Chapter 18

To the Altar

"Luke, stay out of this! Why are you even here?" Luke being here is making things worse.

"You heard her, leave!" Alexander was in his predatory mode. Eyes were a bright crimson and his fangs seemed to have elongated. His hands were in fists so tight, his knuckles were paper white. This night just keeps getting worse and it's my fault. How could I have been so careless and… fucking stupid? Why is this happening to us?

Luke stood unafraid by Alexander's threat and spoke calmly, but knowing Luke, he was only seconds away from changing too. "I can't leave her until I know if she's mine… if that baby is mine." I stayed sitting on the grass with my knees up and arms around my legs as I hated myself and worried for my children, including the unborn one. "Raven, I love you. Because of that, I can't leave even if you ask me to until I know for sure. I came to this world because a soothsayer told me I'd find my mate in the mortal realm and that she'd be immortal. I NEED to know."

"How do plan to find out? Is there a way to do it before the baby is born? Like… an immortal DNA test?" I asked desperately. My life just seems to be a truckload of problems. I wish I could be the girl I was in my teen years, but I just can't… too much has happened that I don't know how to be strong anymore. How do I fight for the man I love when all I could do is bring him pain?

'Be mine.' Alexander answered my thoughts. 'As long as you are mine, Raven, we can get through anything. If you are his… I don't know if I'll kill him, or let you go.'

Luke seemed hesitant to answer, so a new voice came. "I can find out." I looked up to see Shadow just landing from his flight to us. his wings were bigger than Luke's. I'd never seen them before now. His feathers seemed to shine at an angle to look a deep red. "But I'll need an altar… and blood."

"For what? How would you know?" Alexander spoke up through gritted teeth never looking away from Luke, who now had his eyes black and glowing.

"I'll perform a little spell I picked up from a sorcerer's soul many years ago. It'll let me see mystic bonds, so I'll know if she's yours since she's with barren. Alexander, this means I'll need yours too."

"Do it!" Alexander demanded.

"Where do you think we'll find and altar?" Luke asked Shadow.

"I can point you in the right direction." Jagger, thank the seraphs for your disturbingly perfect timing. I stood up then and turned around to the gleaming blue and green eyes of the forever-scheming Jagger. "Raven, if you intend to miss work without notice, I'll dock your pay."

"Sorry, as you can see; a lot has happened. So about that altar…"

With immortal speed we all rushed to The Crypt and down to The Covenant. (Alexander practically dragged me since he was faster, as well as kept me as far away from Luke as he could.) "Welcome, Luke and Shadow to The Covenant. Sacred ground with… behold… an altar." Jagger announced with a wave of his harm. This place brings me chilling memories from the time Jagger tried to turn me into his eternal bride.

"Jagger what are you doing down here? And who are they?" Luna came and stopped short when she saw Shadow. I'll have to think about that later but right now I just want to get this done and over with so… hopefully I could get my life back with Alexander.

"We're planning a baby shower for Raven. My gift to her is a reenactment of Maury: Are you the father? And she's the star. Come darling sister and watch the show with me, it might get good, and I'm in need of new entertainment." I stared with my mouth agape as the nefarious vampire twins went to plop down on a loveseat across the room. Alexander tightened his grip on my hand and I remembered to stay focus.

"Luke and Alexander, I need you to step forward to the altar, without killing each other," Shadow started. Luke went first and then Alexander went (still dragging me mind you) to the other side.

"How do you know this will work? Have you done it before?" I asked starting to feel nervous about the inevitable.

"Raven, we haven't gotten to know each other for very long, but I am twelve hundred years old, give or take, so have some faith. Luke is my kin and friend. I want to help him find his mate, and if you are not her, then I'll need to make sure he doesn't lose his mind over it. But if you are, then consider me your body-guard as these two will most surely fight it out." I gulped and tightened my grip on Alexander's hand. "Now take with this blade, Luke, you will slit your left wrist and let the blood pour onto the altar on your side. Then I will say a few words in Elfin as I dip the blade into fire. Then Alexander, you will also slit your left wrist and let it pour out at your side. Everyone understand?" There was a silent agreement.

Luke took the dagger that is engraved on the handle with celestial writing. He sliced into his wrist, opening the vein, and the spicy but sweet aroma filled the room and every vampire was on edge (Alexander was even more so, causing me to grip him even tighter.) Luke's blood gushed out in thick waves onto the altar until his wound visibly healed. Knitting itself shut only a minute later as if nothing had happened. A fight with him seems pointless if he's gonna heal that quickly.

