Okay, so it's been a long time, and I expect that my inattentiveness has cost me readers from my already small stable.

Really, really sorry it took this long, but I guess I just lost heart along the way. Anywhoodly who, the fic itself is almost finished, so whoopie! And I hope that my remaining readers enjoy :)

Love y'all <--(stupid american speak) lots!

-PD

Private I Vampyre

By: PD
Edited by: Glyph
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Do not own
Summary: In which Delilah volunteers, Ryan and Greg have yet another spat, and Colin gets fed up

Last time on Private I Vampyre: Stuff happened. :D:P



Chapter 20

Greg and Ryan weren’t the best of friends. Hell they weren’t even friends, but they’d seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement that extended beyond them being in bed with me.

Wayne, Jeff, and Delilah came in after Sandi took the men to go get something to eat when we next awoke, and while I was getting my cast taken off I told them everything.

They listened in silence, their faces clouding, until finally Delilah took my cast and flung it across the room without a word. It shattered into little bits against the stone wall while Wayne sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. “Shit…” he breathed, rubbing his face. “And you don’t know who did it?”

I shook my head, gingerly flexing my ankle and testing my back a little. I was still covered in massive bruises, and my lung still hurt with every breath, but I could use it and that’s all I care about in the end. “No, but I’m very certain that it wasn’t Sherwood.”

“So now you have two people trying to kill not just you or Greg, but Ryan as well…” Jeff sighed, running hands through his hair. A nervous habit, I’d come to realize. “What saved you?”

I blushed faintly. “I, um… I asked God to help me…”

Everyone stared at me. “And He listened?”

I flushed. “I guess He still thinks I’m worth saving…”

“He always has, dear,” Josie said, coming out of the doorway. No one, not even Jeff asked how she’d gotten in. Jeff just backed away as she neared me, moving to Delilah’s other side. “He knows who you really are, and even after all that you’ve done, knows why you’ve done it, and knows that in every way it was for others, not yourself. Such selflessness deserves a little hand every so often.” She smiled a little mischievously. “Besides, we enjoy rattling Lucifer’s cage now and then.” To our frightened faces, she nodded. “You bested the Devil himself, Colin, congratulations.”

I felt like throwing up. “How…” I swallowed past the fear. “How do I keep him from going after Ryan and Greg?”

“Greg, too, my my,” she smiled, seeming somehow pleased. “I would say ‘I told you so’, but angels are above such things.”

Everyone gave her a look. It just glanced off. “I just came to make sure your trip hadn’t rattled you too hard, and to tell you to be careful,” she said, solemn again. “We cannot help you every time you or the people you love are in danger. Last night was a free pass because Lucifer bent the rules. It was our prerogative to bend them right back.” She came forward and gave me a kiss on my brow, and this time it didn’t hurt. It felt nice. “I want you to take this.” She handed me a little pendant on a long leather lace. “And I want you to wear it. It should keep you off of Lucifer’s mind.”

“Can I really wear it?” I asked, holding it by the length of leather, thinking back to the cross held by the faithful. Any designs on it were long since worn away and the metal was so old it looked like it was made of clay “I mean, it won’t burn me or anything?”

“No, it won’t burn you. I wouldn’t give you something that would hurt you, silly goose,” she chided gently. “It’s just a little blessed tin, made by a holy man of God who had the right idea. As long as you wear it, Lucifer shouldn’t be able to get into your dreams, and those you love most should be protected by it, as well.”

I smiled faintly, slipping the thing around my neck and running my thumb over the metal. It was warm before I even touched it. I looked up at her. “Do you always show up, drop some sage advice and go?”

She considered it. “No… Sometimes I don’t show up at all.”

“I’m glad you did. Thank you…”

“Just doing my job, dear,” she smiled warmly, nodding to all of us before leaving the way she’d come.

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Wayne cleared his throat. “Well… that was informative.”

“I’ll say,” I snorted.

“If all goes as she says, this will protect you from dear old Luci, but what about Brad?” Wayne asked, frowning at the little lump of tin around my neck.

I looked at Jeff, who was still standing near the foot of the bed behind Delilah. Our eyes met, and I can tell you now, a lot was said without words. And, inevitably, Delilah picked up on it. “You both know something,” she said flatly. It wasn’t a question.

We looked away, suddenly interested in other things.

“Tell me, now,” she growled.

I glared at Jeff, but he shrugged his shoulders in that way he had that meant absolutely nothing or positively everything. “We know how to summon Sherwood so we can send him back to Hell.”

“What?” Wayne barked.

