~o~O~o~
Part Twenty-Seven
As the hours passed in companionable silence, a light but frigid rain began to fall, turning the path muddy and slowing their progress considerably. Adrian untangled himself from his partners to walk astride the cart and take a bit of the burden off of the animals. They were moving steadily uphill, and he saw how the horse's hooves began to slip in the slick mud, making the going even more of a challenge. He had to help push the cart a few times, as the inexorable upward climb taxed them considerably. It was dark, and freezing, and he worried that if the rain turned to snow they might not be able to continue. The remainder of their journey would take them into the foothills of the mountains, and it was only going to get colder. They would do well to make haste, and cover as much ground as possible before the road became impassable.
The rain eventually soaked them through, and Trevor had to take back his cloak to keep from freezing, while Sypha's wool robes were well-suited to keeping away the chill on their own. She still opted to wind an extra blanket over her shoulders in effort to stay dry as the relentless drizzle continued. Eventually, Adrian could see that Sypha was slouching and her eyes drooped, and he suggested that she move into the back of the cart to lay close to Daisy. He felt very protective of her at present and couldn't help fawning over her a little, checking that she was comfortable and kissing her cheek, soft gold eyes playing over her face in adoration.
His heart was light and giddy despite the dismal road and poor prospects for this leg of their journey. He barely noticed the increasingly gelid and forceful rain, even when his hair was plastered to his skull and his boots were sodden. It was only when he saw how tired and uncomfortable his companions looked that he began to realize that the cold was bone-deep and the constant rain was wearing on them.
They were all used to traveling by now, but had yet to pass through such elevated territory while also contending with the disconsolate weather. In the past, they'd had the shelter of their covered wagon to protect them from the elements. Adrian began to worry that Trevor and Sypha could get sick if they weren't able to stay dry and he wished fervently that the events in the Hold had not cost them the wagon. He watched the horses struggle to pull the narrow wheels free of yet another pothole in the mud, and started to think of what he would do in the eventuality of a catastrophic failure, such as one of them breaking a leg, or a damaged axle.
The weather wasn't the only element working against them. The scent of death continued to grow in intensity, and they began to pass mutilated, half-eaten corpses along the roadside now and again, and were set upon more than once by small, unorganized groups of roving monsters. Adrian was on high alert and did not allow any of them the opportunity to frighten the horses. He took no chances, and found a smug sort of satisfaction in obliterating anything that came within fifty feet of them with various combinations of sword, fire, and claws. The need to keep Sypha and Trevor safe from harm was stronger than it had ever been before. They were far from helpless, but he didn't care. They were his, and nothing was going to lay a finger on them while he drew breath. He knew the feeling was largely an instinct, but it made perfect sense to him and he saw no reason to deny himself the pleasure of chopping the head off of the latest beast to try its luck at turning their party into dinner. He wiped his sword clean on the corpse and regarded it dispassionately before twirling on his heel and rejoining his companions.
He couldn't believe how invincible he felt. He had certainly never been weak, but something inside him had clicked into place and suddenly it was effortless to dispatch the snarling demons who approached them, especially with magic. He had only to think of calling the flames and they were there, plentiful and hot, making steam rise from the soaked earth at his feet. Trevor watched with sharp eyes as he gracefully and expediently took on the latest night creatures, burning them until the heat warped the air around them and their bodies crumbled to ashes. When he released the flames, Adrian felt his hair swaying in the air displaced by his power.
They were once more alone in the darkened forest. He returned to the box seat to sidle up to Trevor and hopefully impart some of the lingering heat on his skin to the man, who was shivering beneath his fur cloak. Sypha had fallen asleep snuggled against Daisy, and she seemed to be alright for the time being. Neither of the men said anything about the way the goat was casually chewing on the corner of her robe, but they shared a smile, glad that the Speaker was as comfortable as could be expected for the time being.
Trevor turned away from Sypha, looking back to the blonde. "You uh- you really fucked those guys up," he said, pointing to the little blackened heaps that no longer even vaguely resembled their original forms.
Adrian shrugged. "They attacked us."
"Usually we fight together," the hunter pointed out. "But you got them before I had a chance to jump in. You're stronger than before. Faster."
Adrian met Trevor's gaze. "I know," he said, gold eyes simmering. "I hope it's enough."
"Well it's definitely better than before," Trevor noted, wrapping a large an arm around his waist. Adrian leaned into him, but shortly frowned when he felt the way the hunter's body trembled every few seconds from the chill.
It was still a few hours until dawn, and the rain picked up and mixed with small ice pellets, the sound of them plinking off the cart ominous to his ears. Adrian was much better equipped to tolerate these conditions than humans. He was unharmed by the wet or the cold, could hover easily over the muddy ground, and could dry himself off with the slightest effort by summoning his fire. By contrast, Sypha and Trevor both looked worse for wear, especially Trevor, who had been without his protective fur cloak until after he'd already gotten wet. He was beginning to resemble a waterlogged cat more than a man.
"Maybe we should find a place to stop," Adrian suggested, watching rivulets of water wash down the steep, winding path ahead. They hadn't made nearly as much ground as he had anticipated and the trail was only becoming more difficult to traverse.
Trevor shook his head, teeth grit to stop them chattering together. "No. If we stop, the weather will worsen and we will still be just as fucked. We have to keep moving while we can."
Adrian studied the other man, eyes roving over his wet hair and the hunch of his shoulders beneath the cloak. "You're freezing," he pointed out the obvious, then fingered the edge of Trevor's tunic. "And wet through your clothes. We have no shelter and you don't have anything dry to change into. We could at least do the spell to dry your clothes. It's foolish to continue like this."
Trevor swatted his hand away, thinking on the dhampir's words. He was a deeply pragmatic person, and Adrian knew he could appeal to his logical sensibilities if he was persistent enough. If Trevor was weakened, then all of them were more vulnerable, and he knew that. He would see reason.
The hunter growled. "Fine. But we can't stay out in this. We need to find somewhere dry. Go look. I really don't know where we are anymore, it's impossible to tell how far we made it in this shitty weather and it's too fucking dark out here to see more than two feet in front of my face. I'm pretty sure there are caves in the area and I know there used to be a couple homesteads, but I couldn't say if we are near any of them. The horses won't be able to continue much longer like this anyway."
Satisfied by that, Adrian was about to jump off the wagon, but Trevor caught him by the elbow before he could go.
"Adrian," he said, the pinging of ice nearly swallowing his voice up. His eyes looked bright and hard against the bruises beneath them, still dark from his broken nose. His hair was stuck to the side of his face with rain water. "Try to hurry. I can't feel my fingers," he admitted, face flashing with frustration at being forced to say it aloud.
The blonde pulled off his gloves, which were dry, and handed them to the hunter. Trevor's hands were thicker than his own, but in terms of structure, they were close to the same size. It would be better than nothing, even though his gloves were only buckskin and wouldn't provide much in the way of insulation.
