#parttwentyfive

*We were on rotation on the south side of Calwell and I was teamed with Tohr @TohrSASRP, @Qhuinn_SASBDB and Axel @WoodWorkersSon working our way to #ZeroSum. It has been quiet the past few hours. It was almost midnight and we have only run into the human scum roaming through the streets with their drugs and problems. I was getting restless as time went on. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the night with no action or just with my life in general. 

I got another text from Vishous @Sox_Goose_Tech. He has never been comfortable with me being on the regular rotation with the Brotherhood. I was training the Brotherhood trainees and even the females of the manse. I was recently training @BellaRAhgony in self-defense to help with her confidence and comfort. Though I had a feeling Zsadist @IfOnly4MyNallas would be paying me a visit soon. I smiled to myself, I was looking forward to it. I have only ever sparred with Wrath @LordOfTheManse and Vishous @Sox_Goose_Tech. I wanted a go and test my skills with the others. But with the ongoing war, the Brothers were busy training the new recruits and trying to get ahead in the war. Lately though, something was going on with Vishous @Sox_Goose_Tech since @Sloahne_BDB was in the clinic so I hoped it was the distraction he needed to stop micromanaging my life. Ever since I came over from the #FarSide where my dear mahmen kept me in suspended animation for hundreds of years. 

He was the brother I /thought/ I always wanted as I watched him grow up all these centuries and realized that it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be to really have him present in my life afterall. He constantly hovered over me and tried to pull rank when and where he could as he was the eldest male in our family. It was lucky that I sparred with Wrath @LordOfTheManse for several months before he knew I was V’s twin that he pulled the King card by giving my dear brother the middle finger of his right hand, which of course held the massive black diamond when V tried to protest against me going on regular rotation. I learned later why all the Brothers were stifling laughter at the hand gesture. Apparently, it meant something I wasn’t aware of. I have been taking a crash course on the idiosyncrasies of everyone in the manse as well as just learning how different this world was from the Sanctuary for the past few years. Regardless with Wrath’s @LordOfTheManse approval, it didn’t help that V would sometimes show up on my rotation when he had some free time and tagged along.

Tonight, we were all on edge a bit. Tohr @TohrSASRP briefed us before we started the night about what he learned from @Leethall_SASBDB and the fact that @Greyhson_BDB was taken by a lesser … so we were now on high alert. We were searching for lessers to question about the whereabouts of the missing females. It’s been a Dhund of a few days since learning that females were going missing and now one of the Chosen under Phury’s @PegLegPhury protection. 

We were coming up to #ZeroSum’s doors when I heard a sound coming from the alley near the back door and I smelled a faint whiff of baby powder. Yes, I grinned … this night was getting better already …*

Written with @Lassiter_SASBDB.

Lassiter: *As the fire alarms went off the doc came out of his office. I’d counted on them getting his attention and it had worked. Staying ghost, I followed the doc into the young Chosen Talia’s room and watched him start to restitch the wound she’d torn open in her jailbreak attempt. When it was obvious she was totally out of it and wasn’t going to get back up and try to make another run for it, I left him to play doctor as I went to watch over Sloahne. Both females had made some damned bad choices and were paying for them now, but I could understand Talia’s. She’d hit her rebellious stage and had even more restrictions and expectations placed on her than a glymera debutante. But Sloahne … man, I just don’t get it. She’d always been secretive, but this? To hook up in some dungeon with a random male was /not/ in character. And to top it off I’d had to take a back seat in finding her. It was frustrating. I’d had more freedom as an angel to nudge and help than I did as a deity. Yeah, yeah … "With great power comes great responsibility." Spiderman can bite me.

Still invisi, I take her hand and whisper into her ear.* Girlfriend, you and I are going to talk when you wake up. You have a future and Ima’ gonna see you make it to it.

*The door creaks as Manny comes in. Still invisi, I step back and lean back against the wall, letting him tend to her. Nobody’s better than the doc, but still, if a little deity-level healing was required to keep her stable, I was in. My eyes narrow as he fills several vials with her blood. She hadn’t wanted him to take any before. Come to think of it, she’d always been weird about the idea of having bloodwork done. Now might be the time to find out why.*

*The doc fussed with her a little more, vitals and crap, and then tucked a sheet over her before heading for the door. With a quick look at Sloahne to be sure she was still sleeping, I followed him out. He shut the damned lab door in my face without realizing it, but pffff, what’s a door? When I’m hiding in plain sight I really am nearly a ghost. I walked through the wall in time to see him set up his tests. It took a little time, and I popped in on Sloahne a few times to be sure she was still ok, but I was still there when the computer finally spit out the results. Manny’s brow furrowed as he looked at the labs, and the look on his face was not one of a doctor who saw what he expected to. That can’t be good. Leaning over his shoulder, still invisible, I looked over the test results. I was no doc, but I’d done my due diligence on the species when I was assigned to Tohr so I could monitor his recovery.

