treating her like she was some cheap whore who climbed into his master's bed.

"What of the young Lady Fiona's clothes?"

"Oh, yes they are all stored in the same room. Would you like my assistance to show you there?"

Over my dead body you cotton stuffed scarecrow. Does he wish to humiliate me by making me walk in the castle in this robe?

"I resent the tone of your voice. I am a guest here and the first Lady of this house. But most importantly, is this how your Lord teaches you to behave in the presence of a Pureblood?" She was so pulling rank on him...

His face paled. "How may I assist you my Lady?"

"Get me some of the dresses here. I will not walk across to the East wing."

He didn't say anything but bowed low and scurried off.

When he came back, he was not alone but with other female staffs who were carrying all sorts of dresses and undergarments for her. She smiled to the women but scowled to the man before thanking them and sending them off.

Truth was, Josephine didn't want to wear clothes belonging to another woman; especially not one who used to share Aramis's bed. It was pure jealousy and uncalled for. Alaron's mother had been a kind, loving human whose son was now one that she would call her own.

"I suppose that cancels out each other," she said with a sigh. Picking up a simple green dress, Josephine tried it on. Apparently its owner was slightly shorter than she was so the hem stopped at her calves. Twirling once in front of the mirror, Josephine combed her hair with her fingers and smiled at her reflection.

"Thank you for the dress," she said out loud, knowing full well that the dead cannot hear her. "I'll watch over your son for you."

About two hours later, she returned to the same location that she had dropped Alaron off the previous night. In the evening light, she could see the building much more clearly and noticed that it was some sort of bookstore. Alaron did not strike her as the bookish type and it made her even more excited to meet the human woman that had taken his heart.

When she stepped through the door, she scented none of the musty and dusty odour of old libraries but was instead greeted by a lovely floral scent that complemented the pastel coloured walls.

"Grandmother?"

Josephine turned in surprise to see Fiona greeting her with an equally shocked expression.

"Are... you looking for something?" she asked quizzically.

"Actually I'm looking for someone. Is... Alaron here?"

"He's uh... well, he'll be down soon. Would you like something to drink?"

Josephine smiled and shook her head. "You work here?"

"Yes I do... or rather I co-own this place."

"With the human?"

"You mean Erika? Yes that's right although Alaron has some shares in the shop as well."

"Ah, would Erika be free to talk?"

"She's uh... occupied at the moment," she replied, unaware that Josephine managed to see the blush creeping up her cheek. The older lady simply gave an amused smile.

"It's alright my dear. Why don't you sit down with me? I'm sure you have lots of questions to ask about your pregnancy?"

Relief, fear and excitement flashed all at once on Fiona's face as she nodded slowly. Satisfied that Fiona was not afraid of her, Josephine placed a gentle hand on her elbow and eased them towards some sofas.

"I'm all ears my dear," said Josephine.

Fiona bit her lips once as though hesitating then started spilling out all her worries.

"I'm so scared," she whispered. "Will I be strong enough to carry the baby to term?"

"Of course you will Sweetheart... miscarriages are very rare among our kind. It has never been studied or proven but there's something about being pregnant that restores the body's optimal condition. Everything is efficient and in perfect health. Just make sure that you get enough nutrients," she said before leaning very close to whisper, "Blood."

"Oh! I haven't had the chance to..." Fiona started to look worried; rubbing her tummy absently.

"How long are you into the pregnancy?"

"About four months now. Oh Grandmother... I haven't had any you know what!"

"At all?"

"I forgot... only because I'm always so full! Eian feeds me too much."

"Feed you?"

"Oh! Food I mean... yes like real food," she said, answering Josephine's unspoken question.

"Well then, I don't think that should be a problem now. The food will break down eventually into nutrients and build your own blood... but as a precaution I'd say have one or two bags of you know what every fortnight. I used to have one every week just to build strength."

Fiona smiled in relief. "Thank you..."

"Don't thank me yet... wait till I spoil your child silly then you can thank me."

Fiona was about to reply when they were interrupted by soft laughter coming down the stairs.

"Oh!" gasped Alaron upon seeing Josephine. "Hey..."

"Good evening children," she replied, turning to look at Erika. "I'm Dame Josephine, Draven's mother. It's nice to finally put a face to your name, Erika." She bowed her head slightly as a greeting.