He didn't wait to watch the hunter pull them on, rather he jumped off of the cart and took his wolf shape before he hit the ground. He disappeared silently into the driving sleet.
~o~O~o~
Adrian made expedient work of searching the area for anything that could pass as shelter. He streaked between the trees, covering a great deal of ground and killing any monsters that got in his way as he went. He didn't want to stray too far from the cart lest whatever he found be inaccessible, but pickings were slim and it took him awhile to seek out anything that would serve.
Eventually he came on an old barn that was still mostly standing and had a somewhat usable path leading up to it. The wind blew through the cracks in the boards, but the roof was nearly intact and it would keep the rain off. He circled it twice, checking for anything dangerous or useful, deemed it far preferable to more time outside, and flew on deft paws back to Trevor and Sypha's sides at top speed.
He nearly froze in his tracks as he drew nearer to the cart, which had made very little progress in the time it had taken him to find shelter and return. He smelled blood, beasts and burnt flesh, and could hear Sypha's voice.
He broke onto the path all teeth and claws with his sword hovering over his right shoulder, the picture of ferocity and ready to rend whatever threat he found. Instead, he was greeted with the image of Trevor slumped beside the cart in a puddle and Sypha struggling to move him, attempting to drag his apparently unconscious form out of the mud and back into the wagon by one limp arm. She was cursing and insulting him and it was obvious that she was shaken.
Adrian drew up beside her and she whirled on him, sending several deadly spears of ice at him before she realized he was not another enemy. He blocked the attack with his sword, smashing the ice harmlessly to the side as he met wide blue eyes that filled with uncharacteristic anger as soon as she recognized him. Adrian stilled, his large paws sinking into the cold mud as he surveyed the scene.
He had never seen Sypha panic before, but now she looked on the verge of it. She stood, rounding on Adrian with her finger pointing accusingly in his face.
"Where were you!?" she exclaimed, and he quickly realized his error.
He'd left Trevor chilled and soaked to drive the cart through the pitch dark freezing rain. While the man was uncannily astute at sensing danger, it was all too possible that he could have been taken unawares in those conditions, and he may not have been able to react very quickly with frozen fingers. Sypha was asleep in the back of the cart, so she would have been no help until after they were already under attack.
Glancing around her side, he saw that half of Trevor's face was slicked in blood, but he couldn't tell what or where the wound was. He looked guiltily back to the Speaker, lowering his head and ears apologetically, tail tucking between his legs.
They'd been ambushed, if the smoking pile of night creature corpses on either side of the wagon were any indication. There were two or three of what had once been spike-tailed dog-beasts, and a couple other, less recognizable forms now twisted into a singed mess by Sypha's flames. They were still steaming, the smell of their burnt hair and flesh overpowering.
The horses were nervously stamping their hooves, and Adrian tried not to frighten them further. A giant wolf was probably not a welcome sight to the beasts of burden, even though they were familiar with his presence and scent. He shifted back to his human shape, sheathing his sword with a flick of his wrist.
"I went to find shelter. I'm sorry Sypha, we should have woken you. How badly is he hurt?" Adrian moved to crouch beside Sypha and the hunter, who's large figure was sagged against the side of the wagon's wheel. His sword lay in the mud several feet away and the Morning Star was beside it.
"By the time I could react he'd been knocked off the wagon. One of those monsters with the spiked tails struck him in the side of the head. He dropped like a stone," she said gravely, her hands clenched into small fists.
Adrian felt guilt wrenching his guts, twisting like a knife. He'd been fending off attacks the entire night; of course they would meet more monsters in the time he had been gone to look for shelter. Stupid. His chest flared with anger and protectiveness, hating that he hadn't been here to prevent this. He was also surprised that Trevor had succumbed to the attacks at all – he had never known the man to lose a fight, much less fail to identify danger approaching. It wasn't like him. Even dead drunk he had an exceptional sense for such things. Adrian had never seen him let down his guard.
"Unnhhhh, f-fuck..." came the gruff voice, and Trevor stirred, groaning and putting his hand to his head. It was now clear that the bleeding was coming from a gash on his temple. It took a moment before he came to, grunting and spitting a mouthful of blood into the mud. "Christ, I'm losin' m'edge," he slurred thickly, blinking several times but not really looking at anything specific. His teeth were chattering violently.
"Trev, you hit your head pretty hard, can you tell how many fingers I'm holding up?" Sypha said, holding her hand in front of his face with two fingers extended.
"Not now Syph," he said angrily, trying to swat her hand away and missing it entirely. He made to get up, and Adrian quickly decided this wasn't the time or place to let him prove how tough he was by doing it alone. He easily scooped Trevor off of the wet ground and jumped into the wagon with him, laying him down between their supplies.
"Hey! I said 'm fine, lemme drive."
Adrian worried his lip, studying the injured, shivering man with concern. He eyed the obvious wound over his left temple, and was alarmed to see blood coming from Trevor's ear and nose. When he looked into the hunter's eyes he saw them mismatched, one dilated more than the other. Before this latest incident he had already been cold and wet, but now he also appeared to have a head injury. This was not good. Adrian shook his head. "Sypha's going to drive. She slept for a few hours, so now it's her turn and you're going to rest."
"Yer not th' rules of me you fancy asshole! Urgh-" Trevor's next words were cut short as he suddenly gagged and began to vomit. Adrian quickly sat him up, thankfully soon enough that he was able to puke mostly over the side of the wagon, rather than on himself. When he was finished, the dhampir offered him one of the water skins, which he accepted, swishing water around his mouth before he spit it out and then drank a few swallows down. When he was done he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and slumped back against their packs.
"F-fine, she can drive," he said begrudgingly, still looking green around the gills and wracked by shivers. He closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his head gingerly. When he next opened his eyes he glowered listlessly at his feet. He wasn't focusing very well and he seemed really cold. His skin was icy to the touch. They needed to get somewhere dry, and fast.
They collected Trevor's weapons and Adrian spent a minute stroking and talking to the horses to calm them, and then they set off towards the barn he had found.
Sypha took over the driving and Adrian explained where the barn was located. After awhile Trevor ceased his violent shivering and began to look listless and detached, nearly falling sideways a couple of times, his fingers too clumsy to grasp the water skin they kept offering him. His responses became slow or absent entirely. Adrian knew he was not doing well, but there wasn't much that could be done to help him until they got out of the weather. They had wrapped him in two wool blankets, draping them over his head like a hood to try and keep the rain off of him. He protested the fawning and prodding, muttering something about being sober and telling Adrian to go fuck himself in an uncalled for ill temper.
The dhampir felt completely, infuriatingly useless, unable to do anything to help besides try to keep Trevor talking. He had seen this man battle impressive monsters, use virtually anything at his disposal as a weapon, and even fight when he was so drunk he could hardly walk. It was shocking to witness him helpless and fading.
