Sanguini hummed while running his eyes over the boy. He was extremely malnourished and the turning hadn't helped at all. It was miraculous that he was still alive, if he were to be honest. Not that he'd tell the boys, they might throw a hissy fit or panic and while entertaining as they could be… this was too important to mess up.
"Vită," he called.
The large well, groomed man in the corner turned his head. "Yes, my lord?"
"Fetch Aveline."
The blood slave turned without a word and exited the room. Six pairs of eyes watched him go while Sanguini focused on the boy again. Thankfully, he was the most skilled vampire in Bonds on this side of the world. Unfortunately, like any vampire, he had no magic which made a diagnosis a bit more difficult considering he couldn't just scan the fledgling like a healer and he couldn't asses his bonds without a possible risk. Aveline would have to give him the go ahead before he tried anything.
"So," David drawled from his place at the head of the bed they had dragged into their common room. "What exactly are we waiting for?"
Sanguini looked up, red eyes flashing in amusement. "So impatient. We are waiting for the magical healer I keep on staff. Aveline is quite practiced and I need her affirmation that me assessing him will not complicate his condition further."
"And you didn't have her ready earlier?"
Ah, the surly dark skinned boy that was currently pacing on the other side of the room. The most anxious of the coven to have their fledgling back. He likely had a different form of bond with the Potter boy forming before the child had been kidnapped.
"I did not expect there to be magical interference, no. And from what I remember of it's taste, it's most certainly not his own."
"Man, I wish I could taste magical auras. That would be so much cooler," the youngest whined, shifting on his corner of the couch.
"Shut it," his elder blood brother snapped. "At least you have something."
"Aw, don't be like that Mikey," the cherubic one sniggered, kicking his leg into Michael's shoulder so he was slammed into his younger brother.
"Yea, don't be like that Mikey!" The tall blond peered over from his sitting position (partially raising himself off the ground) behind the couch with a snarky grin.
He chuckled when a mini fight started again. They were quite the energetic coven. It was refreshing compared to all the politicking he had to deal with on a daily basis. The old codgers on the council were still giving him hell about hosting them, too, which was rather annoying. There was nothing inferior about their sub species of vampire just as there was nothing superior about Sanguini's own. They all had their strengths and weaknesses and honestly the 'magical' (a fraudulent name considering they had no magic, only their 'gifted' abilities) convents could use more of David's kind around. They had a much higher magical resistance and that was extremely useful in certain situations.
David snapped at his brothers and they all quieted again.
Perhaps Sanguini should look into getting some fledglings of his own, if only for their entertainment value.
Not a moment after that thought, the door opened and Aveline strode in, head bowed as was proper.
"Aveline, my dear. How wonderful of you to make such good time. Come. This boy needs a full scan… His state is rather fragile so be delicate."
She nodded her head in acquiesce and knelt beside the bed, her ring glowing with a soothing blue light. He kept a careful eye on his guests while this happened and noted the tension raise significantly when she went near the boy.
It was also quite admirable how protective they were of each other. A telepathic bond between coven members; how delightful that would have been when he had been turned. To know what your Sire or siblings were thinking… Would have saved him quite the hassle a few centuries later.
It was unfortunate most of their kind consisted of muggles. Perhaps they'd be better received if they had more magicals amongst their numbers. Them and the 'sharks' -as they'd been deemed- were a lot more powerful than he'd been led to believe. Which meant Sanguini was going to have to check out their own society for himself once this whole ordeal was over with. Perhaps David would even be so kind as to host him for a bit…
Avenline looked up and waved her free hand, sending the results into the air in a flair of sparkling green words. Sanguini tsked, reading the old latin quickly with a growing knot of dread in his chest.
"Well, boys we have some work cut out for us," he murmured softly. All of them shifted closer and David was the one who asked what he meant. "His chart is not looking good. He has had repeated magical overloads, presumably trying to return to the previous state it had become accustomed to. To stop those… a knotwork of celtic runes that drains his magic once it reaches a certain point but it looks like they were recently corrupted and they've drained him completely dry. Those runes will have to be cleansed and erased before I can even go near him. Besides that he's extremely malnourished and has suffered several near fatal injuries."
A chorus of snarls filled the room and Sanguini watched as Aveline's pupils dilated in fear, though she made no other move. A pitiful creature she was. He'd have eaten her long before then if she wasn't so good at her craft.
"Best to move quickly. Aveline go with some vită and prepare the ritual chamber for a cleansing."
She bowed again, showing her slender neck and the thin black collar that marked her as untouchable, before standing up and bustling away in haste.
He turned back to the room of boys, their eyes watching his every move. "It should only take a few minutes to prepare, then we'll have to move him again. Once the ritual is done I can look him over before we move onto his turning. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Yea, I do." Dwayne growled, eyes flashing orange briefly in his irritation. "What magic was on him? I'm sure the scan picked it up."
"I'd be willing to bet it was magical Jesus," Michael murmured.
"Magical… Jesus," Sanguini asked, his brow dipping in confusion.
