The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Chapter 17: A Frantic Rescue

Blood was trickling from Meredith's nose and ear as she shuddered in Fiadh's and Ellie's arms when Lash spotted her as his feet hit the cargo hold deck.

"No, it's okay," she husked, blood in her mouth from biting her tongue. "I just need a moment to control it, that's all. Just don't get Lash. He has enough concerns to deal with."

"Too late for that," he rumbled, stepping close. Meredith immediately looked up, her eyes wide with fear. And bloodshot with pain.

"Don't leave me behind, Lash, please," she said, her voice shaking. "I just need a minute to control it, then I'll be fine."

Lash took a quick, evaluating look then shook his head.

"You're not controlling it, Meredith," he tautly replied before looking over at Fiadh, who grimaced.

"Sorry, Lash. She's been in season for over a week and didn't tell anybody," the Irish lilith said with a shake of her head. "NightFire gave her a round of biochems to control it, but she ran out a couple of days ago."

"Did anybody else know?" he asked and both Ellie and Fiadh shook their heads. A gesture Dru copied when he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Day Witch burn me!" he growled, his mind whirling as he cast about for solutions other than the obvious. And he had to make it quick; they were going to be on the ground in less than ten minutes.

Then a radical idea occurred to him. What they needed to do was balance her female hormones with a boost of male hormones. It would be a temporary fix, but that was all they needed.

"Fiadh, you've done some sampling of my blood. How would you rate my testosterone levels?"

"Testosterone?" the red-haired lilith repeated with a frown. "I don't see ... ah, I do see what you're driving at. Well, I don't have much to compare it against, but, all things considered, I'd say it's extremely high!"

"It's risky, trying to use your testosterone to rebalance her hormone levels," Dru said, having also guessed what his plan was. There was no hiding the naked concern in her voice.

"She'll have to drink you almost dry just to stand straight!"

"I won't do it," Meredith gasped, blood now flowing freely from her nostrils. "I won't drink you dry, Lash. Not like Anka did."

"You're not Anka," Lash firmly replied. "You're Meredith, strong and powerful, a queen of the People of the Night, and my friend. And I will not let you suffer needlessly, if I can help it." He yanked off his kevlar vest then opened his shirt to lay bare his trapezius.

"You once told me to bite you, and I did. I knew it wasn't a simple request, that something was going on. I should've listened to my instincts and taken care of you as soon as we were in the castle. Now, after you've reached the point of no return, I'm going to fix that. Meredith, I am telling you to bite me!"

"No!" she sobbed. "I can't drink you dry, Lash. You're my friend. You saved me in London. I can't hurt you like that."

Lash reached out and pulled the blonde lilith's knife out of its belt sheath and without hesitation, used it to slice deeply into his left trapezius.

"You fought Anka to the death for me," he said. "Now let me repay that blood debt. Bite. Me!" And he leaned in, blood flowing freely out of the deep wound and down his chest.

Meredith shuddered as the coppery scent of Lash's blood filled her nostrils, laced with his hormones that she could actually smell. Then instinct became too much for her to stop and, with a throaty growl, she lunged forward to bite deep into his neck, putting the wound in the exact center of her mouth.