Chapter Thirty-One: Raid Vaziri

Present day

Outskirts of Albemarle, NC

"I can walk," Stef mumbled unconvincingly into Raid's shoulder as he carried her from the car towards the safe house.

It was nothing different from what she'd been saying the entire way back, and her protests still remained as limp as her posture. What was with this girl and not allowing anyone to take care of her? "Do you want to walk?" Raid asked, already knowing the answer. Stef was starved of blood and drained of power. She'd been in and out of consciousness since the vision in the Hanging Fields had ended. He'd even cradled her on his lap on the ride home. She was in no fit state to walk. Still, if she wanted to stumble and stagger her way indoors, it wasn't going to be the worst danger she'd faced that evening. "I can put you down right now, if you'd like."

Stef didn't consider this for long. "No," she decided petulantly, her arms clinging tightly around him.

"Yeah, I didn't think so."

Zara was waiting in the living area as the five of them entered. She had already set up a cushion and blanket on the couch when she walked over to them. "Alhamdulillah! I got your message. How's she doing?"

Raid stopped just before the staircase. "She's really tired. I might put her to bed."

"I'm not going to bed, I'm not tired," Stef insisted, despite having not opened her eyes since they got out of the car.

When Zara waved her arms proudly at the makeshift bed she predicted would be needed, Raid nodded his thanks to her. "Okay, you're going on the couch," he told her.

"I'll go on the couch," she agreed sleepily. But as soon as Raid placed her down and started pulling the blanket over her, she jolted onto her elbows with drowsy panic, "Where's Flick?"

Zara crouched down beside Stef and stroked her hair reassuringly. "She's fine, don't worry, she's resting, just like you." Checking that Stef's eyes were closed after sinking back down onto the cushion, Zara looked at Gabe with a tense cringe that wasn't as comforting as her words suggested. She placed her arms above her head as bunny ears, ran a finger along her throat in a slicing motion, then pointed upstairs to where Flick was.

Gabe copied the direction of her pointing. She killed the rabbit? he mouthed in concern.

Oh shit! Phoenix mouthed at Zara's confirmation nod, putting a fist over his lips to prevent a loud exhale after his sharp intake of breath.

Zara stood, beckoning them all towards the dining table. It wouldn't prevent Stef from hearing if she tried, but they just had to hope she was too exhausted. "They both need human blood. I'm going to have to go out to find some."

"You're not going anywhere," Adam stated. "It's been over twenty-four hours, right? Our blood should be safe." He nodded towards Raid. "You see to Stef, I'll see to Flick."

Zara looked at Adam as though she was waiting for a catch. "You'd do that?"

Adam stepped up to Zara, bringing his face close to hers, his jaw set. "After everything that's happened, you're not leaving this fucking house tonight." He then turned to walk in the direction of the stairs, heading to Flick's room.

For a moment, Zara couldn't move. Her emotions flipped between finding Adam incredibly selfless and finding him outrageously possessive. She reacted on the latter. She quickly followed him, snapping, "I'm insulted!"

He didn't look back as he started up the stairs, quipping dryly, "What else is new?"

Zara barked at him from the lower landing, "You don't get to order me around."

Adam paused at the top of the staircase, turned, and headed back down, pulling at his collar to expose more of his neck. "Feed," he demanded as he reached her, his other hand slapping against the wall beside her head.

"What?" she exclaimed, bringing her chin downwards, an aghast expression combined with tempted glances at his neck.

"I'd like to get to know a side of you that isn't moody when you're clearly hungry." He tilted his head, catching her eyes, and stared at her intensely, as though he wanted this more than she did. "So go ahead."

There was a new vulnerability, an honest softness to her tone, as she avoided his gaze and muttered, "I don't feed on men."

The admission took Adam by surprise. All her bravado and could it be that she was secretly traditional? He wouldn't have liked her any less if she wasn't, but this knocked him for six. This gorgeous, feisty little hijabi suddenly became an even bigger mystery. And he had to admit, he liked it. She had never fed on a man. He leaned his head closer. How to respond to that? To provoke her, or praise her? To provoke her, or praise her? He smirked. Why choose? "Good girl," he whispered in her ear. Then, leaving her with a wide-eyed, stunned expression, he flicked his eyebrows up at her, and turned and headed back up the stairs.

