Tears of the Fallen Ch. 19

Here is the next chapter. Thank you for the wonderful supportive comments #hugs

Enjoy

*

"Well that was unexpected." Rhianna grinned up at Caleb, who returned her rapt gaze though there was a hint of thoughtfulness in his golden brown eyes.

They were gathered downstairs in Andrei's office at the Dive, the Romanov twins lounging on the sofa with speculative expressions on their faces. Rhianna had told Caleb of the earlier altercation when he'd arrived to pick her up. He had immediately summoned the twins to the club and ordered Pietro to have someone tend the bar and meet them downstairs.

Pietro wasn't looking too happy at being scrutinised so closely, his body language tense and a deep scowl pulling at the scar on his cheek.

"Yes, it is a very interesting development," Caleb agreed, his gaze peering off into the distance for a moment as he considered the implications of what had happened.

"If you're going to discuss me don't you think you should clue me in," Pietro grumbled, his irritation ratcheting up a notch. He didn't want to be the centre of attention and he especially didn't like some of the glances Alexei was shooting in his direction. His friend was clearly unhappy with what had happened between him and his daughter. Pietro was sure Alexei would have something to say about that very soon.

It came sooner than he anticipated though, as it was the blond vampire who answered him. "You've taken my daughter's blood," Alexei growled, an undefined emotion in his eyes. "There has been some speculation that Vârcolac blood could heal your scars, however that doesn't appear to be the case."

"Alexei..." Pietro wasn't quite sure what he was going to say to his friend, he just knew he would have to come up with something good. He was surprised when he was cut off.

"That conversation is for another place and time." Alexei's tone held a note of finality that his friend was wise enough not to challenge. He was right anyway. They would have that conversation at a later date.

Pietro turned back to Rhianna and Caleb, raising an eyebrow in query.

"It would appear that while Vârcolac blood can't heal your scars, it has significantly boosted your recovery time from the aftereffects of your ordeal," Rhianna explained. "From that little display, I would hazard a guess that you're back to full strength."

As her words sank in, Pietro replayed the fight, remembering the table where the vampire had landed. He'd thrown the other male clear across the room and with such force it had shattered the thick wood into splinters! No wonder the room had responded instantly when he had warned them. Before Europe, he had been strong but now...he was stronger than he had once been.

He had wondered at why he had felt so strong...if it could have had something to do with Cassia's blood, but the realisation still stunned him. He couldfeel the raw power of his increased strength flowing through his veins. It made his heart pound hard and a feeling of dizziness assault him, but he dampened the weakness down, his beast preening at the enhanced abilities he now had.

Cassia's blood had not only nourished him, it had made him stronger. He was staggered at the knowledge and didn't know what it could mean for him. He just knew that right now, he didn't feel half the failure he once had. He would analyse what else he was feeling later.

"I'm stronger." It didn't cross his mind to withhold the information. These were his oldest friends; this was his Queen and King. They had a right to know because it could help combat the threat from Europe.

"Did Cassia bite you?"

"Caleb!" Alexei's growl was fierce.

"I'm sorry, Alexei, we're not trying to make this more difficult for you than it already is, but we need to know." Annie's expression was sympathetic as she reached across and placed a hand gently on the Ancient's arm. "Caleb's question is a good one though possibly could have been broached with a little more tact."

Her mate grinned, his expression unrepentant, and it was hard not to laugh at his smugness. He was enjoying watching Alexei's discomfort, as was Andrei.

"Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" Andrei laughed, mischief dancing in his eyes as he teased his twin.

"Keep it up," his brother answered, cold, hard menace in each word.

"No she didn't," Pietro interjected, before the Romanov twins could devolve into one of their rare, but vicious fights. It was bad enough dealing with Andrei after his dalliance with Cassia, but Alexei too? He could understand his friend's need to protect his daughter. Alexei didn't need his nose rubbed in the fact his best friend had slept with her.

"So the infected vampire just needs to drink Vârcolac blood to enhance healing," Caleb said, tapping a long finger against his lips. "Do you think there would be some merit in testing their blood against the live sample of the toxin? Possibly we could discover the antidote or an inoculation that would protect vampires from being infected?"

