Title:
Power
Play
Rating:
R
Fandom:
Criminal
Minds
Universe:
Creatures
of the Night (Part 1)
Pairing:
Morgan/Prentiss;
JJ/Hotch
Genre:
Supernatural/Drama
Summary:
Tensions
are running high when a vampire joins the BAU, but all differences
must be put aside as the team investigate a series of suspicious
werewolf murders. AU.
Author's
Notes: Betaed
by Windy City Dreamer.
Chapter Fifteen
'Drop the knife,' Morgan commands, his gun already out and leveled at the vampire's chest. The vampire laughs, a sound that might have sent a lesser 'wolf running. Most wolves aren't trained in behavioral analysis, though. As well as the laugh, Morgan notices the body language that suggests that this vamp isn't really ready for this fight.
'Let me take care of this,' Emily says firmly, her own weapon drawn. He can see that her gaze is fixed upon the knife. Is she trying to protect him?
He's about to refute her assumption when their assailant strikes. He's fast, even for a vampire. Fast enough that Morgan's being tackled to the ground before he even has a chance to realize what's going on. It's an embarrassment that he'll have to live down later. If he survives.
There's a struggle as he tries to stop the knife from plunging into his flesh. Hell, even if he lets the thing touch him, he'll start feeling the effects. The vamp has the advantage; the knife, a dominant position, and those half a dozen spell bands that could very well be six different varieties of death curse.
Morgan has Emily.
She doesn't look like she could bench press an elephant, but that's the thing with vamps. They don't need the exaggerated muscle mass. They get the power from the virus that's metamorphosised them. That, and the blood. But that's a package deal.
All of a sudden, Morgan finds himself unburdened of his attacker. He stands just in time to see the vampire crashing into a nearby tree. Emily has dropped her gun, and adopted a fighting stance. This isn't the first blood battle she's been in.
The knife still in his hand, the vamp struggles to his feet.
'This is your last warning,' Emily says, but it doesn't sound like her voice. It sounds like a voice that's teetering on the precipice of control, as though she's just about ready to let go of everything and tear this guy to pieces.
Instead of surrendering, which would have been the smart move, the vamp uses the knife to slice open his palm. He'll use the blood to activate the spell bands on his arm. They're active magic, rather than the passive shields that Morgan's own bands take the form of. They're more powerful, but they also take more out of the caster.
Sensing that this is about to go very, very badly, Morgan grabs for his gun, firing two shots from the hip. They both hit the vamp square in the chest, but it's not enough to stop him from wiping the bleeding palm across his upper arm. The bands glow momentarily, before disappearing entirely. The vamp has assimilated the magic, the spells now at his disposal. A complex, but effective method of giving magic to those who don't usually wield it.
They keep their distance. A melee attack now will disturb the magic, which can lead to disastrous consequences – the kind of consequence that will involve their scorched body parts being picked up by volunteers armed with tongs and nose pegs. In some circumstances, it's almost safer to wait, and see just how your enemy is going to try and kill you.
The vamp puts his hand out, flame starting to curl along his fingertips. Shit. Fire. The element is an equal opportunity offender, effective in killing vampires, werewolves and wizards alike.
Morgan shares a sideways glance with Emily, any animosity they might have had towards each other before forgotten in the heat of battle. They hadn't prepared for this. It would have been different, were they expecting trouble, but it was supposed to have been simple reconnaissance. Any field equipment that might help them is out of reach by this point. The best they can hope for is that someone might see the flames before they burn to death.
The light of the moon catches his eye.
Technically speaking, this close to the full moon, he could shift without incurring too much pain. The closer it gets, the easier it becomes. He can almost feel the hair along his knuckles starting to rise involuntarily, as if willing him to take the plunge. Being in his wolf form won't make him any less vulnerable to fire or silver, but it might give them a fighting chance against the vamp.
All of these thoughts have taken place in the split second since he'd seen that orange glow. There's no more time for thinking. It's time to act.
Evidently, Emily feels the same way, because starts moving at the same time as Morgan, looking to take down the other vampire before he has a chance to accidentally burn the sanctuary to the ground. The way he stares at the flame, almost mesmerized, tells Morgan that he doesn't have much experience with magic. In fact, Morgan would place bets on the fact that this guy hadn't even been a vampire for that long. He's cocky, yes, but his confidence is unjustified. It doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference when it comes to power. Power in the hands of someone inexperienced can be far worse than the alternative. The inexperienced lack control. This vampire isn't looking to do a controlled burn; he's looking to raze the whole damn forest to the ground.
The good thing, though, is that inexperienced magic users can rarely deal with distractions. The moment Emily's fist strikes the vamp's face, he's lost the hold over the magic. It's either that, or risk blowing all three of them up. Morgan adds a second punch for good measure, and the vamp topples to the ground. He's not unconscious, though. And he's not finished.
He still has the knife.
Morgan had almost forgotten about the shining, silver thing. Unsurprising, considering they were distracted by the threat of being flambéd. He can see the thing twisting towards his stomach, as if in slow motion. And then it's not there anymore.
Emily's reaction time is so fast, she's almost a blur. In the blink of an eye, Morgan finds himself being pushed aside, out of the reach of the knife. He doesn't see what she does, but he hears the sickening crunch of bone. The distraction gives Morgan enough time to detach the cuffs from his belt, and restrain the dazed vamp. Infused with magic, the cuffs are guaranteed by their makers to contain 99.9% of all supernatural creatures. The remaining 0.1% are usually the ones you'd prefer to kill on sight anyway.
Emily groans, and that's when Morgan realizes that the knife had managed to find a victim after all. The handle is protruding from her lower abdomen, blood already starting to spread.
She looks down at it, eyes wide.
'Oh, shit,' she mutters.