#nathaniel underworld

  It was relatively quiet out in the hallway. Albeit, most vampires kept to the lounge areas to sip on glasses of blood. If you were to hear any news, or forbid rumors, that would be the place to go. Or lurk. And out of curiosity, and a bit of boredom from lagging in the hallway, you did.   Walking down the halls, you made no eye contact with any passerby; you were hardly in a social mood. The sounds of chatter made it to your ears before you neared one of the front rooms. You stopped upon hearing one of the vampires voice Selene’s name, and honed in on the conversation on a couch. All that you could understand was how Selene had returned to the mansion alone.   It repeated multiple times in your head before you pivoted on your heel, heading back through a set of doors into an adjacent hallway.

  Quickly, you strode up to the dojo of the Death Dealers. A room specially designed for training and housing necessary equipment. You were surprised that you had managed not to rip the door from its hinges when you entered.   The room was occupied by a few vampires that you had practiced and gone out on missions with before. All of the Death Dealers with the exception of two. However, they kept to the entry seating area just outside of the armory, small caged room off to the right. Looking further in, past the group, did you finally notice Selene and Kahn conversing with Kraven.   Stopping to stand in amongst the others, you listened intently.

  Kahn sat at his usual table, his back turned toward the others as he examined something. Held within the grasp of his tweezers was a bullet. But there was obviously a visible difference. Through its clear shell casing, it held a blue illuminating liquid.   “I’ll have to run a few tests,” he said. “It’s definitely an irradiate fluid of some sort.”   Selene sighed with a prominent step of her boot echoing off of the floor. “Ultraviolet ammunition.”   Setting it down on the table, Kahn turned to look over his shoulder and regard her. “Daylight, harnessed as a weapon.” His brows creased at the thought.

  Kraven stepped closer, standing in the entryway. “You expect me to believe that a mangy animal came up with a bullet specifically engineered to kill vampires?” He asked, looking directly at Selene.   “No,” Kahn chimed in, “I’m betting its military.” His words caught Selene’s attention, and he continued. “Something they stole. Some sort of high-tech tracer round.”   Selene looked quickly between the pair. “Look, I don’t care where they got these things. Rigel is dead, and Nathaniel could still be out there.”

  By her mention of Nathaniel, you stilled, and you swore that your heart did the same. Around you, you felt side-glances. They knew well for years of your romantic relationship with him. It was no secret. Not anymore, at least.

  “We should gather the Death Dealers and head back down there with force,” Selene concluded and your curiosity peaked.   You had missed her debriefing on the mission, but you were slowly pulling the pieces together.   Kraven disagreed. “Absolutely not. Not now. Not for a random incursion. The Awakening is a few days off, and this house is in a state of unrest as it is.”   The present Death Dealers glanced at one another. The changing of power, one elder to another always held some sort of difficulty socially.   “Random?” Selene nearly gawked at him. “They opened first on us in full view of the public. And from the commotion I heard in that tunnel”—   “You said you didn’t actually see anything.”   “Look, I know that I heard, and I’m telling you, there could be dozens of Lycans down there.” She looked to Kahn, “Who knows, maybe more. Hundreds.”

  Kraven remained unconvinced as she turned to him again. “We’ve hunted them to the brink of extinction.”   Selene crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back unhappily as she avoided eye contract with them.   “Kraven’s right, Selene,” Kahn reasoned. “There’s not been a den of that magnitude for centuries. Not since the days of Lucian.”   “I know that, Kahn,” she spoke softly before returning her attention to the other vampire. “But I’d rather have you prove me wrong by checking it out.”

  Kahn looked to Kraven with a small shrug of his hand.   Likewise, Kraven briefly gestured to him. “Very well,” he shifted the weight on his feet. “Have your men tighten things up,” he said, and Selene turned on her heel, leaving. “I’ll have Soren assemble a search team.”   Abruptly, Selene stopped. “No, I want to lead the team myself.”   “Absolutely not. Soren will handle it.” He turned to Kahn, humored disbelief in his tone. “Hundreds, really?”   Kahn glanced at Selene.   “Viktor would believe me,” she said, turning to leave the room entirely.