Zara's jaw momentarily hung open before she snapped straight back into defense mode, quickly following him. "You did not just fucking call me a 'good girl'!" she seethed.

"Oh, you are such a good girl," he emphasized proudly, strolling past the mezzanine to the spare bedroom where Flick undoubtedly was.

Standing in the living area below, Gabe shouted, "Zara!" stopping her as she stormed across the hallway above.

"What?!" she snapped, turning, looking down at him, her hands clenching the wooden balustrade, furious at the interruption.

"You can't kill him," Gabe reminded.

"I can't promise anything," she retorted through gritted teeth, continuing towards Flick's room.

Gabe shook his head defeatedly as he sat down at the end of the table. "Phoenix, we're going to need a knife, straw, and a glass of water for Stef," he said, as Raid sat down in the chair alongside him.

"Why? What are those for?" Raid asked, concerned.

"Stef's stubborn, haven't you noticed?" Phoenix said. "We need to dilute your blood, otherwise she'd refuse it. She won't drink directly from you."

"She has before," Raid pointed out.

Phoenix raised his eyebrows knowingly. "And how did that feel for her?"

Raid stared down at the table absently, not replying. He remembered exactly how that had felt for her. He'd never forget it. Not that he could allow himself to focus too long on the moans of ecstasy she'd produced against his neck, not if he wanted to avoid an uncomfortable hardness forming between his legs.

Phoenix patted the table, the vibrations breaking Raid out from his reverie. "Yep, he remembers." He turned and headed towards the kitchen for the requested items.

Raid propped an elbow on the table, his thumb against his temple, his fingers massaging his forehead. "What the hell happened out there today?" he muttered to Gabe, casting a glance back at Stef who appeared to now be asleep on the couch. "Why would the witches drain her like this? Why would they use her powers to kill them?"

"I have no idea," Gabe replied regretfully. "But I can tell you that the girl that young man was trying to save – Sorcha – did nothing to deserve that treatment. The witches condemned her for being a vampire. She was no such thing."

"How do you know that?"

Gabe sighed. "Because that was Winifred's settlement. It was where I met her, fell in love with her, and thought I had a future with her. Until I made the mistake of turning a young woman who begged to be turned. She thought that as a vampire she could protect her daughter, who was a witch. Vampires slaughtered witches, and a group of them were drawing nearer. She was scared. She was in a new land, there was nowhere else to go, no other nearby settlements. That young woman was Lana, Sorcha's lover. Sorcha was innocent, but convicted as guilty by association."

Both elbows on the table, Raid brought his forearms up in an arch, cupping his hand over his fist, beginning to slot the pieces together. "Okay, let's say they needed the execution stopped. We needed to save their souls from eternal damnation or some other such bullshit. Why us? What has this got to do with Stef? With any of us?"

Gabe paused, looking at Raid. He could see the physical similarities between him and Zaif now. They were the same ones Zaif had shared with Omar. Same low, thick eyebrows, same upturned, chestnut-coloured eyes, same cupid-bow lips. A few features were different. Raid's nose, chin and cheekbones were sharper. Raid's shoulders were broader. Raid's height was a few inches taller. There were striking similarities between Stef and Sorcha's features too. "You saw how you looked alike? You and the young man, Zaif. Stef and the young girl on the scaffold. I believe the spell reincarnated you for this very purpose. You, Stef, possibly even Adam. Not Phoenix, thankfully. If I had to tolerate that kid twice in a lifetime –"

"Not feeling the love, Gabey, old boy!" Phoenix chimed as he came back, placing the water and knife on the table.

"You torture my existence," Gabe informed him unashamedly.

Phoenix took a seat on the opposite side of the table, grinning. "Really? I thought that was Winifred's job."

"Wait, you said you were in love with Winifred back then." Raid couldn't help but smirk. "But you still have a thing for her?"

