(Fixed some mistakes, Re-Upload.)
Hello dear readers! Here you have the next chapter from my story! Hope you enjoy it as you did with the others! :)
Kemeno: It's alright, as long as you are liking the story. :3 Thank you!
-dragonclaw-coco: Hahaha, indeed! Down with Oyan, up Terrennials! XD Thanks!
slack-jawed cheese hugger: I'm glad that I was able to make you create a story. XD And I completely like the idea of having a fan art of this story. 3 I will wait with excitement. Thanks!
Sorry for any mistakes you might find here. xx
13
Aaron and the Terrennials returned to the mansion. They only saw Dumas and Perrault. The formed Duke smiled when the boy entered the main room and asked if he was now more decided, and smiled even more when the boy say that yes, he was. But neither Lucian nor Nish were in the mansion right now, both of them left for a walk leaving Dumas with his Terrennial to read and rest of them for a bit. Aaron got interested in that and sat besides him, asking him why they left. Dumas answered saying that they were getting impatient about the feeding, especially Lucian since he really wanted to drink Aaron's blood and wasn't going to drink any other but that. So Nish had the fantastic idea to made a bet with him; how long he could stand the smell and sight of blood for the period of time that Nish says, and being Lucian, he accepted it. Dumas knew that the dhampir was going to kneel at the first blood that dropped from the first victim his new partner found and he knew that Lucian wasn't going to stand looking and smelling it less than a minute. It would only frustrate him more and his vampire half will go berserk in mere seconds.
"How long they have left?", asked Aaron, petting Nero's back, who was resting on his lap. Perraul was jealousy looking at the boy. She wanted to groom his back.
"About an hour or so.", Dumas narrowed his eyes. "Are you thinking in going to look after them?"
"Why do you have this magnetism to problems?", said Toasty, who was sitting on the Duke's right shoulder. "You will only screw up things."
"Oh? Look who's talking.", answered Nero, waving his tail angrily, remembering what the light Terrennial did to him while he was in the cage. Toasty understood and shut his mouth. "But he got a point in that. Besides, what are you going to do after you find him?"
"...tell him that he can drink my blood?", said Aaron, blushing deeply, trying to hid his face.
The former Duke giggled.
"You will get more nervous and more red than you are now when Lucian sinks his fangs on your tender and delicious skin of your neck.", the boy turned more red and looked the chair next to him, trying to avoid Dumas' naughty look. "It's not even going to hurt. You will enjoy it so much..."
Aaron nodded, imagining Lucian's hot breath and lips on his equal hot skin of his neck. The imagined feelings made him shiver, something that Dumas noticed. He hugged the boy with one of his arms and whispered to not be afraid, just loose up and enjoy it as a special foreplay. Around three in the morning, cold winds started to blow. Aaron didn't have any warm clothes besides a single sweater; very thin that really didn't warm at all, and the jacket. Dumas went to his room, the one that he and Nish shared, and gave him some of his clothes and a long, black coat to wear. It was thick and very warm. The interior fabric was all crimson like the big neck and the buttons. The vampire also gave him a pair of gloves and boots, seeing that the ones he always wore were not helping in keeping his feet at their normal temperature. Dumas fixed the collar a bit and covered Aaron's neck with it.
"There you go. You shouldn't have any problems with this on."
"You have nice taste in clothes.", said the young boy, petting the soft fabric of the coat. Nero rubbed himself against Aaron's legs. He liked the new stile in Trinity's son. "You like it too, Nero?"
"Very much. You now look like a real vampire mate."
The boy blushed. Toasty petted his head softly and smiled to him.
"You should get moving.", suggested. "It could snow or hail anytime, and you will not enjoy your walk if the weather betrays you.", the boy hugged him. "Oh, you are so cute."
Aaron giggled.
"And you are so stubborn."
"...now you aren't so cute anymore!"
Dumas laughed with Nero and the boy, and rushed him to leave soon.
