Chapter Three

Marcel’s POV

I never expected to find a true friend in Liberty. It’s hard to admit to myself, but things would be easier if I had kept a degree of separation.

I thought I would watch from the side lines, oversee my plan, and make sure it unfolds as expected.

There is something about her that makes it impossible not to be drawn in, she has a kind of inescapable gravity about her. It’s not her beauty, at least not for me. Nor is it her warm, friendly and inviting personality. I know that is what a lot of people ramble on about when they say they are drawn to someone.

It’s more primal than that. She is the first soul I have felt a real connection with in many years. When I first arrived here, I had assumed our connection was due to what happened with her mother when she was carrying her, but this transcends even blood.

She is a warrior, a survivor. She has seen and experienced the worst the world has to offer and remains untainted by the unimaginable atrocities she has experienced in her woefully short life. I have no idea what feeding from me will do to her? It’s the only thing anyone could think of in that moment. Fear of the unknown paled in comparison to the fear of losing her.

I just hope my actions don’t give her cause to hate me in the future. Her genetic makeup was altered when her mother fed from me. Christian and Zander were affected when I saved their mother too, only everything is different with Liberty. I’m sure it is her Celestial blood line that has caused the anomaly but there is no telling what a second feeding could lead to.

The pups she carries already had uncertain or unknown futures before I force fed her my blood in order to save her life. Christian said damn the consequences, or words to that effect, and I was inclined to agree with him. As usual Esme found a way to play devils advocate and astral projected herself to where her niece lay, slowly slipping form this world. What she said was valid, we don’t know what the effect would be on the pups, but if their mother is dead...

I have the utmost respect for Esme, but she has this infuriating habit of popping up and throwing a spanner in the works. Now that she has been reunited with Imelda, things are sure to go from infuriating to an apocalyptic nightmare. Not for me. She and I are good. Averson may want to sleep with one eye open though.

I watch in silence as Doctor Wood checks Liberty and her pups. Everyone is alive. The pups have strong heart beats, but Liberty’s prognosis is less certain. It looks like she has damaged her spine. Her werewolf genes would have no problem healing her, if they worked.

No one knows why Liberty doesn’t heal as she should. There have been theories about the long term silver and wolfsbane poisoning she was forced to endure for almost ten years, in that vile man’s attempts to keep her and her wolf subdued until he could breed her for a couple of heirs then dispose of her.

My opinion differs from the medical people. I have not yet openly discussed it, but I think now might be a good time. No, not a good time. Now might be the right time. I hold no belief system. The wolves have their moon Goddess, the witches have their Blessed Mother, the humans have more deities than one could name, and the dragons think very highly of themselves.

Still, I send up a little prayer in case there is someone listening, take a metaphorical deep breath, and open my mouth.

“Perhaps a venous infusion of my blood would trigger her latent Vampyre genes and she would heal the way I do. It would take longer, and it’s not guaranteed to work, but it could be worth a shot.” I lost my nerve to say what is really on my mind as soon as my vocal chords began to vibrate with the first sound. This way I will get an answer, and then I can figure out how to tell them all whatever the conclusion happens to be.

Right now, I hope my suspicion is right because what I’m thinking will have her back on her feet within a week. If I’m wrong, well, that doesn’t bare thinking about. As far as I’m aware no species has ever had a Vampyre blood transfusion and survived. The few that I know of ended up rejecting the transfused blood, their bodies shut down and they died. Painfully. Slowly. And didn’t turn afterwards.

Of course I would never suggest it if I thought that would happen to Liberty. I am as certain as I can be that her genetic mutation will save her and my blood will flip a switch, so to speak, and although she will still be werewolf, her body will heal the same way mine does. But if I’m wrong…..

Christian looks at me like I just suggested cutting her head off and hand delivering to Kendrick. Doctor Wood looks like he is scrolling through possible scenarios and outcomes in his head. It’s a waste of brain power if you ask me, he has no idea about Vampyre physiology. The minute amount of information he does have is outdated and relates to the turned Vampires that were experimented on well over a century ago. I don’t even know how he got hold of the antique medical journals he has, and I don’t want to know. Those books are an affront to my kind.

“Do it. What’s the worst that could happen?” Liberty winces and groans as she lifts her shaking hand and lays it protectively over her unborn children. I know her question is rhetorical, a turn of phrase, but a small part of me feels morally obligated to spell it out. I squash the voice in my head that tells me this is a gross betrayal of her trust. If the worst should happen, or look like it is inevitable, then there is one other option.

