Dark Storm Rising
Chapter 7
A/N: Thanks for all of your PMs, reviews, putting DSR on your story alert, or making it a fav fic! Y'all are awesome for giving the next gen characters a chance. Rest assured that Stan loves Del and will never abandon her and that Toller and Kirs also have LTR. Eric & Sook, well LTR forever, but nor without their own issues! That said, the Northman clan has a very tough row to hoe and the attack is just the tip of the iceberg. Oh, for those of you jonesing' for ESN, TKN, or SAN, I promise that there will be all sorts of nook down the line, and it will sizzle! Right now…to war! In my AU universe, Del can ward her scent (inherited this ability from the Prince), so Claudine can ward as well (also inherited from the Prince).
Special thanks to AmaZen, beta and copy healer extraordinaire! I want to give a special shout out to my girl, FDM who betas Brandywine Battlefields, my non ff manuscript and keeps me motivated. You two are my Mensa muses--the best of the best!
CH's characters are hers. My characters and the concept of Daughters of the Blood are mine.
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O Rose, thou art sick!
The Invisible worm,
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,
Has found out thy bed
Of Crimson joy;
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
William Blake - "The Sick Rose"
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In a wild frenzy of fury and fear, Stan Davis spurred his stallion to his private airfield, and leaped off of Iron Age's back shouting instructions to return him to the stables. He felt Del's apprehension, then the rush of her magic and a wave of adrenaline as she prepared to fight. He cursed the fact that he was not by her side as he felt the rogue's knife slash her, and roared when he felt her terror, pain and despair as the demon forced itself into her. He snarled with fury and sent Del his fiercest resolve.
Don't give up! Don't give in! I'm coming!
Then a towering white hot rage, Kirsten's rage, replaced her fear. Kirsten was feeding Del the will to fight -- she was alive!
Stan's keen eyes glowed silver with a dangerous ferocity as he stormed aboard his private jet. Siobhan, his second, raced up and touched his arm. "Your majesty," Stan grasped her forearm, his tone savage.
"Del's been attacked! Contact Northman. Get my weapons! I want a battalion in the air and on their way to Shreveport within half an hour. You're in charge until I return. "
"If you bring troops into De Castro's territory without his consent, he may consider it an act of war."
The cold steel in Stan voice made her shiver. Felipe might well rue his decision to limit the number of Stan's vamps who accompanied Adele back to Louisiana.
"Fuck De Castro! If anything happens to Del because he failed to protect her, I'll have his flaking skull on a pike!"
As the plane taxied down the runway, Stan felt Del's sweet presence reaching out to him. As she strained to contain massive elemental energies, he felt her brace herself.
I love you. Get ready.
He shouted as a tsunami of power poured out of her. Then, there was only the roar of engines as the plane lifted into the night.
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The pain in Adele's right arm exploded. Searing poison boiled through her body, constricting her heart. Drained by her injuries, she was more disoriented with each passing second. Then the wind was knocked out of her as the howling fire demon ripped off her clothing and shoved its hairy knees between her thighs. Suffocating in its fetid, sulfurous essence, Del fought weakly, screaming as a sharp, searing pain tore into her.
Then Kirsten buried her knife in the howling creature's back again and again. As it reared back in pain, Kirsten grabbed its stiff black crest, and sliced its head off with inhuman strength. Pushing the battle fury to her sister, Kirsten hauled Adele to her feet. Pain and despair dissolved into rage and resolve as Del felt, then blocked her mother's fear and anger.
Just then Faðir arrived with his retinue. With a ringing war cry he slammed into a cluster of snarling demons, killing their leader with one brutal upward thrust. His sword was a blur as heads fell, guts spilled, and hairy limbs flew in every direction. Resonant growls built in the vampire warriors' throats, their forms a pale blur as they sprang upon the demons. Shrieks, growls, and war cries filled the night along with the sibilant hiss of swords, and the rending of muscle and bone. The demons' hideous , leers turned to a collective rictus of fear as the vamps hammered into their ranks until the ground was slick with dark, demonic blood. Unprepared for the assault, the remaining demons attacked clumsily, but with power, bellowing and swinging huge clubs, decapitating any vampire not quick enough to dodge the blow.