Nero jumped on Aaron's shoulder and both of them left, before the boy took his Knight and put it in the belt around his waist. When they finally left, a cold wind played with the boy's hair. It was really cold, but the coat covered him from it. The monsters guarding the forecourt accompanied him to the entrance of it before returning to their spots. The hidden path in the woods was lightly illuminated with the moon's soft, silver light. Nero curled behind the boy's neck, putting his tail around his neck and folded his wings against his furred body. He put his legs and paws on Aaron's shoulder and rested his head on them, comfortable seeing everything the boy saw. The trip was short and soon, they were in Acuna.
The city was asleep. The winds had troubles with the amount of buildings and didn't have the same force back in the woods or in the mansion's forecourt. The stone streets were empty, not a single soul was walking there, not even the north gunslingers. Aaron walked slowly, looking at the closed shops' show windows. He found nothing of interest but it was a good way to kill time until he found a clue where the hell could be Lucian and Nish. Nero was helping too, trying to find even the lightest sound with his ears or at last the vampire's dark energy, but he was concerned that he couldn't feel them. Perhaps because he was still weak after the rough weeks he had back in the Guild, but still, at last a tiny bit of them! After a while he didn't think in that anymore and fall asleep on the boy's shoulder.
Aaron thought that Acuna was unnaturally quiet. He had patrolled it several times at night, the same hour, and it wasn't this quiet. He knew immediately that something was up. Could it be that the north gunslinger have already frightened the people in it, so much that they don't dare to go for a little walk in the night? He hoped not, because if it was the case, then the vampires living in Acuna would be in serious problems with the gunslingers. The boy titled his head to the left. What about himself? What about his legacy as Trinity's son, as the gunslinger he dreamed for so long to become? Would his father really accept his relationship with Lucian, even if said one was a vampire? He doubt it, but since it was Lucian, it could work out, but only because it was him. He knew that if it wasn't him, then his father would have tried the same thing that Toasty or Ernest did. And now, he was looking for his mate to share his blood with him and let him transform in the vampire that he rejected to become for eleven years. Aaron thought of that. What thing made Lucian change his decision about that? Sheridan's and Dumas' words? Toasty's ones? His words, his attitude? What? Had Lucian accepted them and see no other way to keep going? Even if he fight the curse back, it would be useless since he would only harm himself in the process. Slowly rejecting solid food and normal food, his body would start weakling bit by bit, until his stomach would only accept red, juicy meats and blood. No eating meant sickness, and Lucian wasn't going to go through that having his strong feelings towards the boy and mated him already. He didn't want to make him suffer.
Aaron sighed. It was so complicated. He only hoped that after Lucian becomes a vampire, at last a bit could be easier.
He reached the dark park and sat on one of the empty benches. He put his gloved hands in the coat's pockets and leaning on it, looking at the cloudy sky. It was a different sight from the mansion. There, the sky was clear and the stars were very bright, like the Moon that was now covered with the thick, dark clouds. The boy thought of a city where humans and vampires lived together. Could it be possible? The old stories about towns and cities like that, were true? Was there a city were both races lived in peace, without wars? He hoped so, he would not stand going from here to there, from this to that. He had friends, Lucian had friends here too despite him saying he didn't. It would be hard for both of them to constantly move from a side to another because of their 'taboo' condition.
"My child, what are you doing this late at night, alone in the park?", came a soft voice from behind Aaron.
The boy turned around and smiled when he saw the covered figure of Lucian, hiding in the shadows. He could see, at last, his glowing red eyes in said darkness. Aaron was now used at the sight and didn't shiver when he saw them.
"Looking for you, of course.", replied the boy. The dhampir walked to him and sat next to his mate, circling his body with his strong arms. "Where were you?"
"Oh, having fun with Nish.", he grinned, showing his white teeth and fangs. The mischief smile he gave Aaron said a lot. "He taught me stuff..."
Aaron arched an eyebrow.
"Stuff?", he repeated. "What kind of stuff?", Lucian could hear a tinny note of jealous in his mate's voice.
"Not that kind of stuff, mind you, but rather vampire's stuff. We hunted together, and bet me to stand in front of blood for two hours straight."
"And how it ended?", curiously asked Aaron, snuggling closer to the warm body besides him. Nero kept sleeping, not really feeling the closeness of Lucian.
The dhampir chuckled.