My eyes narrow as I look at the report in the doc’s hand. The red cell count, while elevated by human standards, was within vampire norms. The white cell count was high, but that was to be expected with the fever she was running. But what the hell ...? She had all the normal enzymes a female vamp should have but what was THAT one? My brain worked furiously to ID the extra one that she /shouldn’t have/ and then it hit me. Straightening back up, I demat back to Sloahne’s room immediately. Motherfucker. Now I know what she’s been hiding. Standing beside her, I take her hand and whisper.*

Oh, sweetheart, we gotta talk. And we gotta do it before the doc spills the beans.

*My head jerks up as the door squeaks. The doc walks as I wink out and move my invisible self to the corner. Being covert is the norm for angels and I’d had a lot of practice. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for Manny to know I was there, but somehow, I think maybe it’s best he doesn’t. I might have to do something drastic and I don’t wanna do a mind wipe on him.*

*I watch as the doc works on Sloahne and I can’t help but wince as he inserts the needle in her arm. I hate fucking needles … but I’ve watched him do it enough to know it’s no big to him. It’s the medical SOP for an unconscious patient. He’s just not ever getting to put one in ME. The bigger concern was the variety of meds he was injecting into the line and the worry radiating off of him. I mean, I try not to read their minds. I do. It’s just bad manners unless it’s in the line of duty, but he’s practically shouting it. And that's not all. He’s thinking about going to Wrath with what the tests revealed. Isn’t that against HIPPA laws? The human Hippocratic Oath? Something. But the guy’s in a bad spot. She’s got no next of kin and the King would have jurisdiction to give permission for procedures and from what I’m reading from him, the infection is damn near out of control. I could heal her. I mean, I’m a deity, and I’ve got the juice, and she’s important to me but … I’m pretty sure doing it to the extent needed would violate the Creator’s mandate about mortal free will and the consequences of it. Damn it, what’s the point of being a deity if you can’t help the people you care about? With great restraint, I manage not to punch the fucking wall and freak out Dr. M, but it's a near thing. There’s gotta be something I can do … wait … I’m a deity but I’m also still an angel, and angel blood is powerful. What runs through my veins isn’t just blood, as humans and vamps think of blood. It’s my essence, my grace. It’s what powers me instead of a soul. He’d thought feeding from any male would help but feeding from this male? It would supercharge her immune system and technically it’s not performing a healing so no issues with the Big Kahuna. I move from the corner to the edge of the bed and materialize with a thought.*

She needs to feed from me.

*The doc’s not the kind to be easily spooked, but I guess seeing an angel just suddenly appear in front of you would cause anybody to jump a little. Still, he gets his professional balance back fast.*

“Your blood might not be compatible with her. Human blood doesn’t provide much of a boost to vampires. I don’t know if it’s just a species difference or if we’re lower on the evolutionary scale, but we don’t have what it takes. I get you’re not human, but you’re not a vampire either.

*Cocking an eyebrow at Dr. M’s skepticism over my “qualifications” as a blood donor.*

I’m an angel, doc. *Deity, but we won’t quibble about details.* It’s not just blood. It’s grace. It’s what makes an angel an angel. And it will supercharge her mortal immune system and speed up her healing.

Sloahne: <My body feels as heavy as a damn SUV sitting on my chest. What the fuck was going on with me? The last thing I remember is Lassiter catching me and the girl in the garage thwarting our escape. Damn the Angel. I hear soft footsteps around me and some beeping from a machine. Taking a deep breath I smell antiseptic, a little bitter, with undertones of the artificial fragrance contained in soaps and cleaners. Fuck, I’m back inside the hospital room. I slowly try and open my eyes but they feel so damn heavy with fatigue as if I was asleep for days. How long have I been out?

As the light finally filters into my view, a figure in a white coat moves back and forth monitoring the machines and starting to touch me and check my vitals.> Hey doctor … what happened?

