21
Will
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up.
He was still wearing the clothes from the night before.
Ah well, at least I don’t have to get dressed.
His chunky leather boots sat on the floor beside the bed.
Pulling them on and fastening all the buckles seemed a little more than his brain could contend with, but he managed to get it done.
Nobody seemed to be about. In fact, after a quick search, Will realized nobody was even at the penthouse.
That didn’t bode well. If he was going to be any good to anyone, he needed to eat something.
The combination of less than a full night’s sleep and having completely drained his Holy energy the night before, was a bad combo.
Lack of sustenance was something he couldn’t afford.
Unlike a year earlier, Rion’s refrigerator and cupboards were now fully stocked.
The demon might not be inclined to use the kitchen himself but Vixen, Lori, and Christo often cooked.
Will found a plate of leftovers in the fridge and wolfed it down, along with several bread rolls and a couple of cookies.
Only then, did he dare to flash to the palace beneath Diabolus Loco.
Few people were about at this hour, but this didn’t faze him. He headed straight for the throne room. O’Brien, Derek, and Althea stood guard, but none made any move to prevent him from entering. Pushing open the double doors in unison, Will strode in.
Marquez and his guards stood on one side of the throne, while Rion, Lyla, and a tall blonde Undead male stood on the other. Tobias was currently feeding from the angel Ramiel, and upon closer inspection, the blonde vampire was feeding from Tobias. The only one who noticed his arrival was Rion.
“How well are you?”
It was an odd question, until Will’s gaze continued around the room. Tobias’ eleven mortal servants were lined up along one wall. All had passed out except for Dominic and Aaron, and Dominic didn’t look like he was going to stay upright for much longer.
Alarmed by this, Will began to turn back to Tobias and saw the unconscious bodies of the angels.
So many angels. His heart skipped a beat.
What the fuck was Martelli doing? Slowly he met Tobias’ gaze, just as Ramiel crumpled to the floor.
A sound from the right indicated Dominic had also fallen.
Will flashed out and materialized next to Tobias.
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but take whatever I have left.” He thrust his arm at the vampire.
Tobias’ expression gave nothing away but his eyes held fear. He grabbed Will’s wrist and sank his fangs in. The male drank greedily, as if he’d been starved for weeks.
Will could feel his energy depleting, and panic set in. How much more did he need? Were they going to lose everything?
“Feed from Rion. Right now!” The voice in Will’s head had not come from the room they were in. It took a moment for him to recognize it as the Savior.
“Le Roux!” Will shouted.
Rion appeared at his side. “I heard it too,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt sleeve as he spoke.
The taste of blood made Will gag, but he drank anyway, gulping it down as fast as he could.
Rion’s blood, containing both Holy and Unholy would both sustain Will and filter through to Tobias.
It would be more powerful than if Tobias fed from Rion directly, since Will was a full angel.
He could only pray it would be enough. A glance at the servants told Will, Aaron was still standing strong. He closed both eyes and prayed.
They continued this strange regime for several minutes with the blonde vampire feeding from Tobias, Tobias feeding from Will, Will feeding from Rion. It didn’t feel real and he tried not to think about the wider picture.
Without warning, Marquez fell to the floor and began convulsing. Will could see it happening out of the corner of his eye, despite Rion’s wrist pressed to his lips. There was no way to voice his concern.
Lyla materialized at Marquez’s side and placed both her palms to his chest. From her speed and the confidence in her own actions, Will felt convinced this wasn’t the first time she’d done this. What the fuck had been going on while involuntary sleep recharged him?
“The bond is forged,” the blonde vampire said, a measure of disbelief in his tone. “You actually did it. You have impressed me beyond words, Martelli.”
Tobias dragged a thumb across the seam of his lips to wipe away any remaining traces of blood. Will and Rion exchanged glances of uncertainty. Had the danger passed? Was everything okay now?
“Are you good?” Will asked Tobias.
“Yeah. Your timing was fucking amazing. Thanks, Jones. What about you? I took more from you than the others, and you’ve been drained once already tonight.”
