"So, what do you think?" Andy settled into the chair beside Ashley's bed, slightly nodding towards the man they now knew as CC.

The vampire tilted his head side to side. "Not sure. He smells a bit more edible now. But who knows how much poison was in his bloodstream."

Andy shrugged. "I suppose we won't really know until they're done filtering his blood."

"Or perhaps he just isn't palatable. I mean, Jake isn't palatable. He tastes like rotting fish."

The human raised an eyebrow. "And when would you have had the opportunity to find out?"

"Oh, years ago. Shortly after he joined the band. He'd cut himself. Not knowing he wasn't palatable, he offered." Ashley shuddered. "Never again."

Andy chuckled lightly. "But I'm palatable. So is Jinxx."

The vampire wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, sure, Jinxx probably doesn't taste bad. But there's a reason vampires don't feed on Mystics."

"What's that?"

"Side effects. Really weird ones too, man. I'm talking catching on fire, phasing through the ground and getting stuck, liquifying. I saw a rogue once drink Mystic and the flesh just melted off his arm. Left his bones in tact, but all the skin, muscle, everything just a puddle in the dirt."

Andy hummed in curiosity, tucking the information away to research later.

"I've always wondered something," Ashley started, changing the subject.

"Hmm?"

"How come there aren't more of you?"

Andy scoffed. "Yeah I think mama bit off more than she could chew with just me. She didn't want another terror running around."

There was a light chuckle from the bassist. "No, I meant why aren't there more, you know, Prophets?"

"Oh..." Andy was silent a long moment. "Well, they're dead."

"But I thought they lived until the last of their generation had passed?"

Andy shook his head. "Not if they're killed."

"What do you mean?"

The Prophet sighed. "Hold on..." He stood and disappeared through the doors of the infirmary.

Ashley stared at the other person in the room with him. He was still unconscious, but his body had been restored. At least, as much as the Mystics could manage. A lot of those deeper scars would never heal. He wondered absently if the poor kid would ever live a normal life again.

"Here," Andy huffed, dropping back into the chair with a rather large book in his arms. He opened it up at the back, running his finger up what looked like a list from the bottom of the page. "Right here. A Japanese girl, Kimiko, came online at about 10 in 1933. She died in the Hiroshima blast in 1945. In 1942 a boy called Rohin came online, age 8. He was killed by, ah, religious radicals who believed he was a demon spewing false prophesy. The Mystic responsible for him was killed too. Then Salehe came online in '72. Then I came online in 2003."

Ashley nodded slowly. "So they were just killed?"

The Prophet sighed and nodded. "War is war. And it is everywhere. Don't get me wrong - the Majiks work very hard to protect us. There are just some things that are unavoidable."

There was a sadness in Andy's eyes that Ashley had never noticed before. He'd never stopped to consider the weight of the gift his mate carried. Apparently it was rather heavy on his heart. "I'm going to keep you safe," Ashley murmured, stroking the back of the singer's hand with the thumb that hadn't been burned away by the poison.

Andy nodded. "I know." The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile and he leaned over the edge of the bed to collect a soft kiss.

"Oi, lovebirds!"

Both men jumpped, turning to glare at their band mate with questioning looks.

"I think I've got an idea where Sandra is. Ash, how's your hand?"

The vampire wiggled his fingers, sinew having started growing back around the burnt flesh. "I can make do."

"Ashley!"

"Sandra's family."

Andy sighed. "Stupid Deviant protectiveness will get you killed one day." He pulled Ashley in for a kiss. "Go. I'll be here, I guess."

"I called Jake," Jinxx commented. "He came out of the same place the new kid did. He should be able to help."

Andy nodded. "Gotcha. Well, I'll be in the library then. I can get some research done at the least. Maybe find out what our new friend here is."

The vampire and the mystic both nodded after him.

"Oh, and please be careful. I don't have the energy to replace half my band." With that, Andy slammed the door shut behind him.