“We will get you to the hospital and take it from there Luna. Try to rest, you need to preserve your strength.” Uriel and Gerald arrive with a spinal board and everyone works to get Liberty safely strapped to it and back through the forest to the hospital. I walk behind, keeping watch, searching in my memories for anything that could help.

The problem with living for so long, is that eventually some memories get filed in long term storage, and accessing them becomes more difficult the more time passes. This was not part of the plan, Esme and Liberty had no premonitions of such a devastating injury. We have changed the future, of that I am certain. I don’t know when the path diverged or what caused it, be we are treating unknown ground. Does this mean the prophecy is no longer valid?

The Doc falls behind the men and Lottie as they carry Liberty. He falls in step with me and walks in heavy silence for a few minutes.

“What makes you think a transfusion will do more for her than ingesting your blood?” he asks a simple question, only the answer is anything but simple.

“I am aware of your research and I applaud your dedication and diligence Doctor. However, your sources are outdated and not remotely applicable to me. The doctors whose journals you pour over, experimented on turned Vampires not born ones. The rules and science that applied to them does not apply to me.” I try to keep my disdain for the great injustice done to my people out of my voice. I do not agree with the way the vast majority of my kind treat the humans as nothing more than a food source and perhaps entertainment, but we have been subjected to persecution through fear and misunderstanding for as long as I can remember.

It begs the question of, who is at fault? The monsters who were made what they are by the people who now live in fear of them. Or the people, whose actions left the monsters no choice but to fight for their own survival?

We once lived in harmony, a symbiotic, mutually beneficial existence. Vampyres helped extend the natural life span of humans, in exchange for the willing sacrifice of their blood. It was only when a select number of individuals began experimenting and found a way to give humans some of our traits, that Vampires were created. Things went downhill fast. For the first time in history, my kind was being hunted.

The humans terrified themselves with campfire stories of monsters who would hunt them and their children and suck their souls from their necks. It was like the witch trials all over again, only without the farcical trials and ridiculous displays of the dunking chair and other such idiocies. The ordeal of the cold water, that is what the most common practice of determining whether a woman was a witch or not, became known as. My people were afforded no such thing. Times had moved forward, or perhaps sideways would be more apt.

People had stepped away from their unwavering commitment to religion and began to look to science for the answers they so desperately sought. When a vampire was discovered or lured into a trap, they were held without trial, no rights, no charges. They had no soul, therefore were not subject to the laws these men lived by. That is how my clan grew to become the largest in current existence. There was no place for me in the world. I could not take a life as freely as other Vampyres, but I would not be accepted by the mortals either. So I found my sanctuary in the mountains and began building a community of safety and acceptance.

One other Vampyre joined me. One out of hundreds. Our clan grew as mortals sought us out in an attempt to preserve their lives, most of them dying and looking for a cure of sorts, or wishing to live a life free of the constraints of time. It was a simple life for a while, like the old days, but peace never lasts and the past always catches up. That is why I’m here now. The past is banging on the door, demanding to be allowed in. The rebellion has grown far beyond what any race believed possible. The archaic beliefs, passed down through generations of brain washing and indoctrination, have been kept very much alive.

The thing that I can’t get my head around, and I don’t think I ever will, is that the rebellion now has members from every race, with one notable exception, the scaled element they so desperately seek. They don’t have a dragon. Arliegha and now Lottie, are in grave danger. If word gets out about their true identities, they will never be safe.

Kendrick is obviously a member of the rebellion, I would wager that he is a high ranking one too. That is the only way he could have gone under the radar for so long. I’ve met men like him before, and not one disappointed as far as depravity and self-righteousness was concerned. It gave me great pleasure to put an end to each and every one of them, knowing I was serving the greater good.

“....direct transfusion immediately upon arrival. Marcel?” I catch the tail end of what Doctor Wood is saying. My mind had wandered way off topic as it frequently does.

“Sorry, I was just ,never mind. Would you mind repeating yourself please.” I ask, knowing how rude I must sound.

“I was just saying that I trust your judgement, it would take far too long for you to explain the ins and outs of your suggestion and my Luna is not getting any better. So, I will set up for a direct transfusion immediately upon arrival.”  Another person who has placed their unexpected trust in me. The weight of expectation continues to grow and I offer up another prayer. That’s twice more than I have ever called upon an unseen force in my entire life, a new habit appears to be forming, and I don’t like it.

“Of course, I am at Liberty’s disposal, and by extension, yours.” There is no escaping it. No matter what way I look at it, I am completely at her service. How did this happen? Centuries of planning, and in a few short weeks I have become so deeply engrossed in this pack and invested in Liberty, that I would sacrifice just about anything to see them to victory.