“I’m fine, Day. He really didn’t hurt me very much. Some part of him remained intact; otherwise, he would have had my head from my body before I knew what was happening. I know you’re angry with me, but please trust that I knew what I was doing. I would have defended myself had I felt the need strongly enough. This isn’t something you would understand; it is something intrinsic, purely vampiric. To react with aggression would only have escalated the situation further. ”
“We’ll discuss it later, Freya, believe me, we will more than discuss it! ” Her resigned expression almost made him smile, but the image of her blood was still too fresh in his mind. His mate had to learn that sacrificing herself because she felt responsible was not the right course of action to take, even if the threat was to come from someone she loved, like Liam.
Dayton headed over to them slowly, not wanting to make any sudden moves that may concern Liam. “I need to help Reasa onto the bed so Cassia can attend to her.” He spoke the words in general but they were for Liam’s benefit.
The Varcolac’s head turned in their direction and pained eyes ran over the human woman. “Is that okay with you, Reasa?”
She nodded in response, her gaze wary as she surveyed him back. He appeared to be once more in control, the danger point having passed. The more pressing concern for him now was the aftermath of what had just happened. The overwhelming guilt in his eyes was something he couldn’t hide and she couldn’t help with. He needed to have that conversation with his pack, but his rebuilt mental defences should be strong enough to cope without any intervention from her.
She allowed the wolf to pick her up gently and place her on the bed. She tried to ignore the fact it was another of the abominations who sat beside her. The blonde woman ran careful hands over her body before turning to search inside the doctor’s bag for the components she needed to prepare a solution in a syringe. Reasa closed her eyes and shut out the rest of the room, as misery washed over her. Despite everything, her circumstances remained the same and she was still trapped in the pack.
Cassia prepared the pain medication carefully; afraid she would accidentally overdose the woman lying on the bed. Obeying her Alpha was instinctive, but she’d expected her wolf to put up some kind of fight because they were being asked to help the woman who had damaged their mate. The animal was quiet though, curious as its eyes ran over the other woman.
Why wasn’t it protesting? Surely it should have been questioning her actions? Its quietness confused her, making her wonder if Pietro truly was her mate.
“This will only hurt for a moment,” she said, keeping her voice quiet and soothing as she injected the liquid medication into Reasa’s caramel skin. She swabbed the area with a sterile wipe, keeping a sharp eye on the former vampire’s respiration to ensure she didn’t exhibit any signs of distress. As she watched her, her thoughts drifted back Pietro.
He must be aware by now that something had happened to his abductor. What was he thinking? Was he tempted to come and see what was going on for himself, or would he stay hidden in her aunt and uncle’s home? The need to check on him was strong and Cassia knew she would end up heading in that direction once everything calmed down. She had so many unanswered questions and Pietro was the only one who could help her with them.
Breathing a sigh of relief when the strain ebbed out of Reasa’s expression, Cassia turned to look at Liam; all the while her thoughts dominated by a certain vampire with long dark hair and a scar running down the side of his beautiful face.
*****
“Liam, are you in control now?” Rafe asked the question, his expression grave as he moved over to him. Freya was still tense beside them, a hand wrapped around her nephew’s wrist as if she could hold him back if he lost it again.
“I don’t know what happened, Rafe. I don’t understand why I acted as I did or how I did it.” Liam swallowed hard, meeting his Alpha’s gaze before turning to his aunt. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I’m sorry, Freya.” The words came out on a tortured sound, Liam’s gaze dropping to the floor as his head bent. He couldn’t look his aunt in the eyes, couldn’t bear to see the lack of condemnation in them. How could she instantly forgive him? He’d attacked her!
“You have experienced a side of yourself that has never had the opportunity to claim dominance before, Liam.” Freya said, keeping her tone neutral. “It’s not uncommon for a vampire’s feral nature to be more uncontrolled than that of a wolf. However, with your duality and your enhanced abilities, it is doubly so. You lack control because you’ve never had to deal with it before.”
“That invisible barrier thing has nothing to do with being a vampire or a Were,” Rafe interjected. “If Liam has no idea how he did it, then how can he hope to control it? I fear we may have lost Mallen if Elina hadn’t intervened in time. Her Varcolac ability to strengthen minds barely saved him. How do we counteract that?” Rafe couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice. He loved Liam as much as he loved the rest of his pack but if he was a danger to everyone else…
Liam raised his head, meeting his aunt’s eyes. “Rafe is right. I can’t be trusted anymore. I need to go away so everyone is safe.” He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and touching the side of her neck that was still stained red, though the skin was unblemished.
“I didn’t say that,” Rafe sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We don’t have that option available to us. You won’t go anywhere without Reasa and she can’t leave pack grounds, especially now that she’s managed to get a call out to someone.” He looked back at the woman on the bed with pensive eyes. “Anyway, its clear Reasa is the only one who can get through to you when you have one of your ‘episodes’, for lack of a better word. Separating you would not be a wise solution.”
“What about the Praetorians?” Dayton asked. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching his mate and Liam. He appeared relaxed, but no one in the room was fooled by his casual stance. He was ready to react in an instant if need be.
Rafe was already shaking his head, but the Beta pressed on. “Lily’s staying up there with the vampires and Liam relates well to her. Kallum has been spending time up there too and if we send Elina along with them, there will be three Varcolac whom Liam trusts that can help supplement their defences, should there be any fallout out from Reasa’s call.”
“Caleb’s already asked about this possibility, and I told him no, as well. The Praetorian Compound is off limits for now.”