It's all in the blood

by Becciehill1976

Finding it hard to fit back into a normal life, after being possessed by Michael, Dean decides to take off and hunt on his own. Sadly, he finds out the hard way, that being a famous hunter has it's draw backs when he's kidnapped and sold as a slave. Now he has to fight against powerful vampires who know how powerful his bloodline is.

35. Storm clouds begin to gather

Chapter 35: Storm clouds begin to gather

Valentin's POV

Since leaving the Grand Master to his slave, the Volkov Clan's second in command tossed and turned all night. Nothing would quash his discontent. Not blood nor sex. With two hours until sunrise, Valentin gave up seeking any form of rest and turned to find comfort in beginning his daily tasks.

With his head down and elbows deep in security plans and emergency procedures and protocols, Valentin barely saw most of the morning fly by. In fact, it was hunger pangs coursing across his abdomen that finally made him stop working and order up some blood. A few minutes later, one of the house slaves arrived and handed over a bag of warm blood before bowing and quickly making an exit. It was clear from the slave's behaviour that news about his heated discussion with Viktor and his foul mood had spread through the household.

Finishing the blood, Valentin turned his attention back to his work, but found it was next to impossible to concentrate on the important information. His head and heart were no longer trying to get to grips with possible ways of improving the mansion's security. Instead, his mind had wandered back to the conversation he had held with his Sire, Viktor, the previous night.

As he recalled his meeting with the Grand Master, Valentin grew more and more concerned about the future of the Clan as well as his friend, lover and maker. He knew Viktor had been worried, perhaps even scared at the changes that were taking place within him, but what disturbed Valentin even more was how Viktor had constantly tried to justify continuing with this course of action.

Every part of Valentin wished to sever the singular connexion and kill the slave. That way, they would have their Grand Master back, the Clan would return to some form of stability and Viktor would ascend to be Alpha supreme, over all Clans. Besides, if Michael wanted the hunter, he could have the human's body and use the vessel as and when he pleased. Either way, he cared little for what would happen to the elder Winchester. All that mattered was that Viktor was safe and that the connection he shared with his sire was alive and working.

It was shortly after midday when he received a meeting request from Bridget. Valentin suspected that he knew precisely what his Clan Sister really wanted to talk about and every part of him dreaded the conversation, but he knew that now more than ever, both of them had to step up and fill the leadership vacuum at the heart of the Volkov Clan.

So it was the all too familiar knock on the door an hour later that announced Bridget's arrival. The door had no sooner closed when she remarked. "So I see you're nose deep in security plans as a way of hiding from everyone. But you are my brother and I know you too well, and I think we need to talk, don't you?" As she spoke, Bridget made her way over to the large antique lounger and proceeded to sit down and make herself comfortable. He knew immediately, that she was bedding down for a longer and more heartfelt conversation.

His first thought was to pretend everything was fine and that there was no need for any type of intervention. "I don't know what you're on about. Everything's fine, but with the pending Fischer delegation coming over this evening and the prospect of an archangel in tow, it would be wise to renew our wardings, shore up the security and refresh our escape plans, just in case. So forgive me if I'm not out checking on whether the weeding in the garden's done!" Valentin knew he was being snippy, but try as he might, he couldn't lift his mood and he knew that Bridget could see right through his display.

"Cut the crap little brother, we both know that you are as equally pissed off and concerned about Father's recent behaviour. You saw the guards, never name the Council's faces last night. Do you know, they're already referring to the incident as the 'hell in the hall' and I swear every guard has heard the scratches and moans coming from the doctor's casket and it's been buried at least 15 foot down. So, why don't we stop playing silly games and talk open and honest with ourselves about the Winchester sized elephant in the room." Bridget finished her mini tirade by giving him the harshest glare imaginable, and if he was truly honest with himself, it worked.