"At first it was hard to not drink it, but I managed to suppress that instinct and I won the bet.", explained then. "Nish ate the prey and then we left, just walking in the streets until I sensed your delicious scent.", Lucian nuzzled Aaron's neck and purred. "Heavens, you smell so good.", he leaned over him and kissed the boy's lips hungrily, forcing his tongue inside the other's mouth.
Aaron shivered in excitement, letting his mate to do whatever he pleased with his mouth and tongue. The naughty hands of the dhampir roamed his body, looking for a possible entrance under those thick and annoying clothes the young boy was wearing due to the low temperatures. The boy chuckled at the useless movements of Lucian on his body. He laid on the bench, with the other on him and smiled warmly to him. Nero awoke and hissed, jumping from the boy to the ground. When he noticed it was only Lucian he calmed down and mumbled some words saying things about them, walking away to leave them alone.
Lucian returned to the boy's mouth, hugging him tightly, playing with Aaron's tongue and his. Quickly, their bodies were heating up and the clothes were helping in that. Lucian couldn't stand them anymore but couldn't strip in the middle of the park, especially because it was freezing. And Aaron would reject the idea of doing it in the open, seeing how shy the boy was with that subject. He separated himself from the boy's warm lips and started to kiss his jawline, traveling up to his ear and playing with it before going down again. Lucian nibbled and bit softly on the heated skin, getting more excited. The tip of the fangs teased said skin, wanting to drink the blood that laid under it. The dhampir purred and Aaron could notice that his mate was slowly getting horny. He sighed, shivering at the touches on his neck. He smiled and whispered a single order to Lucian, whose eyes widened instantly. He moved under the spell of that order and, with extremely gentleness, he bit down on the boy's neck, feeling the heat from it and the warmness of the blood that started sucking from him. Lucian moaned deeply, digging his claws in the back of his mate, finding the ecstasy he always wanted since he mated with Aaron, and the boy was under the same feeling. His blushed face seemed to explode anytime as he tightly gripped the back of the bench, shivering in pleasure, while the other gripped Lucian's hair, pulling them when a wave of pleasure hit his body without notice.
The dhampir fed from his mate for five minutes before releasing him, even if he didn't want to. The sweet blood that poured from the now open wound called his mouth back, to keep drinking, but he rejected it. He licked his lips and fangs, swallowing the leftovers on his mouth. Looking down, he saw the thin trails of blood from the wound and bent down, licking the skin several times before stopping. Slowly, the round holes closed. Lucian purred and kissed Aaron's right cheek. He laughed when he heard his elaborated breathing.
"Was too much for you?", asked in a whisper. The boy smiled even if the dhampir couldn't see it.
"The happiness was too much, but I'm so glad I did it."
Lucian sighed contently.
They stayed on the bench, holding each other. Aaron moved a bit when he saw the first lights on the sky, lights that announced the beginning of a new day. The Sun was slowly making his way up on the sky, trying to let his rays play between the dark clouds and be able to illuminate, at last a bit, the surface of the planet. Lucian didn't want to move at all, neither Aaron, but they both knew it was really late and Dumas and Nish would be probably worried about them, not to mention that Toasty would driving them insane with his questions about the young boy. But they didn't want to go to the mansion. Since they were in Acuna they decided to walk on the streets, with Nero resting on Aaron's shoulders, and returned to the Inn they rented a few months ago and abandoned a few weeks later.
The owner was very happy to have them again in the Inn. He asked why they were out for so long and Lucian put up an excuse, seeing how Aaron couldn't really say anything. His blushed face said a lot more than he wanted to. They took the key and went upstairs.
Not so long after they left, the owner heard some soft knocks on his door. He opened it and found a young man, around his twenties, with dirty blonde hair and pale skin. He was wearing some dirty clothes and a very old, fashioned cowboy hat that he respectfully took off when the owner opened the door. Hanging on his shoulders there was a bag with his belongings.
"I'm sorry to disturb you at these early hours but, would you have room for a tired writer like me?", said in a very polite voice. The owner of the Inn could see some unnaturally long fangs peeping from his thin lips. "I have traveled for a long time and couldn't find any open Inn."
"Of course. This way, please...", he answered, moving so the foreigner could enter without problems. "Is only for a night?"