“How?” Delilah narrowed her eyes at him while Wayne looked from me, to her, to Jeff, sensing trouble in paradise. Hell, she did, too. That was why she stared at me, crossing her arms under her breasts. “Colin…” she sounded reasonable, almost, but it raised the hair on my arms.

I scrubbed a hand across the back of my neck. “Delilah, please… it’s not a good idea.”

“Tell me and I’ll give you a verdict,” she said sharply.

I looked to Jeff, more than a little angry. He took the lead. “Normally, to summon a demon, it would take a blood sacrifice, a human one, but naturally we cannot do something like that without causing irreparable damage to our souls.” Before Wayne could ask, he added “Yes, I believe I still have one when I am awake.” He fluffed an elegant hand through his hair and sighed. “We would need an awesome amount of raw energy to make up for the missing blood, but nothing short of a lightening strike would work…”

“You would need someone with incredible control over their natural abilities to channel that amount of power…” she mused, chewing her full lower lip. “And hope they won’t get toasted like bread in the meantime.”

“Who do we know that can do that?” Wayne asked, watching Delilah as she reached the same obvious conclusion. He knew, and he also figured out why no one else had brought it up.

“Me,” she sighed.

“You could die.”

“True, but there’s also a chance one could survive it,” she shrugged.

“You aren’t seriously considering it, are you?” Wayne asked incredulously.

“We know we aren’t one of her cats, Wayne,” Jeff said quietly, but it had a curious effect on both of them, and Wayne stilled like he’d been insulted.

“I simply want to know why she’d risk her life and her position when she’s only just got what’s left of her Pride situated. It is a large sacrifice, not just for her but her people, who are already trying to cope with a massive loss,” he said firmly, giving Jeff an eye.

I’d definitely missed something here. Delilah spoke up first before I could ask about it. “One owes them for the remnants of ones Pride being here in the first place… They have all of the Pride's utter loyalty. And, as Colin protects everyone, not just his own, with his life, so will one endeavor to return the favor.” She rose from her place on the edge of the bed, straightening the invisible wrinkles in her pencil skirt.

“Yes, but Colin or the others aren’t yours.” Wayne said flatly, frowning. “They aren’t Pride, hell they aren’t even Were.”

“Sometimes, one must look beyond the physical differences for the people one must protect. One would think you more than the rest of us would understand that, Wayne,” she said softly, watching him, face impassive and regal once more. Wayne scowled and crossed his arms, pouting without looking in the least cute.

“Well I think the whole argument is moot,” I said suddenly. I wanted to shrink back, a little embarrassed as they all turned on me. I flexed my foot, watching it for an excuse to blush without being seen, though doubtless they’d smell it. “We are NOT asking Delilah to potentially sacrifice herself just to get Sherwood over here.”

“How else can we?” Jeff asked.

I glared at him. “We’ll find another way,” I said pointedly.

“There is none,” she said quietly, eyes soft in a sad smile. “This is the only cheat. So you see, either someone is murdered to do this, or someone makes the sacrifice. It’s still blood, but it won’t stain a single soul…”

“But you might die!” I protested before shaking my head, wincing as my frazzled brain rattled around inside. “Listen, no one is dying, okay? We’ll figure something out or, worst case scenario, I’ll go over there and send Sherwood back to Hell myself.”

“You can’t do that Colin,” Jeff said quietly. “You’d be caught, and Sherwood would hand you over to the Nazis and give them their best weapon of all…”

“What?” I asked, paling a little.

“You are a combination of many worlds now. Part demon, part vampire, part human… What if they found out how to duplicate your circumstance? No, you can’t go and kill him… it would have to be a member of the council overseas,” he sighed.

“Isn’t that bad to ask favors of them?” Delilah asked pointedly.

“Very,” he nodded.

“Then that rules that out,” she said with an air of finality. “We have no choice but to wait for a storm and hope for the best…” She looked over and me and shrugged gracefully. I held out my hand and she took it.

I pressed her hand to my forehead. “You shouldn’t have to do this… it’s wrong,” I said heavily.

Her fingers brushed across my scalp, caressing the sensitive skin there. “Why?”

“Because… I can’t ask you to do this and I won’t allow it…” I said angrily, looking up at her.

She smiled that soft smile with her liquid brown eyes. “You can’t keep surviving like this. You, Greg, or Ryan… How long do you think it will take for the assassins to think to pick us off? You love too many people, Colin.” she caressed my cheek. I heard a soft noise and we all turned to find Ryan and Greg frozen in the open doorway, watching all of us with soft frowns.

“What happened?”

I didn’t release Delilah as I told them, instead holding her close without wrapping around her. That would be odd. They listened quietly, sliding back onto the bed. By the end of it, they both looked as I did. Like the only possible solution was absolutely out of the question. Well, except for Greg. “Well, if that’s what you think will work, more power to you,” he said weakly, ignoring the look he got from me and Ryan.

