The Ereri Project (#2)

Dead (Vampire)

Erwin curses as he runs, trying to find the direction that damned canine went.

One got in the city.

Only one but it picked up on the smell of fresh blood and got away before Erwin could catch it. And both Eren and Levi's phones went straight to voicemail.

"Hello?" asked Hanji's tired voice when she finally picks up.

"Is Levi back home yet?"

"No, why?"

"Damnit," Erwin runs faster, trying to follow the dog's scent.

"Erwin, what's going on?"

"One of the wolves got in the city and I can't find it. Neither of them are answering my calls."

"I'll be right out."

She hangs up and Erwin freezes. Blood was just spilled. And it wasn't human.

He runs faster, chasing that smell now.

When he gets to the right street, random humans are running and screaming and the smell of wolf blood is thick in the air. Erwin stops running when he see it... or what's left of it.

The wolf isn't any more than blood smeared on the pavement and broken bones embedded in globs of unidentifiable viscera.

He thinks he sees an eyeball on the ground but he tells himself it's not as he slowly walks toward the raging alpha on the sidewalk.

"Eren," he says gently.

Eren growls and shoots a fiery glare at the blonde man. Levi rests, unconscious, in the brunet's arms. There's blood on both of them and he wants to hope that most of it is wolf blood but he can smell Levi's as well.

"Eren we have to get somewhere safe," the blonde tries to tell him calmly. "If the police get here before we have a chance to leave they'll take Levi away from you."

Eren eyes go wide and Erwin's glad to see some of manic edge is ceasing. "Levi!"

Hanji rounds the corner and gasps. "Is he okay? What happened?" she makes a face and pinches her nose closed. "And why does everything reek of wolf blood?"

Erwin pulls on the shoulder of Eren's shirt. "Hurry," he says. "I can hear sirens."

Hanji and Erwin start guiding Eren home as quickly as possible. They get many stares from onlookers and Erwin just hopes none of them remember their faces well later.

Even when they get back to the mansion, Hanji has to examine Levi from Eren's lap because he won't let his mate go like this. Hanji's face is concerned through the entire examination, leaving Eren on edge the entire time.

"He took quite a hit to his head when he fell," she says. "And I have disinfect his arm as soon as possible because that bite is going to get pretty nasty."

"What else?" Eren asks nervously, skirting around asking what he really means to ask.

She looks him in the eyes. Erwin's face is grim from the front door, waiting for the others to hurry back. "I think you already know," she says quietly, as gently as she possibly can. "None of us can hear the second heartbeat. It might still be hanging ingnthere, of course, but it isn't looking good right now. Can you tell me how Levi was hit exactly?"

"It came from behind us and tackled him from his side but then it stepped on him. He fought so well while he was still conscious, he broke the stupid things jaw when it bit him, but then it head-butted him and he was knocked out when his head hit the concrete."

Hanji nods. "Can I pull up his shirt to get a better look at where he might be bruising?"

Eren nods slowly and watches closely as Hanji pulls up his mate's shirt. A large, purple bruise in the shape of a paw print is blossoming under Levi's skin. Eren frowns, it's too close to the bump where his baby lives for comfort.

Hanji frowns to herself and gets up to find supplies to finally clean up Levi's arm. "It's hard to say when he'll wake up," Hanji says. "It depends how hard his head got hit from either side so it could be soon or it might be a few days."

Eren nods absently. "Can I take him to our room now?"

"Of course," Hanji says, getting out of their way.

Erwin and Hanji watch with tired eyes as Eren cradles Levi gently and carries him up the stairs.

"Can't imagine what Levi might do if the baby dies," Erwin says quietly, looking outside where it's begun snowing.

"You heard it too Erwin, I know you did, it was weak at best and –"

"It would do us all some good for you to be at least a little optimistic right now."

Hanji takes a deep breath and leans on the windowsill. "You're right," she sighs. "Any heartbeat is good news, I just don't want to get Eren's hopes up if it doesn't last."

Upstairs, Eren is curled up around Levi in their bed, listening closely in hopes that the quiet, barely there heartbeat of the baby doesn't stop.