"I wouldn't know. I plan on staying in the city for a while, but I don't know how much time.", he said, still with the hat on his hand. The owner took a new look at him, and noticed a strange, white mark on his right cheek as well as his lightly pointed ears. Was the foreigner a half vampire? His eyes weren't red, but a very bright grey. "How much it will cost each night?"
"One hundred of solls. You can include breakfast and dinner, but that will raise the cost at two hundred.", answered the owner, taking a big book from under the counter.
The foreigner made a face.
"Are there good restaurants around here?", the owner nodded, writing some stuff down in the book. "Is there also a library?"
"Yes, there is one a few blocks away. It's one of the biggest here."
The young man was very happy to hear that. He put the hat on his head, put one hundred of solls on the table and grabbed the keys, but the owner stopped him, saying he needed to sig the book. The foreigner smiled and did it, turning around and going upstairs. The owner looked at his name and arched his eyebrows. What kind of name was 'Dyango'?
Aaron was the first who woke up. It was late in the afternoon, around five or so, and the Sun was slowly setting. Lucian was sleeping soundless besides him, with his arms tightly around his slim body. The boy managed to slip from them and sat up from the bed. Nero was already up and told him that Dumas, especially, was furious that neither of them decided to, at last, send to him a message telling that they were going to spend the night somewhere else, but the black cat already took care of it. The former Duke was worried that the north gunslinger had caught them, seeing how Alexander was. That brought new worries for the boy. Now that Lucian was officially a vampire and Alexander was under Oyan's hands, what they were going to do? They needed to help him but, how? Oyan had more men back into his native land and he only had to make a single call or send his spy to tell them he needed reinforcements and soon, the East cities were going to see another war between gunslingers and vampires.
He decided to wait until Lucian decided to wake up. Meanwhile, he stayed on the couch, with Nero on his lap, petting his head and back, thinking. There was indeed a new war upcoming but he didn't know who were on their side, he didn't know if the vampires in Acuna, Culiacan, New Culiacan and the others cities were willing to help kicking the north gunslingers out of them. What would happen if the humans that wanted the vampires out of the cities allied with Oyan? Vampires had their supernatural powers such as darkness and some elemental powers, but they couldn't fight the gunslingers back without using a Casket Armor underneath their clothes. The solar guns were going to kill them instantly. Aaron noticed that he needed to talk with Ernest about it, and think with him, Bea, Ernest, Dumas and Lucian a way to kick Oyan away from their native city. Perhaps the former Duke, Lucian and Nish could convince some of their own race to fight back, and Ernest and the others convince some humans to fight along them, but humans that didn't despite vampires and had a good relationship with them. Said vampires needed to be think the same as these humans otherwise, it wouldn't work out.
The other thing was the number of allies and enemies; Oyan probably had more than one thousand of men at his orders, plus those who decided to join him in the East cities. They had only the tinny bit of gunslingers and a tiny bit of who were brave enough to fight them back. They didn't have a chance, unless they prepared them a trap on the same streets. But what? Aaron couldn't think of a good way to lure them out from the battle field to the streets the East habitants knew very well.
He was sure that, in the middle of all that musing, fall asleep because when he opened his eyes, Lucian wasn't lying on the bed anymore. Nero was resting besides him, apparently not knowing that the newborn vampire wasn't in the room. Aaron stood up and looked around. He wasn't there. The boy bit his bottom lip. It seemed like the first day when Lucian run away without saying anything. How could he still be so careless with him, now that they mated and he let drink his blood? He was about to start cursing when he saw a small note on the light table, written in Lucian's handwriting.
"I'm sorry to leave you again, like the first time I decided to run away, fearing that I could be a possible harm for you. This is no different. I don't want you near me when I complete my transformation because I really don't want to harm you, this time for real. I will return (I promise I will return this time!), once I have finished my transformation. And don't worry, please, Dumas and Nish will be there with me to take care of me. Lucian."