Andrei and Alexei both bristled, disbelief crossing their faces. "You want to experiment with our children's blood?" Andrei drawled softly, the small smile playing at his lips a blatant warning sign.

Rhianna placed a hand on her mate's arm when he went to speak, her gaze firmly fixed on Andrei. It halted whatever response he was about to give, his eyes searching her expression for a moment before he inclined his head.

She gave him a warm smile, glancing quickly at him before turning back to the others. "Andrei, you know in your heart that the Vârcolac, Rayne included, would be the first to offer samples of their blood to try to protect those they love. It would be no imposition to them and they would come to no harm from it. We would never allow any harm to come to them."

"It still doesn't mean we have to be happy about our children being used as guinea pigs, Annie," Alexei retorted, making it clear he shared his brother's views. "Pietro's recovery occurred naturally. Cassia chose to nourish him with her blood. This...this...experimentation isn't natural."

Lavender eyes flared brightly, the air around them burning hot for the briefest of moments before it cooled down again. The male vampires mopped at their brows with the exception of Caleb, who stood behind his mate with his hands resting on her shoulders.

"We use the tools that fit the job," Anakatrine, Queen of Vampires, announced, leaning into the strong body behind her. "We have not suffered for countless millennia to get to this point just to have petty egos and overprotective fathers get in the way. Your love for your families do you credit, however our people are in danger. Your children are our future. No harm will come to them from any actions we may take this day."

"I hate it when she does that," Alexei grumbled, his anger waning as he watched Rhianna blink slowly once, and then turn her head to look up at Caleb.

"It is rather disconcerting when you're not expecting it," she smiled ruefully.

"This is something we need to talk to Rafe and Mallen about, possibly Cassia too," Caleb announced, his hard stare focusing on the Romanov twins ensuring they weren't going to continue to be stupid. When he saw they were thinking with their heads as opposed to their hearts, he relaxed his tense stance, gathering Rhianna close. "We'll head over there right now. Rayne and Gard are due to check in soon too if they haven't already. It might be best if you two stay here."

"Fuck that, it's my daughter that's involved. Andrei can keep an eye on things here. I'm heading back to the pack with you." Alexei didn't wait for approval from them, he spun on his heel and headed out the office, using the back entrance to leave the club.

"Can I watch when you and my brother have your chat?" Andrei laughed, merriment dancing in his eyes as Pietro watched his friend depart.

"Bite me!" the bartender growled, nodding to Caleb and Annie, and heading back upstairs to his bar. He'd had enough of talk about healing and Cassia. He was roiling inside, a fury so dark that he hoped that no one decided to test him again until he had it firmly under control.

Something about the thought of Cassia's blood being given to others infuriated him. It made no sense, seeing as he'd cut off all ties with the wolf. It didn't stop his loathing though or dampen the need to rip something or someone apart with his bare hands...

*****

Caleb pulled up outside their home and turned off the car engine. For a moment he just sat there, listening to the silence, and then he turned his head to look at the woman at his side.

Rhianna's eyes were closed, her face relaxed in sleep. It had been a particularly long day for both of them though he oddly felt wide-awake. Staring at his beautiful mate, he was loath to wake her up, so he slid soundlessly from the car, moving around to the passenger side. She stirred a little when he scooped her out of the car, and then she settled against his wide chest.

He was often staggered by the trust she had in him. She always had, even when there had been times he'd given her reason to doubt him. He had always thought he had appreciated just what she brought to his life, but it had only been when they were apart that he had realised just how lost he would be without her.

His Annie was all that was good about him. She was the lighter side of his soul that often tempered the darkness. He couldn't love her any more than he did. She was the reason his heart beat, the single most important thing in his life.

"You think too much," she murmured sleepily, rubbing her cheek against his chest as he carried her into the house.

"Have you taken up mind reading, oh wise one," he chuckled, kicking the door closed behind them and heading up the ornate staircase to their room.

"Don't need to. Your heart picks up a beat when you're thinking deeply about something. I can hear it thudding in my ear."

Caleb dropped a kiss on top of her head, gently laying her down on their bed. "I can't keep any secrets from you, can I?" he laughed, his golden brown eyes glowing with love as he stared down at her.