“I knew I’d have your vote, Gregory,” she purred, sounding more than a little amused.

He grinned and shrugged.

I sighed, pressing my head to her hands almost desperately. I needed to touch her, needed to keep her here and to keep her from killing herself for a stupid reason. I felt her hand press me to her stomach and she hugged me closely, resting her lips on my head as I wrapped my arms around her slim frame. “This is so stupid…” I muttered angrily.

She pursed her lips. “One agrees, wholeheartedly in fact, but… it is a fair trade. Besides, you would do the same for any one of us, no?”

I blinked. “Of course, in fact I think I should-”

“You are more of a ready, fire, aim fellow, Colin…” she smiled patiently. “You don’t have that sort of control… sorry.”

We parted and I sighed, pressing a kiss to her hand. “This is nuts…”

“Yes,” they all agreed.

“Okay… as long as we’re all on the same level,” I rubbed my face.



No more was said about the subject that night, and for once I had no problem with that, because I couldn’t stop over analyzing it in my head, much less actually talk about it without spouting out one crazy solution after the other that would never ever work.

Wayne, Jeff and Delilah left, going to speak with their respective groups about the plan, and possibly to Drew and the Witches. They might be able to help somehow, we didn’t know exactly how, but better to have what you didn’t need than to need what you didn’t have.

I sat on the bed, my knees to my chest and my arms looped over them, nibbling at the skin of my forearm, thinking hard. Apparently I was the subject of a rather heated discussion, because when I tuned back in, Ryan was growling at Greg, who was trying to growl back but only managing a sound like an angry gooses hiss. “-don’t think I’d enjoy watching that!” Ryan snapped.

“Ask me if I fuckin’ care!” Greg snapped right back.

I rubbed my eyes as a headache instantly manifested itself right between my ears. “What is it now?” I groaned.

They both turned to glare at me, and the jealousy in the room swelled to impressive proportions. I realized I was still in just my pants with its torn, bloodied leg and I thought about pulling the sheet up to cover myself, but dismissed it as too girly. That and they were both sitting on the it. “You need to feed Col, I was talking with Sandi and she says you’re still healing,” Ryan said impatiently.

“Not as slowly as a human would, but slower than a vampire, so you need blood to keep the healing going or it will never happen,” Greg grated, giving Ryan the evil eye.

“Okay…” I said pensively. I could see this coming a mile away, but I still stepped in it knee deep with gusto. “So what’s the problem?”

“Who will you feed on?” they demanded.

“I will not watch you feed on him!” Ryan stabbing, pointing his finger at Greg but jerking it away before the bespectacled man bit it off.

“And watching you with him is soo not on my To-Do list!” Greg added, sticking out his tongue at Ryan.

“Know what,” I sighed. “I am truly sorry that I am unable to choose between you two, I am. I love you both, in different ways,” I hastened to add before Ryan could open his mouth, “and there is nothing more that I’d love to see than both of you satisfied. But I’m hurt, not much anymore, but I am, and I don’t have the time, or the patience to soothe both of your egos tonight. And right now, I don’t think I could feed…” I said softly, thinking of Delilah… and the sacrifice she would potentially make.

“Oh Col,” Ryan said softly, and as I felt arms wrap around me, I heard him growl and looked up to see him glaring Greg down from holding me, too.

“Out,” I sighed aggravatedly.

“What?”

“Get out… I don’t have the patience for this tonight,” I said, finally angry. Greg gave Ryan, who looked alternately furious and ashamed, a very smug look before I pointed my finger at him. “You, too.”

“But Col-” he began, but I cut him off.

“No. Both of you, leave. And please… next time, try to put things in a larger perspective than who is getting laid,” I said as I limped over, following them to shut the door. They both gave me hurt looks, but I was beyond caring right now. I was just too frustrated with them both and the world at large to care. “I am not a prize in your pissing contest,” I said flatly before I shut the door with a snap. It felt good and I heaved a sigh of relief, but I also felt bad. I’d caused this particular spat, but I couldn’t help it anymore… and I was tired of trying to tip toe around Ryan’s delicate sensibilities.

That was one point in Greg’s favor, although from this little snit, I think Ryan was rubbing off on my ex-demon lover, and not in a good way.

I looked at the massive bed, rumpled and smelling a little rankly of fear sweat, and sighed. It was huge… and now it looked so lonely. I shrugged, limping over to it and sliding in, burying my nose in one of the pillows searching for their scents, knowing they would make me feel better. I fell asleep clutching one pillow to my face and curled around another.

What I wouldn’t give for the ability to make decisions…

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