"Oof!" Ethan grunted when Rook's left hook clipped him on the side of his head. He cupped a hand around the ear, which was now buzzing.
"Focus, Ethan!" Jeb barked. "You could've seen that coming from a mile away!"
"Easy, babe. He's not the only one. They're both distracted," She coaxed her mate, offering a hand to help Brent off the gym floor.
A flurry of Jeb's fists had knocked him down.
The older vanguard squeezed the bridge of his nose and sighed. When he opened his eyes again, his amber yellow irises had darkened to their natural brown.
Rubbing the feeling back into his hot ear, Ethan watched the couple. Jeb, on his own, was a force to reckon with, but with Rook, they were an unbeatable duo.
"Oooh, my insides feel like they've rearranged," Brent groaned after he got to his feet. "I think Eri might have gotten a better deal."
"Doubt it. He's with mean old Zyga," Ethan bit off bitterly.
The grumpy tracker had woken them up at the crack of dawn to work off all the excess holiday food they had eaten. Then he had taken off to teach Eri how to listen to the earth, leaving Rook to help Jeb with today's workout.
But the training was turning out to be more of an ass-whooping.
"You ok, Jeb?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah ... sorry about that. I just ..."
"It's because of Dom, isn't it?" Rook murmured. She placed an arm around her mate's back, and the large man's shoulders drooped.
Ethan grabbed a towel to wipe down the river of sweat drenching his body. "Which Dom?"
"Dominique Hugo. Youngest captain on the vanguard force. He went missing last week, and his team wants to look for him. But Ryden has banned all search parties." Jeb explained, grabbing a towel of his own.
"What? Why?"
Jeb shrugged. "He claims Dominique has probably gone to visit family down south. Dom's wife denies it, and he didn't put in a request for leave either. Something fishy going on, but after what happened to Roger Bane, people are wary about openly defying Ryden."
"But Major Bane's bond madness had nothing to do with him!"
Jeb tossed his towel down. "I know, Ethan. But some people have got it in their heads that it was Luna's way of punishing him for disobeying his alpha. It's stupid, but Ryden is working on their fear."
"But we can't leave the captain like that. He might be in trouble."
A soft smile tugged on Jeb's lips. "Zyga knew you would say that. He's working something out with the trackers. It's just slow because they have to move without raising suspicions."
Ethan nodded, but his fists clenched in frustration. Being powerless to help anyone was a very uncomfortable feeling. And time away from the pack unsettled him further as the days dragged on. He should be back at home.
"It's after lunch," Rook announced, interrupting his thoughts. "Let's go wash up and grab something to eat. I think we're all tired by now."
Ethan welcomed the break, but it was hard to feel any joy in light of the new information. Even Brent's bubbly attitude was muted. Rubbing his belly, he barely said a word as they rode the elevator up.
By dinnertime, the news had gone around, and a somber mood hung over the long table. The chef had outdone himself tonight, and the steak was excellent, but the only sound was that of a dozen sets of cutlery shoving food around their plates.
That was how Jan, Louie, and Lorr found them at the hotel's restaurant.
"Hey, I wondered if we could join you guys," Lorr asked, walking around the table to where her new friend sat.
"Of course." Dr. Kim rose to got grab a chair.
Ethan and Brent did the same, making space for the blond vampire and his best friend.
"What happened," Jan asked as he sat beside Ethan.
Needing the reassurance and comfort of his mate next to him, he grabbed the slender hand and wove their fingers together. "One of our warriors has gone missing."
Then he gave them a summary of the situation.
Jan nodded, and he squeezed their joined fists. "Hmm, I see. I can have a team of trained men follow his trail if you'd like. Your alpha has no control over humans outside his territory."
Ethan's eyes widened as he stared at his mate. Jan would do that for a strange wolf?
Stunned, his mouth flapped without words.
Zyga recovered before he did. "Thanks, but I don't think that would be necessary. People who don't know you well might misinterpret your involvement or intent. Besides, two hunting parties have set off tonight under the auspices of visiting a smaller neighboring pack. So we expect to hear something in the next few days."
"Dear Luna, I hope the news is good. Dom's wife is two months pregnant. Such stress is not healthy for the baby," Naomi added, wringing her fingers.
"Wow, a Lycan pregnancy. I've never seen one out of books. Alice, do you think-"
"Lorr, I don't think this is the time," Jan reminded her in a low voice.
"It's ok," Dr. Kim answered, waving him off. "It's always nice to meet a curious mind."
She smiled encouragingly, but it seemed Jan's warning still got hold of the vampiress' tongue. She did not press her request. But that restraint did not apply to the younger inquisitive minds across the table.
"Do you have kids, Miss Lorr?" Damien asked.
Lorr chuckled. "Oh no, I don't. Vampire bodies can't sustain life, so we can't procreate like humans or other races."
However, this response deepened the furrows on the boy's forehead. "So, how do you make vampire babies?"
Before she could respond, Cody interjected. "They don't have babies, dummy. They bite a grown-up human and suck all their blood. And then they become like them."