Even as they died, Adele felt a new pressure building: countless demons were ready to burst through a second portal like pus erupting from a festering boil. Though weakened and not yet fully ready, only Adele in all of Midgard and Alfheim could hope to channel enough power to bind the demonic horde.
Knowing that saving the people she loved might consume her, Del poured all her remaining strength into drawing the essence of earth, air, fire, water, blood, and spirit out of the dark and gore-drenched soil.
Her spirit core burned white-hot as she brought forth great cables of rippling energy to bind the powerful demons. She held the channel open as long as she could, until something broke inside her and she felt herself slide into a fiery pit of agony.
Suddenly Faðir was there with Pam, and almost at the same instant, her Fae kinswoman Claudine. She felt her mother frantically touch her mind…but was far too weak to transmit an answer.
Del, baby, hang in there. Dad's bringing you home. Hang on for me…I'll be waiting…
With a cool hand on Adele's burning forehead, Pam hissed with fury as she took in Del's wounds and already blackening bruises. The demon's stench surrounded her and she was still bleeding from the brutal rape.
"I'll slice those demon bastards' into slivers for eternity…starting with their cocks and balls!"
Eric knelt beside Adele, eyes silvery and fangs extended as he examined her wounds minutely. He thought of Del as a newborn, her fern-green eyes gazing at him tranquilly the very first time he held her; twinkling with excitement as they exchanged Yule gifts and radiant with joy as she displayed her pledge ring. He gently touched the gash in her forearm, growling and cursing. The rogue bitch who cut her tendons would suffer for this. Kirsten had claimed the rite of ordeal and offering, and so he must preserve the evil cunt. But she would endure much torment, regenerate, and suffer more, before that.
"There was poison on the blade. Iron in a liquid form. It's invading her body," said Claudine.
He needed to speak with Niall. This was more than a rival vampire's retaliation. The forces unleashed upon his daughters were guided by something darker, vaster, and far older than the oldest vampire.
Suddenly Eric's focus returned to Del, as her eyes fluttered open. He cradled her against him and smiled down at her as he gently stroked her hair and raised her hand to his cool cheek.
Blood trickled from her mouth. She gazed back at her father, too exhausted to project her thoughts as his rage and anguish washed over her. He knew there was much strength in that delicate body; enough strength to overcome the cut and the rape in time. But her body had not been prepared for the tremendous energies she had wielded out of love. He recalled the two visions he had received; one at the time of the girls' birth and the other which he and Sookie had witnessed just the other day. Del acted today just as she had in the vision yet there was a difference--in the vision Del had stood against armies that spanned the nine worlds. Eric kissed Adele's hand, and blocked his thoughts. He didn't want her to hear what he had decided, that he would turn her before letting her die. Instead, he stroked her cheek and hoped that she saw his overwhelming love for her
"Min lilla flicka. I'll be with you very soon." He nodded at Claudine.
Claudine placed her hand against Adele's chest. "Del, mo chroi, can you hear me?"
Tears slid from her eyes, "I have to move her now. There's more damage than you realize..."
Eric nodded and tenderly lifted Adele into Claudine's arms. "Dr. Ludwig's on her way. Take her home."
Without another word, Claudine and Adele vanished.
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Sookie bit her lower lip and paced the vast front room of their fortified home, shifting between incandescent furies and sheer terror. He'd done it again! Fucking treated her like a lesser being. It had been years since this had last happened, but the humiliation was just as bitter. They had enjoyed but one tender kiss at the airport - a promise to get thoroughly reacquainted - when all hell had broken loose. Adele's SOS had come through loud and clear.
With a curse, Eric rallied his retainers. Sookie moved to join them, but Eric had passed her to Felicia instead.
"Take my wife home and wait for us!"
Sookie had looked at Eric with wild eyes, "Eric, no! I'm coming with you. Our girls need me! I can channel. I can fight!"
Eric's arms encircled her, pressing her against him as he gently captured her lips.
