[Day 3]
Teru hated the taste of vomit. Really hated it. He leaned his hand against the tree, silently apologizing to it for making a mess on its exposed roots.
BLECH.
It just never seemed to end. Kieran patted his back and tucked Teru's hair behind his ears so the strands wouldn't get caught in the stream of nasty gunk.
Moments earlier, the group had to stop until the Jeep's engine cooled down. Black smoke started to spew from under the hood, with Blaise pleading, 'Keep going, baby, you got this.' They were so close to their next destination, to begin 'phase three' of Blaise's plan. Despite the delay, the youngest prince was confident they could make it to Fort Wayne and switch out vehicles. It only needed to hang in there for another hour and a half.
While sitting along the side of the road, the sickness came again when he spotted a sprouting mushroom next to his foot.
Mushrooms...
Teru had suddenly ran into the forest with a hand over his mouth, Kieran closely on his heels after growling at Blaise and Lucas not to follow. So, now here he was, puking his guts out.
Once done, Teru stood straight and stared at the evidence of his pregnancy nausea.
I wish I had a toilet to flush it away. He swallowed bitter aftertaste. A toothbrush, too-
A yellow toothbrush magically appeared in front of his face. Kieran must've grabbed it from his duffel bag, assuming Teru was going to be sick. In his other hand was a small tube of toothpaste.
Taking both, he felt so grateful that his eyes blurred with happy tears. Everything had been so stressful. This made it a little easier to cope.
"Thank you," Teru said, unscrewing the cap. He wanted to get rid of the taste as soon as possible before it triggered another round of throwing up.
As he brushed thoroughly, Kieran wiped a handkerchief under his eyes. "I don't like to see you cry."
"Ah ot rying," he mumbled. (I'm not crying.)
Finished, Teru glanced at the water slowly rippling in the muddy ditch behind the tree. Before he could use it to gurgle, Kieran grabbed his hand and placed a metal bottle in it. "Don't drink anything without boiling it. Who knows what bacteria it could have?"
Teru spat out the minty foam with filtered water. "Because I could get super sick, right? Sometimes the entire pack would get ill after using the water in the caves. The usual cause was a dead animal that had entered the system and got stuck, then died in our reservoir. After removing the carcass, we'd use another creek until the bad water flushed out."
"The 'entire' pack?" Kieran was shocked. "Did that include you?"
"I mean, yeah. I drank from it like everyone else. The first time I remember it happening was when I was four, maybe? Another pup and I were affected the most. I almost died, actually."
"You...almost died...," Kieran repeated through clenched teeth. His eyes gleamed angrily.
Teru stopped talking. He realized mentioning the old story had made his protective alpha upset. It was so long ago, but it was the possibility that Teru could have been dead by something so preventable had the adults been more careful.
"And the other pup?"
Should Teru say it? Should he lie? No, he shouldn't lie. "I woke up for a second during my high fever and saw them carrying her body from the healer's den. No one thought I'd live, either. She was an alpha and healthier than me. How could a small, weak omega survive? I had help, though. My guardian angel was there."
"Leaving in thirty minutes!" Blaise yelled from afar.
Kieran held his hand and guided him back to the Jeep, carrying the items in the other. "Guardian angel?"
"Mhm. That's what my dad told me when I told him after waking up."
Teru wanted to sleep in his own bed. He missed his wolfie toy and ring, but his parents always forgot to bring them! His stomach still hurt. Was it time to go?
He looked at Papa talking to the pack's healer. The older female beta gave him a baggie of herbs.
"Give him one of these before each meal. If there's blood in his stool again, come see me without delay. Plenty of fluids. No strenuous activities or games for another two or three days. Poor thing was at death's door." They stared at him, making Teru uncomfortable. Was he in trouble? His memory was fuzzy. He drank water from the caves, then he felt immense pain later while practicing how to shoot a gun. The pack leader, dummy Nolan's father, finally announced my job would be a hunter. 'Might as well put him to good use,' pack leader smirked. 'Perhaps he'd make good bait.'
Later, he was here.
Papa took the medicine and picked him up. Teru wrapped his legs around Papa's waist, nuzzling his face into his shirt. The scent was much nicer than that lady's musty smell. Off they went to their hole in a different tunnel.
Teru remembered something important. Like, super duper important!