Marko laughed, shoving himself upwards and reclaiming his foot from Michael in the process. "He means Dumbledore. Those warnings you gave us have some real weight behind them after some of the things I've seen."
Dwayne frowned at his brother, remembering the brief flashes of the important memories he'd shared. They were just as patchy as that redhead's that David had killed. Dumbledore seemed to be a very dangerous manipulator and he'd gotten his claws into their Daniel. It was unforgivable.
"Well, you are not incorrect, young Michael. It is certainly Dumbledore's signature but… there is something more malicious tied to him as well. Something I have only heard of in stories. Let us hope it is not what I think it is…"
Sam, who'd wiggled out from underneath his brother -Michael had decided that he was perfectly content crushing Sam and stayed lounging there- stood up and froze. His blue eyes turned to Sanguini and through their link every single vampire felt the tang of fear from the Elder.
Dwayne, who was going to ask about it, kept his mouth shut instead. Whatever could frighten a vampire of this age was not something to be trifled with. He turned his dark gaze to his little brother, laying there on the bed looking small and sickly. His chest ached.
David glared at the stone walls, listening to the muffled chanting. It was irritating that he couldn't be in there watching. He didn't give a fuck about the ritual itself, that was more Dwayne or Marko's shindig, but he did actually care about Daniel and the spider silk thread bond that was barely tying him to them. It had gotten even weaker since the whole thing had begun and he was starting to gnash his teeth in lieu of smoking.
The voices crescendoed before stopping and finally the Elder vampire stepped out, face more drawn and pale than usual.
"It is complete. Come."
They all shuffled after their host into the stone chamber noting the fallen blood cattle and the ones still standing up against the walls quietly. David was the first to see the half melted altar table in the middle with Daniel. He looked so small and vulnerable and not in the cute way he used to come off as when he was a kid. No, this was even worse. He was almost skin and bones, cheeks and eyes sunken, and hair so thin it looked like it had been falling out. He hadn't even looked this bad before he'd gone in! What the fuck had happened?
Sanguini, noting the fury in their gazes, started to calmly explain in a hoarse voice, "His magic, once free to recover was not as drained as previously thought, instead it had been more restrained. It lashed out and killed those on the floor, ripping their magical cores from them and consuming them. We had to place a reflecting barrier to finish erasing the runes inscribed on his bones. So his magic turned to cannibalizing his own body. If you wish to turn him you must do so now. I fear he will not survive the hour at this rate."
Every single one of the Lost Boys panicked. Not outwardly of course, except maybe Sam -who was affected the worst- who smooshed himself into Michael's side since he wasn't next to his Sire. David could feel their reverberating thoughts pounding in his head.
'They'd worked so fucking hard! They couldn't lose him- couldn't couldn't couldn't. They were so close! Not now!'
With a snarl he slammed up his mental barriers so he could focus and stalked over to the altar, feeling a tingle that signified he'd probably passed the barrier. There was immediate scorching heat that settled around him and David paused, feeling the animalistic hunger like a shroud. It was swirling around him, gnawing at his skin ready to strike.
The aura pressed around his shoulders, constricting his muscles, locking him place. David choked thrashing against the presence but, for all his effort, only managed to shiver. Shit, the kid got strong. He remembered the feel of the magic, the soft press of it against his skin when Daniel was training on lifting objects. But this? This monstrosity was nothing like that happy little breeze. It was an animalistic rage in its purest form blistering his skin, a bottomless hunger that away at him slowly but was never satisfied, a deep yearning for the lost-
David latched onto that last feeling and grit out, "Are you really gonna hurt me, brat?"
It swirled away, leaving David gasping for breath like he hadn't needed since he'd been turned. The Lost Boy knew it wasn't gone though. He could feel it eating at the air, scrutinizing him, weighing his word and voice.
With careful hesitance, David poured his memories of their time together down the strand hoping it wouldn't snap under the pressure. It didn't. Instead, it seemed to devour the impressions from years ago desperate for more. Actually, no. It was desperate for more. He could feel it in the air and through the bond. The bond which was strengthened into a thread like thickness.
David turned to his boys, letting down his barrier. He felt their panic and worry wash over and through him and he, in turn, gave live feedback of what he was feeling through the barrier and what he needed from them. He could see their lips move but he could only hear their words in his head. The magic surrounding him, or maybe it was the barrier, had dampened sound to an incredible degree and for a second David was thrown off by the impairment. It wasn't something he thought he'd ever encounter but for now he had more important things to worry about.
With the boys feeding him their own memories he sent it through the bond feeling as it strengthened through each one, growing thicker by the second. It was… euphoric to feel the gnawing fade, the rage cool, the longing satisfied. The air grew lighter but something else replaced it. Something David was all too aware of.
Bloodlust, the sheer thirst that rasped the throat and destroyed one's focus until all they could think about was slaking the craving and easing the symptoms.
Daniel needed blood.
'Sanguini says he still has that voided bond with Max, more than likely because his magic is trying to hold onto it even if nothing is there. It's gonna take more blood to turn him than usual.'
