AN: WARNING Blood and guts in this chapter!

Chapter 24: But Vengeance is Mine.

Elizabeth's P.O.V.

I found myself face planted into the ground. With a grimace, I pushed myself onto my knees and looked around, only to find I was still in the danky old basement. The chair I had been bound to was behind me, laying on its side. The rope I was hung with dangled back and forth above my head. The entire area was dull, grey and devoid of people. Fog crawled along the floor and washed around my kneeling form, making me shudder with realization as to where I am. I'm back in the spirit world… and this time it looks like I'm here to stay. I glanced down to my chest to see it was just as lifeless as the rest of this place. There was no light this time. No rhythmic beat of my heart. Nothing. I wrapped my arms around my waist and fought the urge to sob. For the first time in my life, I had something to live for… and now I'm dead.

'Aint that a bitch?'

I didn't even want to think about the child that never had a chance within… it was too painful… too soon. I didn't want to become a wailing mess… even if that's all my body wanted to do. Tears streamed down my face despite my efforts but I forced myself to my feet all the same. With a growl, I wiped my tears away and started looking around for… well anything. I saw a box cutter balanced on the workbench, where the Mistress was working on something earlier and moved to grab it. I'd feel a little better with a knife in my hand but when I went to grab it, my hand past right through it. I gasped in shock then held myself tighter. I couldn't stop the sobs this time. I was so overwhelmed with sadness… loss… helplessness… I just couldn't help it.

"Don't do that." Whispered a familiar voice.

I spun around with a gasped, surprised to see my father, covered with streaks of black blood. "…Daddy?"

He came closer, revealing tired eyes and a grim expression. "If you allow yourself to be consumed by an emotion…" He motioned his head behind him. "You'll become like them. Bound to a place… haunting it."

I looked past him to see one of the dark ones that charged at us the last time I was here. "I thought they were escapees…"

John sighed and shifted his weight. "All spirits who wonder this plain are... One way or another"

I blinked, confused by his illusive answers. "What do you mean… Escape from where? Escape from what?"

"Judgement. The dark place. Some people just escape their reapers. Not ready to move on… even if they are meant for the bright place." He stared at the ground.

I ran up to him and hugged him, startling him and making him flinch. "I'm glad you're here…"

John relaxed and held me close, patting my back in a soothing manner. "I wish I could say the same pumpkin… though I am happy to see you..." He grimaced in pain.

I pulled my hand back to see ordinary blood then tugged his coat open. He had a deep slash from his back to his chest, exposing his ribcage. "You… You're hurt!"

"I'm fine." He assured me as he pushed me back, closing his coat to hide the wound. "I'm dead remember? The wound will heal eventually."

"What happened?" I asked in shock, staring him in the eye.

He smiled a mischievous smile. "Well… taking on a reaper is no walk in the park y'now?" He laughed a somewhat manic laugh which made his whole face light up with amusement.

I shook my head at my crazy father and looked absolutely confused. "Why?"

He stopped laughing and tapped the tip of my nose with a fond smile. "To give you and my grandkid more time."

"Huh?" He motioned for me to look down. A single pulse of light emerged from my chest along with an echo of a pulse from my womb. I looked up in shock. I couldn't believe it. "How!?"

John grinned like a lunatic and shook his head. "Do you know how hard it is, to kill a Ryder?"

I thought for a moment, recalling the article about 'The Hitcher'. "According to Jim Halsey… very hard."

"Ever wonder why?" He asked with an even larger grin.

David's P.O.V.

I booted the door open so hard it flew to the other side of the room. It had hit the railing for a short staircase along the way and shattered on impact, peppering the adjacent wall. I glanced down and I couldn't believe what I saw. Elizabeth. My Elizabeth had been lynched! She was being hung by… by… THOSE BASTARDS! I didn't even need to issue a command to the others, right now we moved with one mind. I leapt over the railing and charged towards Elizabeth. Paul and Marko flew into the two soon to be dead pricks, forcing them to let go of the rope. She fell with pure deadweight and never made a sound. I caught her before she could hit the ground and collapsed with her, landing on my knees. Dwayne dashed past all of us as the Mistress screamed out something in French. He slammed his fist into her jaw before she could usher a single word. The impact of his punch sent her flying into the bench. She bounced off and hit the ground.