"No. You will heed me in this, min älskare. The battlefield is no place for a pregnant woman. I know every scent of your moon-blood cycle. And I know when you're pregnant."
Sookie's eyes widened, "There's no way…"
Eric eyes hardened, "I know. Can you deny it?"
Sookie's silence spoke volumes.
Eric hugged her resisting body against him and tilted her chin slightly, "My lover, you are a strong, fierce fighter. No one is braver than you. But there are stronger soldiers. Think of our child growing within you! Del and Kirs are in danger. I have to go -- now!" His face grew harsh with anguish.
"I'd never forgive myself if I put you and the baby in harm's way! I swear that I'll bring our daughters home to you."
Eric kissed Sookie hungrily before releasing her and rocketing into the night.
Sookie stood next to Felicia, knowing her guardian would keep her safe. But their girls! Eric had said he would bring them home; he hadn't said "safely" or even "alive".
So now she was home. Spread over a hundred acres of wooded terrain, meadows, and cultivated farm land, their country estate was a haven of peace surrounded by an invisible fortress of magic and vigilance. Amelia, now a much respected senior witch, had warded it heavily and it was guarded night and day by Fae and Vampire.
Before ever meeting Bill or Eric, Sookie had dreamed of a strong and loving family—of a husband who cherished her and children to love. And she had received those things. She knew that when she chose Eric, she had to accept a life in two worlds and a home that truly came alive after twilight. For the girls, daddy just got up at night. There was school, and sports, music and friends and then there was the world of Prince Niall and the Vamps, of martial and magical training no human girl would ever receive. Eric and Sookie had enjoyed 18 years of relative peace. Beyond the usual teenage strife, their lives had been steady and tranquil. They attended Adele's concerts, cheered as Kirsten was hoisted on her teammate's shoulders, and watched proudly as their daughters received high school diplomas. They had been overwhelmed by congratulation and gifts when the girls turned eighteen.
There were so many unbelievably powerful beings protecting them that it had been easy to forget the bad old days of being beaten, staked, bitten, poisoned, and drained. It was a truth that Sookie had learned well, but had chosen to push aside—magic borrowed is magic owed; now, something infinitely evil had come to collect.
Pam's Mercedes crunched up the gravel drive with Dr. Maryanne Ludwig barely visible in the passenger seat. Dr. Ludwig nodded to Sookie as she entered, preoccupied with what Pam had described of the ambush.
"Pam says there's a bedroom with twin beds on this floor? I need to set up now."
"Yes, it's this way…Dr. what can I…" Sookie paused ...her girls were here. The door burst open as King Toller strode in with Kirsten. Sookie rushed to her bleeding and semiconscious daughter, stroking her head and kissing her pale cheeks.
"She's drenched in sweat. I've never felt her so cold."
Dr. Ludwig gave Kirsten a sharp-eyed appraisal.
"Get her into the room." She glanced at Pam and Sookie. "Stay with her. This nightmare has brought on the change. It shouldn't have happened for a few years yet. She'll turn tonight."
Sookie's brows creased in genuine alarm, but Pam's eyes blazed with a fierce joy.
Sookie's heart began to race. No, no, no! I'm not ready for this…Kirs isn't ready…this isn't supposed to happen for years!
Another fact she had pushed to the back of her consciousness had been dragged forward. Kirsten's change, like death itself, was an inevitable reality. Her heart would beat more slowly, her organs and body would alter to accommodate her long existence, her perceptions would sharpen, and her fangs would descend.
Kirsten was the first full Daughter of the Blood to be born in nearly a century. Despite the horrific circumstances of her change, vampires would consider her Crossing Over a cause for celebration.
Claudine appeared next with Adele, limp as a rag doll and wrapped in a deep blue cloak.
Tears trickled down the fairy's cheeks, "I'm so sorry Sookie. Dr Ludwig can examine Adele, but she cannot stay here if you want her to live the night. My Lord, the Prince, is coming."
Claudine laid Adele on the other bed. Ludwig unwrapped the cloak and began her examination, lips pressed together and shaking her head. In her haste to deliver Adele, Claudine had not fully warded her scent, and Pam had dropped into vampiric down time to master her primal urge to consume her.