"Would you want to?" Her lavender eyes fluttered open sleepily, a hint of curiousness shining in their depths.

His hand reached out to brush her tangled curls from her cheek, lingering there to touch the softness of her skin. "No, I do not wish to have any secrets from you, my love."

For a long moment she peered up at him and then she smiled, tangling her fingers in his hair. "Right answer," she laughed, pulling his head down until their lips were mere inches apart. "That deserves some kind of reward. What do you think would be a suitable one?"

"You are such a wench at times, my heart. There is only ever one reward that I ever want from you." It was hard not to laugh at the smug expression on her exquisite face, and he settled on kissing her soundly to forestall any further conversation.

Kissing his woman was always like the very first time. It didn't matter how many times he sipped at the sweetness of her lips, he drank as if he were starved. Love, lust, and passion, collided in an instant spark between them, need clawing at his gut to be satisfied.

Everything about his Annie filled him with an unquenchable thirst and he knew he would never tire of laying with her like this. "I love you," he breathed into her mouth, kissing her answering words as they escaped her lips. "You are my reason for being, my sweet Annie. You are the very air that I breathe. Tell me it will always be this way. Being apart from you almost crushed me. I was so afraid you wouldn't come home."

She moved quickly, pushing him back as she sat up, climbing astride him, and wrapping her arms around his neck. Resting her forehead against his, her serious lavender eyes demanded his full attention. "There is nowhere else I would rather be, Caleb. Home is wherever you are and I willalways come home to you. Please don't ever doubt that. Nothing will ever take my love from you."

"Annie..." The wealth of love that travelled their mate bond enhanced her words; filling his heart with so much affection that the very last of his concern that he would lose her melted away in an instant. Capturing her mouth once more, he kissed her hard and bore her back against the bed, his hands peeling her clothes adeptly from her body.

He wanted to be gentle, he wanted to take his time, but his need to join with his beautiful mate was more than he could stand. Sliding deep inside her velvet warmth, Caleb rocked his hips slowly, sliding in and out of her body to the slow thudding of their heartbeats.

"Loving you like this is a moment of perfection, Annie. Nothing transcends being with you, nothing is more perfect than making love to you."

A soft moan escaped her, her hips rising to meet his downward thrusts. "I don't ever want you to stop loving me like this, Caleb. I want to spend eternity with you; joined together, feeling our hearts beat in tandem. I love you, my beautiful vampire, now and forever."

They danced together in the ancient rhythm of love, Caleb's lips travelled every inch of her soft skin with a feather light touch. He tempted and teased his love with long, slow caresses, inciting her passion, slowly building her up to that perfect moment of union that was just outside her reach.

How he loved every moment with her. He teased her mercilessly until she demanded more, and then he picked up the tempo, taking her with long, hard, deep strokes until her body arched up and she cried out her pleasure. Her body rippled around his, and it was enough to shatter his self-control and send him tumbling over the edge.

"Annie!" Her name was ripped from his throat as his own pleasure peaked, and he was soaring on a wave of ecstasy so intense his entire body shook with the effort it took to hold himself up.

His Annie was trembling when he finally came down from the heady heights they had soared, and he soothed her brow with tiny kisses. With a final tasting of her trembling lips, Caleb lay on his side behind her, spooning her body against his, stroking a hand over the curve of her hip as their breathing began to calm down.

"I love you, Annie." Snuggling his face into the side of her neck, Caleb closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him.

Rhianna lay in the protection of her mate's embrace, listening to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat that told her he had fallen asleep. She was sleepy too, but something was keeping her awake; something that teased at her subconscious mind.

Being careful not to wake Caleb, she raised herself up on one elbow, letting her eyes wander around the bedroom slowly; trying to find what it was that was nagging at her brain. Her gaze flitted over her dressing table, alighting on the old leather-bound book that was resting where she had left it.

Masking Lavender, the second book Anakatrine had selected from her library, a book that hadn't been examined as thoroughly as the other because it hadn't appeared to be as crucial. She had read some of it, and been stunned at what it contained. The knowledge within belonged only to those of royal blood, and Rhianna hadn't translated it to English just in case it fell into the wrong hands.

