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The Healing Souls
Awakening
Awakening2036words
Update Time2024-11-01 09:40:45
[Echo]In the afternoon, I went in to check on the man and the doctor. Doctor Hastings looked up at me from his book. I nodded at him and turned to the man in the bed. The bag he was attached to was almost drained. I didn’t know how many had gone into him. I sat on the bed and took his hand. His body didn’t react as instinctively as it had before. I hoped that meant he was getting better and not that his body was giving up on protecting itself. The man moved a little in his sleep. Doctor Hastings got up from the chair he was sitting in and approached us. I remembered my promise to Victor and put the man’s hand down. He grasped me tightly before I could pull away. I froze and looked at his face. His eyes were open and he was staring at me. “Do you know who you are?” Doctor Hastings asked from the foot of the bed.“Wh-where am I?” “This is my home. You were brought here by my uncle and his wife,” I answered. “Do you remember who you are?” “I’m not stupid, I know who I am. Why did they bring me here?” The man didn’t let go of my hand, but was eyeing me suspiciously. I couldn’t teleport with him holding me so tightly. There was a chance I would take him with me. “You were attacked by something. Do you remember that?” I asked. He looked at me and then to Doctor Hastings, confusion etched on his face. “I don’t remember anything.”I could feel his grip on my hand tightening and I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me go. He didn’t seem to register that he was holding on to me, but his eyes always kept returning to me. “Can you tell us your name?” Doctor Hastings asked, stepping forward.The man hesitated and for a moment, I thought he was going to ignore the question and continue holding onto me. But finally, he spoke. “My name is Spencer.”I studied Spencer’s face, noticing his rugged features and strong jawline. Even in his disoriented state, he had a commanding presence that made me feel both nervous and intrigued. One of the abilities I gained from my vampire sire’s line was being able to see the hearts of others. There was nothing evil in him, but I could feel a darkness and pain. He wasn’t bad. He was broken. Like Victor when I met him. “Spencer, my name is Echo. Echo Nightshade. Can you remember anything before you woke up here?”Our eyes locked and I could see a flicker of recognition in his gaze. It was as if he was searching for something, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He let go of my hand and looked down at his hands. “I was bedding down for the night. I found a good alley and had been camping there for about a week. People didn’t go there often and there wasn’t a dumpster until the next block, so I didn’t have to worry about getting crushed. It was pretty clean, not many bugs or animals.... I laid down in an area I had built up with some crates and boxes.... Something was watching me. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it.... I was attacked?” he asked as he put his hand up to his neck. “You were. My uncle and his wife found you. They saved you and brought you here to heal,” I replied.“Why, though? Why did they bring me to a girl who can’t be much more than eighteen? Why not the hospital?”I bit my lip, not sure how much to reveal. Doctor Hastings stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. “You were...injured in a way that is difficult to explain. It’s not something that can be treated in a human hospital.”Spencer’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”“The creature that attacked you didn’t attack with claws or weapons. It pierced your neck and started drinking your blood, much like a vampire. The people who found you are vampires and they attacked the creature, stopping it from killing you. It’s responsible for the deaths of several homeless humans in the area. They brought you here because the head vampire of the territory lives here,” Doctor Hastings explained.“My husband,” I added. “Vampires? I was saved by vampires? What did they want in return?” Spencer asked. “Nothing but your cooperation,” I told him. “We’re hunting the creature that almost killed you. The reason they found you is because they were hunting for it.” He looked at the window. It was clear that it was daytime. He looked back at me. “You’re not a vampire?” “I’m part vampire, but I won’t be a full vampire until after I die.” Spencer looked at Doctor Hastings. “And you?” “I’m a werewolf, a member of the local pack, and a doctor at the pack hospital. Outside the room is another werewolf protecting you and the grounds here are patrolled by more werewolves,” Doctor Hastings replied. Spencer’s eyes narrowed. “So, what now? What do you want me to do?”