Dark Stranger

Avriel - Part 9

Case 3 - "Dragonfire"

Avi and Kirstie getting to know one another.

Kirstie's POV

Thank God for coffee. I was so happy that since Scott had moved in with my favourite Vampire, he had got a few more modern conveniences installed. Deirdre was a superstar too. Not only was she thrilled that Zass had another great love in his life, but she was ecstatic that he had a fast metabolism and was someone she could brush off her rusty cooking skills for. Zass enjoyed cooking when there was time, but Deirdre had the time to potter in the large kitchen and bake as well as leave mouthwatering concoctions in the fridge for when her hungry boys got home. She'd bought matching mugs for Zass's blood and Scott's coffee. The machine practically operated itself, so to go with, I dug around in the fridge and found a bowl of strawberries, cream and some other titbits for a midnight snack. When the coffee was finished, I poured a large mug and took my snack back to the guest room.

As I headed back to the other room, I heard the soft sighs come from Zass and Scott's room and smiled. I was happy that Zass was living life to the full again. Kris had been a wonderful guy, but not Zass's soulmate. Scott was so cute and matched Zass for strength, intelligence, sheer bullheadedness, and when they were together the sparks just flew. It was easy to see they were totally smitten and it would be fun to see what new things Scott brought to the table when his Mark and heritage revealed itself further. His read of the things that happened to the first victim was amazing. I knew he would be a true asset to Zass and they would find a way to tie up the loose ends on this thing with Avi.

Speaking of Avi, maybe I needed to bring some ice back to the room for myself. He was recovering really well from the surgery, but he was a long way from being able to walk out of the apartment on his own two feet. Zass had told me that Avi was a dragon, that was fascinating to me. I was quite sure that I wanted to see his other shape. I wondered if it was as fearsome as I imagined. I wondered if he could fly. If he could carry the weight of another person while he was soaring over the City. I hadn't admitted it to anyone but myself, but I was fascinated, and dreamed of flying on a regular basis.

I quietly opened the door and put my goodies on the table next to the bed. Popping one of the ripe red fruits into my mouth, I smiled at the taste, chewed up and swallowed the treat and then sat down in the chair next to the bed again. Looking across at the patient I was surprised to meet open eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked him.

He blinked and looked from my mouth to my eyes. "What?" He asked distractedly.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Oh, not long." He shrugged his uninjured shoulder and the ease of movement made me wonder how fast he was actually healing. I stood and asked if I could check on his injuries. At his nod, I peeled back the bandage on his shoulder to discover his wound was looking really good. All the redness, inflammation and initial stages of healing had already completed. The scabbing process was already well under way and would be completed in a much faster time than would be possible for a regular human being.

Gently lifting the gauze that was keeping his stomach wound clean and protected, I saw that even here the healing process was infinitely faster than I had imagined it would be. His wound was almost closed, the red, angry sight I was expecting did not meet my eyes, instead pale flesh, a scabbing line and days' worth of healing had been packed into short hours. His colour was much better and he was obviously starving. I also didn't think that the broth and veggie shake would cut the mustard. Smiling I offered him a strawberry and as he nodded towards the cream first, dipped it in before popping it into his mouth.