Vow of a Healer
Havali
The City of Love.
Havali still wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but it didn't really matter. His mate was happy, and that was all he cared about.
The human city of Paris was very old, steeped in history, and a tourist destination, especially for lovers.
Which, he supposed, was how it got the name.
The main draw appeared to be the tower in the center named after the creator, a male named Eiffel.
It was a pleasing shape, but it served no purpose he could find, but that didn't stop Scarlet from admiring it.
He could admit, the view from the top was lovely, especially since he and his mate got to enjoy it alone.
The place had been barred to all others while they were there, except their security team, and Havali used that opportunity to hold his female from behind, shielding her from their view as he nibbled on her neck.
And tasted her sweet blood.
While on Earth, he had to take blood capsules.
Without drinking straight from the source, he's had no other way to get fresh, uncoagulated blood.
And since humans wouldn't appreciate him biting into a living creature every day, he had to tolerate the capsules.
Despite the foul taste they left in the back of his throat even after swallowing.
What they couldn't take from him, however, was the blood he continued to sip from Scarlet.
Not much. Just a little every so often. She had run some tests before they left the Stor to make sure it was still safe to do so while she carried his pup, but even he wasn’t deviant enough to take full bites of her when she was carrying.
Though she wasn't showing yet, Havali still felt a thrill every time he thought about it. His mate carrying his pup. It was everything he had ever wanted. And while he couldn't bite and drink from her as much as he had before, a little nibbling and lapping at the drops that welled up was fine.
The capsules were disgusting, but a few drops of Scarlet's precious, red blood banished the taste completely.
The aphrodisiac properties also left him in a constant state of burning arousal.
Since he didn't take much, the effect wasn't as strong, but it still kept him pained and yearning until they returned to their hotel where he could make her scream.
Aside from the tower, they visited a museum and looked at famous human art pieces that were hundreds of years old, a bridge covered in old fashioned locks for some reason, a religious building filled with incredibly complex and beautiful stained glass, and so much shopping.
His female really enjoyed the shopping. Clothes and accessories and shoes. She bought so much and had them all shipped to Geneva to bring back to Turv with her.
And he indulged her completely because this was a trip she had always wanted, and it might be her last chance to enjoy it. He was determined it be good for her.
He was eager to spoil her at all times actually. Especially now that she was gravid. He wanted to do everything for her. Carry her everywhere. Massage her entire body. Bite and sip as he pounded her cunt until her legs went numb. All the tender love and care.
Today, that care included high end cuisine at a famous restaurant.
He enjoyed the vegetarian meal rather than insulting another chef by requesting raw meat.
The humans really disliked that. But mostly, he watched Scarlet have a good time.
The meal, the wine, the glamor surrounding them.
Her pleasure in this vacation shaped his happiness in turn.
After paying for the meal – using the funds offered to them by the Earth governments - they left arm in arm, ready to return to their hotel. Havali whispered salacious promises in her ear as they waited for their vehicle to come around.
They were met, however, by an apologetic member of their security team.
Scarlet had to translate as Havali's English wasn't sufficient to understand.
"He says our car isn't starting," she said, frowning at him. "They called a mechanic, but it's going to take over an hour to get here."
Havali opened his mouth to ask what other options they had when the human male began speaking. He gestured behind him, and Scarlet's face lit up.
"What did he say?" Havali asked.
She beamed at him. "He said we're not actually far from the hotel. There's a park nearby and he says it's on the other side. He's already sent some guys ahead to clear the route for us."
Havali grinned, stroking her neck. "A moonlit stroll through a park in the City of Love? How romantic. "
He knew he read his female correctly when she melted into his side, eyes sparkling.
He put an arm around her shoulder and followed the gestures of the male, directing them towards the park. Once they were inside, walking down the well-worn stone path, the human pulled back to guard their rear without being obvious.
In fact, all of their security team were doing a great job of surreptitiously following as they walked deeper into the park.