He gasped, "Wait! We forgot my friend. Have you seen him?"
"Who? Lucas?"
"No, silly! Um, I don't know his name. He didn't tell me."
"What does he look like? When did you see him, then?" Papa sounded like he didn't believe him! Teru wasn't making it up!
"Well...," he trailed off. That part wasn't clear when Teru tried to recall his face. He couldn't. "I don't know. But he had a nice scent. It smelled like, um, um, I don't know the plant. It was spicy and warm. My friend sang to me in weird words when I got too hot. He was scared when I saw a light."
"A light?" Papa stopped, interested.
"Yeah, I saw a pretty light far away. It got closer and closer. I wanted to go see. Didn't you see a light, too, Papa?"
"No, honey, I didn't see it. Your friend got scared? Of the light?"
"Nuh-uh, not of that. He kept telling me something, but I couldn't understand. Then, he hugged me and said, 'No. No. Stay.' Can we go eat, Papa? My belly doesn't hurt now. I want raspberries."
"Oh, uh, okay. Let's go get raspberries." Papa walked again, deep in thought. "So what happened after he said 'stay'?"
"I stayed."
"And then?"
"I woke up. He really is my friend, Papa! I'm not lying!"
"I know, Teru, I never said you lied. In fact, I think he is a special type of friend."
"Special?"
"Yes. They're called guardian angels. Only you can see your own guardian. You can't see mine or Mama's. They're assigned to every baby when born and they watch over them until death. It sounds like your angel thought it was too soon for you to die. He was scared because he didn't want you to go to the light yet."
"Where does he live? Let's go see him!"
"I can't say for certain, Teru. Maybe in the sky!"
"The sky?! When will he come down?"
"Hmm, it's hard to know. Even if you don't see him until you're old like me, he's watching over you. Protecting you."
The two reached their home in the cold wall. As soon as Papa put him down, Teru saw Hina inside and yelled, "I saw my guardian angel and you didn't! Suck it!"
And there was a lot of scolding that followed about his language.
Teru finished, "I don't believe in guardian angels anymore, though. I guess I still call it that because my dream itself was my savior, in a way."
As he grew up, he lost the childish belief that they were real. Such hope didn't exist. Yet, the person he had created in his dream kept his soul tethered to his body. His four-year-old mind was so captivated by that 'friend,' he had ignored the welcoming arms of death.
"There have been many instances of humans throughout history saying they saw their guardian angel when gravely injured, sick, or in a dangerous situation," Kieran said. "Science speculates it's the brain trying to survive. The mind can't handle such stress and trauma. I've heard of 'guardian angels' appearing as a deceased family member or divine beings with wings. But science can't explain everything, little one. The heavens work in mysterious ways. It could have been real. It could have all been made up by your desperation to live. Either way, I'm grateful you turned away from that light. Seeing the light and your life flash before your eyes is actually real."
"Real-?"
"Teru!" a voice yelled nearby, disturbing their conversation. It was Lucas.
They saw the Jeep ahead through the trees. Blaise was checking out the engine in a seductive posture, leaning over with a tool. To the side, Lucas waved Teru over to a tall tree, a kind that was easily recognizable to him. Wait, that's right! Spring was coming! Was it that time of year already? He felt giddy.
Maple syrup season.
At the thought of it, his cravings raged for the sweet, gooey substance. His mouth salivated. Teru stood next to Lucas and observed the handmade tap sticking out from the tree trunk. It was obviously carved without care. The wooden spire was haphazardly shaped. At least it did the job. Drops of light brown sap oozed down the drainage utensil. The syrup was ready to be harvested.
Lucas was equally excited. "We haven't had this in what, three years? Not since those beetles destroyed our territory's maple trees!"
They watched the drops trickle into a metal cup propped up by a rock.
"The color looks great," Teru commented.
"It does."
"How did you make the tap? You also don't have a hammer and nail to make a hole."
Lucas shrugged. "I asked Blaise to make it. Don't mind the quality."
Blaise retorted dramatically while tightening bolts, "Huhhh? 'Dont mind the quality?'" I tried my best with what I was given. How you describe things is shit. Who in the world has the patience to farm maple syrup? Do I look like the type to go fuck some glory holes in trees and drink their juices?"