Paul and Marko proceeded to tear the gothic gang members apart with a fury I hadn't seen in a while. They didn't even feed but they took their time all the same. Dwayne had duct taped the Mistresses mouth so she couldn't cast any spells. I could hear more tape being used and more flesh being torn to pieces but my eyes were fixated on Elizabeth. I had turned her over in my arms and quickly got that damn rope off her neck. She… She had been beaten so badly I hardly recognised her anymore. Her eyes had swollen shut, her skin an aggressive red, cut cheeks, a weird blond streak in her hair, she smelled of bleach and there was now a rope burn around her neck.

But that's not what horrified me the most.

… She was not breathing!

I shook her roughly as I yelled "Elizabeth! Elizabeth wake up!"

In a mild panic I wiped the blood away from her nose and mouth, trying to clear away anything that could be blocking her airways. I opened her mouth and turned her onto her side, pressing down on her stomach to try and convince her body to breath. Nothing. I turned her onto her back to give her CPR. I had no idea if that would work but since I breathe out of habit I figured I could trick her lungs into working again. It has to work. It has to! I pinched her nose and forced air into her lungs, then gave her five compressions on her chest, careful not to push too hard and accidently break her ribs. The air moved… but not on its own.

"You gotta breathe baby c'mon!"

I tried again. Nothing. After repeating the actions three times with no results I panicked. "No… no no no… Elizabeth! NO!"

I pulled her into my arms and held her close, rocking her back and forth and buried my face into the crook of her neck. My body shook as I tried to supress the torrent of sorrow and rage… but it wouldn't stay in… not for her. I yelled all the air out of my undead lungs as I crumbled into her. Crushing her limp, lifeless body against mine. The boys were standing around us, all too shocked to say anything. Dwayne had the mistress beneath his foot, bound and writhing to get out of her restraints. He stomped on her ribs to make her shut up and lay still.

'I fucked up. I fucked up and now she's dead!... it's all my fault she's dead… she's-'

*….Thump…..*

My eyes widened and I froze, listening carefully. Hoping against hope that I wasn't just hearing what I wanted to hear. It felt like an eternity until I heard it again.

*….Thump…..*

'She's alive!'

I laid her down quickly and pulled my gloves off. "Paul! Hold her mouth open!"

Paul dropped down onto his knees with Marko right beside him. "Got it!" He held her mouth open as I bit into my wrist.

I held my wrist over her lips and watched the crimson substance pour into her mouth. Marko was biting his nails nervously as he spoke. "Will this work?"

"It has to!" I snapped at him but he didn't seem to care. Once full, Paul closed her mouth and tilted her head back. I massaged my blood down her throat, triggering her swallow reflex.

'I really wanted this to be her choice… not a life or death situation. Not like how it was with me… but I can't live without her… please work…'

Elizabeth's P.O.V.

I shuddered suddenly and fall forward, leaning into my father as I tried to catch my breath. He caught me and chuckled, directing my attention to my chest again. The light in both my chest and my womb began to pulse quickly, becoming stronger with each thump. John pushed me back and smiled warmly, squeezing my shoulders just a little, somehow making me feel safe. I smiled back wondering just what he did, to what I guessed to be my reaper, to buy me enough time to kick start my heart.

He glanced past my shoulder and scowled in the way only fathers can scowl. "Looks like your ride is here."

I blinked and looked behind me to see a silhouette. Not just any solid shadow… but David's. I knew it was his. Somehow I knew. I turned back to face my father and almost laughed at his expression. He looked like he wanted to kill David but since it was his shadow he really couldn't do that. "What?"

"I'd like to tear him a new one for hurting you but… I'll leave that in your capable hands." With that he gave me one final hug. "See you around pumpkin."

"Bye Dad…" I sighed, wishing he could come back with me.

I felt a pair of hands wrap around my waist and began to pull me away from my father's embrace. I looked down to see David's arms dissolving, merging with my body, changing my pigment to mimic that of a shadow. Before I could even comprehend what I was seeing I was yanked roughly backwards, rushing past several sights and scenes I could not focus on… we were going too fast. All I saw was a blur of grey. My ears were assaulted with the rushing of air and a chorus of screams. It overlapped, growing louder by the second until I landed roughly on my hip, rolling to a stop.