Sypha used her magic to heat some water and they made him drink it. It seemed to have a marginal benefit, but it wasn't enough. Eventually they shifted Daisy beside him for warmth, and Adrian went in front to lead and keep his eyes out for danger. He was nearly dragging the horses forward, urging them to go as fast as they were able, but they were only animals and had limits. He found himself constantly having to circle back because nobody could move as fast as he could. He had never found Trevor and Sypha's humanity to be a hindrance before, but presently it was maddening to have to wait for their meager progress when he could have gained the shelter of the barn in minutes traveling on his own, negating the need for horses entirely.
"Adrian," Sypha said, and he came quickly to her side, his lips pressed into a thin, humorless line. She looked windswept, her cheeks red and her figure hunched against the pelting bits of ice that stung wherever they struck bare flesh. "How much further?"
"Not long if we can keep up the pace. We will need to make a fire and get him out of the wet clothes as soon as possible. I think he is developing hypothermia," Adrian admitted, catching her eyes and letting her see how scared he was. No amount of strength or speed could help right now. It looked as though the cold was becoming a more serious matter than his injured head. The fact that he wasn't shivering, and was barely responding to them anymore was deeply concerning. Adrian had even considered trying to envelope Trevor in his magic, but he had never experimented with that. When he called it up the ground at his feet always singed, even though his clothing was unharmed. He had no idea whether he could have another person close to him when he was wreathed in flames or if they would be burned. This was not the time to test that; if he were burned, Trevor would be even worse off than he already was.
Sypha wasn't easily frightened, but Adrian could see that she was worried. She squeezed his hand. "We just have to keep going. At least he has Daisy to keep him warm for now, and we will have warm milk from her when we stop. And we have a place to stop, so that's better than staying out here. It could be worse."
Adrian stopped himself from snapping childishly at her optimism; that wouldn't help things. He knew she was also cold, but she looked like she was still managing alright.
The path to their destination was not especially difficult, but it ultimately took another forty minutes for the horses to drag the wagon there, and by the time the shape of the ramshackle barn appeared the ice rain was coming in droves and had begun to form a slippery crust on the ground. It clung to tree branches and even the tips of the horse's tails and manes were iced over. It was fortunate that they would be able to stand out of the wet and cold for awhile. They were good horses and had rough, thick coats, well-suited to the climate, but they were obviously tired and needed reprieve from the elements.
As soon as they got within view of the barn Adrian disappeared and set to collecting dead wood from nearby, dragging it inside. He moved as fast as he was able to, appearing as little more than a black and gold blur as he flew to and from the structure, dragging anything he could find that was dry. He made short work of snapping the trunks of the small trees into usable pieces and stacking them near the area he planned to make the fire so they would be as dry as possible and close at hand. He dug a pit a few feet across into the earthen floor and made a decently sized fire in it. There was a hole in the roof, so he didn't think smoke was going to be much of an issue, and they certainly weren't lacking ventilation.
The barn was old, but there was some dry straw in the loft. It was the most suitable option for bedding. He did his best to create a space that would be off the cold ground, layering pine boughs in a thick mat, then topping it generously with the straw. Over that he laid the last dry wool blanket from the cart.
All of this took only a fraction of the time it would have taken a human, and when Sypha drove the horses in through the door – cart and all – he was finished.
They closed the door and looked at one another in the glow of the flames, which were crackling merrily away in the pit he had made to contain the blaze and warm the earth. Dawn was breaking – dim grey light showed through all the cracks between the boards. Despite this, it felt warmer in the barn already, and it was good to be out of the sleet.
"I can't lift him," Sypha said from her position leaning over Trevor's alarmingly still figure. A thin layer of ice had formed over the blanket covering him, and over Sypha's clothes as well.
Adrian didn't wait for her to say more, he jumped into the cart and carefully gathered Trevor's large shape to his chest, bringing him to the bedding. It was apparent as soon as the man was in his arms that he was deathly cold all over, limp, and his heart was beating too slowly, but his breath came fast and shallow. The blood at his temple was congealing into a sticky, mess, but it was at least clotting. Adrian laid the man down on the wool and began to remove his wet clothing, the light of the fire casting irregular shadows behind them.
It was surreal to him – he had never seen Trevor look anything but strong, obnoxious, or at worst, stone-drunk and covered in his own piss and sick. He had been injured many times, but never like this; Trevor was accustomed to living outside, so he was usually well-prepared for most conditions even though he often found himself asleep face-down in the dirt outside of a tavern. He knew better than to sit in the rain without his fur to protect him, but he'd let Sypha wear it for several hours, and by the time he put it on his other clothing was already wet and he'd caught a chill. Seeing the normally powerful warrior this way was terrifying. Adrian found his fingers trembling lightly as he worked Trevor's boots off of his feet and laid them aside, then removed his other clothing.
When the man was naked Adrian took his pulse properly as his mother had taught him to do, and frowned at how slow it was. He was used to the steady throb of Trevor's heartbeat, but now it sounded wrong. He trailed his fingertips over the bloodied temple, and smoothed his rain-soaked hair back from his brow.
Sypha knelt beside him, her face pinched with worry, but she was clearly keeping her cool. He small loss of composure earlier was long gone, and she was now intent on dealing with the situation and remaining calm. "We need to get him under some warm blankets. Most of them are soaked from the trip. I think we should lay with him for now, to warm him up."
They covered Trevor with the driest remaining blanket, positioning him as close as they could to the heat of the fire, but it wasn't enough. The barn was drafty and it would take time for the fire to start throwing significant heat. He moaned, waking slightly when he was moved and speaking in a slurred, incomprehensible voice.
Adrian began to remove his own wet clothes. He slung his coat over the cart and pulled his shirt over his head, but Sypha stopped him with a hand on his arm. Her touch felt searingly hot on his skin.
His inhumanly freezing cold skin.
"Do you remember the spell for the clothes?" she asked tactfully, rubbing his arm.
"I do," he said, realizing that there was little he could do to help since being out in the storm for hours on end had robbed him of any vestiges of warmth. He was dripping, frigid, and probably felt like a corpse.
His body's reaction to temperatures was strange when measured in human terms. He was able to tolerate a wide range of conditions without discomfort. He did produce some of his own heat, but it was slight, and he couldn't hold onto it very easily. He took more after vampires than humans in this area. Cold often felt good to him, comforting and pleasant, and it did not bother him to literally freeze like snow or ice. He could also tolerate extreme heat – when he called his fire it was searing hot – but it didn't really warm him through unless he held it for some time. The only thing that made Adrian as warm as humans was drinking blood or physically being in a warm place for awhile, so that he could heat up. While he enjoyed warmth, it was largely unnecessary, more of an indulgence than a basic need.
"I'll lay with him for now. If you could dry out the blankets and clothes, and see to the horses and Daisy, that would be a really big help, okay?"
Adrian stood there with his sopping shirt in his hands and his wet hair dripping rivulets onto his chest, feeling an awful mixture of helpless frustration and anxiety. He watched Sypha strip off until she was naked, then she climbed into the bedding behind Trevor and put her arms around him, rubbing his skin until his eyes opened and he looked in her direction. His pupils were wide and unfocused, but at least he was conscious.