All the anger that was building inside disappeared when he finished reading the note. A small smile appeared on his soft face. He put the note on the same place he found it and flopped down on the bed. He was happy that, at last, Lucian cared to leave a note but at the same time, was angry because he didn't want to be with him while he transformed. The boy had to respect that decision because it was something that could affect their future together. Either way, he was really excited about the idea that when Lucian returned, will do it in the full form of a real vampire. He let his imagination flow and thought twenty different ways on how Lucian would look after the dark matter took completely control of his human body. He hoped, deep inside, that his appearance doesn't change a lot.
Nero awoke and suggested him to get moving to the mansion, since it was safer there than in the Inn, with all the north gunslingers moving out there. Aaron agreed, and started to put on all the clothes Lucian had took off before they went to bed. Grabbing the note and the keys, both of them left the room, locking it with the key. Downstairs, the bar was empty and only the owner and his helper were there. Aaron gave him the keys and excused again, saying that they were going to be absent for a long time.
They left the Inn, and a cold wind welcomed them on the streets. Even with the not so nice weather, the people enjoyed the weekend. It was a nice Sunday evening and the shops were still open. Aaron and Nero looked around, curious, walking closer to the show windows when something caught their interest. He saw some gunslingers doing their patrol that evening and tried to take other directions in other to not jump into them but wasn't lucky when he took a turn to the right. Could his bad luck have something to do with Nero that was a black cat that accompanied him? The north gunslingers got pissed at him and insulted him and Aaron, being the hot headed boy he was, did nothing else but answer those insults. The result; he running for his life with the gunslingers seeking after him, with their guns charged and ready to shoot.
The boy hid in a building, the men following close behind. He went downstairs, upstairs, turned to the left, to the right. Why were still behind him?! Have they recognized him? Could it be that Oyan told his men to capture him if they ever saw him? No wonder they were so insistent. But if that was the case, he needed to run faster than he already was. Nero was firmly gripped at his shoulders with his paws, trying to keep his balance each time the boy decided to turn. His fur spiked up when he and the boy saw that there was no exit in the last turn they did. Aaron started to curse outloud when the gunslingers finally caught him
"Fucking brat.", said one of the, pretty pissed off. "Our leader told us you were hard, but didn't think you could run that fast."
Aaron groaned. Yes, Oyan definitely wanted him. And he wasn't with Toasty to Trance and kick their asses, and didn't know if he could fuse with Nero. He took out his Knight and both men started laughing when they pointed their weapons at Aaron. The boy sighed, gripping his teeth. He was so fucked up. The boy lifted his arms up, but didn't drop the gun, not yet.
The other one laughed as he approached the boy with a pair of handcuff.
"This way that vampire will not be able to attack us as long as you are with us.", he laughed again when he obliged the boy. The Knight fall to the floor when he put the handcuff on the boy, but was lifted by a third man that wasn't either gunslinger or someone the boy knew. "Who the fuck are you?", asked the man, after putting the handcuffs on Aaron and shoving him to his partner.
The fourth in the room picked up the weapon and looked a it, ignoring the two gunslingers. He adjusted his black, dirty hat on his head and pointed it to the men, who laughed.
"Wanna die, idiot?", but not so long after he said that a hole was now seen in the middle of his forehead. Blood started to pour like a river from the wound and the now dead body fell on the floor.
"Mother fucker!", screamed the second one, but suffered the same ending as his partner.
The man smiled and Aaron could see his fangs. Nero hissed at the stranger, but he knew he couldn't do anything in his state, still weak and not completely healed up.
"It's ok.", said the other approaching the boy with his Knight. He took the keys of the handcuffs from the dead gunslingers. "I hate these guys too.", the man took the handcuff off and throw them to the floor. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you.", answered when the man returned to him his weapon.
"You shouldn't walk in this infested city of gunslingers without your vampire mate, seeing how much interest they have in you.", the man smiled when he saw the expression of Aaron. "I can smell the scent of a vampire all over you."
"Are you a dhampir?", asked the boy.
"Something like that. Now, if you excuse me, I'm leaving. Just take in mind what I told you.", the man pat Aaron's head and turned around. "See ya, kid."
"What a weird man.", whispered Nero when he and Aaron decided to leave the building too.