  With all of your restraint, you only glared daggers at Kraven. It he were not in-charge and a lesser vampire, you would have hissed, teeth baring until he had no choice but to approve of Selene’s plans. But he was not, so you followed Selene through the double doors.   How he could be so disinterested in a possible Lycan lair was beyond your understanding. It was not as if Selene was known for lying. She was one of the best, if not the best amongst the Death Dealers. It made no sense to you.   In your opinion, Kraven was far too concerned with appearances. Even so, it was upsetting how much he wanted Selene by his side. No matter how many times she ignored or rejected his advances.   With the vampire elder Amelia and her company arriving soon, it was a little too late to want to avoid trouble of any sort.

  Selene was already a couple of paces down the hall when you called out to her. “Selene.”   Pausing her strides, her boots tore into the carpeting. Her expression softening in the slightest at the sight of you.   “I’m sorry for intruding,” you began, quickly catching up to her, “but”—   “No need. I should apologize to you. I didn’t want you to find out this way.”   “I appreciate that,” you nodded, taking one small step forward. “If you are going back to the subway tunnels, know that I’m coming with you.”   “I knew you would,” she gave a smile, “but there is something that I must do first. Can you handle it on your own?”   “Of course. I’m not searching for the lair though. Not yet. My Nathaniel comes first.”   “But if any Lycan should cross your path”—   “It’ll be the last thing that they ever do. With or without Kraven’s permission.”   Selene nodded in understanding. “I’ll see you soon.”   With parting words, you and Selene went your separate ways. Oddly, just as a lesser vampire, Erika, left the dojo in search of her.

  By the time you had returned to your room, your mind was racing through various scenarios. Stepping over to the main table, you double checked your weapons. You would much rather not come across any Lycans, but you preferred to be prepared.   The guns and other weapons would have otherwise still been in the dojo, but you and Nathaniel were not sure if you were going with them at the time. You remembered how he reassured you, that it would not be the last mission. The Lycan numbers were dwindling, but he said he would see to it that you would be there when they were wiped out completely.

  Pulling open the wardrobe doors, you sighed. You had hoped that Nathaniel would have returned in time for the pair of you to slip into formalwear. It had been quite a while since you had last dressed up in something other than your Death Dealers suit. But that time would have to wait.   Pushing the two outfits aside, you reached for your usual. You were not sure what to expect, much less find in the subway station, but one thing was certain as you changed outfits: you were not returning without Nathaniel.

  Rain still fell in thin sheets when you approached the station. Luckily, the humans seemed to have cleared out and were keeping away. There much have been quite a commotion when the humans were present.   Trotting down the first set of stairs, you halted. A familiar scent entered your nostrils. Nathaniel. Even when subtle, or diluted by the rain, you could pick it up and identify it.   Breathing in deeply, you nearly jumped down the sets of stairs onto the gray concrete floor. Halfway down the stairs, you reached the platform. You paused to analyze the scene. The white SOUTH TERMINUS light brightly labeled the entrance. As you stepped down, the remnants of a fight were evident. Broken and dangling florescent lights hardly swayed as they clung to the ceiling. Fragments of subway window glass scattered the floor on the far end of the platform. Square yellow-tinged tiles on the columns  were decorated with bullet holes.

  Your eyes narrowed as you rounded the first column, finding a pair of legs peeking out from behind it. Air left your lungs when you recognized the figure. Though his face was nearly non-existent from what appeared to be ash, you had no doubt that it was Rigel.   A fellow Death Dealer dead.   Somehow, the Lycans had developed, stolen…or were given UV bullets. There were many questions yet to be answered, but you would leave that to Selene for now.

  As much as the sight pained you, you continued toward the third column. The tile had more damage than the other. When you stepped closer, your boots hit evidence of someone who had reloaded. The scent of that vampire lingered heavily on the column, likely using it for cover against an attacking Lycan. Nathaniel, you could tell, remained there for a few moments. The Lycan must have been putting up a good fight.

  Continuing to scan the platform with your eyes, you walked toward the nearest sub-car, the pieces of glass crackling as you did. It would only be logical to pursue the Lycan, especially if they ran. Most, if not all of the glass had fallen outside of the car, leading you to believe that the Lycan had fired first. Though, as you moved inside, you found their weapon. A large one. How obvious. Seeing more shattered windows as you made your way into the next sub-car, you could only assume that a chase ensued.   You knew Nathaniel to be fast; he never let a Lycan get the best of him before. However, there was no indication of a struggle or a body of a Lycan, so you quickened your pace.