"S'r'lly c-cold," he said, a tremor passing through him, which Adrian took to be a good sign that his body was at least attempting to get back to a more normal temperature. "This inn s-sucks."
"I know Trev," Sypha said gently, kissing his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut, his brows pinched together. He was still breathing too quickly.
"F-feel like sh-shit Syph," he said pitifully. "Promise I wo- I won't drink for awhile after this. Can't 'member it. Was I bein'n asshole?"
Sypha glanced at Adrian worriedly, then turned back to Trevor. She looked so small beside him, her little hands rubbing his cold skill to try and bring back the circulation and help him warm up.
"You're not drunk Trev, you hit your head. You don't remember?"
There was a long pause, in which the hunter seemed to be trying to look around the barn. He didn't answer the question.
He was obviously confused, which could be explained by a concussion, and exacerbated by the prolonged cold. Adrian wanted to examine him a bit more carefully, but he knew that there was little they could do for him besides get him warm, keep him hydrated and fed, and hope that he felt better after some rest. Adrian knew from the time he'd spent in his mother's clinic that these types of injuries could take awhile to heal, and the prospect of adding several days to their trip was not very palatable, but there was nothing for it. If Trevor was hurt then he would need time. The last thing he should be doing was marching into Dracula's castle and getting his head banged around. Chances were that the last Belmont had suffered such injuries before. A singular instance usually healed well, but repeated blows to the head could have serious and even permanent effects. As a homeless alcoholic monster hunter Trevor was a prime candidate for such afflictions; there was no telling how many times he may have been concussed in his life.
The thought that anything could harm the man made Adrian feel irrationally, his instincts flaring hotly and urging him to stay close to his partner and keep him safe from even the most paltry dangers. It was more difficult than he wanted to acknowledge to be unable to lay with him right now or contribute in any way.
He tried not to let himself be crushed under all of the distressing possibilities as he went about fulfilling Sypha's requests that he care for the animals and dry the clothes and extra blankets. He took his time, sulking over not being able to help more directly. He gave the horses some oats and a few apples and then did the same for Daisy. When she was finished, he milked her.
He wrinkled his nose at the prospect of drinking warm goat milk, but Sypha accepted a mug and sat up, downing the whole thing quickly, then asked for a second. She drank that too and patted her stomach, licking the white from her upper lip.
"That's great, I love milk," she said thankfully, taking a third mug and looking to Trevor.
"Are you thirsty, honey?" she asked him, and he just grunted in answer. He was still shivering, and hadn't much improved in the half hour or so that Adrian had filled with menial tasks.
"Trevor, you need to sit up so you can drink some milk. It's nice and warm," Adrian said and knelt behind the man so he could assist him into a sitting position.
Trevor complained at the cold when the open air touched his skin and generally whined and protested, saying that his head hurt and he was tired and to leave him alone, but when the mug was pressed to his lips he accepted the fresh milk and drank the whole cup. Adrian eased him back down afterwards, pulling the blanket over him and assuaging his own worries by stroking the man's still wet hair with his fingers. Just touching him, however small the contact, soothed Adrian's anxieties. He did the same to Sypha, noting how much warmer she felt under his hand by comparison. She jumped at his cold touch. He withdrew his hand, offering an apologetic look.
"I'll go check the area and bring more wood. When I come back, you should set up some simple wards. I don't expect we will be going anywhere for at least a day. He is concussed and hypothermic. He needs rest."
"Okay sweetheart, I'll stay here and keep an eye on him and the fire. Don't go far, okay?"
"I won't. I'll stay within earshot."
Adrian pulled clothing on and left the barn to scout in several wide arcs around their site, collecting as much firewood as he could find along the way and bringing it back inside, out of the still pattering sleet. He also kept his senses sharpened to the possible presence of night creatures, but they had all gone to ground to wait out the daylight, dim though it was. Evidence of their presence nearby was easily identified, and he expected that come nightfall they would return and try their luck at turning their party into dinner. They would not be successful.
On his way back to the barn Adrian came upon the trail of a hare. It would be good to bring meat back, and save him from hunting something later on. He quickly closed in on the small animal and grabbed it, not bothering to indulge in any kind of sport – he had things to do and this was only a matter of convenience. He held the wriggling, terrified creature in his grasp and considered that even the paltry amount of blood it contained would serve to warm his icy skin, but the prospect of biting into the furry throat was far from appetizing in light of recent events.
Never one to allow his own comfort to supersede his sense of duty, Adrian buried his fangs into the small neck and consumed what the animal had to offer, feeling the heat circulating through him and quickly bringing rosy warmth to his cheeks. He had to fight a shiver of distaste at the thin, unpleasant quality; He couldn't help that all meals would now be compared to the heady elixir of Sypha's blood, or that nothing else would be able to hold a candle to it. He felt like an ungrateful, spoiled brat for wanting to turn his nose up at it, and he quickly forced silent the part of him which whined in protest, preferring to think in terms of how lucky he was that he had other options now.
When he was finished he quickly skinned and gutted the hare and returned to Sypha and Trevor, stacking the wood he had collected onto the large pile already amassed, and hanging his catch in one of the colder corners of the barn where it would keep until they decided to cook it.
"Any change?" he asked, kneeling and looking over the hunter's figure.
"Not really, he doesn't seem to know what's going on. He thinks he's drunk."
"That's not surprising, I believe short term memory problems and confusion are normal with this type of injury, and the cold probably isn't helping. I don't know how long it will take for him to feel better. I suppose that depends on the severity of the blow, and the nature of the damage. A concussion is a brain injury, Sypha. Like a bruise. It can take a long time to heal, sometimes weeks or more. There is no way for us to tell how Trevor will be affected, or how much time he will need," the dhampir explained, tracing his fingers over the cut on the hunter's temple. It wasn't bleeding anymore. It needed to be cleaned; there was blood streaked down the side of Trevor's face and neck, in his hair, and in his ear.
He was still breathing too quickly, but it was easing, and his heart rate was stable, if too slow, despite how awful he looked. He was pallid and still cold to the touch, even to Adrian's icy fingers. His shivering had grown weaker, more likely due to exhaustion than no longer being cold. He seemed to be hovering in between consciousness and sleep, starting awake whenever he began to drop off.
"We should clean his wound," Adrian suggested.
Sypha nodded. "I have some clean cloth in the wagon. Do you want to stay with him for a few minutes while I get it?"
Adrian tried to school his face to a neutral expression. "I- no. I can get it, just tell me where," he said, quickly rising to his feet and heading to the wagon to find Sypha's supplies.