"How long have you had a thing for Stef?" Gabe shot back.

For a second, Raid's smile faltered. He was surprised Gabe had noticed. Then again, maybe it took a man in love to recognize another man in love. Still, this was Winifred they were talking about: a woman so wooden and sharp she could serve as Gabe's own stake to the heart. From the sounds of it, she already had. A lucky escape as far as Raid was concerned. He pinched his lips together, the smirk returning. "Not as long as you've had for Winifred, that's for sure." He suppressed a laugh, watching Phoenix do the same.

Now Gabe was the one with a smug smile. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. Two lifetimes and you're still infatuated with her from afar. I made my move and it paid off."

"Yeah, with frostbite on your dick, no doubt," Phoenix joked.

The flicker of anger Raid saw in Gabe's eyes lasted longer than it did for him to yank Phoenix from his chair, onto the floor, and thrust his hand around his neck. Phoenix never even had the chance to draw in the breath he needed before Gabe cut off his airway entirely. Knelt down, his other hand grabbing Phoenix by his blond hair, Gabe growled, "Joke about my feelings for her all you want, but you will not insult her, boy."

Phoenix barely managed a nod of confirmation with the tight grip on his neck. He slapped his hand on the floor, overpowered and tapping out. It wasn't until one of those taps swept along Gabe's pocket, causing an item to fall from it and hit the floor, that Gabe released him, picked up the item and returned to his seat, flustered but quietly satisfied. He'd been waiting for a reason to do that for a while.

"What's that?" Raid asked, gesturing to the silver item in Gabe's hand, ignoring the groans and coughs coming from the floor.

Gabe slid the item towards him, across the table. "The talisman used in the spell. Stef brought it back with her."

Raid lifted up the pendant, running his fingers along the markings on the three dark purple stones. Then he remembered something. He held his fist to his lips and chuckled softly into it.

"What's so funny?" Gabe asked.

Raid removed his hand, shaking his head at what was evidently not a coincidence. "Winifred told us that a talisman would find Stef one day." He slid the necklace across the table, back to Gabe. "There I was, thinking that meant she would find one in an attic or garage sale."

"Winifred should be able to tell us more about this." Gabe placed the talisman back in his pocket. "Her powers were originally in this talisman. I'm hoping it can help her powers return to her."

Raid rolled his eyes. "So she can attempt to kill us again?"

Gabe's hand remained in his pocket, gripping the talisman. He was aware how stupid and risky that offer was going to be. But what choice did he have? Winifred was a witch without her powers. Magic was ingrained in her soul. The misery it would cause her to live without her powers would be as unbearable for him as it was for her. Not to mention, the Coven would instantly throw her out. She would lose everything. Yes, he was letting his heart overrule his head. But, no, it wasn't going to change his decision. So Gabe didn't answer. Instead, he finally removed his hand and slid the glass of water and knife closer to Raid. "Stef just needs a few drops of your blood mixed into the water. Get her to drink it."

Raid didn't hesitate. He pressed the knife firmly into his thumb and let the blood drip into the water, stirring it with the straw. "She needs more than this," he complained.

"That may be so, but don't offer her more, not in her half-conscious state. She won't thank you in the morning for convincing her to drink from you. She needs just enough to last her through the night."

Phoenix finally grabbed onto the table, pulling himself off the floor. "I'm dying," he rasped, his throat still sore. "Any chance I can get a glass of that?" He stretched his hand out hopefully.

Raid glanced at the remaining droplet of blood on his thumb, reached over to Phoenix's outstretched hand, and wiped it onto his finger. Phoenix shoved the finger into his mouth with all the zeal of an addict rubbing cocaine across their gums. Watching that, Raid was never gladder not to be a vampire. It could have just as easily been him or Adam who was dying the day Caroline fed him her blood to try to save him. "I'll see that Stef has this," he said, standing and picking up the drink. "I think we all need some rest."

Gabe understood. If Raid was going to give Stef his blood, he wanted to do it privately. "Phoenix, let's get to bed," he ordered.

"Thanks, Gabe, but you're not my type," Phoenix mumbled, still sucking on his finger.