  Running through the last sub-cars, you slowed to a stop. The back door was missing, torn off its hinges. Looking out into the dark tunnel, you saw skid marks in the dirt on the tracks. You leapt down, just missing the door on the ground. Shoe prints led to large Lycan footprints. To your horror, you found Nathaniel. The dark dirt soaked in blood around his head.   Dashing over to his lying form, you wanted to touch him, and were almost scared to. Gingerly, you pulled the collar to his coat aside. What you found was a large bloody Lycan bite at the crook of his neck.   Tears prickled at your eyes when you looked upon his face. Pain, anger, anguish. His fangs were still bared, though his jaw was relaxed.   You looked away, your own jaw tense as you plead your brain to think with sense.

  Mauled by a Lycan was not the ideal way to go. With a combination of blood loss and the Lycan virus, it must have been dreadful.   You stared at the long horizontal lights that hung low along the walls, lighting up the track. It felt as though you could not breathe, and yet your lungs stung from the air.

  Adjusting your footing as so you were kneeling beside him, you had hoped that you had reached him in time. The sight of him made you want to cry out into the night and take down every last Lycan. Hundreds or not.   Hoping with very ounce of your being, you took a chance. You pulled out a knife that was concealed in your uniform and slid the blade along your inner palm. Everything would soon heal anyhow. Ignoring the stinging pain, you pulled up Nathaniel’s shirt to reveal his bare chest. Taking the knife, you made an incision. With your bleeding hand, you reached into his chest, searching under his ribcage for his heart. When you grabbed ahold of it, you gave it a firm squeeze.   His body jolted upward from the sudden revival. Quickly, you slipped your hand out and watched in amazement and concern as he took gasping breaths, groaning in pain from his wounds. He would need plenty of time to heal from each of them, the one on his neck in particular.

  “Nathaniel, my love, I am here,” you assured him, placing a gentle hand to his cheek.   His wide eyes found and locked with yours. Dark brows knitted together a moment later.   You could only imagine his pain and confusion. “Here,” you offered your wrist to him, pulling up your sleeve.   Trembling lips touched your skin, then a quick sharp pain to you as his teeth sank in. Nathaniel’s eyes closed at the taste of your blood.   The feeling was familiar, but rare. He took just enough, never greedy. The cut on his stomach healed closed, and after one last breath, he released you. Dropping his head back down, his heaving chest had slowed.

  “I have to get you back to the mansion. You can rest there.”   He nodded softly in acknowledgement, eyes slowly blinking open.   Reaching down to help him up, you hoped that he was not inured elsewhere. “Lean on me if you need to,” you said, securing your arm around his waist.   “Thank you,” he finally said, his voice just above a whisper.   “We can talk later,” you said, hope establishing itself again. “We must hurry.”   Hurry in multiple senses. The need to hurry for your heart, to better heal and take care of Nathaniel. The urgency to hurry away from the subway station for fear of human curiosity and the Lycan lair that Selene had heard during her pursuit.

    With a sigh, you had finally reached your room. Shutting the door behind you, you gave a dry laugh. “What great help the others are,” you spat, taking Nathaniel to rest on a cushioned chair. “I should have taken the drink right out of their hand.”   He settled in the chair with a smile, humming softly when you kissed his forehead.   “I’ll be right back,” you informed him, straightening up. “I’m going to get you some blood.”

  As soon as you left the room, the thought of accidentally intimidating the other vampires in the lounge by your reappearance occurred to you. You smiled. If it would make things easier for you, then you welcomed it.

  Passing through the threshold, you ignored the chatter and directed your sights to one of the fledglings.   Her eyes widened and took a step back when she turned to see you standing so close.   “I’m going to need quite a bit of blood delivered to my room,” you said just short of a demand.   Another attendant fledgling’s eyes lit up at your words. Unfortunately, it took you a moment to realize of what they had inferred of your words.   “In glasses,” you detailed, biting back a snarl.   Spinning on your heel, you heard the bristles of the rug twist and fray from your movements as you stormed out of the room.

  Huffing to yourself, you made your way through the hall again. As if I would let another vampire offer themselves up to Nathaniel. He would politely refuse anyhow.