Caleb hadn't asked to read the book, he appeared to have completely forgotten about it. The only other person who could have read the text was Gard and she had no idea if he had even seen it let alone read it. Was she the only one to know what it contained? Should she mention it to her mate?

Caleb had said he would never keep a secret from her. If she didn't tell him what she'd learned would that mean she was keeping a secret from him? The knowledge within the book couldn't truly relate to them, could it? They weren't really Anakatrine and Callain, they were but vessels for their spirits.

No, now was not the time to be diverted by things that would likely never come to pass. There was so much else at stake at the moment, and they needed all their attention to be focused squarely on Europe where the real danger lay.

Lying back down, Rhianna snuggled into Caleb's chest, sighing with pleasure as he gathered her close in his sleep. "I love you, Caleb," she whispered, closing her eyes and allowing her tired mind to finally drift off to sleep.

*****

"Mallen...oh my goodness...it works." The words whispered out of Cassia's mouth but everyone in the lab heard her, all heads turning to look at the blond wolf who was staring down a microscope.

"Let me see." Mallen strode across the lab, his expression hopeful as she stepped aside to let him view the results. "Your lymphocytes are working." The words breathed out quietly, hushed awe filling the room. "Your B-cells are creating antibodies to the toxin."

Mallen looked up again, a wide grin crossing his face as excitement filled him. "I don't know why you thought of using a sample of your bone marrow as opposed to just your blood, Cassia, but it's worked."

Relief like nothing she'd ever experienced before flooded through Cassia. The first attempt at just using her blood hadn't achieved the desired results and they'd all been bitterly disappointed. She'd had Mallen extract a little bone marrow and retested. That was where antibodies were made, and it seemed the logical choice. To find it had worked...Cassia was so overcome that tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

She couldn't account for how Pietro had become stronger though. He had only taken blood from her, not any bone marrow. Was it a mate thing? Would she ever know the answer to that? For the moment, she didn't care. They had finally found something that could counteract the toxin in Amort. It would take a while to harvest enough bone marrow from the Vârcolac to make sufficient antidote, but they would soon be able to inoculate every vampire against the poison.

"We have to tell Rafe," Cassia announced, laughing through the tears still streaming down her face.

The doctor smiled at her, his grin as big as Cassia's. "You do it, honey. It was your idea and you've worked your butt off to get here. We'll start working on a suspension to deliver the antidote."

Giving him a quick hug, Cassia ran out of the lab, slamming through the front door of the Alpha's home and nearly knocking Lacey over as she was coming downstairs.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lacey!" Cassia was immediately contrite, placing steadying arms out to ensure her Alpha didn't crash to floor. "Is Rafe awake? I need to speak to him urgently."

"He's eating breakfast, I believe." Lacey laughed at the exuberant expression on the younger woman's face. She didn't ask any questions, merely escorted her into the dining room where her mate was tucking into bacon and eggs.

Rafe glanced up with a raised eyebrow as they entered, quietly placing his fork and knife down beside his plate.

"We did it," Cassia announced with the biggest smile. "We have an antidote, Rafe!"

"You're certain?" Rafe rose from his seat to stride over to them.

Cassia nodded, trying to regain her composure and not giggle like a schoolgirl. "The Vârcolac have antibodies in their bone marrow. We harvested a little of mine and tested it against the toxin. My B-cells immediately began multiplying to attack the poison. The process was still ongoing when I left, but Mallen agrees that it is a viable antidote. If any other vampires become infected as badly as Pietro, we can use our antibodies directly to cure them."

"Cassia, that's fantastic news!" Rafe gathered her up in a warm hug, grinning at Lacey who had started to cry. "Come here," he growled softly, pulling his mate into a group hug.

"Oh Rafe...Annie and Caleb will be so happy." Lacey fought to stop crying, relief in every word.

"Mallen is currently synthesising a suspension we can use to create a vaccination too, so that we can effectively inoculate the entire vampire race here," Cassia continued, stepping back and smiling as she looked at her Alphas. "In theory...that will mean that even if they are infected by Amort, their own bodies should be able to fight the poison."