"Cody! That's rude!"
Cody's ears grew red, and he sank into his chair.
"Don't be harsh on him, Naomi," Lorr said. "Even amongst us, not everyone is familiar with the process. And this has led to an unfortunate number of deaths in the past."
Ethan cocked his head to the side. It was a topic that hardly ever crossed his mind. He might have repeated exactly what his brother had said if he had been asked to explain.
He was not the only one interested. Around the table, many gave up on the pretense of eating and dropped their cutlery to listen.
With all eyes on her, Jan's niece clarified. "Oh, well, it's a bit of a process. When a vampire finds a human they would like to take on as a fledgling, they start with the First Blood ceremony: a bite on the human's neck. And no, they don't have to suck all their blood."
She smiled, staring pointedly at Cody. He blushed harder.
"The vampire then places a few drops of their blood on the bite, which begins the transformation from human to Dhampir. It's an excruciating process, and if the sire isn't patient or attentive, they will lose the person."
Next to Brent, Louie nodded. "When you were turned, Ivan had to wake up every couple of hours to feed you. He was the worst new parent ever. Cranky one minute and crying the next because he was afraid you won't survive. It was like taking care of two babies. I don't know how I survived."
Ethan snorted. He had not meant to laugh but imagining Ivan in an apron, bawling his eyes out, could never not be funny.
A vein ticked in Mrs. Bane's jaw as she tried not to laugh, but Rook's hearty chuckle burst the dam. Her shoulders shook with mirth.
"Oh shush, Ivan wasn't so bad," Lorr defended, though her own smile grew wider.
"How would you know? Most of the time, you were either crying or sleeping," Louie responded with a pout.
Ethan glanced at Jan. He had once been a fledgling. Had he suffered? Had his sire been caring and attentive? Was it too rude to ask?
His mate looked back at him, but nothing on his face indicated what he had gone through.
"Waking up every two hours to feed a baby can be brutal. I won't have made it without Charles when I had Ethan and Cody. It feels like it was just yesterday. I can't imagine doing that for years."
Lorr shook her head, rushing to explain. "Oh, the initial phase only lasts for a few months. Dhampirs become stable after that and can handle the rest of the transformation on their own. But they still need a lot of supervision to ensure they don't do something stupid like go on a killing spree or wander into wolf territory. Some have even gotten stuck outside in the sun before."
"Sounds a lot like teenage wolves. Always looking for ways to get themselves killed," Zyga quipped, leveling a steady eye at Ethan.
Ethan kept his mouth shut, knowing there was no winning this argument with the old tracker.
"How long is the whole Dhamphir transformation?" Jeb asked, steepling his fingers on the table. His eyes were glued on Lorr.
"On average, it takes a decade or two to be ready for the Second Blood ceremony, which turns them from Dhampir to a vampire. If the sire starts too early, their child may not endure the new change. But this phase is riskier for the parent than the fledgling. You see, during their feed, the Dhampir has to literally drain all the blood of the sire because their body needs a lot of help to complete the process. The new vampire can be up on their feet in a few days, but the parent will be weakened for months. Some never recover."
Several jaws dropped around the table.
"Who'll agree to such a thing?" Brent blurted.
The same thought crossed Ethan's mind. Why will I risk dying by having a child when I can live an immortal life?
But a movement next to Brent grabbed his attention and had his eyes narrowing. Louie was fidgeting with a silver flask he had magicked out of nowhere. Unlike his haughty attitude a few moments ago, the French vampire shifted in his seat with his head bowed low.
He peeked up for a brief second, then dropped his gaze like he had seen a ghost.
Ethan followed Louie's line of sight to his mate. Eyebrows rising, he glanced between the two men. Yep, there's definitely a story here.
But between Jan's blank face and his best friend's attempt to hide under the dining table, Ethan got nothing.
Louie started twitching when Lorr spoke about the parent dying. So was the story related to Jan's sire?
"What happens if a Dhampir never goes through the second blood ceremony?" Dr. Kim asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Lorr sighed, shaking her head softly. "They become uncontrollable ... more animal than human and go mad. Anyone who remains a Dhampir for more than three decades cannot be saved. The only mercy is to kill them."
The room grew somber again.
Now that he knew how difficult it was to make a vampire, he was even more ashamed at how his people reveled in keeping count of how many of them they had slain. Decades of care to sire a child and a Lycan would kill them without a second thought.
It was callous and mean.
What if one of those stats had marked the death of Jan? Or Lorr, or Louie? It was so easy to celebrate the demise of an enemy you never saw. They were the savages, not vampires.
Slender pale fingers wrapped around his fist and gave him a squeeze.
Face warming up, he could not meet his mate's eye.
"Louie, are you going to have fledgling one day?" Cody's high voice broke through the heavy air.
The flamboyant man choked. "What? Gods, no! I'm a baby myself."
A/N
Hi lovelies, thanks for reading.If you loved it don't forget to vote, comment and add to your library.
I would love to hear your feedback on the story in general and this chapter in particular.
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Next chapter is already being edited. I will post it in a couple of days.
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