Chapter 15: Awakening

ANDREI

I’m trapped. I can’t move, blink, or even smell. I’m paralyzed. What the hell just happened?

One moment I’m standing next to Willow, talking to the ancients, and the next, I’m flat on my back, staring at the night sky. I can’t even twitch a finger or close my eyes. I’m just stuck, staring.

Right now, I’m looking at a ceiling. Lira is moving around me. I see her lips moving, but I can’t hear a word.

I think Willow, Lyric, and Kaiser are here. Boris too, if I’m not mistaken. Their faces are filled with worry. What’s going on?

What’s happening to me? Time is moving, but I’m not. My anger is building, but it’s not doing me any good.

I feel someone enter the room. It’s Lira. She’s back. She’s adjusting a pillow under my head and covering me with a light sheet.

While she was gone, two male wolves came in, stripped me, and redressed me in warmups and a t-shirt. I think she’s trying to make me comfortable. But I don’t need comfort. I need her to fix me!

I see her glance at someone who just walked in. Then I see Willow. She leans over me with a small smile. Goddess, she’s beautiful!

My frustration is getting the best of me. I can’t smile back. I can’t reach out to touch her. I can’t tell her how fascinating I find her.

I can’t tell her I think she might be my beloved. My second chance at love. Lira steps out of my line of sight.

Willow bends closer and turns my head so I can look at her. She’s sitting in a chair next to my bed, or cot, or whatever the hell they have me lying on!

Then I feel it. A slight movement in my mind. I hear a faint voice saying my name. I concentrate. It gets clearer. I’m getting excited.

“Can you hear me?” Willow asks softly.

“Yes,” I think, but no sound comes out.

“Don’t worry,” she continues. “We’re going to figure this out.”

I want to believe her. I really do. But the fear is overwhelming.

“Stay with me,” she whispers, her voice a lifeline in the darkness.

I focus on her words, clinging to them. “I’m here,” I think. “I’m here.”

~“Andrei, can you hear me? It’s Genisis. Willow and I are very worried. I know you can’t speak with your mouth. Can you think? Think the words. I’ll hear them.~

~“It’s the mate-link I am using. In wolves, we have a pack-link and a mate-link. You aren’t pack, but you are our mate so Willow and I can use this link to reach you.”~

~“YES!”~ I think.

She chuckles. ~“That’s very good, but you can tone it down. Think normally.”~ She rustles in my head. ~“I will tell you what we know. The ancients sent a thorn into your heart from the dragon blood tree. It has rendered you immobile. They intended to kill Willow and our team and transport you to the vampire king’s lair to drain you.~

~“They are adamant that drinking your blood will enable them to walk in the sun again. We can’t just tear into you and remove it. It’s one of those rare things that only your mate can remove. Willow and I are reluctant to do that. Removing the thorn saves your life, but in essence, it returns you to human form.~

~“You would no longer be a vampire. Well, that may seem fine, but you have to understand that you are centuries old, and we don’t know if it would return you as you are or age you within seconds and you’d end up dust. So, we are further investigating this.~

~“Also, the Moon Goddess paid us a visit. She wants us to keep you like this for the time being. I need you to turn your power down. In order to make the vampire king think you are dead. Your power must remain undetectable.~

~“I know if you extinguish your power, it will tell the others tied to you that you have died. It will give us more time to figure out what King Mihai is planning. It’s all we can do at this moment. You will be protected. Willow and I will protect you with our lives.”~

~“I will pull my power back. As the vampire king, it is strong. I have had to learn to peel it back the last few years to give Mihai the opportunity to rule. You are right. Pulling it back will make them think I have perished. Genisis. I do not want you or Willow to die in my stead. You are my beloved. It is my honor to protect you. As your mate, I wish to do that. Find a way for me to come back and help. I don’t want to return to human. I wish to be by your sides.”~

~“Willow can hear us. She knows your thoughts. We will see you through this. The Goddess says she will return you stronger than before. Keep faith!” Genisis tells him.~

Then I feel her pull back from my mind. Willow leans into me and leaves a kiss on my cheek. A small tear trickles down hers. I want so badly to wipe it away.