Men rushed past me, dressed in an old military uniform. A mixture of a dark yellow, brown or a rough green, spattered with mud, dirt and blood. Their helmets looked to be of solid metal, flat with a cylindrical brim. They carried Lee-Enfield .303 rifle's in their hands or over their shoulders as they pushed past each other, all moving to line up against the wall of the narrow trench. A mortar exploded close to the edge of the trench, making all of the soldier's duck. One of them fall next to me, his arm passed right through me. His huge puppy dog eyes betrayed how terrified her was as he struggled to regain his senses. He couldn't have been older than 16 years old. An arm reached down, baring Sergeant stripes and helped the kid to his feet. He was slammed against the wall as another explosion threw dirt on top of the soldiers.

The Sergeant looked up to check on the kid and I couldn't believe who it was. "Are you alright kid?" A human David barked at the terrified boy.

"Y-yes sir!" He stammered.

David yanked the boy low, narrowly dodging some shrapnel. "Keep your fucking head down! The Huns will be on us any minute."

"Sergeant Sutherland! Prepare your men! We're going over the top!" Yelled another soldier further down the line.

David yelled back, no believing what he just heard. "What!?"

"We're going over the top!" Repeated the soldier before turning to address the men to his left.

"In the middle of an assault!? Is the Major crazy!?" David yelled back as explosions went off around us. "Fucking Major and his fucking bullshit. You heard the lieutenant! We're going over on his mark!" He yelled to his men.

"Sir?" asked the kid as he flinched in terror.

"Lock and load kid." David flipped his rifle from his shoulder and placed his foot on top of a sandbag, ready to leap at a moment's notice. He cocked his weapon and looed completely calm. The kid fumbled with his gun but eventually got it loaded. David glanced down and smirked. "What? You're not scared of dying are you?"

He laughed at the boy's expression of shock and horror. That cold laugh meant for sending chills up people's spine. The Lieutenant blew his whistle and everyone ran over the top into a hail of gunfire and explosions.

I'm yanked backwards again, making the world move into a blur of grey once more until I landed on my back. I couldn't see or hear anything but I could taste blood in my mouth. It was… not mine. Suddenly my lungs demanded air so I took one hell of a gasp and coughed up a storm. My throat felt like it had been crushed and my hand immediately flew to my neck, trying to pry off the rope that was choking me to death, not realising it was already gone. Someone grabbed my hands and held them tightly, bringing them back to my chest. I tried to yell out but no sound came and I was too weak to thrash about… but I sure as hell tried.

"Oh fuck! She lives!" yelled Paul suddenly followed by an excited cheer from Marko and Dwayne.

David's cool voice seemed to drift from everywhere and within, trying to calm me down. "Easy, easy. You're ok Elizabeth. You're going to be ok."

I could feel his hand gently cupping my face. A part of me just wanted to grab him and hold him close while another wanted to bat his hand away… I guess I was still mad about Jimmy. I grimaced as I tried to open my eyes and speak but again no sound came out of my mouth.

"Don't talk. You need to rest." Oh God… it should be a crime to have a voice as sly as his.

I wasn't really in a position to argue with the man and gave him a single nod. I did manage to crack one eye open but the light was so bright, it made everything blurry… that or the extreme amount of damage done to my face has totally screwed up my vision for now.

'Geez I hope that's not permanent…. Why am I notin a serious amount of pain right now? Why do I feel kinda high?'

David's P.O.V.

I can't tell if I'm coming or going right now but that doesn't matter. She's alive, she's safe… and I can deal with whatever comes next. I can tell she's still mad at me and she has every right to be but now is most definatally not the time to dwell on that. I looked up to see the boys with an expression of both relief and concern. I know I've been acting weird lately and I will need to talk to them about what's going on… soon.

My voice was a little quieter than usual as I spoke. "Paul… stay with her."

"Yeah, of course." Paul nods and gave me a sympathetic look as he knelt down next to Elizabeth. Odd but whatever.

I stood to my feet and stared right at the Mistress while I thought about what to do with her and the hunters in the next room. Marko spoke up quietly. "So… what now David?"

I smirked as a cruel idea came to mind, making the boys smile when I sent them the mental image of the finished product. "Marko, why don't you invite our guests to join the party? Dwayne, give him a hand. I've got her" and moved towards the Mistress.

"Thought you'd never ask" beamed Marko as he hopped towards the other room.

Dwayne lifted the witch to her feet and handed her to me with a grin. "You called dibs, she's all yours."

"Thank you." I smiled back. Dwayne nods and moved to help Marko with the Frog brothers.