Lassiter: Sloahne….

*Doc M steps in between us, giving me “the look” as he takes her hand.*  

“Making a run for it wasn’t your best idea. You passed out. Your wounds are infected. You’re running a high fever and your white count is nearly off the charts. I’m worried about septic shock setting in. It could be fatal. I’ve got meds we can try to get the infection under control, but,” the doc shakes his head, “this is new territory for me. Vampires aren’t prone to severe infections, in my experience. I consulted with #Havers after I did the bloodwork and he tells me human antibiotics run from minimally effective to useless. The most common treatment is to have you feed, but against infection, it may or may not work, even with the antibiotics.”

*Impatiently I interrupt and grab the doc by the shoulder, making space for myself at Sloahne’s bedside. Warningly, I glance at him.*

She needs to feed. From me. Now.

*Focusing on Sloahne, I kneel my 6’ 9” self down beside the bed.*

What I’ve got is high octane and it’ll stay with you.  

*Fangs I’d not used in an eon descend and I score my wrist, blue-tinged silver grace flowing like blood from the cuts. The liquid welling from the fang punctures drips and leaves a bluish cast on the sheets.*

C’mon, sweetheart, *coaxingly.* Take your medicine like a good little female. Drink. You’ll feel better after you do. You've been through a lot but trust me, everything will be alright. *Lifting my wrist to her lips.* But drink now.

Sloahne: <Feeling the warm elixir of blood hit my tongue, my body decided it was time to feed. I feel my canines lower as they pierced the skin of the male offering me his blood. At my first swallow, I felt a rush of adrenaline like no other I have ever experienced. It was like what I think humans feel when humans take a hit of cocaine. I instantly opened my eyes to the bright lights above my hospital bed. I could feel my wounds heal immediately and the soreness and aches disappear instantaneously. It felt amazing and yet so surreal.

I never realized how much pain I was carrying all this time … not just from my capture and imprisonment but just how much I was carrying on my shoulders in life. My body felt so free and lightweight as if all my troubles were gone forever.

Before long, however, I felt gentle fingers tapping my face as if an indication that I had enough. Which I’m sure I have, but this blood was so addicting it was very difficult. I forced myself to stop knowing my wounds were healed and I didn’t need anymore.>

Lassiter: *As she fed, bruises disappeared, going through the normal transition of colors in seconds. The odor that always accompanies infection, no matter how hard a medic works at keeping it at bay, vanishes. I can’t see beneath the bandages without invoking deity power but I can feel her pain dissipate. I’ve never seen Dr. M’s jaw drop before but it does now. The heart beep on the monitor starts to speed up abruptly and he looks alarmed. He puts his hand on me and tries to pull me back, but he might as well try to move a mountain with his bare hands.*

“You have to stop! Her heart can’t sustain this.”

*My eyes never leave Sloahne as I answer,*

It’s normal. My blood is spurring rapid healing but it’s not magick, at least not as humans think of magick. Her body still has to do some of the work, so it’s going to respond like an adrenaline burst. Her BP is up a little, but not enough to stroke out and her heart rate is no higher than if she was running a race. *Or having an orgasm, but we won’t go there.* It won’t last beyond the time it takes her to feed.

*Her gentle feeding has become more aggressive now. She’s got the rush from it. If she needed it I’d let her continue a little longer, but she doesn’t. Her body’s healed and her brain is experiencing the euphoria that accompanies the rush. I lightly tap my fingers on her cheek to get her attention.*

It’s enough, babe. Let go.  

*I can feel her now, feel her reluctance to stop, and the effort of will it takes from her as she does. She’s part of me now. Feeding from a vampire male would enable her to be able to find that male for some months afterward, but it doesn’t work like that with angel blood. Yeah, she’ll be able to find me if she needs me but it will last her lifetime and it’s a two-way street with angel blood. And I’ll always know where she is and what she’s feeling. What I gave her forged a lifetime connection to her. It’s going to take some work for me to be able to block her off, but I’ll get it done. It would be an invasion of her privacy not to. And, to be honest, mine as well. As she releases my wrist, she looks up at me. There’s a sparkle in the depths of those dark brown eyes that has nothing to do with mortal mischievousness. It’s the reflection of my grace running through her. Over time it will tone down but there will always be flashes of it now. I lift my wrist and lick the wounds shut myself. She’s still too high to think of it and I expected that.*

Angel blood does more than rev up the healing process. It affects the pleasure centers in a vampire’s brain to the point we can become an addiction. *Glancing over at the doc.* So the fact I can do this doesn’t leave this room. I can’t do it for the Brothers, they’d need a female angel, and I won’t do it for anything less than life and death. It creates a lifelong connection between me and the patient. One that could be dangerous. So the benefit of doing it has to outweigh the cost. It did today.  Now I need you to give us the room. *He looks at me stubbornly.*

“I want a blood sample. Maybe I can analyze it and isolate the healing properties. If I can negate the sex differentiation and void the connection aspect I might come up with something that I can use for extreme injuries.”