Toller had gone to investigate the area where the girls were attacked. He promised to return before dawn and stay in one of several vampire-safe guest rooms.
Claudine knelt beside Sookie and hugged her as she perched on the edge of the bed stroking Adele's hair and face. Her flushed cheeks were on fire, her breathing very shallow. Sookie felt her heart shatter as she took in the terrible bruising on Adele's thighs. She closed her eyes and allowed herself one harsh sob, then wiped her eyes and nose. She had to be strong for now. She reached out with her mind.
Del? Baby, where are you?
Adele had drawn far, far back into a remote corner of her consciousness, away from mental contact.
Unbearable horror had been visited upon her daughter. Although her beliefs demanded forgiveness, all she wanted now was to destroy with her own hands the thing that had done this to her gentle child.
Kirsten touched her mother's mind. Sookie reached out to take her hand, which was cool and firm despite what she had endured. Pam was holding Kirsten's other hand, as still as only a vampire can be.
It's dead. I killed it. I wish I could kill it again and again. It didn't deserve such an easy death. I can't reach Del either.
Sookie felt waves of anger, fatigue, and anxiety rolling out of Kirsten until her daughter threw up a mental shield. The night's event had incinerated her teenage life and she just needed time to process. Her mother had once said that some folks are forced to grow up fast, and Kirsten knew she was one of them now. Her breakup with Jacques, frustration with her father, and gossiping with her friends were now sealed in a faraway past. Her body had begun to change and Kirsten knew that pain, both physical and emotional, lay just ahead.
Though much of what happened after she called the Goddess was beyond her understanding, she knew that somehow she had entered a deeper dimension of the supernatural realm. And then there was Toller—a stranger whom she felt she had known forever.
After taking in these new realities, she relaxed and allowed her mother in. Sookie raised an eyebrow. Kirsten locked eyes with her mother and Sookie marveled for the hundredth time how like Eric's they were. She smiled a little.
"Honey, you've got to rest."
"No. I need to know about Del first." Both women looked up suddenly…
"Faðir's coming…"
Sookie nodded, "Stan won't be far behind."
They locked eyes again as they both came to a sudden realization.
"Faðir will do it if he thinks it's the only way to save Del."
Sookie wanted to deny this, but despite their deep love and long and sometimes stormy relationship, she understood that Eric's formidable love and devotion was not that of a human father. She had never considered vampires any more evil than humans—but their nature was essentially different, their thoughts and values their own. Mainstreaming had only made them appear to comply with human standards. She felt a pain in her heart and a red anger that Eric might move on this without consulting her, because he knew she would never allow such a thing.
Whoa girl. Haul back…Am I being honest with myself?
Would she truly be willing to lose Adele—to let this beautiful soul slip into some unknown realm? Despite her beliefs, her fierce mother's heart wanted to hang on to her child by any means necessary.
And what father would refuse to save his own child? Kirsten was genetically fit for this change. It would be a difficult but natural transition, which Sookie would come to accept. But Adele, who could make a rose bud unfold its petals on her palm…whose magical core was so different…Sookie, knew without a doubt…
"It will kill her," she whispered.
Suddenly, Niall, Eric and Stan were there, filling the room with their fury and concern. The atmosphere crackled with tension and the frayed ends of spent magic. The Prince went first to Adele, placing both palms directly upon her collarbones and sighing deeply, and then to Kirsten. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and smiled.
"My brave one."
He kissed Sookie on the cheek, and nodded to Dr. Ludwig, who bowed deeply before she addressed them.
"The lady Adele must be moved to safety. First, the poison in her wound is chelated iron. It will cause more harm than the gash. Because Adele is not wholly Fae, a wound from an iron weapon wouldn't be enough to kill her. But liquid iron will destroy her cells easily, and that will kill her. The…other wounds…will heal but she will need much time and support to come to terms with what happened and find peace. As you know my Lord, her magical essence is compromised. I have never heard of any modern Fae withstanding so much energy. Binding the energies of all six elements has damaged her internal organs. I have contained the internal bleeding for now, but there is nothing more to be done for her here."
