A/N: sorry it's taken so long, everyone! I have had a lot of work recently and am getting ready for a trip to Boston soon, and am writing another story at the same time. I do realize I was rushing the romance in this story, so in this chapter I tried to slow it down a bit because I think Risika wouldn't let go of her anger that easily. And I'm still trying to convince myself this chapter wasn't just an excuse to get Aubrey's shirt off, lol. So…here goes nothing…
Caryn Smoke arrived as soon as she could, sensing the two vampires' location immediately. Running to them, she was trying to cover her fear. She had worked with Aubrey before, but never Risika. She would be unpredictable. And Caryn was no fighter. She left that to her Vida friends.
She found Aubrey on the ground, with an arm around Risika, who seemed uncomfortable. "What happened?" she asked quickly.
Risika sat up. "I think he was hit by a poison dart," she said keeping her eyes coldly on Caryn's every move. There was certainly no friendship between the two of them.
Caryn knelt down and rolled Aubrey over. "Even a poison dart shouldn't be able to hurt a vampire. Your kind heals to fast for that. This one must have had some kind of magic attached to it."
She found the dart on the ground where Risika had pulled it out earlier. Caryn's witch senses immediately told her that this was no ordinary dart, and had probably had some sort of curse put on it. "We need to get to my house, and soon," she said.
Risika glared. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm the only hope he's got. And look, people at my house listen to me, OK? You don't bother them, they won't bother you."
Risika paused for a very short moment, realizing Caryn was right. After asking the location, she took all three of them to the witch healer's house.
They ended up in a bedroom, apparently a guest room used for healing. There were potions and strange objects all along the walls. "I'll have to decide which one he needs," Caryn said, noticing Risika looking at the potions, "That is, once I figure out what's wrong with him."
She pulled Aubrey's limp body up onto the bed. Risika squinted and reached out a hand tentatively to touch his shoulder. She quickly recoiled in disgust. "His shirt's wet!" she said, glancing at Caryn. She was still trying to convince herself that she could trust this witch. After all, the Smoke line and vampires had never gotten along well.
Caryn felt his shirt too. "Looks like he's gone into a cold sweat. I didn't know this could happen to your kind. Whatever it is, I'll have to work fast. His body temperature is dropping rapidly."
She removed his tight black shirt as gently as she could, knowing that the damp fabric would only make him colder. Risika was standing against the wall, feeling defeated. For almost the first time in her life, she was not in control of the situation. But then, things were usually that way with Aubrey around. Still…she felt so vulnerable. Seeing what some considered to be the greatest of her kind so helpless made her remember that while they were not mortal, they still faced death. Some vampires grew sick of living forever, and welcomed their own end. But Aubrey was a fighter. She knew that though he would never admit it, he wanted to survive, and he would fight this thing as long as he could.
Watching Caryn work, she began to wonder how this healer who worked for peace and therefore against their kind could be so trusting. "Caryn," she almost whispered, "Why are you doing this?"
Caryn did not look up from her work. She was hovering over Aubrey, channeling energy and whispering spells. She sighed as if she had expected the question. "Well for one, I certainly don't want you or Aubrey as my enemies. I'm not that ignorant. I know what you're capable of. Mostly though, because he asked for my help. If he was strong enough to show that he needed help, which most vampires refuse to do, the only honorable thing for me to do would be to give it to him."
Risika nodded silently. As Caryn continued to work, Risika merely watched her, and silently thanked whatever god that might listen to a vampire that Dominique and Sarah Vida weren't here. They were much more close-minded that Caryn, and would not have stood for this.
As the hours passed, anger and confusion began to brew in Risika. It was the same internal conflict she had had so many times recently. Should she let her life-long enemy die? This was Aubrey - the one who she blamed for the destruction of her brother. The one who stood in her way of being one of the most powerful vampires. The one who had hunted her for centuries. Or was it she who had hunted him? Either way, he had made Risika feel like prey. And to her, that was the worst feeling in the world. She was angry with herself for forgetting all these things recently.
Suddenly, Risika rose from the chair she had been in so long. Glancing outside to the dark sky, she said to Caryn, "I have to go."
Caryn didn't respond. Risika knew healers didn't like to think about the way vampires fed, so she disappeared quietly.
A couple of hours later Risika returned, satisfied from her hunt. It felt good to escape, and to run.
The house was dark when she came back, and she found Caryn about to go to bed. Caryn turned to whisper to her, "I think he's sleeping. I've got him stabilized for now, but in the morning if I don't find a more permanent solution, he'll most likely die." She sounded stressed and exhausted, so Risika let her be, not wanting to worry her further.
She went quietly to the room where Aubrey was staying. Caryn was right. He was asleep, or at least as asleep as a vampire could ever be. She slowly touched his chest. He was still cold. And very still.
Risika took a step back and silently screamed at herself for daring to care. How could she? How could she feel sad for this…this creature, who had tried to destroy her multiple times? She felt a dark, mocking laughter building up inside of her. Laughter at herself, at him, at the world. She didn't know. But she wanted to end it. Risika knew she wasn't thinking clearly, but she wanted to give into her anger. Maybe that way she could end her own pain.
She found Aubrey's knife, still sheathed in his boot as always. The Fenris was barely visible in the dim light. Without pausing to think for fear of stopping herself, she positioned her arm above his heart. As she was about to swing the knife down, she felt a sudden strong grip on her wrist. Aubrey had awoken with a start.