“If you can’t remember anything about the creature, then all we want from you is to get better. Once you’ve healed, we can talk about what the next steps are. We can give you money, help you find a job and a home, anything you want,” I said. Victor hadn’t said anything, but I knew he would want to take care of the man. Even though it wasn’t really our fault, Victor would feel guilty about not stopping the creature sooner. “For what? I didn’t do anything to earn it.” “It’s reparation for not taking care of this creature before it could harm you. The supernatural leaders of the area are responsible for their people as well as for the humans in their territory. You were harmed because this monster wasn’t stopped.” “You need rest. I’ll talk to the kitchen staff about getting you some food that will be easy on your stomach. You can talk to Master Nightshade when he wakes for the day,” Doctor Hastings said. Spencer nodded and settled back in. He hadn’t sat up. I was pretty sure he was using all of his strength to hold onto my hand earlier. I stood up and looked down at him. His eyes were closed as he tried to rest. I was glad that he hadn’t reacted poorly to being surrounded by supernaturals. It could be difficult for humans to be surrounded by them suddenly. Doctor Hastings followed me out to the hallway. He closed the door before he spoke. “Waking up is good and he knows his name. Once he’s stronger, I want to test his cognitive functions a little more. There could be some damage we’re not seeing from this small interaction,” Doctor Hastings told me. “Is there a chance that he’s a threat to the household?” Neil asked. “At this stage, no. He’s muscular, scarred, and has some human military tattoos. That man is trained to fight and to kill. Once he’s mobile, I think he could be more of a threat. That’s not to say he will be. A lot of werewolves and other shifters enter the military as well. There’s a good chance he could have been friendly with werewolves. He may have even had some bad experience with vampires....” The way the doctor trailed off made me uncomfortable. Neither of the wolves would look at me. People got like that when they were reminded of how I was forced to feed vampires before Victor saved me. “Vampires feed on the homeless against their will?” I asked softly. “Some pay, others just take. I have heard of vampires calling homeless humans ‘street fruit’. They feel entitled to them because they are on the fringe of society,” Doctor Hastings replied. If that man had been forced to feed vampires I was sure he would have been more upset about being in the home of one. He did ask what he was expected to give. We would be careful around him, just in case. We went on with our day. Neil moved into the bedroom with Spencer and Doctor Hastings. Lisa took food in for him. I was glad he was feeling comfortable enough to eat. When my alarm went off, I teleported into our bedroom and started warming the bed for Victor. I climbed in with him and cuddled next to my husband. Gray would be home soon after Victor woke up. As it grew closer to summer, I wouldn’t see Victor as much. Gray would get home well before Victor could wake for the day. It was a tradeoff. In the cold months, I had my icy vampire more, and in the hot months, I had my fiery wolf more. I preferred the times in between when I could spend time with both of them. It would be harder when I eventually started my second life. I would sleep when Victor did and wake when he woke. Gray would be alone during the days. I shook my head. It was best not to think of my second life yet. My first one was far from over. I rested my head on Victor’s chest and listened to the occasional beat of his heart. Talia explained that the dark spirits that fueled vampires were dormant during their rest, but they were still there. That was why Victor had a heartbeat even though he appeared dead. “Echo,” Victor said softly and kissed the top of my head. “Good afternoon, Victor,” I murmured and rubbed his chest. He wrapped his arms around me. I loved any time I had in the arms of either of my husbands. I loved it when they were both there a lot more, though. “What happened while I was sleeping?” he asked. “The man woke up. His name is Spencer and he doesn’t remember anything from before he woke up here, only that he felt like something was watching him when he was getting ready to sleep. He didn’t know where it was, only that something was watching him,” I replied. Victor was quiet, but I knew he was thinking. Gray would sometimes think out loud, but Victor almost never did. He just stroked his hand from my head down my back over and over while he pondered the situation. “You didn’t try to help him, right?” “I didn’t try to heal him, but I did help the doctor put the I.V. in. He couldn’t find the vein and his waffling was making me mad,” I admitted. He sighed and held me close. “You know I didn’t want you in there because I’m scared, right? I’ve lost everything before and losing you would kill me, Echo. It wasn’t because I doubt your strength and abilities. It was entirely because of how my heart hurt when I thought of things going badly.” My chest tightened. As much as they sometimes forgot I wasn’t weak, I sometimes forgot where they were weak. I knew Victor wanted a family with me. I knew he had lost his family tragically. He told me everything before I ever knew he was my Solus Amor. “I’m sorry, Victor. I should have thought of that, but I was focused on myself.” “Don’t apologize. I should have talked to you about it instead of issuing orders. Sometimes I forget I can share everything with you, princess. It might take me a while to remember it every time.” “It might take me a while to fix myself, too. I think we can agree to be patient with each other,” I said softly. “We should get up. Grayson will be home soon and we need to see to our guest. Plus, I would like to call in the warlock to look at the root we have. He may be of more help than any vampire who is currently in my territory…. With the possible exception of Finn,” Victor replied. Reluctantly, I got off of him and let him get out of bed. This was going to be one of our longer nights. I hoped everything turned out all right.