“Have you enjoyed yourself, Healer?” Havali asked, gently stroking Scarlet’s arm with his thumb as she leaned into his side.
“It’s a dream come true,” she assured him, smiling with pure love and joy in her eyes. It was the most content he had ever seen her outside of their nestroom.
"I can't wait to get you back to the hotel," Havali growled under his breath, teasing her with the barest hint of his teeth against her ear. A silent promise for what was to come.
Being on Earth, they didn't have access to all the medicine they normally would, so he had to be careful about where and how often he bit his female.
But tonight was definitely a good night for it.
The mood was just right after a long day of indulging her every whim and desire, turning her to putty in his hands.
Even the park was perfect. The buzzing insects and singing birds over the rustling leaves in the breeze made a lovely background.
Combined with the soft lights placed along the path just close enough to connect but not overpower created a wonderful atmosphere.
He was tempted to just stop at one of the benches and soak up the night.
"Shall we linger a bit, vi Healer?" He whispered in her ear.
Scarlet smiled and nodded, clearly happy to extend their time out.
He smiled nuzzling her temple as he turned-
The sharp crack that broke the night reached his ears before the pain ripped through his arm. Reflex had him moving before he realized what had happened.
His grip tightened on Scarlet as he jerked her off her feet and ran. More cracks echoed as they disappeared off the path, into the darkness of the trees. His female let out a little squeak of surprise, but she didn't scream.
Not when more shots followed them. Not when he tried to grab her with both arms, but fiery pain flared, and he was forced to let go.
Not even when one of their security team stepped into their path, gun pointed, and he released her so he could attack.
He shoved the male’s arms up, the gun shooting harmlessly into the air just before his claws ripped through tendons and the man's scream bounced off the trees.
The moment Havali dropped him, whimpering and bleeding into the ground, Scarlet was there, grabbing his uninjured arm and pulling him past the human, encouraging him to keep running.
Scarlet
Their security team was chasing them. Trying to gun them down.
Scarlet was trained in medicine. She was taught how to think and act quickly under sudden pressure. She just wasn't used to the life on the line being her own.
Havali was even quicker though. She had barely even registered that she heard something strange and he was already moving, running with her into the shadows of the park where his dark suit and camouflage could hide them.
Scarlet, however, was wearing a pale-yellow dress. Every time the moonlight peeked through the trees, she glowed. Maybe that was why she could still hear the calls of their security team chasing them. Hunting them down.
Another crack of a gunshot was accompanied by splinters exploding near her head as the bullet missed and hit a tree.
Havali growled and pulled her forward, pushing her in front of him.
"Go!"
She didn't question him. She just ran, cursing the low heels on her shoes, gladder than ever that she had decided against her stilettos tonight.
Still, they weren't the best shoes for a dark sprint through increasingly wild trees.
Where even were they?
Their hotel was near a park, but it wasn't big like this. In fact, now that she thought about it, was the restaurant even that close to the hotel?
She banished the question from her head. It would serve her no purpose now.
All she could do was run.
She led the way, but she had no idea where she was going.
That wasn't nearly so important as just getting away.
She ducked around trees. She stuck to the shadowiest areas.
At one point, she jumped down a small embankment and kept going.
All the way, Havali followed behind. Only occasionally, he would give her short instructions about where to go.
She trusted him completely, though she knew he didn't know this huge park any better than she did.
The area they found themselves in certainly didn't feel like a cultivated and maintained public area. There was litter occasionally, but no paths, no lights, nothing.
The further they ran, the more distant the signs of their pursuers became. The gunshots stopped first, then the pounding of feet, and finally the calls of the men as they struggled to find them.
Still, Scarlet kept running. Her lungs burned, her side ached, her feet hurt, but she didn't stop.
Not until the ground suddenly dropped out from under her.
She would have fallen if Havali hadn't caught her by the forearm and yanked her back before she could topple forward.
She stared into the depression that was all that was left of a long-dried, wide stream bed.