I glanced beside me to see Paul talking to Elizabeth quietly, holding her hand as he examined her wounds. She couldn't answer him because she had a crushed larynx but I could hear her thoughts just fine. She was already getting annoyed with being fussed over like this but appreciated it all the same. She refused to allow my blood to knock her out, refused the call to sleep… She wanted to see this. Needed to see this.

I returned my attention to the witch and lifted her above my head. She screamed as I slammed her onto the workbench and tried to roll off when I moved to grab a roll of yellow rope. I pounced on top of her and drove my knee against her throat, choking her as I leaned closer until our noses almost touched. She stared at me with wet emerald eyes, trying to plead without speaking, begging me to let her go. She gasped through her nose and coughed against the duct tape currently blocking her main source of air. I could feel the bitch trying to worm her way into my mind and snarled at her.

She whimpered but didn't stop so I applied more pressure on her throat and pinched her nose. Her eyes widened when she realised she was going to die and immediately stopped trying to fuck with my head. I spoke coldly, still blocking her air. "Try that again. I fucking dare you."

"Mmm! Mmm!" She tried to nod but couldn't move her head. I let go of her nose so she could suck in the air she desperately needed. Then jumped off the table with a roll of rope in my hand.

"Having fun yet?" I drove my elbow into her stomach, making her scream and cough again. "How do you like suffocating?'

"Hmmmmfff!" She writhed about weakly.

She cried out in pain and sobbed as I began to tie her to the bench. I made sure every limb had been bound tightly so she'd have no room to move. She lifted her head slightly when I was done. "You really had no idea, who you were fucking with huh?" I punched her face, causing a spurt of blood to fly from her nose as her head smacked back into the table. I leaned into her face and screamed "YOU DON'T FUCK WITH A MAN'S FAMILY!"

She closed her eyes and screamed a muffled scream, her face now covered with black running make-up and blood. I glanced at the wall and eyed an assortment of tools. With a smile, I grabbed and examined them one by one, letting the Mistress see which ones made me grin. I grabbed a mini blowtorch with a blue canister and turned it on, watching the gas powered flame dance for a second before switching it off. I looked past my shoulder to see the Frog brothers and Zoe strung up by their wrists against the wall. Their feet never touched the ground and their wrists bled from their weight constantly pulling against the ropes. Marko and Dwayne seemed to be having a blast tormenting the soon to be victims who were now awake and very aware of their fate. Paul was helping Elizabeth to sit up. She was having trouble keeping her eye open so I'd better get started.

I began by using the blowtorch to heat up a file. Once it was red hot I put it aside and grabbed a box cutter. When I ran my thumb against the blade it felt incredibly blunt. Good. I ripped the tape off the witch's mouth and forced her jaw open, stopping her from speaking or keeping her mouth shut. I quickly snatched her tongue, digging my nails into the dexterous muscle to keep it steady and proceeded to hack it off with the blunt knife. Blood flowed freely from her wound as the Mistress screamed in agony. It took several slashes before I could pry the tip of her tongue away from the rest of it, still holding the appendage in place, preventing her from shutting her mouth.

I let her choke on her blood before using the heated file to cauterize the wound. The sound and smell of burning flesh was drowned out by a high pitched scream but it was music to my ears all the same. So that she couldn't die yet, I turned her face and forced the blood out of her mouth, pinning her cheek against the bench roughly, slowly crushing her jaw until it fractured from the pressure. I smiled when she shrieked and whimpered. I then proceeded to ram a blunt object into every joint in her body. This included a soldering iron in her shoulder, switched on of course, along with a wrench, hammer (ok I used the sharp end with that but not before smashing her ankles first) more files and angel keys.

Somehow she was still conscious but that just adds to my fun. Makes the vengeance that much sweeter. I leaned closer to her pain wrecked face and sneered. "You tried to kill my girlfriend… and our child… Now what do you think I should do hmm?"

"Woah hold up! Lizzy is pregnant!?" Yelled Paul in complete shock.

"Yeah…" I looked over my shoulder to survey everyone. They all looked so confused. Not that I could blame them. It's impossible. I'm dead. My seed is dead. But there we have it. "I just found out a few minutes ago."

"You mean when you fall out the sky?" queried Marko, currently frozen in the act of giving Alan a wet willy.

I nod then glanced at Elizabeth. She looked like she was about to pass out. Dwayne spoke up with a smile "congratulations man!"

"Thanks." I smiled back then mused aloud. "I almost lost my mate and my child because of this witch. What do you guys think I should do with her?"