  “The audacity,” you exclaimed, letting the door swing shut.   Nathaniel rose an eyebrow as you strode to his side.   “I told them that I needed blood delivered to our room. They had other things in mind other than cups and glasses.”   Giving off a short laugh, he soon winced.   “Do you need anything?”   “No,” he sighed. His body relaxed again into the chair.   You watched him carefully as you sat down on the armrest. Before you could say more, the doors opened, and you looked up.

Into the room came two fledglings, carrying a tray full of glasses each. The two women walked straight toward Nathaniel.   “Just on the table there, please,” you instructed, thanking them as they did so.   “Will there be anything else?” One of them asked, excited anticipation in their eyes.   “No. I’ll come find you if we do.”   You gave a final nod and they left. However, not without trying to steal a glance at Nathaniel’s condition.

  Once the doors shut behind them, you stood. You grabbed a glass of blood and returned to your perch on the armrest. “All right, my love, drink this,” you said, bringing the rim of the glass to his lips.   At first, Nathaniel took a small sip. As the blood entered his system, he took a deep breath. Soon, he was drinking slowly, and gulped down the last of the liquid in the glass.   Letting his head recline into the cushion, he sighed contently. The feeling of the beneficial affects coursing through him was adamant.   You pulled the glass away and leaned in to kiss his forehead.   “More…please,” he requested quietly.   “I’m assuming you’re asking for another glass, but”— You placed your lips to his skin again.   Getting up once more, you exchanged the empty glass for one on a tray. It began a repetitive assembly line for yourself until one tray held only empty glasses.

  Gently, you combed back strands of hair out of his face. “Feeling better?” You asked.   “Just by looking at your face…instead of that Lycan’s.”   “Well, I would hope so,” you said, kissing him sweetly on the lips.   With that, you smiled at each other. The very notion that the last thing he saw was a Lycan both disgusted and infuriated you. A Lycan that attacked and killed him. Though displeasing to know, to say the least, it was in the past. Now, he could safely gaze upon you.   “Please don’t leave me like that again.” Your voice hardly above a whisper.   Nathaniel leaned in closer, matching your volume. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Nudging the tip of his nose with yours, his eyes as well as yours closed in the soft intimacy.   You opened your eyes with a thought. Though he continued to nuzzle you, you began to pull back the collar of his coat. In the next moment, his hand was around your wrist, stopping you.   “Please, darling, I don’t want it to upset you.”   “I only want to check on you. To make sure that it’s healing.”   “It will. It takes time,” he assured.   “I know,” you scrunched up your nose. “But you also need to shower…eventually. I’m sure that you can smell it too, right? I don’t want a permanent Lycan scent on the chair.”   He frowned. “We’d have to burn it,” he said, pulling a face.   “Additionally,” you said, pulling up his shirt. Though you knew that it would be healed, you still wanted to check on the incision you had made earlier.   Nathaniel gave a small laugh. “Anyone else would think that you’re trying to get me out of these clothes.”   “For different reasons,” you smirked in acknowledgment.

  “I can wash myself, you know,” Nathaniel smiled.   “I know.”   With not much convincing, you got your partner into the bathtub. It was more so upon your request that he skipped a room-steaming shower. The idea of him standing on a wet floor made you nervous.   Kneeling outside of the tub, you continued to delicately clean his skin. Where the wounds had been, were now sealed healthy skin. The dried blood and overall unpleasantries were running down the drain. With each sudsy stroke of the washcloth and pouring of water over his body, he hummed.   “I don’t think you could be any cleaner now,” you observed. Wringing out the cloth and hanging it up to dry, you tapped his arm playfully. “Ready to get out now?”   “Not particularly. No.” The rising joy on his face made you smile. “However, I will so that you may have your turn.”

  Entering the bedroom, you were met with the smiling, albeit tired, face of Nathaniel.   “Better now?” He asked of your shower.   “Calmer might be a far better word for how I feel,” you said, closing the thick curtains to the windows beside the bed.   “I’m sure the other Death Dealers would’ve followed you in pursuit of the Lycans in your vengeful quest, if you could not have saved me.”   You played a frown. “You know me far too well.”   Pulling the covers up, Nathaniel beckoned you to join him. And as you crawled over the mattress toward him, he pulled you into a longing embrace. It was one that felt long overdue. Overdue and yet with the past events of the night, somewhat new.

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