"Don't think you can fool me, Risika. I'm still more powerful. And I can stop you," he hissed.
Caryn Smoke arrived as soon as she could, sensing the two vampires' location immediately. Running to them, she was trying to cover her fear. She had worked with Aubrey before, but never Risika. She would be unpredictable. And Caryn was no fighter. She left that to her Vida friends.
She found Aubrey on the ground, with an arm around Risika, who seemed uncomfortable. "What happened?" she asked quickly.
Risika sat up. "I think he was hit by a poison dart," she said keeping her eyes coldly on Caryn's every move. There was certainly no friendship between the two of them.
Caryn knelt down and rolled Aubrey over. "Even a poison dart shouldn't be able to hurt a vampire. Your kind heals to fast for that. This one must have had some kind of magic attached to it."
She found the dart on the ground where Risika had pulled it out earlier. Caryn's witch senses immediately told her that this was no ordinary dart, and had probably had some sort of curse put on it. "We need to get to my house, and soon," she said.
Risika glared. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm the only hope he's got. And look, people at my house listen to me, OK? You don't bother them, they won't bother you."
Risika paused for a very short moment, realizing Caryn was right. After asking the location, she took all three of them to the witch healer's house.
They ended up in a bedroom, apparently a guest room used for healing. There were potions and strange objects all along the walls. "I'll have to decide which one he needs," Caryn said, noticing Risika looking at the potions, "That is, once I figure out what's wrong with him."
She pulled Aubrey's limp body up onto the bed. Risika squinted and reached out a hand tentatively to touch his shoulder. She quickly recoiled in disgust. "His shirt's wet!" she said, glancing at Caryn. She was still trying to convince herself that she could trust this witch. After all, the Smoke line and vampires had never gotten along well.
Caryn felt his shirt too. "Looks like he's gone into a cold sweat. I didn't know this could happen to your kind. Whatever it is, I'll have to work fast. His body temperature is dropping rapidly."
She removed his tight black shirt as gently as she could, knowing that the damp fabric would only make him colder. Risika was standing against the wall, feeling defeated. For almost the first time in her life, she was not in control of the situation. But then, things were usually that way with Aubrey around. Still…she felt so vulnerable. Seeing what some considered to be the greatest of her kind so helpless made her remember that while they were not mortal, they still faced death. Some vampires grew sick of living forever, and welcomed their own end. But Aubrey was a fighter. She knew that though he would never admit it, he wanted to survive, and he would fight this thing as long as he could.
Watching Caryn work, she began to wonder how this healer who worked for peace and therefore against their kind could be so trusting. "Caryn," she almost whispered, "Why are you doing this?"
Caryn did not look up from her work. She was hovering over Aubrey, channeling energy and whispering spells. She sighed as if she had expected the question. "Well for one, I certainly don't want you or Aubrey as my enemies. I'm not that ignorant. I know what you're capable of. Mostly though, because he asked for my help. If he was strong enough to show that he needed help, which most vampires refuse to do, the only honorable thing for me to do would be to give it to him."
Risika nodded silently. As Caryn continued to work, Risika merely watched her, and silently thanked whatever god that might listen to a vampire that Dominique and Sarah Vida weren't here. They were much more close-minded that Caryn, and would not have stood for this.
As the hours passed, anger and confusion began to brew in Risika. It was the same internal conflict she had had so many times recently. Should she let her life-long enemy die? This was Aubrey - the one who she blamed for the destruction of her brother. The one who stood in her way of being one of the most powerful vampires. The one who had hunted her for centuries. Or was it she who had hunted him? Either way, he had made Risika feel like prey. And to her, that was the worst feeling in the world. She was angry with herself for forgetting all these things recently.
Suddenly, Risika rose from the chair she had been in so long. Glancing outside to the dark sky, she said to Caryn, "I have to go."
Caryn didn't respond. Risika knew healers didn't like to think about the way vampires fed, so she disappeared quietly.
A couple of hours later Risika returned, satisfied from her hunt. It felt good to escape, and to run.
The house was dark when she came back, and she found Caryn about to go to bed. Caryn turned to whisper to her, "I think he's sleeping. I've got him stabilized for now, but in the morning if I don't find a more permanent solution, he'll most likely die." She sounded stressed and exhausted, so Risika let her be, not wanting to worry her further.
She went quietly to the room where Aubrey was staying. Caryn was right. He was asleep, or at least as asleep as a vampire could ever be. She slowly touched his chest. He was still cold. And very still.
Risika took a step back and silently screamed at herself for daring to care. How could she? How could she feel sad for this…this creature, who had tried to destroy her multiple times? She felt a dark, mocking laughter building up inside of her. Laughter at herself, at him, at the world. She didn't know. But she wanted to end it. Risika knew she wasn't thinking clearly, but she wanted to give into her anger. Maybe that way she could end her own pain.
She found Aubrey's knife, still sheathed in his boot as always. The Fenris was barely visible in the dim light. Without pausing to think for fear of stopping herself, she positioned her arm above his heart. As she was about to swing the knife down, she felt a sudden strong grip on her wrist. Aubrey had awoken with a start.
"Don't think you can fool me, Risika. I'm still more powerful. And I can stop you," he hissed.