"Skin her alive!" Yelled Marko with a grin.

"Make her eat her own intestines!" Yelled Paul with a mock evil laugh, though he was being quite serious.

Marko retaliated with a "Dang!" then laughed.

Dwayne laughed and shook his head "I'm sure you can come up with something way more twisted than anything I could offer."

Elizabeth still could not speak, merely blinked with homicidal glee shining from her eye. The other was swollen shut. 'Look at what they did to you Elizabeth… I'll make them pay… we all will.'

"I think I might have an idea." I grinned at the Frog brothers and Zoe before returning my attention back to the Mistress.

She looked petrified as she shrank into the workbench. I morphed once more into my true form and rammed my clawed hand through her lower abdomen. The Mistress howled in wordless pain as I proceeded to rip her womb from her body and showed it to her. The boys cheered and laughed at the senseless violence and I could feel Elizabeth's satisfaction, making me laugh at the now pale mess that was once our enemy. The trauma alone rendered the witch's system into shock. She bled to death within seconds. Her lifeless eyes stared vacantly towards the ceiling of this underground torture chamber. Vengeance was mine.

I turned my attention towards the Frog brothers and threw the bloodied mess of her womb towards them. They were sprayed with a shower of blood as it slammed into Edgar's stomach, making all three of the hunters call out in horror and disgust. Their voices were muffled by the tape that renders their powers of speech obsolete yet they thrashed with renewed vigour against their restraints. This amused me but my attention now laid with my wounded mate. I strode over towards her and Paul, kneeling down by their sides, morphing back to normal now that my vengeance had been satisfied.

Paul's eye's had widened with bloodlust, barely being contained. I took hold of Elizabeth and pulled her into my lap, resting her head against my shoulder, holding her close. "Go have some fun."

"Thanks man!" Paul jumped up and raced over to the suspended hunters and yelled "open season boys! Whoo hoo!"

I glanced over my shoulder and spoke with authority. "Leave Edgar for last. I want him to know how it feels to watch everyone he's ever cared about die… and not be able to do a damn thing about it."

All three of my brothers looked at me in mild surprise. They seemed quite touched by my statement. 'I know I don't show it much… but they're my brothers. Of course I care. Of course it hurt to watch them die…'

Marko broke the silence first "…You got it David." Followed by a nod from Paul and Dwayne.

"So who should we kill first?" Asked Dwayne with a rather serious tone.

"I vote Zoe!" Chimed Paul with a sadistic grin.

"No way, let's do Alan first!" countered Marko, grinning his disturbing grin to Edgar. I think he should kill Edgar, when it's time. He owed him for staking him back in the cave all those years ago.

"We can't do both at the same time." Added Dwayne.

"Why not?" protested Paul.

Dwayne shrugged slightly "for maximum shock and horror dude."

"Oh… ok, ice breaker then." Paul raised his fist towards Marko. "I win, we kill Zoe first, you win and Alan bites it first."

"Ok! Ready?" Marko raised his fist and they both got ready to play rock, paper, scissors. I couldn't help but snicker at this and glanced down to see Elizabeth smiling too.

They shook their fists together and both displayed scissors. Dwayne called "tie", earning a groan from Marko and Paul.

The hunters were all trying to say something but no one paid them any mind as the second round was played. Paul played paper where Marko played rock. "Yes!" Paul smacked Marko's hand down with a laugh.

"Shit. Ok ladies first!" Marko laughed as he turned to face Zoe with Paul and Dwayne.

To everyone's surprise, Zoe's eyes had changed to silver. Her whole body began to shift and grow fur. Her face morphed into a snout, ripping the tape off as she changed and her nails became claws. Paul took a step back and called "Woah! She's Hulking out!"

"Ha! David called it right! Wolf-man species" chimed Marko as he moved to grab a crowbar from the tool rack close by.

Zoe lifted herself and used her teeth to shred the rope that held her above the ground. She landed with a snarl and immediately made a move for Dwayne. He jumped back on reflex with his arms stretched out "Woah! Just missed sweet cheeks! Try again!" and laughed wildly.

Edgar and Alan seemed to be in complete shock and watched everything in silence. I knew the boys had this under control and stayed with Elizabeth, trying to make her comfortable since she refused to fall asleep. Had Zoe been a wolf-beast, well that would've been a different story. The werewolf swiped her claws at Dwayne again but missed as he ducked past her, slashing her waist with his own talons. She howled and spun around to swipe at him again, only to be punched by a vampiric Paul, making her stagger back as the three of them surrounded her. Marko rammed the hooked end of the crowbar into the creatures back, yanking her away from Paul, towards Dwayne.