Heavily sighing, he moved and sat down on the edge of the lounger so he was positioned next to her feet. Turning to look at her, their gazes met and as quietly as he could, he began to let it all out. "I'm worried Brid. Really worried and what's worse I feel really powerless to do much, if anything about it. Do you know he told me himself that he knew he was changing, but then proceeded to find excuse after excuse to justify continuing with this connection to the hunter. I tell you Brid, if the singular connexion is completed, I fear that it will not end well for any of us!"

In as equally quiet and calm voice, Bridget asked, "It's that bad? Tell me what happened last night!"

Over the next 30 minutes or so, Valentin regaled Bridget of the conversation he had had with Viktor. As he proceeded to tell her what happened, he noted with concern how Bridget seemed to get more and more agitated, and by the time he was explaining how he left Viktor locked in with the hunter, Bridget had practically jumped out of the seat and was now pacing back and forth across the room.

"That fucking little piece of human trash… you know that he's the bloody reason for all of this! I wish to Eve I had never heard the name Winchester before. I wish he had never been found. … I wish he had never been bought and brought here… I wish …" Bridget clenched and unclenched her fists as she lamented about the hunter, but deep down Valentin knew it was more than just the human's fault.

"Oh Bridget, if only it was as simple as just killing Dean Winchester. … "

Bridget couldn't help but snap back, "Really? And you don't think it's the little bastard's fault?"

Valentin sighed again, knowing this was the part of the conversation he had been hoping to avoid with his sister. "Hmmm… I know you think it's all Winchester's fault, but let's face it, this problem began long before the hunter came here and I know that there's something in his blood that's like catnip to all of us, and trust me I know that the spell is failing as the pull to drink from him grows stronger every day. But…. the hunter hates the situation and would do anything to either escape it or die. He has no desire to drive a wedge between Viktor and the Clan. Just look at him, he's very little fight left. Practically broken and ready to submit. No sister… it's easy to blame it on him, but we shouldn't."

"Oh come on Val. Just look at the trail of bodies he's left in his wake… and I'm not just talking about the lives that have been destroyed since he got here. …. I mean, I've spent the last few days doing more research on Viktor's latest prize pet and as far as I can tell, anyone .. and I mean nearly everyone that has attempted to get close to him, dies. His father. His mother. His step brother and even the beloved brother Sam Winchester has died for him on a number of occasions. Let's not forget the endless angels and demons that have all trusted the little prick and all of them have been destroyed. And I'm just talking about his friends."

Taking a quick second, Bridget continued. "But… you know.. let's just talk about the lives he's destroyed since he got here, shall we! Forge about the number of slaves that have had their lives cut short dramatically, he's managed to have a number of vampires massacred and all because our Father couldn't hear his heartbeat in the house or something to that nature… I mean… both of us saw what happened to those unlucky vampires who just happened to have security cam duty that day. I've known Viktor for years and I've never seen him act like that, even when his blood was up or when he was knee deep in human bodies during a battle."

"Then let's not forget the 'hell in the hall'. I mean, …. Come on….. I know Busbee deserved death, but a simple beheading would have done the trick. But OH NOOOOO. a beheading wasn't good enough. Nooooo … what was done was complete overkill and don't tell me it was just about the doctor betraying the clan and stealing his treasured possession. Bullshit! We both saw it. He was furious that his boy toy genuinely liked the doctor. I know jealousy when I see it and that display of force was more about jealousy than it was about punishment. And…"

"Come on Bridget…" Valentin hadn't even completed his sentence, when Bridget snapped, "I hadn't finished brother. … AND! Let's not forget what he did to Kate. … Don't roll your eyes at me, Val. We both know that it was a massive over reaction on Father's part. … I know she had done wrong but let's face it, we both believe beyond a shadow of doubt, that the little shit of a hunter goaded her as he wanted to die. It was definitely his fault and you will never persuade me otherwise."

Lowering her voice slightly, Valentin watched as his sister's water welled up in her eyes. "Because of him, everything is changing between me and her. She's distant .. she's resided to her fate. … Do you know… after hours of begging, I managed to get a slight concession from father? He eventually agreed that she could return to stay with me, here at the mansion, but only at the weekend. BUT…. he stated that he doesn't want her anywhere near his precious 'treasure'."