About twenty minutes later Trevor''s injury had been cleaned with cloths boiled in hot water. Sypha had made a whole pot of it, heating it with fire magic. She asked Adrian why the already clean material needed to be boiled, and he explained carefully to her about how infections were caused by small organisms too tiny to be seen with the naked eye. He took advantage of the leftover heated water, sticking his hands right into the pot and holding them there until they were both clean and hot, then he gingerly cleaned Trevor's wound and the areas around it of blood.
Now that the mess was gone they could see a singular gash over his temple about two inches long surrounded by a great deal of bruising and some swelling. Adrian wrapped Trevor's head with bandages and laid a kiss on him, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He looked simply awful, his nose no longer very swollen, but still not appearing normal, both his eyes blackened beneath, and now his head was gashed and bruised as well. It was hard to recognize him through all the injuries on his face and the bandages. Adrian knew it was his fault – if he had been more careful and not left them alone in the bad weather and darkness this would not have happened.
He sat close to the fire, feeling himself finally getting warmer. He stared into the flames, listening attentively both to Trevor's breathing and the rain pattering outside. It had eventually turned back to normal rain, the ice that had formed over everything now slicked in a coating of water, making it more slippery. Hopefully it would melt away in the next few hours.
The melancholy blonde started when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sypha beside him. She was dressed in her black dress and her outer robe.
"Sweetheart, you look miserable," she said softly, squatting down. She leaned close and kissed his cheek, stroking his hair and back. "I know you're worried, but we are doing everything we can. I think he will be alright. He's strong; Trevor won't let a little bump on the head and some cold do him in. You should lay with him. He will relax and rest if he knows you're close."
Adrian took a moment to respond, wringing his hands. "I- I shouldn't," he sighed. "He needs warmth."
Sypha put the back of her hand to Adrian's cheek, then slipped her fingers beneath his coat and into the neckline of his shirt, feeling his chest. "You aren't so bad anymore," she concluded. "Use your wolf shape. Your fur will feel warm; I think he might like that right now," she suggested with a glitter in her eye. "I'm going to set up some protective magic around the building. Lay with him, Adrian."
She kissed him definitively and strode out of the barn.
He smiled at her back, reminded again of why he loved her so much.
~o~O~o~
Being able to turn into a wolf had its advantages. The soul of the wolf was fiercely wild and reveled in running free, taking down large prey, and stalking through the thickest forest on silent paws. It shared many characteristics with Adrian, and they had always found common ground. He had a very good relationship with this lupine countenance – one of mutual respect. The wolf was also a secretive creature, which disliked confinement and preferred not to be seen by humans.
The only people aside from his mother who'd seen him in this shape and known he was anything other than a wild animal were Trevor and Sypha. He usually called the soul of the wolf when he needed to run, or hunt. He'd certainly never tried laying in a bed with anyone before. It had really never come up.
So Adrian felt a bit strange as he padded closer to Trevor, settling into the nest of straw and wool and pressing his furry flank against the ailing man.
The wolf's consciousness was not something he had to fight against or placate, it submitted to him willingly and thoroughly; he could do as he pleased. But it tried to understand him and his actions, and the closest terms he could think to communicate were that he was guarding his injured pack mate. The soul of the wolf was more than satisfied by that, and he quickly found the strangeness of the situation overshadowed by the surge of protectiveness which came both from the wolf, and from his own mind.
Trevor was still shivering, bemoaning Sypha's absence and the cold that was all around him. Dazed blue eyes opened, finding the giant white beast looming over him, unnaturally long canines protruding past his lips, familiar gold eyes regarding him in silence.
He was trying, unsuccessfully, to focus. Adrian wished he could speak like this, so he could tell the injured man to relax, to stop trying to look at him and just rest. He lowered himself carefully, squeezing as close to Trevor as he could, and tried to stretch out beside him so that his entire flank rested against the too-cold body, his tail curling over the hunter's lower legs. Adrian laid his head beside Trevor's, closing his eyes for a moment and simply listening to the man's heartbeat and breathing his scent.
"Adrian?" Trevor said after a minute.
He touched his nose against damp brown hair in answer, nuzzling affectionately.
Another couple of minutes passed and it seemed his charge was falling asleep. Trevor shifted onto his side so the fire was at his back and his head was lying on Adrian's foreleg. He felt a hand working against his fur, not petting him so much as exploring the ruff of thick white hairs around his neck and chest.
"S'not as cold now. You're warm. But I thought your fur would be softer. S'kinda scratchy."
Adrian wanted to laugh at that. It came out as a chuffed snort.
"I feel like shit," Trevor admitted in what was perhaps the most lucid statement he'd made in the last hour. He put his hand to his head, feeling the bandage there. His eyes narrowed. "What happened to my head?"
Adrian blinked quietly at him, nose very tenderly seeking out Trevor's injury and brushing over the bandaged area with the barest touch. He licked cold fingers, closing his teeth over them and gently tugging them away from the mass of bandages. He stared at Trevor, studying him closely. He was more alert – the heat must be helping. Sypha had been right about his big furry wolf shape being helpful.
"Fine, I won't touch it," the injured man said after another second. He blinked, scrunching his nose and rubbing his eyes. "The light's too bright. Everything is blurry. M'gonna sleep, kay?"
Adrian gave a short growl in answer. He watched as the hunter shifted and got a little more comfortable, tucking completely against Adrian's body. He pulled the blanket more tightly around himself and relaxed. Adrian lowered his head on his paws, curling himself around his partner's frame until Trevor's face was tucked into the side of his neck. He closed his eyes, listening attentively to the man's breath. It was improving, no longer so quick and shallow, and in another couple of minutes it deepened further into proper sleep.
Adrian stayed very still, attuned to the slightest movement or change in Trevor's condition, and also listened for Sypha to return. He could hear her walking around just outside, and eventually she re-entered and he opened his eyes to see her smiling broadly at him.
"I knew it would help if you laid with him. He's asleep, right?" Sypha came to where they both laid, but Adrian didn't want to move in case Trevor woke up. Gold eyes followed Sypha as she moved towards them and crouched beside Trevor, brushing her hand over his shoulder. "He's not shivering anymore," she pointed out. "That's a relief."
Adrian was rewarded with Sypha's small hand sliding along his snout and between his ears. He leaned into her touch and she sat in front of him, crossing her legs and taking his large head in both hands, leaning in to kiss his nose. She began to rub his ears, and his tail thumped lazily in pleasure as she worked the two triangular points between her fingers. He couldn't possibly explain how good that felt. She kept rubbing, working along his skull with her finger tips, under his chin, and down his chest.
Eventually, she tapered off the petting and just rested her hand on his head.
"I suppose I should catch up on some sleep while I can. You'll keep watch?" she asked, and Adrian very pointedly inclined his head so there was no question that he would remain vigilant if she wanted to rest.
"Thanks, sweetheart. Wake me up in a few hours and we can cook the meat you caught."
