Tapping lightly on the door Cormia waited patiently for the new warrior to appear. When he did not she pressed her ear close to the door and listened for any sound that he was awake.
A sudden thump made her jerk back from the door. Had he fallen off the bed? Overcome with worry and curiosity she opened the door a crack and poked her head in...
"Brother Ttorture?"
Stepping into the room she noticed that all the lights were on and the bed was empty, no sheets, and no comforter.
A grunting and muffed shrieking came from the other side down near the floor and as she hurried over she gasped a hand flying to her mouth.
Ttorture was on the floor wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy in his green comforter and sheet and he was writhing around in an alarming fit. She couldn't see his head but his socked feet were scrabbling on the floor.
"Be calm warrior." She demanded as she put her hand out to steady his frantic thrashing.
This didn't help however and he shook and trembled and cried out loudly. She tried desperately to soothe him but it seemed her words were just not getting through. She didn't know if she should try to untangle him or to race and get Phury. She wasn't sure but he sounded in pain.
"Ttorture?" she tried again with his name "Speak to me, what will ease you?"
Again he could only cry out and struggle with the blankets. Frozen with indecision she was glad when Phury came up behind her, gently moved her aside and then promptly sat on the raging lump that was Ttorture.
"Wake up you!" he yelled gripping what he hoped were his shoulders tightly to stop him moving around.
There was gasp and a panting of breath… "What?! Aghhhhhh get me out of here." His hands began a mad scrabble at his face trying to clear a path to fresh air.
"Hold still" Phury commanded as he once again forced down on the vampires shoulders and with one hand unravelled the sheets and bed covers.
As soon as Ttorture's head came into view the both saw his panicked eyes and ruffled hair falling all over the place. He was breathing really hard and immediately he lurched his upper body forward and grabbed a hold of Phury and buried his head in his shirt.
"What the fu…." Phury blurted out in surprise at being grabbed by this huge male.
"Death!" T whispered softly in terrified tones. "There was death all around me!" He clutched Phury's shirt in his fist and squeezed his eyes shut. Completely bewildered Phury stared down at the vampire. Obviously he'd had some wicked bad nightmare but he had no clue how to comfort anyone. "I could see their eyes. Soulless, evil and dead! They wanted me. They wanted to keep me" T was mumbling on and on. "And then the pain! Oh God!"
"Hey come on now, it's over" Phury tried an experimental pat on the guy's arms and then wrapped his hand around T's neck and felt for the guys pulse. Shit it was really racing and the guys' skin felt awfully hot.
He felt T nod slowly and start to breathe a little more normally. They sat there for a couple minutes more before T's tense fist unclenched and he seemed to recover from his scare. Then with Phury's help he got to his feet and steadied.
Phury held on to T's forearms to hold him still and looked at his face. He was staring at the floor now and his shoulders were slumped.
"You okay now?" Phury asked big brother-ish-ly
"Hmmm" T mumbled out with a furious nod to his head.
"Okay" Phury let out a sigh and released T. But he soon wished he hadn't. The new warrior doubled over in pain and clutched at his stomach, he shook and sweat beaded on his head.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." He mumbled as he hurtled his way to the bathroom and shut him self in.
"Oh my!" Cormia's worried cry behind him, reminded Phury that his chosen was still in the room, and….. Wait where had that my come from?
There was a rather nasty noise from the adjoining room as T relived him self of his stomach contents.
"Oh shit!" Phury swore softly. He had an idea exactly what T's problem was but could he bring him self to ask Cormia to help?
"What could ail him so?" she asked as she came up beside him and clutched his shirt. Her fitful gaze on the bathroom door. Poor Ttorture really did look dreadfully unwell. She was just about suggest a visit to the doctor she'd heard about, Havers but her thoughts were interrupted when T appeared in the doorway
"I'm really sorry you guys had to hear that." He said not looking at either one of them. "Perhaps you could now bugger off and leave me to sleep it off in peace"
He lurched towards the bed and almost fell but Phury quicker than quick raced to his side and grabbed at his waist. T tried to slap him away but Phury just rolled his eyes and grabbed the waving hand and hoisted it and the arm it was attached too over his shoulder.
"Stop being such an idiot." He helped T to the bed and on to it, and then he spread the comforter over the shivering warrior. "This isn't something that's going to be slept off."
T's eyes narrowed and Phury sighed tiredly. "When's the last time you fed?" he asked arms crossed over his chest. T's eyes dropped and he simply shrugged.
"Oh sweet Virgin in the Fade" he puffed out an annoyed breath and then turned to stride towards Cormia.
"He needs blood" he said quickly not giving him self to get worked up about it. "You'll have to feed him; there isn't another female in the house who can."