Gabe's jaw clenched. "For fuck's sake," he fumed as he stood up sharply, grabbing Phoenix by his collar to haul him out of the room.

Phoenix finally let his finger pop from his mouth as Gabe led him to the stairs. "Don't get offended or anything. I know we had a bit of kinky breath play just now, but you're way rougher than I could handle."

Gabe's voice became more distant as Phoenix got dragged upstairs. "I will kill you."

"That's exactly what I mean about you being rough. I'm too fragile for that. Is that why you liked Winifred? Did she like it rough?"

Raid's head whipped around at the sudden crack and the heavy sound of a body collapsing with several thuds down the stairs. Footsteps descended. A grunt. Footsteps ascended. Gabe then appeared on the mezzanine with Phoenix's unconscious body slung over his shoulder.

Gabe looked down towards Raid. "He'll be alright in a few hours. I'll just put him to bed."

Raid didn't bother to question it. Obviously a vampire way of resolving differences. "Thanks, Gabe."

As soon as he heard both doors close upstairs, Raid crouched down beside Stef. She was lying on her side, facing him, one hand underneath the cushion, brown hair draped over her cheek. She looked so peaceful, he was almost reluctant to disturb her. He smiled, using a finger to stroke the hair back behind her ear. It was then he noticed how pale she was. He had to wake her. She needed the blood.

He held the glass closer, placing the straw between her lips. He stroked the top of her hair with the thumb on his other hand. "Stef, you need to drink this."

She stirred, moving away from the straw, her hand coming out from underneath the cushion to wipe her eyes that she still didn't open. "Raid?" she murmured.

He put the straw back against her lips, his hand moving away from her hair to help prop up her head. "Please drink it."

She took a small sip from the straw. A craving activated within her. With her eyes half-closed, she pushed herself onto her elbow, pinching the straw between her fingers with her other hand, and drank eagerly. Between each swallow, she emitted a small whimper of pleasure that intoxicated Raid down to his very core. As she almost finished, Raid redirected her straw to reach the bottom of the glass, then came the dreaded sound as she sucked against air, trying to draw up the final drops of liquid. She let out a small squeak of protest as Raid had no choice but to remove the empty glass from her.

He didn't care what Gabe said. It wasn't enough for her.

Raid gently opened up the blanket, sliding himself up next to her, and laying it back down over them both. He was positioned higher than she was, with his head on the armrest, and her head halfway down his chest, which she snuggled against but still appearing restless. "Don't worry, I've got what you need, baby." The term of endearment slipped out by mistake, but she was too drowsy to notice or react to it. He squeezed against the thumb he'd cut for her drink, but already it had started to clot. The red mark was still there but he couldn't draw out any blood. The only thing he could do was place it against her lips, hoping she would open it up again.

Stef took the thumb in her mouth, tasting the wound. Her sigh of pleasure returned and she lapped her tongue against and around the pad while Raid desperately tried not to imagine how that would feel over other areas of his body. The pleasurable sounds once again grew more frustrated, unable to feed off the closed wound. She drew back her head, removing his thumb from her mouth and ran her lips across other areas of his hand, seeking out another opening.

"You have to bite," Raid said, pushing the fleshy part of his lower thumb against her mouth. "Please bite."

She needed little encouragement. She was craving more of his blood now. She bared her teeth and immediately bit into the part of his hand offered to her. She moaned heavily in satisfaction, bringing both hands up to grab his, holding him in place. It wasn't necessary, he wasn't moving until she had finished with him. The initial sharp pain of her teeth gave way into something heavenly but far different from what he had experienced last time with her. The sensation engulfed him as touching, stroking, caressing, kissing, tasting; it was tender, sensual and intimate. He could live and die like this, with her mouth against his hand and yet feeling her lips all over him, all at once. He could live and die for the gratified sounds she was making. He could live and die for the way she was clinging onto him, unable to get enough of him as she continued to drink from him. He craved this just as much as she was craving his blood.

But there was one part of this he tried to ignore.

The part that told him she would hate him for this in the morning.