She shuffled around until she had made herself comfortable lying against Adrian's other flank. She'd grabbed an extra blanket to keep warm and added two more logs onto the fire. She ran her fingers absently through his fur, smiling at him with lidded eyes as she relaxed. "I always feel really safe when you're with me," she said to him in a sleepy voice, stroking his foreleg and paw, playing her fingers over his curved claws. Eventually her hand stilled, and her eyes closed. He dipped his head and licked her pinkened cheek, inhaling the scent of her temple. "Love you Adrian," she mumbled, her hand loose over his paw. Moments later her breathing deepened and he knew she was asleep.
A few hours crept along in which Adrian stayed as still as he could and kept watch over his sleeping humans. It was a good time to reflect on the events of the last day, and to think about what lay ahead.
The most overwhelming and singular revelation of the past twenty-four hours was obvious: he was no longer a virgin.
It had been intense; very sensory, emotional, meaningful.
He found that he'd been unable to really separate the part of himself which was human from the part which was vampire when he was buried in Sypha, and especially as he reached capitulation. The feeling that he was two halves rolled together had been absent. It had been difficult to avoid biting her when he found completion, and he knew in the future he would need to be careful, as he did not expect that particular urge to diminish. He was incredibly grateful that his partners knew and understood him, because he could not have hidden himself in that moment if he had tried. And he didn't have to hide, which fed the other feelings he harboured exponentially.
Adrian found his love and appreciation for both Trevor and Sypha had only grown after the experience. He felt safe with them, and he trusted them. He wanted to share something with Trevor that was as intense and satisfying as what he had shared with Sypha. So far, most of the 'advances' in recent days had focused on his relationship with Sypha. That was not because he desired Trevor any less, it was only that Sypha was so interested in being bitten and sharing her blood that it hastened the other progressions between them as well.
Emotion, sex, and blood were undoubtedly connected for Adrian. More so now that he was feeding from Sypha with regularity. That provoked sexual reactions without fail, and of course he had already recognized that the impact of seeing his bite marks on her was a major turn-on for him. It stood to reason that he would find himself wanting to have sex with her when he saw her wearing the evidence of his teeth.
He hardly needed to think about it and he was growing hard – that happened whether he was a wolf or a man – and he was very curious to try more sexual things: different positions, or different roles, or simply exploring her body and finding all the ways he could wring her pleasure from it. Ultimately, that was a big part of what excited him; her enjoyment. And Trevor's. He knew that most men would be… less than enthusiastic to bed a woman who was still wearing the very recent and blatant evidence of another man on and in her body. He felt quite the opposite. Knowing Trevor had been inside Sypha just before Adrian touched her sent a tingle of arousal through him even now and he could not explain why. In the same way, when Trevor asked him about how she tasted and whether he liked it, he'd been more than willing to admit the truth to the hunter, and doing so was thrilling and arousing.
He was developing a fantasy that involved him watching them pleasure one another then licking them both clean. It stirred him helplessly, and he thought it would be prudent to think of something else or he was going to end up with a most inconvenient issue that he couldn't alleviate himself when he was in his lupine shape.
There was another thing which weighed on his mind, especially after the conversation he'd shared with Trevor before they'd set out yesterday afternoon. Nothing had been left to the imagination, as the hunter had been more than a little direct and specific about what he wanted to do to Adrian. The idea of anal sex still perturbed him, but Adrian's desire to have intimacy with Trevor was beginning to outweigh his nervousness over whether he would find pleasure in the act.
An idea had taken root in his mind that perhaps they could both face their fears; Adrian knew Trevor was unreasonably terrified of being bitten. Maybe they could each take a risk and do something new and scary that could end up being okay after the initial discomfort was through. On one hand it seemed like a fair trade and a sensible idea, but on the other he didn't think he could ask Trevor to do something that he didn't want.
Either way, right this moment the man was injured and certainly in no shape for sex or vampire bites, so Adrian knew he had a bit of time to think about it.
It was easy at times like this – when he was so focused on his lovers – to try and pretend that they were all on a fun adventure together, and forget that the real purpose of their journey. Everything they were doing was to defeat his father, not explore the dichotomy of his nature. Truthfully, building a relationship with Trevor and Sypha was a terrible development in terms of their greater purpose. He knew it was very foolish to formulate strong attachments to the people who were supposed to be his allies in this fight. He also knew there was a good chance they would not survive it, and an even greater likelihood that he might act rashly in their defense when the time came, instead of taking any opportunity he could to find victory. He could not afford to be selfish, no matter how much he loved them and wanted them safe. If he was, millions of people around the Earth could perish. It was a stupid thing to let himself grow so attached, but it was far too late to try and change his feelings.
If he didn't need their help so badly, Adrian knew that at this point he would leave Trevor and Sypha behind, and go ahead on his own. Trevor was injured, and even if he weren't, Adrian didn't want his lovers facing his father. Adrian alone knew what it was to fight the man who had sired him and survive, and being mortal did not fit well into the equation. Before – when he first met them in Gresit – he had been willing to accept the probability of their deaths for the greater good.
Now? It was harder. Nearly impossible. He felt awful for still letting them accompany him when he wanted nothing more than to protect them to his dying breath. He wanted them to live wonderful, happy and long lives, and he would do anything for them, including abandoning them to fight alone if it would keep them safe. Unfortunately, that would only serve to delay the inevitable.
He had a duty which was larger than his own feelings, or theirs. He couldn't shirk this; there was nobody else who could do it. Adrian didn't know if he could do it, even with help. He had never beaten his father in all the many times they had battled, and there had been so many. He'd never so much as come close before. He needed the help, and they were the strongest he had ever encountered. It seemed like it was their destiny to face Dracula together, even though Adrian didn't necessarily believe in such things.
Something terrible was coming – or rather, they were running towards to it. The ominous sensation intensified each day they drew nearer to the castle. It was intangible, nothing palpable or measurable. He couldn't say when it began, or put his finger on what it felt like. He just knew. It was like an extra sense – like the way a person knows a storm is coming, or wakes in the night for no reason, then finds out that at that exact moment a loved one suffered a deadly tragedy; in the same way, Adrian could feel himself approaching something of immense gravity and importance.
He tried to tell himself that he didn't want this responsibility; he mentally cursed being forced into this position with nowhere to go but straight into the jaws of doom, but that was not completely true. Adrian knew he needed to do this, and he was at peace with that. He was ready to give everything in an electrifying, climactic battle that would push him past his own limits. Part of him anticipated the eventual showdown with zeal and near breathless exhilaration.
His soul sang when he was pushed to the brink of his own ability. He hardly ever felt more alive than when he was flying as fast as he could with his sword at his fingertips and his body working to its full potential. If he didn't love to fight he would not have spent so much time intentionally antagonizing his father as a teenager. Within the sweet, gentle man Adrian knew himself to be, was also a fierce warrior who longed for a real challenge in an opponent he could fight against without holding back.
Vlad Dracula Tepes, his father, was that opponent.
No matter what the moral, or ethical reasons for his decision to take up the mantle of defending Wallachia from Dracula, there would always be a part of him which simply craved pitting himself against someone stronger than he was.