“Our Trinity knows no bounds…” Will grinned and looked at Rion, who began to smile too.
“Thank fuck.” Tobias massaged his brow. “I’m going to need a shit ton of feeders before I Fade, but the bond has been created. That was the dangerous part.”
“Well, that’s great. Who the fuck is this guy?” Will jerked a thumb in the blonde vampire’s direction.
“Viggo Westergaard, meet Will Jones,” Tobias declared proudly. “Seventh level angel, pain in everybody’s ass, and third member of our trinity.”
“He is like a brother to you,” Westergaard observed. He respectfully inclined his head in Will’s direction before extending a hand. “It is a privilege.”
Still grinning, Will shook it. Silently, he opened up a link with Tobias. “You oathed an original king? You’ve lost your mind you crazy bastard…”
“Save your judgement, I’m going to have to do it again. All of this is for nothing if we cannot protect Marquez from the eighth lord.”
Will’s gaze panned to the left, where Lyla was helping Marquez to his feet, then to the right where the sea of Holy bodies lay. “This is a damned mess.”
“I must return to Norway,” Viggo said, “but I will be back at sunset tomorrow. Whatever I have that is useful, is now yours.”
Tobias nodded. “We will discuss the finer points of this new alliance then, but know that I do not plan to take your kingdom from you. This was primarily about survival.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I shall transport you,” Rion decided.
Will had already zoned out of the conversation. He approached the line of servants, and knelt down beside Vixen. After kissing her softly, he placed a hand to her belly and let out a sigh. Though logic had suggested she and the baby were fine, he still needed to see it for himself.
“They’re okay, right?” Aaron asked, his voice small and afraid.
“Yeah,” Will said quietly. “At the moment you’re last in line, so as long as you’re still okay, they can be restored. They just need to feed from Tobias.”
“This is why he needed us?” Aaron asked, hugging both arms around himself.
“Yeah.” Will offered a small smile. “It’s not always this dramatic, I promise.”
At the beginning of the line, Tobias had already woken Lori.
“What about them?” Aaron’s gaze was on the angels.
“Sleep will recharge them,” Will told him.
“That’s why I was late, it’s what I was doing for most of the evening.
I’m probably going to have to sleep through most of the day before I’m at full strength again.
It will be the same for these angels as well.
” He moved out of the way, while Tobias woke Vixen.
“Jones, can you have Derek get some feeders? I need them ASAP.” Tobias sat down next to Vixen. “I have to stop until I’ve fed or these guys are just going to pass out again.”
Will nodded and set off.
It took another thirty minutes for Tobias to consume enough blood to rouse the rest of the servants.
Will and Vixen sat side by side on the floor, with her nestled in the crook of his arm.
He rested a hand on her belly, comforted by the gentle movements of their child.
He rested his cheek against the top of her head and sighed softly.
Tiredness hovered at the edges of his consciousness, but he knew it could be kept at bay a little longer.
He would not leave until it was safe for Tobias to Fade.
“Love you,” she murmured.
“Love you too, doll.” He grinned.
“I can feel you smiling,” she said, which only made him smile more.
“Martelli,” Will called.
Tobias, who had just finished resurrecting Dominic, came over at once. “Yeah?”
“Where is Marquez going to Fade? Does he need supervision?”
Tobias combed a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Lyla has agreed to stay here with him overnight in case the eighth lord tries to take him out again. It’s likely he will, he’ll know we’re all vulnerable in the Fade.”
“You’re making him Fade here in the throne room?” Will laughed hard. “Nice.”
“Hey, my hospitality has to be earned,” Tobias said, though he grinned.
“Westergaard seems like he might actually be a decent ally,” Will mused.
“Yeah, I think so too.”
“It’s a pity your sire is such a bag of dicks.”
“Will!” Vixen burst out laughing.
“He’s not wrong,” Tobias said. “However, we do need to wrap things up because I’m sure as hell not Fading in here with these morons.”