Night fall, but Lucian didn't return to the mansion or the Inn. Aaron was getting worried. He wanted to talk with Ernest but couldn't risk going to the Guild, since he needed to go through Acuna. After what happened that evening he didn't want to go outside again. Surprisingly, Toasty was the one that told them what was happening with the dark swordsman. Dumas and Nish took him to a field not so far from the mansion where he could transform without interruptions.
"And they don't wish you to go there, for your own safety.", finished the Light Terrennial.
Aaron pouted.
In the end, he had to wait up for the vampires to return to the mansion, but he couldn't just wait them doing nothing. He took both Terrennials with him and went outside, in the forecourt, to walk a bit. He also took the book, under his arm, as he walked and talked none senses with the Terrennials. They found a nice place to stay, near the beginning of the forest, and sat on an old bench. Some shadows appeared as the boy sat and from them, Ghouls popped out, going to different ways in order to protect their master from any harm that could come from anywhere. Toasty eyed them, not liking to have Ghouls so close from the boy, but Aaron told him it was natural since he was now the mate of a powerful vampire. Nero seconded it and Toasty didn't ask or say anything else.
He opened the book and started to read from where he left the last time he read it. Aaron started to read the part of vampire's transformations, since Lucian was going through it right now, interested in the different types of physical features the new vampire will have, as well with a list of the possible changes in their attitude. That's something Aaron noticed several days before they mated. The dhampir behaved weird to his usual persona and it amused Aaron, liking some of those new moods.
The cold atmosphere made the boy sleepy. Some hounds approached him and curled besides their master, keeping him warm. Aaron's eyes started to close slowly. The book fell on his lap as well as his eyes on his cheeks. Why he was so tired so suddenly? A soft breeze blew between his hairs, the lulling sound of the tree's leaves in the silent night... Could it be because Lucian fed from him? Blood was human's life energy and if they lost a nice amount of it, they would not be able to do normal things. Was Aaron feeling weak because of it? But he didn't care as long as he could be useful for Lucian, since he was the one that needed to eat specific food.
He didn't know how much time he slept but when he woke up, it wasn't that quietly anymore. The hounds were nervous and the Ghouls that were patrolling returned to the boy's side. Aaron blinked, confused and still sleepy, and saw Nero with his fur spiked up and Toasty with his human form, feasting his fists, looking really angry. His body felt heavy, he couldn't move it.
"Toasty...", called the boy weakly, followed by a low groan.
The Terrennial spun around and gasped in surprise.
"You are awake! Don't move.", said Toasty helping the boy to stand up. "You will not believe it, but you were shot with a paralyzing dart."
"Oyan's... here?", whispered and groaned again when Toasty nodded. Just now, the boy could hear the sounds of the solar weapons, metal hitting metal, loud groans... "Where's Lucian?"
"Fighting.", answered the Terrennial, picking the boy up on his arms. "We have to get the fuck out of here."
"No...!", tried to scream the boy. If Lucian was there, he wanted to see him... He could feel his anger in the air, he could hear his voice, feel his scent... "Lucian!", called out louder, grabbing the attention of the north gunslingers.
Oyan smirked and aimed at Toasty. Before Nish could stop him, the leader shot and the Terrennial barely had time to dodge. The spirit tripped over his feet when he dodged and fall on the floor, but still keeping Aaron safe in his arms. Nero rushed to their sides and managed to transform into his human form to block a shoot that was going straight to Aaron's body. Lucky for him, his sensitive skin was covered by the thin black vest. The black cat helped Toasty to his feet and the screams of Dumas' saying to run away were the thing that the Light Terrennial needed to get moving. Aaron refused but in his state couldn't do much more. The three of them managed to leave the forecourt behind, as well as the mansion, and run on the dirty path towards the city. But they didn't go there. Acuna was filled with gunslingers and it would be very dangerous for them, especially for Aaron. When the path divided itself, they took the right side, the one that went to Sheridan's mansion.
Inside, Carmilla, the android that Sheridan made when he was under Stoker's orders and captive in the Vambery, looked nervous. Since she was taken away by the same professor in order to save her, she helped the man doing the housework as a maid. Sheridan was a very quiet man and Carmilla didn't talk that much either, so they went along pretty well.
