Blood Pressure (ch 11)

Chapter 11
(Nathan)

We rushed down the hall, a door was unlocked, I was hurried into a back room, was told where to deposit my load, and nearly ushered out the door again. I wasn't going to have any of that. When one of the guys, whose name I did not know tried to rush me out again, this time reaching for my arm, I growled, “Back off.” It must have been enough because his partner pulled him away. Having laid my burden down already I wanted to take a moment to reassure Osiris that he wasn't going to be alone this time.

Laying a hand on his cheek, I knew he would he hear me – that Osiris was somewhat semiconscious, “I will be here while you sleep. I promise that you will not become trapped or alone while you have me by your side. You are not alone. I am here.” The last I projected into his mind as I spoke the words aloud. Then whispering, “I will be here, sleeping by your side, but first I must speak to Rose before I do.” Nothing left to say I lowered the coffin's lid softly, turned, and strode off to do as I said.

I returned to the other room only to have Rose tell me, “Osiris is something dangerous, a revenant. There is no time to explain in full. Know this, you are what's keeping him together.” Having said her piece all the vampires whisked out of the room through other doors where I could only assume more coffins were waiting.

I stood there blinking. Okaay... I turned back around, striped off my close and started the change. I had been holding it back since I walked into the room upstairs and smelled the fresh blood on Osiris. Now I let it go. Having been released, it engulfed me like an incoming tide. The process of the change was quite fast. ...or at least it was for me. I'd been told the experience depended upon the person going through it. Maybe I had it so easy because I had learn long ago how to ride the waves.

My full wolf form was going to be a better one than the human one. The wolf would be more comfortable with the lack of a bed for one, had better senses and reflexes should some...idiot for a lack of a better word...managed to get into the vampires' den, for whatever reason, for two. Telling myself that the wolf gave an extra layer of security the vampires I knew well couldn't provide for the center of my concern I settled down as only a wolf could; head on paws, nose to tail. Right beside the coffin housing the one I was trying not to put a label to. Afraid to label...

Settled down, but not ready to sleep despite all that had happen. Those events were what kept my mind awake. They needed sorting before sleep would come.

Ironically enough that's where my day had begun. Sleep. I had been asleep when my phone vibrated me awake. Having somehow managing to have gone to sleep with my phone under my head...it is not something I want to repeat. No, even in human form a werewolf's hearing is sensitive. The vibration turned out to be one of my old friends, one of a group that I no longer hung out with, asking me to do just that. Go hang out. At one-thirty in the a.m. Regardless of the fact that my job allowed me to work at any time of day or night and so I used that to advantage..usually for gaming and full moon occasions.... Nonetheless...I couldn't remember having been asleep for too long. I texted back my reply to that effect. Eddy wouldn't take “no”.

:C'mon, dude, we got Jack! Your fave!.:

: Dude, I have a job now.: It had been, not too long ago. But I had done the new leaf thing, became a responsible adult and all that came with it. Besides..Jack and the wolf didn't get along well.

:Lame. Come drink! One last time!: I didn't reply to that. Maybe he would leave me be. No such luck. I'd forgotten how stubborn Eddy could be. Insistent, rowdy, knocking on my door and vibration from my phone proved how stubborn. :C'mon! Jeff found hidden treasure and we're outside your door.:

Jeff's treasure turned out to be a crumbling tomb. He claimed it had to have treasure for the simple fact that there was no name and no dates.

“No one buries dead people without putting names.” Jeff's words had already begun to slur.  Dave and Eddy just shrugged, nearly as drunk as Jeff. Every time Jeff got drunk he wanted to go treasure hunting in graveyards of all places. Said that's where he would bury treasure. Lucky for all of us we had always been too drunk to attempt to dig up anything...or one...

I didn't know how Jeff had found this particular graveyard, as it was you had to be looking for it to find it. I could have sworn up till then that we had gone to every graveyard in the area. I was very wrong. If I had before I would have know what was waiting for me as soon as I stepped into the fenced in resting place of the dead. As soon as I place the first toe on the sod I felt him. Felt his supernatural presence and knew more than the dead rested there. It took every ounce of control that I had to play it cool and not run at my top speed to where I felt the soul cry. Some argue that vampires do not have souls, but I argue that they do. Vampires are just as human as I am, neither of us rot. As sure as I knew that soul was in pain I knew it was a vampire.

There was no way I would let that soul suffer longer than I could get away with. It hurt me that I couldn't ease the suffering sooner. My so-called friends knew nothing of my suffering or my supernatural tendencies. I had to act like nothing was wrong. In that moment I hated them for waking me. For being human. For making me happy they had invaded my sleep. For keeping me from helping someone that was in so much pain. Someone had once helped me when I was in that much pain and I needed to help this person. Something inside of me would not let me do otherwise. I almost hated that part as much as I hated my once friends right then.

In the meantime Jeff whipped Dave and Eddy into a treasure hunting frenzy. My eyes began to hurt for ho much I was rolling them. For the life of me I could not remember why I had ever hung out with these drunken fools. Treasure hunting in graveyards. It made no sense whatsoever. But I played it normal and kept my control.

I kept my control when we finally widened the whole in the crumbling wall of the tomb. I kept my control when Dave picked up the large rock to smash the chains. I kept my control when he sliced his hand, even though I had told him it wasn't going to work; that we need it bolt cutters. My control nearly slipped when Jeff and Eddy gave up when I said we needed them and Dave spoke up that his dad had one. I could have killed him myself. But I kept my precious control in check, I was going to need someone to sacrifice and the other two were too drunk.

Somehow I managed to stay calm, get my drunken not-so-friends home, get Dave to borrow his dad's bolt cutters, and not freak out when I felt the vampire's reaching mind. I was feeling very accomplished by five in the morning. By five I had rounded up a small stock pile of blood bags, begged off of the local vampire leader, taken it to my apartment, unloaded it into the fridge while somehow managing getting all the blood inside unseen, and rounded up Dave and the cutters and drove us to the graveyard. Yep, I was feeling good about it all. Not a single regret about any of it.

Even as the vampire's frantic need for blood nearly overwhelmed my own thoughts I still managed to keep my own wits about me; I didn't let the nameless vampire drain Dave of blood as much as I felt he deserved it earlier. Mostly I didn't want to be the cause of anymore dead bodies...even indirectly... I figured Dave would just wake up with a terrible hangover...maybe...

Dave left my mind as soon as he was out of sight.

The vampire, whom I had named Osiris, was more pitiful than I had thought. It was heartbreaking. Mine became lost the moment he opened his eyes. I would have done anything to see those bright green eyes free of pain. I still would. So I did what I had planned and took my vampire home.

My vampire. That is what Osiris had become to me. In an instant. No one, human or otherwise, male or female, had ever captured me the way he had. Then, of course, was the still unexplainable bond we have with each other. And now everything had the potential to incredibly wrong. I could have howled. Instead I tucked my nose further under my tail and slept the day away.