Can You Wash Away the Pain

I woke into the world with a gasping breath. The air was still warm from the day and I knew that the sun had not yet set. Eeriness blanketed the house, more so then usual as I took the time to sit up and climb out of my coffin. Not a sound echoed in any part of the house and it seemed that the more I sat and listened the quieter my home became.

My feet touched the carpet with ease and although I knew that my footsteps were light, I couldn’t help but feel as though they were loud enough to wake the dead.

I wrapped my dressing gown around my shoulders and opened the door, half expecting Nicholas or Fox to come rushing up to me but there was no one. I passed each room feeling my way, hoping for notice of anything strange but nothing came back to me. As I passed Fox's room, I could feel his still sleeping body lying in the bed, waiting for dusk and the time he would wake.

Finally my journey brought me to the head of the stairs where I saw her, just waiting for me, looking up at me, knowing or seeing my every move.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I took the stairs one by one. The air was almost stagnant the closer I moved, almost as though she was surrounded by something otherworldly and to me it was suffocating.

"wiL, you have no time to be sleeping, waiting watching. You must take action soon or all of England; all of the world will be lost into their darkness." She stepped closer to me and I felt the power draw from me as her presence sucked me clean of the power she had laid on me.

"I leave tonight, my forces will be ready and we will storm their house, but the outcome is uncertain. How will I know what is right?" She smiled at me as she took my face in her petite hands. I had to force myself not to cower beneath such strength and power.

"You must take my strength again wiL, do not let it go to waste this time, do not squander it waiting for the right moment. I have faith in you and I will be there, inside of you. Trust me and you will find the way to our salvation." Her eyes sparkled in the last lingering light of the day and as I looked into those dark pools, I did not see a human, in those moments I knew that she was as much of a monster as the rest of us.

She guided my teeth to her delicate wrist and watched as I pierced the skin with some hesitance, I knew what this felt like, it was not something I wanted to have happen again so soon. With a gentle push on the back of my head she forced my fangs in deeper as her head rolled back and her life force was drained into me.

The power coursing through my veins, like hot wax pouring into my veins and mapping a path to all of my senses, I felt invincible, like I could take on anyone and win. The more of her I devoured the more heightened I became until my belly was full and her blood began to fill just my mouth and pour down my cheeks.

"STOP!" Her voce echoed through the seemingly empty mansion sending bolts of power along her skin and into my mouth. I jumped back with the feeling of pain in my mouth as I looked at her with swimming eyes. "You have had your fill. Don’t be greedy wiL, that is not who you are." She rolled the sleeve of her jacket down, he attention focused at the top of the stairs where I hear the first signs of life.

"Don’t go, I have so much I want to ask you." I said reaching out and taking her shoulder in a steady grasp.

"You need nothing more of me Francis, use the power wisely and speak nothing of this to anyone." I heard my name being called and instinctively I turned my head to focus on where the sound had originated forgetting about Hayley being beside of me. At the top of the stairs I could see a sleep tousled Fox waving down to me, a flurry of questions gracing his mouth. I held up my hand to silence him then turned back to where Hayley had been standing.

"Gone again." I mumbled to myself as I wiped my lips of the last remnants of her energy from sight.

"wiL? You're awake so early. Is anything the matter?" I shook my head at my friend, the trouble was, that everything was the matter.

*****

"Sean, I need you and your wolves to back me up on this, it won't work without you." He nodded his head as a few of his pack transformed into their animal selves. A mess of blood and membrane spread over the grass and I was thankful for us doing this outside, I would have hated to think about my Persian rugs again.

"Do you really think it's going to be this easy wiL? I mean, you and he are friends to an extent but do you really believe that he will take you to Gerard?" I pulled my coat tighter around my body. I couldn’t seem to shake this cold feeling from me, like something haunting me.

"I don’t know if he will, but I have to try. You were right when you said to me that they will destroy who he is, Fox. We don’t have the time to sit and wait, this is it boys, tonight we get Gerard out and find out what the hell they are doing to this world." I took a step back from the group as the individuals conversed about tonight's probable outcomes. I could hear the whispers of how crazy I was and maybe they were right, all I knew was that we had to get Gerard out tonight or he would never be the same again.

In the distance I heard the sound of carriage wheels approaching and I stopped. We weren’t expecting visitors at all, I held my breath as the carriage turned the corner and came into sight.

"What's he doing here?" Sean snarled in my ear as Davey's carriage pulled up along side us. I shook my head, I didn’t know but I knew it couldn’t be good. In moments the door was swung open and out climbed a healthy looking Jade and a dark and sour looking Davey.

"Jade," I greeted him in a warm embrace as he smiled up at me. "What are you doing here? No one said that you were feeling better! It's so good to see you well again." Stepped back to get a good look at the pixie like man, he had a pink tinge o his cheeks and I could tell that he had not long before fed. It was as if he had been blessed with some sort of miracle, Jade was well again, we had something to rejoice for.

"Master Firth thought it best not to send telegrams any more, even when he realised that with the aid of the Necromancer I was able to become well again, he made the choice to stop all messages in the ranks, it seems that someone has been intercepting our communications. So here I am. Tell me wiL, what can I do to help your crusade? It seems that you have a plan tonight, yes?" I smiled at the young vampires astuteness. It was true that Jade was younger then me in vampiric terms but if we had been alive at the same time, he would have been a few years older then me. I guided my friend away from the likes of his company, Davey, who seemed more interested in standing beside the carriage and sulking anyway.

"I don’t know how much you know, but the Tucks have Gerard. Tonight we plan to infiltrate their home, find out what we can and then get out. Do you think you're well enough to accompany me into their home? I could us a side man." He smiled that gentle smile of his at me in knowing.

"Just find a way to keep me from helping you, friend."

*****

I tapped my cane anxiously as Angel approached his mansion. I couldn’t shake this terrible feeling that I had deep within my stomach. I felt Jades hand press on my knee and the tension released somewhat causing me to smile weakly at him.

"It will be okay wiL, you are strong. I know that with you there we can do this. Don’t lose faith now." Somehow Jades words didn’t ease the trepidation in my stomach as much as his hand on my knee. Unlike him, I knew what we were planning on walking in to.

The carriage shuddered to a halt and as we waited for Angel to open the door, I turned to Jade.

"Stay close to me Jade, I know these people. They will try anything to get us offside, we have to keep together and remember that at any sight of trouble there are people out there who have our backs." He nodded as the cool night breeze filled the space around us and the light from the Tuck mansion bathed our flesh.

"The Tuck household, Sir." Said Angel as I stepped out instantly being pulled into a more then friendly embrace.

"wiL! What a pleasant surprise! You know, it's funny, I was only thinking of you this evening." He held me back at arms length to look at me. "What do I owe this visit my dear friend?" His affections were more then I was used to and as my stomach turned again I was forced to take a step back from the situation.

"Matt, please. I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Jade Peugot, We were talking about your house. You see, Jade is an Architect and I was talking with him about your splendid house. Anyway, I had hoped that perhaps you might give us the guided tour of your home." A smile spread over Lord Matthew's face as he placed an arm around Jade's shoulder.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure. But first, can I get you gentlemen a drink?"