Cormia looked shocked, his voice was cold and his eyes held no feeling for her. Did he not care at all that another male's was going to be at her vein? She of course could not refuse the warrior in his need. He looked awful and she knew without nourishment he would only get worse. But was she not at least in theory his mate? Or did he just refuse to acknowledge this in order to help one if his fallen brethren?
Her head was all a whirl with thought, but there was a poorly vampire here in need of her help and so she refused to think about it anymore until T was replenished.
So nodding firmly she marched past Phury and went to T's bedside where she perched on the edge.
Looking down at him kindly she brushed a hand over his forehead and then spoke soothingly. "Warrior it is my honour to serve you."
Extending her wrist to him she tried to look as composed as she knew a Chosen of the Scribe Virgin should be and waited.
When he did not take her wrist she glanced down at him. He was looking warily at Phury. She turned her head to also glance at her so called mate and was so shocked that she could only gasp in a short breath and hold her heart as it beat furiously in her chest.
Phury had backed up against the wall and was digging his fingers into the plaster as if it could hold him prisoner. His fangs were as long as she'd ever seen them; his eyes were wide and frightful and he trembled from head to toe.
"Phury…" T started to say as he slowly slide across the bed away from Cormia "Its okay I don't have to…." He nodded towards Cormia's wrist that was still on the bed. But Phury just shook his head and growled out "Just do it!"
Then he turned his head and shut his eyes tight. "Christ what is wrong with me?!"
He didn't open his eyes. Even when he heard a slight hiss, a soft gasp and then a sucking noise.
A minute went by, then another and then another and Phury's fingers started to burn as he dug them farther and father into the wall to keep him self in control.
Pretty soon though he would burst and then there could be trouble. He couldn't explain why on earth he was so suddenly, now, acting like the bonded male he should be. It was a frightening; this mix of emotions that he seemed to have no control over. It was like a bundle of lightning was zipping through his body and it had no where to go so it was getting more and more crazed with each passing minute.
Then suddenly he heard a mumbled "thank you" and a sweet sounding kiss on flesh. He let out a roar wondering where and from who the embrace had been, but still he kept his eyes glued together.
There a gasp from over by the bed and then a rustle of cloth as someone came rushing over to him.
Tensing uncontrollably he wasn't prepared for the soft hand on his shoulder and the gentle voice that accompanied it.
"Phury, it's over you can let go now"
He shook his head but he did slowly open his eyes and was greeted by……
"Ttorture?"
Okay that was so not who he was expecting…..
Instinctively he snarled ruthlessly and jerked him self away from the wall to make a lunge for the warrior.
Grabbing him by the shirt front he swung the vampire widely around and plugged him up against the wall and let out a feral growl right in his face. Clearly stating who was boss.
"Whoa whoa! Easy there boy-o." T said hands up and defensively in front of him. "It's done. Just wanted to say thank you."
"For what?" Phury spat out. His fangs were in the way so he couldn't close his mouth properly.
"For taking care of me…. I didn't know…" he hung his head and looked away from the other male "I didn't know that's what I needed."
"Yeah well, you just make your own arrangements from now on." Phury hissed. He raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes.
T hurriedly nodded "O…Of course. Not a problem."
Roughly letting go of his shirt Phury turned his attention back to the room at large meaning to drag Cormia back to his room and put whatever kind of mark he could on her.
But the room was empty…..
"Where is she?" he rounded on T fists balled and muscles tense. T shied away back towards the wall which proved he wasn't as thick as Phury believed. There would be serious damage done tonight…
"She left." He swallowed his fear and waved a hand at Phury's face. "When you went all fangy and loco she got really scared and ran out."
"What?" Phury's fists went lax and he stumbled back eyes wide and shocked. His fangs receded and he glanced towards the door. "Oh shit, I didn't mean to scare her but I couldn't help it." He glanced down at where his fist was flexing all on it's own ready to be used at just the thought of her feeding someone else.
Anger filled him at his own stupidity and he stalked across the room trying to work off the tension.
"Ahh" he cried out running both his hands "This bonded male crap is nothing but trouble."
"Ohh" Ttorture said softly to him self as he now understood Phury's reaction. He didn't really blame the vampire, anyone would be a bit pissed, if they some other guy suck on their girlfriend. "I think she thought that the aggression was directed at her."
"What?" Phury asked again. Shock landing in his chest like a bullet.
T nodded and tried a sympathetic smile. "Look, for what it's worth. I'm sorry."
Phury grunted in reply but he was too busy thinking. How could she think it was directed at her. Couldn't she tell it was the bonding instincts.? Or did she think that because they hadn't been together he didn't have any?
T sighed long and hard. Were male vampires thicker than humans, or was it just Phury?
"Bloody hell man. Just go talk to her would you?" annoyed he stalked across the room and flopped back into bed.
Phury just stared after him and shuffled nervously about. What should he say? He was no good with women and he was even worse with Cormia.
T shuffled down in his bed and pulled the sheets over his body. He could feel Phury's tension and anxiety and after pulling off his trousers under the covers and chucking them out. He looked at him soberly.