It was hardly the singular motivating factor in all of this – he wasn't doing this because of some silly desire to fight – he was doing it because it was right. The widespread destruction, pain and death Adrian had witnessed in recent months were not a reasonable price for humanity to pay for their mistakes, even though people were often stupid and pointlessly cruel.
His mother had been unfairly executed and it crushed his father so terribly that he could no longer bear his immortal existence without her at his side. He sought vengeance to placate his miserable broken heart, because he was helpless to bring her back, no matter the extent of his seemingly endless power. He was taking it out on humanity, and that was horrible and wrong.
Adrian was also hurt and saddened by losing his mother. He felt unfairly abandoned by the only family he had left, but he was able to look past his own feelings, especially in the face of such destruction; his father needed to be stopped. He could mourn afterwards, when the people were safe. Adrian knew he would eventually need time to grieve – he had yet to truly allow himself that – and when his father was dead he'd be dealing with the loss of both his parents, the guilt that came with his role in the matter, and the reality of losing the only immortal companion he might have had to face the future with. In time, he would let himself feel the things that he presently kept tightly locked away, lest they overwhelm him.
The white wolf grit its teeth, overcome by the anguish he felt when he thought of that endless, lonely future. It made his heart wrench and in that moment he understood his father, even as he recognized the selfishness of his actions. Forever was a very long time to be alone. It was more time than Adrian could pretend to comprehend from his own vantage point of only twenty years.
He regarded the two humans on either side of him. Precious and fragile, he would do everything in his power to try and keep them safe in the coming days – and beyond that, if they survived – but he wouldn't insult them by trying to get them to sit out the final battle.
Perhaps one day he would grow brave enough to ask them the same thing his father had asked of his mother – that they stay with him well past the lifespan of mortals – that they join him in eternity. His mother had refused, but maybe Trevor or Sypha would not. Adrian didn't want to endure alone after the natural course of their lives ran out, but ultimately it wasn't his choice and he was not even certain that he possessed the ability to change a human into a vampire. That wasn't something for him to think about right now. They had much more pressing things to attend to than his selfish whimsy.
Presently, he was bound and determined to keep going on the path he had chosen; he would face his father with Trevor and Sypha as his allies. He had chosen well; they were the strongest people he'd ever met. Already fearsome and formidable in battle, as a trio they were all far more than any one of the them alone. At the beginning of their journey, Adrian had expected the pair to take on more of a supporting role, but over its course he'd come to realize that Trevor and Sypha were a powerful force to be reckoned with.
They could beat him.
They could render him helpless, sightless, vulnerable.
No matter how strongly his instincts told him to push them behind himself and protect them, Adrian knew he didn't need to. His hunter and Speaker were thoroughly committed to seeing this through, and they were deadly in a fight. He nearly purred at the realization, loving the idea that his partners were just as dangerous as he was. They weren't fragile or helpless, they were amazing.
~o~O~o~
Adrian was still laying with Trevor by the time the afternoon came and the sun showed its face through a gap in the clouds. The rain had tapered off, and Sypha let the animals out and tethered them nearby to graze. She had only napped for a couple of hours before she woke and complained it was too hot by the fire. It had warmed up a lot and they let the flames die down a bit, the risk of Trevor freezing now well passed.
Sypha took the hare that Adrian had caught that morning and started to make a stew from it, combining it into the cooking pot with vegetables and spices. She told Adrian that he should stay with Trevor until it was time to eat.
He had no issue obliging that request, and he wasn't entirely certain he would be able to extricate himself from the hunter's arms without jostling him anyhow. The man had embraced his furry side tightly and was clinging to him like he was an oversized teddy bear. It was rare that the grizzled, roughened hunter needed anything from anyone, and Adrian rather liked the idea that he could offer comfort and warmth when Trevor was injured.
The bandage on his head was still firmly in place, but there was no telling how he would feel once he woke. It was unlikely he would remember the events of the evening past, but hopefully moving forward he would be better off. Adrian fully expected it would be at least another day or two before they could leave their shelter, but he hoped it wasn't more than that.
"Nnnnn..." both Adrian and Sypha were alerted to Trevor waking up as he groaned and put his hand to his head, his eyes squeezing together.
He felt the bandage there for a moment, then his eyes popped open and he sat up far too quickly. "Jesus Christ," he complained, hunching against Adrian's flank and looking like he might be sick. He took a long moment in that position with one hand holding his likely pounding head, the other digging into Adrian's fur for purchase, before he seemed to decide he wasn't going to puke. He pushed himself up a little more, sitting straighter and cracking his eyes open.
He squinted, as though the low fire and dim barn were exceptionally bright. "What the fuck happened?"
Adrian licked his face, searching for any sign that he was still suffering serious side effects. His eyes were a little odd looking, the pupils too wide and mismatched, and the dhampir knew that he wasn't seeing straight yet. He needed to ask him a few questions to get a better idea of his state of mind. He decided to hold off for a few minutes, since Trevor was currently leaning heavily against him and he didn't want to startle him.
"Why are you a dog?" Trevor asked in an irritated voice, scowling at him, but still clutching his flank for leverage.
"He's a wolf, Trev," Sypha corrected, earning a snort from the lupine figure. Sypha shot him a wink and Adrian grinned at her, which looked a little terrifying, all things considered. Sypha was unfazed, and turned her eyes on Trevor, her voice softening when she spoke next. "How are you feeling?"
Trevor was slowly absorbing their back and forth, likely distracted by pain. "Feeling? Like I got horse-kicked in the head. I can't remember anything since… uh… I don't know. I guess since you guys fucked. Which was incredibly hot, by the way. But it's a blur after that… except for cold. And wet. Fuck," he broke off, burying his face against Adrian's side. "I should lay down again," he said into the white fur, slowly letting himself slide down until he was curled in a fetal position beside the large white wolf.
Adrian shifted, moving to get up so he could change back and speak. Trevor's hands tightened in his fur. "Uh, can you just… just hold off. If I hold on to you the room doesn't spin so much," he said, the pitiful tone in his voice belying just how badly he was feeling. Adrian was torn, but ultimately he acquiesced, settling again. Trevor's fingers relaxed and the furrow of his brows softened marginally.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" he said after a minute.
Sypha filled him in, coming to sit beside him and bringing some water for him to drink. She coaxed him to sit up and he ended up leaning his back against Adrian as though he were a chair. He only stayed that way long enough to swallow the contents of the mug, then said he would puke if he didn't lie back down again.
After he settled and rested a few more minutes he suddenly spoke up again. "So when are we leaving? We can't stay here, we need to go."
Adrian had grown tired of being unable to speak, so he released the soul of the wolf, his shape instantly changing back to normal. He was lying on his stomach beside Trevor, propped up on his elbows. He stretched, stiff from hours of sitting in the same position, and sat upright, crossing his legs. "You need to rest. We are reasonably safe here, and we have enough supplies to remain for a few extra days. At least until you can see straight. Preferably until you can fight."