Dwayne slashed her across the face, then booted her in the chest, forcing the crowbar to shift deeper into her back, piercing her lung. She roared in both pain and rage, delivering slashes towards the three of them in rapid succession. The boys seemed to dance around her, taking a chunk with them every time they passed her until Marko ripped the crowbar out of her back. He used the hook to grip her foot and pulled the ground out from under her. She hit the floor hard and the boys proceeded to rip her into pieces. She stopped snarling when Paul tore her head from her shoulders with a triumphant yell. They all laughed and cheered as Paul danced around with her head, presenting it to Edgar like a trophy. The hunter stared at the ground, hanging his head low. Don't know why he bothered. I could smell the tears from here. Paul drop kicked Zoe's wolf like head across the room then bounced away to give Dwayne and Marko room to deal with the Frog brothers.

"Looks like you're up bud." Cooed Marko to Alan, pulling him down and forcing him to face his brother. "Here Dwayne, I'll keep Edgar's eyes open."

"Thanks." Dwayne grinned as he grabbed Alan's hair and yanked him roughly to stand in front of him. He then used his free hand to grab Alan's throat and waited for Marko to make Edgar watch his brother die.

Alan writhed around in Dwayne's vice like grip but he was wasting his time and he knew it, just refused to go down quietly. Marko jumped behind Edgar's hanging form and yanked his head back. The hunter kept his eyes closed. "Open your eyes dude, don't wanna miss the show right?" teased Marko but Edgar kept his eyes shut.

I spoke up coldly. "Open your eyes douchebag or we'll torture your brother first. Then you can listen to him scream and beg for the death you denied him."

Edgar opened his eyes and screamed a very muffled "fuck you!" followed by something else.

Marko whispered into Edgar's ear. "Say… goodbye Alan" and grinned once more.

Right on que, Dwayne ripped the hunters throat out, splattering the man's blood all over Edgar's face. Edgar screamed and thrashed about, trying to say something to his dying brother but the tape kept the words unspoken. Alan fall with a strangled gurgle and would've hit the ground if it hadn't been for Dwayne holding him up. Only when the hunter's heart stopped beating was he allowed to fall from his grasp. Alan hit the ground with a heavy thud, earning another yell from Edgar with tears streaming down his face. The boys laughed cruelly at Edgar's pain.

I sneered at the broken hunter. "Hurts. Doesn't it? Feel helpless yet? Know true hatred yet? Now you know how it feels."

Edgar just stared at me with a hatred that probably matched my own. Marko ruffled his hair and cooed "So who's gonna get you?"

"He's yours Marko."

Marko looked over Edgar's shoulder in surprise. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." I nod and watched closely, curious to what Marko would do.

He seemed to think about it for a moment the grinned. "Oh I know. What's the worst way for a hunter to go?" He tapped Edgar on the back of the head, earning a grunt but no muffled reply. "Don't know? I'll give you a big hint!"

With that he yanked the hunters head to the side and sank his fangs into his throat, drinking deeply as Edgar yelled in desperation. Paul and Dwayne cheered while I nod in approval. 'The worst thing to do would be to turn the prick but this is close enough. Plus, why the hell would we want to turn him?'

Eventually, Edgar stopped kicking and breathed out his final breath. It was done. I looked down to the battered body of my Elizabeth and saw the stubborn woman was still awake. Gently, I brushed some of her hair behind her ear and whispered "sleep Elizabeth."

The single eye that she held open narrowed in defiance but she was too exhausted to move. I heard a very clear 'No.' Resonate from within her mind, backed up with a whole lot of anger and relief. She was confused and I don't blame her.

"You need to rest." I adjusted my hold on her so I could gently massage the back of her head, coaxing her to relax. "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for the baby… Sleep." I didn't want to do this, but I pushed her mind to comply.

Her eye slowly closed and she released a long sigh. I felt her consciousness slip away as she fell limp in my arms. She was so very badly hurt and was going to need a lot of my blood to recover… But what will happen to the baby if she turns? Will she need to remain halfway until she gives birth? Will she even stay considering I hurt her? I hoped that by saving her life she'd at least listen to what I have to say before walking away… I won't keep her here against her will… I can't.

'First thing's first though… let's get the hell out of here…'