Black Dagger Brotherhood Fan Fiction

Chapter Twenty-One

I open my eyes to see a beautiful grass plain. There's a castle in the distance and a river near me. I walk up to the water and marvel at the clarity of it. It seems iridescent. The colours playing off each other as the river babbles happily. I bend down to get a better look. "You shouldn't get to close," comes a voice from behind me. I whirl around and almost lose my footing but a hand grabs mine and helps me get my balance back. There are three men standing in front of me. The one that helped me has a lot of piercings, he smiles when our eyes meet. The next man has long hair and the third looks like a soldier. They're all tall and well built. "I'm Adrian, says the first man, "This is Eddie and Jim." He says while pointing to man number two and man number three consecutively. "Am I dead?" I ask. Eddie grins. "Well, that kind of depends on you," says Adrian. I frown, "Actually it's either I'm alive or I'm dead. There's no in between." "Hate to break it to you, but this is your in between," says Jim. He looks too serious to be joking. "What the fuck," I mutter. "Perhaps speaking more eloquently in a place such as this would be a good idea," comes a haughty retort from behind me. I turn to see two more men walk up to us. "My apologies," I say embarrassed. "No need to worry," says the one with darker hair, "I'm Colin and this is Nigel." I nod in greeting. "So what am I doing here?" I ask. Nigel looks down his nose at me, "We have a proposition for you." I raise my eyebrow in question and annoyance. Colin smirks at me. "Who exactly are all of you?" I ask. "We're angels," says Colin. "That..." I start but then realize, "Wait, do you know Lassiter?" Nigel looks livid. "Uh, never mind. Forget I said anything," I say quickly. Adrian coughs into his fist but it looks like he's trying to hide a laugh as he snorts a little. I purse my lips to keep from smiling. "You seem really relaxed for someone who could be dead," says Nigel coldly. I look him square in the eye, "It's not like I can die again." He narrows his eyes at me, "This was a mistake." "No, we have orders," says Colin. "Then you deal with this," says Nigel as he gestures to me. I look at the others and they seem to be trying to keep a straight face. I look back at Colin expectantly. "Right, a proposition. So you have a choice. You can die and go where ever you end up or you can choose to live but under certain conditions," says Colin. "What conditions?" I ask. "There's a war. You're aware of this," he says. I nod, "The vampire war against the lessers." "Well, it's going to get more complicated. We're going to need all the soldiers we can get. We need you to help us fight," he says. I take this in for a minute. "Only if I can help the vampires too. I want to help them fight as well. They're also short on numbers," I say firmly. Nigel looks at me in ire, "You are given a boon and you dare make your own conditions." "No offense, but you aren't the first angel I've met. If I was meant to die, we wouldn't be here talking right now. We need each other. As much as you may dislike me, perhaps it would be advantageous to have someone as tenacious as I am watching your back." Nigel looks gobsmacked. Colin grins, "I think you and I will get along just fine." "Well, her request really shouldn't be an issue," says Jim. Eddie nods, "We know there's a new phase of the war coming in." Nigel comes closer to me and bends a little to meet my gaze, I feel an intensity come off him that makes me freeze. "It would be wise to be more respectful in future," he says fiercely. "Nigel," says Colin as he places a hand on his shoulder. Nigel steps back. "So, is that a yes? Do you want to live?" asks Colin. "Yes," I say instantly. I promised Lassiter that I wouldn't give up. I intend to keep my promise. "What about the cancer?" I ask. "Consider it gone," says Colin. "We'll see you soon, Shea," says Adrian with a smile. Eddie and Jim smile as well. I give them a small wave and turn to Colin. Colin's hand is already by my forehead and then I feel a jolt.