Stan gasped as the last thread of Del's magical ward dissolved. The room was filled with her rose scent mingled with her other essences: her skin glowed with Faery light, and delicate points adorned her ears.
Eric knelt beside Adele, inhaling her intoxicating fragrance for the first time since her birth. Stan held her other hand, gazing at her beauty with wonder and longing. Her scent was complex: sweetly Fae, but tinged with a vampiric cinnamon scent and a slightly human tang. She had never seemed more desirable, or more fragile. His heart clenched at the thought of losing her.
Eric gazed at his beloved daughter. He kissed Adele lightly and locked eyes with the Prince. He spoke, as if invoking a well-worn spell. "She will not die. I am her sire. My blood will give her life."
Niall glowed with Fae fury.
"Life?! Would you kill your own daughter Viking? She cannot be turned – she is not human! She is a child of the Fae. Have you ever heard of a turned Fae? The magic that created her has been breached. She will die in your arms while you drain her! Would you kill your own daughter?"
Dr Ludwig confirmed. "It's true. And her organs are already failing."
Eric's face locked down--never a good sign, as Sookie knew all too well.
The prince glared. "Only in Alfheim will she survive and recover. You must give her to me. This is her wyrd."
Eric knelt, immobile as a mountain.
Energy sparked and pulsed from the Prince's hands. He was older and more powerful than any being in the room.
"Your blood in her allows her to channel as no other ever has. But Adele is Fae. If you would have her live, you will allow us to heal her…"
Eric and Niall glared at each other. Pam leapt up and stood behind Eric. Claudine stood at the ready behind the Prince.
Suddenly Stan rose too. His eyes flashed between the Prince and Eric,
"I am Adele's pledged. I have a say in this matter," He smiled gently at Sookie, who nodded, "as does her mother. Take her to Alfheim."
The Prince regarded him skeptically, "You advocate removing her from Midgard?"
Stan looked down at Del, his rugged features transformed by love. "So long as she lives. I will let her go for as long as it takes, if she'll be safe and whole again."
Niall regarded him with grudging respect. "Then truly, you do love her."
Stan knelt beside Adele, and cupped her small, warm palm to his cool cheek.
I love you Del. Come back to me.
But she couldn't answer….
Claudine sobbed. "She is approaching the Summerland!"
The Prince nodded. "I must take her now."
Dr. Ludwig cleared her throat.
"Viking, the Prince is correct. You cannot save her as you would a human or even your daughter Kirsten."
The tiny but indomitable Doctor locked eyes with Eric.
"You have my word of honor in this matter. Adele can receive no further help here. You must let her go. Too much time has been lost already."
Sookie knelt beside Eric, placing one hand on her daughter's and another on Eric's shoulder. Tears slid down her face.
"Eric please. We have to let her go."
Eric covered Sookie's small hand with his large one. He stared ahead while Sookie held her breath. She felt his shoulders slump a little and knew he had made the right decision.
Eric's accent came out, betraying the depth of his anguish.
"Yes. Adele should go…it seems that we must…release her into your care… I accept your word, and that of Dr. Ludwig."
He stood and gently lifted Adele kissing her one last time and passing her to the prince. Blue eyes blazed into the Prince's green.
"If she dies under your care, I will kill you."
The Prince gazed back steadily, cradling Adele against him.
"I swear to you that she will live. But she must remain with us until our healers determine that she is fully recovered and can control her gift."
His gaze swept over the crowded room.
"With your permission."
Eric nodded.
Sookie stood and gave Adele one last kiss. Although her heart was breaking, Sookie forced herself to step back as Niall, Adele, and Claudine vanished in a flicker of light.
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Ohhh...you know the captured "enemy combatants" aren't gonna enjoy their stay in Northman's basement! Things aren't cooling down anytime soon. Did Eric do the right thing w/regards to Sook, or is she justified in being more than a wee tad POed?
Thanks for reading and for giving me the gift of your review *hugs*