"You know… he even told me that if he sees her standing within 6 feet of Winchester, he'll rip her apart. … it makes me sick with worry to think about the hold the human has over him. Even as we speak, Winchester is poisoning our Father further as the two of them are shut in together upstairs."

Pausing, Bridget grasped Valentin's hand and addressed him directly. "Let's face it. A few days ago, it was Kate. Yesterday, it was Busbee and four innocent vampire guards. Tell me brother, who will it be next? How many more will suffer and die because of THAT human?"

Valentin was deeply worried. On hearing his sister, he knew it was next to impossible to change her mind about any of this. She was angry and heartbroken and needed someone to blame and it was clear to him that she had found her target in the shape of Dean Winchester. But deep down, he also knew that she was right. Viktor was unstable and anyone could be next but as a leader, Valentin needed to consider what was the right course of action to take.

"I understand Bridget. Believe me, I do. I also know that you are dealing with the loss of your sire connection, just as I am. I too have been experiencing the growing emptiness in my soul and I know it has been getting bigger and bigger ever since the singular connexion was created." Valentin's voice returned to the quiet tone he had used at the start of the conversation. He felt he needed to calm his sister down, as he feared that if their father ever heard their conversation and then ventured to read her mind, Valentin suspected that Bridget could very well be the next casualty of Viktor's deadly wrath.

"I know of what you speak off. At first, I thought it was just an aftermath of the spell and that slightly dampened feeling that I had experienced when the witch cast the spell would pass. Instead, as the days went by I sensed Viktor less and less. Then the stuff with Kate happened and I thought it was my anger that was to blame for the growing silence in my soul. But what you say makes sense, but how?" Bridget was fighting at keeping herself calm. The fear was written over her face.

"I think our connection to our father has been weakened in the same way as the archangel's connection to Winchester was severed. It's the only think that makes sense, because everything was fine before the witch cast the spell that formed the singular connexion. I pray the spell has not destroyed our link to our father completely."

As Valentin's statement landed, both of them bowed their heads and contemplated their predicament. After what seemed like a lifetime, Bridget asked, "What do we do now? We can't possibly sit here and do nothing? I mean, he's up there with Winchester and every moment of being near one another brings him closer to completing the connection and us further away from our father. Surely, there's gotta be something we can do?" Overcome with the situation, she allowed a single tear to escape and make its way down her flawless face.

"I know Brid. I know. Every part of me wants to go up there and separate them as I know we're losing him, but I believe that would be the worst thing we could possibly do. As we all have noticed, Father's paranoia and possessiveness has increased 100 fold and to make any type of move to separate the two of them would end in him distrusting us and I fear that with the increase in his power to match the increase in his other emotions, there's a high possibility that he would wipe out the entire clan and think nothing of it."

"No. Besides we have a number of other significant threats to the clan to consider. We cannot forget the Richsteins. who would love nothing more than to steal Winchester and make a run for it. Then, we've got the imminent arrival of the Fischer delegation and there's no doubt in my mind, that the archangel will not be too far behind them."

At the mention of the archangel, Valentin couldn't help but shiver. "But of all the threats, it's Michael I fear the most. I'm not sure you've had a chance to look at the latest intel briefing I circulated to the Council, but Reinhart has disappeared and sources felt a powerful angelic presence. If Michael got to Reinhart then he knows about us and I would bet the house that's the reason the Fischer's are coming here."

Bridget interrupted, "but surely with all the additional security, never name the warding and the witchcraft that was put in place, there's not a chance of the archangel breaking through!"

"I wish Brid. I wish, but all it takes is one of the Fischer delegation locating and destroying a number of the hidden sigils and it may be enough to punch a hole that's big enough for Michael to reach the mansion. And if Michael gets in, there's nothing to stop him taking his vessel. Can you imagine how pissed he's going to be when he sees the impact the singular connexion has on both Viktor and Dean?

Silence returned to the room as both of them measured just how screwed up their situation was. After a while, Bridget broke the deadlock. "What do we do now? There's just too many problems to address. Where do we even start?"