"Why isn't she waking up?!" exclaims Luchas. Manny moves over so Jane can start compressions. "Maybe..." he says. "No," says Blay, "She will wake up. She has to." Suddenly Shea's body jerks violently, Jane gets pushed off to the side. V holds onto her and helps her off the table. Luchas pushes his wrist closer to Shea's mouth, just as she latches on and starts drinking in earnest. He angles her head with his arm so she can reach more comfortably and drops his forehead on hers, "Thank the Scribe Virgin." He starts mumbling in the Old Language. A prayer of thanks. Qhuinn and Blay come forward and hold onto Shea's hand and arm. She's still strapped to the table. V starts to undo her other hand and Qhuinn does the same. As soon as her arms are free, she grabs onto Luchas's arm. She sits up and curls herself around his arm. He moves her hair away from her face and smiles when he sees her colour returning. He keeps his arm around her shoulder while she drinks. Qhuinn notices him start to sag against her a little. "Come on," says Qhuinn as he touches Luchas's shoulder, "Let me feed her now." He bites into his wrist and tugs at Luchas's wrist with his other hand. Shea clamps down harder and growls ferociously. "Well, it's good to see she's back to her feisty self. Help me Blay," says Qhuinn as Blay comes around and holds onto Luchas's hand and arm. Shea's growl deepens. "Come on, Shea," says Qhuinn as he slips his wrist up to her mouth. He nods at Blay who pulls at Luchas's arm and Qhuinn slides his wrist in quickly. Luchas is still dripping blood, his wrist has a gaping wound. Jane hurries over to him but he licks at it stopping most of the blood flow. His wrist is still raw so Jane goes about treating it while Manny stands nearby in case Shea or Qhuinn need him. Jane gets Luchas to sit down. He's already pale from the amount of blood taken. "We need to get you to a chosen," says Manny to Luchas. "I'm not leaving her side," says Luchas stubbornly. "We can always bring the chosen to you then," says Jane. "I'll get someone to come down here," says Beth, "There are other rooms you can use to feed in if you want. Qhuinn is going to need to feed too once Shea is done with him." Shea clutches at Qhuinn's arm and takes long, greedy pulls. He and Blay exchange a relieved smile. "She's going to pull through this," says Blay. Qhuinn nods, "She's too strong not to." Shea starts to slow down. Her arms going slack. Qhuinn slowly moves her back so that she rests on his arm. Her breathing evens out and she goes limp. He lays her down carefully and licks his wrist. Manny treats it while Jane checks Shea's vitals. "She's not done yet," Jane mutters. She grasps Shea's hand, "You can get through this." "Why hasn't it started yet?" asks Luchas. "Maybe her body needs some time to heal the cancer," says V uncertainly. "What should we do?" asks Qhuinn. "I'll check her vitals again," says Manny as he goes over to Shea. He looks perplexed, "Everything seems fine." "Maybe we should give her some space," says V. Jane nods, "You guys go ahead. I want to stay just in case." "I'm staying too," says Wrath, "Maybe I should give her some of my blood. It might help." "How about we wait a bit before doing that, I'm not sure she would drink now," says Beth. "We aren't going anywhere," says Blay as Qhuinn and Luchas nod. "You two need to feed," says Jane to Qhuinn and Luchas but they both refuse the offer. Suddenly Shea gasps and starts to writhe in pain. 

"Thank goodness!" Everyone whips their head towards the corner of the room. Lassiter comes forward. "She's made her choice," he says relieved. He walks over to Shea and places a hand on her head as she squirms and winces. "Where the fuck have you been?" asks Qhuinn, "Do you know how often she's asked for you?" "I was always close by but I couldn't get involved. I was told not to sway her decision in any way. This is a turning point in the war," Lassiter says. "What do you mean?" asks Wrath. Shea leans over and spits out two of her teeth. She lies back on the table and her breathing is still ragged as she thrashes around. After she finally settles down, Lassiter plants a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so proud of you," he whispers to her. Luchas takes her hand while Blay and Qhuinn stay close. Jane does a vitals check again, "She's good." There's a collective sigh of relief and a nervous chuckle or two. "You didn't answer me, Lassiter," says Wrath with a growl. "The Omega is not going to be your greatest concern for much longer. There's another evil that's making their way into the picture. It's going to be a war that won't just be against vampires anymore," he says as he glows. "What does Shea have to do with all this?" asks Luchas. "She is our secret weapon," he says, with his hand still on her head. Shea's body starts to glow too. "What the fuck," whispers Qhuinn. Lassiter looks at them solemnly, "Shea is the first vampire and angel hybrid."