He had a point. It took days just for a small batch, making it a luxury dessert. Blaise was definitely not the type to volunteer for such tedious labor.
That last comment was unnecessary. What was a glory hole?
"Don't be like that," Lucas barked.
"Like what, Master?"
As they bickered, Teru had a sixth sense tingle in his mind. It was telling him to...to...look at his mate; their connection was actively sending signals.
Listening to it, he glanced up. Kieran wasn't paying attention to the other two alphas at all, staring blankly into the forest. His complexion was paler than a minute ago and his irises were blackish crimson.
He gasped. An intense thirst made Teru cough, throat soaking up all the spit that was in his mouth. It was like he had drunk nothing in a week! Red. Teru wanted to find something red and warm. The image was all he could think of. Feel prey struggle in his hands. Listen to its screams. Do anything to satiate this agony-
Just as quickly as the thirst came, it went away. Teru shivered.
He had experienced a smidge of a vampire's hunger for blood. A smidge, a tiny taste of the hellish suffering of being immortal. It was fucking terrifying to know Kieran was in silent torment. He was so good at hiding his pain.
Teru squeezed Kieran's hand tight, doing it several times because the vampire's mind was elsewhere, likely daydreaming of drinking blood.
Finally noticing, Kieran blinked fast and shook off his inner predator. Their gazes met. They stared at each other, knowing there was a problem.
"Blaise," Kieran sighed.
Lucas and Blaise stopped fighting with petty insults. "Hmm?"
"Hunt. I need to hunt. Now."
"Well, it's about freaking time! I was wondering when you were going to give in and find food. Your worsening symptoms had me on edge today. I believed you'd lose it and feast on my precious virtue sitting in front of you."
"By 'food,' do you mean animals? Animal blood is fine, too?" Teru asked.
Kieran nodded. "Not much nutrition, but it's...doable."
"Doable? What the fuck?" Lucas spat, crossing his arms. "You vampires had the option to drink animal blood but destroyed humanity instead?"
"Oh, my lovely alpha," Blaise laughed, "animal blood and human blood are like comparing a fast-food hamburger to a 5-star steak. Besides, there were instances where animals were our only source. All vampires have a rough period like that. My longest streak was ten months. Fun times, fun times. I suppose that was better than big brother's bloodless fasting for a few decades or however long it was."
Kieran growled, not liking the past being brought up. He stroked a finger across Teru's cheek. "I'll just be over there for a half hour."
"Go do what you have to do," the omega assured. "The three of us will try that maple syrup while you're gone."
Blaise eyed the slow drops. Each one painstakingly rolled down the tap. "It's like watching paint dry..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's been a long time since to hunt so freely without judgment. Kieran allowed the vampire instincts to run wild after he found a herd of deer. He heard them earlier while Blaise and Lucas argued, not realizing his thirst had reflected on his mate. Stupid of Kieran to be careless. So, so stupid! Teru shouldn't have to be stressed for him.
Kieran was the provider.
And to be the provider, he needed to get his strength back, even if the blood was awful. Because of the quality, he had to drink from a dozen deer before feeling satisfied.
The buck he held to his chest was still struggling even though most of its blood was gone. Its neck muscles twitched, desperate to be let go. But Kieran's fangs latched on, sucking on its life until it was in his stomach.
It died on his last swallow. That should be enough to make his red eyes go away. His fangs pulled out. He placed the beast on the grass with its other dead herd members, thanking them for the meal. In the distance, he was listening to Teru explain to Blaise how to make a better tap for the maple tree-
There was a tremble under his feet. It was barely noticeable, but it was there, a deep rumble in the earth. With the increasing temperatures, too, it reminded Kieran how challenging their journey would be. There may not be any dangerous creatures or threatening people now, but nature can be more unforgiving. Abaddon had made it much worse after sounding his trumpet.
Kieran was strong. He was the firstborn son of the first vampire, the first woman. Pride was his sin. He had fought and won countless wars. His experience and knowledge were priceless. Best of all, his destined mate was the last human omega, pregnant with his pups.
But...
Even Kieran's ability had limits on protecting Teru. Some things were bigger than him.
Lilith.
Hell literally breaking apart the planet.
Himself, sometimes.
That terrified him.
Another slight earthquake disturbed the birds, flying toward the sun.