David sent his acknowledgment to Dwayne, trying to ignore the irritation of Max still persisting, and stepped over to his little brother carefully. In a way, he was still his brother but soon he'd become his Childe, just like Sam. Then they'd all be together like they were supposed to from the beginning.
He could feel Michael's sincere regret for a single moment and he glanced over flashing in fangs in reproach. They'd already had this discussion and they all forgave Michael for the fuss he caused. It got rid of Star and Max in the process so it was completely worth it.
With that out of the way, David turned his focus back onto the gaunt teen on the altar. He sliced his wrist with a claw and held it over his pale lips. A drop fell, followed by another, and another all pooling in the crevice of lips, a sultry red against the startling white.
It was only when David was beginning to worry about the brat's stillness that Daniel shot up, fangs sinking into his arms, hands clamping on his forearm to keep him in place. The drain was felt almost immediately, a tickle forming in the back of the blondes throat as his own hunger started to form. Unlike his changing of Sam, David could feel the turning as it swept through Daniel's body, revitalizing atrophied muscles and repairing weakened bones. But he could tell even now, that he didn't have enough which was astonishing. A normal turning took only a drop of blood or perhaps a mouthful or two for the sick. Their little brother was going to drain him dry and he didn't know if he'd have enough to override Max's hold on the boy's magic.
Fuck.
He turned his gaze to his brother's and Dwayne frowned heavily at the information. The Native American turned to Sanguini who blinked. Then their host motioned to David, his lips moving but still lacking sound, and the few blood cattle left shuffled forward one by one. As soon as the first one crossed the barrier, they fell gasping for air and dying only a second later. Well, that was inconvenient.
The second and third suffered the same fate and David was getting just a tad desperate. He didn't exactly want to be drained dry but he just knew if he stopped Daniel's magic would overwrite his blood. It was an instinctive feeling, knowledge that he certainly didn't have before rattling around in his brain.
He tsked, clenching one gloved hand, and turned to his boys again. One of them would have to cross the barrier and drag the bodies to him for feeding. Almost all of them perked, except for Sam and Michael who seemed a bit wary considering they didn't have as much of stake in this, but Dwayne was the one that stepped forward before Paul or Marko could.
He took a few long strides into the barrier and stumbled to a stop, going through the same thing David had earlier.
"Little brother…"
It sounded garbled, as if underwater even though Dwayne had spoken normally. So it wasn't just the barrier but Daniel's magic silencing the area. That was interesting. Was his magic an actual physical presence? It had certainly frozen David by holding him in place and it was muffling sound like a heavy blanket. Something to think about another time, perhaps.
Seeming to recognize another of his brothers, Daniel's magic allowed Dwayne passage instead of death and the brunette grabbed the three bodies on the floor and dragged them over. The first one, David couldn't drain fast enough. Even with his blood slightly restored, it wasn't enough though. He was still being drained heavily and now it came with the very strange feeling of the blood flowing through him instead of settling where it was supposed to be. So, he grabbed up another body and drained. Then he grabbed up the third.
"Fuck," he muttered with a wince. "Come on, little brother. At this rate you won't even have a Sire."
"David."
The blonde looked at his brother's offered arm and frowned. He knew what and why he was offering but Daniel's turning was already at risk. Fucking brat was so greedy though…
"Ah, shit. What the fuck. We can co-parent," David snickered caustically. Dwayne shot him a glare and quite the few nasty expletives over the link. David just snorted, a bit more humorous than before, and brought his brothers arm up to bite.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of Dwayne's blood, David felt the connection crackle before finally snapping into place. There was a vague cheer in the background and the blonde leader couldn't help but agree. Ten years and one long ass turning and Daniel was finally theirs again.
Gently, he pried the teen off of his wrist and backed away with a wince when it didn't even start to heal. He was probably going to have to ask Sanguini for a few more vită than he'd thought… ugh, more favors to repay.
Dwayne could feel the thrumming of the bond in his head and chest. It was making him slightly euphoric as he very slowly made his way closer to Daniel so he could clean up the blood making a mess of his face. Already he looked so much better. There was the flush of a new feed beneath his plump cheeks and his skin had lost its waxen sheen.
He was only half vampire again technically considering he hadn't had human blood just yet, but he'd certainly drained enough from David to be considered a gluttonous serving of blood. Now just remained the task of his first true feeding when he awoke.
Dwayne gently closed the teen's half open mouth, noting the fangs were still there, and started wiping the blood from his lips with his thumb.
He glanced at the celebrating boys behind him and David standing off to the side.
The magic that had still been shrouding the area was back to what he remembered a decade ago; a warm breeze that gently brushed his skin in familiarity. It was a relief compared to the almost starved buzzing it had been against his skin before. That had been a slightly terrifying moment but Daniel was too important and he trusted the bond they shared that his magic was trying so desperately to hold onto.
But now...
Everything was going to be okay now.
AN: I apologize for the late timing guys, I've been really sick. Sick enough it's kept me from my job. So, while I'm not super happy with this chapter I wanted to get it out there for you.
As always tell me what ya'll think?