Bridget's question immediately reminded Valentin that he was no further forward than what he had been when he started the day. Leadership and direction was needed and with Viktor hiding away within his quarters and 'playing house' with Winchester, it was up to both Bridget and himself to ensure the Clan's interests were protected at all cost. That protection extended to ensuring that the Grand Master was protected, even from himself, if needs be.

Turning and addressing Bridget directly he spoke. "You know, I find that when I'm faced with so many issues to resolve, it's important to take the 'proverbial elephant in the room' and break it down into bite sizes and this is no different. Yes, it's true that our Commander in Chief is distracted and possessive, and that the object of his obsession is also an important commodity in the negotiations, BUT we can find a solution, because we MUST find a solution!"

Bridget didn't looked as convinced of Valentin's optimism, but she knew he was right. The Fischer delegation would be arriving later that evening and there was still a lot to do to ensure that security was working at its ultimate performance. "OooooooKkkkkkayyyyyyy, what do we do then?"

Valentin moved back towards his work desk and lifted a document and began to open it. "I've been thinking about this all morning. In fact, if I'm honest, I've been thinking about this for a few days not, but it was only after Father's behaviour yesterday and the heated conversation last night that made me consider doing this."

The second in command felt extremely uncomfortable. He loved his father and he was loyal, but he needed to ensure that the Clan was protected at all times, even if the threat came from deep within the leadership.

Bridget spoke. "Be careful Valentin. Father is still the boss and he could very well see this as a temper tantrum at best and … dare I say it… treason and betrayal at worse. Whatever you're about to suggest needs to get his agreement in some way."

"Brid. Ever since the Richsteins arrived I've been working on a number of scenarios. Sooooo…. In terms of our options. Firstly, we need to consider how this could play out. The Fischer's are arriving tonight. We can all guess that they're going to want Winchester because Michael will want him. That will instantly piss off Viktor who will outright say no. As a result we have a number of problems."

Valentin raised his left hand and with his right hand he pointed to his index finger. "One…. Viktor will not take the news well and could be overly aggressive in his response which will tip our hand in the negotiations as both Henrich and Frederick will be able to see how important Winchester personally is to Viktor; how unstable and emotional Viktor actually is and last but not least, they'll be able to see how split we, as a clan are, on this matter."

Shifting again and pointing to his middle finger, Valentin continued. "Two…. What will the Fischer's response be? And more importantly, what will Michael's response be? The Fischers may not be the most powerful Clan, financially, but we have no idea what enhancements have been made since the archangel came on the scene. We've no idea how strong they are. Equally, what if they offer up something as an incentive. My fear is that either our own Council becomes divided or the Richstein's take them up in the offer. Which brings me to the third problem."

Moving his right hand and touching his ring finger on his left hand, Valentin continued, "three….. What will the Richstein's do? And believe me Brid, I'm concerned about them the most, primarily because they're the dark horse."

Bridget interjected. "But surely there's nothing to be concerned. Heinrich seems very happy with the current arrangement. I mean, I've heard him tell Josef all about Winchester's blood. Believe me Val, we've nothing to be too concerned about there. He will not want to see Michael get hold of the hunter any more than Viktor will."

Valentin listened intently to his sister's rationale. At face value, it sounded like good logic, but Valentin was too well schooled in the art of life to ignore his gut and his gut was screaming at him, that the situation was not that simple.

"I don't know if we can 'take that to the bank' Brid. I mean, I too have seen how physically happy Heinrich's been but I've also seen how possessive he's been acting over Winchester. Here's my nightmare scenario. What if Heinrich wants more from the arrangement? What if he wants more than just Winchester's blood? Will Viktor grant this? Do you think our Father is going to happily let another vampire touch and take from his boy toy? Come on Bridget, you've seen as much as I have. There's not a chance that Viktor will allow further interaction. We're lucky he allows Heinrich to drink from him and how long before he puts a stop to that?"