The man saw that his maid went downstairs and followed her. When Carmilla opened the front door, Toasty and Nero rushed inside, gasping for air. The cat tripped and fall on the floor, while Toasty fall on his knees, still holding Aaron in his arms. Carmilla jumped, surprised, but soon recovered from the shock. She closed the door and took the boy on her arms, seeing how the Light Terrennial couldn't hold him any longer.
"Nero!", she cried. "What happened?", she kneeled besides him, petting his head. When the cat didn't answer, she looked at the boy. "What happened?", repeated.
"I... don't know.", said the boy, still paralyzed.
Sheridan appeared and studied the two, tired Terrennials, who returned to their plant and beast form, still panting and weak.
"Go upstairs with Aaron and give him one of the rooms.", said Sheridan to Carmilla, who stood up. "And take a sample of his blood. I might be able to have or create a cure for his status.", the woman nodded and disappeared behind a wall. The man could hear her steps on the stairs. "I will have some problems with both of you,", mumbled as he took on his arms Nero and Toasty. "But I'm more interested in how the hell the three of you ended like this.", added with a friendly smile.
He took them to his examination room and put them on a metal bed. He went to a shelve and started looking around, doing an exclamation sound when he finally found, after a few minutes, what he was looking for. He returned to the Terrennials, now calmer and better, with two, small bottles containing certain, transparent liquid. Sheridan opened them both and made them drink it. While he waited for the potion to affect them, Carmilla appeared in the lab with a little bottle with blood, which handed it to Sheridan. He thanked her and asked to look at both Terrennials.
Sheridan, with the bottle, went to a big machine that looked like the ones in the hospitals that were for blood tests. The professor put a nice amount of the blood in another bottle that was put inside the machine. Said one was closed and the man sat in front of an equal big computer. Typing something on the keyboard, the machine started to run.
"How do you feel now?", asked to the Terrennials.
Nero stretched up, purring.
"Never felt so good in all my life.", answered. Carmilla smiled softly, petting his back, and Sheridan laughed out loud.
"That's good, that's good.", several windows on the screen popped out, but the professor didn't look at them. "How did Aaron and both of you ended like that?"
Toasty was the one that explained the whole thing to Sheridan. Dumas, Nish and Lucian went out to find a quiet place where the dhampir could transform without interruptions, while Aaron stayed in the Inn but soon moved back to the mansion, in order to wait up for them. After a while, he went out and sat near the forest to read the book that he took from Acuna's library, but didn't noticed the paralyzing dart that was stuck on his bare neck. But the Light Terrennial and Nero noticed it, and then, Ghouls and Hounds got nervous in the surroundings, feeling the presence of an intruder. Just when Aaron finally succumbed to the dart's effects, Oyan and his men decided to attack. They were fighting against them and, luckily, the vampires showed up. The Terrennials run away with Aaron, leaving the vampires have a nice feast with the gunslinger. If not all, at last three quarters of them.
After the story, Sheridan showed some mercy for the gunslingers that were going to die at the vampire's hands, but didn't criticize their actions seeing that they did it only because Aaron was in extremely danger. He shivered at the thought of a full transformed Lucian. The man was very frightening when he was still a dhampir, and couldn't imagine how more frightening he could get in his vampire form. The professor asked Carmilla to make a light meal for the young boy as he still tried to decipher what kind of potion Oyan or his men used on Aaron.
An hour later, the machine stopped. The computer too and no more windows popped on the screen. Sheridan looked one by one, nodding after reading all the information and closing it seconds later. When he finished with all of them, he stood up and walked to the Terrennials and offered them his arms. Nero jumped on the professor's shoulder and Toasty slowly floated to the other one, sitting on it softly.
"Oyan used a sleep-inducing liquid to stun Aaron.", explained the man while going upstairs to check on the boy.
"Was because of it he is weak?", asked Toasty.
Sheridan shook his head.
"He lost a lot of blood in the last twenty-four hours.", answered Sheridan. "For a young boy like him to lose almost half of your blood in so less time it's dangerous.", they saw Carmilla just open the door, with a tray with a plate and a glass, to enter the room. "Do you know how he could lose so much blood like that?"
Both Terrennials shook their heads.