"Psshhh I'll be fine in a couple of hours. I'm tougher than I look. It's not the first time I've been knocked in the head or half frozen. It'll take more than that to slow me down," Trevor's voice held a bravado that was hardly convincing, between his two black eyes, obvious inability to focus, broken nose, and bandaged head. Adrian glanced at Sypha and noted that she was wearing the same flat, unconvinced expression he was.
"As much as I would love to believe that, Belmont," Adrian said with a small smile, "I don't particularly want to put your claims to the test. We are staying here until you have healed more. You're unable to defend yourself right now. If we meet more night creatures – and we will – you will be useless, and a liability."
"I'm not a fucking liability, I'm fine!" Trevor retorted petulantly, sitting up and trying to get to his feet. He managed to gain his legs, but as soon as he stood upright he wavered to the side, grasping blindly at the open air. Adrian was there in an instant, lacing an arm around his back and under his armpits. Trevor tried to pull himself free but ended up leaning heavily against the dhampir. Frustrated, he pushed fruitlessly at Adrian's chest. "Get off me," he whined, pouting. "I can fucking walk. Let go."
Adrian was tempted to let him prove himself wrong, but knew it would be cruel. "Trevor. You have a head injury, and you should be resting instead of acting like a child," his voice was smooth, with a mocking edge that he couldn't seem to help; Trevor brought that out in him when he was behaving in such a frustrating manner. Still, Adrian wasn't trying to antagonize him. He relaxed his hold slightly. Trevor kept a hand on him, but stood on his own.
"I- uh- I gotta piss," he said, looking at Adrian pitifully.
"I'll help you outside," he answered, well aware of the blow it would be to Trevor's ego to require assistance with such a mundane task. He could easily have scooped the man up and carried him, but the blonde knew better than to tread on his partner's independence that way. He provided only the most necessary assistance in pulling on a shirt and getting out of the barn so he could relieve himself.
Outside, the bright sun peeking through still swollen clouds forced Trevor to snap his eyes shut with a grimace and he nearly lost his legs again, Adrian's arm the only thing which kept him upright. The dhampir saw him bite back angry protests and when they reached a tree he adamantly told Adrian to fuck off, bracing himself heavily against the trunk under his own steam.
The blonde respectfully gave him some privacy. It was hard to see Trevor in such a state, but he understood the feeling. Considering how helpless Adrian had been in the cage, he didn't think there was any reason for the man to be embarrassed; Adrian had faced the ultimate loss of dignity before him already. This was a drop in the bucket by comparison.
When they returned, it was with great relief that Trevor laid back down and closed his eyes. "I think I have to sleep more," he admitted, finally accepting that he wasn't going to be chopping the heads off of any beasts today. Sypha kissed his cheek.
"I'll wake you up for some stew in a little while, okay honey?"
"Don't call me pet names Syph, I hate that," he answered, but he kissed her back. "Thanks for saving my ass," he added after a moment.
"You owe me one," she said sweetly, earning a grumble of protest.
He was snoring again in the next minute.
~o~O~o~
It took another two days before Trevor healed well enough to be fit for travel. They were tedious and boring, broken up only by meals, idle talk, and the occasional fight with whatever happened by in the night. Adrian spent the majority of the time prowling around outside, too restless to stay in the barn and listen to Trevor complain.
He was, without question, the absolute worst patient on the entire fucking planet. He whined. He protested. He tried to get up and run away to prove he didn't need anymore rest, which resulted in him being thrown unceremoniously over Adrian's shoulder and returned to his bed, where Sypha threatened to tie him if he tried to escape again.
Adrian tested Trevor's coordination, reflexes and pupillary response daily, and by the end of the second day he threw the hunter his sword and told him that if he could land a blow, they would go. Trevor was obviously not in top condition, but he was recovering well and he managed to at least block a few blows, though he didn't land one until the next morning.
The bruising under his eyes had begun to fade, and his broken nose seemed better, although it was still tender. The gash on his temple was scabbed and the swelling had reduced considerably. He still suffered moments of confusion, brief intervals of uncalled for anger and short spells where he was 'off', but overall he was improving and they did not have weeks on end at their disposal for all of these things to fade. Adrian knew he had headaches as well, but Trevor was good at hiding the pain and the blonde reasoned that if he was well enough to convincingly fake it, then that was satisfactory.
His humour, wit and libido were perfectly intact, and Adrian grew tired of tasteless sexual comments and invitations to get naked since they had nothing better to do, still having to fight the resulting blush that came whenever the sleeping man woke hard and rolled onto him. Sypha was equally unswayed by his wiles, much to his frustration. Trevor – who was already intolerable due to boredom and frustration at his own helplessness – wasn't used to being denied, especially by Sypha, and made himself extra annoying in response. He finally shut up when they tethered Daisy beside him and told him that if he was so damned horny he could have the goat. The brown and white creature bleated at Trevor and bit his hand when he tried to shove her away, standing her ground. She was the only thing more stubborn than the last Belmont, and finally he rolled onto his side and put his back to everyone, pouting in silence.
Fortunately, Trevor spent the majority of the time asleep, and that seemed to help more than anything. By the third morning he was obviously unable to spend any longer laying down, and they made the decision to continue on their way.
The weather remained frigid, but the days melted the frost and when it snowed it didn't yet stick. They were more careful about staying dry and warm, and the next days and nights passed with few issues aside from the more frequent encounters with monsters, and the numerous grisly corpses that decorated their path.
Finally, six days after they had set off from the cottage, they rounded a bend and the village they had been seeking for what felt like weeks lay before their eyes, ransacked, smoldering, and reeking of death. They halted the wagon, the late afternoon sun illuminating the picture of horror that was left after human settlement was ravaged by not just the night horde, but Dracula himself. There were few bodies save those of livestock. The corpses had all been collected for a far more sinister purpose, but almost every building in the village – and it was a reasonably sized settlement which formerly housed a few hundred occupants – had been razed to the earth by hellfire. The stone skeletons were all that remained of the burned out homes and the large church that was at the center of the town.
Trevor eyed the destruction coldly.
Sypha couldn't hide her sadness and disappointment, but was well-passed the point where she could do more than accept the reality of what lay before them.
Adrian felt anger licking at his insides, his jaw set, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.
Grim, but unsurprised, the trio directed the horses to take them into the ashes with little hope that anyone yet lived.
~o~O~o~
A/N: Look at me go, posting again in only a week! This is due greatly in part to the wonderful support I have received; you're all amazing!
A note on this chapter - I am fairly certain terms like 'concussion' and 'hypothermia' were not yet recognized in 1476, but lets chock it up to Lisa and Adrian's medical knowledge gleaned from Drac's vast resources and just suspend disbelief a little, alright? Great. Much Appreciated.
More should be coming soon. Things are going to start picking up and I am really making an effort to update more regularly. I would be very thankful for your commentary. Let me know what you think!