Shaking his head and beginning to pace, Valentin continued. "Noooo. Heinrich isn't stupid. He's going to want more and he's not blind. He knows that there's something special in the blood. He's probably felt the increase in Father's power. I know, we all have. … Put yourself in Heinrich's shoes. You agreed to a deal of just having a few sips of blood and joint control but then you find out that somehow your opponent is getting stronger. Almost too strong and to the point that it's a game changer…. Tipping the scales in the opposing Clans favour. Would you stand there and continue to honour the original agreement?"

Valentin watched Bridget digest and contemplate his question. Eventually she nodded in agreement. "Sadly, I feel you are probably right. He will want to renegotiate.."

"Exactly Bridget. And who do you think he will side with in the negotiations? Us or the Fischers?" Valentin managed to stop and fill two crystal glasses with some warmed blood and handed Bridget a glass as he asked the questions.

"What's worse is that morale within the Clan is at an all time low. There's every possibility that some may even consider betraying their own Clan because their Grand Master is unstable and values a human above his own kin. What do we do Valentin? We've got the two Clans and our own Council to juggle."

Valentin watched as his sister downed the blood and slammed the glass on the side table. "As I said Bridget, the first concern was how we dealt with the talks, but in many ways, the second issue needs to be fixed first as it's all about dealing with Viktor, because the singular connexion is at the centre of all our problem."

Lifting his hand again, Valentin began to count out the key points. "One… ending this connection between Winchester and Father will mean we reconnect with the Grand Master. Having such a strong connection once more will help us come up with the best strategy against the other clans."

"Two… Ending the connection will help Viktor think clearer. More objectively, especially when it comes to negotiating over the human. At the minute he's too attached and too emotional and I fear he would burn the world in order to save Dean."

"Anddd three… Severing the connection will also restore confidence within the Council and the rest of the Clan. They've all seen how unstable he's become. Having the old Viktor back will decrease the risk of betrayal and treason from within.

The second in command was impressed by his logical thought process and he could tell that his sister was equally confident in his rationale. "You make sense, but brother, how do we get Father to sever the connection? You said it yourself, to even suggest it could be seen as treason. And forgive me, the clock's ticking as the Fischer's will be arriving sometime in the next 4 to 6 hours!"

"Remember the old saying about how to eat the elephant? .. Piece by piece, sister. Piece by piece. That's how we're going to approach this. In terms of approaching Father, you're right. We have to tread carefully as there's very little talking to him and if we push too far, too quickly, he'll turn on us. So, we need to mitigate and minimalise the risk."

Bridget looked confused. "What do you mean? You can't mitigate the risk as Winchester's is practically surgically attached to Father. So please tell me how you're going to minimalise this cluster fuck of a problem?!"

"The immediate threat is the negotiations and father's behaviour if and when they demand the handover of Winchester. So, we need to handle the negotiations. That means keeping father away from the other Clans and away from the actual talks. If he's not in the room, he can't make a scene and as a result, it would decrease address a number of the concerns I've already mentioned, both with the negotiations as well as with our own Council."

"But how are you going to do that? I mean, it's going to look bad that our Grand Master isn't in the room for the negotiations and secondly, I can't see father staying away from the talks. I.."

Valentine interrupted Bridget as he knew exactly what her concerns were. "Let me stop you there Brid. I've spent some time considering this, and it's the only way. Of course you're right. It will look bad, but the alternative is worse. We have father involved in all the socialising elements of the visit but keep him out of the negotiations, citing that discussions should be handled by the second in commands. We ply the Grand Master's with the best our mansion can offer and provide endless access to the pleasure slaves."

Bridget took on board what he said, but was still unsure about the proposed plan. "OK.. That might work for a little while, but I can't see father being too happy about not being involved. How are you going to convince him to stay away from the talks?"