"Oh, it's uh, nice to meet you too Dame Josephine," said Erika inching closer to smile at the woman. It was evident that Alaron had talked about her "How may I help you today?"

"Actually I'd like a word with the three of you. Is there somewhere private where we can speak?"

The three of them cast worried glances at each other before Erika nodded, gesturing towards a room behind the counter. Josephine noted that it was some sort of pantry but she couldn't be sure for there were odd kitchen gadgets that she had never seen before in her life. Do humans not use kettles and stoves anymore?

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Josephine took a seat at the dining table in the middle of the room.

"Ladies, would you mind standing by the door please?" It wasn't really a request but an order. Fiona and Erika stepped back just a little, feeling a sense of foreboding.

Their worry was not misplaced. The moment they stepped back, Josephine had already reached Alaron's slide and had slashed a deep wound on his chest.

"Fuck!" he shouted, staggering backwards a little; his eyes turning gold at the sudden attack. He wanted to slash back at her but the wound was holding him back. Damn that woman!

"Don't move much," she said calmly, settling herself on the edge of the table. Then without turning, she said, "Don't even think of it Fiona. It'll be fine. Just watch."

Fiona dropped her focus on Josephine for the Ancient was too strong for her to manipulate. Beside her, Erika had gone perfectly still; one hand clutching Fiona's arm in fear.

Alaron was trying to growl at Josephine but all he could do was grimace in pain. The location of the wound meant that he couldn't physically lick it to heal the cut. He could tell that it was a flesh wound but she had cut close to an artery and ruptured a lot of veins and capillaries along the way. What a mess.

"What do you need?" asked Josephine who didn't seem disturbed at the fact that he was bleeding. In fact, she was watching him with an intensity that meant she was looking for something.

He refused to look at her but every few seconds he'd glance up at Erika.

"Oh for crying out loud!" cried Fiona, moving past Josephine to place her wrist at Alaron's mouth.

"No, don't let him bite you," said Josephine, moving forward to pull Fiona away. Looking down, she rubbed his cheek gently and angled his chin up. "What do you need my dear?"

"Grandmother!" cried Fiona in exasperation. Alaron was turning blue. He needed some goddamn blood right this minute!

"Wait," she warned, grabbing Fiona by the hand and shoving her backwards. "Stand by the door Fiona. I want to awaken his powers." Then she slashed him again; directly over the wound and this time, puncturing the artery.

The room suddenly went silent.

"No!" Erika's scream was so loud that Josephine jerked in surprise. When she turned, she saw the young human running towards Alaron but before she could reach him, Josephine had grabbed her by the waist.

"Heal yourself or I'll kill her," said Josephine in a flat voice. "Fiona, don't move and don't use your abilities." Then as a precaution, she added, "Don't push your powers or the baby will suffer." That did it. Fiona stood still at the door; her eyes transfixed on the trio in front of her.

"You bitch..." scowled Alaron, trying to hold on to the pain. He was on his knees now; his hands pressed against his chest in an attempt to stop the blood flow but there was just too much blood...

He could feel himself growing cold; the hunger for blood to replace the loss growing stronger by the minute. If he didn't close the wound within the hour, he might actually bleed to death. What a way to die...

The sudden choking sound from Erika forced him to look up and his eyes widened in alarm. Josephine was holding her so tight that he could see that Erika was having difficulty breathing.

"Let her go," he managed to croak but Josephine didn't move a muscle. "Fiona..." he pleaded.

"Grandmother, please, please stop this! He needs blood now!" she shrieked but didn't move from her position. Apparently Josephine's earlier warning scared her enough that she was staying still.

Despite his pain, Alaron lunged forward to try and grab Erika from Josephine but every move he made only made him bleed faster.

"Heal yourself," she said a little forcefully as she raised a hand to clamp around Erika's neck. Alaron could hear her wheezing in an effort to breathe but he couldn't do anything anymore. He was too weak and so cold...

He was scared.

But he was so goddamn angry too.

Did she ask him to heal? How the fuck was he going to do that? Oh, but he'll heal alright so that he could kill her! He couldn't believe he trusted her!

Alaron curled himself up; festering all the anger inside him. He blocked out all the sounds and all the voices around him and focused just on that one spot in his damaged artery, applying just enough pressure on the wound; enough to give him one last chance.

One clean swipe across her neck should do it.