I take a deep breath and slowly pull my power back. In my mind, I create a vault to store it in. It’s the only way I can describe it. I tuck away the essence of me. I confine it in my mind and lock it up. The vampires will feel my power recede and think me dead.

Willow gently closes my eyelids for me, and I rest in the dark and wait…..

WILLOW

I hold his hand as he lies here. I had to close his eyes. I don’t want them to dry out. Now it looks like he’s just sleeping.

Lira attaches an IV to his arm. “He will need blood transfusions to ensure he stays healthy. Right now, it’s all that we can do.”

I lay my head on his chest and close my eyes. I need to rest, but I refuse to leave him alone. Tomorrow all my uncles will be here.

We will be very busy bringing everyone up to date on what has been going on. My shadow wolves are out trying to gather as much intel as they can.

They’re hitting all the blood dens they can to hear any gossip from individual vampires that aren’t tied to the king but still stay in touch with the covens and then side however it benefits them.

Mother is checking in on the dark web. Her computer skills are top-notch, and she can infiltrate the web and track down chatter like no other.

My brother is calling in all the reinforcements he can. I was told the Fae king will be coming as well. He is half Fae, half wolf. He can help with Fae magic.

The coven of witches have said they too will cast protection spells and set up camp here in the coming weeks. Right now, I just need to keep Andrei safe.

He can’t fight in the condition he’s in. Actually, I don’t like keeping him here in the infirmary.

~“Brother!”~ I call Boris through our pack-link. ~“Do you know of somewhere here on pack grounds I can take Andrei where he won’t be detected?”~

~“I’ve got a plan brewing. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be there to talk it over.”~

I end the connection and watch as Lira hooks up a bag of blood to the IV.

“He mentioned he’s only been feeding every other day, but I’ve got it on a slow drip. I don’t want him to waste away,” she says, her smile soft and comforting.

“Has Eros reached out to you yet?” I ask her.

“No, sweetheart. But he will when he’s ready. I promise I won’t keep it from you.”

“I’m waiting on my shadow wolves to report back. I’m hoping they’ll confirm his death. That’ll give us some breathing room. We can send out more spies and hopefully squash this before it escalates into full-blown war.”

I take a deep breath, gripping Andrei’s hand tighter.

“The Goddess is with us, love. You come from a line of powerful wolves. We’ll be okay. Just you wait and see.”

Lira gives my shoulder a reassuring pat just as Boris enters the room with a tray of food.

“Mom sent this for you. She says you need to keep your strength up.”

He sets the tray down and I reach for a sandwich.

“Are the guest rooms ready?” I ask, my mouth full of chips.

“Yes. They’ve been aired out and fresh linens and towels have been provided. Aunt Oliva and Uncle Ridge are overseeing everything. I’ve also set up a section by the stream for the Fae and witches. Fire rings are in place.”

He watches me munch on a pickle.

“Where can I take Andrei where he won’t be disturbed or found?” I ask, taking a sip of water.

“The cemetery.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Hear me out. There’s an old crypt there. Solid rock. We can move him there and no one will think to look. I can have your team bring a cot and a chair. Candles for light. You can mask your scent and I’ll have Lira cast a spell on Andrei to hide his until he wakes up.”

“Okay. That’s better than anything I could come up with. Who would think to look for a vampire in a cemetery?”

I giggle.

“You finish your meal and I’ll get your guys to start setting up. Only Mom, Dad, Lira, and I will know you’re there with Andrei. I won’t even tell your team what they’re moving the stuff down there for. The fewer people who know, the better.”

“Thanks, Boris. He’s starting to pull his power back. I can feel it. He seems more like himself now. Without his power, they won’t sense him. They’ll think he’s dead or dying. I hope this buys us some time.”

“It will. The Goddess will ensure it.” He smiles, patting my shoulder as he stands.

“I’ll go check on the crypt. I’ll be back later with Dad and Lira to move Andrei and help you get settled. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”

“No pranks!” I call after him. “I refuse to sleep in a coffin!”

“Would I do that to you?” he teases.

“Yes!”

His laughter echoes down the hall as he walks away.