The Misadventures of Kade and Celine

Bobby and Leroy were already outside the manor when Kade got there. Leroy was in his wolf form and there were two elven security guards outside the gates with their throats brutally ripped out. Both Bobby and Leroy were covered in blood. Bobby shrugged.

"Almost a full moon," he said.

"Good to know you don't mind getting your hands dirty," Kade told them.

They used a rock to smash the glass pane on the front door, then reached through the broken glass to unlock the front door. Just as they entered the room, Lawson and two members of the Watch were walking down the hall upstairs. From the floor above, Lawson looked down at the three blood-covered men with wide eyes. Leroy was still a wolf, and it seemed Lawson had never actually seen a Mutt in their wolf form before. He seemed stunned with how big they were. He muttered something to one of the watch elves and the man lifted a handheld crossbow with a silver bolt in it. Kade managed to dodge the bolt before it skewered him, and shifted midway.

Lawson's eyes widened even bigger when Kade bounded up the stairs four at a time and caught up to them before they could get away. He managed to clamp his teeth around the one who had shot at him, tearing his arm clean off and throwing him to the side. He managed to tackle the other guard down too, and blood was splattered all over the marble floors. He turned to see Lawson sprinting full speed away from him. Finally, the elf wasn't sneering at how "weak" Mutts were. Kade wasn't sure whether to follow him or look for Celine.

"Go catch him!" Bobby called out from downstairs. "We'll find Celine!"

Kade started on a full sprint to try and catch up to Lawson. The man was trying to duck into a library and shut the door, but Kade practically broke the door down with his body weight. He growled as he backed Lawson into a corner.

"Down boy," Lawson said warily, finally looking a bit disheveled. "We can talk about this. We can-"

He cried out when Kade lunged at him. There was a mess of tearing and blood after that. Kade had all but blacked out while it was happening. He didn't remember what had happened, but the next thing he knew, he was human and sitting back against one of the massive bookshelves of the library. He was completely drenched in blood, and Lawson was lying on the ground next to him. What was left of Lawson, anyways. It probably wasn't the graceful death he always envisioned for himself.

Kade wanted to get up and find Celine, but the nausea from the shifting finally hit him. He had gone back and forth so much in one night that he could hardly see straight now. Eventually he got back up to his feet and shuffled out the door. He was all at once relieved and concerned to see Bobby and Leroy helping a weak Celine down the hall. Kade caught and held her when she passed out, checking her wound. Bastard. Kade was starting to think he had been a bit harsh, but Lawson got everything he deserved.

"It was Bayley," Leroy said apprehensively. "He sold her out."

"Where is he?"

"Dunno," Leroy said. "The weasel got away."

Kade cursed under his breath.

"Take Celine home," he said. "Her father will be there. He'll probably be able to help with her healing process."

"Her father?" Bobby repeated warily.

"Yeah, full vampire," Kade said. "He'll let you in. I think. Just tell him I sent you."

They still didn't seem sure, but trusted Kade. Bobby gingerly picked Celine up and carried her so there was no unnecessary strain on her wound. Kade wanted more than anything to follow, but he couldn't let Bayley get away. His scent was apparent in the house. He was still there, cowering in some corner.

Kade stalked the halls and kicked in doors while he looked for him, making sure he made plenty of noise so Bayley knew he was coming for him. Finally, he found the meek man trying to hide under a couch. Kade pulled him out and Bayley tried to fight, but Kade was stronger. He pinned him down and glared at him. There was a lot to say, but Kade just felt sad.

"How could you?" Kade finally managed to say.

"P-please don't hurt me," Bayley said. "Come on. We're a pack!"

"Exactly," Kade said. "We are. I was just starting to accept that. We need each other. So how could you betray me like this?"

"They said they would protect me," Bayley said.

"Do you feel protected right now?"

Bayley whimpered and shrank back. Kade was about ready to walk away and leave him there to cry over his mistakes, but he ended up turning around to face Bayley again. Just in time to see Bayley use a gloved hand to unsheathe a silver dagger. He slashed at Kade's leg and gave him a cut that burned like hell, and Kade found his hands on either side of Bayley's head. With a firm twist, he snapped his neck. Bayley hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, and it was finally quiet.

Kade tore off some fabric from a silk blanket on the nearby couch and used it to tie the cut off and stop the bleeding. The sun was up by the time he started to limp home. As people started to come out and start their day, Kade felt people staring at him. He must have looked like he just came back from hell with all the blood on him.

When he finally got home, he found Leroy and Bobby sitting at his dining table with Silas. All of the shades were closed to keep the sun out and they looked utterly terrified, but Silas was telling them some enthusiastic story about the time he helped in the Goblin revolution over 200 years ago. The three of them lit up when they saw Kade there.

"It's over," Kade said, leaving it at that. "Where's Celine?"

"In the bedroom," Silas told him. "Come."

Kade followed Silas to the bedroom, where Celine was lying on the bed. She looked peacefully asleep, and her midsection was bandaged. She was a bit pale, but not as bad as when Kade had seen her. There was a glass with some red liquid on the nightstand next to her.

"She'll be alright," Silas told her. "I know it's hard to look at her now, but she'll be mostly healed by the time she wakes."

"Is that blood?" Kade asked.

"Mostly water," Silas told him. "But yes, blood is stirred in."

"Who's blood?"

Silas lifted his arm to show a fading scar there. A cut that appeared to be in the final stages of healing.

"My own," Silas said.

"That's not toxic?"

"To everyone else, it is," Silas said. "If you drank it, you'd be dead in seconds. But for my daughter, who shares my blood, it accelerates her healing."

Kade sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her hair, moving it out of her face.

"You look a mess," Silas said.

"I know," Kade sighed.

"You should rest too," Silas suggested. "You've... done a lot tonight. I'll keep the boys occupied int he kitchen."

Kade nodded with a smile. Silas walked out of the room and closed the door behind him to give Kade and Celine some privacy. He looked back at her for a moment. She'd be fine, but it still hurt to see her like that. Kade could only hope they wouldn't be bothered again after this.

He undressed to take a shower, and while he scrubbed himself as much as he could he was sure there was still dried blood on him. He tugged on some clean and comfortable clothes, then looked down at the tattered and bloody mess that was the clothes he wore before. There was no fixing them now, so he just tossed them in the bathroom trash.

He pushed his wet hair back and then flopped face first into bed next to Celine. He put an arm around her and delicately pulled her in, kissing the side of her head.

"Looks like we're finally going to catch a break, Garlic."