"Hey" he said gently getting the other males attention "She'll understand once you explain. She doesn't hate you, she just got a little scared." He watched as Phury's brow relaxed a little as he pondered this intently.
"What you've got to do now is…" T continued sitting up in bed and clasping his hands together "Show her that while you have got an over protective streak…. it's nothing compared to the feelings you have for her and her well being. She needs to know you love her and it's because you lover her so strongly that you can't control your self sometimes."
Phury looked surprised "How do you know so much about females?"
He look curiously at his new friend. He hadn't spoken of any female he had or befriended so how was it he knew all the suave talk. Or was he like Hollywood and spent a lot of time around human females?
T just shrugged and shook his head. "Most of my friends before, were women and I spent a lot of time listening." He smiled as fond memories floated back to him. Then he shook his head violently to shatter the images. No he would just get too sad if he thought o much about what he'd left behind.
Phury caught the glimpse of sadness cross T's face. He didn't really understand how someone could be so emotional but then he was hardly one to talk. How many hours had he thought him self into depression about Bella not being his…..
"You miss them a lot don't you?" He tried the sympathetic brother smile thing but just wasn't feeling it. T however didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah I do….." he said with a sigh "My friends were my lifeline. My parents kinda freaked out after what happened at the hospital. They couldn't cope with a son who was….."different". I had anger issues and I couldn't control my self. I broke my sister's arm cos I forgot I was stronger than her and I had all these weird dreams of blood and death and pale haired people." He looked up at Phury who nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Well that was that, they said they couldn't have me in the house any longer and at 25 I was no longer their responsibility."
"What happened?" Phury asked, intrigued to know. He wasn't sure why or how they had ended up talking about this, but here they were…. It was better than thinking about how stupid he'd acted and what he was gong to say to Cormia when he got back to his room.
"I was kicked out and ended up…" he chuckled and exhaled in a puff. "All over the place…" Okay so clearly he wasn't going into details, but Phury could sense that it had not been a happy time.
"So how'd you end up…." Phury looked at him with a confused eye brow lift. T didn't seem to have an aggressive bone in his body he'd been nothing but damn polite and…nice… since they'd all met him. Sure he looked kinda scary with his red eyes and all, Phury made a mental note to ask him about those, but it seemed he wouldn't hurt a fly.
T smiled, he knew what Phury was thinking and it seemed so funny now to look back on his life and see him self as nothing more than hired muscle.
"I got involved with a…gang I guess you could call it. In London." He chanced a glance at Phury who was lighting up a hand rolled. "But they were into big time crime." T said with a snort "A-Class drugs, money laundering, 100 car heists, trafficking. You know that type of thing."
"So what'd you do for them?" Phury asked blowing out a cloud of smoke and sighing with relief. He'd been getting really itchy for a joint and couldn't remind him self that he was supposed to be cutting down.
"So you were like that guy's property or something?" Phury asked wide eyes once again. How could anyone let them selves be used for something like that. Being treated like no more than a cart horse being hired out to all and sundry.
T just shrugged and look down at where his fingers were twisting in the bed sheets. "The money was great and I had a purpose to get up in the morning, but yeah it was lousing to think that I caused so much pain to other people."
"So why didn't you just quit?"
T slightly smiled and chuckled "Didn't have to in the end. There was a police raid and my boss was killed. I turned my self in and was arrested."
Phury looked in awe. But T continued to speak. "I didn't want to be apart of that life anymore. I knew I was better than that. So I pleaded guilty to everything and then I gave the police every name and contact I'd ever worked for."
"Wow that took some guts" He grinned at T who nodded
"Yeah, but I didn't go to jail. After all the help I gave them in bringing down the other crime gangs it was decided that probabation and community service was to be my punishment. I was obviously sorry for what I had done and eager to make up for it. In doing so they said I was putting my life at risk and banging me up would put me at greater risk since so many criminals I'd worked for were already in jail." T paused for breath and lent back against my pillows.
"So anyway, I was put in a community service program and kept an eye on by the probation team. They helped me turn my life around into something I wanted. But I decided that I had to do something about my anger. I booked my self into a clinic and there I stayed for 2 and a half years. Funnily there were a lot of women in there and so yeah that's why I know so much about females."
He paused again and smiled inwardly
"They taught me so much, those girls and yeah I do miss them. They taught me it was okay to be who I was, not to be ashamed."
Phury glanced around and then coughed embarrassedly. T looked up from his bed..
"Oh god sorry…. I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous. I don't even realise I'm doing it. You should have stopped me" he blushed very red and gave a sheepish grin. Then waved a hand at Phury to go…
"Go.. Go on Phury. Go to your woman and let her know what your feeling. She'll appreciate you being honest." He placed a hand over his chest and tilted his head at the male " trust me."