*I shake my head.*

Not happening. It’s not just blood, doc, it's GRACE. It’s what makes an angel an angel. The equipment you’d need to even analyze it doesn’t exist and you don’t have the words for what you’d see if it did. Now. The room. Please.

*He grumbles as he shuts off the monitors and turns to go but I ignore that.* And Doctor Manolo?

*The formal address is cold, colder than I’ve ever been with any of them since I came to the manse. It stops him in his tracks but I want him to know I’m invoking his professional ethics and that I’m not just that goofy, annoying angel that’s always hanging around. I’m a being of power. The power I’ll use if I have to.*

What you saw on that blood work report? That stays in this room, too. Sloahne’s awake and perfectly capable of making her own decisions. Wrath doesn’t need to become involved unless SHE wants him to be. Got it?  

*His eyes narrow. He’s a male that doesn’t intimidate easily, if at all, but he got the message. He nods and leaves, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. I turn my attention back to Sloahne and drag a chair over to the bedside. Touching the bed controls to raise the head so we can be pretty much eye-to-eye, I begin.*

Okay, little one. We need to talk.

Sloahne: <I’ve never felt better in my entire life as I did at the moment with the Angel’s blood running through me but my elation comes to an abrupt halt as I finally tune into Lassiter’s conversation with the human doctor.

Fuck!!??!! He took my blood? He knows! That I also run with Chosen blood as well as the blood of a Brother which makes me cattle. Goddammit. As the humans say. I’m defining FUBAR now. But then I hear the deadly tone of the Angel’s warning. Is he evoking the doctor’s Hippocratic oath on him? Hope rises as I hope he remembered his ethical standards.

But as the doctor leaves and leaves me alone with my savior … I realize that means the Angel knows too. Damn it.>

About what?

<I’m going to try and deflect this whole thing, I’m not really to admit that I belong to the Scribe Virgin her league prison of breeders and slaves. My mind searching for different escape routes while I stall.>

Lassiter: *My eyes narrow and my mouth becomes a grim line*

Ok, so if you want to play it that way, then we will. I saw the blood work report and I’m capable of understanding it. I know your secret. The question isn’t are you going to tell me? I already know. The question is do you trust me?

*I’m getting pissed now. Sloahne is someone I care about. She’s like family, if I actually had one, and she’s treating me like the enemy. *

I just saved your fucking life and NOT because of what I saw on that report. I did it because I care about you. I did it because my allegiance isn’t just to Wrath. It’s to the species both as a whole and as individuals, which means you. And I did it because I’m more than you think I am. So, do you trust me enough to talk to me? And don’t think about bailing on me. I know you are, but there’s no place I can’t find you now. That little infusion of grace you just took in makes everything a whole new ballgame. We need to talk about that, too.

Sloahne: <I bit my lip as I was properly chastised. I knew he was right. But it’s been hundreds of years of hiding and keeping my secret that it was difficult after all this time lying to him. Granted I didn’t lie exactly … but there had been lots of omitting the truth.>

I … um … <Sighs deeply.> I’ve been hiding something sorta important, I guess. I’m the child of a Brother and … a Chosen.

<I slowly and painfully admitted.>

I left the Old Country and immigrated to the New World when my mahmen attempted to arrange for me to marry an aristocrat from the glymera, Some sexist, privileged male who believed females should be kept at home. Before entering the Fade, my papa always taught me that a woman is worth more than just being the head of her household. Unfortunately, the Scribe Virgin's ways were still used to guide my mahmen, a Chosen to the core. We never saw eye to eye.

<So here I am in a hospital bed knowing my past has finally caught up with me and I’ll end up serving the Scribe Virgin to be receptacles for The Brotherhood … to be a Chosen, whose only existence was to be fed, bred, and fucked. Fuck me. What am I going to do now?>