Shadow took the dagger from him and started chanting as he lit a fire from a lighter and held it in the center. As he was chanting, he put the dagger's blade into flame. There was a sizzling sound, and Luke's blood on the blade gathered to the tip and fell into the fire, putting the lighter out. Alexander was next. He grabbed the, now clean, dagger and slit his left wrist. Now the rich and sweet scent of his blood mixed with the smell of Luke's. I looked over to Jagger and Luna to see if they were on edge because I sure as hell was. Not surprisingly, they were directly behind me as opposed to being seated on the other side of the room. When I looked at Alexander, his blood was flowing thickly from his wound until his bleeding also stopped and the wound was visibly healing. It wasn't recovering as fast as Luke's had, but it was still fast enough to admit that fighting definitely wouldn't accomplish anything but their own satisfaction of landing blows on the other. Again, Shadow did his chanting and held the blade over the fire. Alexander's blood on the blade caught fire instantly and was turning black until it turned to ash. My face paled as I felt all the blood in my body drop. I knew fire could kill a vampire, but I never seen what would happened. Thinking back to the fire that killed my parents, I acknowledged a new fear for what it was, certain death. I looked up at Alexander and in his expression told me, he already knew the dangers of fire as all born vampires would.

"Raven," Shadow's voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked over to him and saw he was pointing the blade at me.

"Huh?" was all I could manage.

"I said it's time to shed your blood. This will complete the spell." At the look of my clueless expression, he repeated what I obviously missed during my wonderment. "You must slit your left wrist as well, and let it pour out in the center of the altar between the two. I'll repeat the words and we will see the bond." I came from around Alexander and in front of the altar across from Shadow, and between Alexander and Luke. When I took the dagger, I nearly fell from the weight of it. Are you guys on immortal steroids or something, this tiny-ass thing weighs a few friggin' tons.

'Raven,' Alexander was getting impatient and on edge with all the blood in the air.

I pulled myself together and used my immortal strength to hold the dagger in one hand while I tried to slit my wrist without shearing my hand off. When I felt the vein open, my blood flowed smoothly onto the center of the Alter. Immediately I felt something strong, like a wind moving around me nearly dropping me to my knees.

'It's the magic. Lock your knees and stay strong, my love. We're not done yet.' Alexander explained. I felt a moment of amazement at their ability to remain so calmly unaffected when they did this.

As soon as my blood stopped and the vein closed (but my wound was still open) Shadow took the dagger from me and repeated his words. When he dipped the blade into the flame, it had the same effect as Alexander's. When my blood turned to ashes, ripples began in the center of each pool of blood. Then mine began to move in a stream. I tensed and stared unblinkingly as my blood swirled into itself in an unending circle while Luke and Alexander's bloods continued to ripple. Suddenly, their bloods rose up into pillars, one on each side of mine. Like a whip, Alexander's blood latched onto mine causing my blood to flow upward around his. I was speechless. It didn't take a sorcerer to know what that meant. I looked up at Alexander who was just as speechless as I was when our blood pillars intertwined until they became one. A strong force pulled me towards Alexander and he wasted no time grabbing hold of me and squeezing me tightly into his chest. Like the proof of our bond, we stood together intertwined.

Alexander, I reached out to him with my thoughts.

Raven, you are mine.

I am eternally yours, and you're eternally mine! I love you Alexander! And I'm so sorry for everything I've done to hurt you. I swear I'll never hurt you again. I love you too much and I never wanted anyone else but you. I'm never letting you go. Ever.

'I know, my love. I forgive you. You will never leave my side, not for a single moment. I never want to lose you, especially after this. I'd die without you, Raven. I'll kill anyone who tries to take you from me, regardless of his or her species. With this, everyone will know whom it is you belong to.' His thoughtful words and complete forgiveness warmed my soul and I melted into his embrace.

"Raven, congratulations on finding your eternal love. I'm relieved that this has been a success since I've actually never done it before. And it seems my assistance is needed elsewhere." I thought about how Luke was taking the results, but when I turned around to see he wasn't there, I got my answer. Of course I knew he wouldn't like it, but I'd hope to say 'bye' to him properly. I don't know where he went, but something told me it wouldn't be at home. I'll worry about that later, but for now… I'd rather bask in the warmth of Alexander's embrace.

"As much as I love happy endings, which I don't, I still have a business to run." Jagger said nonchalantly then added, "With that said can my bartender, frienemy, and foreign relic get the hell out of my... first clean up the blood and then get the hell out of my Covenant and be where ever you need to be. Come Luna, you're box dancing tonight." Silently we all left with Jagger leading the way, Luna trailing behind him, Shadow staring at her suspiciously, and Alexander holding my hand possessively. Once again life is good at The Crypt. Now my only worries are carrying a healthy pregnancy to term.

Before he opened the door upstairs to the club, Jagger turned around with a wicked gleam in his eyes and said, "By the way, did anyone hear the news? Onyx is pregnant. Isn't that lovely?" then he left, leaving Alexander, Shadow and I staring after him in shock.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T HE SAY THAT EARLIER!" I yelled.

"I'll see you around, Raven, Alexander… I think I know where Luke went."