Aaron was awake but still felt dizzy. Sheridan saluted him and smiled to Carmilla, who put the tray on the boy's lap. He thanked her for it and asked at the professor what happened with his body. Sheridan explained to him the sleep-inducing liquid but that didn't answered how he lost so much blood and, when the professor asked about it, Aaron suddenly felt silent.
The professor, now sitting on a chair next to him with both Terrennials on his shoulders, arched his eyebrows.
"Aaron?", asked softly.
"I gave it to Lucian.", finally said the boy, in a whisper.
Sheridan leaned on the chair. It was odd. Dhampir's didn't need to drink a lot of blood in order to transform themselves in full vampires. With a few millimeters of the red liquid the transformation would be a success.
"When did you do this?", asked Sheridan. The boy seemed not to really like talking about that with him, and the man couldn't blame him. He disliked vampires the most after what they did to his family and how he suffered under Stoker's orders. But since it was Aaron and Lucian who were talking about, and since they were his friends, he couldn't deny his help to them, but the kid was being lightly stubborn. "Yesterday night?", Aaron nodded. "How long did Lucian feed from you?"
"Five minutes, I think."
"It's not a lot of time for him or any other vampire to drink half the blood of a young boy like you.", said Sheridan, still clueless about Aaron's condition. Not even the sample that Carmilla took from him was that much. "Most vampires needs at last fifteen to forty-five minutes to completely drink the blood of an adult human.", he put his hand under his chin. "Where did all that other blood end up?"
"We went to the Inn, we slept and then I woke up. Since Lucian was still sleeping...", said the boy, eating his meal. ", I decided to wait until he woke up, but I guess I fall asleep on the couch because when I opened my eyes again, he wasn't there."
"Perhaps he drank that blood while you were asleep but if that is the cause, then you couldn't move at all after you woke up, and by the Terrennials sayings, you left the Inn and went to the mansion, to wait up for Lucian and the two vampires.", mumbled Sheridan. It was so confusing.
Could it be that another vampire sneaked in the room and drank Aaron's blood while he was sleeping? Could it be Dumas or his new partner? What if Oyan's spy knew their location and drained Aaron's blood? What could do him with said blood? No, it didn't make any sense. It must have been Lucian, but then the boy couldn't move a single muscle after it and would have kept sleeping due to his loss of blood.
"Energy injection.", said Nero, perking his ears, after a few minutes of silence.
"Is that possible?", said Toasty. Sheridan was as clueless as Aaron, who looked at both Terrennials, confused. "I heard something about that, but as far as I know, it's pretty dangerous."
"What's energy injection?", asked the professor.
"As it's says, it's an injection of energy that a powerful being does to another one, that needs it. The energy that is transmitted from one to another it's special, since it doesn't have traces of any known element (ice, fire, wind, earth, dark, light, moon, etc.). We could say that it's part of the vital energy of someone.", explained Nero. "Since Lucian needed to feed more from your blood, seeing that his transformation was very powerful, he drank more of your blood when you were sleep, but replaced that loss with an Energy Injection to help you to move around for a while. That's how you could go from the Inn to the mansion and then to the forecourt without weakling at all."
"Why Toasty said it was dangerous?", said Sheridan.
"Because it happens that the being that wants to give his energy to the weaker one doesn't calculates the amount of energy, and in the end, the weaker can't handle it and dies or ends up in a bad shape after the transmitting.", they all jumped when they heard Carmilla's voice, except for Aaron. "Vampires can do this to weak or sick humans, since the healing process of them it's much better than human one. Some families uses it when their friends have a life treating wound, or a terminal sickness. Not in all cases the Energy Injection works and, in most cases, it's used as last resort."
"How can a vampire do this?", asked Sheridan again. Aaron seemed not interested in the subject, as he kept eating in silence.
"The same way they feed from their preys. As they feed, they can also inject their energy into the prey so the loss of blood, if it's an important one, doesn't weight too much on it."
"And since the energy holds everything of the vampire, including its own temper, it can happen that the human that receives the injection behaves like such vampire.", added Nero.
Toasty laughed and looked at Aaron.
"No wonder why he acts so grumpy since we came here."
The boy, eyeing the light Terrennial, gave him a little smirk.