Valentin shifted nervously from side to side. "Wellll… this is the part you're not going to like, but I've thought this through and there's no other option. … WE'RE going to suggest to him that he needs to stay close to Dean and concentrate on completing the singular connexion…"

The words were no sooner out before Bridget, shouted, "WHAT!? Have you lost your mind? You're just after confirming how bad it was that our Father bond with the hunter and now you're telling me that he should just shack up with Winchester and 'seal the deal' so to speak. This is a stupid plan, Val. There's got to be another option, there's …"

"I know. I know it's sounds crazy, but I thought this through and there' no other way. Look… hear me out. …. We convince Father to remain in his quarters and finish the connection will be greatly welcomed as Viktor would love nothing more than to stay away from the others as he hates them. He'd also like the idea of a little bit more alone time with the human. So it's an easy sell. Equally, completing connection will mean that Michael has less leverage or opportunity to take us out and that has to be a good thing. Who knows. Maybe if there's a connection, the Clan can renegotiate our support of all things with Michael. This might work in our favour."

"Now, the problem for us is … can we live with losing our Father and losing our connection? I know it will be hard, but we are not the first to lose a sire bond and we won't be the last and … if it saves the Clan and Viktor, then it's been worth it. Besides, when the dust settles, I want to talk to that witch, Astra, to see if there's a way to rekindle our bonds with Father's even when he's already bonded to Winchester."

Smiling to himself, he continued. "Who knows, if we all reconnect again, we could possibly get access to Winchester's blood and trust me sister, his blood is divine."

Venturing a glance towards his sister, Valentin was relieved to see that she was taking time to consider all he had said. Silence reigned in the room for some time as Bridget thought through his proposal.

"I don't like it Valentin. I don't like putting Father at risk like this."

Valentine nodded. "I know, but Bridget, it was Father's decision to create the connection with Winchester in the first place. He may not have realised the full impact his decision would have on our own bonds, but he still embraced the new connexion. We are senior leaders within the Clan and we cannot allow our emotional ties to cloud our strategic judgement and you have to agree that this is the only course of action open to us?"

Sighing, Bridget responded. "You're right. As much as I'm angry at Winchester, hurting him or challenging father directly will only end in Kate's death and most likely my own and I don't fancy sharing the same fate as Busbee."

Rising to her feet, she continued. "Very well. Let's do this. Let's meet with father and make the suggestion."

Relieved that they had reached some sort of an agreement on the way forward, Valentin visibly relaxed. "Excellent. I'll request a quick meeting with him. Preferably as soon as possible, so he has time to both agree as well as adjust to his new role. Equally, I'll speak to the head of the house and get a number of banquets and socialising events put in place, so Father feels he is involved and that the Grand Masters are suitably entertained whilst we keep the second in commands busy."

Bridget quietly asked about Michael. "And what about the archangel and dare I say it… Sam Winchester?"

At the very mention of both, Valentin clenched his fists. "Security is in hand. Our Head of Security has informed me that we have an expert arriving, who is well versed in protection and all things supernatural. He should be here later today. I've scheduled in half an hour with him as I'm keen he hits the ground running. I'm particularly concerned with making sure that the wardings and sigils are hidden away and constantly maintained."

Moving towards the window, Valentin looked out across the estate as he took in the constant movements of staff as they went about their chores and duties. "And as for Samuel Winchester. …. Security will be tightened …. and if the brother happens to work out who took his beloved older brother, well….. we will be more than ready for the giant flannel wearing murderer."

Bridget wasted no time in returning to her own quarters. Valentin was not surprised as he understood that she needed to get her head clear ahead of meeting Viktor. The discussion with the Grand Master was sensitive and she needed to keep her anger and other emotions out of it, if they were to achieve agreement from Viktor. This would only work, if Viktor was on board.

Sighing he turned back towards the window and surveyed the gardens to the left and the courtyard that resided to the right hand side of mansion. His mind weighed up all the options and scenarios and as he considered everything his head swirled. Valentin hated the feeling of being out of control and given the enormity of the situation he found himself dizzy even thinking about it.

In an attempt to calm himself, the second in command chose to look out of the window and up at the sky. He couldn't escape the irony as he took in the dark clouds that were gathering. It was not lost on him, that the approaching storm was just one of a number of storms that were approaching.